DPO Leadership Skills



DPO Leadership Skills

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A training manual for community level

Disabled People’s Organisations

and

Self Help Groups

Introduction, aims and objectives

This manual has been developed by the National Council for Persons with Disability as part of our training programme to build the capacity of organisations run by and for persons with disability.

The National Council of Persons with disabilities was set up in the year 2004 by the Disability Act. NCPWD is a semi- autonomous government agency with the mission:

“To mainstream disability issues in all aspects of socio-cultural, economic and political development.”

This training manual can be used by DPO leaders trained by the Council to conduct follow-on trainings in their districts.

Aim of the course

1. To give participants an understanding of the advocacy, leadership, entrepreneurship, fundraising and project management skills for use as DPO group leaders.

Objectives of the course

By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

1. Train others in the skills they learn and organise small training workshops.

2. Understand different methods of advocacy and when and how to use them

3. Make a simple business plan and identify business plans that work.

4. Be able to create a simple budget and keep track of rates of return.

5. Identify different sources of funding at a local level and know how to access them.

6. Understand principles of group leadership and how to resolve conflicts.

Contents

Introduction, aims and objectives 2

Contents 3

1 Training Skills 4

1.1 What is training? 4

1.2.1 How do people learn? 4

1.2 Training Needs Assessment 6

1.3.1 Methods of conducting a Training Needs Assessment: 6

1.3 Planning the training project: 7

1.3.1 Setting training aims and objectives: 8

1.3.2 Resources needed for the project: 8

1.3.3 Sample budget for a training plan: 9

1.3.4 Sample timeline for a project plan: 10

1.3.5 Sustainability of a project 10

1.3.6 Inclusivity / Diversity of a project 10

1.4 Implementing training: 12

1.4.1 Example of a session plan: 12

1.4.2 Planning training sessions check-list 13

1.4.3 Some techniques for informal training: 13

2. Advocacy Skills 15

2.1 Identifying and analysing the problem 16

2.1.1 Identifying the issue or problem to work on. 16

2.1.2 Analysing the Problem 17

2.2 Conduct a power analysis. 20

2.3 Key messages of your advocacy: 21

2.4 Identify a method of advocacy to influence the target. 22

2.4.1 Communications and Media: 23

2.4.2 Lobbying: 23

2.4.3 Popular mobilisation: 24

2.4.4 Working in partnership / coalitions: 25

3. Fundraising 26

3.1 Different sources of funding: 26

3.2 Five stages of a successful fundraising application: 26

3.3 Fundraising Tips 27

3.4 Techniques for Fundraising from individuals: 28

4. Leadership and managing conflicts within groups 30

4.1 Leadership: 30

4.2 Conflict resolution / management: 30

5. Evaluation 32

List of Appendices: 34

Appendix 1, How to apply for NCPWD Grants for district Trainings 34

Appendix 2. Evaluation form 34

Appendix 3. Training Needs Assessment Tools 34

Appendix 4. Training Techniques 34

Appendix 5, Stakeholder Analysis 34

Appendix 6, Dealing with Differences and Managing Conflict 34

Appendix 7. Giving feedback 34

Appendix 8: Local Funding Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Kenya 34

Introduction, aims and objectives 2

Contents 3

1 Training Skills 4

1.1 What is training? 4

1.2.1 How do people learn? 4

1.2 Training Needs Assessment 6

1.3.1 Methods of conducting a Training Needs Assessment: 6

1.3 Planning the training project: 7

1.3.1 Setting training aims and objectives: 8

1.3.2 Resources needed for the project: 8

1.3.3 Sample budget for a training plan: 9

1.3.4 Sample timeline for a project plan: 10

1.3.5 Sustainability of a project 10

1.3.6 Inclusivity / Diversity of a project 10

1.4 Implementing training: 12

1.4.1 Example of a session plan: 12

1.4.2 Planning training sessions check-list 13

1.4.3 Some techniques for informal training: 13

2. Advocacy Skills 15

2.1 Identifying and analysing the problem 16

2.1.1 Identifying the issue or problem to work on. 16

2.1.2 Analysing the Problem 17

2.2 Conduct a power analysis. 20

2.3 Key messages of your advocacy: 21

2.4 Identify a method of advocacy to influence the target. 22

2.4.1 Communications and Media: 23

2.4.2 Lobbying: 23

2.4.3 Popular mobilisation: 24

2.4.4 Working in partnership / coalitions: 25

3. Fundraising 26

3.1 Different sources of funding: 26

3.2 Five stages of a successful fundraising application: 26

3.3 Fundraising Tips 27

3.4 Techniques for Fundraising from individuals: 28

4. Leadership and managing conflicts within groups 30

4.1 Leadership: 30

4.2 Conflict resolution / management: 30

5. Evaluation 32

List of Appendices: 34

Appendix 1, How to apply for NCPWD Grants for district Trainings 34

Appendix 2. Evaluation form 34

Appendix 3. Training Needs Assessment Tools 34

Appendix 4. Training Techniques 34

Appendix 5, Stakeholder Analysis 34

Appendix 6, Dealing with Differences and Managing Conflict 34

Appendix 7. Giving feedback 34

Appendix 8: Local Funding Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Kenya 34

1 Training Skills

1.1 What is training?

Definition:

“Opportunities for people to learn specific things in a short period of time”

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Training should be learner-centric. It should fulfil the needs of the learner not the trainer. At school we usually have quite a teacher-centric approach where teachers speak and the students listen. While this method can sometimes be appropriate this manual encourages you to explore other non-formal and interactive methods of training and learning.

1.2.1 How do people learn?

One useful model of learning is the four-stage model:

Reflect (Analyse) – You reflect on your previous experience, read new knowledge in a book or learn from your teacher

Plan – You plan how to apply this knowledge in practice.

Do - You try to do something

Review – You review how successful it was, why you were successful or not and what you could do better next time.

Note: This process goes around in a circle. After you have reviewed, you begin reflecting and planning again for your next activity. Learning can begin and end at any time.

Diagram of the learning cycle

Students Learning about how Maize grows. Example:

REFLECT (ANALYSE)

The teacher tells his students about how plants need water, soil and sunlight to grow. He draws a diagram of how they absorb water through their roots.

