gpteng_full doc-getting people thinking

8/14/2019 GPTENG_full Doc-Getting People Thinking

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TEARFUND CASE STUDIES

Getting

people thinkingIDEAS FROM CHRISTIAN OUTREACHS

ABCD PROGRAMME, CAMBODIA

To increase peoples ability to

initiate change and make choices inan environment of loving relationships

The ABCD

Programme

goal


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GETTING PEOPLE THINKING

T E A R F U N D C A S E S T U D I E S

Contents1 Thinking creatively: what holds us back? 5

2 How can we encourage people to think? 7

2.1 Trust and self-confidence 7

2.2 The work of animators 9

3 Wearing hats to help you think! 13

4 The obstacle to growth: how can we deal with selfishness? 15

5 What are the keys to a programmes success? 17

5.1 Getting priorities right 17

5.2 Flexibility and clarity 19

5.3 The logical framework 20

6 Why is thinking creatively so important? 23

APPENDIX: Impact indicators 25

Glossary 26

Author Sheila Melotbased on the case study by Dr Simon Batchelor:

Transforming the mind by wearing hats!

Illustrations Rod Mill, Sancton Drawing Services

Quotations All quotations are from Meas Nee, a Khmer community development worker.

Copyright Tearfunds learning materials and case studies may be adapted and reproduced for use

provided the materials are distributed free of charge. Full reference should be given to

Tearfund and the relevant authors within the materials.


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Thinking creatively:

what holds us back?

When the ABCD programme started in 1992 in Prey Veng, Cambodia, its aim

was to transform peoples ways of thinking. Based in three communes in a rural

area, it worked among 22,000 people. There were many clear needs, such as an

inadequate water supply and health problems. But nothing was being done to

try to tackle these problems: people felt unable to take initiatives. Enduring bad

situations patiently was seen as the only way to respond.

Why was this? Four reasons were found.

A generation earlier, the Khmer Rouge had killed all intellectuals and anyone who

stood out from the crowd. The education system had broken down, and nobody

dared express themselves for fear of being killed.

My memories of that time are of feeling numb, just trying to stay alive, never

to think. Not even to think when people were taken from the road and killed

right where I was. I couldnt help so I didnt think.

Every institution of society had to be restarted but the people were still passivein the beginning. I felt no dignity at all. There was a habit of not being able to

decide anything. The first step out from numbness was to beg for help but there

was no dignity in doing that.

All sense of personal dignity was lost, and this became even worse in the refugee

camps where people fled.

In the Thai border camp I felt as if I was living under the edge of the roof of

someone elses house. I would feel shame in speaking the Cambodian language.This loss of dignity is strong and deep. It is a loss of identity and of value and of

power. It is a feeling of being more like a pig than a person. Anyone with

authority could say, I want to beat this man.

Then when they returned to the villages under the new political regime, little was

done to heal these deep wounds.

THE LOSS OF

PERSONAL

DIGNITY

POLITICAL

TERROR

1



Underlined wordsare explained in the

Glossary on page 26


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The village is like a basket that has been broken and the pieces scattered. What

has been broken can be rewoven slowly and gradually, but only by those who

take time to stay close to the village people and build up trust with them. I

know that this can be achieved, but it must be done slowly and gradually.Eventually the village people become the weavers themselves and they carry the

task forward further, furtheryou cannot easily change the damage caused by

the war, or caused by the breaking of relationships, or the loss of dignity.

Very often tradition is extremely important for rural life: planting what ones

forefathers have planted, and keeping to well-known ways. It is also more common

for rural communities to react to change than to set out to change something

themselves.

In Cambodia the rural peoples religion was mainly Buddhist, but they also believed

that the spirits of the dead had power in their lives. They thought that these spirits

could be provoked by anyone standing out from the crowd. So for example nobody

would draw attention to a baby, saying how beautiful he was, in case the spirits

noticed and punished him.

How does your community react to change? Is there pleasure? excitement? fear?Or perhaps mixed feelings?

Do you try to change things yourselves? What examples of this can you remember

from the past year?

