2008 integrated development plan - un … community_eng.pdf5 ttujur community 2006-2008 integrated...

Approved by TtujurCommunity Council On August 9, 2006

Republic of ArmeniaGegharkunik Marz

TTUJUR COMMUNITY 2006-2008INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Ttujur Village - 2006

CCOONNTTEENNTTSS

1. Introduction .............................................................................32. General Overview...................................................................43. Vision of Ttujur Community ....................................................64. Social-Economic Overview.....................................................75. Problem Identification and Analysis......................................186. Analysis of Priority Problems................................................207. Statement of Outputs............................................................228. Medium-Term Projects..........................................................229. Project Development ............................................................2410. Annexes ..............................................................................26

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Introduction

To facilitate sustainable and integrated rural development and to assistlocal government bodies and the rural population of Armenia, the UnitedNations Development Program (UNDP) has, jointly with the TtujurCommunity and in cooperation with the Republic of Armenia Ministry ofForeign Affairs, in view of the forthcoming Third Diaspora-ArmeniaConference, initiated and elaborated the 2006-2008 IntegratedDevelopment Plan of the Community.

This effort has not been confined to functions currently performed by theCommunity. The Development Plan is anchored in a CommunityDevelopment Vision articulated by its inhabitants, covering the developmentgoals of the community as a whole. The Plan has been developed by meansof conducting a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the external envi-ronment on the Community, the social-economic situation in the Community,and the existing and potential capacity and resources (natural, geographic,economic, social, financial, and human). It is a guideline for integrated com-munity development, which may serve as a basis for policy-making at all lev-els of government.

Financial resources and project outputs have been evaluated in order tomake the Plan even more realistic.

The Plan is in conceptual agreement with the UN MillenniumDevelopment Goals and Targets, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Program,the 2006-2008 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework adopted by theArmenian Government, the Integrated Development Plan of Armenia’sBorderline Regions, the Millennium Challenge Program, and theGegharkunik Marz Development Plan*.

The objectives and priorities set forth in the Plan are not final and can beadjusted in the course of implementation.

The Planning process and methodology are presented in Annex 1.

3* Approved by Republic of Armenia Government Decree 404-N dated March 31, 2005.

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2. General Overview

Gegharkunik Marz (Region). TheGegharkunik Marz of the Republic ofArmenia is located in the East of thecountry and includes Lake Sevan. Itborders Azerbaijan, the Kotayk, Ararat,and Vayotz Dzor Marzes of Armenia.The Marz capital is the City of Gavar.There are five urban (Gavar, Sevan,Vardenis, Chambarak, and Martuni)and 87 rural communities in the Marz*.The Marz has a surface area of 5,348square kilometers, of which agriculturalland occupies 2,400.3 square kilome-ters (240,033 hectares). The Marz takes up 17.9% of Armenia’s territory; ithad a population of 239,300 as of April 1, 2006, of which 79,700 were urbanand 159,600—rural**. Lake Sevan (1,260 square kilometers) is essentialfor not only the Marz, but also the whole country. Lake Sevan is the largestfresh water basin in the Caucasus. The Lake has an essential impact on theenvironmental balance and economy of the Marz. The leading sector in theMarz is agriculture: production of potato, vegetables, and livestock productsis particularly developed***. Gegharkunik’s agriculture contributed 14.1% ofthe country’s gross agriculture output in 2005. The Marz is the main suppli-er of fresh fish for the nation. Mining is a key sector of industry in the Marz.

According to the Integrated Household Living Standards Survey**** car-ried out by the Republic of Armenia National Statistical Service for 2004, theGegharkunik Marz has the second highest level of poverty (51.6%) after theShirak Marz (58%, compared to a national average of 39%). Gegharkunikis among the first in terms of social vulnerability of its population, as the vul-nerability index***** [of 45%] here is far above the national average [of36.6%].

The Marz has an abundance of historical and cultural monuments,including the Hayravank Monastery, the Makenis Monastery, the VanevanMonastery Complex, and the Sevan Peninsula Monastery Complex.

