gpteng_full doc-getting people thinking
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TEARFUND CASE STUDIES
Getting
people thinkingIDEAS FROM CHRISTIAN OUTREACHS
ABCD PROGRAMME, CAMBODIA
To increase peoples ability to
initiate change and make choices inan environment of loving relationships
The ABCD
Programme
goal
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GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
Contents1 Thinking creatively: what holds us back? 5
2 How can we encourage people to think? 7
2.1 Trust and self-confidence 7
2.2 The work of animators 9
3 Wearing hats to help you think! 13
4 The obstacle to growth: how can we deal with selfishness? 15
5 What are the keys to a programmes success? 17
5.1 Getting priorities right 17
5.2 Flexibility and clarity 19
5.3 The logical framework 20
6 Why is thinking creatively so important? 23
APPENDIX: Impact indicators 25
Glossary 26
Author Sheila Melotbased on the case study by Dr Simon Batchelor:
Transforming the mind by wearing hats!
Illustrations Rod Mill, Sancton Drawing Services
Quotations All quotations are from Meas Nee, a Khmer community development worker.
Copyright Tearfunds learning materials and case studies may be adapted and reproduced for use
provided the materials are distributed free of charge. Full reference should be given to
Tearfund and the relevant authors within the materials.
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Thinking creatively:
what holds us back?
When the ABCD programme started in 1992 in Prey Veng, Cambodia, its aim
was to transform peoples ways of thinking. Based in three communes in a rural
area, it worked among 22,000 people. There were many clear needs, such as an
inadequate water supply and health problems. But nothing was being done to
try to tackle these problems: people felt unable to take initiatives. Enduring bad
situations patiently was seen as the only way to respond.
Why was this? Four reasons were found.
A generation earlier, the Khmer Rouge had killed all intellectuals and anyone who
stood out from the crowd. The education system had broken down, and nobody
dared express themselves for fear of being killed.
My memories of that time are of feeling numb, just trying to stay alive, never
to think. Not even to think when people were taken from the road and killed
right where I was. I couldnt help so I didnt think.
Every institution of society had to be restarted but the people were still passivein the beginning. I felt no dignity at all. There was a habit of not being able to
decide anything. The first step out from numbness was to beg for help but there
was no dignity in doing that.
All sense of personal dignity was lost, and this became even worse in the refugee
camps where people fled.
In the Thai border camp I felt as if I was living under the edge of the roof of
someone elses house. I would feel shame in speaking the Cambodian language.This loss of dignity is strong and deep. It is a loss of identity and of value and of
power. It is a feeling of being more like a pig than a person. Anyone with
authority could say, I want to beat this man.
Then when they returned to the villages under the new political regime, little was
done to heal these deep wounds.
THE LOSS OF
PERSONAL
DIGNITY
POLITICAL
TERROR
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GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
Underlined wordsare explained in the
Glossary on page 26
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The village is like a basket that has been broken and the pieces scattered. What
has been broken can be rewoven slowly and gradually, but only by those who
take time to stay close to the village people and build up trust with them. I
know that this can be achieved, but it must be done slowly and gradually.Eventually the village people become the weavers themselves and they carry the
task forward further, furtheryou cannot easily change the damage caused by
the war, or caused by the breaking of relationships, or the loss of dignity.
Very often tradition is extremely important for rural life: planting what ones
forefathers have planted, and keeping to well-known ways. It is also more common
for rural communities to react to change than to set out to change something
themselves.
In Cambodia the rural peoples religion was mainly Buddhist, but they also believed
that the spirits of the dead had power in their lives. They thought that these spirits
could be provoked by anyone standing out from the crowd. So for example nobody
would draw attention to a baby, saying how beautiful he was, in case the spirits
noticed and punished him.
How does your community react to change? Is there pleasure? excitement? fear?Or perhaps mixed feelings?
Do you try to change things yourselves? What examples of this can you remember
from the past year?
Do you have traditions that help you adapt to today s world?
Are there aspects of those traditions that hold you back from speaking out or
questioning?
