Needs Assess Micro-Project General Report_Mahoney

Report of Community/Group Needs Assessments and Management of Micro-Projects

Mahoney, Joanna Peace Corps Volunteer

Education/DevelopmentB.P. 131

Maroua, CameroonTel: 95 07 39 58

Email: [email protected] 2012

Introduction:

This project was launched to facilitate the start of a micro-project in order to build the capacities of selected CIGs in three of Heifer’s target communities in the Far North region. The initial phase of the project consisted of two one-day trainings. The first day of training was a needs assessment in which the participants worked together to identify the theme of their micro-project with the guidance of their facilitator. During the second session the facilitator led the participants through the beginning steps of project planning and implementation.

This is a pilot project for the collaboration between Heifer and Peace Corps to draw upon the strengths of each organization in order to raise the living standards and capacities of the target participants. Through this partnership Heifer can draw on availability and knowledge of Peace Corps volunteers to build the level of work and knowledge of their groups. Peace Corps volunteers, on the other hand, can take advantage of Heifer’s network of groups, who are currently active and motivated.

This report will summarize the different activities that were executed and the outcomes of the trainings.

Goal and Objectives:

General Goal

The goal of this project is to give Heifer’s target groups the knowledge and skills needed to organize themselves and their communities (when applicable) to be able to take action in order to meet a collective need.

Objectives

Have the participants identify their own needs from which a micro-project can be drafted

Have the participants think critically about the chosen micro-project and how their lives will be impacted

Have the participants collectively decide upon a course of action that will lead to the completion of the chosen micro-project

Trainers:

The trainings were conducted by Joanna Mahoney, an Education Development Peace Corps Volunteer.

Contents of Training Sessions

The training sessions were organized and present in the following manner:

Session 1: Needs Assessment and Micro-project selection

Community Analysis: A community/group analysis was conducted through an interactive discussion with the group. Leading questions helped the group investigate which necessary resources were already present in their communities/groups and which were missing. In order to spur dialogue, we used the community mapping activity, for every community except Meri. Meri did not need the activity to engage in an interactive discussion. Also, the groups were asked to identify successful activities and/or resources in their communities could be built upon and reinforced.

Pair-wise Ranking: The pair-wise ranking tool was used to discern the relative importance of the proposed micro-projects from which the highest ranked project will become the focus of the subsequent meetings.

Analysis of Micro-project: The group must clarify the specifics of their selected project. For example, in the case of a need for water, the group must decide which type of water resources will meet their needs and is feasible (forage vs. well). Finally, the group was asked to reflect and give an estimate of the group/community contribution to the micro-project.

Session 2: Clarify vision, identify resources and create goal for Micro-project

Clarify vision: The group was asked to imagine the future of their community in regards to their selected micro-project. In a year what would their project look like? This activity acted as a drawing board for the group to pull out general ideas to use later in more specific activities.

Identify Resources: The group was asked to identify first local resources that are available in the community. These could be materials, equipment, knowledge, etc. Secondly, the group identified external partners who could

possibly support the group through financial, technical, or other means. These organizations would be NGOs, governmental services, business, individuals, etc.

Create a strategy: The group is asked to create one or more strategies to achieve their vision with the resources that are available to them. This activity pushes the group to find creative strategies to attain their goal given the problems of scarce resources. If there are multiple strategies proposed, the group will compare the advantages and disadvantages of each using specific criteria to determine which the best strategy is.

Create Goals and Objectives: The group will create specific goals and objectives for their micro-project. This activity is to restate the vision and approach in regards to the desired outcome. The goals and objectives must be realistic and precise.

Dates of Training Sessions and Review of Activities

Noubou– GIC Djoumaay/Cinadum/Djinandra/Wudmezle

-November 23rd, 2012 – Needs Assessment and Micro-project selection

56 participants were present at the session, half in the morning representing the two new GICs that Heifer recently started working with and half in the afternoon with the two more experienced GICs. This split was due to the fact that Heifer consultants were in Noubou on the same day as our trainings and we agreed to alternate GICs. The majority of GIC members were women. The groups identified nine different needs as a result of the community mapping activity, that were then ranked according to importance.