PLAN

The teacher tells his students how they are going to go out and plant and cultivate some maize. They plan how they will make sure it is watered properly.

DO

The students plant maize in the school grounds. They try to remember to water it and look after it. Some grows plants grow well but others die.

REVIEW

The students study the maize and try to understand why some plants have grown and some have died. They learn what they could do better next time.

Whenever designing training you should think about how to take learners through a full learning cycle during the session.

1.2 Training Needs Assessment

The first stage of planning training should always be to conduct a needs assessment. Without a needs assessment you will be unable to plan properly as you won’t know the requirements of the people you are trying to benefit.

Definition: “An assessment done to identify the problems / needs / interests of an individual / group / community, that can be strengthened or built through training”

A need is the gap between “what is” and “what ought to be”

A needs assessment should aim to answer the following questions

Why do you need this training? What is the most important need / problem that needs to be met? To what extent are the learners aware of this need?

What is most important to them?

Note: This stage will help you understand the aim of your workshop. The final aim of all your activities as a DPO should be to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in your area. This is the final impact of your work.

You should try to involve your group members in identifying the aim of the workshop so that the workshop meets their needs and priorities.

Who needs to be trained? Who are the people that need the training? What is their current level of knowledge? What is their age and gender? What is their past experience of training and how do they prefer to learn?

Note: At this point you should think about making sure that you include diversity in your workshop – include people from all kinds of backgrounds, men and women, people of all ages, people of all disabilities.

What needs to be trained? What are the knowledge, skills and attitudes that need to be taught to the learners? Is the need best met through training or are there other ways to meet the need?

1.3.1 Methods of conducting a Training Needs Assessment:

(A longer list of methods of Training Needs Assessment can be found in Appendix 2)

Interviews: Talking to people over the phone or face-to-face. This could include the learners and other key stakeholders like DSDOs, business people, teachers etc. This is a very flexible technique, you can choose what questions to ask and change the questions depending on the situation. You also build a personal relationship with the interviewee. The disadvantages are that interviews take time and are expensive in travel and communication costs.

Use previous research: You can read reports and the results of surveys that have already been carried out. This is usually cheaper and quicker than carrying out research yourself. Two very important sources of research on disability in Kenya are:

• State of Disabled Peoples Rights in Kenya (2007) Report

Available from: yorku.ca/drpi/files/KenyaReport07.pdf

• “Kenya National Survey for Persons with Disabilities: Preliminary Report” 2008 which is available on: cbs.go.ke

The disadvantage is that existing research may be out of date.

Group discussions:

These could happen during a scheduled group meeting or you could organise a special meeting for the TNA. It could take place in a large community meeting or a small “focus group” of around 8 participants. The advantage is that they can provide a forum for everyone to share ideas. They are relatively quick compared to individual interviews. The disadvantages are that they can stray from the topic and it can be difficult to get everyone together.

Questionnaires: Sending a list of questions to people for them to complete and return. The advantages of this method is that you can include a large number of people in diverse locations. You need to be careful about how you write the questions because sometimes they will be misunderstood. It is also sometimes difficult to get people to return questionnaires.

Work Observation

This involves watching how people carry out work. For example, you could attend a DPO group meeting to see how well the group works together, plans their activities and writes their minutes etc. The advantage of this method is that you can assess directly how competent people are. Disadvantages are that it takes a lot of time and that the observer can change the way people act in front of them.

1.3 Planning the training project:

A workshop session is a project in itself. When you organise a training session you use and develop important project management skills.

A project is defined as an activity with:

• Clear start and finish times

• Specific aims and objectives

• A group of people working together on the activity

• A range of activities some of which can only begin when others have been successfully completed.

When you plan a training workshop it is useful to write down a training project plan. This can be shared with other members of your group so that you can plan the project together.

This is also important for applying for funding because the funder will want to know what you plan to achieve with your training session and how you plan to achieve it.

A project plan should include the following elements:

1. The rationale for the training project: This should be a brief description of the need for the project i.e. why is it important to hold this training workshop with these participants? The training needs assessment can help you write this part. You can also use your own knowledge of the needs of the people your project will help.

2. The aims and objectives of the training project

3. The resources needed for the project including the budget

4. A timeline of how the project will be implemented and who will be responsible for each part.

5. You should be able to show how the project will be sustainable

1.3.1 Setting training aims and objectives:

When you have done the needs analysis you are ready to set the aim and objectives of your training.

The overall aim of the workshop answers the question of why you are holding the workshop which you answered by doing a training needs analysis. The final aim of your session should be to benefit persons with disabilities in your area.

The objectives of the session should contribute towards achieving the overall aim of the session. They describe the things you want the learners to do or know by the end of the session.

All objectives should be SMART:

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Relevant

T – Time-bound

1.3.2 Resources needed for the project:

Human resources: Who is able to work on this project with you? What are their skills?

Travel expenses (bus and matatu costs) – how far will people be coming?

Note: NCPWD will only refund travel on public transport.

Refreshments (food, water, tea etc) – will you just have one meal? What about refreshments during breaks?

Venue – can you get the venue for free? Some churches and community centres will provide this service. Is the venue accessible to wheelchairs without slippy floors?

Does it have enough space and isn’t too noisy? Are there enough chairs and tables?

Materials – Will the participants need notepads and pens? Are there any hand- outs you want to give in advance? Will you need visual aids like flip chart paper and post-it notes?

Equipment: Do you need flip chart paper or even a projector?

Interpreters and Braille: How will you ensure that deaf and blind people are able to participate in the project? Do you have access to sign language interpreters?

1.3.3 Sample budget for a training plan:

|Item: |Quantity |Unit Cost |Total |Actual spend |

|Travel expenses |30 |200 |6000 [quantity x unit | |

| | | |cost] | |

|Hall rental |1 |1000 |1000 | |

|…. | | | | |

| | |Total |7000 [Sum of all the | |

| | | |amounts above] | |

To construct a budget list all the Items that you will need to purchase for the training. Estimate how many items you will require (Quantity - this should depend on the number of participants in the training). Then do some research to find out how much each item costs (Unit Cost). You may need to visit shops or possible training venues to find this out.

Once you have the quantity and unit cost for each item you can multiply them both together to find the total for each item. Add all the items up and you can calculate the total cost of the training.

