NGO experts train charity staff in human development

As part of Princess Al-Anood Philanthropic Foundation's (PAPF) active programs to provide individuals working in nonprofit organizations training in human development, the foundation is hosting a three-day intensive training at its headquarters here both for men and women, including higher study graduates. The course, which started Saturday, ends Tuesday.
This program is intended primarily for executive management and secretaries general in charities in the Kingdom.
Nongovernmental organization (NGO) experts from Spain are conducting the training with the cooperation of Euro-Arab Foundation (EAF) based in Spain. The announcement was made by Al-Aood Foundation’s Secretary-General Youssef bin Othman Al-Huzaim.
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations was created in 2005 following a proposal from the government of Spain and Turkey and with the support of the UN. This initiative seeks to create an alliance between Western and Arab Muslim World to improve the understanding and cooperation among nations and people from different cultures and civilizations.
In this framework of alliance and dialogue, the EAF for higher studies is considered one of the main development instruments within the national plan for the alliance of civilization.
Through its projects and activities, the foundation works for the promotion of Euro-Arab cooperation relation by designing and executing projects and by supporting scientific, academic and cultural activities aimed at spreading the current trends in the field of sciences and humanities.
Among the specific aims of the EAF are contributing to the training of experts and to the researcher in the different fields of applied knowledge considered useful to the development of the countries to which its activity is addressed. It seeks to contribute to the economic development of Arab countries through training programs focused on high-level management and addressed to Arab and European executives.
Other objectives are: boosting dialogue, exchange of ideas and collaborating between scientific researches and other intellectuals and inventors, working to introduce in society the idea of respect toward science and the values of tolerance, quality objectivity, independence and rigor, and working as a supplier of useful, exhaustive and up-to-date resources and information by means of the implementation of a network of institutionalized and social partners.
One Spanish expert is Ignacio Tamayo from Granada University who talked to Arab News. He said: “We are here to provide training about human development, about management of nonprofit organizations. We are representing here a Spanish organization which is Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies.” He was invited by Al-Anood Foundation as a starting point of building up relationships between both institutions and countries to strengthen the links between countries.
Another expert from Poland, Ewa Strzelecka, told Arab News that the main purpose of this visit is to collaborate between the two foundations in the field of course training “as we hope that through our experience in international human development we can somehow share with Arab nonprofit organizations here and the representatives of the organizations here.”
She said it was through Al-Anood Foundation that they contacted the foundation in Spain. They asked actually for this kind of training for Saudis working in nonprofit organizations. The fact is that the EAF is particular about master’s degree in international (NGO) management.
Tamayo added: “I try to tell them about my experience and my vision. Of course, it is from the perspective from out of the country, as I am from Spain. I will tell them that my experience as I’ve been in Arabian countries, African countries and Asia all of them are different from Saudi Arabia. I will explain some theory that based on book and international knowledge about development and what is human development.”
He continued: “Then I will try to explain my point of view, with all respect to this culture and the difference which is very important. I will let them think whatever they want about other views. I will try to understand their views as well, to build together with our participants. I think it will be 56 or something like that. We will build altogether a concept about what human development is from the national perspective of this country.”
Tamayo said they are trying to work together to take the first step, which is to ask them what they want and then provide them in terms of some technologies, such as community radio, for example in the case of Cambodia.
“My feeling is we are working together to let them know what they have to do. After all, they have the same right and opportunity as I have and that it is I think should be for any human around the world. We should have the same possibility to decide for themselves and that what I was trying to give,” Strzelecka added.
“I think it is all about a dream to have a better world so what we are doing really is to work all together to make this dream come true,” Strzelecka said, adding: “When I work at this nonprofit organization for example and I work in different international organizations I believe that we human beings in a profound sense are good.”
According to Strzelecka, culture “will not be a threat, because culture is always the process of construction. If you look at the culture as process we can understand that as part of the process. We are part of the global society and to have connection to the part of the world and our culture always gets new element because all countries are changing in the process.
“The Saudi culture now is not the same as it was 20 years ago or 5,000 years ago. Of course, there is big change in the history if you look at the historical process. It is much easy to accept it and much easy to understand,” she added.