Systematization KACRMS Report 06 07

Systematization
in Karbi Anglong, Assam, India

Karbi Anglong Community Resource Management Society (KACRMS)
A report for ENRAP, IDRC

New Delhi 2007
by
Amba Jamir
Lead Facilitator
(24 June 3rd July 2007)
th
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Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir
Abbreviations Used
BDO CBOs DST ENRAP FGD GRASS IFAD IGA IITF KACRMS KII LCL LIVE MCO MFI M&E NaRM-G NEPED NERCROMP NGOs NTFP PM PRA PTO RF RS SD SEBA SGD SHG SR SSI TIs TOR Micro Credit Officer Micro Finance Institutions Monitoring and Evaluation Natural Resources Management Group Nagaland Empowerment of People through Economic Development North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society Non Government Organization Non Timber Forest Produce Project Manager Participatory Rapid Appraisal Project Technical Officer Research Fellow Regional Society Sustainable Development Self Employed Business Agent Small Group Discussion Self Help Group Self Reliance Semi Structured Interviews Traditional Institutions Terms of Reference International Fund for Agricultural Development Income Generation Activities India International Trade Fair Karbi Anglong Community Resource Management Society Key Informant Interview Low Cost Latrines Business Development Officer Community Based Organizations District Support Team Knowledge Networking for Rural Development in Asia Pacific Region Focus Group Discussion
Acknowledgements
This exercise would not have been possible without the active involvement and commitment of Ms Shalini Kala, Programme Coordinator, ENRAP, IDRC, New Delhi; Mr. Moses Chalai, PCDS, NERCROMP, Shillong; and Dr. Vincent Darlong and Adrian Marbaniang, NERCROMP, Shillong. I am also grateful to my three fellow facilitators Bidhayak Das, Pikato Jimo and Pankaj Gupta for their contribution and dedicated efforts in facilitating the teams both on and off the field. My sincere appreciation to all the participants for their willingness to learn, work and contribute to collective learning experiences. Your enthusiasm and commitment to systematically document the project activities of the KACRMS was awesome and I hope that the same energy and spirit sustain. Finally, what we have achieved would not have been possible without the facilitation and cooperation of the members of the communities and their institutions that we visited. My sincere gratitude and appreciation goes to you for so cordially participating in the documentation process; and for your simplicity, warmth and hospitality.
Amba Jamir India July 16th 2007.
Table of Contents
Abbreviations Used ............................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ............................................................... 4 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................. 7
(i) Background ............................................................................... 7 (ii) Objectives of Systematized Documentation ....................... 8
2. THE PREPARATION ..................................................... 9

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) Selection of Themes ................................................................ Selection of Facilitators .......................................................... Selection of Team members ................................................. Selection of Sites...................................................................... Preparation of Teams and Facilitators ................................. 9 10 10 11 11
3. THE DOCUMENTATION PROCESS ............................ 14

(i) Inaugural and Orientation ...................................................... 14 (ii) Preparation of Instruments .................................................... 16 (iii) Field-documentation ............................................................... 18
4. ANALYSIS AND REPORT WRITING ........................... 19

(i) Debriefing .................................................................................. 19 (ii) Data analysis and report writing ........................................... 20
5. REVIEW AND FEEDBACK ........................................... 22

(i) Feedback sessions .................................................................. 22 (ii) Informal facilitator feedback ................................................... 25
6. OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS ........................... 27

(i) The Planning stage ................................................................. 27 (ii) The Preparation stage ............................................................ 28 (iii) The Implementation stage ..................................................... 28
7. CONCLUDING REMARKS ........................................... 29 8. ANNEXURES.................................................................. 30

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) Proposed Schedule of Activities for Systematization of Karbi Anglong project ............................................................. Macro-issues on systematization documentation topics ... Participatory Systematization . Field Strategies (Draft One) ... Field Strategies (Draft Two) ................................................... 30 33 35 41 48
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background:
The North East Regional Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP) is a project supported by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the Government of India. The project has with the help and support of ENRAP already undergone the systematized documentation in two of their project districts of West Garo Hills in Meghalaya and Ukhrul in Manipur. Going by the successful learning experiences, the project together with the support from ENRAP again decided to implement the exercise in a new project area in Assam. This ensured that at least one district from each of the three states under the project was documented systematically. It was first decided that the exercise would be held in the North Cachar Hills but unfortunately due to unstable law and order situation there, the exercise was shifted to the district of Karbi Anglong also in Assam.
Map of Karbi Anglong (west) indicating the different project clusters
It must be mentioned that for a number of reasons - including the fact that the lead facilitator was not available till 5 th June 2007 as he was away on a similar assignment in the Philippines the planning and preorientation phase was limited or rather insufficient. The Systematization exercise was held from the 24th June to 3rd July 2007.
Terms of Reference
Following is the terms of services for Amba Jamir as envisaged in the contract Pursuant to this contract, the consultant shall:
Lead and co-ordinate the Systematization exercise in Karbi Anglong District of Assam for North Eastern Regional Community Resource Management Project (NERCRMP) from 24th June to 3 rd July 2007, which entails the following: a. Identify local facilitators for this exercise in co-ordination with NERCRMP to enable them to form research teams for the field trip; b. At the planning stage co-ordinate with all the facilitators and groups to explain the concept of systematization and the processes involved in the research. c. Facilitate and participate in one of the teams to enable data gathering and analysis of findings during the field visit.
d. Take overall responsibility of documenting the teams' findings and participate in team presentation of findings. e. Conduct a debriefing session with the other facilitators after the exercise and document the feedback from the facilitators f. Edit and update the Systematization Guide to incorporate the learning from the exercise at NMCRIMP, Philippines and NERCREMP, India
g. Submit to the Centre a detailed and satisfactory report of the work accomplished by 20th July 2007. Section A9 sets out the Centre's expectations and will form the basis of its determination whether or not the detailed report is satisfactory.
2. THE PREPATORY STAGE

2.1 Selection of Themes:
The Project Manager (PM), along with his district team prioritized four (4) topics to focus on for the systematized documentation. These were shared with the lead facilitator and also communicated to the Regional Society (RS) the head office of the project for approval and further refinement. It must however be noted that none of the facilitators were involved in the selection of the topics. The five topics initially selected were:
(i)
The Five Thematic Topics

a. Shifting Cultivation: Changes in the cultivation methods; trend of increase or decrease of area under jhum, production and productivity; and fallow management etc. Community Based Organization (NaRM-G, SHG, Cluster Associations and SHG Federation): Changes in roles of CBOs with the maturity of the organization:- interventions made in cluster business activities, capacity building of the community, social capital development, efforts on micro enterprise development etc. Social Sector Development: Benefit obtained and changes taken place out of interventions made in safe drinking water, low cost latrine, village cleanliness drive, social works, interventions in health, hygiene, nutrition, education etc. Food Security: Changes in the food grain availability, status of asset creation (plantation, wet terrace, livestock etc), Cash inflow to a family (alternate income to meet the gap of food in the lean period), management of resource base for livelihood, Home Gardening etc.
b.
c.
d.
(ii)
Development of Lead Questions for each thematic area
The Project Manager of Karbi Anglong Community Resource Management Society (KACRMS) took the lead in facilitating the preparation of the first set of lead or key questions as per the selected themes. Once this was developed, he shared it with the lead facilitator and all others on the email. The district team members were requested to identify in advance and to list key respondents for each thematic topic. Unfortunately due to time constraints a number of planned activities could not be completed or carried out. Some of these were:
a. The respondents (community members) could not be made aware of the questions and the process to be followed in implementation of the systematization exercise. b. The facilitators could not contribute to the process of selection of themes and formation or development of key questions during the pre-orientation planning phase;
2.2. Selection of Facilitators

Past experiences of the Systematization exercises in Meghalaya and Manipur, India involved the participation of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officers from other IFAD projects as facilitators. This was probably to help them learn and share their experiences with one another, as well as, to be acquainted with the Systematization technique and to apply it in their own projects. In the initial phase of planning, it was proposed that at least one participant from a related IFAD project in Orissa, India also participate as a facilitator. This however did not work out as the dates did not match. The ENRAP office also proposed one of their video documentation consultant/trainer as a possible facilitator. There was also a proposal from the Regional Society (RS) to first of all, try and get facilitators from organizations and institutions that could add value to the entire experience or to get facilitators from the region. A specific request was to see if someone from the Nagaland Empowerment of People and Economic Development (NEPED) project in Nagaland could be one of the facilitators. Given that there were four topics, three more facilitators together with the lead facilitator was required. One facilitator was as suggested by ENRAP, one from the NEPED project and the third from Shillong. It must be mentioned that all the three consultants had no prior experience or awareness about Systematized Documentation. They were: 1. BIdhayak Das a journalist based in Shillong, Meghalaya; 2. Pikato Jimo an agriculture officer in the government of Nagaland and member of the Project Operations Unit of NEPED; 3. Pankaj Gupta a Bangalore-based writer, film maker and videodocumentation consultant/trainer to ENRAP, New Delhi
2.3 Selection of Team Members:

The Project Manager had prepared in advance four teams with each team consisting of the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. One facilitator, One NGO staff, One DST staff and One Research Fellow from Regional Society.
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During the gap analysis, the team members were however reshuffled to ensure that each team was well balanced and well represented. This was also necessitated because of a number of drop-outs from a number of partners and even the RS due to either ill health or absence.
2.4 Selection of Field Sites:

The selection of villages to be visited was solely in the hands of the Project Manager and his team. The only criteria that they were requested to keep in mind during the selection of the sites were the following: a. Ensure that the villages being selected represented the good, the not so good and the average; b. Keep in mind logistics, security and travel time so that study teams do not spend too muc h time traveling; c. Ensure that the villages selected have activities related to the respective theme or topic;
Day Group I (Shifting Cultivation) Khawarakrai + 1ST Natdral ND Longpai IV, Umdap 2 III 3RD Group II (Community Based Organization) Chingthong Cluster Association Rongcheck Cluster Association + Kokdanglangso SHG (Umdap III vill) Rasinja SHG (Langchingbar vill) + Chingri SHG (Arsong II) Group III (Social Sector) Sinkum + Natdral Arsong I Group IV (Food Security) Umlado + Kunthung Mujong + Umphoo
Umnam
Malongkisir
Mulokbong + Taik-pi
2.5 Preparation of Facilitators and Field Team members on Systematization

(i) e-Discussion
An e-discussion was initiated in order to get all the Facilitators, team members and project staff involved with the Systematization exercise acquainted with each other and to also familiarize them on the process and objectives of the exercise. This, however, did not work as expected as only there was limited or no participation from both facilitators and participants. The only exception was the Project Manager of the KACRMS who constantly used the
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opportunity to keep updating us on the progress, as well as, seeking directions for planning and arranging the exercise. Ideally, the e-discussion was supposed to: Introduce team members and facilitators to each other; Introduce them to Systematization; Clarify questions and issues with regard to Systematization its objectives, Processes and methodologies; Explain roles and responsibilities of team members and facilitators; Share documents and reports of past exercises; Develop and review draft questions for data collection; etc.
(iii)
Finalization of travel dates and all logistical requirements
The pre-orientation communication with the Project Manager and his team was a crucial phase of the planning stage to ensure smooth implementation of the exercise. This was more pronounced in this case as the district project team where the systematization exercise was to be held had no idea about what was to happen. The information they had about the systematization exercise; or the role they were expected to play; was completely insufficient to help them plan or facilitate/host the event. Fortunately after communication was established with the local team at Hamren, they were given specific information about what and how they were to make the arrangements. This ranged from: 1. Identify thematic topics to be systematically documented; 2. Develop a set of leading questions for each thematic topic; 3. The local team will have to do everything from documenting, analyzing data to writing reports, therefore have well balanced teams; 4. Formation of field teams a. Ensuring that there is good gender balance; b. Good mixture of field staff (NGOs, as well as, other project staff); c. Ensure that the team consists of people who are familiar with and work in the villages to be visited; d. Teams should have people who speak the local dialect. 5. Arrange one vehicle for each team; 6. Have LCD projectors ready and ensure that there are sufficient computers available for each team and at least one printer attached to an additional computer.
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Day
Group I (Food Security)
Group II (CBO)
Group III (Social Sector)
Group IV (SHG & Women Empowerment)
28th June (Thursday)
Mujong and Umphoo villages
29th June (Friday) 30th June (Saturday)
Rongcheck Cluster Association and Tika SHG Federations Table: Revised list of villages for the field trip
Mulokbong and Longpai IV villages Khawarakrai and Natdra villages
Chingthong Cluster Association Malongkisir village Mukindur village
Taik-pi village and Borgaon Putsari village Village
Arsong II village Malongkisir village
Patimokha I and Rongjangphong villages Borpu I and Doloi Arong villages
(iv)
Secondary Data (Research and Collation)
The project team was also requested to collect and be prepared with all available reports, records and related documents with regard to: a. b. Project activities (planning, implementation and M&E reports); General information of the district in general, and the villages/towns in particular socio-economic, political, demographic, natural resources and livelihood, etc.; and Media reports and any other independent sources of information relating to project activities.
c.
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3. THE DOCUMENTATION PROCESS

3.1 INAUGURAL AND ORIENTATION
The venue for the orientation and preparation of instruments was arranged at the Meeting hall of the KACRMS office at Hamren. The venue was not found to be suitable especially given that there was a lot of rain with wind and this could disrupt our proceedings. Moreover, there was not sufficient space for a truly participatory form of workshop or the preparation of instruments when teams would have to independently work on their own.
(i)
The Inaugural 25th June 2007
In what is an external factor where the facilitators have little control is the arrival of participants in the first day of the training. The training programme in spite of being scheduled to start at 9.30 AM started only at 11.50 AM. This started with a formal opening remark from the Project Manager who also laid down his expectations from the exercise. He explained why the different thematic topics were selected and gave a more detailed explanation of each of the topics and their field activities. This was followed by a presentation from Mr. Adrian Marbaniang who presented an overview of the project in the northeast. The presentation started from the inception of the project, its objectives, project implementation strategies, costs and activities and the significant achievements so far. The participants dispersed for lunch by 1.30 PM and reassembled at 2.30 PM for the post lunch session to begin. By now it was clear that their orientation to Systematization would not be possible for a number of reasons. The first being because of the late start and the second and more crucial one being that the representative from the Regional Society, Mr. Adrian Marbaniang the M&E Officer was available only for the 25th June and was leaving for Shillong the next morning. The first post lunch session was a Gap Analysis of the teams and the strengths within. Participants were asked to review the strength and weakness of each team and suggest changes or adjustments so as to balance each other. The final list of teams and their members read as such:
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Team One (Food Security) 1. Pikato Jimo 2. Dr. Putul Bhuyan 3. Chatra Pator 4. Lokho
Facilitator PTO NGO RF,
Team Two (Community Based Organizations) 1. Bidhayak Das Facilitator 2. N.K. Vincent BDO 3. Abraham Teron NGO 4. Arduki RF, RS Team Three (Social Sector) 1. Pankaj Gupta 2. Dhrubajit Sarma 3. Prakash 4. Vaipei
Facilitator PM NGO RF, RS
Team Four (SHGs and Women Empowerment) 1. Amba Jamir Facilitator 2. Rupsing Timung NGO 3. Bikram Rongpi RF 4. Lakhiram Timung M&E Assistant Once this was done, the Project Manager presented justifications as to why and how each site was selected. He informed that in all, project covered 166 villages across 16 clusters in Karbi Anglong district. Of this 11 clusters are old and 5 clusters new. According to him, the selection of villages was based on the following principles: o Cluster representation was compulsory; o The selection procedure had to be impartial and so lucky dips were applied where ever necessary; o Villages were selected keeping in mind logistical requirements; and o To ensure that two villages were covered per day unless otherwise. The session then dispersed for tea-break and by 3.45 PM reassembled for a presentation titled Macro-issues on Systematization Documentation Topics 1. This presentation was to reflect the views and opinions of the Regional Society vis--vis the exercise in Karbi Anglong. The presentation, delivered by Adrian dwelled on the larger issues of each of the four thematic areas.
(ii)
The Orientation 26th June 2007
It was found that the initial presentation on team building, consistency and situational leadership during the orientation in the Philippines was
1
See Annexure II for details
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well appreciated by one and all. The lead facilitator therefore, basing on this feedback started the orientation in Karbi Anglong with the same presentation. As discussed and agreed upon the previous day, the venue of the orientation and preparation of instruments was shifted from the project office premises to the Hamren Circuit House. This venue was better equipped with more space and rooms to work in. The orientation series of PowerPoint Systematization presentations 2 which is the same as the ones used in the Philippines were utilized in Karbi Anglong too. The slides discussed the background, theory and practice of systematization and with minor deviations, the presentation was broken up into small capsules that dealt with the following: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Background and Introduction to Systematization? The Objectives of Systematization; The Need for S ystematization; Participatory Attitudes; What, why and how; a nd OPDs of Documentation; The Process of Systematization; Team Work; and The Report Writing and Expected Outputs
3.2 PREPARATION OF INSTRUMENTS (26th 27th June 2007)

(i) Gap analysis and Group Review (26th June 2007)
After the orientation, all the participants were requested to form into their own groups and together with their respective facilitators to review their respective thematic area for documentation. Each team was given time to work together and to come up with their own ideas of how they would approach the topic to be documented. While some teams came up with very elaborate strategies, others came up with simple straight forward structures for data collection and writing more or less as storylines. The initial group discussion presentations were made by the participants. The groups were asked to keep in mind the following during their discussions: a. b. c.
2
Areas of focus and possible lead questions or sub -themes; Secondary data sources; Target respondents;
Annexure III Orientation Slides
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d. e.
Possible tools and methodologies to be applied; and Any other issue such as development of indicators.
Participants got to input into the presentations of other teams and this process ensured that all the teams were at least on the same track. While some teams found the presentations and peer feedback reassuring, others found it very informative as it gave them ideas on how their team should address or tackle the issues. It was during these peer reviews that the Shifting Cultivation and Food Security group finally decided to rename the group as the Food Security group. This not only cha nged the groups focus but also helped them to narrow down their area of documentation to a more manageable subject matter. Like-wise, the Social Sector team decided to focus only on three components, whereas, the SHG team restated that their focus would remain on the role of SHGs in empowering women and not on the general activities and functions of SHGs.
Preparation of Instruments (27th June 2007)