Do you have traditions that help you adapt to today s world?

Are there aspects of those traditions that hold you back from speaking out or

questioning?

Questions fordiscussion

RELIGIOUS FEAR

TRADITION



Thinking creatively:what holds us back?1


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How can we encourage

people to think?

2.1 TRUST AND SELF CONFIDENCE

Christian Outreach saw that they would need to encourage relationships of trust

to be built up again between the people, before anything else could happen. A

new sense of dignity and self-confidence needed to be found.

A major step in this process was to convince the people that they themselves would

take the decisions. No expertfrom outside would make a plan which had to be

followed. So in any particular village, the programme animator would start by

calling the community together. At this meeting, people were encouraged to decide

to work together on a small project to improve the quality of life for the poor, and

in particular, widows. It was made clear that the only limit on their decision would

be financial: only a certain amount of money was available. This could often be put

to best use as a revolving loan. Within those financial limits, the choices were theirs.

If this first step failed, it was still seen as a step forward because it provided a first

discussion point which could lead to more critical thinking.

At this first meeting, everyone who attended together chose five people to form a

committee, which would meet and discuss with the programme staff. They

discussed all aspects of life with the animator: the aim being to establish trust and

friendship, and to explore ideas. All meetings were open to the public, so the

committee remained accountable to their community. The animator also took time

to walk round the village, talking to everyone they met.

2



A new senseof dignity andself-confidenceneeded to be

found


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So began a process of discussing, questioning, deciding to act and then discussing

the consequent actions. As a result of this method, the ABCD programme led to:

over 2,000 treadle pumps being installed

drilling teams making their living finding water manufacturers making pumps

hundreds of vegetable gardens being started

new crop experiments being carried out

over 100 buffalo being distributed

several family spacing clinics being set up, staffed by volunteers

trees being planted

action on domestic violence being taken

appropriate technology such as solar dryers being used.

But the main purpose of the programme was the transformation of the peoples

ability to think: to analyse, find solutions and create new ideas, and then to manage

the resulting changes.

Is everyone encouraged to participate in discussion in your community?

Men, women and children? Disabled people, those from different ethnic groups

or castes?

Does any group of people find it hard to join in? How could they be encouraged

further?

Are committee meetings open to the public?

Does an expertor an outsiderprovide the plan, or do you agree together what it

should be?

Questions for

discussion



How can we encouragepeople to think?2


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2.2 THE WORK OF ANIMATORS

Animators are key people for encouraging others to think.

In the ABCD project, animators were programme staff either local or people from

District Government. Their job was to help the local people to feel enthusiastic

about the programme.

Animatorswork is a skill, which can be helped by the following.

An important aspect of this work is to make friends and encourage people to grow

in friendship with each other.

The way that people can

begin to talk honestly with

each other is by joking andchatting informally and

gradually strengthening

relationships again.

Listening is vital. If we are too busy concentrating on the results and forgetting the

people, we will not get anywhere.

It is possible to sit with a poor person and listen to her and strengthen her

dignity. Sometimes you may think that she has made some mistakes but

blaming her does not help. She is surviving. She is still here. Let her under-

stand that you respect her remarkable strength. This way her dignity grows.

Dont be stressed

with projects. Take

life slowly. Sit under

the shadow of the

trees with the families

and listen to them.

Sit in the cool of the

night. Dont feel

ashamed that you

waste time.

STOPPING

TO LISTEN

MAKING

FRIENDSHIPS

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Dont bestressed withprojects

Take lifeslowly


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Games can help us think in new ways. The following are two examples of useful

games.

This game is a light-hearted way of learning about ranking, and shows too how our

personal views might not be shared by others. We might not all agree as to who has

the biggest stomach! It is a good starting point for a discussion.

PLAYING

GAMES

Line game Divide into two groups of approximately 10 or 12 people. (If small

numbers, stay in one group.) One person from each group chooses a way of

ranking the group, but does not tell anyone else what it is. They get the group into

a line using the criterion they have chosen (eg: if they have chosen height, then

the tallest person will be at one end of the line and the shortest at the other). The

other group then guesses what criterion was used, and judges whether they were

put in the correct order.

