Community Driven Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Process (GDPMEP): A SelfMonitoring Initiative by the Group Members

Nazmul Karim

Brief on BASTOB:BASTOB is a private voluntary development organization. It has been started working since 1997. Agroup of professional development activists having commitment towards the society and peopleformed this organization. From very inception, this organization accomplished some fundamentaltasks prior to develop this as a fast growing organization in the development horizon. Thisorganization has been made partnership with many other organizations at home and abroad. Some ofdonors are, Netz Germany, FAO/UNDP/GOB, Actionaid Bangladesh, LED( Principality ofLiechtenstein) CARE Bangladesh . BASTOB has development supports, communication andaffiliation with NGO Forum, Credit Development Forum and Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum etc.BASTOB has been playing one of the lead roles to up rising the Self –help Promotion Forum inBangladesh. Presently BASTOB is enthusiastically holding the position of Secretary General of SelfHelp Forum, Dhaka region.

Its monitoring system:BASTOB has been completing its monitoring regularly through some participatory tools designed bythe BASTOB and its partners involved with two of its very remarkable and significant project namelyMother and Child Development Project (MCDP) at Dhalghata of Moheshkhali island and PreventiveHealth Care and Self Management Project at Malumghat of Chakaria thana from 1998 and 1999respectively. Both locations are situated in Cox’s Bazar district. These two projects have some non-conventional approaches of development. Considering the health situation of the area BASTOBrealized from very early that there needs a self sustainable health program which will assist people tomeet all kinds of preventive health measures that causes a great loss of the poor villagers. Theforemost criterion of the project is self help approach. These projects emphasized to build thepeople’s self managed organization in the community given focus on preventive healthcare measures.So, the monitoring system in those projects is different in some extent. Earlier, BASTOB introducedsome self monitoring tools in the group from beginning of the project. The used self monitoring toolswere base on malaria, diarrhea, EPI and family planning information accumulation. But reality isthat we have to recognize the project as peoples owned project. So, it’s important to involve groupmembers in the process of planning as well as monitoring those planned activities as regular basis bytheir increasing capacity. BASTOB with the participation of its primary stakeholders has beenintroduced a comprehensive self planning and monitoring process. We have articulated this term asCommunity Driven Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Process (GDPMEP): A Self MonitoringInitiative by the Group Members.

What is Community Driven Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Process (GDPMEP)?

Community Driven Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Process (GDPMEP) is a visual process ofself planning, monitoring and evaluation of activities by the poor community people. People couldpractice and conceptualize the indicators setting against each and every planned activity commencingby themselves through qualitative and quantitative measures.

Objective of GDPMEP: Initiate a comprehensive and understandable planning and monitoring tool for the group.Practice and conceptualize the indicators setting against every planned activity by the groupmembers. Improve group members’ knowledge and practice on quantitative as well as qualitative analysis onevery planned effort.

Moreover assist the CBO to act as a self help nature.

Commencement and Process of Community Driven Planning, Monitoring & EvaluationProcess (GDPMEP):

To prepare the GDPMEP format it is important to meet the group in comparatively good, comfortableand easy place where members feel free and ingenuousness. It is to say before introducing this toolBASTOB arranged some workshops and orientations for staff and group members in order to wellfamiliarize and dissemination techniques on preparation of planning and monitoring format. Firstly,BASTOB arranged a day long workshop for its staff to commence the process. Then staffs have beenarranged some orientation sessions for the selected members from each group as a process todisseminate whole techniques to the group. Thus the group members have the initial familiarity topractice this in the group with supports from our facilitators. Ultimately this planning andmonitoring format is a unified and consolidated one where we can know group member’s yearly planof actions at the same time group can monitor their improvements what they expected to do , whatthey have done and what actions are remaining to be done . BASTOB’s great opportunity is that thisformat could also be a prime tool to gather the information of the group as well as communityactivities all together. We accept as true that this format might be the reflection of the group andcommunity people’s development.To prepare this planning and monitoring format, some big brown paper and color pens would beneeded. Whole paper needs to divide in to required rows and columns as per actions to be plannedand monitored. Before selecting any activity for monitoring and planning format, need to give sometime for the participants to discuss collectively to select some activities which are comparativelynecessary for them. Naturally a big list of activities should not be selected for each group.Some remarkable specialty of the system are that group will be measured all activities as perindicators what they have set out in the format in pictorial form or in written form. It’s to say hereindicators setting are basing on the easy understanding of the stakeholders which they communallylike to measure the task. Our task is to assist to the members to understand and keep them in the realtrack. Another specialty is that they have opportunity to measure all activities in qualitative aspects.To identify the quality of the activity use mood meter. All planned activities would be monitoredquarterly basis but there is an opportunity to monitor in every weekly meeting. Group members arepracticing this in fortnightly meeting. They review their planned activities in the session. If, anyactivity achieved, they give a tally mark for each unit of activities. After that they concentrate tomeasure the qualitative aspects of the activity. This qualitative measurement aspect judgment is soeasy and normal procedure. Usually members discuss on what qualitative change comes after theactivity take in to reality. After lively discussion they decide to give tick mark under the column ofappropriate mood meter. Every quarter members sit together to monitor and evaluate the activities. If fail to implement anyactivity they reallocate this work in to next quarter. Regarding this, they discuss the causes of failure.After end of the year they finally evaluate their success and failures with causes.This format is placed in a wall or fence surrounded by the meeting place or any place that is very

easy to look every one. BASTOB believes now time has come to see and analyze the information ofgroups as a whole through their out looks what they planned and monitored regularly by themselves.Every aspects of group execution should be by their own initiatives. BASTOB likes to monitor only

their monitoring and planning process as like as a partner’s point of view. BASTOB has beenprepared a monitoring report by quarterly basis on accumulated information based on the groupdriven planning and monitoring format. By this process we will get a real picture of the group whichreally represents group’s expectation and effectiveness as well.

