Capacity Building
SERVICES

We strengthen the technical and operational capacity of local organizations around the world to help them support smallholder farmers, business owners, youth, women, and refugees more effectively. As a result, these local organizations – NGOs, business service providers, banks and microfinance institutions, TVETs and other training providers, governments, and agricultural extension services – are able to deliver better products and services, and the individuals they serve are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to become successful entrepreneurs, employees, and community leaders.
We apply human-centered design principles to develop a capacity-building process shown below. This customized process builds critically needed knowledge and skills, improves livelihoods and systems, and produces and sustains positive development outcomes.
Our capacity-building activities fall under two broad categories:
Training. We develop or adapt innovative, evidence-based trainings that fill skill and knowledge gaps, meet identified needs, and systematically build local training and curriculum development capacity. The trainings include hands-on experience, coaching, and mentorships and internships for trainees, along with a cascading delivery system – training of trainers (TOT) and coaching of coaches (COC) – on the specific curriculum and on facilitation skills. Simulations, structured discussions, and participatory exercises engage learners and provide safe spaces for practicing skills. Our training solution includes material design, workshop design and facilitation, administrative and logistical support, and dissemination of training content. After every session, we conduct an evaluation to gather participant feedback and use this information to improve training style, content, and delivery. Throughout this process, we build the capacity of local partners to develop, adapt, and deliver curricula that address the changing needs and priorities of their target beneficiaries.
Technical assistance. We work with local partners to develop specialized technical assistance packages they need to overcome identified constraints, improve organizational efficiencies, strengthen systems and the quality and delivery of services and products, and sustain progress. Our services typically include follow-up support on training, conducting assessments or research, and developing strategic plans.
Project Examples
Syria Essential Services (SES II)
Entrepreneurship Program for Youth
Ready, Resourceful, Risk Aware (Triple R): OVC, Adolescent Girls, and Young Women/ Insika Ya Kusasa
Integrated Community Agriculture and Nutrition Activity (ICAN)
Support to Anti-Corruption Champion Institutions (SACCI) Program
YouthPower Learning (YouthPower: Evidence and Evaluation IDIQ)
East Africa Youth Inclusion Program (EAYIP)
Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems Activity
Agribusiness Competitiveness Activity in Tajikistan (ACAT)
Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Program (RYEEP)
Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project
Youth Empowerment Through Agriculture (YETA)
Liberia Agriculture, Upgrading Nutrition, and Child Health (LAUNCH)
Feed the Future: Northern Corridor AVANSE
Nepal Economic, Agriculture, and Trade Activity (NEAT)
Economic Recovery and Development Program
Economic Prosperity Initiative (EPI)
Competitiveness, Trade and Jobs (CTJ)
Economic Strengthening to Keep and Reintegrate Children into Families (ESFAM) Program
Lebanon Industry Value Chain Development (LIVCD) Program
Scaling World Class Demand-Driven Training
Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Summit and Regional Exchanges
Access to Microfinance and Improved Implementation of Policy Reform (AMIR) Project
Integrated Initiatives for Economic Growth in Mali (IICEM)
Pilot Financial Literacy Project for Adolescent Girls
Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP)
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Program
Youth Economic Opportunities Network
Expanded and Sustained Access to Financial Services (ESAF) Program