Ahmednagar (September 2025) – Bosco Gramin Vikas Kendra (BGVK) organized a transformative Capacity Building Training Programme for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working across rural Ahmednagar district. Generously supported by development partners including BMZ and Don Bosco Mondo, this strategic initiative represents a significant investment in strengthening grassroots organizations to serve as catalysts for sustainable community development and social transformation. Rural communities across India face interlocking challenges that perpetuate cycles of poverty and marginalization. Women and vulnerable populations often lack access to quality services, remain excluded from decision-making processes, and are unaware of government schemes designed to support them. Civil Society Organizations operating at grassroots level play a crucial intermediary role, translating policy commitments into tangible community benefits. However, many CSOs lack institutional capacity to effectively advocate for gender equality, promote accountable local governance, and facilitate marginalized communities' access to their rightful government entitlements. Recognizing this capacity gap, BGVK designed a comprehensive training programme to equip CSOs with practical knowledge, advocacy skills, and organizational strengthening tools. The programme brought together representatives from multiple civil society organizations working on rural development, education, health, and social protection schemes—organizations that directly serve vulnerable populations but often operate with limited resources and technical expertise.The training addressed three critic

al and interconnected pillars essential for sustainable community development:

• Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment: The programme provided CSOs with a deeper understanding of systemic gender discrimination and its manifestation across community, household, and institutional levels. 

• Good Governance and Accountability Mechanisms: Strong governance at all levels from village panchayats to state governments—is foundational for equitable development. The training covered essential principles including transparency in public resource management, accountability of officials to citizens, participatory decision-making, and community monitoring of service delivery. One of the most transformative components addressed a critical information gap: knowledge about the comprehensive array of government schemes available to vulnerable populations. Participants received detailed information about central and state government schemes across multiple sectors

Following intensive training, CSOs developed action plans specifying how they would implement learnings in their communities through:

- Awareness campaigns on government schemes and community rights

- Gender sensitization activities with community members and local officials

- Community mobilization for collective action on pressing local issues

- Advocacy engagements with village panchayats and block administration

- Monitoring of government service delivery in their areas

Participants expressed high satisfaction and reported significantly enhanced confidence in advancing gender equality, promoting good governance, and facilitating community access to government entitlements. Organizations committed to implementing learnings through sustained engagement in their communities. Many articulated how the training provided them with conceptual frameworks to better understand interconnections between different development challenges and how to design more integrated interventions.

This initiative represents BGVK's commitment to strengthening civil society as a driver of social change and sustainable development. By investing in CSO capacity, BGVK recognizes that marginalized communities achieve lasting benefits when supported by well-resourced, accountable, and gender-sensitive civil society organizations that can both provide immediate services and advocate for systemic change.