COMMUNITY MAPPING ACTIVITY

The Pair-Wise Ranking tool was used as below to designate one project:

PAIR-WISE RANKINGWater EE Electricit

yRoad/Bri

Storage

ED Church

Meet Rm

Moulin

Water X x x X x x x x xEE Water x x X x x x x XElect Elec Elec X x x x x x xRoad/Bridge

R/B R/B Elect x x x x x x

Storage Water EE* Elect R/B x x x x xED ED ED Elect R/B ED x x x xChurch Churc

hChurch

Elect R/B Church Church

x x x

Meeting Rm

MR MR Elect R/B MR ED* Church

x X

Moulin Moul Moul Elect R/B Moul ED* Church

MR* x

*Close vote

The results of the Pair-Wise Ranking tool were as follows: 1-Electricity, 2-Road/Bridge, 3-Church, 4-Education, 5-Meeting Room, 6-Moulin, 7-Water, 8-Environmental Education, 9-Storage. The group decided that an additional CES school building would be the focus of their micro-project after considering other more ambition ideas and analyzing their feasibility.

An additional CES building will help manage the overpopulated classrooms and provide rooms for additional classes that cannot currently

exist due to the lack of separate classrooms. The additional classrooms will help the community build their capacity by allowing their children to gain a higher quality education.

-November 30, 2012 – Clarify vision, identify resources and create goal for Micro-project

56 participants were present at the session. The group elaborated on their vision of the selected project of the construction of an additional building for the CES school. The group envisioned a structure much like the preexisting classrooms that will be one individual building and be divided into two classrooms.

BLUE PRINT OF CES SCHOOL

Capacity was not yet determined but a committee made of elected members from the group will look into the cost and materials needed. The objective of additional CES building is to allow for more classes to be taught and to provide more space for the students who are currently overcrowded. An extra CES building would benefit the entire community but will not be an income generating activity. It will build capacity as it will help the children of Noubou gain a better education.

The group identified local resources such as sand, rocks, gravel, labor and technical knowledge. In regards to external resources the group named Heifer International and US Embassy as potential financial backers.

A committee of management was chosen by the group to facilitate the execution of the project. These individuals will meet with a technician who can help the group expand the vision of the project in detailed fashion. Through the creation of a budget and a better shaped vision the project can begin to amass its contribution while searching for a partner to support the missing materials and skills.

Finally the group conducted a seasonal calendar activity to better see when the community’s work contribution could take place.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

WC

WC

6eme

5eme

4eme

3eme

FUTURE: 6,5

Cultive x x x x x x xRecolte

x x x x x

Ecole x x x x xPluie x x x

The results of the seasonal calendar show that during the dry season (November through April) the community is readily available to work on the project. This information will be used to build the group’s dossier for their micro-project.

A site visit was conducting at the end of the meeting to get a better understanding of the location.

SITE VISIT

-Date TDB – Elaborate budget, work timeline and impact/goals for financing proposal

The meeting will be held at the Heifer International office in Maroua. Two representatives from the committee chosen to head the project will be present along with a consultant, and PCV Joanna Mahoney to discuss the budget and timeline for their micro-project. The GIC members will discuss the different materials and tasks that could be provided by the community (i.e. community contribution). Further the timeline for the different steps of work will be discussed in order to maximize the GIC member’s availability and also seasonal advantages for specific activities. The final budget and timeline will be determined and attached to this report.

The GIC representatives will discuss specific questions in relation to the Self-Help US Embassy grant proposal. The members explained the need for an additional classroom building in Noubou due to the current lack of classrooms. The additional school building would add two new classrooms to the pre-existing four classrooms thus improving the education situation in

Noubou affecting the lives of its members’ children and also the greater community.

In conclusion, the GICs will complete their United States Embassy Self-Help Grant dossier. The application will be attached and ready for submission after final approve from the group.

Boula– GIC Djoumahou

-November 14th, 2012 – Needs Assessment and Micro-project selection

18 participants were present at the session, the majority being women. The groups identified six different needs as a result of the community mapping activity.

COMMUNITY MAP

The Pair-Wise Ranking tool was used as below to designate one project

Pair-wise Ranking

Restaurant

Storage Moulin Champ Forage Animals

Restaurant

x x x x x x

Storage Stock x x x x xMoulin moulin Stockage x x x xChamp Champ Champ Moulin x x xForage Forage forage Forage Champ X xAnimals animals animals Animals animals animals X

The results of the Pair-Wise Ranking tool were as follows: animals fattening program, forage, community field, Moulin, storage, restaurant. After analyzing each project, the group decided that a community granary to store cereal (millet, corn, etc.) would be the focus of their micro-project. The animal “fattening” would only be beneficial on the individual basis and unsustainable, the forage is not imperative as there are forages already in Boula (something that did come up in the community mapping but not in the pair-wise ranking), and the community field and restaurant are income generating activities that they can start on their own. In fact, we suggested that the community field is something they do to complement the magasin de stockage. Also, many villages have restaurants that begin with a women and a hanger. That would be easily feasible for this GIC.