Questions fordiscussion
RELIGIOUS FEAR
TRADITION
GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
Thinking creatively:what holds us back?1
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How can we encourage
people to think?
2.1 TRUST AND SELF CONFIDENCE
Christian Outreach saw that they would need to encourage relationships of trust
to be built up again between the people, before anything else could happen. A
new sense of dignity and self-confidence needed to be found.
A major step in this process was to convince the people that they themselves would
take the decisions. No expertfrom outside would make a plan which had to be
followed. So in any particular village, the programme animator would start by
calling the community together. At this meeting, people were encouraged to decide
to work together on a small project to improve the quality of life for the poor, and
in particular, widows. It was made clear that the only limit on their decision would
be financial: only a certain amount of money was available. This could often be put
to best use as a revolving loan. Within those financial limits, the choices were theirs.
If this first step failed, it was still seen as a step forward because it provided a first
discussion point which could lead to more critical thinking.
At this first meeting, everyone who attended together chose five people to form a
committee, which would meet and discuss with the programme staff. They
discussed all aspects of life with the animator: the aim being to establish trust and
friendship, and to explore ideas. All meetings were open to the public, so the
committee remained accountable to their community. The animator also took time
to walk round the village, talking to everyone they met.
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T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
A new senseof dignity andself-confidenceneeded to be
found
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So began a process of discussing, questioning, deciding to act and then discussing
the consequent actions. As a result of this method, the ABCD programme led to:
over 2,000 treadle pumps being installed
drilling teams making their living finding water manufacturers making pumps
hundreds of vegetable gardens being started
new crop experiments being carried out
over 100 buffalo being distributed
several family spacing clinics being set up, staffed by volunteers
trees being planted
action on domestic violence being taken
appropriate technology such as solar dryers being used.
But the main purpose of the programme was the transformation of the peoples
ability to think: to analyse, find solutions and create new ideas, and then to manage
the resulting changes.
Is everyone encouraged to participate in discussion in your community?
Men, women and children? Disabled people, those from different ethnic groups
or castes?
Does any group of people find it hard to join in? How could they be encouraged
further?
Are committee meetings open to the public?
Does an expertor an outsiderprovide the plan, or do you agree together what it
should be?
Questions for
discussion
GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
How can we encouragepeople to think?2
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How can we encouragepeople to think?2
2.2 THE WORK OF ANIMATORS
Animators are key people for encouraging others to think.
In the ABCD project, animators were programme staff either local or people from
District Government. Their job was to help the local people to feel enthusiastic
about the programme.
Animatorswork is a skill, which can be helped by the following.
An important aspect of this work is to make friends and encourage people to grow
in friendship with each other.
The way that people can
begin to talk honestly with
each other is by joking andchatting informally and
gradually strengthening
relationships again.
Listening is vital. If we are too busy concentrating on the results and forgetting the
people, we will not get anywhere.
It is possible to sit with a poor person and listen to her and strengthen her
dignity. Sometimes you may think that she has made some mistakes but
blaming her does not help. She is surviving. She is still here. Let her under-
stand that you respect her remarkable strength. This way her dignity grows.
Dont be stressed
with projects. Take
life slowly. Sit under
the shadow of the
trees with the families
and listen to them.
Sit in the cool of the
night. Dont feel
ashamed that you
waste time.
STOPPING
TO LISTEN
MAKING
FRIENDSHIPS
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GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
Dont bestressed withprojects
Take lifeslowly
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Games can help us think in new ways. The following are two examples of useful
games.
This game is a light-hearted way of learning about ranking, and shows too how our
personal views might not be shared by others. We might not all agree as to who has
the biggest stomach! It is a good starting point for a discussion.
PLAYING
GAMES
Line game Divide into two groups of approximately 10 or 12 people. (If small
numbers, stay in one group.) One person from each group chooses a way of
ranking the group, but does not tell anyone else what it is. They get the group into
a line using the criterion they have chosen (eg: if they have chosen height, then
the tallest person will be at one end of the line and the shortest at the other). The
other group then guesses what criterion was used, and judges whether they were
put in the correct order.
Examples of possible criteria: age, stomach size, length of hair, distance from
home to workshop etc.