The time for preparation of instruments was technically reduced to one and half day only. After the initial presentations made on the 26th June, teams immediately focused on preparation of instruments and selection of tools and methodologies for the field visits. Most teams came up with a comprehensive mixed of methodologies and tools consisting mainly of small group discussions and key informant interviews . By the end of day 3 of the orientation and preparation of instruments, most of the team strategies had evolved into more focused and elaborate documents as will be evident in Annexure V. It was also evident that there were a number of tensions as each team member wanted to have his way with the development of team strategy. An observation from day two was that whoever made the presentation somehow managed to bring in their own agenda much to the frustration of team members. In order to avoid this during the second presentation, the facilitators were requested to present the teams strategies3. Despite the fact that the presentations started only by 6.30 PM, it wo rked well.
Annexure V
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Besides the discussions and clarifications after the presentations, a number of other issues were also discussed. Some of them were as follows: Language is important and some teams do not have sufficient members who speak or understand the local language; Should we really spend so much time on translations amongst ourselves? Cant there be a better way? What are the logistical arrangements for the field visits? There still is a lack of clarity on who is holding the money for the team (petrol and other expenses; village meetings etc); What exactly is the role difference between facilitators and team members? How should team members share responsibilities?
3.3 FIELD DOCUMENTATION (28th -30th June 2007)

The field itinerary was such that only the SHG and CBO teams spend the first night in the villages. The other two teams (Social Sector and Food Security) did not have a single night in the villages. In all, each of the teams on an average covered about 4 villages for the study. The selection of sites came in for some criticism as participants felt that it could have been more representative in terms of old and new project villages. For example, the team on SHG did not get to visit a single old village where the activities were not only much older but the impacts would also have been more visible. The villages visited by the SHG group consisted of 2 mid-term villages and 3 new villages. As is usually the case when ground preparations have not been done properly, many of the community members did not have any idea about the purpose of the visits. However, the teams together with their facilitators all did a good job and in spite of initial fears and hitches everything went off well. As per the plan, each team was provided with a vehicle and cameras for the entire period of the field exercise. While there were a number of casualties each team had a member dropping out due to illness the work continued and came up with good results.
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4. ANALYSIS AND REPORT WRITING

4.1 DEBRIEFING (1st July 2007)
The debriefing exercise is a crucial and vital part of the learning process. It grounds the issues and concepts discussed and experienced during the theoretical and practical sessions. It also ensures that participants share personal field observations and experiences before it gets influenced by the objectives and goals of the data analysis and report writing. Moreover, such a session ensures that misconceptions or misinterpretations are clarified before one takes that view to his or her team as a primary data. The first thing before the general debrief was one informal debrief and review meeting with the facilitators. The facilitators meting was essential to ensure that each team was on level grounds and to also see whether any team was having problems. The meeting was to also see if the processes as planned were working well and to inform and get feedback from facilitators about what is planned for the debrief to report writing phase. On the issue of debriefing, one out of the four facilitators felt that it would be a waste of time to have everyone in plenary. His point was that the time could have been used more fruitfully in data analysis and report writing. On the other hand, the opinion was that debriefing is essential and could not be avoided as it will inform participants of what was seen in the field and crosscutting issues could emerge. This would be very helpful during the data analysis and report writing phases. The debrief session started with the lead facilitator explaining the purpose of the exercise and the importance of why it is important that we share our field experiences, observations and stories. Participants team wise started sharing their views and in the process a number of cross-cutting issues and case-stories emerged. Some of the stories emerging from one group were found to be more useful to another group and in this way, the debriefing session added value to the process. Participants also expressed their opinion that after their hectic field experience, the debrief session helped them refocus on the task of data analysis and report writing. Some generic issues that continued to be used from the Philippine experience were as follows: a. Field trip experiences the itinerary, the methodologies and strategies adopted by the team, and the process adopted; (i) What worked and what did not work well? (ii) What did you do to rectify processes? (iii) Any interesting stories and examples?
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b.
Review of the data and information gathered How happy are we with the contents? Does any team need to seek further information? How can we ensure that there is a fruitful cross-fertilization of ideas and information?
c. The data analysis - Stay focused on thematic area; describe and make analysis based on evidences gathered from secondary and primary data; ensure that individual biases and presumptions do not influence data analysis this is particularly for the project staff; d. Report writing The format reviewed; the contents; the analysis and recommendations; systematization process etc. e. Final presentations 3rd July 4.30 pm.
4.2 DATA ANALYSIS AND REPORT WRITING (1st 3rd July 2007)
Each team was given the freedom to utilize their collective knowledge and experience when it came to data analysis and report writing. While some participants felt that they would not have the experience or skills for data analysis, others took this upon themselves as a challenge and learning opportunity. Another issue that came up for consideration was whether there should be a single format for the report writing. Again some argued that having a single format would be better, while others felt that since this exercise was training for everyone, it might be better to let teams come up with their own style and reporting format. The teams employed a good mixture of tools for the data analysis, secondary data review and the case studies. While some teams immediately went into typing everything on the computer, others preferred to spend more time discussing before even attempting to write the report. Teams had to ensure that they were not overloaded with data as each member had his or her own information. This was more evident where the teams in the field decided to spread out into smaller group discussions. On the whole, most of the teams collectively reviewed narratives, stories and other information gathered by team mates. Team members could be seen dividing their work into secondary data analysis, primary data analysis and computation. Some teams used metacards according to the different stages of the storyline developed by the m during the preparation of instruments. In all the cases, facilitators were thoroughly involved with the process of data analysis and report writing. As lead facilitator, one had to shuttle between all
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the groups to ensure that progress was being made a nd that there were no problems. An observation made during this stage was that facilitators must not become too possessive of the output being produced. The ownership must be given to the team as a whole and so must the decision-making process. If facilitators become too involved, the team members become passive participants and this is not in the best interest of the exercise.
(i)
Peer Review and draft presentation
Each team was supposed to make a draft presentation of their reports even as it evolved. The idea was to enable the teams to share their progress and to allow others to add value to their report. However, since everyone was working against time and the main objective was to have a good report, the consensus was that the draft presentation and peer review would be done away with. Facilitators were however, encouraged to visit each others groups to see who is doing what. Repeat from Philippine report: One problem teams faced during the report writing stage was the shortage of computers, printers and photocopying facilities. This is an essential pre-requisite and although facilitators may come with their own laptops, the management must ensure that there are enough computers for all the teams, plus additional computers for printing, data collation etc. (ii) Presentation of Reports The last day of the exercise as usual was hectic and full of last minute adjustments and excitement. In fact even after having given extended time, none of the teams were ready and the teams literally had to be dragged in for the presentations. The presence of Ms Shalini Kala, Programme Coordinator, ENRAPIDRC, New Delhi and Dr. Vincent Darlong, NERCROMP, Shillong added much value and significance to the concluding session. This is particularly true and essential that senior project planners and managers be present to not only listen and appreciate what their colleagues have done but to also add a sense of importance and direction to the presentations. Since there was no other external audience besides the two visitors, there were no formal explanations of the process and teams directly started their presentations 4. Teams were allotted 15 minutes to make their presentations which focused mainly on the analysis and recommendations. Each presentation was then commented upon or q uestioned by the audience particularly those that were not a part of the documentation. The details of these discussions may be referred to from the Systematization Training Workshop Proceedings prepared by the project.
4
Refer to Report of KACRMS
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5. FEEDBACK AND REVIEW

5.1 Feedback sessions
While the entire process was designed with a continuous formal and informal feedback mechanism, a final feedback session was organized after the formal conclusion of the exercise. As part of the concluding and feedback session, participants were provided with five simple questions and each individual was required to write down their answers based on their learning and understanding. The five questions were: What according to you are the 3 key elements of systematized documentation? Provide at least 3 possible benefits of systematized documentation? What worked well? What did you learn? What can be improved? Participants were also provided opportunities to share and talk about their learning and experiences in the Systematization exercise. The following are the answers/opinions provided during the feedback and debrief session:
Q.1 What are the three key elements of Systematization?

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii) (xiii) (xiv) It is an e valuation exercise with time for reflection and self evaluation It is participatory documentation involving participation of project community, staff and partners; It is evidence based; It is not impact study alone Detailed and strategic planning and implementation; It is a good mid-project correction tool; Facilitates cross-checking of data and other secondary information; It is not just reporting To describe the facts as they are; Documenting of on-going process and selection of indicators; It is an on-going learning process It requires good team work Project team learn from facilitators and facilitators learn from the project to share in their own work areas/places. Allows critical analysis of the study
Q.2 What are the three possible benefits of Systematization?