The community granary will be able to provide the group with a means to safely store their cereals at harvest time as in the past a lack of transport to markets had blocked their activities. They do not have a grand market in Boula just two small markets. The granary will also provide an income generating opportunity for the group, as they will be able to store their stock until supply has dropped on the market and prices for their products have risen and rent room to other in the community.

-November 24th, 2012 – Clarify vision, identify resources and create goal for Micro-project

14 participants were present at the session. The group elaborated on their vision of the selected project of the construction of a GIC granary that will benefit the entire community. The group envisioned a structure in the center of the community next to the church and school, which would store cereal for both individuals and the group.

SITE VISIT

Capacity was not yet determined but discussed to be between 500 to 1000 sacs. A committee made of members from the group will manage the granary. The objective of the granary is to provide an income generating activity for the group as well as improve food security at the village level.

The group identified local resources such as sand, rocks, gravel, labor and technical knowledge. In regards to external resources the group named Heifer International and the US Embassy. A committee of management was chosen by the group to facilitate the execution of the project. These individuals will meet with a technician who can help the group expand the vision of the project in detailed fashion. Through the creation of a budget and a better shaped vision the project can begin to amass its contribution while searching for a partner to support the missing materials and skills.

Finally the group conducted a seasonal calendar activity to better see when the community’s work contribution could take place.

Seasonal Calander1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Recolt

X X X

Fields X X X XFetes XBEST TIME

X X X X

The results of the seasonal calendar show that during the dry season (January through April) the community is readily available to work on the project. This information will be used to build the group’s dossier for their micro-project.



The GIC representatives will discuss specific questions in relation to the Self-Help US Embassy grant proposal. The members explained the need for a cereal storehouse in Boula due to the lack of storage. The storehouse would raise the level of food security for the community and add to the CIGs economic activities, thus improving the lives of its members and also the greater community.


Meri– GIC Tassermangay

-November 25th, 2012 – Needs Assessment and Micro-project selection

8 participants were present at the session, the majority being women. The group identified four different needs, which were proposed as focuses of a micro-project. The community mapping activity was not needed for this GIC as they were already having an open discussion and the PCV Joanna Mahoney is posted in this village and is very familiar with its layout. The Pair-Wise Ranking tool was used as below to designate one project

Pair-wise RankingWater Grain Storage Moulin Women’s

CenterWater x X x xGrain Storage Water X x x

Moulin Water Grain Storage x xWomen’s Center

Water Grain Storage Moulin x

Final rankings: 1 – Water, 2 – Grain Storage. 3 – Moulin, 4- Women’s Center

The results of the Pair-Wise Ranking tool were as follows: water, grain storage, Moulin and women’s center. After analyzing each project, the group decided that a community granary to store cereal (millet, corn, etc.) would be the focus of their micro-project. after considering other more ambition ideas. The forage idea was shut down because the mayor indicated that there will be a functioning chateau d’eau in March that will provide the community with the adequate amount of water needed.

The community granary will be able to provide the group with a means to safely store their cereals at harvest time. The current amount of magasin de stockages is grossly inadequate to meet the needs of the community. The granary will also provide an income generating opportunity for the group, as they will be able to store their stock until supply has dropped on the market and prices for their products have risen and rent room to other in the community.

-November 28th, 2012 – Clarify vision, identify resources and create goal for Micro-project

12 participants were present at the session. The group elaborated on their vision of the selected project of the construction of a community granary. The group envisioned a structure in the center of the community, next to the grand market, which would store cereal for both individuals and the group. Capacity was not yet determined but discussed to be between 500 to 1000 sacs. A committee made of members from the group will manage the granary. The objective of the granary is to provide an income generating activity for the group as well as improve food security at the village level.

The group identified local resources such as sand, rocks, gravel, labor and technical knowledge. In regards to external resources the group named Heifer International and the US Embassy.

A committee of management was chosen by the group to facilitate the execution of the project. These individuals will meet with a technician who can help the group expand the vision of the project in detailed fashion. Through the creation of a budget and a better shaped vision the project can begin to amass its contribution while searching for a partner to support the missing materials and skills.

Finally thr group discussed the best time for the construction of the project to take place. They specified that the rainy season might be a good time because there will be water for the builders and materials. This information will be used to build the group’s dossier for their micro-project.



The GIC representatives will discuss specific questions in relation to the Self-Help US Embassy grant proposal. The members explained the need for a cereal storehouse in Meri due to the lack of storage. The storehouse would raise the level of food security for the community and add to the CIGs economic activities, thus improving the lives of its members and also the greater community. A meeting with the Mayor will take place in January to get his approval. Mme Mambila went to see his approval in November but was asked to come back in January.


Documents

Needs Assess Micro-Project General Report_Mahoney