Negotiating between Program Design and Local Implementation:

An ethnographic study of Save the Children and Wahana in Sumba, Indonesia

Bizhao Zhang, Jessica Stone & Rambu Asana

Literacy programs are widespread in Indonesia, but do they work effectively in Central Sumba where the local context is especially complex?

Map of sumba here--indicating both jakarta and sumba

How is program design negotiated at the local level ?● Save the Children (STC) program ● Local partner Yayasan Wahana

Komunikasi Wanita (Wahana)● Reading garden (pos baca)

program● Poor educational system (OECD &

ADB 2015)○ Unqualified teaching staff & poor

facilities (INOVASI 2019)

Methodology● Participant observation● Qualitative interviews with various stakeholders● Participatory Ethnographic Evaluation and Research

(PEER) approach (Price & Hawkins 2002)● Limitations:

○ People may misreport (Jerolmack & Khan 2014). ○ Reliant on our co-researcher as translator○ Co-author works at Wahana—issue of bias.

Benefits● Extremely popular with families and children● Supports basic literacy skills such as alphabet recognition● Libraries are more accessible than bookshops● Fun!

Challenges● Widespread poverty ● Distance between villages● Local politics● Complex caste system (Hoskin 2004)● Families prioritise spending on ceremonies over education

○ “traditional culture represents an obstacle to socio-economic development” (Cole 2003, p. 140).

● Lack of parental & community engagement

STC’s Program Design

● Top-down approach● Part of an existing Global Program “Literacy Boost”

○ Technical transference● Design, funding, materials were provided by Jakarta

○ Specialist○ Fixed budget and stringent funding requirements○ Amount & title of books

■ 50 books replicated across Sumba■ Lack of variety - impact on attendance

STC’s Volunteer Training● Control-oriented management● Standard training manual and guidelines

○ Beneficial for continuity and coherence○ But too formulaic for unskilled / inexperienced

volunteers○ No room for special events to stimulate children’s

interests and increase community engagement■ Parents’ participation■ Local storytellers

STC’s Program Evaluation

● Quantitative indicators○ Number of new pos baca each year○ Frequency of volunteers’ activity

■ 3 times a month as prerequisite for subsidiary● Universal standard cannot apply to Sumbanese society

due to local complexities (Vel 2019) ● Statistics may masquerade structural issues and

overlook quality of the program

Wahana’s implementation

● As a broker situated at the interface between donor and beneficiaries

● Work within constraints & navigate STC’s expectations○ Encourage volunteers to teach through play○ Create financial incentives for the volunteers

■ Transport stipend of $15 a month■ Snacks and drinks during reading sessions

Wahana’s implementation

● Find means for side projects beyond donor expectations○ Local story collection as their own reading materials

■ Sumba is rich in traditions and stories■ Children are more familiar with the themes and the

language■ More support from parents and local community

○ Wahana’s proposal stunted by STC’s stringent funding

Conclusion

● STC’s program design has valuable strengths● But the local needs and priorities need to be better

understood and integrated into the program design● Untapped local resources may facilitate greater long-term

community participation in children’s learning○ Authority of local elites ○ Cultural traditions

Recommendations● Harness local systems, especially existing literacy

activities○ Bible study○ Promotion of pos baca through churches

● Support Wahana’s proposal of local stories collection○ Replace the inappropriate books used in pos baca○ Increase community interest, participation, and support

● Leverage the support of local elites○ Make pos baca sessions easier for volunteers○ Increase attendance and prestige of the sessions

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Thank you!