POVERTY REDUCTION ACTION PLAN (PRAP ... REDUCTION ACTION PLAN (PRAP) DEVELOPMENT GUIDANCE1 Introduction BNTF Participating Countries (PCs) are required to develop their PRAPs as a

POVERTY REDUCTION ACTION PLAN (PRAP) DEVELOPMENT GUIDANCE1

Introduction

BNTF Participating Countries (PCs) are required to develop their PRAPs as a condition for the allocation of BNTF

funding. It is a major starting point for the country’s BNTF portfolio and it is owned by Government. It is used to

influence PCs’ priorities for reducing poverty reduction with BNTF resources. It helps the Government to determine

and commit to action plans that are well targeted, and informs the next 2 stages of the BNTF portfolio appraisal and

preparation which are the Country Project Portfolio (CPP) and the Sector Porfolio (see diagram below).

New components are being added in the 7th cycle of the BNTF, emphasising education and HRD (including micro-

enterprise development, youth and citizen security), water and sanitation, and basic community access and drainage.

The PRAP needs to be prepared with sufficient rigor and targeted at gaps and priorities in these areas

The involvement of communities is critical to the development of the PRAP so that residents are the subjects

generating information on their situation. Community partners/members must be included in the prioritisation of

targeted community-based work. The PRAP should draw heavily on current CPAs (Country Poverty Assessments)

with PPAs (Participatory Poverty Assessments) and Poverty Maps, ensuring that it extracts data on the livelihoods

profiles of major vulnerable groups at community level and applies that in the prioritization of interventions. A rich

understanding of local realities should be available from the PPA and other participatory exercises which can be used

by the PRAP. However, if these recent participatory research findings don’t exist, community participatory

exercises are launched as part of the PRAP to ensure that the residents’ voices are echoed by the PRAP.

The PRAP is also an important mechanism and process for identifying partners and developing an integrated and

collaborative approach to poverty reduction. It should reflect sectoral priorities with an integrated2 approach,

guiding the identification and development of sub-projects and shaping the country’s BNTF Sector Portfolio which

should be fully developed by Q3, 2013. Once submitted, the PRAP and the Sector Portfolio (with an holistic

approach) will be appraised by a cross-section of CDB specialists.

The following Flow Chart elucidates how the PRAP fits with the country’s Country Project Portfolio (CPP) and Sector

Portfolio (Please note that the Community Needs Asset Assessment [CNAA] is separate from the PRAP and occurs

later in the process flow).

1 Prepared Feb 2013 for the BNTF 7 preparation; and updated in March. 2 An integrated/holistic approach considers how factors link together and recognises the need to make bridges between programmes and services

so that they do not operate in isolation of one another. It also encourages building linkages with other development activities which can be

integrated in the design to maximize resources and reach.

What should the PRAPs in BNTF 7 include?

The main elements are outlined in 4 steps in Appendix 1, along with important cross-cutting issues and key

considerations. The following are to be given closer attention in the PRAPs for BNTF 7:

A. The analysis of poverty data (as part of step 1 in Appendix 1) is expected to be more rigorous from BNTF 7

onwards. This part of step 1 should receive the most attention. In addition to describing the absolute

poverty used to determine the poverty line in the country and highlighting poverty trends and distribution,

more attention will be given to analysing information from a wider range of data sources. The PRAP must

demonstrate the use of different sources of information for the measurement of poverty – secondary data

should be reviewed, and primary data collected at the community level if this does not exist or is outdated.

Income and expenditure surveys are usually used for the measurement of poverty but since these are less

frequent in some of the PCs there is a need to also draw from multiple sources. There are labour surveys

and other studies that are used to measure unemployment and people living in jobless environments, and

household surveys that collect data on household characteristics, employment, access to basic services, and

household incomes. Some of this is readily available in country poverty assessments as the preferred source

of information on poverty. This should be complemented with the use of local-level data on availability and

use of services in particular geographical areas. Where available, information from population censuses

can be combined with household surveys. Emphasis should be placed on geographic disaggregation and

analysing the differences in the standard of living among different geographic contexts. Additionally,

investigations of intra-household allocations of income and expenditure and special studies looking at the

situation of women and men, children, older persons, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups

should be incorporated in the PRAP poverty assessment. The analysis must demonstrate a closer scrutiny of

quantitative and qualitative studies. CPAs contain participatory assessments and point to the types of

indicators important for the poor. Gender analysis in the PRAP should not be confined to reporting

disaggregation by sex but be strengthened through assessing a) social relations and the social, economic,

physical, legal and regulatory barriers that women face in accessing markets, employment, etc. and in

controlling the sustained use of economic assets; and b) the situation of male youth (and young women).

