| The Netherlands Office |
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In 1984 AWEPA's first office was opened in The Netherlands. In the early years of the organisation's history, political lobbying was AWEPA’s main tool to push for change. After the Apartheid regime in South Africa ended in 1994, the organisation began to shift its focus to practical activities intended to support young democracies in Africa. As a result, the number of staff in the Netherlands grew and more offices were opened in Africa and one in Belgium. The Netherlands office in Amsterdam remains the headquarters of the organisation. While political lobbying remains important in Europe, capacity building has become essential in Africa. The Netherlands office coordinates the programmes that are implemented in Africa. The number of partner countries has grown over the years and programmes now range from those that focus largely on regional cooperation, election observation and the training of MPs and parliamentary staff, to thematic programmes with a focus on topics such as Cimate Change, Poverty Reduction or Gender.
A few years ago a process of decentralisation was set in motion to promote African ownership of AWEPA programmes. The project department of AWEPA extends to all AWEPA offices, with a Project Team based in Amsterdam. The African offices and staff are continuously becoming more involved in programme development, fundraising, implementation, reporting and monitoring and evaluation processes.
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