Praxis Note 22. Building Organisational Capacity through Analytical Skills Training in Central Asia

There is growing recognition that weak analytical capacity prevents many civil society organisations (CSOs) from working effectively, and so it is important to explore how such capacity can be developed. CSOs need to draw on analysis to stimulate their processes of strategic reflection and organisational adaptation. They can also improve their ways of working by analysing their practical experiences.

Developing analytical skills may allow CSO practitioners to stand back from their reality, analyse the context in which they operate, understand the needs of their organisation and its stakeholders, and act strategically on this basis. In 2002–2004, INTRAC delivered an Analytical Skills Training Programme (ASTP) in three countries: Kyrgyzstan (2002), Kazakhstan (2003), and Tajikistan (2004). In each case INTRAC worked closely with a local NGO partner: with Human Resource Centre Tree of Life (Kyrgyzstan), Public Policy Resource Centre (Kazakhstan), and Centre Razvitie (Tajikistan) – all of whom contributed substantially to the programme. The purpose of the programme was to help CSO practitioners develop the capacity to reflect analytically and critically on their own work and the context in which their organisations operate, and to improve their efforts to empower communities to engage in policy influencing and achieve more sustainable development outcomes. This Praxis Note will provide insights into challenges involved in the delivery of analytical skills training in Central Asia as well as impacts which such training may have on the participants and the CSOs in which they work.