By Tokpa Tarnue- tarnue82@gmail.com
A five-day capacity building training about social audit and community scorecard approach is currently taking place in Voinjama. Lofa County.
The training is aimed positively influencing the quality, efficiency and accountability with which services are provided at different levels.
onducted by Youth in Technology and Arts Network (YOTAN) with grant support from the National Endowmentfor Democracy (NED), the training course has brought together 50 local stakeholders from seven districts in the county.
The founder and Executive Director of YOTAN, Mr. Donnish M. Pewee disclosed that the training is part of a project titled: “Enhancing Citizens Capacity to Monitor Service Delivery in Rural Liberia.” It seeks to build individual citizens and civil society capacity to monitor social services provision in Lofa County.
He said participants are being introduced to the different services provided at the local level, how they can be monitored, and the ways in which community scorecards can help identify gaps.
“This training will heavily utilize case studies to provide participants with practical examples of implementation of the scorecard methodology, and participants will practice how to engage in political process monitoring,” Director Pewee said.
To ensure that the scorecard approach is being effectively utilized and leveraged, YOTAN will organize five Social audit Clubs across the county and that members of the various clubs will be selected during the capacity building training.
Each of the clubs will comprised of 15 members (8 males and 7 females) including community leaders, women, and youth leaders and that five separate community scorecards will be completed across seven districts in the county, Mr. Pewee explained.
“As part of the project, YOTAN staffer will also catalogue citizen views on the issues presented at various town hall meetings to inform a more targeted advocacy strategy,” the YOTAN official Pewee mentioned.
Mr. Pewee later said that their effort is in support of Government of Liberia’s commitment to delivering to the Liberian people an improved system of governance that is more localized and more responsive to the needs and aspirations of all citizens throughout the country. As such, he said citizens participation is key to the actualization of said commitment.
Youth in Technology and Arts Networ is an emerging civil society organization contributing to youth social development and strengthening of citizen advocacy to lead impact and reduce poverty.
The organization envisions a transparent and an accountable, gender balanced society where every person is informed, protected and working to their full potential.
Its officials say the group is a member of the 2030 Youth Alliance that brings duty bearers and right holders together to reaffirm actions towards sustainable development on the continent from the perspectives of the continent’s largest population, the youth.
YOTA aims and objectives
are to leverage on civic engagements with tech and innovations to increase
Social and democratic accountability in local democracy processes at the local
level. It also promotes the empowerment of youth, women & Girls and to
strengthen citizens’ voices, in order to participate in peace-building,
democratic governance and socio-economic development.