Stories
February 21, 2025 • 3 min read
Beza Posterity Development Organisation (BPDO) has been dedicated to strengthening its operations. With the GOAL Partnership Centre's (GPC) invaluable support, BPDO has significantly enhanced its efficiency, access to funding, and donor relationships. These improvements have empowered BPDO to effectively address crucial issues such as health, nutrition, women's empowerment, and emergency response across multiple regions.
Empowering Local Partners
BPDO was established in 2000 to address the challenges posed by the HIV epidemic in Ethiopia. Over the years, BPDO has evolved into a national organisation, delivering programs across multiple regions, including Amhara, Afar, Addis Ababa, and Tigray. With thematic areas spanning health, nutrition, women empowerment, climate change, and emergency response, BPDO has become a vital development actor. Despite its success, BPDO identified several operational and technical gaps that hindered its full potential.
In 2024, the BPDO secured a grant from the GPC’s Organisational Development Fund (ODF) to strengthen its organisational capacities. The grant enabled it to improve its communication skills, receive comprehensive training in project proposal development, and implement a modern resource planning software, the Enterprise Resource Planning Centre (ERP).
The newly established ERP system marked a pivotal milestone in BPDO’s operational growth, significantly enhancing its impact. The system allowed the BPDO to replace outdated paper-based processes with a digital platform that enables real-time data sharing, optimises resource utilisation, and improves operation efficiency, transparency, and collaboration. Seid Ahmed, BPDO’s Executive Director, emphasised its transformative effect: “The ERP software has revolutionised our operations, allowing us to serve communities more effectively.”
Partnership for Growth
To bolster resource mobilisation, BPDO partnered with the Ethiopian Management Institute (EMI) to train ten staff members in project proposal development. The training covered resource mobilisation, donor engagement, and logical framework development. This gave the organisation the skills to attract funding and design impactful programmes. Ayene Retie, Program Director, described the training as a “game-changer. It enhanced our organisation’s ability to meet donor expectations.”
In partnership with the EMI, the BPDO conducted communication skills training, empowering staff in digital storytelling, stakeholder engagement, and donor communication. This initiative strengthened internal collaboration and improved its relationship with external stakeholders.
Overcoming Challenges
BPDO faced initial challenges in choosing the appropriate ERP vendor and managing unforeseen costs that arose. However, strong organisational leadership ensured that the initiative was a success. The ERP system allowed it to streamline its operations whilst training programs enhanced staff proposal development and communication skills. As a result of the initiative, participants reported an enhanced ability to confidently and effectively handle complex scenarios and maintain strong and productive relationships with key stakeholders. As a result, BPDO’s reputation and potential have grown immeasurably.
Mandy Yamanis, Director of the Global Partnership Centre at GOAL Global, emphasised the broader implications of such initiatives: “Supporting local partners like BPDO through organisational development funds is pivotal. These funds are more than just financial support; they invest in long-term sustainability and impactful service delivery.”
BPDO’s success has been recognised by Kassahun Getahun, Senior Partnership Manager at GOAL Ethiopia, as a model inspiration for effective capacity building.
Looking ahead, BPDO recommends increasing ODF budget allocations to extend capacity-strengthening initiatives to more local organisations, fostering a self-reliant development sector in Ethiopia. With enhanced operational and technical capabilities, BPDO is better positioned to address Ethiopian communities’ diverse challenges and deliver sustainable solutions.
GOAL’s Global Partnership Centre (GPC) was established in mid-2023 with generous support from Irish Aid. The GPC seeks to strengthen the capacity of our local partners by providing technical support and guidance while helping them cultivate new competencies, strategies, systems, and structures to improve their overall effectiveness.
Learn more about the Global Partnership Centre