The Actual Spend column will help you to keep track of how much you spend when you get the training budget and begin making payments. Remember to keep all receipts safe so that you can report back to your group members and donors about how the money was spent. You may want to staple these to a copy of your budget.

1.3.4 Sample timeline for a project plan:

| |Task |Deadline |Duration |Who is responsible |Dependent on… |

|1 |Find a venue | |One week |Treasurer | |

|2 |Inviting participants |3 weeks before |2 days |Chair, Treasurer |1Finding a venue. |

| | |training | | | |

|3 |Create training plan | | |Chair, Treasurer | |

|4 |Identify + invite | | |Chair, Treasurer |3 Creating a training|

| |facilitators | | | |plan |

|5 |Buy training materials | |2 days |Chair | |

|6 |Buy refreshments | |2 days |Treasurer | |

|7 |Prepare training sessions | |One week |Facilitators |4 |

|8 |Hold the training session |23 March | |All |All |

Construct the project plan by first listing all the tasks, any deadlines. You should then think about whether one task is dependent on another task. For example sending out invitations is dependent on finding a venue because you can’t write an invitation unless you know where the training will be.

You should put the tasks that are dependent on other tasks further down the table. This diagram can show you how far in advance you need to start each task and therefore how urgent it is.

1.3.5 Sustainability of a project

Sustainability is all about showing how the effects of a project will continue after the project has finished. You should think about questions like:

• How will the project help local groups to raise funds in the long term?

• How will the project pass on knowledge from one member to the other to enable sustainability?

• Will the project increase the number of members of the group?

• Will the project help to set up economic activities that can generate profit without having to inject more capital?

1.3.6 Inclusivity / Diversity of a project

You should think about whether and how diverse groups can be included in the project. You should think of questions like:

• Is the project accessible to people with all kinds of disability?

• Are youth involved in the project? (recruiting young members can really help to inject new life into your group)

• Are women involved in the project?

• Are other marginalised groups such as people living with HIV, and people with a low educational background and people from ethnic and religious minorities involved in the project?

1.4 Implementing training:

1.4.1 Example of a session plan:

Introductory session

Objectives: By the end of the session participants will have:

1. Been welcomed to the workshop

2. Introduced each other and their organisations / groups.

3. Discussed their expectations

4. Reviewed the objectives during the workshop

Duration: 20 mins

|Time, Techniques & |Activity |Materials |

|responsibility | | |

|5mins |Welcome participants to the group. Opening prayers. |General workshop materials for each |

| | |participant, sticky labels and pens. |

|15 mins, initial icebreaker |Ask participants to go and sit next to someone they don’t know. They|None |

|Small group work and feeding |must then talk to them for five minutes and find out: | |

|back to the group. |What is their name | |

| |Where are they from and their group. | |

| |One interesting thing about their life or their family | |

| | | |

| |After 5 minutes of chat we, go around the group and each person has | |

| |to introduce their partner to the rest of the group. | |

|10 mins |5mins write down on pieces post-it-notes - What do you think you |Post it notes (2 for each participant. |

| |might get from this workshop? |Objectives in participants packs / on |

| |5 mins put the pieces of paper up on the board, group them and |flip chart |

| |discuss them. | |

| |Show them what the objectives of the course are. | |

| |Discuss what can / cannot be achieved during the workshop | |

1.4.2 Planning training sessions check-list

Attention

Capture the participants interest early on or you may lose them. People tend to remember the beginnings and ends better than middles, so make sure that key points are emphasised at those times. Think also about the attention span and vary the length of activites to maximise concentration and keep attention.

Content

Think carefully about the content. Build on what participants already know and can do. Choose content that will stretch them but not too much, so that the objectives are still achievable. Make the content relevant to their work.

Timing

Plan the timings of your sessions and vary the pace. Build in time for reflection and the unexpected. Keep to your timings as much as possible.

Interaction

Learning is assisted by interaction; between the trainer and participants, between participants and different material. Maximise the opportunities for interaction.

Variety

Use a range of different techniques / activities and types of input to maintain interest and appeal to a range of learning styles. Have a mixture of visual, auditory and kinaesthetic channels so that learners receive information through different senses.

Evaluation

Check their learning frequently by asking questions or getting participants to demonstrate something. Build plenty of recaps and reflection time, especially at the beginning and end of the activities and sessions.

1.4.3 Some techniques for informal training:

(A longer list of training sessions can be found in Appendix 3)

Small group or pair discussions: This is when the class is split into smaller groups who then discuss issues. Usually someone from the group is then asked to feedback the results of their discussion to the rest of the class. Sometimes through writing things on a piece of flip chart.

The advantage is that everyone has the opportunity to express their opinion openly in the small group. It gives people the confidence to speak.

Brainstorm or thought shower: Learners are asked to respond to a question or prompt quickly and express whatever ideas come into their minds.

Ordering exercises: Learners are asked to put items into an order. You can do this by putting the items onto pieces of card and asking them to order them or by asking them to group the things.

This is a good way of making a starting point for a discussion. The disadvantage is that participants may want a right or wrong answer from the trainer.

Role Plays: Learners take roles and act out a scenario. The advantage is that it provides learners with a concrete experience – something they do - that they can learn from. Another advantage is it allows participants to explore how to do something, how they feel about things.

The disadvantages are that it relies on the willingness of learners to act. It requires careful feedback and “debriefing” (reviewing the activity for the learner).

Note Appendix 1 contains a list of other training techniques

Tips for group work:

• Make sure everyone understands the instructions before the session

• Think about how you will split up the groups. Make sure that everyone gets the chance to work with different people. Make sure no one dominates the group.

2. Advocacy Skills

Definition of advocacy:

“Activity to achieve changes in institutional practice or public behaviour in order to benefit the poor or disadvantaged directly.”

Examples of “institutional practice” –

• Schools not teaching in sign language.

• Government not giving enough money for rehabilitating disabled people.

• Banks not having wheelchair access.

• Television not providing sign language interpretation.

Examples of public behaviour –

• People calling names to people with disabilities.

• Families not allowing people with disabilities to inherit land.

• Violence against people with albinism because of belief in witchcraft.

