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Nov 6th, 2006 - 12:58:37 |
Farrell Weiss
Hi everyone,
The following is a sumary of the topics discussed in Week 3.
Making Your Project a Learning Resource
This week you discussed your plans for making your project a learning resource for the community and how to adapt the content of the report to appeal to different community members. All of you feel that it is important to distribute project findings to relevant groups, including donors, governmental agencies, youth-organizations, community-based organizations, and community members. In doing so, the most important thing to consider is how the project information is presented. In order for the information to be understandable and appealing to all members of your target audience, it needs to be presented in a clear and concise manner. Many of you suggested using visual aids, such as charts, diagrams, videos, and CDs, to allow for better understanding of the material. As stated by Adu Adjei Danquah,
“The project report, which contains findings as well as recommendations, should be well-detailed but very concise and understanding to anyone that takes to read. . . . . The contents will not change so much but charts and diagrams will be interoduced in order to make it very simple and to be understood clearer and better.”
While many of you have concerns about presenting negative information to the community, most of you feel that it is important to allow for transparency and credibility of the project. Any criticisms, however, need to be constructive and presented in a polite and respectful manner.
Gathering Information
To evaluate the success of your project and formulate an accurate and insightful evaluation report, it is important to gather proper evidence. In doing so, one participant pointed out that it is necessary to first gather baseline data. Another stated that both qualitative and quantitative data should be collected in order to accurrately assess the effects of the project. Other suggestions included:
~ Interviews with project participants and community members
~ Focus group discussions
~ Surveys
~ Questionnaires
~ Diaries of participants
~ Photographs and/or video recordings of project activities
~ Weekly feedback segments
~ Observation of changes in community
~ Attendance records
~ Administration of pre and post tests
All of you agreed that it is important to include peoples feelings as sources of evidence about the success of the project. As Dan J. Jos states, this information “help(s) us document the community’s direct reaction(s) to the project.”
Publicity
While many of you feel that it is important to create media attention for your project, others feel that they would prefer news of the project to spread by word of mouth within the community. According to Arthur Chemboga,
“Publicity is important because it is important part of learning process. Knowledge and experience are gained, so this give an advantage position to those who are to undertake future projects.”
Hassan Nasir Mirani adds to this, stating,
“The basic function of any NGO should be to do advocacy and lobby with governement on key issues and give government proven models which it (government) could use for better results. That’s why it is really important to politicize the successes of the project.”
Other participants added that media attention will attract sponsors, volunteers, donors, and other stakeholders and encourage them to take further action.
On the other hand, Ireti E. Adesida states,
“. . . . . I don’t believe in striving for publicity, I want my audience to publicize it with their moths, let them say it say it on the streets without inducing them. . . . . ”
She contends, however, that,
“ . . . . . I’ve discovered within the Donors world, they will like you to give it publicity and this will also enhance further support from funding agencies . . . . .”
Overall, all of you believe that sharing the successes and failures of your project is important because it will promote the success of future projects. As Ireti E. Adesida points out,
“. . . . . If we hoard the lessons and the experience we have learnt to ourselves and not share it with others, we will have problem with continuity and sustainability of our efforts, because we need to start encouraging individual project initiatives within the community. . . . .”
Oct 31st, 2006 - 15:48:53 |
Caitlin Leigh Chandler
Hi everyone -
The following is a summary of the topics discussed in Week 2.
Managing Resources
This week, you discussed some of the challenges you have faced as project managers and important qualities and strategies for overcoming these situations. Many of you shared experiences where you failed to manage resources properly and had to adapt by reevaluating and restructuring your project.
Some of the common problems were: failure to communicate and work as a team, poor time management, failure to monitor expenses and lack of realistic project objectives.
In dealing with these issues, one participant commented that it is important to keep clearly defined, realistic project goals and to communicate these goals with the people involved. Another participant mentioned that it is important to continually monitor activities by documenting individual contributions and progress in the project.
Some other suggestions mentioned by participants were:
-Continually update people on their responsibilities and involvement in the project
-Show appreciation to volunteers and other members of the team to encourage and motivate them
-Establish a realistic and detailed timeline of project activities
-Set up proper bookkeeping to closely monitor expenses so that that expenditure never exceeds income
-Constantly monitor and reevaluate the progress of the project in order to recognize areas of improvement and address any changing needs
-Keep goals realistic
Communication
One of the biggest problems many of you faced when trying to effectively achieve your project goals was that people had different thoughts and ideas about their individual responsibilities and how to ultimately achieve the project’s objectives.