* Republic of Armenia Gegharkunik Marz Development Plan, Yerevan 2005, p. 11.** Republic of Armenia National Statistical Service, Statistical Bulletin, Yerevan 2006, p. 6.*** www.region.am****Social-Economic Situation in Armenia, January-September 2005, p. 165, NSS.***** Vulnerable Population in Marzes of Armenia, Armenia Social Trends Information-Analytical Bulletin, p. 18, UNDP, October 2005, p. 18.

Gegharkunik Marz

Ttujur

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Background

The Village Ttujur is located in the Gegharkunik Marz, on the right bankof the River Getik, one kilometer away from Armenia’s state border withAzerbaijan. Ttujur is 100 kilometers away from the City of Gavar. TheVillage is located between the Miapor and Areguni mountains. An ample for-est (of pines, ash-trees, pear trees, acacias, and other trees) founded in1962 spreads on the hills of Areguni. The Areguni springs, which the localscall “Yot Aghbyur” (“seven springs”) supply 80-85% of the potable water ofthe Village. Their sources are 10 kilometers away from the Village. The vil-lage has been named “Ttujur” because of the mineral “sour water” (“sourwater” is “ttu jur” in Armenian) that flows in the central part of the Village.

Ttujur’s current residents moved here from the villages of the formerShamshadin District in approximately the 1920s. However, the Village ismuch older, as confirmed by an old ruined church in the middle of theVillage, the timing of which has not been clearly established (10th-12th cen-turies, according to some sources).

The Village is at a crossroads of the national Chambarak-Berd, Chambarak-Ijevan, and Chambarak-Dilijan highways. Its climate is dry continental: the win-ter is cold, and the summer cool. Some years, like this year, there is drought.Heavy rains and floods, too, inflict much damage, when the River Getik comesout of its way*. The people of Ttujur are mainly engaged in livestock breedingand husbandry. There is an emerging interest in bee-keeping.

In addition to a ruined church, there are ancient Armenian tombstonesand cross-stones (“khachkars”) in the territory of the Village.

Our Villagee has a miracclee——gift of naturee that ccan beeccomee thee appeeal fortourists.. Thee ccomposition of thee mineeral wateer that flows in thee middlee ofVillagee has beeeen eexamineed on numeerous occccasions.. No organization haseeveer cconccludeed that thee wateer ccontains any harmful eeleemeents; insteead, theereearee only positivee opinions about this wateer that has beeeen in usee for about twocceenturiees now (it has ccurativee eeffeecct, as weell).. A bottling workshop ccannotbee organizeed heeree duee to thee limiteed flow of wateer (0..1 liteers peer seeccond)..Howeeveer, it has strong poteential of faccilitating tourism deeveelopmeent..

Samvel Stepanyan, Sole Entrepreneur living in TtujurA segment from the essay contest on the topic

“My Vision for the Development of Ttujur”

* To protect the soil on the banks of Getik from erosion and slides, the Armenia TreeProject has undertaken a Tree Planting initiative from April and May, 2006. Seewww.armeniatree.org/atpnews/news_press

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3. Vision of Ttujur Community

The community vision is a desirable situation in the future towards whichall the members of the community collectively aspire.

VViissiioonn ooff TTttuujjuurr CCoommmmuunniittyy

TThhee ppeeooppllee ooff TTttuujjuurr lliivvee aa ppeeaacceeffuull lliiffee.. TThhee rreessiiddeennttss hhaavvee eemmppllooyy-mmeenntt tthhaatt mmaattcchheess tthheeiirr sskkiillllss aanndd ccaappaabbiilliittiieess.. TThhee hhaarrvveesstt ffrroomm ffeerrttiilleellaanndd pplloottss ccuullttiivvaatteedd uussiinngg tthheeiirr oowwnn aaggrriiccuullttuurraall mmaacchhiinneerryy iiss ttrraannssppoorrttttoo tthhee VViillllaaggee oovveerr ssaaffee rrooaaddss.. QQuuaalliittyy ppoottaabbllee wwaatteerr iiss ssuupppplliieedd rroouunnddtthhee cclloocckk.. TThhee CCoommmmuunniittyy bbuuddggeett hhaass rriiddddeedd iittsseellff ooff aarrrreeaarrss aanndd tthheelliieenn.. TThhee kkiinnddeerrggaarrtteenn iiss iinn ggoooodd ccoonnddiittiioonn aanndd hhaass tthhee rreeqquuiirreedd aasssseettss..CChhiillddrreenn aatttteenndd aa rreennoovvaatteedd aanndd rreeffuurrbbiisshheedd sscchhooooll..

