This slideshow from the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction was presented as part of the Agroforestry Development Impact Seminar (ADIS) series.

1. Seminar title:
Shared Value through partnerships at IIRR :
Overcoming Poverty Through Innovation and
Community Empowerment

2. Abstract
Overcoming Poverty through Innovation and Community Empowerment
IIRR’s community development and capacity building presence in Africa dates back to 1995,
and even over the past 30 years, hundreds of development practitioners from Africa have
been trained at its international center in the Philippines. The Institute attributes its
success to its conviction that interventions targeting the rural poor communities achieve
better results when those implementing such interventions go to the people, live among
them, learn from them and work with them in order to build from what they already know.
This, combined with our values and vision over the long term creates shared value for
partners, the learning communities themselves and the society. Creating partnerships that
benefit from shared Values is therefore IIRR’s main occupation. That’s how it connects with
society at large. The three pillars driving IIRR’s work are Equity, Justice and Peace. IIRR
focuses on four main programmatic areas namely Food Security and Sustainable Wealth
Creation; Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation; Education for
Pastoralists and other Marginalized Communities and; Applied Learning, which deals with
local learning for global sharing. IIRR’s Learning Community approach addresses the
overall well-being of the rural communities, as partners, including rural farmers, small
traders, marginalized groups, etc, whose intrinsic experiences are captured through the
sharing of lessons learnt. The long-term immersions make IIRR capacity building sessions
unique and effective. The success of IIRR’s strategy is anchored on its great capacity on
value sharing, capturing lessons learnt and documentation of experiences. In this session,
IIRR will share examples of how its value sharing concept has worked to the benefit of
partners including communities in Africa.

3. Presenter’s Biodata
Nalere Patrick, is the Regional Director, The
International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR)
Africa Regional Centre.
Patrick has been with IIRR for 3 years now. He is a
Ugandan, and he is married with 4 children. He holds a
Bsc degree in Economics, MA in Economic Policy &
Planning, MBA and is a PhD student at Leeds Beckett
University, UK.
He started his career in Economics with Ministry of
Finance in Uganda, and has worked with various INGOs
besides teaching in regional universities. Over 20 years
of work experience at national and international level
in senior management positions.

4. Who is IIRR?
• The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) is a research and capacity
building non-governmental, non-profit international organization that works with the
rural poor in developing countries to eradicate poverty and to improve their lives by
building on their unique assets and strengths. Its headquarters are in the Philippines.
• Through its Africa Regional office and Country offices in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South
Sudan and Zimbabwe, IIRR also works with partner organizations in Kenya, Tanzania,
Uganda, Zambia and Rwanda.
• In these countries, the Institute has provided technical and training support in
organizational development, strategic planning, project management, food security,
and gender and communication issues.

5. Vision
We envision a world of equity, justice, and peace where people achieve their full
potential and live a life of quality and dignity in harmony with the environment.
Mission
We enable communities and those who work with them to develop innovative yet
practical solutions to poverty through a community-led development approach
and widely share these lessons to encourage replication.
Values
Our continuous effort to build the capacity of the poor and those who work with
them is based on our belief in the following principles:
1.Partnerships - We work in partnerships based on mutual respect, knowledge,
trust, and help
2.Teamwork - A multi-disciplinary approach, valuing diversity, and inclusive
communication
3.Excellence - Highly professional work that demands accountability and good
governance
4.Individual Qualities of Character, Competence, Commitment, and Creativity
(the 4Cs)

6. IIRR credo
We are inspired and live by our credo.
Go to the people
Live among them
Learn from them
Plan with them
Work with them
Start with what they know
Build on what they have
Teach by showing
Learn by doing
Not a showcase but a pattern
Not odds and ends but a system
Not piecemeal but an integrated approach
Not to conform but to transform
Not relief but release.

7. IIRR Structure
HQ
(PHILIPPINES)
EthiopiaEthiopia
South SudanSouth Sudan
UgandaUganda
KenyaKenya
Africa Regional Centre
(NAIROBI)
Asia Regional Centre
(PHILIPPINES)
Zimbabwe (SA & ZM)Zimbabwe (SA & ZM)
CambodiaCambodia
PhilippinesPhilippines
Board
(USA)

8. The four Program Themes
The 4 themes to form the content of the Learning
Communities and Training Activities:
1.Education for Pastoralists and Other Marginalized
Communities;
2.Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change
Adaptation;
3.Food Security and Sustainable Wealth Creation;
4.Applied Learning, which cuts across the above three
Learning Community programs.