In dealing with this issue, many of you feel that the most important element is communication. As stated by Khumbo Gondwe,
“Communication can be a strategy for overcoming crises because it is like a ‘link,’ it ensures that every member is well informed about the project at all the times and there is adequate feedback from all the members on the progress of the project. This also helps in clarifying responsibilities, authority, status etc which promotes the smooth running of a project. I have learnt that communication can also help individuals to learn more from each other, they can share experiences and skills.”
Elsie Eyong Etaka adds to this, stating,
“Effective internal communication leads to increase in productivity, greater achievements and builds a strong defense in the face of challenges. Effective communication helps in building and keeping the image, confidence and credibility of the organisation.”
Therefore, as many of you agreed, many of the problems faced while planning and implementing a project can be solved through continual communication.
Training Sessions
In addition to addressing the challenges faced as a project manager, you also discussed ideas for building skills among team members. Many of you agreed that training sessions can be effective in developing skills if they are carried out properly. Some suggestions by participants for effective training sessions include:
-Providing an engaging, interactive environment
-Having experienced trainers who can convey accurate, relevant information in a lucid, concise and interesting manner
-Using different methods of communication, including visual aids and interactive techniques
-Creating small discussion groups, so people feel more comfortable sharing information and asking questions
Many of you feel that, above all, the information given, whether through a training session or manual, needs to be relatable and applicable to the culture and situation you are working in.
Oct 23rd, 2006 - 18:22:43 |
Caitlin Leigh Chandler
Hi all -
The following is a brief summary of your discussion posts for Week 1. This summary is also posted under the Progress Reports section of the project page.
Community Consultations
In discussion the importance of conducting Community Consultations to understand the needs of a community, one participant mentioned that while a Consultation should be conducted before your project begins, Community Consultations can be an on-going process to ensure your project is meeting its targets. Another participant pointed out that Community Consultations allow community members to feel a sense of ownership in the project, helping ensure its success and potential sustainability. Community Consultations allow leaders to share what projects worked/didn't work in the past.
Dan from Nigeria shared an example of an insight gained from a Community Consultation:
"More so, during community consultations, certain culturally sensitive issues can be learned. In my country, Nigeria, certain dress codes are culturally unacceptable in certain parts of the country, e.g. in the far Northern region, it is expected that women should wear clothing that covers all parts of their bodies very well. Hence, we get to learn how best to relate with the people of diverse cultural backgrounds."
Such steps to ensure communities feel included in the process are :
*Before actually asking for identification/recognition of community needs, establish a good acquaintance with community. An orientation and/or introductory meeting can serve this purpose.
*Discuss community issues through participatory approaches
*Gather information from the communities through methods such as: questionnaires, individual interviews, 'brain-storming' workshops and town meetings to ensure that the community participates in needs identification
*Network with local organizations
Ensuring marginalized voices and groups are heard
One way to ensure marginalized groups are heard is to involve them in the planning process of your project, and encourage they participate in the project itself.
Another way is to hold a separate consultation/meeting with a marginalized group, to ensure people are comfortable sharing their experiences in a safe environment and to ensure their voices are heard.
Project Values
Some common values mentioned by participants were:
Respect for cultural diversity
Equality among men and women
Team work
Honesty
Trust
Equitable balance of power
Giving the marginalized or minorities a voice
Openness in the planning and decision making - ie Transparency
Communication skills
Objectivity
Open-mindedness
Commitment
Persistence
Ikenna from Nigeria shared this example of when a project value was not respected and the result.
"Yes, I have worked in a situation where values such as respect for team members were not present. What happened was that the individual at the helm of affairs decided to do everything on his own and kept others in the dark. At the end of the day, he discovered he could not do it alone because neglecting the fact that together everybody achieves more. More so, apart from not respecting the judgment of others he was ignorant of the importance of designating duties. The project was finally suspended when his last minute efforts to incorporate the neglected parties failed."
Challenges and Risks
There are internal and external factors that determine whether a project is successful. Many participants shared examples of projects they worked on, challenges that arose and how they worked around them. Several mentioned the difficulty of obtaining sponsorships as a major challenge.
Arthur from Malawi shared the challenge of working on a youth-based project and some ways to overcome it.
"Most of the time there is unwillingness of the youth to participate fully. You need to have ways to put them on board for a successful project.
However, such a challenge can be solved by creating youth friendly activities for them to get attracted. You can organize game tournaments,dancing parties, competition prizes..."
One participant mentioned it's important to have a Plan B or back-up plan in case something doesn't work the way you thought it would.
-Caitlin and Kiran
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