Chairs The first step is to explain that the game will show how conflict can be
managed by turning it into cooperation. Then a written instruction (either A, B or
C) is given to each participant who must not reveal it to anyone else. The different
instructions are shared out equally among the participants.
A Put all the chairs in a circle. You have 15 minutes to do this.
B Put all the chairs near the door. You have 15 minutes to do this.
C Put all the chairs near the window. You have 15 minutes to do this.
Then they are told to start, following the instruction they were given.
Conflict can beturned intocooperation
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Of course, if each person obstinately tries to complete the instruction, there will be
conflict between them, and this often happens. Those with identical instructions
need to cooperate with each other, and the three groups (As, Bs and Cs) also need
to cooperate. Several solutions are possible:
putting all the chairs in a circle, between the door and window
first putting the chairs in a circle, then near the door, then near the window
partly disobeying, and using one-third of the chairs for each instruction
hanging two newsprint sheets in the middle of the room on which are written
windowand door
disobeying the instructions completely.
When the game is over it is good to ask about how the participants were feeling in
the game. How did they relate to others? How did they respond to the instructions?
Why? Has culture influenced their response? If they played the game again, what
would they do? The discussion can lead on to real life situations of conflict: could
they have been dealt with differently?
Mapping is a useful way of collecting information and encouraging discussion.
There might be some ideas for developing a health programme, and they need to
find out which households use it already. Or maybe plans are being made for a
farming project, but they need to know who owns the land. It is important to be
clear about what information is wanted. Then three or four people draw a map or
diagram of the area. This can be on the ground with a stick of charcoal, using
stones, leaves, twigs, flowers etc to represent buildings, activities, livestock, trees and
so on. Or it can be drawn on paper using different coloured pens.
MAPPING FOR
INFORMATION
GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
How can we encouragepeople to think?2
The mens map The boysmap
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Different groups can draw their own maps and then compare them. The discussion
that takes place while the maps are being made is very important, often raising
interesting points that can be explored later.
Do the animators in your community take time to listen to others? Why might
listeningin this way feel hard to do?
Do you know any games and exercises to encourage trust, or to teach other skills?
Share your knowledge with one another.
Would it be useful to mapan aspect of your work, drawing in many people from
your community?
Questions for
discussion
GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
How can we encouragepeople to think?2
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Wearing hats to
help you think!
The animators found the hat thinking modela very valuable tool. They could
guide conversations by asking for the blue hator yellow hatto be put on. The
model helped to understand what sort of thinking was being expressed, and
what was being left out.
So what is this model? Let us take the example of a discussion about a villages water
supply. Each colour hat represents a different sort of thinking.
(ACTIVITY: Colour in the hats below to make them stand out clearly!)
Gathering facts that are available and relevant
The water comes from the well, 2km away.
The women collect it.
We use x litres a day.
We use it for cooking, drinking and washing.
What do people feel about the situation?
We need more water: it would make
life easier.
Im so worried: my children get sick
they need more water.
I dont like handpumps: I prefer an
open well.
Agreeing on action
We have decided to work together to dig
a well.
The wider view
We step back from the situation and try to
look at a broader picture.
Why are we discussing the water supply? We
wanted to help the village prosper. Are we
losing sight of that aim?
or: Is that site the best place for a well, from
our neighbourspoint of view? Should we try
to find a site that we can all be happy with?
The blue hat thinkingstimulates
discussion on wider issues and often reveals
BROADER
THINKING
blue hat
DECISIONS
AND REASONS
black hat
FEELINGS
red hat
INFORMATION
white hat
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Wearing hats tohelp you think!3
a lack of information. So it drives the
thinker to go out and gather new
information.
Looking forward to the future with a slightly
optimistic view
With a new water point, we could grow
vegetables which might benefit the whole
villages economy.
Branching out in all directions
What else can be purchased for $250? Why
dont we buy some handpumps but also usesome of the money to buy drilling equipment?
(One village who asked themselves this
question, went on to drill their own wells
for free and then set up a business
providing a service to other villages. The
profits were fed back into the village fund.
