Providing support without a single model: comparative perspectives between Mayotte and Réunion

In both Réunion and Mayotte, the associations supported by CORÉOM had neither the same needs nor the same levels of structure. The experiences of 3A Conseil and Développement Territoires Conseil (DTC) demonstrate that the effectiveness of this support relies primarily on one essential ability: adapting the approach, tools, and pace to both the supported organizations and the local realities.

Within the framework of CORÉOM, the financial support granted to regional cooperation projects was complemented by technical assistance to the associations implementing them. The objective: to help civil society organizations formalize their requests, structure their projects, secure their management, and gradually strengthen their autonomy.

But behind this common framework, the situations encountered were very different. 3A Conseil, mobilized to support the five winners from Réunion, and DTC, technical partner based in Mayotte, therefore developed responses adapted to the profiles of the associations and the contexts in which they operated.

Starting from the actual level of the associations

In Reunion Island, 3A Conseil supported project leaders who generally had a clear vision of their project and solid field expertise.

«"The project leaders knew what they wanted to do. In essence, we, the support providers, didn't actually create the projects very much."»

Renaud Bourjea, 3A Conseil

The role of the facilitator was not to invent the actions, but to transforming an intention into a coherent and fundable project : consolidate the budget, clarify responsibilities, verify the eligibility of expenses and anticipate difficulties.

In Mayotte, DTC encountered a dynamic but highly heterogeneous network of associations, largely composed of volunteer-run organizations with limited administrative resources. Support therefore sometimes needed to begin earlier: explaining the program, making its requirements accessible, and helping associations to formalize an initial proposal.

The very short deadlines for the call for projects have exacerbated this difficulty.

«"The schedule and time constraints hindered potential projects that could have been submitted."»

This experience serves as a reminder that’Opening a device is not enough to make it accessible. Associations need sufficient time to understand the opportunity, mobilize their teams, and take ownership of the project.

To translate without distorting

For 3A Conseil as for DTC, a large part of the support consisted of making the link between several languages: that of the associations, that of their professions and that expected by the funders.

In Réunion, this translation focused particularly on administrative and financial management. A significant moment was the work carried out with the administrative team of an association using their actual documents. «"We opened Excel spreadsheets, we opened invoices, we made very concrete connections."» , said Renaud Bourjea, the program's support coordinator.

The ad hoc advice then became a skills transfer. The challenge was no longer just to solve a difficulty related to the project, but to transmit methods that could be reused for other funding.

In Mayotte, DTC adapted its approach to suit different client profiles. With architects and urban planners, it was necessary to translate highly technical language to make the project understandable to non-specialist readers. With a cultural association, the support focused more on project engineering: target audiences, sequencing of activities, budget, expected results, and the role of partners.

In both cases, the role of the accompanist was the same: to make the project legible without erasing its uniqueness.

To work with what's available, rather than doing it for them.

Both experiences converge on a central principle: support should strengthen autonomy, not create dependence.

At DTC, monitoring was based in particular on regular meetings devoted to concrete progress: finalizing a budget, reviewing an agreement, clarifying an activity or preparing a new stage.

This close proximity helps to maintain momentum, but it also reveals a fragility: some projects rely almost entirely on a single person.

When acquired skills remain concentrated on a project manager, they do not easily spread throughout the association. Providing lasting support therefore requires combining several functions administration, governance, employees and, where possible, foreign partners.

Adapting the tools to the territory

The experience conducted by DTC with the REEDD 976 also illustrates the limitations of standardized tools.

A self-assessment tool for associations, developed in a different context, was tested with organizations in Mayotte. The exercise allowed participating associations to become aware of the various dimensions of associative life and to share their practices.

But the tool proved too advanced for some organizations, some of which do not yet have employees, premises or regularly active governance.

DTC's proposal was therefore to proceed gradually: start with a priority dimension, such as governance or administrative management, then broaden the diagnosis.

A good tool is not necessarily a universal tool. Territorializing support does not mean transferring a method identically, but simplifying it, sequencing it and transforming it to make it truly appropriable.

Anticipating the realities of cooperation

The two advisors also point out that the territory is not simply a backdrop to the project. It directly influences partnerships, timelines, mobility, and risks.

In a project supported by 3A Conseil in South Africa, the challenges involved formalizing the partnership, customs, logistics, and security. This experience highlighted the importance of having a thorough understanding of the local context and being able to mobilize specialized institutions or expertise when the situation exceeds the scope of the support provider's role.

In Mayotte, DTC had to contend with partnerships often based on oral agreements. Formalizing commitments, signing contracts, and providing supporting documentation were not always standard practices among partners. Visa issues also jeopardized some projects relying on travel to Mayotte or other French territories.

These experiences suggest that the following should be integrated very early in the support process:

• the strength and reciprocity of the partnership; ;
• the legal, banking and customs conditions; ;
• the actual possibilities for mobility; ;
• local administrative practices; ;
• logistical and security risks.

Linking individual support and local community engagement

In Mayotte, the collaboration between DTC and the EEDD 976 Network has made it possible to broaden support beyond just the award winners. Group sessions were organized for community stakeholders on topics such as calls for projects, budgets, report writing, and self-assessment.

The territorial network played a role in catalyst, by mobilizing associations and bringing together structures that still have little exchange with each other.

However, experience reveals a fragmented support ecosystem, in which several mechanisms intervene without always sharing their methods or knowing their complementarities.

Both perspectives therefore highlight the same need: adapting support to the local area without isolating the support providers. This requires regular spaces for exchanging practices, better guidance for associations and clearer coordination between networks, institutions and technical partners.

What these two experiments teach us

The methods of 3A Conseil and DTC are not identical, because the territories and organizations they support are also different. This diversity is one of the main lessons learned from CORÉOM: support cannot be entirely standardized.

A common foundation remains necessary, however: securing projects, transferring skills, supporting teams, and strengthening their autonomy. But several dimensions must be able to vary:

• the calendar; ;
• the pace of exchanges; ;
• the level of language; ;
• the tools used; ;
• the depth of the diagnosis; ;
• the role of collective time; ;
• coordination with local partners.

Despite their differences, 3A Conseil and DTC share the same approach to support: starting from existing capabilities, working on concrete situations, doing with rather than doing for, and embedding learning over time.

A start that needs to be built upon.

CORÉOM has enabled associations to carry out their projects, but also to strengthen their skills and create new relationships between actors.

However, these dynamics remain fragile if they are not maintained.

«"For me, this is the beginning of something that needs to be amplified and consolidated with local partners."»

The challenge going forward is therefore to extend the support beyond a one-off service, by consolidating a a community of actors capable of sharing practices, preserving learning, and fostering cooperation within territories.