The causes or factors associated with poverty are relevant in the analysis for the PRAP. The relationship

between poverty and forms of capital (physical, human, social etc.) and social discrimination and exclusion is

useful in identifying sources of poverty and developing poverty and vulnerability profiles.

B. Guiding questions to be addressed by the PRAP are listed in Appendix 2.

C. The PRAP must have a clear beneficiary participation framework or plan. Where a Participatory Poverty

Assessment (PPA) has been recently done (within last 5 years) and there is sufficient community assessments

to draw on for the PRAP, there will not be a need to launch full scale community participatory processes.

However, if there is a lack of details on the needs and concerns as expressed by the poorest and most

vulnerable at community level, as well as no knowledge of the gaps in services within poor communities, the

PRAP development process must include a participatory exercises engaging communities and ensuring that

those who tend to be sidelined are allowed to participate. This involves focus groups and other participatory

approaches to involve the community in BNTF priority setting and planning. Community needs and

strengths are assessed, and community empowerment is also promoted3.

D. Additional components of the PRAP

The PRAP will also now include the following:

Mapping Exercise 1 - An updated inventory of actions in key areas and Gap Analysis

A Mapping and Gap Analysis of key national interventions should be carried out. Examine actions to date especially

in the areas of education/HRD, water and sanitation and basic community access and drainage (this is done as part of

3 Community Needs Asset Assessments (CNAA) will be done at the Sector Portfolio stage for each sub-project proposal and not at the PRAP stage, and is a more in-depth Assessment which also includes the additional components mentioned below.

Step 3 in Appendix 1). Guidance is attached in Appendix 3. This helps to ensure that the sub-projects for BNTF

support fill gaps and are targeted for areas where there is greatest need. It is also an important part of the process of

identifying key partners for combined efforts and impacts. This exercise can be completed using secondary data

where there is a recent PPA and participatory research findings emerging from community level PRA-type

(Participatory Rural Appraisal) exercises.

Mapping Exercise 2 - Community Assets

The PRAP process will facilitate the Community Assets mapping exercise with the community as an equal partner. It

will provide an outline of Community resources and aspirations in the communities identified through the targeting

strategy (step 3 i). This process allows for focusing on a range of strengths and capacities of the members and

organisations within or close to the community. The mapping of assets includes exploring: What resources do the

poorest and most vulnerable communities have at their disposal. What are the main strengths within communities.

How is local knowledge built and used. Where/how do communities act together for common good. A better

understanding of these assets can inform action planning and areas for collaboration. For example, for an education

sector portfolio, it is important that to identify the resources available within the community such as key individuals

with relevant expertise, citizen associations, talents among groups, natural resources, and so on. When confronting

new issues around citizen security in BNTF projects, the mapping of assets allows for building up knowledge of the

community assets that can be capitalized on. A Community Assets chart can be found in Appendix 4 of this paper.

This exercise can be completed using secondary data where there is a recent PPA and participatory research findings

emerging from community level PRA-type (Participatory Rural Appraisal) exercises.

‘A framework for change’

Based on the analysis of the data gathered for the PRAP preparation, there should be clear articulation of a set of

future actions to address gaps identified between current circumstances and the future to which the community

aspires. This is where the PRAP should clearly address one of the central pillars of the BNTF - Transformative Effects.

Types of sub-projects need to be clearly aligned with the findings of the analysis of poverty and other data combined

with the community needs assessment, and the mapping exercises. This is where the analysis and targeted

interventions should all be brought together to demonstrate the BNTF’s contribution to communities’

transformational change and emerging out of poverty. The selected key focus areas and types of sub-projects should

be portrayed as channels for driving change.

The package of sub-projects for each sector should be brought together in a pathway of change that leads to

community empowerment and to positive changes in community conditions. Interim and long-term outcomes (e.g.

incomes generated, increased business activity in community, crime reduced, improved quality of education,

increased community stability, youth development outcomes such as vocational competencies) should be linked to

the sectors/sub-projects identified in the PRAP, to show the significant change to be effected in the community and

wider society. It should be emphasised that community leadership and initiative are a major source of change.