They now have more handpumps than any
other village!)
In a discussion with hat thinking, any combination is possible. For example, it
could go white-red-blue-red-yellow-blue-green-red-black!
What is really useful is for the group, or the animator, to be able to check that all
the hatshave been used at least once in the discussion.
Would it be useful to try having a discussion using the coloured hatsidea? If you
have tried this, did you find it easy or hard to identify the sort of thinking you were
expressing? Did the hatshelp you make your way through a complicated or
difficult discussion?
Have you identified particular coloursthat are often left out of your discussions?
If you have any other ways to help you think and discuss, what are they?
Questions for
discussion
NEW IDEAS
green hat
THINKING
THROUGH THE
CONSEQUENCES
yellow hat
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The obstacle to growth:
How can we deal with selfishness?
Every society is made up of people who are more or less selfish (putting
themselves first), and more or less unselfish (putting otherswellbeing first).
So often selfishness appears in the form of corruption. The ABCD programme put
great emphasis on social accountability to prevent most corrupt practices. With all
meetings public, everyone can see what is being decided. It is then hard to cheat.
Where corruption did occur, the community punished the offender and replaced
the funds he had taken.
The programme did not usually channel funds through local or nationalgovernment bodies, in case they were handled dishonestly. Instead, employees from
District Government were appointed to the programme. Through close cooperation
with the Christian Outreach staff, they absorbed their values of honesty and
trustworthiness, and no cases of corruption came to light.
4
CHALLENGING
THE SYSTEM:
AN EXAMPLE
The communityhad challengedthe system ofcorruption
On one occasion the community dug a canal for Food for Work (linked to the
World Food Programme WFP). The sacks of rice were underweight when they
arrived. This had happened before and the community had accepted 3kg per
person in spite of a previous promise of 10kg per person. This time they stood firm
and demanded the correct amount. The WFP supervisor threatened to take all the
rice away unless they signed the incorrect receipt. They called his bluff: the rice
was sent away, but two weeks later the full amount was returned. And for a few
months NGOs reported receiving complete loads as promised! The community
had challenged the system of corruption and everyone was benefitting!
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GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
How can we deal withselfishness?4
Selfishness also appeared in the form ofviolence. Cambodia was still a very violent
country, where every householder had a weapon. Domestic violence was common,
and gunshot wounds were frequently seen at the hospital. The programme staffs
challenge to a corrupt system had to be a careful one which would not put lives in
danger.
At election time many NGOs withdrew to the city, in fear of potential political
violence. In contrast, ABCD staff stayed in the province and continued to walk
about openly in the villages, talking to the people they met in the usual way. The
people appreciated the way they stayed with them, sharing the danger, and
commented on it for a long time after.
What would you have done, faced with the WFPs short supply of rice? What were
the possible risks? What were the possible gains?
In a potentially violent situation, how would you combine courage with being
sensible about taking care of yourself?
What steps have you taken to protect your programme against corrupt practices?
Questions for
discussion
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What are the keys to a
programmes success?
5.1 GETTING PRIORITIES RIGHT
The ABCD programme began by concentrating on the centre of the diagram
below: the values of the staff. It was understood that unless the staff shared the
values of Christian Outreach and were able to put their own vision into
practice, they would be unlikely to continue with the same sort of programme
in the future without outside assistance. One objective was for the programmes
work to be continued by a national NGO within a few years.
So however many materials were provided and however great the skills, the really
crucial part was the central values, for the project to be sustainable.
Training began with a workshop on values. Then vision and strategy were
developed. Next, a system for managing the programme was set up which would
allow growth and learning to take place.
As the programme developed, there were day by day apprenticeship, group learning
and short course training schemes. Low cost offices were also put in place that
could be sustained in the future.
5
VALUESANDVISION
MATER
IAL RESOURCES
SKILLS
ANDSTAFF
SY
STE
MSANDSTRUCTU
RE
STRATEGY
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GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
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What are the keys to aprogrammes success?5
Success or failure? In most programmes this is judged by how well technology is
working. If a new handpump fails after six months, the water programme is judged
a failure. But looked at from the point of view of getting people thinking and
initiating change perhaps that failure could become a success. For example, did it
lead to a sensible discussion where lessons were learned? Or did someone take the
initiative of cycling to the contractor and complaining about the broken pump? In
both cases this would be a sign of successfor the ABCD programme.
