Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FACILITATORS MANUAL
ON GOOD GOVERNANCE
(CORAD)
Ivan Nikolic
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 Forward
4 Acknowledgements
5 Preface
6 Introduction
8 Tips for trainers
16 Chapter 3: Dependency
18 Chapter 4: Leadership
27 Chapter 7: By-laws
31 Chapter 8: Advocacy
47 Bibliography
This Manual on Good Governance has been prepared with input from CORAD
agencies -- Africare, CARE, CRS and World Vision -- along with MSI
(Management System International) and the Government of Sierra Leone’s
Decentralization Secretariat. I hope this manual will contribute towards
promoting the practice of good governance, resulting in a more secure and
dynamic environment for the citizens of Sierra Leone.
Brian Larson
Country Director
CARE International in Sierra Leone
29th February 2008
The consultant would like to thank the many people at the CORAD partner agencies
who made themselves available for meetings. The consultant also appreciated the
contributions of Management Systems International (MSI Sierra Leone) and Enhancing
the Interaction and Interface between Civil Society and the State to Improve Poor
People’s Lives (ENCISS, Sierra Leone).
A pilot version of this manual was used to conduct a Training of Trainers in Makeni,
Sierra Leone, in November 2007. This manual has been revised in light of the
experience of that training workshop and the many helpful comments made by
participants and by CORAD partner organizations. Many thanks to the trainees from
CARE, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, and Africare, who have made this
manual so much richer through their valuable inputs and willingness to share their field
experiences.
Two basic resources were used to draft this Manual: “Basic Training Manual for Ward
Committees” (DecSec, Sierra Leone, 2004), and “Village Development Committees
Training Manual”. In addition to these, the consultant has used his personal
experience, suggested formats, and exercises from participants.
Many thanks also for the suggestions that came from the co-facilitators of the training in
Makeni, Ahmid Thoronka (MSI, Sierra Leone), and Samuel Mokuwa (ENCISS, Sierra
Leone). The consultant would especially like to thank Saio M. Kinthor, Program Officer
of CARE International in Sierra Leone, who was the main contact on this consultancy
and provided invaluable support throughout the process.
Additional translation and printing of the manual has been made possible by funding
from the USAID. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the
Consultant and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of
the USAID.
Ivan Nikolic
Consultant
In pursuit of this, a critical focus area of LEAD is the quality of governance, resulting in
more efficient and equitable community-based decision-making, as well as improved
linkages to local government and its services. By improving the transparency and
effectiveness of their own organizations, Community-Based Organizations will be better
able to negotiate similar improvements from local government.
LEAD is implemented in four of the poorest districts in Sierra Leone, as such, all four
members of the consortium will be implementing governance activities - a significant
advance in the national scale-up of the democratic culture and decentralization process.
Each chapter of this manual represents one module of this governance training. The
modules are designed as succinct guidelines for CORAD trainers to strengthen
capacities for implementing good governance practices among CBOs. Training of
trainers for the material covered in this manual has already taken place (19-23
November 2007), although it will be necessary for trainees to replicate this training
within their organizations to ensure that a suitable cadre of qualified trainers exists.
1
Consortium for Rehabilitation and Development. Members are CARE (prime), World Vision, Catholic Relief
Services (CRS), and Africare.
2
MYAP: Multi Year Assistance Program, a Title II USAID funding mechanism for development programs
Good governance is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Very few
countries, societies and organizations have come close to achieving good governance
in its totality. However, to ensure sustainable human development, actions must be
taken to work towards this ideal. So far, by building organizational skills, CORAD has
managed to improve CBO’s capacities to promote good governance beyond their
communities. Future efforts will ensure the creation of stronger CBOs and CBO
associations that will be much more successful in their areas of work (agriculture,
health, water and sanitation, etc.), thanks to improvements in the area of governance.
Moreover, CBOs with good practices will impact local authorities’ lack of capacities for
practicing good governance. Community-Based Organizations can be one of the
strongest agents in promoting culture of good governance in Sierra Leoneans society.
In practice, the same group of trainers may use the manual in all three ways:
• They work through the manual on their own.
• Then they attend a workshop in which the learning points in the
manual are elaborated and discussed.
