The first 6 months of work in a nutshell

Again, folks, sorry for the length of time between entry postings these days. We wrote most of this entry while in Kenya vacationing and attending the regional CRWRC Spiritual Retreat. We are thinking of you all and wish you well at the start of the new year….

No doubt you are wondering what we actually do on a day-to-day basis as Program Consultants with CRWRC. We’d like to answer that question in this entry. We will do that by first going over the “big” events that have required our presence and participation during our first six months here in Uganda. Then, we will take a look at what an “average” week entails (though there is no “average” week in this job). To do this, we will describe what our last full week of work before vacation was like. We won’t bore you with all the details, but will try and put in the highlights of each occasion and/or day. The Program Consultant job is a very fluid job, as it depends so much on the individual needs and strengths of our partners and partner staff. But we do hope that this entry gives you some idea of what is involved…

Big Events (during our first 6 months)

July – HIV/AIDS Integration Workshop:
In July, CRWRC held an HIV/AIDS Integration workshop in Entebbe, Uganda. In attendance were two to three representatives from each of our approximately 10 partner groups. The subject was integration, by which is meant the integration of HIV/AIDS interventions into existing programs. The workshop was not meant to force new HIV/AIDS programs on the partners, but to give them the tools to integrate HIV/AIDS issues into what they were already doing in their various sectors. Those partners working in agriculture, for example, could bring up information on HIV/AIDS when doing trainings on the latest agricultural techniques. The concept was that this type of intervention would be more cost-effective and help people to understand just how intertwined the HIV/AIDS issue is with all other aspects of development. We were still very new to CRWRC-Uganda when this event occurred, but we participated in, and contributed to, it none-the-less.

Aug – TEAR Australia Monitoring Visit:
CRWRC works toward sustainable development with its partners. Sustainability generally comes with having multiple streams of support (whether financial, technical, or other). One of the areas that we work on with our partners is to help them network so as to have a broader resource base. Thus, if CRWRC ever chooses to reduce funding or to completely phase a partner out, the partner will have means by which it can continue to exist and function. Toward this effort, CRWRC has entered into agreements with international organizations similar to CRWRC, such as Compassion Canada and the Food Grains Bank. These organizations contribute to local partner programs financially, often with CRWRC coordinating the effort. In August, a representative from TEAR Australia, another of the international organizations CRWRC has a relationship with, came to visit programs it funds in Ukuru, Junam, and Goli, all of them partner groups with which we consult. After visiting sample sites we drove the TEAR Australia representative back to Kampala to catch his flight back to Australia. This occurred at the beginning of August and was our first CRWRC activity after arriving in Arua at the very tail end of July.

Sept – East and Southern Africa Ministry Team Meeting:
CRWRC divides its program countries (30 in total) up into Ministry Teams. Uganda falls under the East and Southern Africa Ministry Team (ESAMT). Once a year our team congregates (usually outside of Nairobi, Kenya for logistical reasons) to discuss and prioritize regional issues, set strategies and budgets, and fellowship as a team. This year we were approximately 25 in number representing the countries of Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa. The regional HIV/AIDS, Justice Education, and Relief coordinators were also present. It was good to be able to visit with team members that we had heard about or communicated with, but hadn’t yet met. The trip there and back was not as gratifying, however. It took us 18 hours on the road to get back to Kampala. And we only just made it back in time to meet with the CIDA evaluation team heading to our neck of the woods in Northwest Uganda.

Sept – CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) Evaluation:
CRWRC largely relies on donations from the Christian Reformed Churches in Canada and the U.S. for the funds needed to cover its administrative costs and to support its local partners. In an effort to boost the amount of resources available for partner programs, CRWRC has sought out extra help from agencies like CIDA. CIDA provides funding to 9 CRWRC countries currently. This year they embarked on an evaluation process to assess how well their money has been spent in advance of an up-and-coming 2007-2012 CRWRC grant proposal. CIDA selected two countries out of the 9 countries as a sample of CRWRC’s world-wide CIDA funded programs. One of those countries happened to be Uganda. Since the evaluator was only given one week per country, it was decided she should just visit one partner in Uganda to represent the work of CRWRC in the country as a whole. Again, it just so happens that the partner they selected was one of ours – Nebbi diocese of the Church of Uganda. Needless to say, this seemed like a tall order for some folks that had just arrived on the scene. But, in the end, things seemed to go okay and the evaluator seemed pleased with the work over all.

Oct – Partner Forum:
Once a year CRWRC-Uganda holds a Partner Forum. To the Partner Forum, CRWRC invites two to three representatives from each of its ten partner groups. The purpose of the forum is two-fold. On the one hand, time is set aside for training. This year, the training centered on the theme of human rights and civic education. Various speakers enlightened us on the makings of the Ugandan constitution, the importance of good governance, the state of human rights in Uganda, etc. The other purpose of the forum is to discuss issues of importance, such as the need for agreed upon report schedules, to pull together proposals for future projects, etc. It was good to be with our partners for this exercise, though all the time spent in Kampala/Entebbe makes us long for home.

Nov – Board Training
One of the needs that our partners have identified is the need for training for the board members of the various diocesan boards, including the Finance, Planning and Development, Advisory, and other boards. Many of the boards have not been functioning or have been functioning without a clear idea of their mandate. Performance of the various diocesan offices have been hampered by the lack of strong boards to keep the diocese moving forward toward the fulfillment of its vision. As a result of these factors, we scheduled a training for board members to be led by the CRWRC Co-Director from the Canada office. The members appreciated the information and recommitted themselves, through action plans, to the work.