Sections of the materials of the Essay Contest on "MyVision for Development of Ttujur"

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4. Social-Economic Overview*

4.1. Situation by Sectors

44..11..11 DDeemmooggrraapphhyyThe Community comprises 280 households. The actual population (as

of January 1, 2006) is 1,071, including 518 male and 553 female. The adultpopulation is 791, of which 281 are retired pensioners. In the Community,there are 72 disabled persons (of which 3 are wounded freedom-fighters), 3single mothers, 63 families receiving the family allowance, 35 families withmultiple (three or more) children, one refugee family, and 12 families ofdeceased freedom-fighters and families living in temporary housing.

In the Community, two families live in unsafe apartments. The Communityresidents are well-educated: 260 have higher and 310-vocational education.79 families have left the Village (of which 30 have moved abroad).

44..11..22 EEmmppllooyymmeennttThe Community population is mainly occupied in agriculture. The total

number of people employed in and outside of the Community is 424, ofwhich 257 are male and 167—female. 370 are employed in agriculture and47-in the service sector.

A milk supply station established three months ago has created employ-ment opportunities for five persons.

There are two shops in Ttujur, which employ a total of five persons.Seven members of the Community (including three women and four

men) are registered as unemployed.

44..11..33 AAggrriiccuullttuurreeThe Village is located at an altitude of 1,850-1,950 meters above sea

level. Its administrative territory is 1,913 hectares, of which 1,708 (89.3%)are agricultural land plots. Arable land takes up 610 hectares; pastures are705 hectares; grass fields are 289 hectares; and perennial plants occupy0.84 hectares. 60 hectares of home-adjacent land plots are mainly used togrow low-value crops, such as potato, beans, cabbage, carrots, and beet.721 hectares of land have been privatized. There isn’t any leased land.Moreover, two farms have already returned the privatized land to theCommunity. According to some estimates, the farms in the Community pro-

* There is scarce information on the social-economic situation in the Community due tothe lack of reporting, which has made the analysis rather difficult. Trends in certain sec-tors have been estimated on the basis of expert opinions and interviews.

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duced over 350 tons of potato in 2005. A serious problem for the Communityis the lack of fertilizer, chemicals, and professional counseling on plant cul-tivation and livestock breeding.

Livestock breeding is currently on the rise. Cattle and sheep breeding,as well as bee-keeping have sound prospects of development. During thelast three-four years, the number of cattle, sheep, and pigs in the Village hasgrown by 15-20%. As of January 1, 2006, the Community had a total of 911heads of cattle, including 440 cows, as well as 1,300 heads of sheep andgoats, 68 pigs, 1,600 poultry, including 950 hens, and 35 bee colonies. In2005, the Village produced 40 tons of meat, 500 tons of milk, 2.3 tons ofwool, 1.8 million eggs, and 525 kilograms of honey. There are serious prob-lems related to the sale of farm products made with much difficulty. Thefarmers sell them at much below-market prices to random intermediary buy-ers from the Village. The only exception is milk, which is supplied to therecently-established milk supply station.

For one month now, a veterinarian has been working in the Village in thecontext of functions delegated to the Community by the central governmentin the fields of veterinary service, anti-epidemiological measures, and animaldisease prevention activities; however, the veterinarian has been unable todeliver high-quality services due to the absence of necessary means.

Despite the existence of agricultural machinery in the Community (includ-ing five wheel tractors, eight caterpillar tractors, three mowing tractors, onesowing tractor, five plough tractors, and six trucks), they are outdated, worn-out, and not used appropriately for the needs of the Community. Thismachinery is mainly used in other communities that can afford to pay more.

Cultivation of land has become difficult in the Community (no grains wereplanted this year, and only 40% of the land is being cultivated) due to boththe extremely dangerous and poor state of field roads and the crumbling(due to floods) of the two bridges connecting the Village with the field.