But most agencies feel they need the working handpump: something they can seeworking and that they can measure for success, to demonstrate to their funding
donors that they are using their money productively. So they try to keep the process
of change under tight control. With a programme like ABCD, emphasising control
by the people, the agency must let go of its own control. It must accept that failures
can happen, and not be embarrassed by this.
Finally, ABCD made it clear from the start that it would be in place for seven years.
This gave staff and villagers the opportunity to pace their activities accordingly and
to prepare for the time when they would have to continue on their own.
Are your values and vision clearly defined and shared together?
Would it be useful to share these again to strengthen and encourage each other?
Write down some examples of successesand failures(real or potential) in your
programme. Could these be seen differently by other people? For example, could
any of the failuresbe seen as successes? If so, in what way?
Do you face difficulties trying to measureyour successes, for the benefit of
donors? If so, in what way?
Questions for
discussion
WHATS A
SUCCESS?
Perhaps thatfailure couldbecome asuccess
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What are the keys to aprogrammes success?5
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5.2 FLEXIBILITY AND CLARITY
ABCD tried to avoid both the programme patterns shown below: the one that
has a pre-set agenda, and the one that is willing to take on the peoples agenda
but has no way of assessing how successful it is being.
Clear objectives
ABCD made clear statements as to their goal (see the title page), and how this
translated into objectives and completed tasks.
An explanation of the flexible method
The reason for the flexibility of the programme was clearly defined, so that staff
knew why they were doing things in that way.
Clear indicators of achievement in order to monitor effectivelyFinally, they defined potential indicators that would be evidence of success along
the way eg: a certain number of clean water points, a percentage reduction in
under-fivesmortality rate, a certain number of meetings held etc.
So the flexibility allowed the community to set the agenda and work at its own
pace, while the clear definitions allowed the staff to see their way forward and not
get lost in a vague and complex agenda. This also meant that Christian Outreach
could be accountable to its donors.
Looking at a project you are involved in, what are your objectives and your
indicators of achievement? Make a list of these: are your objectives clearly defined?
Could they be made clearer?
How flexible are you: is there room for the community to continue owning and
driving the project?
Questions for
discussion
Here we are:
What do you want?
Do you know where we are
going and will you know when
we arrive?
Here are our objectives:
1 Do this
2 Do that
3 And finally, do this to
complete it all.
OR
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What are the keys to aprogrammes success?5
5.3 LOGICAL FRAMEWORK
The programme used a Logical Frameworkto help them get the plan clear. To
make a Logical Framework, you need firstly to divide a sheet of paper into boxes,
like this
Firstly the wider objectivesare defined for example, in the ABCD programme:
Reduction of extreme rural poverty in this district
Reduction of feelings of trauma, fear, isolation
Sustainable continuation of the programmes work
etc.
WIDER
OBJECTIVES
PROJECT STRUCTURE
MEANS OF MEASURING
THE INDICATORS
Inputs:
ASSUMPTIONS
AND RISKS
column 1
specific tasks you
hope to complete
Wider objectives:
Immediate objectives:
Outputs:
Activities:
INDICATORS OF
ACHIEVEMENT
column 2 column 3 column 4
what is needed
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What are the keys to aprogrammes success?5
Next, these wide objectives are considered in more detail. What will they mean in
reality? For example:
People able to continue making beneficial changes, after the programme ends
Improvements in the physical environment and health of three communes, made through aparticipatory process
etc.
When you have written your objectives, move to Column 4: Assumptions and
risks. This gives you the opportunity to think about what you are assuming to be
true in making your plans, and what might stop the plans from being carried out.
As you consider the risks and the assumptions you are making, you might decide to
change your objectives to be more realistic. You might also want to add an extra
activity which will remove one of the risks. Your aim is to take away as many risks
and assumptions as you can, by re-shaping your objectives and activities. You mightneed to rewrite Columns 1 and 4 several times before you are satisfied.