Examples of possible criteria: age, stomach size, length of hair, distance from

home to workshop etc.

Chairs The first step is to explain that the game will show how conflict can be

managed by turning it into cooperation. Then a written instruction (either A, B or

C) is given to each participant who must not reveal it to anyone else. The different

instructions are shared out equally among the participants.

A Put all the chairs in a circle. You have 15 minutes to do this.

B Put all the chairs near the door. You have 15 minutes to do this.

C Put all the chairs near the window. You have 15 minutes to do this.

Then they are told to start, following the instruction they were given.

Conflict can beturned intocooperation


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Of course, if each person obstinately tries to complete the instruction, there will be

conflict between them, and this often happens. Those with identical instructions

need to cooperate with each other, and the three groups (As, Bs and Cs) also need

to cooperate. Several solutions are possible:

putting all the chairs in a circle, between the door and window

first putting the chairs in a circle, then near the door, then near the window

partly disobeying, and using one-third of the chairs for each instruction

hanging two newsprint sheets in the middle of the room on which are written

windowand door

disobeying the instructions completely.

When the game is over it is good to ask about how the participants were feeling in

the game. How did they relate to others? How did they respond to the instructions?

Why? Has culture influenced their response? If they played the game again, what

would they do? The discussion can lead on to real life situations of conflict: could

they have been dealt with differently?

Mapping is a useful way of collecting information and encouraging discussion.

There might be some ideas for developing a health programme, and they need to

find out which households use it already. Or maybe plans are being made for a

farming project, but they need to know who owns the land. It is important to be

clear about what information is wanted. Then three or four people draw a map or

diagram of the area. This can be on the ground with a stick of charcoal, using

stones, leaves, twigs, flowers etc to represent buildings, activities, livestock, trees and

so on. Or it can be drawn on paper using different coloured pens.

MAPPING FOR

INFORMATION




The mens map The boysmap


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Different groups can draw their own maps and then compare them. The discussion

that takes place while the maps are being made is very important, often raising

interesting points that can be explored later.

Do the animators in your community take time to listen to others? Why might

listeningin this way feel hard to do?

Do you know any games and exercises to encourage trust, or to teach other skills?

Share your knowledge with one another.

Would it be useful to mapan aspect of your work, drawing in many people from

your community?

Questions for

discussion





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Wearing hats to

help you think!

The animators found the hat thinking modela very valuable tool. They could

guide conversations by asking for the blue hator yellow hatto be put on. The

model helped to understand what sort of thinking was being expressed, and

what was being left out.

So what is this model? Let us take the example of a discussion about a villages water

supply. Each colour hat represents a different sort of thinking.

(ACTIVITY: Colour in the hats below to make them stand out clearly!)

Gathering facts that are available and relevant

The water comes from the well, 2km away.

The women collect it.

We use x litres a day.

We use it for cooking, drinking and washing.

What do people feel about the situation?

We need more water: it would make

life easier.

Im so worried: my children get sick

they need more water.

I dont like handpumps: I prefer an

open well.

Agreeing on action

We have decided to work together to dig

a well.

The wider view

We step back from the situation and try to

look at a broader picture.

Why are we discussing the water supply? We

wanted to help the village prosper. Are we

losing sight of that aim?

or: Is that site the best place for a well, from

our neighbourspoint of view? Should we try

to find a site that we can all be happy with?

The blue hat thinkingstimulates

discussion on wider issues and often reveals

BROADER

THINKING

blue hat

DECISIONS

AND REASONS

black hat

FEELINGS

red hat

INFORMATION

white hat

3


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Wearing hats tohelp you think!3

a lack of information. So it drives the

thinker to go out and gather new

information.

Looking forward to the future with a slightly

optimistic view

With a new water point, we could grow

vegetables which might benefit the whole

villages economy.

Branching out in all directions

What else can be purchased for $250? Why

dont we buy some handpumps but also usesome of the money to buy drilling equipment?