Ttujur has one suspicious territory (of 750,000 square meters) that posesdanger because of personnel and tank mines; however, this territory has notbeen signposted or fenced. There have been five casualties in theCommunity (not recently), including three dead and two wounded*. Therehave been no training courses here on minesweeping, first aid to the wound-ed, or the dangerousness of mines.

The aforementioned suspicious territory hinders both grazing and grasscutting and transportation.

Agriculture suffers greatly from natural disasters. There is no protectionagainst either hail or flood.

* Information from the UN Minesweeping Program.

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44..11..44 NNoonn-AAggrriiccuullttuurraall OOccccuuppaattiioonnThere are two shops and a milk supply station in the Community. The

latter was created on the basis of a three-party agreement between theVillage Municipality, the Ashtarak-Kat company, and the Center forAgribusiness and Rural Development (CARD). CARD has invested AMD1,932,670 in leased equipment, while the space was provided at no cost bythe Village Municipality. The Community supplies about 1 ton of milk (3.6%fat) per day at the price of 85 drams for the liter.

Informally, there is an ironsmith business in the Community; because ofhis professionalism, the ironsmith’s services are demanded in the neighbor-ing communities, as well.

44..11..55 PPoottaabbllee WWaatteerr aanndd IIrrrriiggaattiioonnThe potable water network within the Community, which is 7 kilometers

long, is in poor state. Potable water is supplied from natural sources for 5-6 hours a day. Almost all the households have their own taps. 80 house-holds have initiated the construction of an additional water main from anoth-er source. The other 200 households receive water from the main line,which is connected to a reservoir that is unsafe due to land slides (interfer-ing with the structure of earth layers). This situation poses a great dangerto the houses located next to the reservoir—at a lower level. There are fre-quent accidents in the community potable water network. Water is suppliedto all the households by gravity, and the residents do not pay water fees.The external 10-kilometer network, too, is in poor state, although an exter-

Destroyed Bridge of Ttujur

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nal network and reservoir rehabilitation project has already been approvedby the Marz Governor’s Office*.

In the past, there was no need for an irrigation network, because theVillage did not have arable land. However, the climatic conditions havechanged; drought has become a more frequent occurrence; soil humidity issub-standard; and the construction of an irrigation network is gaining impor-tance in the agenda of the Village.

44..11..66 EEdduuccaattiioonn,, HHeeaalltthh,, aanndd CCuullttuurreeAccess to quality education is deemed essential by the Community. The Community nursery-kindergarten has operated since 1971. It was

most recently partially renovated in 1983. The assets of the nursery-kinder-garten were purchased in 1980.

For a year and two months in 1992, the nursery-kindergarten hadbecome home to an army field post, because of which, quite naturally, thecondition of the kindergarten building, assets, and toys deteriorated. All theassets currently used in the nursery-kindergarten should be written off.

The building is a typical kindergarten building designed for three groups.For about 27 years, 70-75 children attended here. There are now twogroups with a total of 33 children. Some children are in the waiting list, butit is still impossible to enroll them.

Starting from 2002, the UN World Food Program’s (WFP) “School Food”project has been active in the nursery-kindergarten. WFP has been supply-ing a mix of corn and soya, vegetable oil, and sugar. The parents’ contribu-tions are used to supplement other necessary components.

The staff of the kindergarten has not received any salaries since January2004.

After its opening in 1972, the Ttujur Secondary School has not under-gone any capital repairs to date. 165 pupils currently attend the school. Itwas once considered the most advanced school in the district; however, theschool has suffered from social and economic conditions. Even the bestgraduates of this school do not try to continue their education. Difficult timeshave come for the school. The roof has fallen apart. The window framesand sills have decayed. The tile floor in three of the classrooms has comeoff. The school has scarce furniture; though it tries to repair the desks andbenches on its own, a part of them has already become unusable. Theschool has not benefited from any renovation project, as opposed to otherschools in the vicinity.

* Information provided by the Community Mayor.

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Health services are delivered by a Marz-subordinate health post locatedin the administrative building of the Village Municipality. Two health profes-sionals are involved in disease prevention and early identification in theCommunity. There are sufficient resources for primary health care.