IMMEDIATE
OBJECTIVES
Your aim is totake away asmany risks asyou can
PROJECT STRUCTURE
MEANS OF MEASURING
THE INDICATORS
Inputs:
Expatriate staff (5 decreasing to 0).
Local staff.
Capital for starting enterprises and clinics.
ASSUMPTIONS
AND RISKS
Wider objectives:
Reduction of extreme rural poverty in district.
Sustainable continuation of programmes work.
Immediate objectives:
Improvements in the physical environmentand health of 3 communes, made through aparticipatory process.
Outputs:
25 village development committees meetingregularly.
3 immunisation clinics running well.
Activities:
Organise first meeting in village.
Obtain stocks of vaccine.
INDICATORS OF
ACHIEVEMENT
Starting to fill
in the boxes:
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The next step is to break down the objectives into specific tasks that you hope to
see completed, for example:
25 village development committees meeting regularly
Immunisation clinics running well in three communes
Five project staff trained in animation, health education and management.
Next think about what you will need to do in order to achieve these outputs. Make
a list of the activities needed, for example:
Organise first meeting in village
Obtain stocks of vaccine.
Now you can see what you will need in order to carry this out:
Expatriate staff (five decreasing to none) Local staff (give the number needed)
Capital fund for starting enterprises and clinics (give the amount needed)
Transport (five motorbikes, ten bicycles)
any further points.
Once all these boxes have been completed, you fill in Column 2, estimating for
example the number of meetings to be held per year, numbers of families who will
grow vegetables, percentage reduction in death rates for children under five, etc.
These will all be signs that the programme is working well, and they must bemeasurable, not just a matter of opinion. You can refer to this column as the
programme develops, to see how far you are succeeding.
Then in Column 3, Means of measuring the indicators, you write the methods
you intend to use to measure the progress. These could be surveys, reports,
evaluations, etc.
As time goes by, you can return to the framework and update it. There will
probably be changes in assumptions, activities and outputs.
It is a good idea to check that your plan is logical by starting at the bottom of
Column 1 and working upwards, asking Ifthen?at each step. For example:If these activities are carried out, then will the given outputs be the result?
If these outputs are achieved, then will the immediate objectives be achieved?
Try asking these questions using specific items from the Logical Framework, not
just in general terms.
Are you using a Logical Frameworkin your programme? If so, how does it help
you? If not, would it be useful to make one?
Questions for
discussion
INPUTS
ACTIVITIES
OUTPUTS
COMPLETED
TASKS OR
RESULTS
GETTING PEOPLE THINKING
T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
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T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
Why is thinking creatively
so important?
When we think of poverty, what springs to mind? Probably a lack of resources
in one form or another. Fighting poverty often means providing resources:
new water points, more agricultural productivity, better training for health
workers etc.
These are all important of course, but development needs to put people first, rather
than things.
Cambodia is a rich nation with reserves of gold, diamonds, timber, untouched
forests and silt-rich delta farmland. Poverty here could not be due to a lack ofresources. Why then were the majority of people economically poor?
Partly it was because of things beyond their control: for example, the terrible Pol
Pot regime and the bombing by the USA. But mostly because the ability to use and
develop knowledge, skills and attitudes needed was damaged. The people of
Cambodia could have started new schemes to reduce rural poverty they had
considerable resources. But what they lacked in rural Cambodia was the ability to
take initiatives and try out new things.
This is not to insult the dignity of the Cambodian people. Their resilience in the
face of adversity was inspiring. And their unwillingness to change anything was veryunderstandable: so often in the past to speak of change had meant certain death!
That is why they had gradually lost the ability to initiate change.
The Cambodian people had gone through a terrible time where they had lost belief
in their own abilities: they had been disempowered. As a result, a resource-rich
country was now inhabited by poverty-stricken people. For that reason ABCD
focused their programme on personal awakening as the key to development.
FIRST PRINCIPLES
But this also has lessons for countries in very different circumstances fromCambodia: any programme seeking to tackle poverty must have as its centre the
transformation of the mind. It should have a structure that encourages people to
take initiatives, and every action must contribute towards that end.