Nov – Think Tank Forum
CRWRC prides itself on being a “learning organization”. One learning process that has been embarked upon is an analysis of the role of development in Africa. CRWRC, as part of this three-year learning process, will hold a series of Connecting Ideas to Impact (CITI) Think Tank Forums in three countries – Uganda being the first. At the forum, various issues such as the role of culture, globalization, agriculture, health, the economy, etc. were discussed. The forum concluded with each of the attendants developing an action plan, a plan for implementing one idea that struck them while at the forum. During yearly follow-up sessions, each attendant’s progress toward their plans will be looked at and discussed. The “best practices” will then be compiled and incorporated into CRWRC practices and methods of doing community development work.

Dec – Spiritual Retreat
CRWRC regularly holds spiritual retreats for its ministry teams. The East and Southern Africa Ministry Team, which includes Uganda, meets once every three years. As the travel to the event is costly, smaller retreats within regions are held annually during the interim periods. The retreat took us to Malindi, Kenya, up the coast from Mombasa. Each morning and evening we were led through times of reflection and worship. We also had time to relax, snorkel, swim with the dolphins, site see, etc. The highlight for us, however, was being able to fellowship with the rest of the team. CRWRC has managed to hire a really superb group of folks, with a good mix from North America, Africa, and even South East Asia represented.

Average Week (From Nov 27 – Dec 1)

Monday
We met with the Department of Planning and Development Officer (DPDO) for Madi/West Nile Diocese to discuss a few issues. One of the several issues on the agenda was the proposed implementation of a certificate-level Community Leadership training. The training would be designed specifically for the elected leaders of the many community groups that CRWRC, through the office of the DPDO, support. The training will probably be a two-year course. One year will focus on leadership principles and group dynamics. Another year will focus on the various aspects of Project Cycle Management, including how to design, implement, monitor, report on, and evaluate community-based projects. This is an exciting initiative. Community leaders play a critical role in keeping their groups motivated and effective. Yet, to date, the capacity level of each of the leaders has depended entirely on the abilities that they have when they are elected by the group. The purpose of the training is to provide a venue in which the skills, knowledge, and abilities of the leaders can be enhanced.

Tuesday
The internet was up for a brief period of time. We took advantage of that fact to catch up with some much needed correspondence. One group we communicated with was a work team from North America that is coming to assist our partners in Nebbi and Madi/West with some building projects. They will be here for a couple of weeks during the first part of February to construct roofs for two archdeaconry offices. There are always a lot of logistical and other details to work out with the coming of a work team. Yet we know it is well worth the extra energy involved, as visits such as this lead to changed perspectives and the forging of new relationships between people in this global village of ours. We also communicated with an individual in Canada interested in taking on some of the work we do with a coffee farmers association in Nebbi. CRWRC has been working with the group, mostly indirectly, to help them organize, gain fare trade status, and improve product quality. This is a critical time for them, as they need to find markets for their product if they are going to be motivated to continue their cooperative organic farming. We are grateful for this individual’s interest and energy. This is the kind of project we’d like to see really take off. Successful cooperatives and small businesses are key vehicles through which lasting development can take place.

Wednesday
Madi/West Nile has a Pastor’s Conference coming up in early January. The DPDO convinced the Bishop to set aside two days of the conference for in-service training. One day of the training will be on HIV/AIDS, an issue that the DPDO is highly trained on. The other day will be on the role of the local church in civil society. The DPDO added this issue to the Pastor’s Conference agenda because of the action plan that she committed to at the last CRWRC Partner Forum. We spent part of the day researching materials on the issue and pulling together an outline for an interactive workshop for the attendees of the Pastor’s Conference. The hope is that, at the end of the one-day workshop, the pastors will understand the strong Biblical principles behind the church’s mandate to hold political, social, and economic systems accountable to do justice. Beyond that, we hope that each pastor will return to their parishes with some concrete ideas of how to inspire their congregations to get involved in the life of their communities.

Thursday
We drove to the headquarters of Koboko archdeaconry along with the Madi/West Nile DPDO. The community leaders of Koboko had been called together for a technical training on project reviewing and reporting. We facilitated a large portion of the training, introducing the RBM (Results Based Management) model as a tool for effective project management and reporting. The RBM model follows a logical results chain moving from Activity to Output to Outcome to Impact. We have been working to integrate this model into the work we do with our partners at the diocesan level. The end goal of all this is two-fold. One, we are seeking to streamline the reporting system to make it more efficient. Having everyone, from the community leader up to us, talking the same language and using the same format could reduce time spent on compiling the never ending reports. Two, we are starting to emphasize the importance of monitoring and reviewing programs to maximize impact. The RBM model makes it easy to turn reporting into a monitoring activity as well.

Friday
Went on a field visit to two archdeaconries in Nebbi diocese. At each stop we spent time with the Archdeaconry Planning and Development Committees (APDCs). The APDCs interact directly with the DPDO to represent the needs of the community groups to the diocese and the wishes of the diocese to the community groups. They play a vital role in the decentralized community development process that CRWRC has undertaken in Northwest Uganda. For this reason, we have felt it to be important to encourage the APDCs through a rotating visitation schedule. Typically, we do not just visit with the APDC, however, but also visit a community group. The health of the entire system can best be measured by what is happening (or not happening) on the ground. Hence the importance of the community group visits.