Cultural life is scarce. Experts say the culture center is no longer fit foruse and is unsafe. The book stock of the library located in the administra-tive building has not been updated during the last 15 years. The Communitydoes not have appropriate conditions either to support the social, spiritual,cultural, and physical development of young people, or to enable the fullrealization of their creative potential. There is neither a gym nor a play-ground. Spiritual life is not in abundance here. There is no church; a soleentrepreneur of the Village has put a fence around the ruins of what wasonce a church—trying to protect them from further damage.

44..11..77 UUttiilliittiieessThere is a natural gas network in the Community, but 70% of the popu-

lation currently does not have gas because of an accident affecting someportion of the gas main. Garbage removal is organized and superviseddirectly by the Village Municipality. A small share of the individual homes hasthe necessary utilities, such as bathrooms. The absence of sewerage is acommunity-wide problem. There is a street lighting system, which does notwork. The Community has decided to address this issue only after theCommunity budget arrears have been cleared.

44..11..88 TTrraannssppoorrtt aanndd CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonnssThe roughly 5-kilometer-long roads within the Village are in terrible state.

The Ttujur-Chambarak 4-kilometer road, too, is of poor quality, but this prob-lem will be solved in the near future with funding under the MillenniumChallenge Account Program Road Rehabilitation Component*.

About 60 kilometers of field roads are not passable: as earth roads with-out drainage, they have decayed and become dangerous over time. The twobridges connecting the Village to the cultivated land plots have fallen apart,and the agricultural machinery has to cross the river through the water.

The Ttujur-Chambarak-Yerevan bus operates daily. The fare is 1,500drams one way. There is a daily private minivan. There are four passengercars and one truck in the Community. A post office operates: “Yeter”, “TV-Alik”, and various crossword-puzzle journals are sold here. The Communityreceives newspapers free-of-charge from the editorial offices of Aravot andHayotz Ashkharh.

* www.mcc.am

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An internal telephone network with capacity for 170 subscribers operates.Its services are currently used by 150 households. Four families have accessto long-distance telephony. The quality of mobile telephone, too, is good here.The Community receives four TV channels (H1, H2, Shant, and RTR-Planeta).

44..11..99 HHoouussiinnggThe housing stock of the Community comprises 30,000 square meters.

15 families (including young families living in the parents’ homes) do nothave their own housing. 12 families (with a total of 50 members) live in tem-porary houses.

44..11..1100 NNaattuurraall EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt aanndd LLeeiissuurree AArreeaassThe main leisure area, with a “chatting area” and a round table surround-

ed by stone chairs, is near the “sour water” basin within the Community. Ontheir way to the field, the Community residents drink some water and fill theirbottles for the day. This leisure area is also used by people driving throughthe Village. The air is clean. The cleanness of the River Getik is endan-gered, as the sewerage from the neighboring village and household wasteare thrown into the River and may cause epidemics.

44..11..1111 SSoocciiaall TTiieess aanndd RReellaattiioonnssThe Community is not fully mobilized. Many famous individuals come

from this Village, including numerous scientists, doctors, pedagogues, andartists. Four doctor-professors and about a dozen candidates of science indifferent fields are from this Village.

Among the current population, there are some reputable individuals thatcan mobilize and lead the others. There is considerable progress towardssocial mobilization: the Village Mayor has initiated, with the support of theresidents, and is currently renovating the Village Event Hall: local expertsare converting the old woods that were not used to tables and chairs forhappy and sad events. The absence of a 550-meter fence around the ceme-tery is an important issue for the Community and, in the event of social mobi-lization, it will be possible to fill the gap of confidence, which arose becauseof the “vanishing” of money collected earlier to rebuild the fence.

Ttujur has a wonderful nature and charming and hard-working peoplethat have superb human values and are eager to create.

When you enter the Village, you simply want to kneel...

Knarik Boryan, a granddaughter of Ttujur, a summer resident of Ttujur

Excerpt from the minutes of the Ttujur Community Assembly

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44..11..1122 LLooccaall SSeellff-GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt BBooddiieessThe Community Mayor is Samvel Stepanyan, who has led the

Community since last year. He was elected on October 23, 2005 by defeat-ing two competitors. A 5-member Community Council was elected inFebruary 2006. The Community Mayor has created a six-position staff (atotal of 14 members, if the public infrastructure employees are included) withthe following structure:

Six members of the Village Municipality staff have higher, and the rest—vocational education. The staff needs professional training. TheMunicipality building needs complete renovation and lacks furniture andequipment.

