Intensifying CSOs’ exposure to “learning practices for social change”

EASUN has embarked on a new and exciting role that will expand East African civil society’s exposure to “Learning practices for social change”. A new Action Research (AR) initiative to be implemented globally will be held by a carrying group known as “the writers collective”, backed up by 14 organizations that promote and support capacity development of civil society organizations. The research process, to be undertaken between February 2011 to March 2012, will include between 16 – 20 CSOs, ranging from large International NGOs (INGOs) to small CBOs from different parts of the world.

For purposes of the AR, the world is divided into regions, with members of the writers’ collective being the regional holders. EASUN will host the East Africa region, made up of three countries – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. As regional host, EASUN will identify one organization in each of the three East African countries, who will contribute to the research process through sharing their organizational learning questions, and transitional experiences toward becoming learning organizations.

The AR process will assess the effectiveness of producing and disseminating “self-facilitating” resource materials as a strategy to enhance organizational learning practices. It also has a capacity development orientation, with the dual aim of promoting transformation while gathering information. The programme will make direct contribution to the capacity of civil society organizations (CSO) to learn more effectively from experience in order to improve practice and increase their impact.
Two staff members of EASUN will attend the 1st regional holders’ workshop in Bangkok, from 31st January to 5th February 2011.  The workshop will give concrete direction for implementing the action-research process.
For more information contact Atieno Olwal atieno.olwal@easun-tz.org and Alando Anyona alando.anyona@easun-tz.org

 

Insight on values as a pathway to gender equity and poverty reduction

“What is your ambition in life—what would you like to be in your finest moment?” That was question no. 4 in a values interview for a post in the BOCAR project for capacity building of up to 75 civil society organizations in Tanzania. The vacancy for 5 capacity building officers was advertised by EASUN in October 2010.  The interview took place in Arusha, on 21st January 2011.

“I would like to be a facilitator who raises awareness of marginalized groups (women, men, people living with HIV & AIDS and those who lack access to national resources)”, said Zainab, in response to the question above. She gave an example of communities in a particular district in Tanzania where newspapers regularly report incidences of wife battering, noting that such women could be trained, in order to transform their communities.
“Wouldn’t that be a rather short-term, quick fix response to a complex scenario?”, asked the interviewer: “Isn’t wife battering happening because of mindsets that allow it to continue in specific cultural settings?”
Further discussion with Zainab highlighted two important points:

• It is now the established norm to describe and respond to community development needs in terms of immediately reportable results in the score of economic opportunity and human development. However, behaviours that are likely to promote positive changes in economic circumstances of the poor, or increase social bargaining power of marginalized groups, can only be brought about through educational work.
• Specific cultural contexts carry unique opportunities or threats to achieving the development goals of participation and human rights, thus actively infringing on the possibility of attaining good governance at local community and national levels.

Capacity development for change

Meaning-making by communities around political, social and ethical questions must also be addressed at the levels of culture. Results of project activities such as knowledge and skills can enlighten us about our welfare rights. However, only ongoing education or re-socialization can address ethical questions and keep on challenging us with new solutions. As a facilitator, Zainab says that education will leverage transformation at the levels of values and culture only where emphasis is placed on creating new practices. Compassion and wisdom, or learning to postpone judgment in relationships and conversations, for instance, are capacities that we can learn by developing new narratives that enable people to discern the human aspects of progress first, in order not to get entangled in the technological and procedural.

Zainab recognizes that even the transformation of values does require a measure of pragmatic interventions. However, community development is handicapped when “pragmatism” becomes a lure for short-term gains that do not provoke new learning and structural transformations. She observed that project activities can be particularly useful in giving people the strength to believe that with time and responsibility-taking, their aspirations can be realized. Finally, Zainab pointedly recommends that for civil society organizations, addressing “needs” through project services and capital investments should mainly be an entry point to education—enabling communities to learn new values that are likely to sustain the intended benefits.

Learn new leadership and facilitation skills that enable people to understand their worlds as unfolding stories that can be changed. Apply now to attend FOD Course offered by EASUN.