• They keep a copy of the manual to refer to in their future work.
This would be the ideal way of using the manual. Workshops are usually much more
effective if participants have had a chance to acquire most of the basic informational
content on their own, at their own speed. The workshop can then focus on:
3
A corresponding Trainee Manual will assist trainers in conducting this training.
However, it is recognized that trainers will often not have the chance to work through
the manual individually before a workshop.
The first part (Chapters 1-2) deals with the concept and basic principles
underlying good governance. This part of the manual could equally well
be used by members of the CBOs, or by officials not directly involved in
the work of CBOs.
• While selecting a training venue, make sure that it is accessible for all the
participants. An accessible venue is one that people can easily get into and out
of. This includes not being too small, being conveniently located for the majority
of participants, having proper infrastructure for people with disabilities.
• Before the start of the workshop, make sure you have all the necessary materials
(stationery, handout, confirmations from resource persons), so that the lack of
these does not hamper the course of the workshop.
• Clarify all the workshop rules with the participants on the first day. Do that by
facilitating a process of setting ground rules. Ensure some basic rules of gender
sensitivity and participation, (providing women opportunities to speak and
participate in a balanced manner), by proposing such rules if participants have
not listed them.
• Conduct various sessions and activities through group work. Suggestions for
group work are made under different modules. Also, it is important to consider
how you will set your groups: will participants set their own groups, or do you
want to set the groups for the training (usually, this is the case when you want to
make sure that members of each group are well-mixed, either by agency, by
level of experience, by sector, or by position held)? You might want to make
setting groups more interesting by using different methods for making groups e.g.
numbers, alphabets, names of the flowers and fruits, types of stationary etc.
• Make sure that all the participants take part in the sessions, i.e. encourage and
involve those participants who are shy or quiet. There are different ways you can
do this, for example: for presentations of group work, encourage those
participants who are less active and shy to present on behalf of their group.
• Set and maintain boundaries to keep the discussion relevant and the tone
respectful.
• Watch peoples’ needs, e.g. a stretch break, a touch of humor, a change of pace.
• Help people learn from their experience through careful observation and
constructive feedback.
• At the end of each session, invite questions from the participants and in turn ask
them questions on the topic.
PART 1
Divide participants into groups of 4 or 5 people. Give each group big sheet of paper
and markers. Ask participants to try to explain their understanding of governance. Ask
them questions like:
- What do you think governance is when you hear that expression in everyday life?
- What does governance mean to you?
Encourage participants to come out with as many ideas as possible, and emphasize
that there are no right or wrong answers.
After group work is finished, ask each group to present its findings. At the end of this
activity you can ask following questions: What ideas were similar, or different?
¾ The concept of governance is not new. Simply put, governance is defined as the
process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are
implemented (or not implemented), or as a set of values, policies, and institutions
by which a society manages its social, political, and economic process through
interactions among government, civil society, and private sector.
¾ Explain that there are two sides of governance. Technical aspect: what and how to
do something (or not to do), and representational aspect: how decisions are taken
and who takes them.
PART 2
Start with a statement that governance can be used in several contexts, such as
international governance, national governance, and local governance. Ask participants
PART 3
¾ All actors other than government and the military are grouped together as part of the
"civil society." In some countries in addition to the civil society, organized crime
syndicates also influence decision-making, particularly in urban areas and at the
national level.
¾ Similarly formal government structures are one means by which decisions are
arrived at and implemented. At the national level, informal decision-making
structures, such as "kitchen cabinets" or informal advisors may exist. In urban areas,
organized crime syndicates such as the "land Mafia" may influence decision-making.
In some rural areas locally powerful families may make or influence decision-
making. Such, informal decision-making is often the result of corrupt practices or
leads to corrupt practices.
PART 1
Divide participants into groups of 4 or 5 people. Give each group big sheet of paper
and markers. Ask participants to try to explain their understanding of good governance.
After group work is finished, ask each group to present its findings. At the end of this
activity you can ask following questions: What ideas were similar, or different?
Use this discussion to lead into presentation on the meaning of key principles of good
governance.
Before starting to explain these principles, ask participants how they understand each
principle. After short brainstorm, write ideas on a flip chart and refer to it during the
presentation.
