Global Grants 102
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
2 likes•756 views
If you have some experience with global grants and a firm grasp on the basics, this session is for you. Learn how to take the next steps toward developing a quality global grant project, including conducting needs assessments and making sure your project aligns with the areas of focus goals.
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (19)
Similar to Global Grants 102
Similar to Global Grants 102 (20)
More from Rotary International
More from Rotary International (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Global Grants 102
- 1. Global Grants 102 RI Convention 2017 Breakout Session 13 June 2017
- 2. Moderator
- 3. Panelists
- 4. • Understand how to conduct a community assessment • Understand how to develop a quality global grant project that addresses community needs and aligns with the goals of an area of focus • Become familiar with the role of the local resource network in carrying out the community assessment and designing the project Learning objectives
- 6. • Examines strengths, weaknesses, needs, assets • Helps to identify relevant opportunities for projects Community assessment
- 7. • Increased understanding of community dynamics • Builds valuable relationships • Helps you make decisions about service priorities • Encourages community member participation • Helps to build trust, community ownership and sustainability Benefits
- 8. • Guatemala water buckets • Ecuador village water system The need is not what we see, but what the community sees. A tale of two villages
- 9. •Interview •Focus group •Community meeting •Survey •Asset inventory Assessment tools
- 10. • One-on-one conversation • Allows for deeper understanding of respondent’s ideas and feelings • Gives facilitator freedom • Respondent is more likely to share personal opinions • Can help identify potential partners Interview
- 11. • Remain open minded • Choose participants carefully • Include overlooked or marginalized groups • Consider yourself an outsider • Don’t promise a project before you make a decision • Good Assessment= Highest Priority Project Tips
- 12. • Guided discussion • Consists of six to 12 diverse stakeholders • Participants are asked open-ended questions Focus group
- 13. • Select convenient, comfortable location • Provide training for facilitator and arrange for another facilitator to take notes • Ensure that participants are representative of the community, interested and willing to provide feedback • Explain purpose of group, introduce main topic and guide discussion using prepared questions Focus group Tips
- 14. • Informal public gathering • Brings together community members to discuss issues, voice concerns and share priorities • Facilitator leads discussion and encourages attendee participation • Facilitator directs questions to experts Community meeting
- 15. • Identify your goals • Prepare a list of questions • Promote the event • Be an active listener and ask participants to elaborate • If many people, break into small groups Community meeting Tips
- 16. • Effective way to assess community’s perceived • Strengths • Weaknesses • Needs • Existing assets • Can be general or targeted • Delivered by email, phone or in person Survey
- 17. • Explain why you’re asking the questions • Keep it short and simple • Make sure questions are unbiased • Conduct small pilot of the survey Survey Tips
- 18. • Identifies resources in a community • People • Physical environment • Institutions • Services • Events • Resulting inventory can be used to identify unmet needs in the community Asset inventory
- 19. Resources
- 21. Make sure possible project: • Falls within global grant guidelines • Is sustainable • Aligns with goals of area(s) of focus • Is technically feasible • Is one that you and your partner club are qualified to address • Does not duplicate existing efforts Project selection
- 22. • Collaboration is essential! • Sponsoring clubs work together to develop project plan • Involve community members Project plan
- 23. • Community impact • Measurable goals and outcomes • Actions for each step of project • Assignment of responsibilities • Monitoring • Possible alternative approaches Project plan
- 25. • [add] Budget
- 27. • Shows that you made a difference • Enhances Rotary’s reputation • Makes publicity easier Measuring success
- 28. • Be specific about who will benefit and what benefits they will receive • Establish baseline data • Set benchmarks • Specify measurement methods • Create a timeline Measuring success
- 29. Working with a local resource network
- 30. • Assist Rotarians in creating more sustainable, higher- quality, global grants by: Project Enhancement • Improving project design and implementation • Strengthening mobilization efforts • Leveraging local, regional Rotarian expertise • Creating and strengthening Rotarian-led coalitions
- 31. • District International Service Committee Chair duties include: District International Service Chair • Promoting resources • Encouraging involvement • Building or expanding a district resource network • Support the work of fellow district committees Collaboration: The most essential component for success!