44..11..1133 CCoommmmuunniittyy AAsssseettss aanndd BBuuddggeettThe two-floor administrative building of the Village Municipality was con-

structed in 1992. Although it has accommodated the Municipality Staff, thehealth post, and the library since being constructed, the building is still not

Focus Group Discussion in Ttujur

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owned by the Community because of the failure to do the required registra-tion and paperwork. The Community owns the nursery-kindergarten build-ing, the unsafe building of the culture center, and the irrigation and potablewater intra-community and external networks, the village roads, the ceme-tery, three community bridges, and the idle lighting network. The dire stateof field roads hinders the growing of grains. As a consequence, insolvencyof the population exacerbates the situation of the debt-burdened communitybudget. None of the Community-owned land has been leased. The home-adjacent land plots total 69 hectares. 17 households are land-deprived. 53households have less than 1 hectare of land each. 210 farms have between1 and 5 hectares. No farm in the Community has a land plot in excess of 5hectares.

The Community Budget has been subject to a lien since 2002. At pres-ent, the Judicial Enforcement Department is dealing with the CommunityBudget. The Community has 15 million drams of arrears, of which 6 milliondrams are wage arrears, 5 million drams are owed to the Pension Fund, andthe fines are incrementally growing, too. The budget is mainly filled by landtax (the collection of which is only 10-15% of the target), property tax, and asubsidy from the central government. The financial capacity of the VillageMunicipality does not support the implementation (or even the initiation) ofmedium-term projects deemed priorities by the Community; therefore, thecurrent year's Community budget does not contemplate any expenditures inthis area. This situation is a major obstacle to cooperation with entrepre-neurs and international investors.

The Village Municipality has no realistic strategy of how to clear itsarrears without external (state or donor) support, and remains burdened bythe arrears built up during the term of previous leaders.

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44..11..1144 PPrroojjeeccttss IImmpplleemmeenntteedd iinn tthhee CCoommmmuunniittyyAccording to information provided by the Mayor’s Office, the following

projects have been implemented in the Community in recent years:

After the Award Ceremony for the Essay Contest on “My Vision forDevelopment of Ttujur”

People of Ttujur in the Field

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4.2. Analysis of Internal and External Factors

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5. Problem Identification and Analysis

During the first Community General Assembly, the problems faced by theCommunity were identified. These problems were later elaborated and ana-lyzed in focus groups. The problems were analyzed on the basis of materi-als received in the frameworks of the “My Vision for the Development ofTtujur” essay contest. The findings are summarized below:

Inaccessibility of quality potable water and poor internal network Field roads not passable and two village bridges destroyed Lack of necessary agricultural machinery No centralized monitoring and control of plant cultivation and vet-

erinary service Inadequacy of kindergarten building and assets No fence around the cemetery Inadequacy of secondary education (poor school building and

assets, and insufficient professionalism of teachers) A decayed culture center building Absence of sewerage Absence of an irrigation network Absence of opportunities to advertise the mineral “sour” water of

the Community and to use it for tourism development Half-ruined state of playground Lack of social cohesion and inadequacy of cultural life No protection against natural disasters Inadequate transportation from the Village to the central district

town

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The problems were evaluated and identified by acuteness and trends(see Annex 1).

The problems that scored more than 2/3 of the maximum possible num-ber of points were considered priorities:

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6. Analysis of Priority Problems

Once the priorities were identified, problem casual links were exploredand solutions proposed (Table 5).

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7. Statement of Outputs

Based on the analysis of priority problems, the following outputs havebeen stated:

High-quality potable water is supplied round-the-clock to all theresidents of the Community.

The field roads and Village bridges have been rehabilitated, sothat the harvest can be collected and transported.

A Community-owned public-use pool of agricultural machineryhas been created.

Access to high-quality education is ensured. There is social cohesion in the Community.