Participation
Rule of law
Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It also
requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities. Impartial
enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and an impartial and
incorruptible police force.
Transparency
Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner
that follows rules and regulations. It also means that information is freely available and
directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their
enforcement. It also means that enough information is provided and that it is provided in
easily understandable forms and media.
Responsiveness
Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders
within a reasonable timeframe.
Consensus oriented
There are several actors and as many viewpoints in a given society. Good governance
requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in
society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be
achieved. It also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for
sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development.
This can only result from an understanding of the historical, cultural and social contexts
of a given society or community.
Accountability
Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental
institutions, but also the private sector and civil society organizations, must be
accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. Who is accountable to
who varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken are internal or external to
an organization or institution. In general an organization or an institution is accountable
to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be
enforced without transparency and the rule of law. 4
PART 2
Divide participants into groups of 3 or 4 people, with total of eight groups. Give each
group big sheet of paper and markers and assign each with one principle. Ask
participants to try to explain their understanding of how their assigned principle can be
practically implemented in their organizations. Ask them questions like,: ‘’How do you
think this principle can be implemented in your organization? What are the mechanisms
that can ensure implementation of this principle?’’ Encourage participants to come out
with as many ideas as possible, and emphasize that there are no right or wrong
answers. After group work is finished, ask each group to present its findings.
¾ Good governance is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Very few
countries and societies and organizations have come close to achieving good
governance in its totality. However, to ensure sustainable human development,
actions must be taken to work towards this ideal.
4
Adapted from UNESCAP’s concept of good governance.
PART 1
Role-play
Ask selected participants to act out the role on the nursing mother kept coming to the
Rev Fr. For assistance. 5
Story
A nursing mother in Binkolo keeps visiting the parish house to request assistance from
the parish priest. Every time she goes there, she asks for all sorts of assistance, which
the parish priests usually respond to without question or caution. She goes there once
when, unfortunately for her, the priest was out of town. The catechist she met could not
fulfill her request for a legitimate reason, but she still went back home disappointed.
Initiate a discussion about the role play guided by the following questions: What did you
see happen in the role play (get their responses)? What was the real problem
highlighted (dependency)? Does it happen in you communities (If yes, encourage
participants to give real life situations/instances to show dependency happening in their
communities)?
PART 2
Divide the participants into three groups and let them answer the following questions:
- What causes dependency (let them free list and discuss how each can cause
dependency)?
- What are the consequences of dependency (free list and discuss why)?
- What can we do to minimize dependency in our communities (analyze all the
recommended steps/strategies and agree on the most practical ones)?
5
Some of the following activities from this Chapter have been adapted from “Training Manual for Village
Development Committee Members”
PART 1
Introduce the session with a blind fold game. Divide the participants into three groups
with each group appointing a leader. The respective groups are then asked to form
single files holding hands. All group members with the exception of the leaders are
blindfolded by tying their faces with the head scarf. Each leader is then asked to lead
his/her group around the vicinity of the training venue. After some time, allow roles to
change by blindfolding the group leader and letting another person take his/her place.
Also get them to briefly move around same venue and then stop the exercise.
NOTE: The rule of the game is that no one should talk to the other person while the
exercise is going on.
Participants are later asked to go back to their original groups and encouraged to open
up discussions by responding to the following questions:
- How did you feel while being led?
- How did you feel while leading?
- How did you feel when you automatically changed role from leading to being led?
- How did you feel when you automatically changed role from being led to leading?
- What is the implication of the blindfold game?
Allow participants to give their responses to the different questions while noting them
down on the flip chart for further discussions.
PART 2 6
6
Some of the following activities from this Chapter have been adapted from “Training Manual for Village
Development Committee Members”
After highlighting all these qualities, then relate to the participants and stress that they
need to demand all these attributes from their community leaders so they can effectively
manage the affairs of their communities.
Explain that in real life situation, there always exist two different types/kinds of
leaderships with related unique characteristics:
End this session by allowing the participants to critically examine the differences
between autocratic and democratic leadership, and recommend the most appropriate
ways they feel they can adopt, to promote democratic leadership.
PART 1
Ask the participants to act out the role play on the development worker and community
people.