- 32. • Collaborate to identify and recruit local Rotarian and Rotary alumni with expertise in Rotary’s areas of focus grants, and project planning District Resource Network • Experts include members of TRF Cadre, Rotarian Action Groups, Rotaractors, Alumni, Peace Fellows, and others with valuable experience and technical skills
- 33. • Encourage clubs to initiate international service projects (focus areas) • Offer guidance from local technical / process experts • Raise awareness of RI resources for improving service projects and grants • Increase the impact and sustainability of international service projects • Raise awareness of club and district investment in Humanitarian Service Purpose of a district resource network
- 34. Is there a difference? • Host country (where the project takes place): • Expertise in community assessment / site assessments (quantifying need) – (Rotary Community Corps) • International partner (often remote from site) • Technical expertise, funding coordination, grant oversight Host vs. international networks
- 35. Common to both: • Sound understanding of Grants process • Strong alliance – team effort • Connecting across networks BETTER TOGETHER! Host vs. international networks
- 37. Using Rotarian expertise Kirawina WASH GG – PNG The network: Project Proponent (R) District ISC WASRAG Sanitation Specialist Rotary Aust. World Community Service District Chair Donations in Kind Store District Foundation Grants Coordinator District Funding Coordinator TRF Coordinator RC Port Moresby Botswana – Gaborone DP&T Project (in planning) The network: Project Proponent (Doctor N-R) District ISC 3 x Club Rotarians RC Gaborone (Doctor) Teaching Hospital Gaborone Rotary Action Group for Diabetes Medical Institutes in Paris and York (UK) Global Directory IS Chairs – 14 targeted Club funding partners TRF DP&T - Child & Maternal Health Mgr. John Wahlund Economic & Community Development Scholar The network: Applicant (N-R / PHD ) District ISC District TRF Scholarship Chair Conflict Resolution Scholar (Alumni)
- 38. What if there is no Rotary club near the project location? • The international partner may apply for a District International Grant to carry out a community / site assessment • EXAMPLE: Kirawina Global Grant (Papua New Guinea) Other examples: • Brokering DDF - from Brazil to support Aust Global Grant • Reciprocal deals – e.g. ultrasound shipped to Brazil • Connecting multiple International Partners – DDF India, USA Clubs working with experts
- 39. Kirawina WASH Upgrade Global Grant • Site suitability technical / technology advice; • Pre site visit / planning phase Community assessment • Planning for site survey / data collection Grant application review / suggested improvements. Cadre consultation with TRF Grants Officer • On behalf of the Club • On issues raised by TRF in Grant Application • Contributed to project approval Clubs working with experts
- 40. • [add] [add]
- 41. • [add] [add] WATER SUPPLY MAPPING
- 42. Clubs working with experts Kiriwina Island - Pit latrine - coral atoll - high water table Composting toilet TECHNICAL GUIDANCE
- 43. Questions?
- 44. This presentation and others from throughout the convention are available through the convention mobile app and on SlideShare at www.SlideShare.net/Rotary_International.
- 45. Rate this session in the Rotary Events app, available in your Apple or Android app store.
Editor's Notes
- ERIC Welcome to Global Grants 102. We are glad that you are here with us today.
- ERIC My name is Eric Kimani and I will be serving as the moderator for this session. I am a PDG of former D-9200 and now 9212. A member of Rotary Club of Nairobi Muthaiga North holding a classification on Dairy Products. I am currently serving as RRFC for Zone 20A English-speaking Africa and am a primary contact on an approved Global Grant.
- ERIC We have three wonderful panelists joining us today—Keith Axtell, Stephen Baker and David Alexander. Keith Axtell bio: Primary contact on four Global Grant projects: One completed, two in execution, and one in the application stage. The first three are microcredit projects. District Grants Chair for five years District International Service Chair for 4 years Global Grant program trainer for District 5150 Chair, Global Grants Committee for the Rotarian Action Group on Microcredit Stephen Baker bio: Stephen has written one Matching Grant plus two Global Grants that were approved plus a third that is in process. He worked with two of those grants from start to finish plus an audit on one of them. David Alexander bio: Primary International Partner Global Grant Project (Philippines) Club International Service Chair District International Service Chair (District Resource Network) Cadre of Technical Advisers (WASH)
- ERIC Now that we’ve met our panelists, let’s go over our learning objectives.
