Our Past

 

 

In 2001, Veni Apwann was born out of a need identified by a  group of committed civil society stewards brought together to participate in a  "Train the Trainers" workshop facilitated by the University of the West Indies, Institute of Business (now Arthur Lok Jack)  and funded by the Community Development Fund. At the end of that meeting of minds, these leaders realised that though there were a number of initiatives focusing on building the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs), few were conceived, designed, facilitated or evaluated by people with practical experience in CSO management. So, they banned together and created VA as an innovative and participatory organisation to build the capacity of fellow CSOs. Over the years, we have worked to build capacity in over 500 CSOs.

 

Our Present

 

 

VA remains dedicated to strengthening the civil society sector in Trinidad and Tobago today. With financial and technical support from the J.B. Fernandes Trust, over the past two years, VA has expanded from a network of committed members to an organisation with an office, training facilities and full-time staff dedicated to providing management support to CSOs.

 

Our Future

 

 

 

VA is committed to continuing its work to strengthen civil society organisations through teaching and advocating for good governance, participatory processes and strategic planning  across the board. Based on its in-depth understanding of the needs of the sector, VA has positioned itself to champion and facilitate the empowerment of CSOs.  It is focusing initially on Trinidad and Tobago with the intention to expand to the wider Caribbean towards the end of the current strategic plan period.