Mariette Montcho is Executive Director of the West African Network of Young Women Leaders–Benin (ROAJELF-Benin). The organization brings together women under the age of 35 and works to promote female leadership through advocacy, training, and awareness-raising activities. In early March, ROAJELF-Benin welcomed the certification committee.
What difficulties did you encounter in preparing for the certification committee's mission?
To tell you the truth, it really wasn't difficult for us. For the past two years, our organization, ROAJELF-Benin, has been supported by Equipop. In two years, we've had time to work on the basics to become a professional organization. When, in December, we received the list of documents to be provided in preparation for the certification committee's visit, we were ready. To tell you the truth, we had also decided to apply for Level 1 of the Ampli Label. We were almost certain that we would meet all the requirements. If we had applied for Level 2, we might have had more difficulties. That will be for another time.
What arguments do you think would be relevant in convincing an organization to commit to this process?
The certification process follows clearly defined steps. A student preparing for their high school diploma will be more rigorous in their studies. They will work to improve their level in the subjects where they are less proficient in order to pass their exam with flying colors. It's the same pattern. When we embark on the certification process, it allows us to be more rigorous in terms of managing and organizing our structures. The process leads us to conduct an internal assessment in order to question the way our structures are managed and correct any flaws. Until we do this, we don't know what our level of quality and organization is. I remember something my accountant said: "This task has allowed us to put all our documents in order and file them properly." Any partner or auditor who comes to our office will find the timesheets already filled out. This can only be beneficial for the organization.
What difference does Equipop support make to the organization?
Equipop has helped ROAJELF Benin grow from an institutional and organizational standpoint. Since 2018, when the collaboration between the network and Equipop began, notably through feminist funds, DO funds, and strategic partnerships, not to mention various forms of support, ROAJELF Benin has consolidated its position.
Today, we have the basic documents for a structure that aims to be professional. These include: a strategic plan with a three-year action plan, an administrative and financial procedures manual, a human resources management manual, a communication plan, a graphic charter, accounting software, certified financial statements for 2019-2020, etc.
How do you plan to communicate about the Label Ampli?
We happen to share our premises with Jeunes Volontaires pour la Santé (JVS), another organization monitored by Equipop that has been awarded the certification label. When the mission ended, we felt that it had gone well. Once we have officially received the label, we plan to organize a TV program to help our partners understand that our structures have really grown in institutional and financial terms. We will also publish articles in national newspapers and on social media to explain that our organizations are undergoing a genuine process of professionalization and deserve to be supported.