9. PROGRAM GOALS
1. Education for Pastoralists and Other Marginalized
Communities
“Reaching out and transforming pastoralists and marginalized
communities through education”
Quality education is a foundation for human development. In
the years to come, IIRR and partners will focus their efforts in
Early Child Development, Primary and Secondary Education and
Livelihoods-led Adult Literacy to attain the following goals and
objectives.
The Goal: Children and youth, especially girls of pastoralists and
other marginalized communities, have access to quality basic
education through responsive alternative approaches.

10. 2. Food Security and Sustainable Wealth Creation
“Empowered communities and entrepreneurs for food
security and prosperity”
The Goal: Communities, smallholder producers and
young entrepreneurs, including women, become
productive and protect their environment, meet their
nutritional needs and create wealth.
At the individual, household and community levels, the
program endeavors to ensure food security.
Smallholder producers (youth and women) in addition to
ensuring food security, build assets,generate wealth.

11. 3. Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation
“Building resilient communities in safe environments”
The Goal: Communities are resilient to increasing
disaster risks and are able to adapt to climate change.
•Strengthen the Community-Managed approaches for
disaster resilience enabling people to continuously
assess their risks, realize their current capacities, take
effective preparedness measures, and have a timely
response to minimize risk of disaster with no or
minimum external support.

12. 4. Applied Learning
“Local learning for global sharing”
To reaffirm our commitment to the Credo and the methods of people-
centered development, use Applied Learning efforts (trainings, technical
assistance, and publications) to strategically link our work in the Learning
Communities with practical hands-on learning.
The goal: To ensure development work globally is effective and impactful,
IIRR will coach peer development organizations (NGOS, CSOs and
government) and contribute to the body of knowledge on
organizational/program effectiveness and good governance.
•Trainings are conducted near IIRR Learning Community locations.
•Transform field experience into a unique, informed, evolving, training
curriculum and also enrich field work and on-site learning through the
participation of the Applied Learning attendees.

13. IIRR Program Design Chart
ppp
LEARNING COMMUNITY
PROGRAM THEMES
LEARNING COMMUNITY
PROGRAM THEMES
CROSS CUTTING AND
SUB‐PROGRAMS
APPLIED LEARNING
Food Security,
Asset Building,
and Sustainable
Wealth Creation
Education for
Pastoralists and
marginalized
communities
Disaster Risk
Reduction and
Climate Change
Adaptation
Trainings
Publications and
Writeshops
Technical
Services
Education of Pastoralists and
Marginalized Communities
• Gender/HIV and AID
• School Health and Nutrition
• Nutrition / Big
DRR/CCA
• Gender and HIV /AIDS
• Sustainable AgNRM t
• Demographic Health
Food Security, , and Sustainable
Wealth Creation
• Gender and HIV/AIDS
• Enterprise Development and
value Chains
• Community Health and
Nutrition

14. Approaches to attain program goals
1. Learning Community Approach
• Community members affected by poverty lead and fully
participate in the entire process of development so that the
efforts can be sustained.
2. Working in Partnership
• Partnership with communities and those who work with them
3. Documentation and Publication using
Writeshops
• Engage in generation, acquisition, documentation,
simplification, packaging, sharing and translation of knowledge
using writeshops among many organizations in Africa, Asia,
Latin America, the US and Europe.

15. Approaches to attain program goals
cont…
4. Linking Applied Learning to Learning Community Centers;
•Conduct training both in classrooms or implement field projects
5. Unleashing the Potential of Women and Youth;
•Investing in a girl’s education has been shown to increase her
skills and confidence, delay marriage, which in turn puts
population growth in check, prevents domestic and gender-
based violence, and improves household economy and health,
resulting in reduced morbidity and mortality.
6. Integration of Programs
•attempt to combine programs within Learning Communities and
communities where we work for a deeper impact.

16. IIRR goals for the next 2010-15 years related to partnerships.
1. Partnership strategy with a standardized contract checklist, MOPs,
and guidelines;
2. Screened current partners and selected those that fit within our
strategy;
3. Continue to learn from partners and support capacity development
of partners to effectively implement programs;
4. Form strategic alliances with selected organizations to jointly
fundraise, network and advocate for meaningful change on a larger
scale;
5. To grow partnerships with UN agencies, donors and other
international organizations to replicate and scale up some of its
good work with communities;
6. IIRR will forge new partnerships with universities and other
academic and research organizations in the North and South to
catalyze science simplification, joint research, and publications and
experience exchange.