(i) (ii) (iii) It documents project experience for internal and external sharing; It facilitates reflection and analysis of project interventions for community benefit; It provides a 3 dimensional vision of the project interventions.
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(iv) (v) (vi) (vii)
(viii) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii) (xiii) (xiv) (xv) (xvi) (xvii) (xviii) (xix) (xx) (xxi)
Unlike other methodologies, this will most benefit the communities that the project is working in; It show-cases project objectives, interventions, performance and achievements. Benefits the project: what and how interventions had taken place. Products generated are under the control of the project, i.e. the project can decide whether the products can be shared with outsiders or not. The exercise helps project staff to retrospect what went right and wrong, as well as, what to do and what not to do; It promotes cohesion between project partners and community; It documents what exactly happened and shows ground reality in its truest form; It documents not just project interventions but the process as well; It indirectly conducts an impact study; Voices of project staff and beneficiaries can be documented; It empowers and enhances capacity of development workers. It is a confidence building measures for the project team/staff; It involves all stakeholders and has space for everyone; Allows to study not just issues of success and failures but also cases of delayed successes or failures; It is an easy tool to learn and apply It makes difficult things easy to understand and document; Facilitates photo-documentation, field documentation, process documentation, observations etc; Communication with communnities; Understanding macro-issues at greater details.
Q.3 What worked well?

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii)
The team is stationed in one place (but wished everyone stayed in the same place). The writing and presentation as team. The process of learning by all the team members through feed backs and comments from facilitators, ENRAP Programme Coordinator and senior members of project staff. Sharing and analysis during report writing. Examples of simple information Presence of key project officials like Adrian and Vincent from Regional Society; One Lead Facilitator mechanism; The Lead Facilitators understanding of the project, as well as, the local mentality of project staff and communities; The scheduled work plan The orientation and preparation process; The field work hectic but very good; The data analysis and report writing process;
23
(xiii) (xiv) (xv)
(xvi) (xvii) (xviii) (xix) (xx)
The detailed email communications and directions from Lead Facilitator; The team work; The constant visits and advices from Lead Facilitator to all groups/teams during planning, data analysis and report writing stages; The post field-visit debriefing by Lead Facilitator; The group work on planning for field visit strategy; The mentoring and guidance of facilitator; It should be done on a quarterly basis, particularly at cluster level ; The receptive attitudes and learning interest of the younger members of the team.
Q.4 What did you learn?

(i) (ii) (iii) The involvement of the project management (Regional Society) is critical for ownership, motivation and focus of the exercise; Generally project staff. Partners and even beneficiaries are not used to systematic documentation, intensive reflection, writing or even presenting their experiences; That the inter-related macro-issues of the project are still hazy for many of the project staff and partner NGOs; they have been perhaps looking the issues at their own boundaries of responsibilities as per their specific roles and responsibilities within the project design Good communication facilities are helpful for planning; The process of documentation, data collection and data analysis; A systematic process of enquiry and documentation gives you greater opportunities for learning and knowing more about the extent of project interventions and impacts thereof. The entire exercise from preparation to report writing was a great learning experience; Process of primary data collection; Realizing that the so-called unimportant factors are most essential for better project planning and implementation; Systematization and more; Working as a team gives you greater learning processes and opportunities of discourses, which is otherwise not possible as individuals. The use o f visual aids in the form of flow charts, meta cards etc; The use of participatory tools like transect walk, focus group discussions; village mapping etc; Directions of the project interventions and limitations; areas for improvement; practice the exercise on quarterly intervals Preparation of questionnaire Development of check-list before going for field visit; Analysis of indicators; How to write reports;
(iv) (v) (vi)
(vii) (viii) (ix) (x) (xi)
(xii) (xiii) (xiv) (xv) (xvi) (xvii) (xviii)
24
(xix)
Wish there were trainings to do similar exercises
Q.5 What could be improved in future?

(i) (ii) The planning of the exercise; Orientation time allotted needs to be spent more for designing work plan with clearer discourses on the subject of documentation [what data to collect, how to collect, why collect .. etc.] Incentives for project team for participating and doing the work. Exchange of mails on the subject between Project Staff and Facilitators. Women participation in the exercise Dissemination strategy; Managing time to include both work and play; The frequency of sharing between teams as in group presentations, sharing and debriefings - should be more; Proper and more secondary data must be made available; Local logistics and food arrangements; Pre-field visit information to communications; Devotion and commitment of project staff; More time for field work and report writing; More time needed for inter-group interactions. Secondary data should be made available to the teams; made readily available for reference; prepare a list of secondary data available. Back up plan. Facilitator should have good knowledge/experience of development activities; Selection of villages for field visits; Combination and selection of team members; Punctuality of local participants; Facilitator should ensure that team members are given opportunity to learn and contribute; Village halts should be compulsory; At least one day in one village and not two three villages per day. Email exchange as process of validation and experience sharing
(iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii) (xiii) (xiv) (xv) (xvi) (xvii) (xviii) (xix) (xx) (xxi) (xxii) (xxiii) (xxiv)
5.2 Informal Facilitator Feedback

An informal feedback session of the facilitators together with Ms Shalini Kala was also held to get comments and suggestions from the facilitators. Although the facilitators had also given their own general feedback, this was to seek specific observations from them. Some issues that were discussed were discussed are: (i) The team formations must be done more sensitively. While doing so, the local project office must ensure that the team consists of people who know the local dialect, have specific writing and PRA skills;
25
(ii) (iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi) (vii)
(viii)
(ix)
(x) (xi)
(xii)
(xiii) (xiv) (xv)
Logistics need to be planned more in advance and in greater detail; The institutional commitment of the project office (both from top to bottom) is very essential. If this is not secured, then the exercise just becomes a mere formality with people just mechanically doing the activities without any sense of ownership or responsibility; The issue of institutional commitment should be enshrined in a TOR between the funders and the project/institution implementing the exercise; Such TORs should also ensure that the top management of the project shares all information with the local project staff so that there are no last minute surprises; An orientation for the project management much before the exercise takes off in the field will be of much value; Not knowing the subject (systematization) was in itself challenging. An advance orientation by email will be of good use for facilitators; Facilitators should meet and spend a day or two together to get acquainted with each other - even before the actual orientation and other field exercises; It is important that the facilitator has some knowledge of the development issues being address by the projects that are being systematized. Facilitators should have prior facilitation skills with good knowledge and understanding of group processes; Facilitators must not get to involved emotionally or otherwise with the groups learning process. One must learn to give them space and the freedom to explore their own learning processes; Facilitators must also not become too defensive of their groups activities or become too concerned about what his/her report is going to look like. The selection of time as in season is something to be kept in mind, particularly in agrarian communities; The time for the exercise seemed too short; It will be good to follow up such exercises with e-discussions;
26
6. Observations and Comments

The observations and comments provided in this report run the risk of being repetitive from my earlier Philippine report. Nonetheless, both the experiences provided different challenged but with somewhat seemingly similar institutional issues. The comments provided are generic and are at best made with the intention that it will add value to the process of planning and implementing future systematized documentation exercises.
6.1 The planning stage

(i) Institutional Support and Commitment: While the need for systematization emerged from the Regional Society the Head Quarter of the project, the level of dedicated support and commitment throughout the exercise was not very evident. Commitment in this case does not qualify in terms of numbers (as in number of people sent) but in terms of how much time top management is willing to spend to discuss, share, plan, strategize and implement the exercise. The non-involvement of high ranking project officials makes the entire exercise just another exercise. This is more so because, often the decision for implementing the systematization exercises are made at the top and the local project staff are expected to just implement them. Systematization is a continuous participatory process and must be implemented as such. The commitment from project partners like NGOs, communities, line departments and agencies - who are not necessarily employees or direct beneficiaries of the project must be secured during the planning phase of the exercise. Not getting them involved from the planning phase resulted in many of them not being available or not being as interested as they could have been. Awareness and information sharing: All staff and partners that are to be involved in the exercise must be made aware of what systematization is. They should be provided with prior information, their consents taken and fully involved from the planning phase of the exercise; Gender balance: Conscious effort must be made to ensure that there is equal gender representation in the formation of teams. However, one must not include women just to make the balance. Site selection (adopted from Philippine report): Those responsible for selection of sites for documentation must have basic awareness and understanding of the process and objectives of systematization. If they are not informed, the site selection might not provide the best cases for systematized documentation. The selected sites might not provide a balanced picture unless it has been purposefully done. Ideally, it is would be good to have
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
27
three sites representing the good, average and the bad, so that the lessons got from the comparative analysis is optimized. This however, should not be a general thumb-rule as it may vary from project to project or even from one community to another.
6.2 The preparation stage