Story
A development worker visits a village and asks to be taken to the chief. At the chief’s
place, s/he summons a meeting of the entire community and expresses his/her intention
to assist them with the construction of a health centre, which s/he observed is the main
community problem. S/he then selects a development committee and assigns tasks to
people, giving them a deadline for the accomplishment of their tasks. Having done so,
s/he leaves and comes back after one month to check on progress on activities. To
her/his greatest shock and disappointment, nothing has happened.
At the end of the role play, ask the participants to state what they exactly saw. Further
divide them into three groups and allow them to discuss the following questions:
- What is community participation?
- Why is community participation important?
- How can community participation be improved?
- What are the common factors that hinder community participation?
Follow the group discussion with a flip chart presentation of these learning points:
PART 2
Participants divide into three groups to discuss following questions (one group women,
one group men, and one mixed group). To what level are youths, physically challenged
and women represented in work of your organization? To what extent do these groups
participate in organization decision-making? How can we involve these groups of
people in the activities of organization?
Follow up with a discussion what each group, specifically women as minority group, see
what makes them marginalized.
Explain why inclusion is important for practicing good governance in your CBO:
• Promotes democracy and involvement
• Contributes to good decision-making
• Reinforces accountability and transparency
• Involves and empowers beneficiaries
• Creates unity and sense of equity among community members.
PART 3
Ask participants how an organization can ensure inclusion. Divide them into three
groups and allow them to discuss the following questions:
- What is way to include women/youth/disabled in work of your organization?
- What are mechanisms to achieve this goal?
7
Part 1 of this Chapter has been adapted from “Training Manual for Village Development Committee
Members”
PART 1
Listen to their contributions and write them down on a flipchart. In addition to what they
give you emphasize this statement:
Explain elements of this statement. Continue with explaining steps involved in carrying
out a plan.
Ask participants: What steps are involved in carrying out a plan? Free list what they
give taking into consideration and then;
Ask participants why is important to select people for different activities. Allow them to
brainstorm and give responses. Don’t forget to add the following to what they tell you:
- To know their level of participation
PART 2
Divide the group into three parts. Allow each group to come up with an idea of an
activity that will improve life in their community (example: construction of a pit latrine).
Let each group come up with a plan and how they mobilize resources. Listen to their
contributions and write them down on a flipchart. In addition to what they give you
emphasize this statement:
Budgeting is very important in any planning activity. Making budget helps you
knowing how much the work cost; it helps assigning contributions to different
people but make sure that people are not marginalized; It helps in avoiding
overspending; it help us search for possible source of income/funding.
Start with a simple example: Whenever you go on a trip, you fill your bag with the
clothes, food, and money you’ll need. That’s the idea behind the concept of budgeting:
planning your trip and ensuring that you’ll have enough resources in your bag to make it
to your destination. In just the same way, each organization plans its trips—its strategic
objectives—and prepares for the journey with a budget.
- A budget can cover a short time span (for example, a newly formed VDC
develops a budget to ensure that it will have enough cash to cover operating
expenses for the next month or two).
- A budget can have a long-term perspective (for example, a Village Development
Committee makes a multiyear budget for a school, health center and drying floor)
- A budget can focus on required resources only (for example, a community wants
a power saw to be producing boards, so he plots the cost for the power saw.)
- A budget can account for income as well as expenditures (e.g. a community
creates a profit plan based on expected activities it wants to undertake in
achieving this plan)
Define bookkeeping and explain its importance. Bookkeeping is the recording of all
monetary transactions or other resources in books (or in memory of people) that
can be referred to as and when necessary depending on what you want it for
(know their position regarding their balances, debtors, creditors and calculate their profit
or loss at the end of a period).
Ask participants why it is necessary to keep books on all monetary transactions. Allow
them to come with suggestions and note them down on the flip chart.
Facilitator emphasizes the following points:
- Bookkeeping helps organization being more transparent & accountable
- It helps build up organizational credibility
- It will serve as a reference tool
- It will make reporting very easy
- Helps you easily track revenue and expenditure
- Helps with planning
- Guides along expenditure
Keep in mind that bookkeeping is just one way of keeping community records. Ask
participants if they keep records of their activities. Explain that as members of CBOs,
there are some specific ways that one needs to keep records, to be able to show
members, community, and donors what your group has been doing. Briefly explain
examples of some community records that can be kept: meeting minutes; visitor log
book; activity plans; financial records; monthly reports; correspondence.
