The Salvatorian Office for International Aid (SOFIA) was established in 2008 as the development project coordinating office for the Society of the Divine Saviour, a Misean Cara member. Responding to the need for training for those involved in the management of missionary development projects, over the past ten years SOFIA has trained more than 350 project personnel from 35 countries. In partnership with SOFIA, we have funded the participation of many of our members in these courses. In 2022, 19 staff from Misean Cara member organisations took part in fundraising and/or monitoring and evaluation training (9 in fundraising, 10 in monitoring and evaluation). 

The week-long workshops offer comprehensive training on project management so that participants are better able to gather data, identify needs and plan effective projects. Emphasis is also placed on project implementation, including monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The workshops enhance the skills of project personnel to bring about greater impact in the communities they serve. 

After the training every year, SOFIA follows up with the Misean Cara members who participate to learn more about the impact of the training on their management of projects. This enables Misean Cara to gain insights into how members apply their learning in developing new funding proposals as well as for developing monitoring and evaluation systems to strengthen the approach, impact and sustainability of their projects.