Growing the Wealth of the Poor - World Resources Institute

The measures of success must be directly related to the kindsof actions that will be required should the project go forward.For instance, when villages wanting to undertake the regenerationof their watersheds approach the Watershed OrganisationTrust (WOTR), they are required to demonstrate their intent andcommitment by doing 4 days of voluntary work as a community,such as digging contour trenches or other soil and water conservationwork. In dryland areas where the majority of people ekeout a subsistence living from the land, this is a substantialcontribution, and completing it requires real need, a sufficientlycohesive community, and a functioning and trustedleadership—the minimum amount of social capital needed forcomplex projects and interventions to succeed.Once a community has passed the “entry test,” it must thenenter a capacity-building phase as a prelude to undertakingfull-scale project implementation. Capacity-building—as WOTRuses the term—is a time of intense facilitation, support, andskill training, usually by an NGO or other external agent. Thecommunity is helped to understand the implications of theagreements they have made as a community and is supportedin implementing them and in managing the conflicts thatinevitably occur when curbs on customary land and resourceuses begin to take effect. Usually this is a time of stress anduncertainty, where internal contradictions and conflicts come tothe fore and community institutions undergo changes inmembership, functioning, and mandates.It should therefore include the entire range of skills that acommunity must acquire in order to be in the “driver’s seat” ofthe effort. Unless people are fully engaged in all aspects of theregeneration effort—planning, implementation, monitoring,evaluation, and maintenance—and are able to implement theproject in a technically proficient and managerially soundmanner, they will not acquire the necessary “ownership” of theeffort nor reap benefits commensurate with their investmentsand expectations. It is also important to introduce at all levels,especially at the project level, systems that promote transparency,accountability, and free flow of information to allactors and partners so as to secure commitment, foster ownership,and sustain momentum.A community will maintain and enhance an asset that generatesfor it a stream of desired benefits on a reliable basis. Hence,it is important to “mate” the village into the local and regionaleconomy and markets as well as with development agencies andresource providers across sectors. This will provide outlets for localproducts and increase business opportunities and employment.During the capacity-building phase, actual project work shouldbegin at a sufficient scale that it will have some visible shorttermimpacts. This preliminary work cements trust and buildsconfidence between the villagers and outside project authorities—acrucial requirement for success and a “goodwillreserve” that can be drawn upon when rough patches are hit. Italso provides a cushioning environment for the hardshipssuffered by some groups by creating incentives—such asincreased opportunities for wage labor—to resolve conflicts andadopt new behaviors. These incentives, as well as other shorttermresults of the project, are a powerful glue that holdstogether a common consensus and provides a preview of thekind of benefits that will flow to the entire community once thefull project is completed. Perhaps most important, this preliminarywork during the capacity-building phase provides theexperiential basis for imparting skills and competencies to thevillagers. In rural communities, the most effective means ofknowledge acquisition is through “learning by doing.” Peoplelearn by directly participating, observing, and experiencing theconsequences of their actions and then reflecting uponmistakes made.Training must be oriented toward empowerment and tailored tothe work being undertaken and the needs of the community.69