Process of advocacy

Just like learning, the process of advocacy should follow a cycle of reflection (or analysis), planning, doing and then reviewing. In this section we will consider how to analyse the problem that our advocacy will address, how to plan an advocacy strategy and then different methods of doing advocacy.

2.1 Identifying and analysing the problem

2.1.1 Identifying the issue or problem to work on.

This step in the process of advocacy is really important. There are lots of problems in the world. You need to focus on the issue that is having most impact on your beneficiaries, persons with disability.

Generally problems facing persons with disability can be grouped into the following categories:

• Lack of access to buildings and transport – e.g. no wheelchair ramps.

• Lack of access to health

• Lack of access to education

• Negative attitudes towards person’s with disabilities – e.g. not sending children with disabilities to school

• Not being able to make a living – e.g. lack of job or land to grow crops

• Lack of access to communications and information e.g. no sign language interpreters.

You need to talk to the people you are working with to find out what is the most important problem or issue for them. You can do this by using the same methods used in designing the training needs analysis but the important think is to ask you group to prioritise usually by voting which area is most important for them.

2.1.2 Analysing the Problem

Once you have identified a problem or issue to work on you need to analyse the problem by looking at its causes and effects and thinking about what is the best way to solve the problem.

Step 1 create a Problem Tree

One of the most effective ways of doing this is by forming a problem tree. This is a visual mapping tool that is ideally suited to being done in a group with of the persons with disabilities in your area.

The problem tree helps you to analyse the situation and identify a core problem that you want to focus on. The tree has a trunk that represents the core problem, roots that represent the causes of the problem, and branches that represent the effects.

A Problem Tree diagram:

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To start the tree write the causes and effects on small pieces of paper and stick them onto a large piece of paper or a wall.

The group can then negotiate the relationship between the cards and how they should be placed. The tree can be re-framed by making one of the causes or effects the core problem, and re-adjusting the other cards around it.

Example of a problem tree:

[pic]

Step 2 Turn the problem tree into a solution tree:

All you need to do is change the statements into their opposites: i.e. make the negative of each sentence. [pic]From the solution tree you can see the main aim you should be focusing on which will have the most impact (this is the core problem). You can also see where you group can have an impact and therefore set the objective of your advocacy.

The core solution should be the aim of your work and the secondary problems should be the objectives.

2.2 Conduct a power analysis.

Once you have identified the aim of your advocacy you need to identify who you will need to influence in order to achieve this aim. This can be done through conducting a power analysis.

In the following example you are trying to influence a school to make it more accessible for persons with disabilities.

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You should also identify how much influence each stakeholder in the diagram has over the issue and how important the issue is for the stakeholder. For example the issue is very important for parents of children with disabilities but may not be so important to the teachers.

When conducting a power analysis you need to identify the stakeholders that have:

• High influence and high importance: e.g. the teacher. These people are key to finding ways to convince them of the importance of your issue.

• High importance but low influence: These people are key to the process. In this example they would be the parents and students. You should try to empower these people to have more influence.

• Low importance but high influence.: Care should be taken with these stakeholders. Their interests could conflict with those of your advocacy campaign. For example a teacher could not want more access for children with disabilities into their school because it would take money from other projects. You may need to convince these stakeholders to agree with your point of view. Or you could try to reduce their influence over the decision making process.

Note: For more information see Appendix 4 Stakeholder Analysis

2.3 Key messages of your advocacy:

Once you have done your problem analysis and power analysis then you should be able to identify three key messages of your advocacy:

1. What is the problem and what are the social, political and economic costs of the problem? (these can be identified from the problem tree analysis)

In the example of increasing access of children with disability into the school the problem would be lack of access of children with disabilities to the school. The costs are marginalisation of people with disability, lack of education of PWDs and PWDs not being able to contribute to the economy because of their lack of education.

2. Who or what is primarily responsible? (this can be identified from the power analysis)

In the school example the person responsible might be the headmaster of the school who has not provided facilities for children to access the school.

3. What are your concrete policy demands and proposals? (This should come from your solutions tree analysis) – there should be no more than two or three demands.

In the school example this could be:

1. Buying equipment for the school to make it more accessible including a brailing machine and wheelchair ramps.

2. Employing a trained teacher trained in special needs education to improve integration to the school.

2.4 Identify a method of advocacy to influence the target.

Once you have identified the main targets of your campaign you are ready to identify methods of advocacy to influence the target.

Insider or outsider methods of advocacy?

You should think about how the decision maker will perceive you when you choose a method of advocacy. Will they perceive you as an insider or outsider?

[pic]

Insider advocacy method

This involves working closely with the advocacy target to build a strong working relationship cooperating with the target where appropriate.

For example in the case of influencing a school to accept more children with disabilities insider methods would include:

-holding a meeting with the head teacher.

-giving the head teacher information about how they could make the school more accessible and where they could get Braille machines from etc.

-giving information about the benefits of integrating children with disabilities into the school.

-praising the school in the local media about progress it has made and encouraging it to do more.

Outsider advocacy method

This involves setting yourself apart from the advocacy target, holding public demonstrations and publicly criticising the advocacy target.

For example in the case of influencing a school to accept more children with disabilities it could include:

-Criticising the head teacher in a media interview for not making enough progress.

-Holding a demonstration outside the school

Note: You should be very careful about using extreme outsider methods of advocacy. This is likely to cause a bad relationship with the advocacy target and could prevent future possibilities of insider advocacy.

2.4.1 Communications and Media:

Communication is vital to effective advocacy. First, good communication among your colleagues and supporters is important to keep them focused on the advocacy goal. Second external communications is vital to put pressure on decision makers by raising awareness about your issue and your demands

Communication materials include posters, leaflets, press releases, videos or audio recording.

The media is newspapers, radio, television and the internet. If you can get regular media coverage it is a lot cheaper than producing your own materials or paying for advertisements in newspapers. Also you are likely to access many more people through the media.

Tips for media and communication:

• Always think about your audience when writing communications materials or giving a media interview. What type of language would they understand? What would appeal to them?

• Think carefully about which media you will target? What type of media do the people you are trying to target read or listen to?

• Keep your messages short, simple and focused on the key messages identified above.

• Use real life stories and quotes. People are more interested in hearing about individual people’s stories than abstract concepts or statistics.

• Present solutions to the problem and be positive.

• Tell the audience how they take action and what the can do to help.

