NGO Academy

The NGO Academy aims to build a sustainable platform for growth, strengthening the impact and effectiveness of NGOs across Aruba. Through hands-on, practical training, participants can immediately apply what they learn within their organizations through discussions, exercises, and real-life simulations. 🌱

CEDE ARUBA

The certificate of completion ceremony for our first course, “Good Governance for Strong NGOs,” took place last month. 🌱

A proud moment celebrating the dedication and growth of all participants who completed this journey.

What once started as an idea has now become a reality—and we couldn’t be more grateful. ✨ Seeing the impact of the NGO Academy come to life through this first course is truly inspiring.

A key element of the NGO Academy is learning together. 🤝
By bringing NGOs into one shared space, organizations can exchange experiences, share best practices, and discover new ways to collaborate and grow stronger as a sector.

Great energy and turnout at the first NGO Academy course!

Throughout the month of March, participating NGOs have been coming together twice a week for intensive 3-hour sessions at Space67, creating a dedicated space for learning, discussion, and strengthening the foundations of their organizations.

The strong turnout reflects the commitment of Aruba’s NGOs to continue growing their governance, leadership, and impact for the communities they serve. 🌱

The first course of the NGO Academy, “Good Governance for Strong NGOs,” led by Hellen van der Wal, PhD, LLM, focuses on the foundations of responsible leadership within NGOs.

Participants explore the core principles of good governance, including maintaining trust with stakeholders, managing risks, and safeguarding the long-term mission of their organizations. The session also highlights key values such as transparency, integrity, accountability, and effective oversight, essential elements for building strong and sustainable NGOs.

Soft Launch of the NGO Academy

CEDE Aruba, in collaboration with the Institute for Good Governance & Leadership (GG&L) at the University of Aruba, proudly introduced the NGO Academy during its soft launch in February 2026.

The NGO Academy is a unique initiative aimed at empowering NGOs across Aruba with practical training, knowledge, and tools to strengthen their organizations and increase their impact in the community.

This soft launch marks an important step toward building a stronger, more connected, and more resilient NGO sector in Aruba, where organizations can learn, grow, and collaborate together.

🤝 Investing in stronger NGOs means investing in stronger communities.

Introducing NGO Academy 📚👩🏻‍🎓

The NGO Academy is an initiative by CEDE ARUBA and Institute for Good Governance & Leadership (GG&L) at the University of Aruba, created to strengthen the capacity and impact of NGOs across Aruba.

During the NGO Conference on September 27, 2025, it became clear that many NGOs in Aruba share a strong need to strengthen their capacity in areas such as governance, day-to-day management, collaboration, fundraising, and organizational development. Thus NGO Academy was created as support through practical trainings, workshops, and learning programs, the NGO Academy supports organizations in building stronger foundations in the key areas.

The program is designed for NGOs of all sizes, from small grassroots initiatives run by volunteers to larger organizations with full teams. It also supports the many roles within NGOs, including board members, directors, administrators, and operational staff.

Stronger NGOs for a Stronger Aruba. 🤝



University of Aruba: Organization, Governance & Management -OGM