If we give the people a well, how long will it last? It depends! It might be destroyed
by floods; it might become unnecessary if piped mains water is provided; it might
suffer from poor maintenance
We know the saying, Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, give
him food for life.A wise saying, but should we not go further? If we teach people to
fish, but the fish have died from pollution, or someone invents an electronic
6Developmentneeds to putpeople first
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T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
Why is thinking creativelyso important?6
weapon for catching fish: what then? What can we give people that is truly
sustainable?
If we help people to increase their ability to initiate change (eg: to protest against
pollution, or to be one step ahead of technology) and to make choices (eg: to
choose the new fishing equipment, or maybe to choose to change their employment
altogether), then we have left them something sustainable.
Perhaps we should alter the saying to this:
Give someone a fish feed them for a day.
Teach someone to fish feed them for a while.
Animate someone to think creatively feed them for life.
How do you define poverty?
Do people in your society find it hard to believe in their own abilities? If so, what
would help change this situation?
What do you think of the last paragraph? To what extent is it reflected in your work?
Questions for
discussion
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T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S
Seeing a collective vision
One of the programmes notes written in 1996 told
of a village where people had not been good at paying back to
the rice bank. They thought the rice was provided free by the
organisation, so why pay?
The animators sold some of the rice to pay for food for a good meal to
which they were invited. At the meal, they explained that the rice bank
was to help the people through bad harvests, and they answered all
their questions. When the people understood how the rice
bank worked, they were happy to repay the loan.
100% was paid off that year!
Caring for each otherand planning for the future
The Annual Report 1994/5 was delighted to report independent activity
by one Village Development Committee. Following discussions about health
problems and the expense of treatment, a village meeting was called
independently of Christian Outreach. It was decided to form three voluntary
associations: if a member became sick or died, everyone else would give a
sum of money and a bowl of uncooked rice. This would be a sort of
health insurance for everyone. Over 90% of the village joined
one of the associations.
Showing compassion
The same programme noted the case of a needy
family who had several people die over a short
period. The Village Development Committee soldsome of the rice given as interest on pumps, and
gave the family enough to pay for the
funeral debts.
Setting captives free
One of the programmes notes written in
1996 say: The village of Tang Lang 2 have
decided to give up drinking. All the families on
the east side of the road say that their men no
longer drink rice wine. They have more
hope and they are too busy.
APPENDIX Impact indicators
Which of the indicators made the most impression on you? Why was this?
Are there lessons here for your programme? If so, what are they? Do you note down indicators of progress, to encourage each other?
Questions for
discussion
Ending oppression
Womens Team Animation Notes 1995 told of a discussion about wife-
beating. An old man was listening, who still beat his wife because he said she
was lazy. The women who knew them disagreed. He was asked if the threat of
prison would stop him, but he did not seem worried about that as he had friends
in the police. However, when they discussed wife-beating as a sin, he said he
would not do it any more. A year later his neighbours
reported that he had indeed stopped!
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Glossary
adversity Difficulties and misfortune.
animator A person open to new ideas and with the enthusiasm and commitment toencourage others to initiate change within their community.
Buddhist (religion) A widespread religion, practised mainly in Asia, which does not worship a god, andwhich teaches that people live more than one life.
corruption Dishonest activity by those with power, often involving taking money or gifts inexchange for something, for personal benefit.
criterion A standard by which something is judged.
disempowered Made less confident or less powerful; deprived of influence.
numbness A state of mind where one does not feel able to make any response and onesfeelings seem dead.
passive Accepting what happens without any active response or resistance.
ranking Putting into an order.
resilience Ability to recover from a difficult situation.
revolving loan A loan which is given to one person, and when it is repaid it is then given to thenext person, and then the next, etc.
social A system of explaining and giving reasons to the community for decisions taken,accountability either by members of the community or from outside it.
spirit The part of people that is believed (by those mentioned in the case study) to live onafter death and continue communicating with those who are still alive.
sustainable Able to be maintained over a long period of time without the need for external
resources.