Visual presentation
Facilitator takes the participants through an exercise on developing basic sample
formats for keeping records on monetary transactions via 8 :
8
Parts of this Chapter have been adapted from “Training Manual for Village Development Committee
Members”
Date: Total:
Date: Total:
PART 1
Listen to their contributions and write them down on a flipchart. In addition to what they
give you emphasize this statement:
By-laws are internal documents, a set of rules that enables each organization
to conduct its affairs.
It is important they be written clearly and in language that is easily understood by all
organization stakeholders. This document is frequently necessary for the registration of
a CBO with national and public authorities. Moreover, by-laws are crucial cornerstone
in ensuring practice of good governance. Good by-laws shall imply honest, transparent,
accountable, responsive, and participative and people friendly administrative policies
and actions of an organization.
PART 2
Divide participants into groups of 3 or 4 people. Give each group big sheet of paper
and marker. Ask participants to try to create by-laws for a Farmer Field School. Explain
there are no right or wrong answers, it is just what they think what are basic elements of
by-laws, and most important provisions.
After the activity is finished, conduct a plenary discussion which focuses on the findings
of each group. You can ask questions: What ideas are similar? What ideas are
different?
End this session by allowing the participants to critically examine all the elements of the
proposed concept of by-law, and recommend the most appropriate one they feel they
can adopt to help their organization to comply with principles of good governance.
PART 1
Put participants into 5 groups, 4 groups are representing different communities, 1 group
representing “decision makers”. Give each group an idea of something that they want
for their community. Explain that each group has an idea, but the decisions makers are
only going to allow one of these ideas, so each group has 3 minutes to convince the
decision makers why their idea is the best. Each group should think why they want their
idea to be adopted, why it is important and how it will benefit their community. Give
groups 10 minutes to discus and choose one person to present. Each group
representative gives their presentation, and then the decision makers base their
decision on who was most convincing.
After they make their decision, ask the rest of the participants: Who was the most
convincing? Why were they convincing?
Explain to participants that the game is like the role they play interacting with decision
makers in the real life. CBOs will have opportunity to present different ideas about
projects that could be done in their communities, e.g. agriculture, health, roads, water
wells, etc. However, different stakeholders will support projects depending also on how
ideas are presented.
In the case of the CBOs, their advocacy role is to make a case on behalf of their
communities to the Ward Committees, District Councils, Chiefdom Councils, Paramount
Chiefs, INGOs, etc. Advocacy is never a confrontational activity. There are many
strategies that can be adopted to get a message across. Advocacy is a deliberate
PART 2
Brainstorm with participants on the following question: Who are decision makers
relevant to your community (formal vs. informal)? Put down answers on flip chart and
then present following “Advocacy Basic” scheme:
Gather information:
• Think of the key institution and persons that are involved in decision making.
How do they work? Brainstorm with participants.
• Identify decision makers influencing your community (Paramount Chief,
Councilor, and local Business Leaders).
• Who can help you influence those decision makers?
• Gather information about your issue. Talk to community members about
development need, get their ideas and opinions.
Be focused:
• Identify in what area you really want to advocate. If you try to advocate for too
much, you may spread yourself too thin. For example, there could be many
needs in your community, but you may find you have more success if you
advocate for one need that is a burning issue in your community.
• You should also have focused goal that which states what you want to change,
who will make that change, by how much and when.
Building relationships:
You need to develop relationships with your community and with local stakeholders.
Meet your Councilor, Paramount Chief, members of Ward Committee, members of the
Chiefdom Council, talk to the community, especially to the feedback and progress that
you have made. You also need to decide who will be involved from your own CBO in
advocating for your goal. A small team may be more appropriate than the whole CBO.
Think of the skills that would be useful, like reading and writing, ability to speak well to
people and to people higher up, and understanding of the issues, etc.
Be focused:
A respected body will have more influence over decision-making processes.
