philippines: organizational training with foe papua new guinea

what happened?

FoE Philippines trained finance staff at Friends of the Earth Papua New Guinea / CELCOR in financial management systems appropriate to an NGO.

They helped FoE Papua New Guinea staff to understand the importance of financial management, assisted them in identifying the organization’s needs in terms of policies and procedures, and worked with them to draft a Finance Manual.

what changed?

The staff who received training have a clearer understanding of the importance of robust financial management systems, and a much better and more detailed knowledge of appropriate financial policies and procedures. They are committed to finalizing the Finance Manual.

This will all result in better financial management and reporting, which will contribute to the sustainability of the organization, as well as enabling FoE Papua New Guinea to build and maintain better relations with donors.

lessons learned

The timeframe of the project presented a challenge for both organizations. The training coincided with the period when FoE Philippines was conducting its own financial audit, which significantly increased pressure on finance staff.

what next?

FOE Philippines will continue to monitor FoE Papua New Guinea’s progress in achieving their targets and to ensure continuous improvements in their operations.

The project fostered stronger relations between the two organizations, which they hope will lead to further collaboration in future. FoE Philippines is also interested in sharing their experience and expertise with other FoEI groups and networks.