Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for potential community partners
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What is a community partner?
Community partners are organisations that EWB works with to assist them gain access to knowledge, resources and appropriate technologies needed to achieve their organisation aims. EWB has strong relationships with our community partners. Partners are invovled in shared learnings, teaching us about their culture and approach to community development and hosting EWB volunteers.A community partner could be a communitiy organisation, a non-government organisation, or a social enterprise but they all are working to contribute to a more equal and sustainable world.
What regions do you work in?
For volunteer placements, EWB currently places volunteers ONLY in these countries/regions:South East Asia: Vietnam, Indonesia, East Timor, Laos, Indonesia and Cambodia
South Asia: India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Australia: Indigenous Australia
You can see them on our interactive map here.Unfortunately EWB is still relatively small and has limited capacity to work beyond these regions. Remote assistance may be available for organisations beyond these regions; however, generally we operate only in the above countries. If your organisation is from a different country there are many amazing NGO's working beyond South Asia and South East Asia including EWB UK and EWB Canada.
What sort of assistance does EWB provide?
EWB provides capacity development through technical and project management assistance. We can assist with connecting partners to other organisations or resources. This can be done by placing a volunteer with the partner organisation or in some instances remotely.What sort of assistance does EWB NOT provide?
EWB is not a funding body. Unfortunately we can not provide financial assistance to our partners. By developing their capacity we add value to their organisations.EWB works on longer time-frame development projects, at this stage we do not work in shorter-term disaster relief. If you have any enquiries in this regard, we recommend you contact RedR Australia.
EWB generally works on projects that have an engineering aspect or focus, hence for some project work we are not in a position to assist simply because we don't have the expertise. For example, health related projects or english teaching.
Is my organisation eligible to become a community partner?
If your organisation operates in the regions listed, then it may be eligible to become a community partner. EWB develops a relationship with our community partners as a first step, which generally involves a conversation around organisational aims and capacities. A partnership may be formed if:- The partners and the EWB mission are compatible;
- EWB has the capacity to support the partner;
- Their is a genuine need from the partner organisation (eg. that can't be met by existing or local resources); and
- Timeframe demands are compatible.
Ok I'm eligible, now what? How do I become a community partner?
You should first contact the relevant EWB Program Coorindator, via info@ewb.org.au. EWB may ask the organisation to complete an assistance request form, which can be downloaded from here. This form gives a good background of the sort of information EWB requires to assess each partnership. These can often be completed with EWB assistance, hence we recommend contacting EWB before sending a request form. The form is then assessed by the Working With Communities team before progressing from there.I know of a great organisation/project - can EWB help?
EWB frequently receives requests for assistance. Please review the EWB website and the criteria listed in the FAQ before making enquiries. We ask people to contact EWB BEFORE letting any organisation know that EWB will assist them.What sort of projects does EWB assist community partners with?
EWB has assisted in projects with a focus or aspect that includes: water and sanitation, energy, ICT, waste, biomedical engineering, construction and more. However, we are certainly not limited by just these disciplines.Our volunteers are development practitioners first and engineers second. They help build capacity in organisations so may be training staff in engineering skills or project management.
Do communtiy partners have any obligations in partnering with EWB?
EWB operates in partnership. Our volunteers frequently return saying they felt they learnt much more than what they were able to teach! The obligations of community organisation varies depending on the partnership. An example of some of the commitments our partners have agreed to include:- Sharing their vision and defining significant projects for collaboration with EWB.
- Assisting EWB with in-country networks
- Maintaining a safe work environment for EWB volunteers.
- Providing support to the volunteers.
- Participating in decision making and providing representatives to participate in each of the projects that are agreed.
- Partner staff actively engaging with EWB volunteers.
- Assisting in building capacity and cultural learning’s of the EWB volunteers through projects and the ongoing partnership.
- Providing cultural training and inductions for all volunteers.
- Facilitate necessary introductions to community partners and relevant networks.
- Financially and logistically supporting means for EWB volunteers work related field work.
- Working collaboratively with EWB to meet project expectations and outcomes.