- ERIC At this point I’d like to turn the presentation over to Keith so he discuss community assessments.
- KEITH A community assessment explores your community’s strengths, weaknesses, needs, and assets is an essential first step in planning an effective project. By taking time to learn about your community, you can discover the most relevant opportunities for projects and maximize your club’s ability to make a meaningful impact.
- KEITH A community assessment can help you get a better understanding of the dynamics of your community and help both you and the beneficiaries make important decisions about service priorities. Even if you’re actively involved in your community, an assessment can reveal additional strengths and opportunities for growth. Perhaps you’ll find a new way to address a known issue. Before you start an assessment, consider what you specifically want to learn about your community. An effective assessment will reveal things you did not know before. Doing an assessment also helps you build valuable relationships and encourages community members to actively participate in making lasting improvements. It’s a critical first step in creating trust, community ownership, and sustainability
- KEITH
- KEITH Having casual conversations with just one or two people isn’t an effective way of finding out what a community needs. Assessments should be systematic, involve a wide variety of community stakeholders and beneficiaries, and engage them in a meaningful way. Here are five assessment methods that you can use. They aren’t exclusive. You can combine or adapt them to best suit your club’s resources and the preferences of the people you wish to engage with.
- KEITH Interviews are one-on-one conversations between a facilitator (the interviewer) and a community stakeholder (the respondent). Interviews allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the respondent’s ideas and feelings. Unlike surveys, interviews give the facilitator the freedom to veer off script and ask follow-up questions. And unlike group assessments, such as community discussions and focus groups, the respondent has the facilitator’s sole attention and is more likely to share personal opinions freely.
- KEITH Here are some general tips when you’re conducting a community assessment: Remain open minded. Don’t presume you know what the community needs. Choose participants carefully. Consider the makeup of the community and ensure that you include a diverse cross-section of relevant groups (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity, religion, income level, vocations). Include overlooked or marginalized groups. Women, young people, the elderly, and religious or ethnic minorities are often overlooked. Keep the community’s social dynamics in mind and provide a forum where they feel comfortable sharing their views. Consider yourself an outsider. Even if the community you want to work with is local, find a well-connected individual, group, or organization that can introduce you to your target stakeholder groups. Don’t promise a project before you make a decision. But do assure participants that you’ll let them know what your club decides. Invite them to take part in any future activities.
- KEITH A focus group is a carefully guided discussion used to determine a target group’s preferences and opinions on a particular issue or idea. It can help you determine how the stakeholders believe community issues should be addressed. Conducting a focus group requires careful planning and a skilled discussion facilitator. Most focus groups consist of six to 12 diverse stakeholders. Participants are asked a series of carefully worded, open-ended questions on different issues in the community.
- KEITH Select a location that’s convenient, private, and comfortable for a small-group discussion and a time that participants can attend. If your facilitator is someone local, provide training beforehand. Arrange for another facilitator to record the focus group session or take public notes of participants’ responses. Periodically ask participants if the notes accurately capture the group’s input. Make sure participants are representative of the community and interested and willing to provide feedback. Invite Rotary Community Corps members to participate in focus group activities. Explain the purpose of the focus group, and state your goals openly. Establish simple ground rules to promote positive interaction and confidence in the process. Introduce the main topic of discussion, and guide the discussion using your prepared questions. Establish a schedule beforehand, such as 10-15 minutes per question. Allow each person time to answer. Listen carefully to the ideas expressed and ask for clarification if needed, but avoid confrontations or debates. Allow participants to respond to comments. Make sure the discussion and comments stay on topic.
