Mobilizing Local Resources for Comm Dev

7/28/2019 Mobilizing Local Resources for Comm Dev

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Mobilizing Local Resources for Community Development in

Myanmar (Burma)

AsiaDHRRA

Foreword

One of the sustaining and compelling elements of advocacy work is the meaningfulinvolvement of the people who are supposed to benefit from the advocacy effort. Acommunity that has the right orientation, who understands and has the sets of skills neededto see through their own process of development, has a better chance of sustainingadvocacy work for their own development. The trainers training on mobilizing local resourcesfor community development was intended to build the capacity of local development workersto facilitate the process of helping community members understand and analyze the resourcestructure in their locality, leading to concrete action plans such as resource mobilizationfrom local and external resources, and the promotion and advocacy of local policies toconcerned institution or local authorities.

The actual training module as documented in this monograph was subject to revisions by thefacilitators, sometimes last minute, to respond to the realities and context of the area and

the participants. The original drafts of the module had been partly translated to the locallanguage to aid the conduct of the actual training.

We thank the Catholic Relief Services for their support in this endeavor and the generouscooperation of our host-partners.

Finally, we wish to thank the Southeast Asian Capacity Building Program of SEACA for theopportunity to facilitate the learning exchange of a social technology to its partners inMyanmar (or Burma)

Program Context and Rationale

AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S least developed countries, Myanmar (Burma) is surprisingly rich inresources. Whether natural or human, the resource-rich country offers a wide range of

creative possibilities to ensure that its people live in relative abundance. The poverty beingexperienced by the people therefore provides a stark discordant note to its potentials. Given

the challenging socio-political situation inside the country that saw dramatic changes in thesocial landscape, people are naturally reticent in initiating activities that will compromise

good relationship with those in power. Thus, any social analyses and responses need to berespectful of the need to work within the system. This is the context of this particular

training.

While recognizing the need for societal changes, the challenge was to come up with creative

development strategies (advocacy and resource mobilization in particular) that will assistlocal communities in achieving its communal vision for itself. Since the level of confidence

among the different development stakeholders was quite low, the need to optimize theexisting internal resources while engaging in initial confidence-building activities was urgent.

Majority of the training participants came from the religious sector working with small andimpoverished communities in the northeastern part of the country. Given its internal

structures and dynamics, the training design needed to work within these parameters.

Training Program Objectives

This particular training program generally aimed to prepare the community developmentfacilitators to link community needs with available local resources and opportunities.

Specifically, it was expected that at the end of the training, the participants would be ableto:

1. Conduct a systematic approach to analyze community problems, propose solutionsand implement interventions;

2. Mobilize the cooperation and participation of various resource institutions andindividuals to get involved with the community’s development processes; and



3. Build and sustain partnerships with these resource institutions and potentialbenefactors.

Among the target outputs of each of the participants included a list of available localresources for community development and a resource mobilization plan.

Overall Conceptual Flow and Framework

Orientation

Basics of Community Organizing

Community Needs, Diagnosis, Prioritization of Needs and Identification Resources

Building Partnerships with Different

Institutions

Development Opportunities from Civil Society

Training Program Design

Module Title Description of the Learning Sessions Time Frame

1. Orientation Consists of leveling-off of participant’s

expectations and the program objectives andframework

1 hour

2. Basics of Community

Organizing

A discussion on the overview of Community

Organizing concepts and experiences.

3 hours

3. Community Needs

Diagnosis, Prioritization of

Needs and Identification of

Resources

A series of sessions that features exercises that

utilize the systems approach to community

diagnosis using the following tools; systems

mapping; SWOT analysis; force field analysis;

and identification & inventory of local resources

4 hours and 45

minutes

4. Development Opportunities

from the Civil Society

Aside from a study of the context of the civil

society and its roles and responses, thismodule can use the panel discussion method so

that a variety of NGOs (local and international

if possible) can present its programs, priorities,resources and opportunities for cooperation

and partnership

2 hours

5. Building Partnerships with

Different Institutions

Consists of formulating a resource mobilization

plan and practicing how different institutions

will be approached for joint cooperation

2 hours



Module One: The Basics of Community Organizing

Session One: Overview of Community Organizing

Session Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants would be able to:

1. Share their understanding of a community and of the process of communityorganizing;

2. Discuss the basic values and approaches of community organizing;

3. Discuss the steps and process involved in community organizing and

4. Communicate their relevant experiences related to community organizing.

Time Requirement

2 hours

Proposed Processes

Buzz groups, lecture-discussion, word-by-association

Main Subjects and Content Outline

• Basic Concept of Community

Basic definition of a community according to the key elements:

aggregation of families and individuals

settled in a fairly compact and contiguous geographical area

with significant elements of common life (manners, customs)