(i) Field visit - sites: Unlike in the Philippines, one thing that was noticeable was that the communities to be visited were at least informed about the visit. However what was also evident was that both the NGOs (Community Coordinators) and the members of the community were not well informed about the actual purpose of the exercise. This not only kept them in the dark but they were also not really prepared with the information that teams wanted. Secondary data & ready reference material: The KACRMS office made all efforts to make secondary data available but these were not presented in a systematic manner and so participants could not search for the information they required. What would have been helpful is if the project staff had listed the information available and made it available to each team, looking for it would have been easier. The other point in this regard is that such secondary data must be made available from the day of the orientation so that participants can refer to it during preparation of instruments too. (iii) Logistical Support (adopted from Philippine report): Depending on the number of teams, the management must have that many computers ready for use. Besides that, it is always better to have at least two additional computers attached to printers and possibly one scanner. The additional computers not only facilitate printing and scanning of pictures but also provides for additional work-space. If possible, an e-filing system should be arranged in one of the computers for storing all outputs, photographs and files generated by the various groups. This ensures the nothing is lost and also serves as a good back-up system for all the outputs.
(ii)
6.3 The implementation stage

(i) Orientation, team formation: Inviting project management staff, field managers and other strategic partners for the orientation and final presentations might be a good networking and beneficial exercise for the project. Moreover in the case of NERCROMP, each team should have had at least one person from past systematization exercises in other districts. Preparing for the unexpected: As is expected from all good planners, it is advisable to have back-up plans for unexpected
(i)
28
events. While it was ensuring punctuality amongst participants in the Philippines, the case in Karbi Anglong was dealing with absenteeism and drop-outs. As there was no back-up, each of the four teams lost one member each.
7. CONCLUDING REMARKS
All said and done, the systematized documentation exercise once again proved to be a very helpful and insightful tool not just for the for the project and its staff but also for its partners, the communities and external facilitators also. Based on the feedback, the exercise certainly exhibited the usefulness of the methodology in not only systematically documenting project events and achievements in a participatory manner but also its versatility as a planning and management tool. The process also facilitated a process of self evaluation and learning amongst the project implementers, as well as, the beneficiaries as they reflected on the successes and challenges of the project. Another crucial benefit of this exercise was the capacity development of participants as they developed their analytical skills, writing skills , documentation skills and even improved networking amongst themselves. It is hoped that the learning from this exercise and the documented lessons and experiences will contribute to better project planning and management systems, improved project implementation; more informed decision making processes; and a better understanding of successes and challenges. On the other hand, we hope that the outcomes will also be used to share the projects experiences with other projects both within the country and across the world; and also impact policy dialogues across the board. In conclusion, the Systematization Exercise in the Karbi Anglong concluded successfully and the outputs amongst others included: a. Four thematic reports; b. Numerous photo documentation; c. Participants trained and provided hands-on learning opportunity; and d. Consultant report.
29
Annexure I
Proposed Schedule of Activities for Systematization of Karbi Anglong project
24th June 4th July 2007
Amba Jamir Schedule of events Preparatory 1. Setting of dates 24th June - 3rd July 2007 1. Shifting Cultivation: Changes in the cultivation methods; trend of increase or decrease of area under jhum, production and productivity; and fallow management etc. 2. Community Based Organization (NaRM-G, SHG, NaRM Cluster Association and SHG -G Federation): Changes in roles of CBOs with the maturity of the organization:- interventions made in cluster business activities, capacity building of the community, social capital development, efforts on micro enterprise development etc. 3. Social Sector Development: Benefit obtained and changes taken place out of interventions made in safe drinking water, low cost latrine, village cleanliness drive, social works, interventions in health, hygiene, nutrition, education etc. 4. Food Security: Changes in the food grain availability, status of asset creation (plantation, wet terrace, livestock etc), Cash inflow to a family (alternate income to meet the gap of food in the lean period), management of resource base for livelihood, Home Gardening etc. 3. Finalization of Facilitators i. ii. iii. iv. i. Mr. Pikato Zimo, NEPED Mr. Bidhayak Das, Journalist Mr. Pankaj Gupta, Film maker and writer Mr. Amba Jamir, Lead Facilitator Email/Courier/Telephonic updates to all concerned on basics of Systematization; expected roles and responsibilities; sharing of documents and reports of past exercises; etc.; 12th June 07 onwards Amba Jamir Finalized As of 12th June 2007 Project Regional & District Societies By When By Whom
2. Selection/Finalization of thematic topics by Project Team:
13th June 2007
Amba Jamir & ENRAP, IDRC
4. Preparation of Facilitators and Field Team members on Systematization
30
ii.
Facilitators divided into four specific thematic areas First draft to be developed by Regional and District Societies of project; After initial discussions facilitators will review and feedback into the questions; District Team/ NERCORMP to provide contact details and addresses of key people and venues/guest houses etc., to all facilitators Facilitators to provide arrival and departure dates of (complete itinerary) to PM and Amba Finalization of field schedules and final list of villages to be visited (District team to cross check with concerned villages and to confirm) District team to finalize all other logistical details such as: a. Approximate distance in km from base (Hamren) and travel time required to each site; b. Names of hosts for night halts (where ever required) c. Meal and other schedules (All external facilitators and visitors/members to make known their meal preferences, medical/religious requirements etc., if any before 20th June 2007)
20th June 07
Amba Jamir & NERCROMP All concerned
5. Development of Lead Questions for each topic i. ii. 18th June 07 20th June 07
6. Finalization of travel dates and all logistical requirements i. 24th June 07 NERCORMP
ii. iii.
19th June 07 20th June 07
Facilitators District Team District Team
iv.
20th May 07
All concerned to District Team
7. Secondary Data (Research and Collation) Project staff to collect and be prepared and ready with all available reports, records and related documents with regard to: o Project activities (planning, implementation and M&E reports and also any other commissioned study reports) General information of the district in general, and the villages in particular, maps etc Media reports and any other independent sources of information relating to project activities 24th June 07 All concerned 21st June 07 NERCORMP
9. Travel All members to reach Hamren, N.C. Hills 10. Orientation
31
i. Welcome and Opening ii. Introductions & Ice Breaker iii. General overview of project activities and the background of this exercise iv. The Orientation v. Gap analysis and review of themes and areas to be visited 11.
25th June 07
Project All concerned NERCORMP & District Team Amba Jamir & project
Preparation of instruments 26 to 27 June 2007 (i). (ii) Group exercise Developing questions and key strategies Sharing of key questions a. b. General presentation discussion on the process and issues at large Sharing of questions at plenary and then break-up into four thematic teams to work on specific questions; 27th June 07 District Team 26th June All facilitators and participants
th
th
(iii) (i) (ii)
Report Writing Framework Group activities Four groups share and present their overall strategy peer review, comments incorporated and finalization of field strategy Presentation Announcements 28th 30th June 2007 1st July 2007 All Teams
(iii) (iv)
13. Field Work
14. Post Field Work - 1st 3rd July 2007 Hamren, Karbi Anglong i. ii. iii. iv. v. i. ii. iii. i. ii. iii. Debrief session: Re-grouping and feedback from field teams Sharing of information and experiences Teams get to work on reports Feedback and comments from other teams Review and analysis Data analysis and preparation field report Printing and photocopy Preparation of PowerPoint presentations Presentation of reports Feedback session Closing 3rd July 2007 All concerned 2nd July 2007 All Teams
15. Concluding Session
16. Departure - 4th July 2007
32
Annexure II
MACRO-ISSUES ON SYSTEMATISATION DOCUMENTATION TOPICS (Views from Regional Society, Shillong)
Slide 1: Title slide Slide 2: For considerations . o Need to clearly define the key objectives of each of the thematic topics. o Need to clearly understand why we have chosen these particular thematic topics for systematization of documentation . What we want to focus .process results output . outcomesuggestions / recommendations Slide 3: SHIFTING CULTIVATION & FOOD SECURITY Shifting Cultivation o Neither to encourage, nor discourage; to empower communities to decide what is best for them. o Shift on general attitudes on jhum; Shift on dependency on jhum as the only means of livelihoods. o If jhum cultivation continues: increased practice of conservation farming [economy of jhumland utilization; fire lines & reduction in forest fires; soil n moisture conservation practices; improved wild biodiversity in jhum; fallow management to increase fallow period; reduction in work burden of women in jhum] Slide 4: Jhum modifications: 3 situations (a) Horticulture crops / cash crops o Out reach across the households (equitable promotion of horticulture crops among all the households specially among jhum dependent families) [privatization of jhumland] o Promoting Conservation farming practices. (b) Agroforestry o Equitable promotion by all households [privatization of jhumland] Community forest (Conversion of jhum fallows into community forests) o Community based rules and regulations with equity in access rights and benefits sharing [Common Property Resource]
(c)
Slide 5: Food Security o Food production [equitable land access / land distribution] o Food distribution [cultivation of crops all year round / seasonal / offseason] o Food consumption [nutritious level of food intake; healthy condition of people at large to consume food; facilitating factors like availability of clean drinking water for food consumption]
33
Annexure II (ii)
Slide 6: SOCIAL SECTOR Drinking water o Reduction in drudgery of women. o Increased availability of quality time by women and utilization of such time for what purpose. o Improved/ changes in health of households particularly children and women, including general cleanliness of the households. o Increased number of domestics animals. o Increased area of home gardens . Increased nutrition income and savings o Community increased awareness on values and importance of water as one of the key natural resources. o Community action on conservation and management of wa ter and water sources. Slide 7: General social education and social responsibilities & impacts o Family planning / access to health care systems / sanitation o School education / drop outs o Welfare of the school o Conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peace building. o Value educations of traditional value systems / spirit of voluntarism for common goods / community actions. Slide 8: CBOs [NaRMGs / ASSOCIATIONS / FEDERATIONS o SWOT Analysis of CBOs, particularly on changes in strengths and weaknesses of the communities BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROJECT INTERVENTION (e.g. Creation of NaRMG) o Relationships with Traditional Institutions o Space of women in CBOs [increased role / voices / responsibilities / decisions makings of women in CBOs and its impacts] Slide 9: SHGs & WOMEN EMPOWERMENT o Overall improvements and impacts at household level (e.g. Economy, hygiene, children education, health, sanitation, domestic violence..) o Overall changes on the status of women in the society through SHG movement [increased social a nd political role / voices / responsibilities / decisions makings of women in the society] o Intra-and inter-SHGs relationships: overall changes o Intra-and inter-women relationships: overall changes
34
Annexure III
Participatory Systematization: Documenting, Evaluating and Learning Exercise in Karbi Anglong (The Orientation Slides)
The genesis
Formal M&E focuses exclusively on measuring results No active participation of beneficiaries Need to understand operating processes of projects staff Informal reflections on improvements Knowledge no formal documentation, analysis or systematic sharing On-going learning of processes and results
The deviation
Move away from traditional practice From measuring results to more dynamic and comprehensive understanding of processes active participation of beneficiaries
Systematization A continuous process of participatory reflection Processes and Results Undertaken by both project staff and participants. Systematic analysis generates lessons fed back to improve project Process strengthens learning and organizational capacity Thereby promoting implementation of effective projects Project experiences documented & shared In other words, Systematization is ...
A continuous process A comprehensive process A participatory exercise A planning tool A monitoring and evaluation tool A problem-solving tool
35
Annexure III (ii)