- KEITH A community meeting is sometimes called a town hall or public forum, is an informal public gathering that brings together members of a community to discuss issues, voice concerns, and express preferences for community priorities. In a community meeting, a facilitator leads discussions on issues related to the community’s strengths and potential challenges and encourages attendees to vocally participate. The facilitator also directs any questions to known subject matter experts. It is advisable to appoint a locally respected individual or a representative from a community organization to serve as the meeting facilitator, particularly if there are any cultural or language barriers between your club and the community being served. Before organizing a meeting, define objectives for what you wish to accomplish and provide training for your facilitator. Knowing what you hope to achieve will help you plan and host a successful meeting.
- KEITH Identify your goals. What insight do you hope to gain from this meeting? Are there specific issues in the community that you want to better understand? Design questions that will provoke constructive answers. Promote the event throughout the community. Be mindful of cultural values and norms that may affect responses (for example, in some communities women may not feel empowered to talk openly and honestly in the presence of men). Factor in the level of literacy in the community and how residents normally receive information (e.g., fliers, radio, announcements at schools or houses of worship). Prepare a list of questions. Keep your questions simple and concise. If you hear new concerns or the same issues being raised by participants, follow up on their responses with leading questions. Be an active listener. Let all participants know that you’re engaged and interested in what they have to say. Be considerate of their time. Ask participants to elaborate. Ask follow-up questions if you don’t understand their feedback. Take notes. Write down ideas publically so everyone can see the notes during the discussion. Enlist one or two others to help you keep track of the conversation.
- KEITH Surveys are a popular method for collecting information and opinions. In the context of a community assessment, a survey can be an effective way to assess the community’s perceived strengths, weaknesses, needs, and existing assets. Surveys can be general or targeted to specific segments of a community. Surveys can be delivered by email, phone, or in person.
- KEITH Explain why you’re asking the questions. Participants are more likely to respond if they feel there will be a valuable outcome, like the possibility of a future project that will attempt to address their needs. Keep it short and simple. If your survey is too long, respondents may rush their responses or even drop out of the survey before completing it. Make sure your questions are brief and specific. Make sure your questions are unbiased. Avoid leading questions like “Would you like to see a new library in the vacant lot instead of a playground?” in favor of a more neutral form: “What would you like to see developed in the vacant lot? A) library B) playground C) other (please describe)” Conduct a small pilot of the survey. Testing your survey can reveal whether your questions are clear and specific.
- KEITH An asset inventory identifies various types of resources in a community, including its people, physical environment, institutions, services, and events. To conduct the inventory, participants identify people, places, and things they think are valuable and then document and analyze their findings. The resulting inventory identifies assets and can start the process of exploring the interconnectedness of those assets and how they can be used to create positive change.
- KEITH
- ERIC Thanks, Keith, for covering how to conduct a community assessment. I would now like to turn the presentation over to Stephen who is going to talk about how to take the information that you gather in a community assessment and develop a quality project that is eligible for global grant funding.
- STEPHEN Once you’ve completed the community assessment and analyzed the results, you can determine which needs you are able to address through a global grant. Once you’ve identified a possible project, make sure that: It falls within Rotary’s global grant guidelines Is sustainable It aligns specific goal(s) of the area(s) of focus It’s technically feasible You and your partner club are qualified to address this need through your collective expertise and resources The issues aren’t already being addressed by another organization
- STEPHEN Collaboration is essential to developing your project plan. The sponsoring clubs should work together and agree on how to manage each part of the project and how to follow Rotary’s global grant guidelines. Involve community members in the planning process. They can create the project plan with you or review it and provide feedback. The most successful plans allow Rotarians and community members to take action together. That collaboration — and the active involvement of Rotarians — should be clearly visible to anyone who sees your project plan.
- STEPHEN A successful project plan should include the following: The impact you wish to have on the community Measurable goals and outcomes of the project Actions needed to implement each step of the project Assignment of responsibilities so that all work is covered Ongoing monitoring and data collection in the benefiting community Possible alternative approaches if activities do not yield the desired impact
- STEPHEN You can use the GG application to help you formalize your thinking. This page, found under "Sustainability” in the GG application, is your opportunity to lay out your plan, in detail and with specific dates. The process of working out this section will allow you thoroughly review the flow of your project and to organize your thoughts about what will happen when. It also gives you a blueprint to share with all your partners. Note: once written, you cannot change the order that events are listed except by deleting the whole Implementation Plan and starting again. Notice from the example that there is overlap on some of the things we plan to do. The folks at TRF are used to reading these plans and will have no problems if some things are listed out of chronological order Note: Click the pencil icon to edit and the “x”: to remove an item
- STEPHEN Here is a sample budget. The “category” is chosen from a drop down list. You must supply the Description of each budget item, a Supplier name, and costs. Note that it will be written in the currency of the Host country. Be as detailed as you want. Things like quotes for purchased items can be attached to the application.
