There are significant disparities across Europe in terms of MS care and the national contexts differ widely from one country to another. To trigger change at national level, EMSP requires the support and active participation of its member societies. For this reason, the Membership Capacity Building (MCB) Programme is one of the major programs that EMSP has been spearheading since 2018.   

Objectives of the Membership Capacity Building (MCB) Programme

The MCB Programme aims at empowering national MS Societies across Europe taking a regional approach to provide tailored support to the organisations. The core objective of our capacity building programme is to define the common priorities of MS organisations regionally and to set up a framework for sustainable partnerships to maximize their advocacy efforts for a greater impact. The MCB programme allows MS Societies to come together towards a common goal, allowing EMSP to get an in-depth understanding of the activities and challenges they are facing at the national level aiming to strategize advocacy efforts for a greater impact. Through the MCB program, EMSP connects different MS societies together, catalyzing the learning process across societies based on their strengths and needs.

What has MCB done over the years?

Over the years, EMSP worked in 2018 with the Baltic states and in 2019 with the Balkans. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the planned activities were adjusted and extended to the entire EMSP Membership in order to help member organisations to readjust their activities during the pandemic. In 2021, EMSP continued to pursue its regional capacity-building approach with online activities supporting specifically the Western Mediterranean, Balkan and Baltic regions. In 2022, a mixed approach between in person and online workshops are/will be held with the Western Mediterranean, West European and Baltic regions. 

Through its ongoing consultations with the members and its workshops and webinars, the MCB program has shown itself to be a crucial project that EMSP continues to lead on. EMSP will aim that its capacity building workshops to take place in-person, as much as the ongoing pandemic allows, to help MS Societies to reconnect with each other in a more purposeful way. 

Connect with us

If you are an MS Society in Europe and you are interested in knowing more about the Membership Capacity Building workshops, please reach out to Patricia at patricia.moghames@emsp.org 

If you are a person with MS, please reach out to your local MS organisation to know more about services and programs dedicated to you. If you don’t have any contact with your MS society yet, we would be more than happy to link you! 

Read more about EMSP’s Membership Capacity Building activities

• MCB 2022 efforts, reported in EMSP’s 2022 annual report here.
• MCB’s in-person workshop on MS Registries with MS societies in the Western European countries.
• MCB 2023 efforts, reported in EMSP’s 2023 annual report here.