17. Purpose and Rationale
Partnerships are central for IIRR in successfully
implementing this new strategy.
Like other development actors, IIRR believes that no single
organization can work in isolation as long as the needs of
the communities that they serve remain many and diverse.
IIRR is obliged to work with others to fulfill is mandates,
strategic goals and specific objectives.
To IIRR the “partnership concept” refers to:
“formal relationship between IIRR and other development
actors to achieve a common development goal or objective ”

18. Value addition/ Benefits
Our partnership give several benefits, some of which are:
1.Enhance effectiveness and efficiency of our
development efforts;
2.Provides access to crucial resources, - expertise,
Facilities;
3.Produces new knowledge to inform our development
efforts – based on Sharing of information & best
practices and lessons learnt derived from partnership;
4.Stimulates collaboration which will build collective
voice that will have greater impact on policy and
governance.

19. Areas of Possible Partnership
• Knowledge management, documentation and dissemination;
• Domestic and international trade through VCD & Actors
empowerment ;
• Downscaling climate change predictions, especially DRR/CCA ;
• Promote non-wood products interventions e.g beekeeping,
etc);
• Food security and wealth creation ;
• Renewable energy, energy saving, watershed management;
• Facilitating strategic thinking and development;
• Facilitating Results based programming M&E, tailored on NRM;
• Internship program for fresh graduates on DRR/CCA;
• Providing consultancy and customized technical assistance;
• Institutional and human capacity development ;

20. Who Do We Partner With?
Globally we work with more than 150 organizations:
1. Donor/ development partners
2. Government Ministries and parastatals
3. Private sector
4. Local and international NGOs
5. Community based organizations
6. Etc
Example of our partners
• UN Habitat; FAO; AGRA; ILRI; RACIDA; CIFA; HEIFER
International; ACT!; ICRAF

21. Our Principles of Sustainable Partnership
Our partnership principles are built around mutuality which is imbedded in our
core values of mutual trust, mutual respect, mutual knowledge, and mutual help.
These also inform effectiveness:
3. Mutual Trust between partners
True and lasting partnership is built around mutual trust, which lead to mutual
transparency through dialogue (on equal footing), with an emphasis on frequent
consultations and open sharing of information.
1. Mutual respect
• At an individual level, IIRR recognizes that all people have worth and right to make
their own decisions and lead their lives. At the organization level, IIRR and partners
recognize and respect each other’s autonomy and find common grounds for
attaining development goals.
2. Mutual Knowledge/ Join learning
This principle recognizes that all people and organizations have experiences,
resources, talents; local and traditional know-how which form the ingredient for
successful partnership.

22. Our Principles of Sustainable Partnership
cont…
4. Mutual Help
The diversity of our partners (PO, CBO, NGO, LGU) is an asset to build
on and complement each other’s contributions. E.g local knowledge
of POs and CBOs is one of the main assets to enhance and on which
to build upon.
5. Mutual Accountability and Good Governance
• IIRR and partners are accountable to each other and more so to public and
communities as well as the development process at large.
Measurement of effectiveness
We measure effectiveness of our partnerships through:
1. Partners’ satisfaction
2. Achievement of program goals and objectives

23. Importance and Challenges
Importance and lesson learnt
1. Produces strategic advantage in program implementation;
2. Allows donor funds to make a greater impact – potential for
scaling up;
3. Control in partnerships tends to lie with those who have the
money, skills and administration ;
4. Promotes advocacy for policy change
5. Enhances resource mobilization
6. Generates and dissemination of evidence-based practices;
7. Establish appropriate decision-making structures and
rules

24. Challenges
1. How to balance power
2. Financial constraints
3. Leadership capacities

25. Recognition of come current Trends
1. A shift in the degree of influence and
responsibility being accorded to local
partners;
2. Resource contribution ( matching) by
recipient organization not only in in-kind form
but in hard cash;
3. Acting as partners rather than as contractors

26. Questions to Pose
1. What is the future of partnership especially
in Africa?
2. Can smallholder farmers become genuine
partners in development? What needs to be
done?

27. 27

28. Thank you