 

Facilitating Organization Development (FOD) course 2011

The next cycle of FOD will start in August 2011. Apply now to secure a place among high profile civil society leaders in East Africa. The course will build your transformational leadership skills and also equip your senior programme staff with OD skills for effective change interventions at community and organizational levels. Applications of up to 3 candidates per organization are accepted. Send inquiries now to
alando.anyona@easun-tz.org . Enrol now to secure a place. Only 20 places are available

“I appreciate being part of the FOD training. It is truly a transformational experience, not just for aspiring OD interventionists, but for all agents of change who wish to impact positively all of the spaces in which they move, from professional to personal.”
-- Anike Akridge, Dar es salaam, Tanzania (FOD cycle “N”, August 2010 – March 2011)

Participants share ground breaking lessons from module 2 of FOD

Civil society leaders attending module II of FOD in November 2010 expressed appreciation of new tools and process facilitation skills that enabled them to see organizational issues that they previously did not have capacities to analyze effectively. They shared practice transforming lessons from the module, including:

• New skills in facilitative leadership to create safe environment for sharing ideas, insights and concerns;
• Increased knowledge about organizational learning and the role of individuals in a “learning organization”.
• New skills in engaging people’s “will” (energy) toward new ways of “seeing” and “doing” in order to improve or change attitudes and behavior.
• Increased understanding of OD as a change intervention that generates people’s will and responsibility-taking in planning processes.
• New insight that authenticity and empathy are essential capacities for a facilitator of development in individuals, organizations and communities.

 

 Tanzanian Church building capacities for institutional growth

Critical link: Leaders trained to identify how to collectively strengthen ownership of what the Church Stands for.

The last module of facilitation skills training (FAF) for 23 field workers and office staff of “Lake” and “North Mara” dioceses of the Mennonite Church in Tanzania (KMT) took place in April 2009. In a follow up visit in December 2010, EASUN staff met with the Bishop and General Secretary of North Mara Diocese to review impact and outcomes after the one year period.

Bishop Nyagwegwe highlighted three areas where FAF generated greatest learning for the diocese as an institution: 1) Listening, 2) Shared picture building; 3) “Reflective learning” for leadership and team development. Increased listening skills and shared learning activities have led to improved practices and relationships in visioning, assessing and analyzing situations together. This has increased participation in decision-making and ownership of project initiatives by both office and project staff. Because of increased abilities of leaders to listen, people now feel that they are an important part of the institution. Members of the diocese now participate actively in shared learning and decision-making. This has increased their affirmation and support of Church development initiatives.

The Bishop noted that the diocese is now working effectively with the understanding that all organizational levels need to be managed consciously. Within one year after FAF training, the diocese received financial support from Tear Fund to develop and computerize its accounting systems and put together rules and regulations to guide administration of Diocesan life and activities. Strengthening of organizational systems and improved professional performance has gone hand-in-hand with increased project support from Tear Fund, particularly in the area of HIV & AIDS interventions by the Diocese. At other organizational levels, the diocese has improved team work—through weekly perspective meetings for planning, learning, construction of shared identity and activity implementation reviews. According to the Bishop, this has transformed relationships, particularly by putting pressure on top leaders to implement what is collectively agreed upon. Generally, the impact of FAF for the diocese has been realized in 1) increased listening skills of leaders; 2) regular shared learning activities; 3) collaborative visioning, assessments and strategic planning.

Looking to the future through identity construction

North Mara diocesan headquarters (Shirati) is situated among poor rural communities with no major educational institutions. “However,” observed the Bishop, “we are investing in their future through initiatives such as a nursery school that we have started recently. We want to teach children differently, with a strong focus on ethics (greetings, civil language, understanding of God, etc).” The diocese will now begin to invest in transforming local communities through ethical development of both their children and leaders.

To sustain its transformational leadership in local communities, the Diocese will strengthen leadership skills of its clergy, which is the permanent human resource in the diocese. Training of pastors will develop their capacities to identify with stated values and objectives of the Church, and compel them to contribute more at all levels, including where they manage specified roles, activities and diocesan resources. Bishop Nyagwegwe saw that as the best approach to building the kind of leadership that will develop the institutional character of the Church, and increase its sustainability.

The diocese is currently discussing with EASUN about possible leadership training of up to 20 pastors, which will enable them identify how to collectively work toward strengthening their ownership of what the Church stands for. The training will also build skills in facilitating transformations of individuals and communities toward personal and community development results that are aligned with the social mission of the Diocese.

For information on possible similar leadership training for your organization contact mosi.kisare@easun-tz.org

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