Drive Social change

Drive Social Change
Evelyn Speich-Baer
Tbilisi, Georgia
2016, 186 pages

This handbook was published by Civil Society Institute (CSI) with support of:

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

This toolbox is a document from practitioners for practitioners. If you look at tools used in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a project you will find that they actually overlap. The reason for this is that the process of issue identification, analysis, design, planning and action repeats itself again and again during the life of a project. The tools described in chapter II-VI are sorted according to this process. Use them like an artisan. Choose the ones which fit best. Adapt and combine according to your needs. Be creative and innovative.

Content:

1. Chapter I: General concepts in development aid
2. Chapter II: Methods and tools used in needs assessment and problem identification
3. Chapter III: Methods and instruments used in situation and system analysis
4. Chapter V:􀀃􀀃􀀃􀀃􀀃􀀃 Methods and instruments ofr solution finding and decision making
5. Chapter V:􀀃 Methods and instruments used to design the project and its structure
6. Chapter VI:􀀃􀀃􀀃􀀃􀀃􀀃 Management methods and implementation instruments
7. Chapter VII:􀀃􀀃􀀃􀀃Contents of key project documents and reporting
8. Chapter VIII: Dairy Value Chain Game
9. Chapter IX: How to make a workshop

Extracts:

Although unintended, many projects distort a market or any other system and create negative outcomes (...) Every project that provides free trainings or grants withdraws this service from the market system. Local entrepreneurs, consultants or institutions can’t compete and they are also freed from taking responsibility (p.14)

Incentives but also indicators and how their targets are set can trigger pervert behavior among system actors. On the other hand a project can also create clearly positive effects that were not deliberately intended. (p.15)

Two fundamental questions: 1. Why are people doing something that they shouldn't do. 2. Why do people not do what they should do? Two very simple questions, aren’t they? Yet, they are very powerful because they enable us to find valuable entry points to analyze observed constraints in a system. 

A systemic intervention or activity is facilitative and catalytic. It focuses on activities with and for the actors who have either a ruling or supporting role towards the target group. Systemic interventions comprise participatory system analysis with identification of systemic constraints and opportunities, distribution of information, linking of actors, supporting their communication and collaboration and strengthening their awareness, interest and capacity. (...) Even if change is evident, a project has to reflect on  attributions and acknowledge that its own contribution may be limited.  (p.18)

Most CSOs design a project following a specific request for applications (RFA) from a donor. These calls for proposals usually contain very clear instructions, dictate the overall goal and come with a very tight timeframe for submission. At the same time development aid aims for impact and sustainability through need based and participatory interventions. This is often even a key request of donors and contradicts with their stiff RFA approach. (p.19)

Study secondary data, find out how others approached similar challenges, consult experts’ sector knowledge and build on local information, experience and knowhow directly from beneficiaries and stakeholders. Bring the experts, policy makers and local stakeholders together to discuss, analyze, interpret, verify findings, draw conclusions and make decisions. (p.20)