To advance leprosy elimination efforts in Africa, the Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) Initiative organized a workshop on organizational capacity building for people’s organizations. Held from March 8 to 11, 2025, in Senegal, the workshop focused on developing a strategy and action plan to strengthen management capabilities and create a project proposal aimed at enhancing organizational effectiveness.
Participants included people’s organizations from Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. While these organizations carry out highly meaningful activities at the grassroots level, they face challenges due to a lack of experience and knowledge in organizational management.
Over four days, participants engaged in structured capacity-building exercises, including SWOT analysis, defining organizational characteristics and improving management strategies. The SWOT analysis, in particular, proved challenging, requiring deep reflection and extensive discussion. However, the workshop’s sequential structure allowed participants to gradually build their knowledge, growing more confident each day.
This workshop marks the beginning of their organizational development journey. The four participating organizations will now implement their planned programs with financial support from the Initiative. We hope that participants will share their newfound knowledge with fellow members and integrate these strategies into their future management practices.
Participated organization
- Purple Hope Initiative Nigeria (PHIN), Nigeria
- Senegalese Association for Leprosy and Disease Control Neglected Tropical (ASCL/MTN), Senegal
- National Association of Persons Affected by Leprosy Sierra Leone Freetown (NAPAL-SL), Sierra Leone
- Tanzania Leprosy Association (TLA), Tanzania
Day 1: Current challenges surrounding POs
Participants discussed challenges faced by POs, including those in Africa, and Dr. Alice presented good practices in governance and leadership to enhance organizational effectiveness.
Day 2: SWOT analysis and Stakeholder mapping
Participants conducted a SWOT analysis and stakeholder mapping to assess the current situation of each organization.
Day 3: Formalizing strategies and action plans
Participants identified organizational challenges, formulated strategies, and worked in groups to create action plans, aiming to enhance organizational management.
Day 4: To produce project proposal
Participants learned how to write a project proposal, created their own, and presented them for feedback and improvement.
