Partners Share Their Opinion of AVINA

AVINA works with a community of Latin American partners, each one a leader in its respective field of action. The work falls within four strategic areas: equity, democratic governance and rule of law, sustainable economic development and the conservation and management of natural resources. As the graph demonstrates, 31% of our partners consider their work to fall within the framework of sustainable economic development.

In order to strengthen their work, AVINA offers its partners a range of services and a series of opportunities to meet one another, exchange experiences and unite in actions to promote sustainable development in Latin America. Our main contribution is to facilitate joint action through the direct investment of resources and through services that benefit our partners. It is therefore essential that we receive frank and regular feedback from our partners so as to ensure the value of our support. This information is collected on an annual basis with the aid of a questionnaire, which is filled out by our partners. This quantitative exercise, known as the AVINA Learning Cycle, provides valuable input to help us improve our services and better clarify priorities.

Partner Profile

The 2008 survey, carried out by the Argentine company Perspectivas Sociales, was applied to a sample of 600 partners, of which 570 responded. This 95% response rate generated a standard error of +/- 1.26%. Sixty-one percent of partners who replied were men and 39% women, their average age was 46 years, and 94% had benefited from higher education.

The survey also indicated that although the majority of partners are active in civil society, their careers have involved work in other sectors. Ninety-six percent of respondents currently work or have worked in civil society, 69% work or have worked in the private sector, 43% have worked in the public sector and 59% in academia. It is thus not surprising to note that all partners are involved in multi-sector alliances.

AVINA Services

AVINA provides partners with a range of services targeted to their individual needs and initiatives to strengthen them and promote actions with regional impact. In comparison with 2007 the levels of satisfaction with AVINA services increased or remained stable in 2008 with few exceptions, as indicated in the following graph.

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In order to determine which services our partners value most, they were asked to rank them in order of importance. The four most valued services are: financial support, network strengthening, organizational strengthening, and facilitating spaces for reflection and networking. It is interesting to note that there is no marked difference in the ranking of the four services most valued by partners. Thus, the difference between financial support – the service with the highest ranking – and network strengthening was minimal. This indicates that AVINA should continue to place emphasis on a range of key quality services for its partners.

Impact

Another section of questions within the survey indicated the level of agreement of partners with the opinions of their peers. This year 75% – as compared to 71% in 2007 – agreed that “AVINA provides a neutral forum enabling us to link up, overcome geographical boundaries and undertake actions of greater impact.” Seventy-nine percent – compared with 74% in 2007 – agreed that “AVINA has enabled my participation in processes involving shared planning of coordinated actions, increasing the impact of my work as an individual.” ”

AVINA Community

Allies: those people actively collaborating with the AVINA network, offering or receiving services

Andean / Mesoamérica: Peru, Ecuador,
Colombia, Mesoamérica
Southern Cone: Argentina, Chile
Grandes Ríos: Uruguay and Argentine,
Paraguayan and Bolivian Coastlines
Continental: Strategic Initiatives,
International Bridge-Building, Coasts and Water

Evolution of the AVINA Community