The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad hosts a conference for provincial non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

Iraqi NGO representatives pleased with Professional Development Opportunity (Photo by: U.S. Embassy Staff Rick Shenway)

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad hosted a conference for provincial non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Baghdad May 30, 2012.  Representatives of 20 NGOs based in Babil, Salah ad-Din, and Baghdad took part.  During the event, participants engaged in workshops and discussions with American and Iraqi speakers on a variety of topics focused on NGO management.  These topics included volunteerism, the nuts and bolts of running an NGO in Iraq, fundraising, and grant writing, as well as an insider’s view to the Embassy’s cultural program priorities.  Participants welcomed the opportunity to grow professionally, increase the sustainability of their organizations, and network with one another and officials from the U.S. Embassy’s cultural affairs office, political section, and USAID.  The event was organized at the request of a participant in the Embassy-sponsored cultural NGO conference in January 2012.