• Basic Concepts, Values & Goals of Community Organizing (CO)

Definition of CO as:

a collective, participatory, transformative, liberative, sustained and systematicprocess

of building people’s organizations by mobilizing and enhancing the capabilities and

resources of the people

for the solution of their issues and concerns

towards effecting change in their existing conditions

Basic values:

Human rights – universally held principles anchored mainly on the belief in the worthand dignity of people

Social justice – equitable access to opportunities for satisfying people’s basic needand dignity

Social responsibility – premised on the belief that people as social beings must notlimit themselves to their own concerns but should reach out to others and move jointly towards the common good.

Goals of CO:

People’s empowerment – CO is aimed at achieving effective power for the people;through CO people learn to overcome their powerlessness and develop their capacity

to maximize their control over the situation and place their future in their hands

Building relatively permanent structures and people’s organizations or POs-CO aims

to establish organizational structures which will serve the needs and aspirations of the people

Improved quality of life – CO seeks to secure long and short-term improvements inthe quality of life of the community and its members.



• CO Approaches

Three basic approaches:

1. Issue-based approach – an organizing approach that revolves around issues andproblems being faced by the community and mobilizing people to negotiate from aposition of strength in number

2. Socio-economic approach – an organizing approach that focuses on social or economicissues which can be resolved through the introduction of projects

3. Faith-based approach – an organizing approach which is based on the religious affiliationand belief of the community.

• Steps in CO

The ten classic CO steps:

1. Community integration

2. Social investigation

3. Tentative program

4. Groundwork

5. Meeting

6. Role playing

7. Community mobilization or action

8. Evaluation

9. Reflection

10. Organizing the PO

Session Two: Experiences in CO: Social Animation

Session Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants would be able to share their experiences with COwhether as an organizer or a member of a community being organized.

Time Requirement

1 hour

Proposed Processes

Small group sharing


CO experiences

In small groups, participants answer the following:

1. What are my significant experiences with any CO efforts?2. What are my observations and lessons from these experiences?3. How did these lessons affect me (attitudinal, behavior wise)?

A synthesis of the major points from the small groups will be reported to the big groupbefore the session facilitator makes a summary.



Module Two: Community Needs Diagnosis, Prioritization of Needs and Identification of Resources

Session One: Systems Approach to Community Diagnosis (System Mapping)

Session Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants are able to:1. Identify the different development players in the community;

2. Determine the degree and type of the players’ influence on the internal dynamics of the community; and

3. Acquire a better understanding of the community’s different developmentstakeholders and their relationships.

Time Requirement

1 ½ hours

Proposed Processes

Small group exercise or individual exercise (depending on the origins of the participants),

lecturette


Systems Approach to Analysis

Bias for an analytical approach that looks at problems as embedded in complex andinteractive systems

Looking at problems by focusing on the interacting parts or elements within the system

Benefit of distinguishing the symptoms from the root cause/s of the problem/s

Systems Mapping

Using systems approach, look at the community as a system of complex and interactivesub-systems (i.e. development players)

Systems map is a tool that illustrates the different systems interacting in thecommunity; the map is made up of the focal system (the main focus of the study oranalysis), the sub-system (elements outside of the focus but with very significantinteraction or effect on focal system), and the sub-sub-system (the elements that arefarther away from the focal system and yet can play critical roles).

Exercise on Systems Mapping

Participants are asked to divide themselves into small groups depending on their community

origins (those who belong to same community will be together). Each group will draw theircommunity’s system map:

1. Identify the focal system and its members (can be key individuals/positions like theparish priest and/or a body like the community council)

2. Identify the sub-system and for each element, clarify by coding whether it is apositive or negative (or supportive or antagonistic) influence (e.g. friend or enemy orundetermined) on the focal system

3. Identify the members of the sub-sub-system and clarify its influence too

The group members need to agree on the members need to agree on the membership andcategorization of the different development players to facilitate the analysis part later



Plenary Reporting

Each group presents its systems map so that others benefit from their process of drawing upthe map (i.e. why categorize a system in a certain way); from the report draw the insightsfrom the experience of doing the systems map

Session Two: SWOT Analysis

Session Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants are able to:

1. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the focal system; and

2. Determine the opportunities and threats coming from the subsystem and sub-sub-system.

Time Requirement

1 ½ hours

Proposed Processes

Input sharing, small group exercise, reporting & synthesis


SWOT framework

1. SW stands for the strengths and weaknesses of the system being analyzed, in thiscase the focal system identified earlier

2. OT stands for the opportunities and threats coming from the surrounding

environment of the focal system (from the subsystem and sub-subsystem)

SWOT Exercise

Going back to their groups, the participants will do the following steps:

1. Looking at the focal system, list down its strengths and weaknesses

2. Afterwards, look at the subsystem and sub-subsystem and identify what are theopportunities and threats these present to the focal system. Each opportunity andthreat should be categorized according to the degree (i.e. major threat, lesser degreekind of threat)

Plenary Reporting

Each group presents its output for sharing and clarification and then a synthesis on the keyobservations will be made.