2. Priotization& selectionactivities for

CDPME format

4. Preparation offormat

as quarterlybasis in a bigbrown paper

5.Dissemination &sharing of report

With allconcerned

1.MajorNeeds

IdentificationBy

Members

Fortnightlymonitoring bythe members &

Quarterly byBASTOB

Process showed in graphics.

A miniature form of GDPMEP format

An illustration of GDPMEPAnnual Planning and Monitoring Information 2006:Here we produced the Dulahazara project’s Community Driven Planning, Monitoring & EvaluationProcess (GDPMEP) accumulated information (Few selected). Here information on 54 ParaDevelopment Samity (PDS- a peripheral group) has been produced:

Quantitative Data Qualitative Data# Issues/ActivitiesAnnualTarget

Achievement

%Deviation

% VeryGood

Satisfactory

Unsatisf-ied

01 Tube wellInstallation

90 73 65.7 17 34.3 00 00

02 Sanitary LatrineInstallation

1024 302 29.49 722 70.51 00 00

03 Vaccinate (EPI)The Children andMothers

297 323 108 00 00 00 00

Note: Qualitative expression means actually the quality of the achieved activities. So that peoplecould become aware of the quality depth of the achieved activities.Here in below we produced some indicators which were setting by the group members against eachand every action planned for the year 2005. It’s our request to the readers, please don’t take theseindicators critically or professional outlook rather think it with the view of those people who did it.

04 Safe Motherhood 45 202 448.88 00 00 00 00 0005 Regular meeting of

PDS/VDC793 611 77.04 182 22.96 00 00

06 Hand wash beforeand after defecation

40 137 342.5 00 00 00 00

07 Increase FPmethods users

292 373 127.73 00 00 00 00

08 Savings 49240 24338 49.43 24902 50.57 00 0009 Open Bank account 14 10 71.43 04 28.57 00 0010 Discussion on

dowry420 66 15.72 354 84.28 00 00

11 Discussion onwomendiscrimination

40 07 17.5 33 82.5 00 00

12 Discussion on EarlyMarriage Protection

62 19 30.65 294 69.35 00 00

13 Meeting on AIDSand STD

111 54 48.65 57 51.35 00 00

14 Cows rearing 44 15 34.10 29 65.90 00 00 Other 29 activities not included

Total 17 07 11

# Issues Indicators01 Tube well Installation Using safe water in every task./ Made tube well platform.02 Installation of Sanitary Latrine Water Sealed / roofed / soap & ash in the front of latrine/Cleaned.03 Earning money by making & selling of Capes Able to Make Capes.04 Training on Poultry Rearing. Rearing poultry with scientifically & Eearn money through selling

poultry birds.05 Arrange Meeting on Dowry Stopped dowry exchange / Wedding without dowry06 Plantation Planted saplings as per AP & taking care of those.07 Take government opportunity Increased liaison with different govt. organizations./ Receiving

necessary govt. assistances08 Arrange meeting on stopping early marriage. No marriage arrangement for female under the age 18 and for male 21years.

09 Take initiatives on eradication of child labor Children are going to school.10 Save money Saving money regularly as per savings manual/ Pass book, receipt

book, cheque book and cash book are maintaining/ Have bank account11 Open Bank Account Have resolution /pass book, cashbook, receipt book and cheque book.12 Discussion on savings and group manual All activities of the group are functioning through following as per

savings and credit manuals. Writing resolution appropriately.

Findings of the GDPMEP in 2006:As per our accumulated Community Driven Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Process (GDPMEP)format, members were selected activity for the year 2006 = 43

Quantitative data for 2006Planned activities =43Not target = 01100% achieved activities= 0575 to 99% achieved activities=0150 to 74% = 05Below 50% achieved activities= 24Not achieved =06Qualitative data for 2006

=17 =07= 11This scenario has been produced here with a diagram.

Mood 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

Conclusion: Community Driven Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Process (GDPMEP) is amechanism of which people could involve themselves in planning, decision making and survive witha self originator and implementer. People could share their potentiality in the process of developmentfor own selves and the community too.

________________________________________________________________________________Prepared by:The article was distributed in the meeting of Forum of Monitors at RTI office, Gulshan in 2006

(Name of the Group)Group Driven Planning and Monitoring Format

Year of Planning: Date:

1st Qtr Qualitative

2nd Qtr Qualitative

3rd Qtr Qualitative

4th Qtr Qualitative

# Action Indicators

Ann

ual

Targ

et

T A D T A D T A D T A D

AA

Link

age R

espo

nsib

le

Meaning:T= Target A=Achievement D= Deviation AA= Annual Achievement = Very Good = Good = unsatisfied.Note: Action and Indicators should be pictorial in case of maximum members are illiterate.