Grants

Starting from February, 2013, Advocacy Training Resource Center (ATRC) is implementing the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) access to justice project entitled “Increasing Citizens’ Awareness and Participation in the Justice System”, within program USAID Forward.

The project objectives are to Increase Kosovo citizens’ access to the court system by exposing local organizations to the court system in general and to the challenges and opportunities for improved functioning of the courts and delivery of justice in the courts at the local level; and Strengthen public awareness, as well as increase public confidence, on the justice system in order for citizens to participate effectively in debates and proactively support efforts by justice system sector institutions and civil society to enhance transparency, combat corruption, and ensure equal access to justice through fair, transparent and effective administration of justice in Kosovo.

These objectives will be accomplished by awarding grants in two streams. Organizations that will carry out:

1. Court monitoring projects, aimed at enhancing court-community relations and
2. Public awareness and outreach projects aimed at combating corruption and increasing transparency and fairness among justice sector institutions in Kosovo.

Grantees funded through this project are expected to:

• Increase citizen awareness and participation in the justice system
• Increase the overall number of community members engaged in court monitoring initiatives
• Use the information gathered through court monitoring to recommend improvements and/or advocate change
• Increase knowledge in local communities about their local courts
• Increase overall number of community members in combating corruption, and increasing transparency and fairness among justice sector institutions in Kosovo;
• Address gender sensitive issues and non-majority issues on court monitoring activities and public awareness initiatives.

Throughout of project implementation, ATRC will provide sub-grant support for up to 40 local organizations for both performing court monitoring activities and public awareness and outreach activities. Up to 32 local organizations will be supported on court monitoring activities and up to eight local organizations will be supported on public awareness and outreach activities.

To achieve maximum impact, ATRC will provide ongoing assistance and technical support to the grantees on issues that concern their respective projects and organizational management. Grantees, especially those that lack sufficient experience or internal capacities, will be supported through continuous assistance by ATRC in implementing projects.