2.4.2 Lobbying:

Definition: “Direct one-on-one communication with decision makers and other people who have influence on decision makers.”

Lobbying can be through formal meetings and letters to decision makers or informal through conversations in the market, restaurants and other social settings. It is very important to build relationships with decision makers for this to be successful.

You should try to find out as much information as possible about your lobbying target as possible. Including where they stand on your issue (see above under power analysis) if they are an MP where is their constituency?

Lobbying visit tips:

• Introduce yourself and your group, where you are from and who you represent.

• Express appreciation for past support if possible

• Be personal when possible

• Be prepared for a conversation

• Have the three main communication points ready (see above)

• Be able to tell the decision maker what they can do to help (e.g. writing a letter to the main decision maker, attending a meeting, giving a message of support etc.)

• Try to get a commitment from the decision maker

• Follow up the meeting with a letter summarising the key points.

2.4.3 Popular mobilisation:

Popular mobilisation is any activity that builds and uses the strength of numbers of your supporters to exert political pressure. It could include organising a public meeting, organising a demonstration or bringing a group of your grassroots members to meet with a decision maker.

These are important to organise at before important events such as elections, and important council meetings, during public consultation on a project or when someone important is visiting your area.

The disadvantage of protests is that they can be seen as confrontational and undermine your relationship with the decision maker. They can also get out of control.

Popular mobilisation tips:

• Use the media to create publicity before, during and after an event.

• Be creative: a demonstration could take any form for example, an all night vigil, a tea party, a picnic etc.

• It is important to make things fun or interesting to get large numbers of people involved.

• Use popular mobilisation as an opportunity to educate your members and help them learn new skills such as planning and public speaking.

• Make sure you are safe. Carefully consider the political environment before organising a demonstration. You can guard against trouble-makers becoming involved in the demonstration by appointing community leaders to “marshal” the demonstration and informing the police before a demonstration takes place.

2.4.4 Working in partnership / coalitions:

Working with other organisations and that share the same aims as you can be an important way of increasing your strength and resources. They can help you to get to get access to decision makers.

However, the disadvantage of working in partnerships is that there can be internal conflict, which can take a lot of time to resolve.

Tips for working in partnership:

• Use your power analysis to establish which organisations to partner with. They will be the ones that have influence and sharing your concerns on the issue are very important.

• Stay focused. Be clear about the advocacy issue you will work on together.

• Be clear from the start about how you will work together, what you will and won’t do together. Divide roles between organisations depending on your strengths and weaknesses

• Be imaginative. For example DPOs in Voi have partnered with a theatre group to help them spread positive messages about people with disabilities and with an environmental organisation.

• Don’t just consider disability in a box. For example think about partnering with other groups that are working on the right to access to education such as parents groups.

• Show mutual respect and be responsible towards each other.

3. Fundraising

Fundraising is the activity of getting money for an organisation.

You should not just think about raising money but also think about “resource mobilisation” – all the different types of resources you can ask people to give to your organisation including:

-human resources – people volunteering their time and skills (for example someone volunteering to build an office)

-gifts in kind – for example donations of land, food or firewood to your organisation.

Note:

The person or organisation you ask for money MUST TRUST YOU and trust that you will use the money properly. You must therefore be very careful to write clear budgets, account for all the money that has been spent and ensure that it goes to help people with disabilities. If you are not able to do this you will not be able to raise money in the long term.

3.1 Different sources of funding:

Government (local or national) – e.g. District Social Development Officer, Local Councils, Women’s Fund, Youth Fund etc. (see appendix)

Companies e.g. Safaricom, local Hotels, Supermarkets etc.

NGOs and Charities e.g. Action Aid, World Vision, APDK etc.

Foundations e.g. Kenya Community Development Foundation, African Development Foundation etc.

3.2 Five stages of a successful fundraising application:

1. Research:

-If you are raising money from government find out what local funding is available and who is responsible for giving out that money.

-What type of funding has been given before to other organisations?

-What NGOs are active in your area and may be able to give funding?

2. Application procedures and deadline:

-What is the application procedure: when do you need to apply? Is there an application form? What information will you need to supply? Do you need to supply referees?

3. Submit your proposal:

- Write a confident and well argued proposal in the format that is supplied.

- Be as factual as you can.

- Show that you will be effective and efficient in the use of their money. What difference will the money make to people with disabilities?

- Make sure you show how the project will be sustainable. How will the work will continue after the project money has been used? See section 1.3.6 for more details

- Make sure you show how you show how the project will be inclusive of people living with different disabilities, men and women, old and young etc. See section 1.3.5 for more details

4. Lobbying and publicity

- Make sure that everyone important knows about your application and the benefits it will bring.

- If possible get media coverage about your organisation, and the good work it is doing.

5. Say thank you:

- If you succeed in getting support say thank you often and enthusiastically.

- Give them good publicity for the support they have given you – e.g. thank them in public speeches and if possible in the media.

- Report back regularly and account for the money that has been spent. Also tell donors about the effect the money has had on the lives of your members.

- If you fail, don’t give up. Think about how you can learn to make an even better proposal next time. Remember the learning cycle!

3.3 Fundraising Tips

Use the resources and skills available to you – if you are a good event organiser then organise an event. If you have musicians within your group organise a concert.

Local practice: Every community has mechanisms for mutual aid and community fundraising, such as harambees and merry go rounds. Use a method through which people are already used to being asked for support.

Religion: Most religions have mechanisms for giving and times of the year when giving is encouraged. For example in Islam giving is encouraged at Eidh at the end of Ramadan. In Christianity people are encouraged to give money at Christmas and on Ash Wednesday.

Who do you know?: contacts are important. If you know prominent business people, politicians, music or media stars then you can either ask them to donate their own money, or involve them in events to get publicity for your fundraising. Sit down with your group members to see if anyone has contacts they could reach who might be useful.

Take a long term perspective: Try to develop a relationship with a donor. Do not just get money for a one off project. If you organise events try to make them happen every year so that people give regularly. Thank people after your project has been completed and tell them about the positive results of your training. This will make people want to give more.

Target tourists: Kenya has a large tourist industry especially on the coast. You could arrange for a notice board about your group to be put up in a local hotel. Tourists like to do something “out of the ordinary” during their stay which brings them closer to the life of the country they are visiting. You could offer to take them on a tour to visit craftsmen in your group or you could arrange to show them around your village.