Community based organization can establish credibility by:
• Keeping your demands/speaking moderate.
Identify steps:
What are steps that you as a team can take to put forward your case? Who will you
approach? How? What questions will you ask?
9
This information has been adapted from “Advocacy Tools and Guidelines: Promoting Policy Change”,
CARE 2001.
PART 1
Have a participant stand at the front of the room. Get a large bowl and balance it on the
head (with the “kata”). Then start to load things into the bowl on the head e.g. some
books to represent education, some medicine to represent health, some fruit to
represent agriculture. Get the person to be acting as though s/he is struggling under
the weight, i.e. centralization. Then ask for other people to come up and give them
each one thing to carry, to demonstrate the sharing of the burden, i.e. decentralization.
Explain participants that the game is like the situation in which more power and
authority is transferred for Freetown to their communities in the real life.
PART 2
Ask participants:
- What are some problems associated with centralized power?
- Why do you think government has chosen the path of decentralization for Sierra
Leone?
- What do you think will be the impact of decentralization in your community?
- What are biggest obstacles in decentralizing power?
Ask participants to translate the term decentralization into local language so that they
can understand it better. Get participants to call out their translations and discuss as
long as time allows. Here are three examples:
10
Parts 1 and 2 of this Chapter have been adapted from “Basic Training Manual for Ward Committees”
Explain to participants that they are going to create a structure of local government,
using stones/different size pieces of paper to represent different people or bodies.
Divide participants into groups of 3 to 5 people. Ask participants to think about who are
the key people or bodies that affect their communities (for example Paramount Chief,
Councilor, Ward Committee member). Get the participant into their groups to look for
different stones/papers to present different people/bodies, in terms of their influence on
participants’ communities. Ask them to line up stones/papers in order of hierarchy as
agreed by the group.
Ask participants to look at each group’s structure in turn. Each group explains the
structure they have developed. Compare structures created by the different groups.
What is similar? What is different? How has the biggest stone in your structure? Why?
How has the smallest stone in your structure? Why?
PART 1
Ask participants about their understanding of the functions and roles of Ward
Committee. Brainstorm, put answers on the flip chart.
Councilor
• Revenue Mobilization
- Educate residents of the Ward on the payment of the taxes in
collaboration with chiefdom Administration.
- Maintain frequent contact with organized productive economic groups and
other persons in the ward.
- Ensure transparency and effective utilization of resources mobilized.
• Community Mobilization
- Mobilize ward members to actively participate in development activities.
- Sensitization of wards.
- Ensure sustainability of project
- Take part in communal and development activities
- Promote community ownership. 11
PART 2
11
Part 1 of this Chapter has been adapted from “Basic Training Manual for Ward Committees”.
Ask participants how these CBOs can constructively work with Ward Committee. Divide
them into five groups, assign each group the role of one of the CBOs, and allow them to
discuss the following questions:
- How can the group constructively influence the Ward Committee?
- Why is cooperation with the Ward Committee important?
- How can cooperation be improved?
- How can CBOs create linkages with Ward Committees or include Ward
Committee members in their activities?
- What are the common factors that prevent this cooperation?
If the groups do not raise the following points, include them in your wrap up to the
exercise:
• CBOs can invite traditional and elected community representatives to take an
active role in disseminating information on their work. A wealth of social events
that exist could be transformed into platforms for dialogue with local
administration and other stakeholders, including seed fairs, graduation
ceremonies, and the openings of new projects.
• CBOs can take a more proactive role in implementing the development initiatives
of the local authority (such as mobilizing members for voluntary work).
• In order to promote transparency, CBOs should send open invitations to local
representatives for meetings, develop and share their own action plans with local
leaders, and conduct joint monitoring activities with local governments. CBOs
should make reports public and periodically share them with local authorities.
PART 1
Ask participants about their understanding of the functions and roles of District Council.
Brainstorm, put answers on the flip chart.
These are known as mandatory functions (they are set in the law, and the Council
has no excuse for not performing them). Nevertheless, the District Council has
additional functions:
• Organizing communal and voluntary work, especially with the respect to
sanitation.
