Building Capacity of Local Community Development Organizations (2001-2005)
22-0806-05

Project Profile

This project promote sustainable and productive mixed crop agriculture-livestock livelihoods of Sumatran families by strengthening the capacity of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to develop empowered, sustainable rural community-based organizations (CBOs).

This project support the activities of a Learning Community (LC) of about 20 local, Sumatran-based NGOs whose mission statement is To strengthen LC member NGOs to carry out effective and sustainable grassroots community development. The LC uses various methods to enable the NGOs to learn together and from each other". Each of the NGOs works in community development by strengthening community organizations. All of the LC members have the potential to become Heifer International - Indonesia project partners.

The project support: 

1. Five Annual Learning Community Consultations (ALCC) attended by directors or senior staff from 20 Sumatran-based NGOs that practice values-based planning and management.

2. An Organizational Capacity Self-Assessment done for each NGO.

3. Twenty trainings/workshops staff from each of 20 NGOs in various capacity-building topics.

4. Ten training modules for CBOs by holding ten workshops for small teams of NGO trainers.

5. Training of members from about 50 CBOs for each of up to ten subject areas in various capacity-building issues.

6. Planning Grants (up to 5 per year) to encourage NGOs to use the CM with CBOs.

7. Mentoring Grants (up to 10 per year) provided to more experienced NGOs to support other NGOs to implement various trainings with their CBOs or activities within their NGO.

8. Thirty-two study visits or cross-trainings for selected NGO staff and/or CBO members.

9. Ten issues of the Learning Community Bulletin to LC members and others.

10. The translation and publication of ten articles/reports/books regarding organizational capacity building.

11. Monitoring (annually at ALCC), evaluation (5^th year), and impact assessment of these activities (during the 5^th year) on the capacity of LC members and on how it affects their work with CBO’s and farm families.

Heifer Indonesia is the project holder.

Indonesia is undergoing a rapid and tremendous transformation. Local NGOs can help communities respond and adjust to these changes. The NGO sector, however, was stifled during the 30+ years of former President Suharto’s rule. Since the demise of Suharto in May 1997, the situation in Indonesia is far more conducive to the development of a civil society. NGOs are attempting to adapt to this freer, but sometimes hostile environment, and shed the "survival" strategy they used during the Suharto era. They are trying to rely less on one strong leader and function more as organizations.

The focus of many local, rural community development NGOs is to develop and strengthen CBOs, which include farmer organizations, cooperatives, and groups. Properly managed, CBO’s can provide human, financial, material and informational resources, and market outlets to smallholder farm families that may have limited access to these resources. Due to the previous manipulative regime, however, most government-sponsored CO’s were sometimes elitist and corrupt, but often ineffective and weak.

There is, however, a lack of local organizations that focus on NGO and CBO capacity building in Indonesia. Thus, Heifer Indonesia works in partnership with local NGOs and their CBOs by emphasizing the "organization, not the project, as the unit of development". Creating enduring, effective, and efficient local NGOs and COs is an important aspect of sustainable agricultural development. The LC is a means by which Heifer International - Indonesia helps strengthen local NGOs to prepare them for handling farm-level projects.

By the end of the project, about 20 NGOs have up to three of their staff trained in each of up to ten different capacity-building topics as decided by the LC. These NGOs will also have received training in values-based planning and management through its application in each of five ALCC. Selected trainers will have received training in the design of participatory trainings, while trainers from all NGOs will have the opportunity to give participatory trainings to their CBOs. Members from about 60 CBO’s will have received participatory trainings in up to ten topics.

This process develop the skills and capabilities of NGOs and their staff. They will then transfer some of these to their CBOs through trainings and follow-up activities. The CBO level activities will increase the skills and capacity of individual farmer members, and ultimately farm families.

Heifer International is currently the sole donor for this project, but some funding assistance is being sought from other local sources to support certain LC activities.

Each NGO has agreed to contribute Rp 100.000/yr (about $210/yr) toward LC administrative costs. Some LC member NGOs provided staff time and logistical support. Others host and sponsor other events related to the LC. CBOs and farm families provided their own meals and snacks for trainings and help establish demonstration plots or other activities.

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