Institutional Strategies
“Counselling” is a central
element of PCS’ intervention strategy,
characterized by a unique form of accompaniment
and permanent counselling to NGOs, local
counterpart organizations and the participant
population. It is based on a critical
and horizontal dialogue that combines
technical, organizational, programmatic
and political aspects. PCS’ “Counselling”
strategy aims to achieve the active
participation of local stakeholders
in the processes in which they are immersed,
trying to ensure that organizations
develop sufficient, ongoing capacity
to enable them to become independent
and autonomously manage their own social,
political, cultural and environmental
development efforts, in conflict and
post-conflict situations, so that they
do not establish relations of dependence
in economic or technical terms.
This strategy applies methods based
on investigation-action, allowing counterpart
organizations to play an active role
in training and learning processes.
It combines the creation and renewal
of new social and political actors with
different styles of shared leadership
that contribute to collective and institutional
development. Through Counselling we
learn from our counterparts and from
the participant population, and vice-versa,
in a mutual or two-way learning process.
“Counselling” processes
take place in different scenarios –
in the international sphere and at the
grassroots level. However, PCS gives
priority to local scenarios, because
these allow for coordination between
formal and informal social actors, facilitating
joint actions and the implementation
of services and programmes managed with
direct participation by the population,
linking people to efforts to rebuild
the social fabric, improve living standards
and engage in advocacy actions with
social and state institutions.
PCS regards “Counselling”
as a tool that enables it to overcome
“assistentialism” and the
victimization of the participant populations,
in the measure that it recognizes their
capacities and resources.
Accompaniment is effected by providing
the stakeholders with physical and social
protection, strengthening them socially,
emotionally and politically and enhancing
their management capacity so that they
themselves are empowered to transform
their lives.
To achieve our Vision and fulfil our
Institutional Mission, we have identified
four central strategies: two of these
are related to our work with the participant
populations and political advocacy efforts
to improve their situation and conditions;
and two are related to creating the
necessary conditions within PCS to ensure
the sustainability of the processes.
Strategy
for Strengthening the Participant Population
Strengthen capacity-building and political
advocacy processes, as well as the quality
of participation, building shared leaderships
among leaders – both male and
female – of displaced populations
and their organizations, promoting the
development, organization and direct
participation of new social and political
actors in the political and social processes
under way, so that they assume a proactive
role in the defence and promotion of
human rights, claiming and exercising
those rights and demanding truth, justice
and comprehensive reparations.
To achieve these goals, PCS implements
capacity-building processes with its
counterparts, contributing to the design,
implementation, execution, monitoring
and evaluation of development plans
(workshops, seminars, meetings, internships);
information, sensitisation and political
advocacy initiatives to demand justice
and comprehensive reparations. PCS encourages
human rights and women’s organizations
to include the issues of truth, justice
and reparations in their agendas and
their reports and to address impunity
and justice issues related to gender.
It promotes networking and synergy -building
processes among human rights activists,
organizations, networks, movements,
NGOs and other sectors of the society;
and it contributes to the design, implementation
and validation of personal protection
and community protection systems.
Political Advocacy Strategy
Build strategic alliances with key actors
of the international community that
accompany PCS in political advocacy
processes before states, governments
and international organizations of the
region, Europe and North America, as
well as Latin American and global civil
society, in order to protect the rights
of the civilian population, refugees,
displaced people and those affected
by armed conflicts in the region; contribute
to the political solution of Colombia’s
internal armed conflict; contribute
to peace-building efforts in post-conflict
situations and to the promotion of truth,
justice and reparations, with an emphasis
on women victims of violence in the
countries where PCS works.
To implement this strategy, PCS coordinates
efforts by social and political organizations
at the local, national, regional and
international levels, generating public
support in order to promote the rights
of the population affected by the conflict.
Internal
Strengthening Strategy
Balance and coordinate the implementation
of programmes and projects with administrative
and financial management processes,
by improving the quality of strategic
and operational planning processes,
and through monitoring and evaluation;
through capacity-building efforts with
the work team and its specialization;
and through the dissemination of the
lessons learnt throughout our 25 years
of institutional experience, with a
view to consolidating our internal structure
and enhancing coordination between programmes
and regions, significantly improving
our effectiveness and strengthening
our institutional identity. To achieve
this, PCS trains and updates the members
of its team; it systematizes, disseminates
and exchanges its work experience; and
it identifies its evaluation needs and
new core areas for systematisation and
research.
Financial Strategy
Develop and initiate implementation
of PCS’ financial strategy in
the short, medium and long term, in
order to obtain the necessary resources
to effectiv ely implement its programmes
and projects, and to finance its operational
structure. To this end, PCS will progressively
improve its financial management capacity,
creating a team that will assume responsibility
for this area and ensure that the design
of programmes and projects is accomplished
in a timely manner and to the highest
conceptual and methodological standards.
