Learning-for-Effectiveness

Looking back in AmazementOmzien in Verwondering

Jo SmetIRC Seminar 18 June 2015

The roots

The start

The village with its• Socio-cultural

context• Local values and

norms• Local perceptions• Common attitudes• Common behaviour

Sanitary Engineering - Delft

The Philippines 1979

Learning on Filipino culture in lab? In rural areas around open wells and hand pumps?

Tanzania 1980-1986

Water Resources Institute University DSM - Community Health Dept.

IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre

27 years of learning in a changing sector and a changing organisation

From COSI to CONGO

WASH self-help technologies, but with cultural aspects?

Congo adventures as eye opener on cultural aspects

Learning from Evaluations, Research, Training and Consultancies

Learning on cultures: local technology, meetings with water committees, water users groups, training and meetings with local gov’t

Resource Centre Development

Knowledge and information analysed for context to develop capacities, products and concepts that should fit socio-economic and cultural conditions

Learning 2013 Exchange analytical framework

10WHO & WHAT PULLS THE TRIGGER FOR BEHAVIOUR CHANGE

WHO APPROACHESCommunity, HH, individuals

From outside community:Political, religious leaders, technical Health and/ or CD staff, NGOs, police

TRIGGER mayresult in desire to change behaviourindividuals, HHs,community at large

From inside HH:Wife, husband, children

From inside community:Leaders, teachers, voluntary health workers, Health Clubs, CBOs, entrepreneurs, neighbours, relatives

CONVINCING

ENFORCEMENT CHAMPION

SOCIAL PRESSURE

EXTRA INCOME

LEADERSHIP

DEVELOPMENT

PARTICIPATION

IRC Going South to Uganda (2006-2010)

IRC to be closer to the ‘ground’ in the focus countries; to start and test this approach in Uganda

To better understand how national governments, local governments, development partners and NGOs work together

To define the potential role of IRC in this constellation of stakeholders

If positive to scale up by establishing more country offices

Triple-S helped the scaling up effort

Learning on WASH: LeaPPS and more

IRC Uganda facilitated learning on WASH at three levels: (i) sub-county, (ii) district; (iii) national.

And IRC learned a lot on perceptions, expectations and realities: cultural, socio-economic, institutional and technological.

Learning on content

Learning on technological aspects related to cultural perceptions of organisations, committees, families and myself

My major conclusions on learning in WASH and cultural aspects

Technology-oriented education lacks adequate socio-economic and cultural dimensions,

Cultural elements are prominently present but usually not visible in organisations and communities in the South

The obvious element of culture as a factor for success is often under-emphasised in WASH-sector approaches and methodologies

The financing organisations have policies and strategies on development cooperation largely based on their own political and cultural paradigms. Not much towards: Get it rooted in Africa!

Learning from others

A big thanks to all who helped me in my personal learning on cultural and other aspects of development cooperation

IRC colleagues, partners in the North and South, national and local government staff, NGO staff, development partners, and last but not least the community members.

Thanks to Betty, Michiel, Eefje and Robbert and excuses for being absent for 7 years!

Learning and particularly learning on cultures will never end (that’s why we went to Japan!)