The PRAP should also include the following matrix which outlines the identifies the allocation of resources to specific

key sectors (and other priority areas), the alignment with national poverty reduction and sector targets, an indication

of types of sub-projects, and the key implementing and monitoring partners:

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APPENDIX 1

GUIDANCE NOTE TO DEVELOP THE POVERTY REDUCTION ACTION PLAN (PRAP)

INTRODUCTION

1. CDB requires participating countries to prepare a Poverty Reduction Action Plan (PRAP) for the 7th Basic

Needs Trust Fund programme. The PRAP is intended to relate closely to wider national policies aimed at reducing

poverty. Currently, CDB also supports a number of Participating Countries (PCs) in conducting Country Poverty

Assessments (CPAs), preparing Poverty Maps and Poverty Reduction Strategies. The data derived from these

assessments and other credible data sources will be used in respective countries to shape the PRAPs for BNTF 7.

Importance of the PRAP

2. The PRAP:

(a) emphasises the social dimensions of sub-projects and reinforces that people-centred approaches are critical to BNTF programmes

(b) focuses the Programme on poverty and links the BNTF to other national poverty reduction priorities, policies and programmes

(c) has a holistic perspective on poverty and seeks to address ways that empower communities to give ‘voice’ to their needs and to demand attention

(d) is based on the historical and cultural context and uses methods of social and institutional analysis to clearly understand issues of poverty including defining poverty dimensions; identification of the poor and where they are situated; identification of communities where poverty is more prevalent; and what can be done using participatory methods to engage communities in the development processes

(e) is based on the findings of social and institutional analyses to enable BNTF to set its own goals, indicators and resource allocations which become indicators of the Project; and

(f) is a vital tool in Country Project promotion and information dissemination and outlines a public relations/social marketing plan.

Steps in Updating the PRAP:

(a) Step 1: Update the current sections of the PRAP

(i) Country Background (ii) Macro-economic Context (iii) Social, Cultural and Political Contexts (including demographics, gender dimensions,

environment, and crime and security) (iv) Analysis of Poverty related data (based on recent poverty assessments, household surveys,

CWIQ Surveys, labour surveys, PRSP, MDG Reports and other research) (v) National Poverty Reduction Strategy (including institutional and organisational assessments).

(b) Step 2: Assess Role and Contribution of BNTF 7 to Poverty Reduction

(i) Review BNTF targeted sectors and cross-cutting considerations. The analysis will highlight the critical issues and assess institutional capacity, administrative framework, fiscal, legal and regulatory policy aspects, quality, effectiveness and equity constraints and options available. Demonstrate consistency between Project objectives and the sector priorities of the country strategy. There should be a clear link between expected outcomes and the sector goal.

(ii) Review previous performance of BNTF in relation to above sectors and identify lessons learned (refer to Project Completion Reports).

(c) Step 3: Prioritise Actions for BNTF Interventions

(i) Propose areas of intervention using targeting strategy based on participatory approaches to assess community demand for services. The strategy should focus on characteristics of target group, for example, vulnerable groups, communities at risk, single parents, unemployed youth and communities experiencing high levels of crime.

(ii) Identify sectors/locations/types of sub-projects for BNTF support. The sub-projects aim to address a clearly analysed sectoral problem.

(iii) Show linkages with the programmes of other development partner organisations and identify the key gaps to be addressed by the PRAP.

(d) Step 4: Implementation Plan/Results Framework

(i) Develop a Results Framework Analysis. The logic should indicate how the intervention attempts to address the problem

(ii) Outline M&E System at Project level using clearly defined performance indicators (iii) Within the implementation plan outline institutional arrangements for sub-project delivery

and monitoring of performance (including changes in performance indicators). Specify the roles of specific Ministries, agencies, NGOs and CBOs. Detail community participation modalities. Make allowances for institutional strengthening interventions, where necessary

(iv) Identify risks and mitigation measures to be taken as part of the Project design.

ISSUES TO BE CONSIDERED IN UPDATING THE PRAP

3. The PRAP will be formulated in-country to be used for identifying poor communities, targeting, sub-project

identification, implementation and monitoring and as measure of evaluation of Country Project achievement.

4. The PRAP will demonstrate the links to Caribbean-specific MDGs while incorporating the

localised/customised goals and indicators into community projects to allow monitoring and evaluation of targets and

indicators.

