community assessments: how to assess a community's needs
TRANSCRIPT
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Moderator Victor Barnes – Director of Programs & Grants at
Rotary International
Panelists Past RI Director Philip Silvers, District 5500 (USA)
PDG Carolyn Johnson, District 7780 (USA)
PDG Francis “Tusu” Tusubira, District 9211 (Uganda)
Meet the panel
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• Identifying community strengths and challenges
• Involving the community with assessments and projects
• Relationship building, capacity building, and local empowerment
Breakout session objectives
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• Why assess a community?
• Leveraging assets to address community needs
• Asset-based assessments
– Human assets
– Organization assets
– Physical assets
Community Assessments
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• Sustainability, a universal requirement of grant funding (foundations, corporations, government, UN)
• Sustainability begins with Needs Assessment, a potential Achilles’ heel of TRF grant applications
• Old model: outside expert looking in on a village
• New Model: Getting to see the world as the beneficiaries see the world
• Rotarian Eugene, successful in 17 years of Matching Grants: “But they don’t know what they don’t know”
Community Assessments – Critical to Sustainability
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• Community meetings
• Surveys
• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Asset Inventory
• Community Mapping
• Community Charrette
Community Assessment Tools
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Fact-Finding Phase • “Blue Sky” personal interviews/focus groups with
beneficiaries • Focus groups/charrettes with community leaders,
government officials, and local professionals • Relevant data from government/NGO sources
Analysis/Decision-Making Phase • Expert analysis of the findings and
recommendations • Review and vetting by beneficiary groups • Feasibility Assessment: A viable project?
Applying Community Assessment Tools
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• Evaluation Team – indigenous research professional, project leader, data collectors, data entry
• Measurable objectives – SMART – Specific
– Measurable
– Achievable
– Relevant
– Time-bound
Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
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Engaging Community & Rotarians
Working towards successful, sustainable projects
and lasting relationships
PDG Carolyn Johnson
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Determine needs in our own communities
• Forums to determine opportunities • Develop knowledge, skill, awareness within our clubs • Connect with multiple stakeholders (service
organizations) – What is working well – Underserved within the community
Begin at home
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Community need: Raising aspirations
• Local knowledge
• Consistency, follow-up
• Follow-through, monitoring
Partnering Organizations
early education
women’s employment
technical skills (trades)
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Community need: access to school for every child
• Identify a process: first & future steps
• Minimize barriers
• Develop trust, recognition
Build partnerships with community leaders
hand washing stations
school kitchen
Bathroom facilities (girls)
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Community need: effective instruction
• Build on existing resources
• Involve beneficiaries in the process
• Feedback on progress
Develop existing resources
classroom resources
teacher training
Ongoing support
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Involve beneficiaries
Work with local leaders
Partnerships with NGOs
Qualitative & quantitative data
Develop existing resources
Successful & Sustainable Service
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Foundation for Sustainable Development
• Needs approach = negative energy
• Assets approach = positive energy
Identify solutions based on a community’s assets
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Utilise a Mix of Community Groups & Settings
• Mixed: women, men, youth, people with disabilities, leaders (formal and informal)
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Use thematic areas to focus discussion
• Livelihoods
• Health
• Water and Sanitation
• Education
• Etc.
Address all facets of poverty; give it time!
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Analyse the information for opportunities
How can we exploit the assets we have identified to improve the quality of life in the community?
Involve the community in the analysis
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• Additional resources in the House of Friendship and online at www.rotary.org/myrotary
• Breakout session evaluation
Conclusion