B O O K S

  Few will dispute the claim that information about NGOs is essential for trainers to perform their roles efficiently. There was a time when communication and the flow of data between organizations was hampered. But the recent political changes in the region have brought new opportunities to improve cooperation and the networking of nongovernmental organizations. However, professional trainers from NGOs still face two major problems. First, the limited access of national and international organizations to the relevant data. Second and worse, the chronic lack of information. This is where the Directory of NGO Trainers in Central and Eastern Europe comes in. Its goal is to make training more accessible and affordable to the regional NGOs. The benefits of such an effort are evident: by fostering the use of local expertise, training becomes more active and purposeful. And on a grander scale, this reference book helps to establish effective communication between NGOs within and beyond the borders of CEE countries.

  The Directory is the fruit of the combined efforts of national and international organizations advocating democratic change in CEE - IDEE and NFF amongst others. It is also part of a larger program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

  Clear, reliable, user-friendly... there are no better words to describe the "instructions for use" of this book. Exhaustive and very readable are its other qualities. Last but not least, it is objective: trainers are simply described, not assessed or judged. NGO trainers are alphabetically indexed by sphere of activity, languages and country. In all, no less than 214 trainers from nine CEE countries are presented. As for content, the Directory contains an Introduction and an Index whose divisions are "Alphabetical Listing," "Areas of Specialization," "Sectors of Work" and "Non-Regional Languages." Under "Areas of Specialization" one finds such fields as: Advocacy, Financial Administration, media and Human Resources. "Sectors of Work" focus on: Democracy Building, Economic Development, Environmental Protection and Social Safety Nets. And the "Non-Regional languages" section lists the English-French- and German-speaking trainers. Then comes the list of countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The book ends with "Appendix I - Descriptions of Sponsoring Organizations" and "Appendix II - Participating Organizations," which both give details of the goals and activities of the organizations involved.

  Let us now take a closer look at the trainers themselves. Each of the NGO trainers is featured with his correspondence address, sectors of work, areas of specialization, orientation of training, the languages in which his training activities are available, his education history and professional experience. The names and details of two referees are also provided. As we all know, research and precise surveys in the states of the former USSR are still made difficult by communication problems. In the case of NGOs in CEE, many of them remain unidentified and some cannot provide all the data needed. This is probably why some trainers in the Directory are less extensively covered than others.It is particularly true for their area of work and specialization.

  There is no better way to give a true taste of this Directory than by examining a particular case. For example: you are interested in training services in the environmental field. Say you are looking for an environmental trainer who specializes in Training of Trainers in Environmental Protection in Romania and who offers training in English and French. Too specific a demand? Well, you can easily "track down" that person by looking in the "Area of Specialization" division under the title Training of Trainers. There you look for the initial of the chosen country - Romania. You will find the entries of 11 trainers who more or less meet your requirements. If you look them up individually, you will discover that Mr.D.Manoleli, President of the Ecological Group for Cooperation, amongst others, offers exactly what you are looking for. And so it goes for any country or area you are interested in.

  Finally, the Directory goes beyond its basic function of providing information. It is a true embodiment of the NGOs' commitment to their goals and environment.