3.4 Techniques for Fundraising from individuals:

Membership subscriptions: This is when you ask members to contribute a certain amount of money each month or year. The advantage is that it gives your members more of a commitment to the group. You should think about having different rates for poorer members.

Organising Events: These can be large or small. It could be a concert, a sponsored walk or run or a dinner or party. Events can be a great way of attracting new supporters to your group. You shouldn’t just aim to get as much money as possible from the people who attend but give them a good time as well. Remember to keep the names and numbers of everyone who attends so you can target them for future fundraising events.

House to house collections: you can knock on doors and ask people for support. It could include collecting money or goods that people want to give away that you could sell. This can be a good way of raising awareness as well as raising money. Think about which neighbourhoods are likely to give the best response

Collecting boxes in public places: you can ask bars, shops or supermarkets to put a collection box on their counter. You need to first convince the manager to put the box there and put on a strong lock to make sure the money is not stolen. You also need to check the box regularly. Make sure two members of the group are there when the box is opened to guard against corruption.

Holding an appeal: This is when you hold a campaign to raise a certain amount of money, often to buy a large item such as a computer or to pay to build offices for example. You can have a chart in a prominent place and mark off how much money you raise. You could raise money by getting coverage in local media and by writing to wealthy individuals.

Getting the participation of young people and schools: working with schools is a great way of building future support. Children have a lot of time and have contacts with parents and families who can be a source of money. However, you should remember that children are also a vulnerable group and are impressionable. Any work with schools should be first fun, then educational and only then about making money. You should start by giving a presentation and then invite them to do something to help. This could be from contests and competitions, collecting and recycling waste materials etc.

Gambling activities or competitions that generate money – this could involve holding a raffle or lottery, or organising competitions like guessing the weight of a cow, where people can win a prize for guessing the correct answer.

Advertising – These can include posters, leaflets or advertisements in newspapers. They can be expensive but if you use words and images carefully in an advertisement they can make a profit for your organisation.

4. Leadership and managing conflicts within groups

4.1 Leadership:

A useful way of thinking about leadership is to consider four different styles of leadership:

Facilitative leadership: encourages people to participate and pursue their own potentials, leaders encourage others to assert themselves and have faith in their own judgement. They delegate responsibility.

Assertive leadership: gives direction, states positions, and helps others move toward agreements.

Supportive leadership: backs other people’s positions, makes them feel validated and maintains group cohesion.

Disruptive leadership: shakes people up and helps the group think critically, disagree and challenge constructively.

An experienced leader will be able to match the appropriate approach to the right circumstances. Not every leader has the capacity to use all of these approaches, but they should be able to seek help from others to compensate for the skills they don’t have.

Transformative leadership: means helping to empower those you lead.

In campaign movements such as the disability movement it is very important to use leadership to mobilise others and develop leadership skills among members in this way. Leaders should mobilise others in ways that encourage collaboration, respect, shared values and action. They should be active learners and listeners and create space for others to learn, make decisions and act. They accept certain responsibilities that come with being a leader, but recognize that success depends on engaging others as informed decision makers.

4.2 Conflict resolution / management:

The nature of common interest groups like DPOs means that conflict is a natural part of working in the disability movement. Whenever passionate people work together towards a common goal it is natural to have conflict. It should not necessarily be avoided but rather recognised and managed.

There are different ways in which you can behave when there is a conflict:

• Be a shark: You can compete with the other person to try to win the dispute. This technique is usually used when the issue you are in dispute about is more important than maintaining the relationship with the person

• Be a hare: You can attempt to cooperate, while acknowledging the existence of a conflict. This technique is used when both the issue you disagree about and the relationship is important to you.

• Be a teddy bear: You can give in to their demands This technique is used when the relationship to the person you are in conflict with is more important than the issue you are in agreement

• Be a turtle: You can ignore the situation. This approach is not recommended as the problem is likely to get worse. However if neither the relationship or the issue of conflict is important to you then you could follow this course

Note: See Appendix 5 for a diagram of showing these approaches

Strategies for managing conflict between others:

• Help people vent feelings, raise questions and clarify issues, perhaps through the use of meetings.

• Find areas of agreement and opportunities for collaboration

• Focus on common ground and playing down differences

• Help members recognise the conflict and explain conflicting views.

• Work with facilitators – neutral outsiders to create a safe environment, suggest processes for resolving conflicts and make sure each side is really listening to the other.

5. Evaluation

Evaluation is another name for reviewing in the learning cycle. Evaluation has many different definitions but it basically means learning from past experience. Evaluation is a crucial part of the learning cycle.

All projects including training sessions and advocacy projects should include an element of evaluation. Evaluation has many benefits including:

• Helping you to learn from past experience to improve performance

• Identifying future needs including training and advocacy needs.

• Making all participants in the project feel valued so they know that they have done good work.

• Reporting back to donors

Any evaluation should involve looking at the objectives of your training and asking three separate questions:

1. What went well and why?

2. What went badly and why?

3. What could be improved for the next time?

Evaluation meeting

This can be done immediately after an event, with key stakeholders to answer these questions. Alternatively it can be done at the next group meeting. Everyone should be given the chance to contribute.

Quantitative and qualitative measures

You should use both qualitative information and quantitative information for answering these questions. For example, the number of people who came to an event is a quantitative measure of the success of an event. How well they participated in the event is a qualitative measure. To avoid future problems it is worth planning in advance how you will collect this information.

Evaluation of training:

While you are training you should constantly monitor whether learners understand what you are saying by asking questions to test their comprehension. At the end of a training or event you can use a feedback form to gather information about how the participants perceived the event.

List of Appendices:

Appendix 1, How to apply for NCPWD Grants for district Trainings

Appendix 2. Evaluation form

Appendix 3. Training Needs Assessment Tools

(Page 15-17 from VSO training skills)

Appendix 4. Training Techniques

(Pages 12-13 from VSO training skills)

Appendix 5, Stakeholder Analysis

Page 19 from VSO Skills for Working in Development Course

Appendix 6, Dealing with Differences and Managing Conflict

Page 47 of VSO Skills for Working in Development Course

Appendix 7. Giving feedback

(page 29 from VSO Training Skills)

Appendix 8: Local Funding Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Kenya

APPENDIX 2: How to apply for NCPWD Grants for District Level Trainings

Reason for distributing these grants: After training workshops are provided by NCPWD there is a strong need for resources to be given to enable local groups to train others in the skills they have learnt. These grants are therefore intended to enable participants in the DPO Leadership Skills workshops to hold follow-on workshops in their own districts.