(One village who asked themselves this

question, went on to drill their own wells

for free and then set up a business

providing a service to other villages. The

profits were fed back into the village fund.

They now have more handpumps than any

other village!)

In a discussion with hat thinking, any combination is possible. For example, it

could go white-red-blue-red-yellow-blue-green-red-black!

What is really useful is for the group, or the animator, to be able to check that all

the hatshave been used at least once in the discussion.

Would it be useful to try having a discussion using the coloured hatsidea? If you

have tried this, did you find it easy or hard to identify the sort of thinking you were

expressing? Did the hatshelp you make your way through a complicated or

difficult discussion?

Have you identified particular coloursthat are often left out of your discussions?

If you have any other ways to help you think and discuss, what are they?

Questions for

discussion

NEW IDEAS

green hat

THINKING

THROUGH THE

CONSEQUENCES

yellow hat


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The obstacle to growth:

How can we deal with selfishness?

Every society is made up of people who are more or less selfish (putting

themselves first), and more or less unselfish (putting otherswellbeing first).

So often selfishness appears in the form of corruption. The ABCD programme put

great emphasis on social accountability to prevent most corrupt practices. With all

meetings public, everyone can see what is being decided. It is then hard to cheat.

Where corruption did occur, the community punished the offender and replaced

the funds he had taken.

The programme did not usually channel funds through local or nationalgovernment bodies, in case they were handled dishonestly. Instead, employees from

District Government were appointed to the programme. Through close cooperation

with the Christian Outreach staff, they absorbed their values of honesty and

trustworthiness, and no cases of corruption came to light.

4

CHALLENGING

THE SYSTEM:

AN EXAMPLE

The communityhad challengedthe system ofcorruption

On one occasion the community dug a canal for Food for Work (linked to the

World Food Programme WFP). The sacks of rice were underweight when they

arrived. This had happened before and the community had accepted 3kg per

person in spite of a previous promise of 10kg per person. This time they stood firm

and demanded the correct amount. The WFP supervisor threatened to take all the

rice away unless they signed the incorrect receipt. They called his bluff: the rice

was sent away, but two weeks later the full amount was returned. And for a few

months NGOs reported receiving complete loads as promised! The community

had challenged the system of corruption and everyone was benefitting!


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How can we deal withselfishness?4

Selfishness also appeared in the form ofviolence. Cambodia was still a very violent

country, where every householder had a weapon. Domestic violence was common,

and gunshot wounds were frequently seen at the hospital. The programme staffs

challenge to a corrupt system had to be a careful one which would not put lives in

danger.

At election time many NGOs withdrew to the city, in fear of potential political

violence. In contrast, ABCD staff stayed in the province and continued to walk

about openly in the villages, talking to the people they met in the usual way. The

people appreciated the way they stayed with them, sharing the danger, and

commented on it for a long time after.

What would you have done, faced with the WFPs short supply of rice? What were

the possible risks? What were the possible gains?

In a potentially violent situation, how would you combine courage with being

sensible about taking care of yourself?

What steps have you taken to protect your programme against corrupt practices?

Questions for

discussion


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What are the keys to a

programmes success?

5.1 GETTING PRIORITIES RIGHT

The ABCD programme began by concentrating on the centre of the diagram

below: the values of the staff. It was understood that unless the staff shared the

values of Christian Outreach and were able to put their own vision into

practice, they would be unlikely to continue with the same sort of programme

in the future without outside assistance. One objective was for the programmes

work to be continued by a national NGO within a few years.

So however many materials were provided and however great the skills, the really

crucial part was the central values, for the project to be sustainable.

Training began with a workshop on values. Then vision and strategy were

developed. Next, a system for managing the programme was set up which would

allow growth and learning to take place.

As the programme developed, there were day by day apprenticeship, group learning

and short course training schemes. Low cost offices were also put in place that

could be sustained in the future.