5. Fundamental to the development of the PRAP is the interpretation and use of disaggregated data from a

variety of sources (census, line ministries/agencies, CPAs, etc.) to identify sub-projects and mechanisms to ensure

that the poorest and least capable communities can be helped to produce viable projects. Communities without the

requisite capabilities will be supported to ensure institutional development.

6. Gender equality considerations assume critical importance in the project cycle, from analysis to project

implementation, and monitoring and evaluation, recognising the differential impact of poverty on the sex and age

groups of beneficiaries. Notional Gender indicators and targets have been developed for the Programme.

7. Consideration will be given to the environmental safeguards framework developed for the Programme which

addresses environmental tasks including climate change and disaster risk, in the project cycle. The monitoring

indicators and reporting systems will be developed for the Projects.

8. It is essential that each sub-project includes priorities and good preventative maintenance practices for each

education facility, water and sanitation system, basic community access and drainage. Each government will be

required to keep all such facilities or civil works, or cause the same to be kept, in good condition in accordance with a

maintenance plan. The PRAP will identify the responsible agency and comment on the budgetary allocation for

maintenance with respect to the upcoming financial year.

APPENDIX 2

GUIDING QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE POVERTY REDUCTION ACTION PLANS

Each PRAP must reflect the following information, drawing on secondary data and launching primary data collection

especially at community level where Country Poverty Assessments (CPAs) have not been recently completed:

Obstacles to poverty reduction

What are the key patterns of poverty in its various dimensions? Are these disaggregated by age, sex and

geographical location?

To what extent have strategies, including the BNTF contributed to improving the situation of the poor and

vulnerable to date?

What have been enduring challenges to poverty reduction?

How much progress has been made in achieving the MDGs?

What are the priority public policies to increase growth and reduce poverty?

Where does BNTF fit into these policies? How are BNTF interventions in health, education and other basic

community infrastructure expected to complement existing or proposed short, medium and long term

development strategies?

Objectives and Targets

What national poverty reduction targets have been established?

Have the targets been disaggregated by poor male/female/youth/disabled/indigenous populations?

Have the targets been disaggregated by region/parish and/or community?

What targets have been established for improved education (including skills training) outcomes?

What targets have been set for improving the quantity and quality of basic community infrastructure such as

roads, day care centres, markets, roads, drains, schools, water?

What are the targets for maintenance of existing and new basic community infrastructure?

What are the targets for employment generation linked to BNTF skills training?

What are the targets for income generation activities (micro business etc.) linked to BNTF skills training?

What are the aims and targets for citizens security; for youth development?

Are targets time bound?

Strategy/Action Plan

Have clear criteria been established for the selection of regions/parishes? What is the methodology for selection

of communities within regions/parishes? How will the targeting mechanism ensure that the poorest and most

vulnerable are able to benefit from the BNTF intervention?

What process will ensure participation of those most often marginalized?

What mechanisms will be used to ensure participation of communities and transparency in community decision-

making? How will the process ensure that the BNTF interventions reflect the expressed priorities of targeted

communities?

What improvements in the targeting mechanism are anticipated for BNTF 7? How will BNTF 7 be promoted to the

poorest and most vulnerable?

Is a clear strategy for skills training and capacity building included in the PRAP? Has the strategy been informed

by a) policy and regulatory frameworks, b) national strategic plans and c) any human resource needs assessment

or national development strategy? Are supporting systems in place to facilitate the creation of micro and small

businesses? Are the skills training strategy linked to BNTF sub-projects? If so, how?

How will an integrated approach be woven into the sector focus of BNTF 7? Does the PRAP address how BNTF

will contribute to an holistic approach to community development and asset building? Does the PRAP

demonstrate how the proposed types of sub-projects links with development planning and that there are joint

accountability for outcomes with sector stakeholders?

How will relevant Ministries and departments be involved at the design stage? How will complementary

resources be committed to the sub-project?4

Does the PRAP address the recurring challenge of Ministry commitments to fund maintenance and other related

costs (staffing, equipment)? How will this ‘risk’ be mitigated?

How will gender analysis and environmental sustainability be incorporated in each of the sub-projects? Does the

PRAP include training for key stakeholders Consultants, BNTFO (BNTF Office), PSC (Project Steering Committee),

PMC (Project Monitoring Committee), Ministries in gender analysis? What are the strategies for environmental

risk assessment?