- STEPHEN The TRF match is as follows: Club cash – 50% District money – 100% There is a 5% surcharge on Club money for support of TRF operations Note that the software will tell you what the maximum request from the World Fund will be on any given combinations of funding lines. You then must choose the amount and enter it. NBB.. The bottom line of the Budget & Financing MUST match to the penny or the application cannot be submitted
- STEPHEN When you measure your success, you can show that you made a difference. Rotary’s reputation as an effective and committed humanitarian service organization depends on your club and the thousands of other clubs that contribute to our global impact. We want to measure the good we do in the world, so we’ve built it into our global grant requirements. Quantifying your impact also makes it easier to publicize what you’ve accomplished. TIP: Be present during implementation and keep detailed notes. Have a local Rotarian do this job if you are not able to be present. Be sure to record the names of all Rotarians/Rotaractors/Interactors involved in the implementation and note what they did. This information will be invaluable when writing your Project report.
- STEPHEN Consider the outcome you want your project to have in the community and how that positive change can be measured. Use the Global Grant Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Supplement to find measurable data points and develop your evaluation plan, which you’ll include in your grant application: Be specific about who will benefit from your project and what benefits they will receive Establish baseline data and set benchmarks to measure your progress during and after the project Specify your measurement methods Create a timeline Budget 5 to 10 percent of project funds to cover evaluation expenses, such as local travel, services rendered by individuals or agencies, and supplies. Because measuring our success is so important, Rotary expects to see evaluation provided for in every global grant budget.
- ERIC Thank you, Stephen, for your thoughts about how to develop a solid project that could be eligible for global grant funding. Now I’d like to invite David to speak about how the local resource network can support this process.
- DAVID Thank you Eric. Before I go into detail about how a local resource network can help in this process and specifically how District 9810 calls upon its local experts, let me give you background on the initiative to leverage Rotarian expertise to improve projects and global grants. Last Rotary year, the TRF Board of Trustees and Rotary’s Board of Directors approved the project enhancement initiative to assist clubs with identifying resources for greater project impact and success. There are four high-level goals of project enhancement: 1. To improve Rotarians’ capacity to design and implement high-quality projects 2. To strengthen Rotarians’ effectiveness in mobilizing local resources and networks 3. To increase the use of Rotarian expertise in global grant planning and design And 4. To create and strengthen Rotarian-led coalitions (comprised of Cadre, RAGs, Rotaract, Alumni Peace Fellows, others)
- DAVID This initiative was operationalized when the RI Board approved the updated role of District International Service Chairs. I serve as the District International Service Chair for District 9810 and my role is complemented by my experience as a member of the Cadre of Technical Advisers. In addition to motivating clubs to become more involved in international service, we are responsible for: Promoting resources, including print, training materials, and subject-matter experts, to clubs and districts; Identifying local Rotarians with technical expertise and an interest in consulting clubs on elements of project planning and implementation; Building or expanding your district’s resource network by working closely with fellow district and club leaders to identify and recruit local experts. That expertise includes technical expertise in the areas of focus and experience with Rotary’s global grants process, and project planning; AND Supporting the efforts of the district Rotary Foundation committee by being the key contact for Rotarian experts in their district resource network Earlier, Stephen referred to collaboration as being necessary to develop your project plan and the importance of sponsoring clubs working together. Just as crucial is the collaboration among district and club leaders in in building a network of Rotarian experts.. That’s certainly the case within my district. I work closely with my fellow district leaders like the District Governor, the District Rotary Foundation Chair, and other foundation committee chairs involved in projects and grants activities to find the expertise needed.
