Caroline TAPSOBA is in charge of the projects and programs department at the NGO Asmade in Burkina Faso. Since 1994, the NGO has been working in various development sectors, including reproductive health, mutual health insurance, empowerment support, etc. She took part in the evaluation mission in Senegal for the award of the Labelamplilabel. What is your involvement in the Label ampli process? Organizational development (OD) through the Ampli label has a history. It began in 2013, when Equippop joined forces with its traditional partners, including ASMADE, to create the Rights and Health Alliance, which now covers six countries and 21 organizations. This has strengthened the ties between our organizations. Through our membership in the Alliance, we have benefited from technical support to conduct several cycles of organizational self-assessment and develop improvement plans. This dynamic is now established in all six countries of the Alliance. In 2019, during the Alliance's annual meeting in Cotonou, a committee was set up to allocate DO funds. I am involved in this committee. The committee reviews the applications submitted to it and deliberates on which organizations will receive DO funds. When the Amplified Label was launched, the members of the allocation committee were invited to join the Labeling Committee. Based on your observations, what characteristics define a reliable organization? The reliability of an organization can be assessed through the functioning of its governing bodies. If the organizational bodies do not function properly, the organization will suffer. General meetings, technical team meetings, and the board of directors, which defines strategic directions, are all essential bodies. Without them, it is difficult to define a path and provide a vision to guide the association's actions. A second point is the ability to report on actions taken. Accountability is essential in relations with donors, beneficiaries, and partners. It is important to keep a record of activities and ensure their traceability. This is achieved through the preparation of activity reports and financial reports. Finally, a last very pragmatic point is the existence of physical premises. A fixed address is a guarantee of the association's sustainability and therefore its credibility. What struck you most during your mission in Senegal? DO initiatives generally provide a solid institutional foundation and resonate well with partners. In my contact with local organizations, I sensed a real enthusiasm for the quality approach. I was also struck by the fact that the certification process is completely voluntary. As there are three levels of certification, each organization decides for itself, based on its level of development, which level to apply for. How will the organizations that are evaluated benefit from this step? For all organizations, the certification process is a step towards strengthening their questioning of their practices. This assessment allows the organization to deepen its self-diagnosis by revealing questions. The central question is: "Is what we have done so far sufficient?" I am thinking, for example, of the issue of documents. For the assessment mission, organizations had to print the correct versions of their documents. And we can see that this was not so easy. We note that most of the documents that have been validated and recorded are not necessarily signed. Often, even internally, it is not possible to find a document that has been validated by all the authorities because there has been a problem with archiving. In our general recommendations, I would emphasize the importance of always having documents printed and signed by the relevant bodies. This is essential in order to leave a validated and universally recognized record.
