ABCD-Training-of-Trainers-Tools-July-2013

Instructions on how to use this tool at the community level
Step 1:
Selecting “domains” of change: Discuss with community leadership what kind of changes they expect to
see. These can be very broad such as “changes in people’s income,” “changes in agricultural practices,”
“changes in people’s attitudes.” From these suggestions, decide on 4-6 “domains” of change.
Step 2:
Deciding on the reporting period: Discuss with community leadership how often reporting should be
done. This could be monthly, every two months–often enough that it is useful for ongoing decisionmaking
by the community, but not so often that it becomes burdensome.
Step 3:
Deciding who to involve: It is often useful to include stories from outsiders who have been involved in
this initiative such as NGO fieldworkers and local government officials. Discuss this with the community.
Within the community, ensure that a diverse range of people are included: women, children, the elderly,
the relatively well-off, the relatively poor.
Step 4:
Collecting stories: With the help of community members, ask different members of the community to
tell stories about what was the most significant change they observed, and why this change was
considered so significant:
During the last month (or whatever time period you are interested in), in your opinion, what do you
think was the most significant change that took place in the lives of people participating in this
community initiative?
The first part of the story should be descriptive: what happened, who was involved, where did it happen,
when did it happen?
The second part of the story should be explanatory. The respondent should explain why they thought
the change was the most significant out of all the changes that took place in that month. What
difference has it made already? What difference will it make in the future?
Record these stories, noting who told the story. It is important to collect stories from diverse members
of the community. It may also be important to collect stories from outsiders such as local government
officials and NGO fieldworkers.
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