I think I am turning into a development geek of sorts, for better or for worse. At least I am starting to get into the lingo. I didn’t think I would, but it happened. In a past blog entry I confessed my new understanding of the phrase Capacity Building. Here’s two more to add to the list: Empowerment and Sustainability.
Empowerment is a lovely concept. To me at least it means giving people power to make their lives and/or jobs better. In Zambia we hear about it a lot in terms of empowering particular groups of disadvantaged people. For example, empowering widows by helping them gain skills to earn a living, or empowering youth by granting small loans for entrepreneurial projects. My latest venture in empowerment has been to help two computer lab managers that I work with set up their own petty cash fund for small supplies and repairs. Prior to that, they had to ask permission and get pro-forma invoices for even the smallest of needs. A process that wasn’t encouraging or enabling (is that development-speak too?). Setting up this process, though, has gone along with significant advice and rule making to avoid anyone borrowing from the cash box, or using the money without properly accounting for it (practices that are unfortunately quite common in Zambian NGO’s).
Sustainability is also a great concept, but unfortunately not as easy a target to reach in my work as empowerment. There are different ways to define this word, all having emphasis on making something last. For development projects, sustainability is often used to mean that income covers expenses. For computer projects in Southern Africa, however, I have learned that this is a huge challenge. The cost of internet connections and salaries for properly trained staff are often very high in comparison to the ability of the target committee to pay for services. I have heard of many projects that have begun by being donor funded, and then when the donor has pulled out (even with significant advance notice and planning), the project has failed. As a result of this, there are donors now who never fund recurring expenses for projects. This makes direct dependencies less likely, but also greatly limits the scope of the services that a project can offer. I think this strategy also contributes to the workshop dependency that I mentioned in a previous post (“I’m blaming it on the UN”), since funding workshops is not a recurring expense like salaries or internet connections.
As I have been working to set up a proper structure for my sponsor to donate to computer projects in Lusaka, I have continued to struggle with how to properly apply the concept of sustainability. In the end, I found a definition of sustainability that I liked, formulated as a best practice “habit” for development projects (courtesy of bridges.org): “Habit 11. Make your initiative sustainable over the long term -- either by bringing in sufficient income to be self-sustaining, or by delivering on a social mission so effectively that it is worthy of continued donor funding.” My sponsor and I have also discussed the idea of phasing out support slowly, so that the projects don’t have to go “cold turkey” into finding other funding or being self supporting. The four schools that we are working with are currently working on grant applications that are the first step in this process. I’ll keep you all posted as this progresses!
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2 comments:
You know, Heidi, sustainability must be such a mammouth undertaking for the many projects in Africa, particularly ones like yours because there is little existing infrastructure in your area to build on. Or maybe there is..I would just assume that there aren't many groups writing foundations for computer funds, or many people who know what to ask for, or even how such costs would be rolled out. And there is so much need and then to sustain the projects, maintaining the trained personnel, equipment, etc. Steve and I work at such a small level of this...we spend much time writing grants to sustain parts of the NEARI, and to try to grow our ideas some, but there are many resources around in the U.S. to begin with...eventually you get something. I imagine that might not be so in many places in Africa. I wish NEARI had the funds to help in a project such as yours in Zambia, or over in Africa somewhere else; it would be so wonderful for our kids to connect with kids over there. And then of course, there's the question as to which project is most needed--the staggering aids problem which is wiping out a whole generation in Africa, could argue that all the monies available go for that cause!
Well I will stop this, and turn to the pyramids and sphinx. Is that you in the picture with that smiling man? or someone else? It is a great picture and the sphinx feet sure look big there. I would LOVE to see the pyramids. You are so close to Mesopotamia--where Jesus lived...and you are (were) walking right where good ole Moses might have walked too. When I was in Israel, I felt this kind of numinosity, this reservoir of feeling--some where deep inside me was a resonance with the land in the middle east. Do you feel different in Africa, in that way, sorta? Do you have strange feelings when there?
Right now we are digging out of a second foot of snow which fell this AM; Corey is going sledding or truck swirling and sliding, Steve is shoveling the porch and I am making butterscotch bronwines which is an arduous endeavor: shoveling the brownies from pan to tin is not easy!
Sending you much love as you prepare to cross over.
Penny
Thanks for all the thoughts Pen and enjoy the snow!
I think the trick in Zambia isn't a lack of development money, but often a lack of long range planning and evaluation in order to help the money make a difference. 27% (or something like that) of the GNP of Zambia is aid money!
Love, H.
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