- DAVID During the project enhancement pilot, we learned the importance of involving local experts from the project’s host country in planning and implement a project. Teams of technical experts travelled to international communities to offer consultations. Experts were there anywhere between 1-3 weeks and the collaboration was effective. Unfortunately, once the international team left, the project’s host clubs found it very challenging to continue communicating with experts and tapping into their knowledgebase. Essentially, regular communication and the transfer of knowledge was limited to that very brief period when an international team was in-country. To address these challenges, district international service chairs are working with fellow district and club leaders to identify and recruit local Rotarians, program, participants and alumni to build teams of local technical experts to advise on projects to be implemented in their own region. District international service chairs are encouraged to identify Cadre members, Rotarian Action Group members, as well as Alumni, Rotaractors, Peace Fellows when building their resource network. Networks can also can include club members who have been successful with projects and global grants in the past. By connecting clubs to local experts -- early in the planning process -- projects have a better likelihood of success. And that’s precisely the goal of project enhancement: to help districts can develop higher quality, sustainable global grants by connecting clubs to local experts. This isn’t to say that international project/grant partners aren’t important. Experts from the international partners’ side can help evaluate project proposals and advise whether the club should agree to serve as an international partner on a project. They can also help identify which types of local experts the host club should be involved in their projects. I will discuss how District 9810 leverages our resource network as an international partner on projects and grants.
- DAVID So what is the purpose of our D9810 Resource Network? We want to encourage Clubs to initiate a major international project (addressing the Focus Areas) When the Club Leadership Plan was introduced several years ago, it encouraged clubs to rationalise the Avenues of Service Club Committee Chairs to a single Chair in charge of Service Projects. In smaller D9810 Clubs (less than 15 people), many do not have a dedicated International Service Chair. This has impacted on the number of Clubs represented at the International Service session of our District Training Assembly, and a reduction in the number of D9810 Clubs taking on Global Grant projects, instead taking on ‘less onerous’ District Grant projects. We offer guidance from local technical experts and Grants process experts For those Clubs that do take on significant Global Grant projects, and seek support from the DISC, assistance is available from both a technical perspective and in developing a compliant, high quality Global Grant Application. We want to raise awareness of RI resources for improving Service Projects and Grants Applicants are encouraged to base their application on key RI resource documents to ensure alignment with Focus Area policy and objectives. We want to assist Clubs to increase the impact and sustainability of their international service projects Technical advisers offer advice on strengthening Grant Applications and ensuring that the Applicant addresses sustainability of the proposed investment. And raise awareness of the significant investment of D9810 Clubs in Humanitarian Service Many Clubs in D9810 tend to ‘fly under the radar’ by completing international service projects that don’t involve Grants (e.g. Rotary Australia World Community Service). It is our objective to provide an annual inventory of D9810 Humanitarian Service Projects to encourage more Clubs to participate and attract funding support from outside the Rotary network.
- DAVID
- DAVID
- DAVID This Slide presents an overview of the components of our District Resource Network. I should add at this point, that I will give you an example of how the network is applied to a Global Grant project in the following slides - but first I need to outline the components. 1) Working from the top of the diagram, the first tier of the model comprises 5 x Rotarians with a high level of expertise in all aspects of successfully completing an international service project. These experts are tasked with ensuring the ‘Compliance’ of a project proposal and offering high level guidance on all aspects of the project. The key roles are: - DISC (who happens to also be a member of the Cadre of Technical Advisers), the District Foundation Grants Coordinator, and the Rotary Australia World Community Service Chair, - who is the link to the Donations in Kind Warehouse – which houses a wide variety of high quality used and new (superseded) clothing, dental chairs, hospital beds,, desks, books etc. – which are shipped to projects in developing countries (more than $20m over the last 10 years). The District Foundation Grants Coordinator is a critical person in the network – Clubs planning a project requiring DDF must receive approval in Principal of the availability of funds. So our Grants Chair is often the first to know about emerging projects, triggering a collaborative response to ensure that appropriate experts are consulted. Typically DDF in our District can support up to 6 or 7 Global Grants per year, - ensuring expertise is readily available to support Clubs to work through the Grant application process. 