Session Three: Force Field Analysis

Session objectives

At the of the session, the participants are able to distinguish which of the members of the

subsystem and sub-subsystem will act as supporting and restraining forces when the focalsystem acts to address its areas of weaknesses.

Time Requirement

1 hour

Proposed Processes

Input, small group exercise, reporting and synthesis


Force Field Theory

Kurt Lewin’s theory states that the forces in a system can facilitate (supporting forces)or hinder (restraining force) a change process. These include attitudes, culture,

ideologies, etc. adopted by the development players.

Each member of the systems (focal, sub,sub-sub) act either as a supporting or

restraining force to the change process.

Force Field Analysis

Each group meets again this time to determine and analyze their community’s forces – bothrestraining and supporting. For each member of the system, the group has to classify it

either as a supporting or restraining force. The group also needs to determine in what waywill each member be a supporting or restraining force (e.g. is it a matter of organizational

culture? What specific aspect?) and the degree (strong or weak) it will affect the momentumof the change process.

Reporting and Synthesis


Session Four: Identification and Inventory of Local Resources

Session Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants will be able to list the available resources per

potential stakeholder to the change process.

Time Requirement

45 minutes

Proposed Processes

Small group exercise and reporting



Main Subjects and Content OutlineInventory of ResourcesWith the analysis completed, the groups meet again to come up with an initial list of the

resources available from the focal, sub, and sub-sub systems. It is advisable thateven though an element is identified to be a restraining force, its resources be

assessed and listed also. Sometimes the change plan can be influenced by thisreality.

The result of this exercise will give the groups a picture of the various resources (human,financial, material, technology) that can be mobilized.



Module Three: Development Opportunities from the Civil Society

Session One: Context of the Civil Society and its Roles and Responses and

Resources and Opportunities

Session Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants are able to discuss their understanding of theroles and resources of the civil society particularly the international bodies.

Time Requirement

2 hours

Proposed Processes

Input sharing


Context of the Civil Society

Global context: wide spread poverty and great technological advances: greater diversityand rising fundamentalism and ethnic conflict; regional cooperation and subsidiaritychallenges.

Who is the civil society: roles in social development, critical responses and model building,advocacy work and resource mobilization.

Resources and Opportunities

Each invited institution (NGOs, church, agencies, government units) will take turn inpresenting their own programs and the opportunities available within for joint cooperationand partnership.

Module Four: Building Partnerships with Different Institutions

Session One: Formulating a Resource Mobilization Plan

Session Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants will be able to:

1. Match its priority needs with the potential source of resources; and

2. Identify targets for the resource mobilization

Time Requirement



1 hour

Proposes Processes

Small group exercise and discussion


Resource Mobilization Strategies

Internal sourcing – the elements within the focal system have their own resources andthe challenge is how to tap these; internal resource mobilization (i.e. service fees, duesor tithes) is the better strategy to ensure organizational sustainability

External sourcing – resources are available from outside of the focal system and thechallenge is how to choose the strategic partners that can assist in the change efforts.

Planning

The small groups discuss now how to match the priority needs with the potential sources of

the much-needed resources. A key element is how the group will advocate for its change

plan and the resources needed to make it possible.


Each group presents its output for sharing and clarification and then a synthesis on the key

observations will be made

Session Two: Approaching Different Institutions for Joint Cooperation

Session Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants are able to practice approaching resourceinstitutions.

Time Requirement

1 hour

Proposed Processes

Workshop

Main Subject and Content Outline

Role Play

Assigning some of the participants to act as representatives of resource agencies, the rest of

the group will pretend to approach them and advocate for support to their plans. After therole-play, the experiences will be processed so that the participants will learn from it and

verify the validity of their responses to challenges that arose during the activity.