Systematization is not
A one-time evaluation An external evaluation An impact evaluation A simple descriptive exercise Nor a mere documentation
Objectives of Systematization 1. Preserve information 2. Improve project performance 3. Promote empowerment SR/SD 4. Contribute to mutual understanding & cooperation 5. Enhance organizational capacity 6. Strengthen civil society 1. Preserving info - documentation n Informal reflections n How projects are planned and implemented? n What are their impacts? n How can they be improved? n Informal lessons rarely documented n Formal documentation facilitates n Analysis & learning n Resource materials reports, articles, papers, training resources etc 2.
n n n
Improve project results Reflection Learning Action Promote Empowerment Requires high degree of participation Description, analysis and decision making Process empowers self-reliance & SD Mutual understanding and cooperation Common understanding n Communities n Project staff n Partners nature of problem and actions required to solve On-going dialogue and partnership n Reflection, implementation and evaluation
3.
n n
4.
n
n n
36
Annexure III (iii)

5.
n
Enhance organizational capacity Develop staffs ability to efficiently n Plan and implement; n Learn; and n Manage resources Networking skills cooperation and sharing of knowledge Strengthen Civil Society
6.
Achieving objectives - Activities n Preserve information (Documentation) n Improve project performance (Analyze, learn change) n Promote empowerment SR/SD (Ensure genuine participation) n Contribute to mutual understanding & cooperation (Staff & participants) n Enhance organizational capacity (Lessons learnt design, manage, administer & collaborate) n Strengthen civil society (Network and exchange) Why systematize? n Simple but important for all of the participants to understand. Purpose must be clear to all. n To improve project performance and avoid problems? n To learn about project dynamics? n To further democratize project decision making? n To evaluate processes and impact? n What else? Aspects for consideration n Why are we systematizing? n What aspects of the project will be analyzed? n Who will coordinate? n Who will participate? n What methods and tools? n What kind of data will we use? n How will we record and organize the collected information? n What procedures and time-frame? What methods and tools to use? n Need to identify and choose tools that participants are familiar with Possible Methods: Meetings Field trips FGDs Interviews Others Possible Tools: Problem tree SWOT Pros and Cons chart Planning Matrix Others
37
Annexure III (iv)

What kind of data? Quantitative n Numbers/Statistics n Broader generalization and comparisons n Representative samples n Revealing and communicative (graphs and charts) Qualitative n Personal n Group n Perceptions n Opinions n Feelings n Reactions Qualitative vs. Quantitative monitoring Qualitative n Focus on questioning n Open questions n About learning n Hard to aggregate n Inductive n Dynamic n Goal displacement is not an issue Quantitative n Focus on measurement n Closed questions n About proving n Easy to aggregate n Deductive n Static n Goal displacement can be a problem Participatory Attitudes n Every idea counts / everybodys view counts n The learning attitude n Transparency n Flexibility Why? When? How? Stories not testimonials
38
Annexure III (v)

Documentation the OPDs l 3Os: Objectives, Operation and Outcome. l 3Ps: Project, Process and Product. l 3Ds: Design, Delivery and Development. Be self evaluative The Process n Selection of topics, facilitators, areas to visit n Preparation of lead questions n Orientation process, methodologies and schedule of events n Finalization of lead questions group work n Feedback and modifications n Draft report writing format n Off to field In the field n Meet with leaders of the community n Inform community about purpose of exercise n Dont raise hopes or expectations n Tell them how this will be of mutual advantage n Undertake data collection process n Groups n Individuals n Not being restrained by the clock play it by the ear n Regroup and review the days activities n Processes n Contents Post field documentation n Debriefing n All teams meet together n Update each other on what happened and share the main emerging issues/stories n Identify cross cutting issues n Groups revisit report writing format n Data collation, analysis and reporting n Groups present final draft of report to others n Changes/modification made and submitted
39
Annexure III (vi)

Feedback session Team work - planning n Define strategy n Data collection n Analyse n Document n Tools to be used n Secondary data n Divide responsibility n Define indicators The description l Geographic location and historical background map, if available l Who are the stakeholders or who are those affected by the project? Who are the partners? Etc l Timeframe of project being documented l Objectives of the project what was it that the project wanted to achieve (given your specific thematic area)? How does it relate to other issues and agendas in the area l The strategy adopted how did the project implement its work? Orientation, info sharing, gender sensitivity, inclusiveness, transparency etc l Components: What were the specific activities and interventions? l Main achievements l Context main aspects which influenced the development of the project l Problems faced internal and external l Unexpected outcomes (the +ve and the ve) Expectations n Report (10-15 pages), n Presentation to be made group wise (15 minutes by each group) n Project & Partner Staffs is trained to do systematization on their own n Participants are able to see the value of systematization not only for documentation but as a tool of managing project knowledge.
40
Annexure IV Field Strategies (Draft One) as presented by the four groups 26th June 2007
(Preparation of Instruments)
Social Sector
Theme Selection n A wide range of themes or activities in the social sector n Major ones: Health, Education, Drinking Water, Sanitation, Roads, Electrification, Telecommunication, Social Action, Conflict Resolution. n Only some of these are directly dealt with by KACRMS. KACRMS Themes n Health n Drinking Water n Sanitation n Electrification n Roads Themes not dealt with by KACRMS n Telecommunications n Education Selection of Themes for Study n Three interconnected themes: n Health n Drinking Water n Sanitation Health Issues n Malaria n Childbirth - traditional vs. modern n Health Infrastructure access n Traditional practitioners n IFAD role in Health Drinking Water Issues n Access, distance to source available thru the year n Water quality n IFAD role n Retrofitting
41
Annexure IV (ii)
n n n
New pipelines Reservoirs Ring well
Sanitation n Latrines - traditional vs. modern n Recycling of kitchen wastes/liquids n IFAD role: n LCL n Awareness building Sanitation: Questions n LCL: Has it improved sanitary conditions/hygiene n Do people still prefer going out? Are there different responses from women? n Is there enough water for the LCL? Does it create a significantly higher need for water? n Was there a consultation process in the design and implementation? n What suggestions do beneficiaries have for improvement in design/method? Drinking Water Questions n Has the access to potable water increased ? n Are the women are relieved (reducing of work load)? Are they able to save time and Energy? n If yes, the extra time are invested in what areas ? n Are you using boiled drinking water? (other questions based on Yes/No) n What are your steps for maintenance of the Drinking Water Supply system? Health related Questions n What is the medical facility you are getting in your village? n What are the major diseases occur in your village and probable cause of it? n What is the initiative project has taken to help you in this regard? n Dou you have Traditional Health Worker in you village? What type of services you are getting? n Are you satisfied with the services got by the Traditional Birth Attendant? n Do you think that maternal mortality and infant baby death is a serious matter? If yes, what is the reason for this? What is the possible (practicable) solution for this?_ n If not, what improvement/changes you want for them? n Is you SHG formation has helped you to address better health services to your family members? If yes, How?
42
Annexure IV (iii) Shifting Cultivation and Food Security