How to apply for the grants:

1. Form training teams

Participants in the workshop must form themselves into “Trainers Teams” depending on which districts they have come from:

|North Coast |South Coast |

|Mombasa: 6 participants |Lamu: 4 participants |

|Kinangu: 4 participants |Tana River / Lower Tana: 4 participants |

|Taita / Taveta: 4 participants |Kilifi / Kaloleni: 5 Participants |

|Kwale: 4 participants |Malindi: 5 Participants |

It is therefore proposed that one training should be carried out by each of the Trainers Teams consisting of the members of the workshop in each area above. Each Trainers Team must select a Coordinator and Treasurer.

2. Developing the training proposals

During the workshops each Trainers’ Team will be given time to develop proposals for their trainings. Their training event should last for at least 6 hours and should include at least 30 people from your local area.

The proposals must contain:

-a rationale explaining the need for the training

-aims and objectives

-a simple budget including how much will be spent on travel expenses, refreshments, materials, venue costs, sign language interpretation costs etc

-indicate how you will select participants to ensure diversity between different types of disability, geographical balance and gender and age diversity.

4. Present the proposal at the training session: The proposal should then be submitted to NCPWD for our consideration. NCPWD with then forward the proposal to the DSDO for his / her approval.

5. Get approval from your DSDO: Once the proposal has been sent back to the DSDO by NCPWD then you can meet with the DSDO to make changes as necessary and secure his approval.

Disbursing the grant

Each Trainers Group should nominate a coordinator and treasurer. Once the plan has been approved by all three parties, the Trainers Group, NCPWD and the DSDO will sign a memorandum of understanding indicating how the money will be used. NCPWD will then release 80% of the grant to the DSDO. The DSDO will then release money to the coordinator and treasurer as and when it is needed.

Important: The group will have to agree to bear the cost of the remaining 20% of the grant (around Ks4000) until it is returned to the group on completion of the project and submission of the final report. We suggest that this money should be raised from the group members.

Reporting

After the training the group must submit a report to the DSDO including

-a participant list,

-expenditure report including receipts,

-a brief summary of what happened,

-a photograph of all participants.

Once this report has been forwarded to NCPWD then the final amount (20% of the grant) will be released to the DSDO who will forward it to the group. The DSDO will be paid a facilitation fee.

Timeline:

|1. During the NCPWD training |Trainers Teams are formed at the training workshop, proposals and budgets developed. |

|2. At the end of the NCPWD |Proposals submitted to NCPWD |

|training | |

|3. After the NCPWD training |Proposals approved, or changes suggested and forwarded to the relevant DSDO with a memorandum |

| |of understanding. |

|4. |DSDO meets with the Trainers Group to discuss the proposal and recommend changes if necessary. |

|5. |If the DSDO approves the grant he forwards a signed memorandum of understanding (signed by the |

| |DSDO and the treasurer and secretary of the trainers group) to NCPWD along with a copy of the |

| |proposal. |

|6. |NCPWD releases 80% of the grant amount to the DSDO |

|7. |DSDO releases money to Treasurer and Secretary of Trainers Group, getting proof of payment |

|8. |Training workshop is completed |

|9. No later than 3 weeks after |Report of workshop including receipts, is submitted to DSDO who forwards it to NCPWD. |

|local training and must be | |

|before 30 May 2009 | |

|10. No later than 3 weeks after |NCPWD releases the final 20% plus administration charge to the DSDO. |

|local training | |

Address: National Council for Person’s with Disability,66577-00800 Nairobi

Phone / Fax: 020 445 2877 Safaricom: 0720 378 477

Email: ncpwds@africaonline.co.ke or peter_hulme@

Appendix 2 DPOs Leadership Skills Training: Evaluation form

Dates of training: From _______To_______ Location: ____________

Name (optional)________________________________________________

Please indicate the quality of each of the following aspects of the workshop

|Level of the training |Too hard Hard Just right Easy Too easy |

|Comments |

| |

|Training on Training skills |Excellent Good Acceptable Poor Very poor |

|Comments |

| |

|Entrepreneurship Training |Excellent Good Acceptable Poor Very poor |

|Comments |

| |

|Training on Advocacy |Excellent Good Acceptable Poor Very poor |

|Comments |

| |

|Fundraising Training |Excellent Good Acceptable Poor Very poor |

|Comments |

| |

| |

|Leadership Training |Excellent Good Acceptable Poor Very poor |

|Comments |

| |

|Food and accommodation |Excellent Good Acceptable Poor Very poor |

|Comments |

| |

| |

|Overall quality of the workshop |Excellent Good Acceptable Poor Very poor |

|General Comments |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

|Continue overleaf if necessary |

Appendix 8

LOCAL FUNDING OPPORTUNTIES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN KENYA

This handout was kindly prepared by the Provincial Director of Gender and Social Services in Western Province, Mr Ben Makotsi and the Deputy Director, Mr Johnstone Odinga.

WOMEN ENTERPRISE FUND

This fund was established by the government in December 2006 as a strategic move towards addressing poverty alleviation through socio economic empowerment of women. This was conceived on realization that women aged 18 years and above constitute about 52.9% of the total population.

The fund has two components viz:-

1. Loan through micro finance intermediaries such as banks, NGOs and SACCOs.

These include but are not limited to Co-operative bank, Family Bank and KCB.

Cooperative banks in western have a tailor made product referred to as Nguzu loans

The interest rates charged by the financial intermediaries is not more than 8% on reducing balance method.

The total amount available under this arrangement is 640 million nationally.

The requirements for accessing this loan facility are:

• Business registration certificates or national ID

• The applicants must have a bank account, preferably with the preferred financial intermediary

• Loan application form or self-prepared business proposal

• The financial intermediary will appraise the loan.

• In case of groups, the divisional women enterprise fund committee should verify the existence of the groups.