5

VALUESANDVISION

MATER

IAL RESOURCES

SKILLS

ANDSTAFF

SY

STE

MSANDSTRUCTU

RE

STRATEGY


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What are the keys to aprogrammes success?5

Success or failure? In most programmes this is judged by how well technology is

working. If a new handpump fails after six months, the water programme is judged

a failure. But looked at from the point of view of getting people thinking and

initiating change perhaps that failure could become a success. For example, did it

lead to a sensible discussion where lessons were learned? Or did someone take the

initiative of cycling to the contractor and complaining about the broken pump? In

both cases this would be a sign of successfor the ABCD programme.

But most agencies feel they need the working handpump: something they can seeworking and that they can measure for success, to demonstrate to their funding

donors that they are using their money productively. So they try to keep the process

of change under tight control. With a programme like ABCD, emphasising control

by the people, the agency must let go of its own control. It must accept that failures

can happen, and not be embarrassed by this.

Finally, ABCD made it clear from the start that it would be in place for seven years.

This gave staff and villagers the opportunity to pace their activities accordingly and

to prepare for the time when they would have to continue on their own.

Are your values and vision clearly defined and shared together?

Would it be useful to share these again to strengthen and encourage each other?

Write down some examples of successesand failures(real or potential) in your

programme. Could these be seen differently by other people? For example, could

any of the failuresbe seen as successes? If so, in what way?

Do you face difficulties trying to measureyour successes, for the benefit of

donors? If so, in what way?

Questions for

discussion

WHATS A

SUCCESS?

Perhaps thatfailure couldbecome asuccess


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5.2 FLEXIBILITY AND CLARITY

ABCD tried to avoid both the programme patterns shown below: the one that

has a pre-set agenda, and the one that is willing to take on the peoples agenda

but has no way of assessing how successful it is being.

Clear objectives

ABCD made clear statements as to their goal (see the title page), and how this

translated into objectives and completed tasks.

An explanation of the flexible method

The reason for the flexibility of the programme was clearly defined, so that staff

knew why they were doing things in that way.

Clear indicators of achievement in order to monitor effectivelyFinally, they defined potential indicators that would be evidence of success along

the way eg: a certain number of clean water points, a percentage reduction in

under-fivesmortality rate, a certain number of meetings held etc.

So the flexibility allowed the community to set the agenda and work at its own

pace, while the clear definitions allowed the staff to see their way forward and not

get lost in a vague and complex agenda. This also meant that Christian Outreach

could be accountable to its donors.

Looking at a project you are involved in, what are your objectives and your

indicators of achievement? Make a list of these: are your objectives clearly defined?

Could they be made clearer?

How flexible are you: is there room for the community to continue owning and

driving the project?

Questions for

discussion

Here we are:

What do you want?

Do you know where we are

going and will you know when

we arrive?

Here are our objectives:

1 Do this

2 Do that

3 And finally, do this to

complete it all.

OR


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5.3 LOGICAL FRAMEWORK

The programme used a Logical Frameworkto help them get the plan clear. To

make a Logical Framework, you need firstly to divide a sheet of paper into boxes,

like this

Firstly the wider objectivesare defined for example, in the ABCD programme:

Reduction of extreme rural poverty in this district

Reduction of feelings of trauma, fear, isolation

Sustainable continuation of the programmes work

etc.

WIDER

OBJECTIVES

PROJECT STRUCTURE

MEANS OF MEASURING

THE INDICATORS

Inputs:

ASSUMPTIONS

AND RISKS

column 1

specific tasks you

hope to complete

Wider objectives:

Immediate objectives:

Outputs:

Activities:

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT

column 2 column 3 column 4

what is needed


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Next, these wide objectives are considered in more detail. What will they mean in

reality? For example:

People able to continue making beneficial changes, after the programme ends

Improvements in the physical environment and health of three communes, made through aparticipatory process

etc.

When you have written your objectives, move to Column 4: Assumptions and

risks. This gives you the opportunity to think about what you are assuming to be

true in making your plans, and what might stop the plans from being carried out.

As you consider the risks and the assumptions you are making, you might decide to

change your objectives to be more realistic. You might also want to add an extra

activity which will remove one of the risks. Your aim is to take away as many risks

and assumptions as you can, by re-shaping your objectives and activities. You mightneed to rewrite Columns 1 and 4 several times before you are satisfied.

