Reloading cooperation with civil society

For Stela, the main and most important novelty introduced by the programme was the LOD methodology and manual which was approved by the Municipality Council at the beginning of cooperation with the ReLOaD programme. “LOD” stands for Local Democracy and is an instrument closely aligned with EU rules on the financing of external actions and guaranteeing an open procedure, equal opportunities for all candidates, visibility, and transparency. The manual starts with setting priorities, and covers the launch of the call, management of the project and implementation and monitoring of progress. “There is a considerable workload, but in the end, it is all worth it because it provides an excellent opportunity to work closely with civil society,” says Stela.

Strengthening human resources to improve the quality of services

Strengthening the capacity of the partner municipalities’ staff and CSOs, in the area of the project management cycle, was one of the key pillars of the ReLOaD programme. In addition to the introduction of the LOD methodology, the programme also supported partner municipalities in training their staff on the implementation of the methodology. The training included technical knowledge on drafting reports and budgets, project implementation and monitoring, with the standards of the European Union, and other necessary skills. Stela says that in addition to bringing her in close contact with civil society organisations, this training helped her to structure good work practices.

The municipalities of Shkodra and Tirana adapted quickly and successfully applied the LOD methodology and now serve as mentors to new partner municipalities.

In the first three years, the ReLOaD programme also provided funding for local non-profit organisations. More than 5,000 Shkodra citizens benefited from initiatives promoting social inclusion, women’s empowerment, tourism, culture and youth. This grant scheme also enabled the officials from the municipality to implement the LOD methodology and their learning from the training.

Stela says that she has learned a lot from this successful journey and is now ready to share with her peers in other ReLOaD partner municipalities which have joined in 2021. “After five years of experience, I call on my colleagues to benefit as much as possible from the opportunity that ReLOaD offers. It is a great learning experience for the administration: it is a long-term course where in the end the winners are local administrations, civil society organisations and society,” Stela says.