2) The next Tier of our Model - (Partnerships), comprises Rotarians with a talent for finding funds from all manner of sources (locally and internationally); - Area of Focus subject matter experts; - and country liaison specialists with a sound knowledge of high achieving Clubs in partner countries. 3) The next Tier (Training), indicates our training of Rotarians in conducting International Service Projects. For a Club to participate in a Global Grant, a representative must attend a Foundation Grants Management Seminar to build knowledge of the Grants process. The challenge is to ensure that Club International Service Chairs (CISC) recognise the importance of attending this Seminar. There is a further training session for CISCs at the District Training Assembly and in the first quarter of the new Rotary year, we hold an International Service Professional Development Seminar which provides participants with an overview of the end to end process of conducting an international service project, - reinforcing the support available through the District Resource Network. With the increased magnitude of Grant projects since the commencement of the Future Vision program in 2013, comes the need for stronger project management skills – not the forte of the average Rotarian. D9810 plans to introduce a Project Management Seminar given that this has been identified as a significant weakness in the management of large international projects, particularly those that don’t incur the scrutiny of the Grants process. 4) The fourth Tier of the D9810 Resource Network is the Communication of information about International Service, largely through the District website, which includes links to key information on the Rotary International website. We also plan to maintain a Register of International Projects which will be used to generate an Annual D9810 International Service Report: - and support publicity at the annual District Conference.
- DAVID The D9810 Resource Network has been in place (informally) for 5 years providing assistance to project sponsors. The role of the DISC is a little like the role of an orchestra conductor calling in the various components of expertise to ensure a well executed piece of work. It is important that the DISC has a good overall knowledge of the process to deliver successful international service projects as well as a good knowledge of the networks beyond the District that can provide invaluable knowledge to avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ or duplicating (or negatively impacting on) the effort of other Aid agencies already working in the region. This slide shows 3 examples where experts have contributed to the Grant Application development process. It highlights how collaboration and teamwork contributes to high impact projects.
- DAVID [add]
- DAVID As an example of how clubs are working with experts: The Kirawina Global Grant project, Papua New Guinea (approx US$100,000) was the first ‘end to end’ trial in D9810 of the Resource Network assisting a Club project sponsor from initial planning stages through to final reporting of publicity material. In the beginning, the Project Manager was briefed on undertaking a community assessment particularly focusing on water, sanitation and hygiene aspects of a system upgrade. A major achievement of the technical advisers was to convince the project manager of the unsuitability of pit latrines on a coral atoll with a high water table, - in favour of installing a ‘composting’ solution which was successfully ‘socialized’ with the local community. When the Global Grant application ran into difficulty, with a number of questions that could not be readily resolved by the Project Manager (and if not resolved - would have been to the detriment of the project), negotiations between the D9810 Cadre member and The Rotary Foundation Regional Grants Officer resolved all matters to the satisfaction of TRF and the project manager, achieving a greater overall project impact as a result of the negotiation. We also use our Rotarian Funding Experts to ‘broker’ arrangements with other Districts, particularly for Global Grant projects within Australia, where, under Grant Conditions, we need to raise 30% of project funds from Districts in other countries.
- DAVID Community assessment / community engagement was essential to preserve the integrity of the ‘informal’ village structure and in working with the community to identify culturally appropriate solutions – on Kirawina Island Papua New Guinea.
- DAVID Here we show an example of the village mapping exercise we asked the Kirawina Project Manager to complete, in the early stages of planning the WASH upgrade project.
- DAVID Our D9810 technical experts worked with the Project Manager to identify various sanitation options suited to the soil structure – to replace pit latrines. Kirawina Island. The composting toilets that replace the pit latrines do not impact on the water table and provide compost for fruit trees and food production.
- ERIC Thank you, David. At this point I would like to open the discussion up to questions from the audience.
- ERIC Thank you to everyone for asking such thought-provoking questions. We are at the end of our time here today, but I would like to remind you that this presentation and others from throughout the convention are available through the convention mobile app and online.
- ERIC Your feedback is valuable so remember to complete the brief session evaluation in the convention mobile app. To download the app, search for “Rotary Events” in your Apple or Android app store. Thank you for attending this session.