Grant products tell do's, don'ts, and more

The REC has awarded millions of dollars in grants to non-government organizations over the last four and a half years. As part of their projects, many NGOs produce administrative reports, scientific studies, socio-political analyses, manuals, or videos. These products make up a large part of the REC's extensive library, where thousands of volumes of useful information is all available to the public.

To access the information, you can, of course, come to the REC in Budapest and look up what you want yourself, or you can make an information request at the REC library. The REC grant programs are good not only for the money they provide to useful projects; the information generated during this process can also help you write grant proposals (how-to and how-not-to), find models for your programs, or gather information on a variety of topics Ñ information which should not go to waste. What follow is just a taste of the available reports.

Campaigning Manual: Central and Eastern European NGO Campaigning Skillshare
REC Project 885
Greenpeace
Krakow, Poland

Greenpeace, the organizer, held this skillshare because it saw the need for quick action for NGOs in CEE. The manual outlines real campaign strategies used by NGOs in this region. It also provides information about how and how not to develop and conduct an environmental campaign. There are tips on fundraising, writing project proposals, working with the media, and networking. The strength of this report lies in its practical suggestions based on real life experiences here in Central and Eastern Europe.

Manual for Health and Environmental Protection in the use of Pesticides
REC project 106: "Safe use of pesticides in connection with societal transition"
Institute of Hygiene and Occupational Health
Sofia, 1993

This book was produced as part of a REC grant to train people to safely use pesticides in agriculture. It contains all kinds of information about pesticides: what they are, how they are used, and the biological effects they have upon plant and animal life. Environmentalists would find the sections on the prevention of harmful effects of pesticide application on domestic and wild animals useful, in addition to its chapters on the protection of water and soil, and on other issues relating to the environment and the use of pesticides.

NGO Danube Forum Documents
REC Project 4831
NGO Danube Forum
The Ecologist Youth of Romania

The Danube Forum is a project to bring together NGOs from all 11 countries of the Danube River Basin. The NGOs work together to increase public awareness and participate in the decision making of the Danube Environmental Program. The DEP promotes environmentally sensitive development in the Danube River Basin, based on an agreement among all the Danube River Basin countries and a group of international funders. The set of documents at the REC includes project status reports, project proposals, and updates on decisionmaking in the DEP Vienna office.

The Way of Gaia's Warrior
REC Project 695
Gaja Klub
Bielsko-Biala, Poland

Deep Ecology, or "The Way of Gaia's Warrior," is a New Age spiritual philosophy of living in harmony with the earth. The materials here include English-language descriptions of this philosophy, and reports on workshops for Polish audiences about deep ecology. Also included are Polish-language materials on the New Age, newspaper articles about the group and their program, and copies of Gaja Magazine.

THE BULLETIN * SPRING 1995