Highlights of achievements in 2007
1. The strategic focus for 2007 was two fold; i) capacity building through training, and the provision of technical support; and ii) knowledge generation (including reflecting on and documenting experiences and lessons learned through experiences to date).
2. In the first part of 2007 (January to June), much investment was made on the internal processes and systems alongside promotion of SMIP externally. The second part of the year entailed rapid implementation , specifically in relation to capacity building of both the implementation partners, service providers and pro-poor initiatives (at both individual and organisational levels).
3. The most significant achievements during the course of the year included;
- Strengthening the SMIP Implementation Partners' capacity and ownership of the MfI approach and their involvement in contributing to the conceptual development and practical implementation of SMIP ;
- Raising awareness and support for the Managing for Impact approach amongst both IFAD and non-IFAD pro-poor initiatives;
- Strengthening the capacity of individuals (service providers and project/programme staff) working with pro-poor initiatives in the region through two regional and three project specific MfI training workshops. In total, 103 individuals from the region were trained through the 5 different workshops.
- Identifying and negotiating the two action learning sites, one on Lesotho (the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Programme, SANReMP) and one in Tanzania (the Rural Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Programme, MUVI).
(Note: Once finalized, we will be sharing more detail from our Annual Progress Report with all MfI Network Members through ERIL).
What we learned..
>>The backbone of the SMIP Model is Partnerships and the backbone of Partnerships is Individual Relationships! In the first phase of SMIP, we invested a great deal into developing & strengthening our partnerships and recognise that some of the factors that have enabled us to do so include;
- A shared belief and commitment to what we're trying to achieve
- Trust between the individuals involved (which not only takes time but a deliberate investment in creating "safe spaces" for an open exchange of views and ideas)
- Individual relationships - if we didn't take the time to get to know each other as individuals, working as partners & teams would have been much harder!
- Clearly defined roles & responsibilities (including leadership roles)
>>Training is important but insufficient in itself to bring about change. We've been in regular contact with a number of the individuals that have attended the MfI training workshops. From many, there have been encouraging stories of how they have implemented the skills & knowledge gained to bring about change in their organisations. However, we also fully recognise that much needs to be done. For example, we need to engage more actively with policy & decision makers to identify ways in which institutional barriers to managing for impact could be addressed. The lessons we learned here played a significant role in helping us develop our plans for 2008.
