Institutional strengthening as a tool to contribute to the comprehensive care of migrant women in Mexico

As part of the activities around the project "Migrant women´s access to justice in Mexico", which is being carried out with the support of the Hilton Foundation, the World Women's Observatory (WWO) of the World Union of Catholic Women´s Organisations (WUCWO), along with the collaboration of Corporativa de Fundaciones and FORTA, launched an institutional strengthening accompaniment model for 16 organisations that work in various regions of Mexico providing direct assistance to migrant women and women in need of international protection.

Participating in this workshop are homes and shelters for migrants, that provide social support and first-line care, whether in transit or during longer stays, as well as support organisations specialised in legal accompaniment, access to rights and social integration, among other things. Sometimes, these organisations are dedicated to intervening in all of the aforementioned activities, which generates a very intense workload that requires them to surround themselves with specialised collaborators and constant training of the teams, allowing them to have the best tools for the development of the organisation itself. This group also has the advantage of being able to count on religious congregations and lay organisations. In this context, it is important to strengthen and implement institutional and technical capacities that contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of their interventions.

On 15 October 2024, we started this institutional strengthening process virtually, addressing the following topics:

1. Governance: Organisational structure, Board of Directors. Succession planning.
2. Financial administration and management: Administrative policies and procedures, Financial information and systems, Budgeting Internal controls.
3. Human resources: Job descriptions, Recruitment policy, Performance appraisal
4. Donation management: Institutional case. Diversification of funding, fundraising strategies. Public relations
5. Strategic planning: Mission and vision, Specific objectives, Planning of activities, Monitoring and evaluation of goals.
6. Intervention model design: Use of evidence in models. Theory of change. Development of indicators. Monitoring plan.

The following organisations are participating in this capacity building workshop:

1. Centro de Orientación del Migrante de Oaxaca, A.C. (COMI)

2. Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración, A.C. (IMUMI)

3. Apoyo a Migrantes Venezolanos, A.C.

4. Scalabrinianas Misión con Migrantes y Refugiados, (SMR)

5. Casa del Migrante Sin Fronteras

6. Centro De Apoyo Marista Al Migrante, (CAMMI)

7. Albergue Hospitalidad y Solidaridad

8. Oasis Providencia, A.C. - Albergue Decanal Guadalupano

9. Espacio Migrante, A.C.

10. Casa Del Caminante Samuel Ruiz García, A.C.

11. Albergue La Sagrada Familia, A.C.

12. Servicio Jesuita a Refugiados, (SJR)

13. Sin Fronteras, IAP

14. Uno de Siete Migrando, A.C.

15. AMSIF Formación Integral para la Mujer

16. Casa del Migrante Monseñor Guillermo, A.C. ( Ranzahuer house)

This course will end in March 2025, with a face-to-face session in Mexico City, where diplomas will be awarded to the organisations that have successfully completed the training, in addition to strengthening the network that is being built from the work being done.