AsiaDHRRA

Building partnerships to develop leaders and

communities in rural Asia--------------------------------------------

Three decades of nurturing partnerships

Three decades of solidarity building

Three decades of working with rural communities

AsiaDHRRA traces its earliest roots to the 1974 Development of Human Resources in Asia Workshop

(DHRRRAW) held in Thailand. It is regional partnership of eleven (11) social development networks

and organizations in ten (10) Asian nations that envisions Asian rural communities that are just,

free, prosperous, living in peace and working in solidarity towards self-reliance. To achieve this,

the network’s mission is to be an effective

• Promoter and catalyst of partnership relations, creating opportunities for genuine people-

to-people dialogue and exchange;

• Facilitator of human resource development processes in the rural areas; and

• Mobilizer of expertise & opportunities for the strengthening of solidarity and kinship

among Asian rural communities.

The Tasks Before Us

Guided by our vision and rooted in the needs of our partners and members, we pursue our work

according to five program areas.

Leadership Development. AsiaDHRRA provides opportunities four rural leaders, both farmers anddevelopment workers, to enhance the knowledge, skills and attitude so that they can perform their

roles as visionaries, network builders, consensus builders, synthesizers of information, advocates,and keepers of the covenants.

Regional Policy Advocacy and Movement Building.

AsiaDHRRA aims to promote and advocate for the network’s rural development agenda and

alternatives while actively facilitating the formation and strengthening processes of the AsianFarmers’ Alliance for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA).

Constituency Building and Resource Development and Management. AsiaDHRRA aims to

expand the support base of rural development in Asia by creating better public awareness and

recognition of rural development issues and alternatives and at the same time develop and generate

needed resources to sustain development work,.

Management Information System Program. AsiaDHRRA harnesses its own informationresources and shares in aid for effective advocacy through print and electronic publications. The

network also aims to document relevant insights from field experiences.

Organization Development and Management Program. AsiaDHRRA facilitates basic DHRRA

organizational capacity building processes towards a stronger regional partnership. It aims tostrengthen membership relations towards a common network goal.

The program also aims to ensure AsiaDHRRA’s institutional l inkages are relevant andcomplementary to its network agenda.

Partnership building through effective dialogue and exchange is our essence. Come and dialoguewith us! Contact us:

AsiaDHRRA

2nd Flr. Partnership Center.59 C. Salvador St., Loyola Hts., 1108, Quezon City, Philippines

(63) 436.46.06 phone (63) 426.03.85 Telefaxasiadhrra.org.

www.asiadhrra.org .

http://www.asiadhrra.org/

http://www.asiadhrra.org/



Objectives include:

1. gather data on the geographic, economic, political and socio-cultural situation inorder to identify the problems and issues;

2. identify the classes and sectors present in the community to determine their interests

and attitudes towards the issues;

3. identify potential leaders of the organizing process;

4. determine the correct approach and method of organizing; and

5. provide basis for planning.

Methods

Social investigation needs to be gender sensitive and to do this; a variety of tools must beused to gather data on both men and women and the opportunities and threats to theirdevelopment.

Some data-gathering methods:

1. Interviews – conducted through house to house visits, informal social gatherings,fact-finding meetings, and participating in community activities

2. Observations – conducted through ocular survey and participant observation

3. Examination and review of secondary data – this method assumes that some writteninformation is available for review

4. Participatory approach in social investigation – refers to the process of involving thecommunity in the collection and consolidation of data or information.

Data to be gathered

To get a comprehensive picture of the community, the following data needs to be gather

utilizing the methods identified earlier:

1. Geographic and demographic data – physical description the area, population, etc.

2. Available resources – human, natural, equipment, technology

3. Sources of income – major and secondary

4. Tenurial arrangement – tenurial status, number of owner-cultivators vis-avis tenants,lessees and landless workers; fisher folk’ extent of landlessness

5. Production survey – average yield per hectare, technology used

6. Environmental scanning – land use mapping, soil analysis, watershed and riverbanks,types of soil and water, extent of ecological destruction

7. Level of satisfaction of basic needs

8. Formal and informal leaders of the community

9. World views – folklore, beliefs, superstitions and traditions

10. Potential leaders



Small group sharing

In small groups, the participants will share their experiences pertaining to communityintegration and data gathering. Particular areas of interest will be their difficulties and howthey managed to address these challenges

Session Three: Analysis and Prioritization of Issues and Needs

Session Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants will be able to distinguish the priority needs orissues of the community.

Time Requirement

1 hour

Proposed Processes

Exercises, input-sharing


Needs Analysis

The process of identifying, analyzing and ranking community problems is very important. It

should be done according to the problems’ importance, urgency, the number of peopleaffected, and the probability of resolving these through community mobilization.

Common guidelines in issue/need analysis:

1. List all problems that surfaced during the social investigation and community

diagnosis states

Mobilizing Local Resources for Comm Dev

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