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African development action with informed and engaged societies
Soul Beat Africa
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
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Summit: What would you do?

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In the course of the Summit there will be some examples of issues or actions that provide oftn complex issues and choices for people enagged in social change, behaviour change, communication for development and media development. This is a space to explore these.

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Submitted by Warren Feek on Sun, 04/15/2018 - 17:01 Permalink

At a social norms focused preliminary session at the What Works? Summit, expertly facilitated by Amy Bank, I heard this insight.(Cross-posted from the Social Change network - apologies for any duplication).

A development agency was introducing clean, flowing, piped water into a community. To that point the water had been gathered by women and carried uphill to the community. The development agency thought this water initiative would naturally meet with full support from women in that community. It did not. They resisted. From listening to and conversations with the women in that community the resistance was based on losing the one social space each day where they were together, with no male company. They could talk, support and perhaps even organise in relation to issues they experienced and perhaps shared. This had been going on for a long time. Clean running water would take away that important social space.

So, what would you do? Or what would you have done different?

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Submitted by isomlai (not verified) on Sun, 04/15/2018 - 19:38 Permalink

I'm unsure if you wrote this purposely to provoke. While there's insufficient information to understand the process by which this had been accomplished, the piece comes through as an elementary, ill-conceived project. So, not knowing what was done or how it was done, here's what need be done:

1. Contracting sufficiently prepared, oriented, skillful, culturally sensitive and communicatively proficient specialists with both expat and host country counterpart teams. Even host country team members require the same understanding and sensitivity to collaborate, as many who might be in a rural area for the first time in a region of different languages, religion, governance etc. need their own orientations and preparation to work effectively.

2. Stakeholder meetings, including with men, religious leaders, teachers, local government officials...) explaining the expertise that could be brought in to enhance the community.

3. Clarifying that this improvement could be implemented only if all directly involved stakeholders be in favour; or if some not be in favour that they would not distrupt the implementation.

4. Ensure understanding of the result. This need be talked over and over with participants being allowed to question, suggest and paraphrase so that all could be confident that the issues, proposed remedies and timelines could be met within a reasonable time and effort.

5. The responsibility for ensuring operation and admin of the water system will have to be--from the outset--with the community (or communities, if more than one be involved). This means:

6. The installation of the system and its completion would need approval from the community. In other words, the community must take responsibility for agreeing with the plans, overseeing the work and approving its inauguration and commencement of operation. The outside agency and its staff would bring the required calibre of materials and specialists and, as well assist in the hiring of local sub-engineers or skilled people of required calibre.

7. Local women and men need be trained in maintenance, book keeping, developing rules of use and maintenance etc.

8. Depending on the size and complexity of any such project, the work will be divided into realistic phases. Funds would be disbursed at the end of each phase only on the certification by the local stakeholder committee that the work has been satisfactorily done.