REFLECT is a powerful tool to mobilize, educate and empower communities to realize their strengths and capacities. ActionAid Nepal is applying REFLECT process through the DIPECHO project titled Surakshit Samudaya II, being implemented in three disaster prone districts of Nepal. ActionAid Nepal started applying REFLECT in DRR work since DIPECHO IV (07-09), utilizing its inherent strength to empower the vulnerable groups, linking their struggle to cope with disasters to ensure access to rights of disaster vulnerable people. It is expected that reflect groups will act as the large pressure group in the area, working with others to ensure reduced risks .

AA DIPECHO V project in Nepal conducted a eight days Training of Trainers workshop on REFLECT during 8-15 August 2009 in VDRC Gaidakot. The participants for the ToT comprised of selected REFLECT facilitators from the community, who will play a pivotal role in mobilizing and motivating community towards a strong local DRR framework.

A role play in action during

REFLECT ToT

REFLECT in DIPECHO Project

Training Objective and methodologies

Training Objective

The objectives of training were; to orient the participants on rights based approach to DRR/CBDP; enabling and empowering the community to take action for the protection and security needs of the vulnerable groups in the society; to develop capable facilitators/activist by imparting the knowledge and understanding on REFLECT: the concept, importance, learning process to take catalysts role for the Surakshit Samudaya II in the area; and to enable the participants to facilitate DRR

focused REFLECT Circle and mobilize community to lead the DRR led REFLECT and PVA process.

Training Methodology

The training was organized in highly participatory method, encouraging each and every participant in discussion, self-analysis, presentation and facilitation. The methodologies used were presentation, brain storming, pair wise discussion, group discussion, role plays, micro-teaching, songs, and games. The documentaries regarding Disaster awareness, PVA methods, Climate change,

and Reflect process were shown & discussed in the evening and during the session.

Facilitation

The lead facilitator of training was Dhruba Thapaliya. Shyam Sundar Jnavaly & Ashok Raj Pokharel took sessions on DRR. The topics on education right, and women’s rights were taken by Ram Sharan Sedhai and Mona Sherpa respectively. Introduction and clarification about overall project was done by PV Krishnan. Dulraj Chimariya & Dinesh Singh from HI took sessions on mainstreaming PWDs in disaster management.

Surakshit Samudaya II

Building Disaster Resilient Communities, Nepal

Aug 2009, Kathmandu

REFLECT TRAINING OF TRAINERS —

A Workshop Report ActionAid Nepal DIPECHO Project Publication

SNAPSHOTS

PROJECT AT A GLANCE

Project Area: Banke

Sunsari Udayapur

Partner NGOs:

BEE Group UPCA Nepal

NP Nepal Co-Action Nepal

Beneficiaries: 13,854 people

Budget:

Euro 377,095

Start Date: 01 July 2009

Duration: 15 months

For more details, contact:

ActionAid Nepal Ph: 01-4436477 Fax: 01-4419718

REFLECT (REgenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques) emerged as an approach to literacy and social

change, which fuses the political philosophy of Paolo Freire with the methodologies of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). Though it started

as a literacy movement in early ’90s, REFLECT has evolved into a powerful empowerment tool that links people’s knowledge, capacities,

social institutions, movements and contest for rights through critical reflection and review. AAN has been using Reflect as a tool for

empowerment at the grass root level.

WHAT IS REFLECT?

Surakshit Samudaya II: Building Disaster Resilient Communities, Nepal

The training was followed a structured agenda with logically divided sessions so as to achieve the objectives. The learning expectation of participants were taken due care while designing contents, methods and schedules. Training management team, including assigning daily reporting and evaluation team was made from within participants.

The broad topics of the training were - REFLECT, popular education, disaster risk reduction and preparedness, education rights, women’s right, right based approach, context mapping, methods of participatory discussions, PWDs mainstreaming, campaign, role of reflect facilitators, and so on. REFLECT facilitators were encouraged to use diverse methodologies such as PVA tools, role plays, singing, story telling, life story while conducting reflect centers upon returning to their areas. confidence level was increased.

www.dipechonepal.org (under revision)

Participants

There were 22 participants from local implementation partners, covering all the Reflect facilitators and few social mobilizers & field coordinator. Apart from partners field staffs, 4 participants were from ActionAid long term partners DA/DIs.

Mr. Shivahari Khatiwada, UPCA Mr. Makbool A. Mukeri, BEE Group

Mr. Dev Narayan Sharma, UPCA Ms. Shantidevi Mawrya, BEE Group

Mr. Khyam B. Dahal, UPCA Ms. Ajita Godiya, BEE Group

Ms. Anita Gupta, UPCA Ms. Hasina Bano Mukeri, BEE Group

Ms. Radha Urawa, UPCA Ms. Raj Kumari Harijan, BEE Group

Mr. Alam Miya, UPCA Mr. Arjun K. Katuwal, NP

Mr. Bidhyananda Mehata, UPCA Ms. Krishna Raut, NP

Ms. Ranjana K. Yadav, UPCA Ms. Nirmala Budhathoki, NP

Mr. Ram Niwas Yadav, BEE Group Ms. Sarita Kumari Chaudhary, NP

Ms. Bishnu Adhikary, C.D.O Ms. Indira Bote, CDO

Ms. Sabitri Neupane, NAF Mr. Ashok Lama, MSN

The need and use of monthly planning and reporting for the reflect facilitators were strongly discussed. Final evaluation of the training was made in individual and group level.

Training was successful to incorporate disaster issues along with conceptual framework of REFLECT. From participants evaluation, the training was able to achieve its objective of making capable facilitators to smoothly conduct reflect centers activities in their respective areas. Understanding of participants on the contents of discussion was changed throughout the training period. Most importantly, the participants’ are now feeling confident and motivated to be the critical social agents to carry forward the collective mission of a strong disaster risk reduction framework in Nepal.

Under DIPECHO V project, AA Nepal will be running 24 REFLECT circles involving the target population towards mutual learning, sharing and local action.

AAN experiences has shown that adoption of rights based approach enabled and promoted social movements, political awareness and solidarity among the vulnerable communities. It has also been instrumental in organizing people and social movements in ways that engage them as innovators, protagonists and change activities in their struggle to recover from their vulnerabilities and

inability to exercise their own rights. Thus, REFLECT facilitates social change by empowering the people to claim and access their rights.

WHY REFLECT

Training procedure and outcome