8. Medium-Term Projects

Projects were defined on the basis of solutions derived from the problemcausality analysis. From the alternative solutions, the ones that correspond-ed to pre-defined criteria (degree of solution of the problem, required finan-cial resources, and feasibility of operation and maintenance) were selected.In view of the interrelated nature of projects and the higher efficiency of theirconcurrent implementation, some projects were merged. Thus, the follow-ing projects have been selected:

Repair potable water network (7 kilometers) within theCommunity and create water supply infrastructure

Rehabilitate field roads and two village bridges* Create a pool of agricultural machinery and transfer it to the

Village Municipality Renovate and refurnish the kindergarten Create centralized monitoring and counseling on plant cultivation

and veterinary service Restore missing 500 meters of the cemetery fence Repair school building roof and update the assets

The choice of these solutions does not mean that the other solutions willbe overlooked. Any change of circumstances may bring other solutions tothe forefront and trigger new solutions.

* The Community would prefer to have agricultural machinery and to renovate thefield roads on its own.

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The assessment of projects and the classification of priorities were doneusing the “pair-wise” method (see Annex 1).

According to the pair-wise method, projects scored the following numberof points:

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9. Project Development

Project Discussions. For the purpose of addressing project implementa-tion issues, monitoring and evaluating them, and identifying potentialsources of funding for projects, each project was discussed in a joint work-shop of the focus groups, to which relevant experts had been invited, aswell.

Projects were discussed and examined with experts at Marz and nation-al levels for purposes of compatibility with policies.

As a result of the discussions, medium-term projects were identified.

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10. Annexes

Annex 1. Methodology

11.. PPllaannnniinngg SStteeppss aanndd PPrriinncciipplleessThe Ttujur Community Development Plan (CDP) was developed during

June and July, 2006 by a group comprising community residents and UNDPexperts. Public participation in the CDP elaboration process has beenachieved by means of discussions in general community assemblies (toaddress general matters pertaining to the CDP) and a focus group (CDPelaboration process).

The Development Plan has been elaborated through the following steps:

1. Preparatory activities;2. Community vision statement;3. Social-economic overview;4. Problem identification and analysis;5. Statement of outputs;6. Medium-term objectives;7. Project development.

11..11.. HHeerree aarree tthhee mmaaiinn pprriinncciipplleess uunnddeerrllyyiinngg tthhee ddeevveellooppmmeenntt ooff tthheeCCoommmmuunniittyy DDeevveellooppmmeenntt PPllaann:: PPaarrttiicciippaattoorryy:: the Community residents, through a group of repre-

sentatives formed on voluntary grounds by the General Assemblyof the Community, participated in the process. This format helpedachieve process transparency and accountability. In addition tothe Community residents, stakeholders from outside of theCommunity participated, as well (including the Marz Governor’sOffice, the Government, international organizations, donors, non-governmental organizations, private sector representatives, andthe like).

CCoommppaattiibbllee:: National, regional, and neighboring communities’interests have been factored in.

CCoommpplleemmeennttaarryy:: The capacity existing in neighboring communitieshas been taken into account.

CCoonnsseennssuuss-BBaasseedd:: Differences in opinion have been respectedand decisions taken on the basis of compromise.

FFeeeeddbbaacckk:: With a certain sequence order, the activities have beenreflective.

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FFlleexxiibbllee:: Any change of the situation can be added in. SSuussttaaiinnaabbllee:: The general arrangements by which the Plan was

developed and adopted (i.e. its participatory nature and theapproval by the Community Council and the Community GeneralAssembly) ensure the sustainability of the Plan.

22.. PPrreeppaarraattoorryy AAccttiivviittiieessThe Community Development Plan has been elaborated by means of

official talks at two levels (regional and local). To improve consistency andavoid redundancies, introductory meetings were held and understandingsreached with regional officials (Governor, Deputy Governor, RegionalGovernance Department Head, and others) and the community leadership(Village Mayor and Community Council Members).

Participation in the CDP process was achieved by means of communitygeneral assemblies and a focus group.

CCoommmmuunniittyy GGeenneerraall AAsssseemmbbllyyPPuurrppoossee:: Two general assemblies were convened during the CDP

process, the first of which was intended to raise awareness, to mobilize, andto build a focus group, while the second was held to discuss and approvethe draft CDP.