This is discretionary function, which means that a Council can perform this
function when it has resources and time. 12
12
Part 1 of this Chapter has been adapted from “Basic Training Manual for Ward Committees”
Ask participants about their understanding of the functions and roles of Councilor.
Brainstorm, put answers on the flip chart.
Explain participants roles and obligations of District Council and their members:
Councilor
• Councilor represents Ward on the District Council. He or she is elected for a
term of four years.
• Collect the views and opinions and proposals of women and men and present
these to the District Council.
• Report to his or her electorate the general decisions of the district council and the
actions taken to solve problems raised by residents of the area.
• Maintain close contact with electorate area and consult them on issues to be
discussed in the District Council.
District Council
District Councils are expected to meet at least once a month. Meetings are open to the
public, and can be conducted in English or in any other language common to the
community in the locality.
If the groups do not raise the following points, include them in your wrap up to the
exercise:
• CBOs can invite traditional and elected community representatives to take an
active role in disseminating information on their work. A wealth of social events
that exist could be transformed into platforms for dialogue with local
administration and other stakeholders, including seed fairs, graduation
ceremonies, and the openings of new projects.
• CBOs can take a more proactive role in implementing the development initiatives
of the local authority (such as mobilizing members for voluntary work).
• In order to promote transparency, CBOs should send open invitations to local
representatives for meetings, develop and share their own action plans with local
leaders, and conduct joint monitoring activities with local governments. CBOs
should make reports public and periodically share them with local authorities.
PART 1
Ask participants about their understanding of the functions and roles of Chiefdom
Council. Brainstorm, put answers on the flip chart.
Explain to participants the role of the Paramount Chief in relation with the
Chiefdom Council, Ward Committee, and District Council.
PART 2
PART 3
13
Parts 1 and 2 of this Chapter have been adapted from “Basic Training Manual for Ward Committees”
If the groups do not raise the following points, include them in your wrap up to the
exercise:
• CBOs can invite traditional and elected community representatives to take an
active role in disseminating information on their work. A wealth of social events
that exist could be transformed into platforms for dialogue with local
administration and other stakeholders, including seed fairs, graduation
ceremonies, and the openings of new projects.
• CBOs can take a more proactive role in implementing the development initiatives
of the local authority (such as mobilizing members for voluntary work).
• In order to promote transparency, CBOs should send open invitations to local
representatives for meetings, develop and share their own action plans with local
leaders, and conduct joint monitoring activities with local governments. CBOs
should make reports public and periodically share them with local authorities.
The workshop should end with a summary of the learned points and an evaluation.
The evaluation can be done in two ways. First, return to the written notes of
expectations that the participants produced at the beginning of the training. Review
these and see if the expectations have been met. You can do these using different
methods. One way is to use questions in groups. Divide participants into four to five
groups, and ask following questions:
- What did you find challenging? Why? How it can be changed?
- What did you find most interesting/useful? Why?
- Will you change anything in your work? If yes, what?
- How this training can be improved?
Second, you can ask participants to complete an evaluation form (anonymously). This
may elicit more honest responses from those who may be critical of the process.
As with any training, it is important that you are clear with trainees what you and your
organization feel are the critical next steps that they should undertake. There is no
blueprint for this—it will depend on how you and your organization plan to go about the
work. Depending on what you have identified as the next steps and how quickly you
want to accomplish them, it may be useful to have participants complete a Training
Action Plan, using a template similar to the one shown here. (This will allow you or
other members of your agency to continue to follow up with trainees and their
organizations based on mutually agreed time frames.)
Example:
Complete by-laws Chairperson of group First draft by 28 By laws need to be
(with executive February, 2008 evaluated and
committee) changes made
Note: You should place steps in chronological order, with those that need to be
completed first listed first.
The Local Government Act, Supplement to the Sierra Leone Gazette Extraordinary, Vol.
CXXXV, No. 14, 2004.
“Training Manual for Village Development Committee Members”, CARE Sierra Leone,
2007.
External resources:
Laura Edgar, Claire Marshall, and Michael Bassett. “Partnership: Putting good
governance principles in practice”, Institute on Governance, Canada, 2006.
Online resources:
http://www.uneca.org/itca/governance/Governance.htm
http://www.iog.ca/
http://www.hcmripa.gov.in/ggovern.html