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Project Partners:
Agricultural University of Iceland
Iceland (Project Leader) [Website]
Ceska Zemedalska Univerzita
Czech Republic [Website]
ed-lab GmbH
Germany [Website]
ed-consult
Denmark [Website]
Bændasamtök Íslands
Iceland [Website]
Lifandi Landbúna∂ur
Iceland [Website]
Firenze Tecnologia
Italia [Website]
VOKA
Slovak Republic [Website]
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VOKA (Rural Organization for Community Activities)
is a membership organization (of NGOs and individuals), devoted to
rural community capacity building. It is the only non-government organization
operating at the national level focusing rural community and economic
development. VOKA was called into being by clients of ACDI/VOCA who
felt that an indigenous organization should be established to continue
to develop the capacity of rural Slovak communities to determine their
futures. VOKA was registered with the Ministry of the Interior in summer
1998 and works primarily with villages, whose total populations are
5,000. (Its micro-credit program operates in villages and towns with
populations of up to 10,000.) VOKA's mission is - to activate local
potential and to support, through technical assistance, the sustainable
and democratic development of communities for the improvement of the
quality of life of rural people.
VOKA's goals are to: encourage and
support democracy and the right to equal opportunity; free expression
and tolerance of other's opinions; to activate citizens and their
participation in planning and decision-making processes, promote sustainable
community and economic development by activating local resources
and accessing appropriate outside resources. Build a strong network of
individuals, organisations and communities for active co-operation
related to rural development activities. To create and maintain relationships
with international organisations and institutions with similar goals.
Its community building tools include a community needs assessment
called a Listening Project (community research encourages people talking
and listening and formulating plans for the future) to a Community Mini-Grants
Program, a Rural Women's Leadership Network and a Micro credit Program.
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