FFooccuuss GGrroouuppPPuurrppoossee:: To identify, analyze, and proposal solutions to the problems of

certain groups, including socially-vulnerable groups of the population.

PPrriinncciipplleess ooff FFoorrmmaattiioonn:: The desire of participants to be involved, the sizeof the group (smaller groups are more efficient), and the diversity of thegroup (in professional and age-gender terms) were taken into consideration.

MMeetthhoodd ooff FFoorrmmaattiioonn:: A focus group was formed in the first GeneralAssembly of the Community by means of voluntary nomination and self-nomination. The focus group, which was made up of 13 members of theCommunity, chose its moderator, who then organized the activities of thegroup (for a list of focus group members, see Annex 2).

33.. CCoommmmuunniittyy VViissiioonn SSttaatteemmeennttThe community vision—as a “light” spotted in the distance—guides the

development of the community, and each community institution, with itsfunctions in the context of its authority and mission, incrementally makes itcloser.

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The community vision setting process was carried out by means of acommunity-wide contest and a focus group.

ContestA community-wide contest for essays on the topic “My Vision for the

Development of Ttujur” was organized and conducted. Instructions on howto take part in the contest were developed and disseminated within the com-munity (as well as posted on the Municipality wall), which stated the mainassignment (i.e. to present their vision for the community, values, issues,their causes, consequences, and solutions) and the terms of participation.The papers were evaluated by community development experts using tailor-made criteria. The authors of the best papers received prizes.

Focus GroupThe vision, ideals, and aspirations of the group were presented. Parallel

to the evaluation of essays, community vision statements were drawn upand combined with the vision proposed in the focus group, as a result ofwhich the common vision for the community was defined.

44.. SSoocciiaall-EEccoonnoommiicc OOvveerrvviieewwThe social-economic situation in the Community was analyzed by meth-

ods such as data surveys and focus group discussions.

Surveys and analysis of available informationInformation on the Community was collected from different organizations

(the Village Municipality, the Marz Governor’s Office, the Government, inter-national organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the like). The2006 Development Plan of the Marz, as well as the last several years’ com-munity budgets and other community-related plans were studied.

Focus Group DiscussionsThe Community’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

were identified in a focus group. This analysis then served as a basis foridentifying the issues faced by the Community and proposing solutions.

55.. PPrroobblleemm IIddeennttiiffiiccaattiioonn aanndd AAnnaallyyssiiss

The problems were analyzed in the following stages:I. Problem identification and mapping;II. Problem assessment; andIII. Analysis of urgent problems using a causality scheme.

I. Problem Identification and Mapping: the focus group identified all theproblems that the participants deemed related to communitydevelopment. The identified problems were then grouped accord-ing to the competent authorities.

II. Problem Assessment: the focus group determined the most seriousproblems that need to be solved in order to start a process of fun-damental community development. The problems assessmentwas performed using a so-called “Problem Acuteness and Trend”method.

TThhee ““PPrroobblleemm AAccuutteenneessss aanndd TTrreenndd”” MMeetthhoodd.. Each member of theFocus Group (15 individuals participated) received sheets containing a list ofall the problems (one problem per sheet). The participants were then askedto assess the problems as “Very Acute,” “Acute,” and “Less acute” by jointlychoosing assessment criteria in advance, including:

The number of people affected by the problem; The impact of consequences; and The incidence of the problem.

The participants were asked to sort the problems by the trends observedduring the last two-years (“Worsens,” “Remains unchanged,” or “Improves”),after which all the participants’ sheets were analyzed using the ratios spec-ified in Table 1.

66.. MMeeddiiuumm-TTeerrmm OObbjjeeccttiivveess Priority-Setting. The assessment of projects and the classification of pri-

orities were done using the “pair-wise” method, for which medium-term fea-sibility (access to financial, human, material, and other resources) was takenas a benchmark.

The Pair-Wise Method. The examined problems were filled out in verti-cal and horizontal lines of a matrix (see Table 2), after which each problem

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stated in a vertical line was compared with all the problems mentioned in thehorizontal lines. The top priority identified as a result of this comparison waswritten in the box where the lines cross. After all the boxes were filled in thisway, the incidence of each problem was calculated, and the problems wereclassified in the order of incidence. According to this classification, prioritieswere set.

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