In the Municipality of Mamusha, the first training with the Social Audit Team was held, organized by Democracy Plus (D+) in cooperation with the local organization Mamuşa Emekçi Kadınlar Derneği. This activity marks the beginning of a new process for the municipality, aiming to actively involve citizens in monitoring public projects and to enhance transparency and accountability at the local level.

The training brought together a diverse group of community representatives – including civil society members, journalists, teachers, and healthcare staff. These actors are directly connected to the projects that will be monitored through the social audit process, ensuring that discussions reflected the needs and perspectives of different segments of the community.

During the training, participants were introduced to the concept and importance of social auditing in strengthening citizens’ role in local governance. They gained practical knowledge on how to organize themselves as a team, use the appropriate terminology, develop measurable indicators and monitoring questions, and access public documents. Through practical exercises and interactive discussions, participants began developing the first elements of their work plan, which will serve as a roadmap for the next stages of monitoring.

As the social audit is being implemented for the first time in Mamusha, the training was received with great interest and enthusiasm. Many participants expressed their readiness to contribute to the process, emphasizing that this mechanism represents a new opportunity for citizens to raise their voices and ensure that municipal projects are carried out transparently and in the community’s best interest.

This initiative is part of the DEMOS Project – co-funded by the European Union, the Government of Switzerland, and the Government of Sweden, and implemented by Helvetas – as part of ongoing efforts to empower citizens and promote transparency and accountability in local governance.

This training represents only the first step in a broader process, through which citizens of Mamusha will be able to closely follow the implementation of public projects and contribute with their feedback and recommendations. Through this mechanism, the initiative aims not only to increase institutional transparency, but also to build mutual trust between the municipality and the community.