What factors have constrained the effectiveness of BNTF implementation to date? Are these related to current

institutional arrangements? What are the capacity constraints at the level of the BNTFO, PSC and/or CDB? Have

mitigating strategies been included in the PRAP to address these issues?

The Participatory Process

4 In traditional line item budgeting systems, inter-ministerial resource allocation can sometimes prove challenging, particularly as it relates to the capital budget.

Was there sufficient data from key informant interviews and other participatory exercises at the community level

available in a current CPA? Was a participatory process utilized in the development of the PRAP in the absence

of current CPA? What was the representation? How were the views and interests of the poor including men,

women, youth and elderly incorporated? What impact did the process have on the formulation and content of

the PRAP?

Were the Community needs and priorities carefully elicited and incorporated within the context of the 3 key

sectors?

Results Monitoring and Evaluation Systems

What is the framework for monitoring progress of the strategy (including goals, targets indicators, data

collection, analysis and reporting)? Has an indicative results monitoring framework for types of sub-project

identified been included in the PRAP? Is it aligned with the BNTF 7 Results Monitoring Framework (RMF) (and

notional indicators)?

What is the strategy for ensuring involvement of NGOs/CBOs, cooperatives, women’s organizations and

organizations representing vulnerable groups ( person’s with disability, children in need of care, the elderly,

indigenous communities), craft workers, farmer’s groups, in the process of monitoring implementation?

How are the outcome results of the BNTF project linked to annual sector reporting and CMDG reporting on

poverty reduction?

Cross-cutting issues

Does the PRAP consider the following?

the link to Caribbean specific MDGs

interpretation and use of disaggregated data

gender disparities and gender equality targets and indicators

environmental safeguards framework

maintenance planning and management

participatory approaches and meaningful community participation.

APPENDIX 3

MAPPING AND GAP ANALYSIS TEMPLATE - Stage 1: map key activities in different sectors5 and to identify gaps not

being currently addressed (This exercise can be completed using secondary data where there is a recent PPA and

participatory research findings emerging from community level PRA-type [Participatory Rural Appraisal) exercises])

SECTOR Programme/Project name and budget (fill in details in this column)

E D

U C

A T

I O

N

Lead Institution(s) including funding agency

Other partners involved

Start date

End date

Location/Target area

Target Groups or population (disaggregated by social group if known) and Number of Beneficiaries

Sources of information (website, link to programme document)

Main Programme/Project theme

Overall Programme/Project aim

E D

U C

A T

I O

N

Programme/Project name



Start date

End date









Start date

End date


Target Groups or population

5 This includes all major sectors (i.e. Education/HRD, Water and Sanitation, Basic Community Access and Drainage) covered by the BNTF 7 programme, whether or not the country intends to work in that area.

(disaggregated by social group if known) and Number of Beneficiaries




SECTOR

W A

T E

R

A N

D

S A

N I

T A

T I

O N




Start date

End date






SECTOR

BA

SIC

C

OM

MU

N-

ITY

AC

CES

S A

ND

DR

AIN

AG

E As above

Stage 2: Use a Pie Chart to provide a visual summary of the no. and % of programmes by Sector

Include narrative on any obvious programming gaps in the sectors, gaps in terms of targeting and beneficiary

groups as against communities expressed needs

APPENDIX 4

COMMUNITY ASSETS MAPPING TEMPLATE – A visual map elucidating positive capacities and assets in a community/an area which can be

mobilised for collective action. This exercise can be completed using secondary data where there is a recent PPA and participatory research

findings emerging from community level PRA-type [Participatory Rural Appraisal) exercises])

This is a tool to help analyse the kinds of resources/assets available and needed in the targeted communities/areas. It helps to ensure that plans

take into consideration what is already available within the community and where gaps exist.

NAME OF COMMUNITY/AREA:____________________________

Sector, Problem, Issue to be addressed by BNTF (and partners) as highlighted in the PRAP

Geographic Area of the Community

Assets/Resources needed

Assets/Resources available (including new

policy frameworks with strong community focus)

Institutions/Associations/Industries in the community (including local businesses, economic linkages, hospitals, specialist groups)

E.g. Citizen Security, Youth crime

E.g. Micro-enterprise

E.g. Early Childhood Education

Documents

POVERTY REDUCTION ACTION PLAN (PRAP ... REDUCTION ACTION PLAN (PRAP) DEVELOPMENT GUIDANCE1 Introduction BNTF Participating Countries (PCs) are required to develop their PRAPs as a