Introduction Village Profile
NERCORMP Interventions
Objectives: Systematization of NERCORMP in Shifting Cultivation and Food Security
Strategy: Team Formation and Planning PRA Tools to be Applied for Feedback Methodology:
Interviews/ Narrative/S.S.I/FGD/Observation/Secondary data (Village/Office)/ Sampling of Crop Variety/Photo Documentation
Questionnaire and Data analysis Discussion and Conclusion of the Finding Suggestion and Recommendation
CBOs [SHGs/Associations/Federations]
Status before the Project Socio-Economic Status Domestic issues Position/Status of Women Existing structures (CBOs etc.) Activities Village Profile Sources of Information
NGO reports
Baseline survey (if available)
Other Sources
43
Annexure IV (iv)
Challenges Faced before project Unorganised Institutions (book keeping etc) Lack of Free flow of information Networking Land ownerships Attitude/mindsets Transparency Politicalisation Infrastructure
Community Response
Community in favour or Against
Initial Hurdles
Community Response Fear Religious issues Threats Failure of past projects Infrastructure (Communication) Education
Overcoming Initial Hurdles
Peoples participation Acceptance Understanding issues of concern, etc
The Beginning
Brief information of project Formation of CBOs CBO Structure/Profile Dynamism of CBOs Relationship with traditional institutions Space for women in CBOs
44
Annexure IV (v)
Marketing/Business Vision NaRM Association Dynamics -G
Management
Linkages Activities
Finance
Operation Women in Decision making [increased role/vocies/ responsibilities/decisions making of women in CBOs and its impacts
Project Perception
Marketing/Business Vision SHG Federations [Dynamics]

Management
Linkages Finance Activities Operation Maturity, Growth, Self Reliance (Sustainability
Project Perception
Action Plan
Vision SHGs [Dynamics]
Marketing/Business Management
Linkages Activities S. Service IGA Project Perception Action Plan
Operation
Finance
Maturity, Growth, Self Reliance (Sustainability
Loan
Credit Linkages
Savings Repayment
45
Annexure IV (vi) SHG and Women Empowerment

Secondary Data sources: 1. Quarterly SHG status Reports 2. Grading Report 3. Activity Reports 4. Loan Repayment schedule 5. Books and accounts 6. NaRMG meeting minutes register 7. Bank records 8. Baseline survey 9. Social agreement 10. MCO report from RS
Historical background Status of women (Health/education/marriage/ workload) Socio/Eco/political Social institutions / women groups Source of information a. SHG members b. Village headman Formation of SHG a. Selection of members b. Procedure- rules & regulations Problems/challenges faced by SHGs a. Domination of male b. Married and unmarried members c. Communication gap Activities Agriculture products Credit facility Weaving Social activities Health camp Cleanliness drive Institutional support Domestic violence c. Community members d. NaRM-G
c. Decision-making process d. Selection of activities
d. Information facility e. Fund absorption capacity f. Institutional linkages/MFI
Value addition NTFP (broom) Groups activities
46
Annexure IV (vii)
Impacts (benefit + ve) 1. Personal Health Nutrition Increase awareness Education /children Lifestyle Social security 2. Social / Group Social cohesions Community development Reduced domestic violence 3. Community awareness i) Health ii) Cleanliness Social capital Human resources capacity Entrepreneurship Impact Negative (-) a. Time management b. Increased work load SHG federation Process and procedures Roles & functions Impact/ benefit for SHG groups Institutional capacities of SHGs Project initiated trainings Weaving Exposure visits Agricultural exposition Areas for further interventions 1. Micro finance linkage 2. Marketing linkages 3. Quality control & certification regimes 4. Involves SHG SEBA c. Less time with family Sense of empowerment & belongingness Livelihood options increased Freedom from loan Sharks More confidence/ voice
Land use & tenure system Community health
Capacity building Institutional support Access to loan
IITF Food processing United
Kingfisher GRASS LIVE NaRMGs Village plans
47
Annexure V Field Strategies (Draft Two) as presented by the four groups 27th June 2007
(Preparation of Instruments)
FOOD SECURITY
Meaning (definition) of food security 1. Dictionary 2. IFAD - NERCORMP 3. Local FOOD SECURITY SOURCES OF FOOD 1. Shifting Cultivation 2. Wet rice cultivation 3. Forest 4. Home Garden 5. Others Shifting Cultivation Land Distribution System o Equally distributed Land Ownership Issues o Land ownership o Crop ownership (Before/After project intervention) Crop Variety o Major Crops Consumable Saleable Both o Copping System Mixed/Mono/Sequential (Before/After project intervention) o Production Yield/Unit area Market o Product Sold (Income from jhum area) Fallow Management o NTFPs ( Edible/Non-edible) Income Generated No. of Household
6. 7. 8. 9.
Baseline data Project status report (yearly) Self assessment report 2005 Village action plan
48
Annexure V (ii)
l
Jhum Modification o Agro-Forestry o Community Forest Wet Terrace l Area o No. of Household Practicing o Average Area per household o Yield per Unit Area
l
Duration of Food Availability o From WRC o From SC o from both Irrigation System o River/Stream/Pipe/Channel o Potential Area to develop
Forest Home Garden l No. of household Practicing o With SC o With WRC o With WR + SC
l
l l
Availability o Seasonal o Round the year Market o Income Vegetable o As Species o As Foodstuff
Others/Miscellaneous l Orchards o Variety of Fruit Plants o Income MAPs o Household Use o Commercial (Income) IGAs o On farm (Piggery, Goatery, Duckery, Poultry, Fishery, etc.) o Off farm (Weaving, Carpentry, Petty business, Handloom/Handicraft)
49
Annexure V (iii)
Wage Labour o No. of Household o Income (Permanent/Additional)
l
Questionnaire for shifting cultivation
STRATEGIES l General meeting l SGD l FGD l KII l SSI l Photo documentation l Field visit l Secondary data (PRA if available in village)
CBOs: Business Approaches and Marketing Practices

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Introduction Purpose of the Study/Systematization &Documentation Methodology Strategy Approach Understanding Traditional Knowledge Systems CBOs and Business Approaches
Linkages (Institutional) with other groups NGOs, Traditional Institutions Mahila Mandals if any Line Departments Church based organizations Other Religious organizations
How it has impacted their income and livelihood What led to the change after CBOs initiatives
Address the issue of convergence Whether it is beneficial and contributes to productivity and income generation activities Traditional Institutions Formation of NaRMGs and role of traditional institutions Continuing interface between the TIs and CBOs (project initiated) How Traditional Institutions can enhance the process of development interventions by participating in the process What are the gaps if any
50
Annexure V (iv)
Problems and Needs
Exit Strategy (sustainability/SR/Maturity/Growth/More Income and productivity) Sources of Information: Baseline surveys NGO reports
Quarterly/Annual reports
Methodology 1. Meeting 2. Interviews (open/closed questions) 3. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) 4. Household Visits 5. Site Visits (Markets (Local, Communities market) 6. Family discussion. 7. Story telling (Voices of people). Tools: 1. Problem Tree 2. Historical Time Line 3. SWOT STRATEGY APPROACHES Place of visits Villages: Places of Interviews: Comments: Measure the success stories Study failures
8. 9. 10. 11.
Photo documentation Semi Structural interviews. Observations. Information sources [secondary data (Base Line Survey, Quarterly reports, NGO Reports), Interviews (Personal, groups), Primary data].
4. 5.
Pros and Cons Chart Questionnaire
Interfaces: Individuals/Groups/Stakeholders.
Delayed Success
Understanding SHGs and empowerment of women

