ORGANISATIONAL SELF ASSEMENT WORKSHOP BY BIRDS – NAGANUR
(HIV related intervention only)
Date of self assessment: 12th July 2010
Place: BIRDS Office, Tukkanatti
List of participants attended:
1. Mr. B K Barlaya – Executive Officer, BIRDS
2. Ms. Bhagya B K, - Liaison officer, HIVOS Project
3. Ms. Ambika Hajeri – Accountant, HIVOS Project
4. Mr. Jeeven kumar – Ex- Coordinator, HIVOS project,
5. Mr. Dilawar Nadaf, Ex-cordinator, HIVOS project
6. Ms. Shathamma – Senior peer coordinator, Karwar
BIRDS works in different fields of development intervention and agriculture, education, health, disability, community organization and HIV intervention are few to name. In the field of HIV BIRDS has been implementing project on HIV and AIDS Intervention with women in sex work since 1993 at district level and since 1996 at state level. State level intervention from 1996 is financially supported by HIVOS-Netherlands. The support period of 10 years was completed to 2006. With a special request, HIVOS decided to continue the support for next four years on reducing basis ( 100% first year, 75% second year, 50% third year and 25% last year). Now we are in the last year of project period.
When started project was managed by non sex workers and NGOs, which gradually changed as project managed by sex workers collectives and sex workers themselves. Since the beginning of last phase all the non sex work staff of the project are withdrawn (except an accountant and liaison officer) and in their place sex workers with leadership quality are appointed as peer coordinators who work on contract. As such there is no full time staff for the project for the time being. In this context, self assessment process was initiated with leaders of sex workers collectives on 05th and 06th of July 2010 where nearly 17 leaders of 17 collectives under went dream building, visioning and self assessment process report of which is already posted to Ning. This two day’s training was also attended by most of the above listed staff who was participants of today’s self assessment. In this context, we also invited some of the senior staff of project who presently works for other programs.
The Process:
The self assessment process started with identifying strengths of each of the participants by answering the following questions.
1. What you are proud off?
2. What are your strengths?
3. What are your weaknesses?
4. What are your dreams?
Every member shared on the above topics and it was a new experience for some of them as they have not attended the similar workshop which was held on 05th and 06th of July 2010.
This was followed by discussion about the HIVOS final self assessment schedule developed by participants of Nairobi workshop and posted in Ning. Each of the areas is discussed in detail and different levels are also discussed. Later six members got divided into two group of three members each and tried to assess the projects status in line with these parameters. It took about more than one hour for the teams to complete the exercise. Later both the groups shared their result which is once again merged together with some discussion and consensus. Finally following chart is developed as result of self assessment of BIRDS project.-enclosed in later page.
It is realized that BIRDS project is in level five in the area of community ownership, organizational behavior and inclusion and representation. Regarding community ownership and inclusion every project of BIRDS aims at including the partner community right from the beginning of the project. Each and every activity of project is done in consultation with the community members and their involvement. In the later stage, we encourage the community to own the program by building the capacities of community groups. Same thing has happened in HIVOS project. When project started in 1996 role of women was more as receivers of services. But today they run the project and work towards mobilizing the resources for making it sustainable.
BIRDS stands in level 2 in learning and transfer where as level three in stigma and discrimination and monitoring, evaluation and documentation. We have very basic system of evaluation and documentation which is to fulfill the requirement of the project. Regarding stigma and discrimination, we have developed WPP and people with PLHA are given special recognition in our program.
In other areas like acknowledgement, managing resources, gender, services we stand in middle level with our own strengths and limitation. Overall image of self assessment is as follows:
SELF ASSESSMENT SHEET OF BIRDS – NAGANUR (HIV related intervention only)
Acknowledgememt & recognition / Community ownership / Managing resources / Stigma and discr
imination / Gender / Orgnaisa
tional behavior / Monitoring Evaluation and document
tation / Inclusion and represe
ntation / Services / Learning and transfer
Level 1
level 2 / X
level 3 / X / X
level 4 / X / X / X / X
level 5 / X / X / X
We think that BIRDS can share its experience on community ownership of the program, inclusion and representation and organizational behavior with others where as we have to learn from others in the area of learning and transfer, stigma and discrimination and basically on Monitoring, Evaluation and Documentation.
Date: 13th July 2010. B K Barlaya