IMMEDIATE

OBJECTIVES

Your aim is totake away asmany risks asyou can

PROJECT STRUCTURE

MEANS OF MEASURING

THE INDICATORS

Inputs:

Expatriate staff (5 decreasing to 0).

Local staff.

Capital for starting enterprises and clinics.

ASSUMPTIONS

AND RISKS

Wider objectives:

Reduction of extreme rural poverty in district.

Sustainable continuation of programmes work.

Immediate objectives:

Improvements in the physical environmentand health of 3 communes, made through aparticipatory process.

Outputs:

25 village development committees meetingregularly.

3 immunisation clinics running well.

Activities:

Organise first meeting in village.

Obtain stocks of vaccine.

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT

Starting to fill

in the boxes:


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The next step is to break down the objectives into specific tasks that you hope to

see completed, for example:

25 village development committees meeting regularly

Immunisation clinics running well in three communes

Five project staff trained in animation, health education and management.

Next think about what you will need to do in order to achieve these outputs. Make

a list of the activities needed, for example:

Organise first meeting in village

Obtain stocks of vaccine.

Now you can see what you will need in order to carry this out:

Expatriate staff (five decreasing to none) Local staff (give the number needed)

Capital fund for starting enterprises and clinics (give the amount needed)

Transport (five motorbikes, ten bicycles)

any further points.

Once all these boxes have been completed, you fill in Column 2, estimating for

example the number of meetings to be held per year, numbers of families who will

grow vegetables, percentage reduction in death rates for children under five, etc.

These will all be signs that the programme is working well, and they must bemeasurable, not just a matter of opinion. You can refer to this column as the

programme develops, to see how far you are succeeding.

Then in Column 3, Means of measuring the indicators, you write the methods

you intend to use to measure the progress. These could be surveys, reports,

evaluations, etc.

As time goes by, you can return to the framework and update it. There will

probably be changes in assumptions, activities and outputs.

It is a good idea to check that your plan is logical by starting at the bottom of

Column 1 and working upwards, asking Ifthen?at each step. For example:If these activities are carried out, then will the given outputs be the result?

If these outputs are achieved, then will the immediate objectives be achieved?

Try asking these questions using specific items from the Logical Framework, not

just in general terms.

Are you using a Logical Frameworkin your programme? If so, how does it help

you? If not, would it be useful to make one?

Questions for

discussion

INPUTS

ACTIVITIES

OUTPUTS

COMPLETED

TASKS OR

RESULTS





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Why is thinking creatively

so important?

When we think of poverty, what springs to mind? Probably a lack of resources

in one form or another. Fighting poverty often means providing resources:

new water points, more agricultural productivity, better training for health

workers etc.

These are all important of course, but development needs to put people first, rather

than things.

Cambodia is a rich nation with reserves of gold, diamonds, timber, untouched

forests and silt-rich delta farmland. Poverty here could not be due to a lack ofresources. Why then were the majority of people economically poor?

Partly it was because of things beyond their control: for example, the terrible Pol

Pot regime and the bombing by the USA. But mostly because the ability to use and

develop knowledge, skills and attitudes needed was damaged. The people of

Cambodia could have started new schemes to reduce rural poverty they had

considerable resources. But what they lacked in rural Cambodia was the ability to

take initiatives and try out new things.

This is not to insult the dignity of the Cambodian people. Their resilience in the

face of adversity was inspiring. And their unwillingness to change anything was veryunderstandable: so often in the past to speak of change had meant certain death!

That is why they had gradually lost the ability to initiate change.

The Cambodian people had gone through a terrible time where they had lost belief

in their own abilities: they had been disempowered. As a result, a resource-rich

country was now inhabited by poverty-stricken people. For that reason ABCD

focused their programme on personal awakening as the key to development.

FIRST PRINCIPLES

But this also has lessons for countries in very different circumstances fromCambodia: any programme seeking to tackle poverty must have as its centre the

transformation of the mind. It should have a structure that encourages people to

take initiatives, and every action must contribute towards that end.