Putsari village, Patimokha I village, Rongjangphong village, Borpu I village and Doloi Arong village The Team The Process description
51
Annexure V (v)
Secondary Data sources n Quarterly SHG status Reports n Grading Report n Activity Reports n Loan Repayment schedule n Books and accounts n NaRMG meeting minutes register Establishing the Background Historical background n Status of women (Health/education/marriage/ workload) n Socio/Eco/political n Social institutions / women groups SHG formation process n Selection of members n Selection of SHG leaders n Procedure- rules & regulations Challenges in the formative stages n Domination of male n Marriage and unmarriage members n Communication gap Activities Income based n Agriculture products n Credit facility n Weaving Benefits (Impacts): Personal level n Health n Nutrition n Increase awareness n Education /children n Lifestyle n Social security
n n n n n
Bank records Baseline survey Social agreement MCO report from RS Others
n n
Decision-making process Selection of activities
n n n
Information facility Fund absorption capacity Institutional linkages/MFI
n n n
Value addition NTFP (broom) Groups activities Sense of empowerment & belongingness Livelihood options increased Freedom from loan Sharks More confidence/ voice
n n n n
52
Annexure V (vi)
Benefits (Impacts): Community level n Social cohesions n Community development n Reduced domestic violence n Land use & tenure system n Community health n Community awareness SHG federation (secondary issue) n Process and procedures n Roles & functions n Impact/ benefit for SHG groups Institutional capacities of SHGs n Project initiated trainings n Non project activities n Weaving n Exposure visits n Agriculture e xposition n IITF n Food processing n United Exit strategy n Areas for further interventions n Micro finance linkage n Marketing linkages n Quality control & certification regimes n Involves SHG n SEBA Methodology and tools n Participatory group formation n Personal interactions n Interviews n Open n Semi structures Methodologies n Baseline Surveys n Story Telling n Observations n Photo documentation n Transect walks
n n
n n n
Health Cleanliness Social capital Human resources capacity Entrepreneurship
n n n
Capacity building Institutional support Access to loan
n n n n n
Kingfisher GRASS LIVE NaRMGs Village plans
n n
Site visits Discussions n Small group n Focus group
Case studies
53
Annexure V (vii)
Team Strategy n Pre interaction meeting n General meeting with communities n Group discussions n Interviews n Paired interviews n Progress review huddles n Overnight team meetings Category of people/organizations to be met n SHG members n n Non SHG community members n n Village headman and elders (including women) n Organizations other than TVIs n n Women (varied groups) n n NaRM-G Secretary and members
Husbands and Children of SHG members Bank officials and other government officers (if possible) DST staff NGO staff
Water, Sanitation & Health in Karbi Anglong

The impact of KACRMS interventions SANITATION: Sanitation objectives of KACRMS: To improve sanitary conditions, keep the village environment free, to prevent diseases associated with poor sanitation. Strategies/Approach: To provide LCL (low cost latrines) in partnership with the community Through NARM-Gs, by providing technical advice and funds; to generate awareness about safe drainage and kitchen waste management. Indicators to assess progress: 1. Actual Usage of LCL. Conditions of the built LCLs maintenance, etc. 2. Percentage of coverage in target villages. 3. Change in overall sanitation conditions. 4. Awareness of Habitat management concepts. 5. Gender perspective on sanitation, LCLs, etc. 6. Incidence of sanitation specific diseases: ringworm, scabies, gastroenteritis. Specific Questions, Methods, Tools: Main Achievements / Difficulties faced / Process of intervention / Positive aspects / Negative aspects / Unexpected outcomes 1. Has LCL created additional demand for water?
Annexure V (viii)
2. How are LCLs being used with water or some leaves/wood shavings, etc. 3. How many of those who have LCLs using them? 4. Is maintenance happening what is the condition of the LCLs. If they are not being maintained, why? 5. After about 5 years, do you feel it was worth it? Or would you have preferred the earlier method? Why? 6. How many of the village households have got LCLs (percentage/numbers) 7. Preference of different family members children, teenage children, male/female, adults, very old people. 8. How do you dispose off kitchen waste? What is the drainage system? 9. What is the degree of awareness of the Habitat management concept? 10. Have LCLs had a +ive health impact? Or negative? Or any unexpected result? 11. Have the incidence of ringworm, scabies, and gastroenteritis gone down significantly? 12. Additional questions in consultation with villagers. HEALTH: Health objectives of KACRMS: To provide a preventive infrastructure for better health: safe sanitation and drinking water. In addition, to understand the health problems o f the project villages, and use that understanding to help the villages with information and to provide a network of village volunteers who can guide the villagers with medical advice. Strategies/Approach: To conduct occasional health camps which would generate awareness, and also provide medical relief, especially to women. To strengthen the capacity of the traditional healer. To provide sanitation facilities. To create a cadre of village volunteers, by training them in health issues. To provide safe drinking water to as much of the project villages as possible. Indicators to assess progress: 1. Effectiveness of health camp, esp. on women awareness, specific benefits 2. Effectiveness of the VV in health access, awareness, quality of advice. 3. Impact of Sanitation programme on health. 4. Impact of Drinking water programme on health. 5. Role of the traditional healer. Specific Questions, Methods, Tools: Main Achievements / Difficulties faced / Process of intervention / Positive aspects / Negative aspects / Unexpected outcomes 1. What do you do when you have illness? Who do you go to? 2. How far is a health centre/chemist from your home? How do you go there? 3. What are the most frequent diseases you faced in your day to day life?
55
Annexure V (ix)
4. Have you heard about the Village Volunteer? Do you that the Volunteer provide you the guidance on good health services? 5. When was the last Health Camp held near your village? Did anybody of you go there? Did you find it useful? If yes, What did you find? 6. Has the sanitation programme has made any difference to your health? 7. When you are going to traditional healer and when you are going to Doctor? 8. Which one out of these two is better according to your opinion? 9. What are the external supports you require to strengthen the capacity of the traditional healer so that he/she can give better services to you? 10. What do the women do in their child delivery time for getting medical support? DRINKING WATER Drinking water objectives of KACRMS: To provide access to safe drinking water in selected project villages. To relieve the women from the burden of carrying water, and to favorably impact on health of the community. Strategies/Approach: Drinking water as a community resource: not a private one. To make water accessible to ALL in the target villages. To utilize the existing natural resources of water (like springs). Repairs of existing infrastructure, wherever feasible. Indicators to assess progress: 1. Time to fetch water 2. Availability thru the year 3. Quality of water
4. Condition of the infrastructure 5. Proximity to homes - Equitable access
Specific Questions, Methods, Tools: Main Achievements / Difficulties faced / Process of intervention / Positive aspects / Negative aspects / Unexpected outcomes 1. What is the source of your drinking water? 2. How long does it take to fetch water from the source? 3. What is the distance from your home to the source? Is it very far? 4. Do you get water regularly? Throughout the year? 5. Are there Qs? Conflicts over water? 6. In what condition is the reservoir/ring well? 7. What is the quality of water? Does it need to be boiled? 8. Do you boil water before drinking? 9. Do you have cases of jaundice, other water borne diseases? 10. How do you store water at home? 11. Any other sources of water?
METHODS: 1. FG (7-9) discussion for some of the questions women perspective 2. Transect walks for observation
56
Annexure IV (x)
3. Observation during other methods 4. Home visits during transect walks. 5. Intensive one to one interviews or small group discussions (2-3) Reference Material 1. Village Action Plan 2. Status Report 3. Baseline Survey Processes at Village level: 1. Introduction and Ice Breaking 2. Briefing on purposes of our visit Coming here for learning 3. Information about this project about their likes, dislikes, their experiences 4. About their achievement 5. Picking up Social Sector issues a. About LCL/sanitation b. About Drinking Water c. About effect on Health 6. One or two family visit for knowing their story on a. Changing life due to project b. Gain or loss in the project c. Increased / Decreased income (livelihood) 7. Focus Group Discussion among women to know a. What is the Gender discrimination they faced earlier and now ? b. Any improvement in their social status/social security? c. What is the Group Action the women have started to do? o For getting income o For Social Benefit 8. Transact Walk for getting overview of village physical structure and boundary?
57

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in Karbi Anglong, Assam, India

A report for ENRAP, IDRC

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Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Amba Jamir India July 16th 2007.

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

2. THE PREPARATION ..................................................... 9

3. THE DOCUMENTATION PROCESS ............................ 14

4. ANALYSIS AND REPORT WRITING ........................... 19

5. REVIEW AND FEEDBACK ........................................... 22

6. OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS ........................... 27

7. CONCLUDING REMARKS ........................................... 29 8. ANNEXURES.................................................................. 30

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Map of Karbi Anglong (west) indicating the different project clusters

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

2. THE PREPATORY STAGE

The Five Thematic Topics

Development of Lead Questions for each thematic area

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

2.2. Selection of Facilitators

2.3 Selection of Team Members:

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

2.4 Selection of Field Sites:

2.5 Preparation of Facilitators and Field Team members on Systematization

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Finalization of travel dates and all logistical requirements

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Group I (Food Security)

Group III (Social Sector)

Group IV (SHG & Women Empowerment)

28th June (Thursday)

Mujong and Umphoo villages

29th June (Friday) 30th June (Saturday)

Mulokbong and Longpai IV villages Khawarakrai and Natdra villages

Chingthong Cluster Association Malongkisir village Mukindur village

Taik-pi village and Borgaon Putsari village Village

Arsong II village Malongkisir village

Patimokha I and Rongjangphong villages Borpu I and Doloi Arong villages

Secondary Data (Research and Collation)

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

3. THE DOCUMENTATION PROCESS

The Inaugural 25th June 2007

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Facilitator PTO NGO RF,

Facilitator PM NGO RF, RS

The Orientation 26th June 2007

See Annexure II for details

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

3.2 PREPARATION OF INSTRUMENTS (26th 27th June 2007)

Annexure III Orientation Slides

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Preparation of Instruments (27th June 2007)

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

3.3 FIELD DOCUMENTATION (28th -30th June 2007)

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

4. ANALYSIS AND REPORT WRITING

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir

Peer Review and draft presentation

Refer to Report of KACRMS

Systematization in Karbi Anglong, Assam, INDIA Report by Amba Jamir