• Flexible collateral to be determined by the financial intermediary.

• Repayment period and rate to be agreed with the Financial Inetermediary but should not exceed 3 years.

2. Constituency women’s enterprise scheme:

This portion of the fund was aimed at ensuring that all women, especially those living in remote areas not well served by financial intermediaries are not disadvantaged in accessing the fund. One million shillings is available in each constituency.

3. Features and access procedures are:

• Target groups are women groups in Divisions.

• Accessible only to women groups operating within the parliamentary constituency.

• Maximum loan per group 50,000/=

• Not accessible to individual women owned enterprises.

• No interest is charged on the loan but 5% administration fee is deducted upfront from the approved loan.

• Proposal screenings, recommendation and approval is done by Divisional Women Enterprise Committees at divisional levels – A woman with Disability is a member of the committee to ensure that the interests of PWD are catered for.

• Repayment period – 12 months in equal installments after a 3 month grace period. If repayment is done in a shorter period, the group will immediately qualify for another loan.

• Groups with male and female membership must have at least 70% women and 100% women in leadership positions.

• A standard application form is available to all potential applicants.

3. Loan Access Procedures / Requirements

• Group must be registered and have been in existence for at least 3 months

• Group must have a bank account.

• Complete the application form.

• DWEFC evaluates and appraises the application. If satisfied recommends to Advisory board for the disbursement of the funds to the groups

• All repayments to be paid to a designated collection account

Note: 10% of the loans are reserved for vulnerable groups if available.

4. Grants to Self Help Groups

Grants to self help groups are available from the Department of Gender and Social Development Quarterly.

From each quarterly allocation 10% is reserved for a DPO who must be engaged in sustainable self help projects.

Requirements for accessing the grants:

1. The group must be registered with the Department of Gender and Social Development.

2. It must be involved in a viable IGA.

3. It must have a bank account with a reputable bank.

4. The group must apply to the District Social Development Committee through the Divisional Social Development Committee.

5. Youth Enterprise Fund

This fund is structured like the Women Enterprise Fund. Youths are defined as person aged between 18 and 35 years. But for Youth with Disability the age bracket is widened to up to 40 years.

In disbursing loans, Youths with Disability are given more preference. Female youths are given much more consideration, especially if they have a disability.

The department of youth in the ministry of sports and youth affairs has programmes addressing areas shown below:

a. Youths with Special Needs

b. Sign Language Interpretation and Braille

c. Grants for Special Needs

d. Inventory of skills among youths with disability.

e. Observing of the National Youth Week – normally held during the 2nd week of August every year.

Youths with Special Needs

These include:

a. HIV positive Youths

b. Physically challenged youths

c. Drug addicts

d. Albinos

6. Njaa Marufuku

This programme was developed by the Ministry of Agriculture targeting community groups and individuals for improved food production and other IGAs. The programme receives quarterly funding from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The programme targets the poor and vulnerable people within communities. Vulnerable people are those who cannot acquire basic necessities such as housing, food and clothing.

The vulnerable include:

• Widows

• HIV/AIDS patients.

• Orphans

• PWD

Implementation of Njaa Marufku programme is implemented through stakeholder forums which help in defining and identifying the vulnerable.

The ministry has acknowledged difficulty in accessing DPOs for necessary assistance or funding. DPOs are therefore advised to make themselves known to District officers from the ministry of agriculture.

7. Constituency Development Fund (CDF)

This is a fund from the Ministry of Planning, National Development and vision 2030.

Among the programmes targeted by this fund are the vulnerable groups, especially in education Bursaries. PWD who apply for a bursary have higher chances of succeeding in view of the fact that they are determined by the CDF management committee.

Documentary proof of vulnerability is required. The girl child has higher chances of accessing the bursaries in a bid to address the well-known imbalance of educational opportunities.

NB: Projects/ programmes to be funded are decided by the beneficiary groups including DPOs.

8. LATIF

This is a grant from the Ministry in charge of local authorities given to all local authorities. Under LATIF, community projects tailor made to suit the needs of a particular community are funded.

Vulnerable groups that are well organized can also benefit from the funding.

Vulnerable groups include:

• Orphans

• Widows

• Persons with disabilities

National fund for the disabled:

This is a fund initiated by the former president Daniel Arap Moi in 1980 to assist institutions serving Persons with Disability and individuals with disability.

Types of assistance

• Cash or tools to institutions for specific projects.

• As stated in the application forms

• Assistive devices to individual persons with disability.

• Tools to individuals with disability.

Procedure for accessing the fund

Application forms for assistance are available at District Commissioner’s Offices

The forms are in two types:

1. Individual application and

2. Institutional application forms

Individual applications are vetted right from the locational development committee, Divisional Development and lastly the District Development Committee.

The Chairman of the DDC (District Commission) after satisfying him/herself that the application is indeed deserving, forwards the application to the Executive Officer of the National Fund for the disabled.

Successful applicants collect their tools or funds at brief ceremonies held at the Provincial Commissioner’s Offices.

The vetting process starts from the Locational Development Committee to ensure that only deserving cases receive assistance.

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[pic]

Reflect

(Analyse)

Review

Do

Plan

Teacher-centric training

[pic]

Interactive, learner-centric training

[pic]

Plan an advocacy strategy

Do the advocacy

Review

Identify and analyse the problem

Effect

Secondary cause

Secondary cause

Effect

Secondary cause

Direct Cause

Direct cause

Direct cause

Core problem

Girls not going to school

Lack of school places

Child headed households

Parents not sending girls to school

Prejudice against girls

Poor job prospects

HIV/AIDS

No government funds

High illiteracy

Girls going to school

More school places

No child headed households

Parents sending girls to school

Girls valued by their families

Good job prospects

Less HIV/AIDS

More government funds

Low illiteracy

Decision approver –

E.g. management board

Decision maker –

e.g. head teacher

Adviser –

e.g. teacher

Adviser –

e.g. teacher

Internal stakeholders e.g. students

Insider and outsider methods of advocacy

[pic] [pic]

Institution

E.g. school

Simple Power analysis: Influencing a school to make it more accessible to children with disabilities

External stakeholders – parents

- DPOs

- businesses

Plan

Do

Review

(Evaluate)

Reflect (Theorise or analyse)

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