If we give the people a well, how long will it last? It depends! It might be destroyed

by floods; it might become unnecessary if piped mains water is provided; it might

suffer from poor maintenance

We know the saying, Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, give

him food for life.A wise saying, but should we not go further? If we teach people to

fish, but the fish have died from pollution, or someone invents an electronic

6Developmentneeds to putpeople first


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Why is thinking creativelyso important?6

weapon for catching fish: what then? What can we give people that is truly

sustainable?

If we help people to increase their ability to initiate change (eg: to protest against

pollution, or to be one step ahead of technology) and to make choices (eg: to

choose the new fishing equipment, or maybe to choose to change their employment

altogether), then we have left them something sustainable.

Perhaps we should alter the saying to this:

Give someone a fish feed them for a day.

Teach someone to fish feed them for a while.

Animate someone to think creatively feed them for life.

How do you define poverty?

Do people in your society find it hard to believe in their own abilities? If so, what

would help change this situation?

What do you think of the last paragraph? To what extent is it reflected in your work?

Questions for

discussion


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Seeing a collective vision

One of the programmes notes written in 1996 told

of a village where people had not been good at paying back to

the rice bank. They thought the rice was provided free by the

organisation, so why pay?

The animators sold some of the rice to pay for food for a good meal to

which they were invited. At the meal, they explained that the rice bank

was to help the people through bad harvests, and they answered all

their questions. When the people understood how the rice

bank worked, they were happy to repay the loan.

100% was paid off that year!

Caring for each otherand planning for the future

The Annual Report 1994/5 was delighted to report independent activity

by one Village Development Committee. Following discussions about health

problems and the expense of treatment, a village meeting was called

independently of Christian Outreach. It was decided to form three voluntary

associations: if a member became sick or died, everyone else would give a

sum of money and a bowl of uncooked rice. This would be a sort of

health insurance for everyone. Over 90% of the village joined

one of the associations.

Showing compassion

The same programme noted the case of a needy

family who had several people die over a short

period. The Village Development Committee soldsome of the rice given as interest on pumps, and

gave the family enough to pay for the

funeral debts.

Setting captives free

One of the programmes notes written in

1996 say: The village of Tang Lang 2 have

decided to give up drinking. All the families on

the east side of the road say that their men no

longer drink rice wine. They have more

hope and they are too busy.

APPENDIX Impact indicators

Which of the indicators made the most impression on you? Why was this?

Are there lessons here for your programme? If so, what are they? Do you note down indicators of progress, to encourage each other?

Questions for

discussion

Ending oppression

Womens Team Animation Notes 1995 told of a discussion about wife-

beating. An old man was listening, who still beat his wife because he said she

was lazy. The women who knew them disagreed. He was asked if the threat of

prison would stop him, but he did not seem worried about that as he had friends

in the police. However, when they discussed wife-beating as a sin, he said he

would not do it any more. A year later his neighbours

reported that he had indeed stopped!


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Glossary

adversity Difficulties and misfortune.

animator A person open to new ideas and with the enthusiasm and commitment toencourage others to initiate change within their community.

Buddhist (religion) A widespread religion, practised mainly in Asia, which does not worship a god, andwhich teaches that people live more than one life.

corruption Dishonest activity by those with power, often involving taking money or gifts inexchange for something, for personal benefit.

criterion A standard by which something is judged.

disempowered Made less confident or less powerful; deprived of influence.

numbness A state of mind where one does not feel able to make any response and onesfeelings seem dead.

passive Accepting what happens without any active response or resistance.

ranking Putting into an order.

resilience Ability to recover from a difficult situation.

revolving loan A loan which is given to one person, and when it is repaid it is then given to thenext person, and then the next, etc.

social A system of explaining and giving reasons to the community for decisions taken,accountability either by members of the community or from outside it.

spirit The part of people that is believed (by those mentioned in the case study) to live onafter death and continue communicating with those who are still alive.

sustainable Able to be maintained over a long period of time without the need for external

resources.

gpteng_full doc-getting people thinking

Documents