Interview with Agathe Blanc, Program Manager at AFJCI (Association of Women Lawyers of Côte d'Ivoire). As a member of the Label Ampli certification committee, she has carried out two organizational assessment missions in Niger and Guinea. Feedback.
Remind us what AFJCI is?
We are an organization composed of women in legal and judicial careers who campaign for the improvement of women's and girls' rights in Côte d'Ivoire. We work to raise awareness of legal texts and offer legal support and assistance, particularly for victims of gender-based violence.
We also advocate for improvements to the legal environment and better support for SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights).
The AFJCI has around 100 employees and more than 200 volunteer members. The association manages 12 legal clinics in Côte d'Ivoire. They cover more than 50% of the country's territory.
It should be noted that AFJCI obtained Level 1 of the Ampli Label during the first call for applications.
What did you gain from your experience as a member of the Label Ampli certification committee?
I took part in organizational assessment missions in Niger and Guinea. On a personal level, these missions allowed me to see the momentum and determination of all civil society organizations (CSOs) to improve their practices by establishing an internal culture of quality. For us, the key challenge was to get CSOs to embark on a quality initiative. I found that these organizations were attentive to our observations and very receptive to our comments. They were genuinely willing to take the first step toward a dynamic of sustainability.
What kinds of changes have you noticed?
When I look back over the years, CSOs used to take an immediate approach. Now, I see that organizations are focusing on sustainability and consolidating their practices. The challenge for them is to mobilize more resources to carry out their missions. These organizations were reflecting on the need to become more professional. Specifically, some were questioning the relevance of having a monitoring and evaluation officer. Our field mission enabled us to demonstrate to them that certain positions are necessary for the organization to continue its progress toward professionalization. Another impact concerns the composition of the Board of Directors. For example, for an organization working on youth access to SRHR, we recommended that one-third of the Board members be young people. These concrete elements help organizations to be more in line with their objectives.
Do these evaluation missions have an impact on your vision for AFJCI, the organization for which you are Program Manager?
This allowed me to confirm that our vision and aspirations for improving our practices are shared by many other CSOs. It also challenges us to improve our practices. I have seen young organizations that, in terms of organizational development, exceed the level of AFJCI, which is over 35 years old! This shows us that progress depends above all on a question of will. Nothing limits us from adopting good practices. I shared this point with our president so that we could include it in our project.
Do you have any advice for organizations wishing to apply for the Ampli Label?
It all starts with the quality approach and the organizational development process. This process gives organizations a lot of credibility. If partners see that the organization is not stable, that the framework is not solid, they turn away. They feel more comfortable when they know that we are in the process of improving quality. This also reassures the members of the organization. Our volunteers, in particular, feel reassured when they know that the organization is working to improve its practices.
How can certified organizations help increase the visibility of the Ampli Label?
There is traditional communication on all media Label ampli received. We have put it at the bottom of all our letters. We can also talk more about it on social media. But the first step is internal communication to raise awareness of the Label ampli. Members of the organization need to know about the label. Everyone in the institution, from the board of directors to the staff, needs to take ownership of the label. If the board of directors takes ownership of the Label, it will become a permanent part of the organization's vision. And of course, during evaluations before the launch of a project, when the partner rolls out their grid, we present the Label to them so that they know which elements we have validated. That's where everything comes into play.
