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| BIG Question | Why too many projects but handful results? Fridah Mwakasyuka There are many development projects being implemented in various sectors throughout the country. The aim is to contributing to the overall fmwakasyuka@thefoundation-tz.org goal of poverty reduction. The government and civil society sector are some of the main players involved in designing, implementing and managing development projects. It is disheartening to note, the pace of change as a result of implementation of projects is minute in comparison to the inputs. The main reason is that we have projects implemented without having the end result in mind. Writes Fridah Mwakasyuka Some of such projects have proved to have negative or no impact to the community. Instead of reducing poverty they perpetuate deprivation. No wonder, more people are becoming more and more vulnerable to poverty each day. Many projects by CSOs begin and end with workshops for awareness creation on this policy or that law. There is no linkage as to what local or central government should do differently. No wonder then, a big question remains what next after awareness? This kind of scenario has promoted me to discuss development project planning and management as at the end of the day, the | 20 | | www.thefoundation.tz.org | two values are among determining factors for a project to be able to alleviate poverty to the expected degree. Many development projects aim at solving certain problems in the society. That is why, the idea of a project should be well thought of- that is, it should address specific problems facing specified target. The overall aim of any development project is to bring positive change to the specified target. This calls for projects then to be developed taking into consideration the views of stakeholders, particularly the beneficiaries. Another issue that needs a lot of consideration is – factors contributing to the problem. This calls for assessment of the needs of a people so as to correctly identify a project. Then assessment should be done to gain insight about the problem that an institution (CSO) intends to address. It is of uttermost importance to involve expected beneficiaries of a project at its formulation stage as they are the ones who knows better the problems they face. This can be done at communal meetings and focus groups discussions (FGD). Other techniques which can be used to assess community needs are community mapping and participatory appraisal. The Foundation Newsletter What does it take to have a project become successful? It should be noted that if the whole process of planning and management is open and transparent and is geared to enabling beneficiaries own the processes and results of the project, it’s more likely to become successful. After all, the outcome of the project is measured as a noticeable change which can be sustained by the project beneficiaries. Can the project really be able to make use of all the diverse stakeholders? This is not feasible. This calls for the need to identify stakeholders to involve. This is done through undertaking stakeholders’ analysis, which will help to identifying primary and secondary stakeholders. The first are those who directly will be affecting or be affected by the project while the latter are those who indirectly will be affecting or be affected by the project. During the project planning stage, the identified problems should be carefully and critically analyzed by all stakeholders. The analysis of the problem to be solved by the project should include identifying root causes and effects of the snag. If not well analyzed, the problem will be only partially solved. After the analysis of the problem, then objectives should be set, describing the desired positive outcome, the situation of the problem, root causes and effects. Other things to consider There are many other things that should be embraced while planning a project. This includes the development of the Theory of Change for the project. I am right to say that many projects do not start with the end in mind. The question is the epitaph. This mean what the project will bring and leave to the members of the community once the project is over. To answer this question you will have set you a benchmark that you will use to measure and see if the project has achieved the intended goal. Remember to set only one main objective. And at least 3 specific objectives (too many objectives and
specific objectives will make you achieve absolutely nothing) Your main objective should end with empowerment of beneficiaries to participate in local government decision making processes. This will ensure greater accountability and transparency of resources allocation on the matter that you are addressing in your community. Many projects received at The Foundation, if not all, ends with awareness creation workshop! Let’s move a notch higher to empowerment and accountability enhancement projects. Another thing to consider is how you can link your interventions as NGOs, to that of the government. This is a difficult but simple question. Scan around the matter that you want to address and see if there are policies or laws regarding the matter. Ask yourself what the local government or central government was supposed to do or deliver under this policy or law. Then tackle the matter while reminding the government of its obligations. After all, if the problem is taken in to local government plan, it will become part of their annual plan and budget and hence will ensure its sustainability. You as NGO | Inside Story | cannot be there forever, are the people and their local government who will be there always. After appraisal and understanding the end result that is measurable, as well as established link to policies, then think of resources- the budget. Think which human resource and financial resources you need. Make a realistic budget and polish your proposal ready to share with development partner like the Foundation for Civil Society This is a Big Question Column We are inviting contributors with features on this new column – Editor Learning and planning together is important for any project to succeed The Foundation Newsletter | www.thefoundation.tz.org | | 21 |
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