care bangladesh program review and action koitta, april 26-28, 2009

CARE Bangladesh

Program Review and Action

Koitta, April 26-28, 2009

CARE Bangladesh LRSP (2002 – 2006)•Adopted a rights based approach and a strategic direction on rights and social justice, and another on governance

•Focus on poorer more marginalized populations

•Greater emphasis on Social Analysis

•Led to a focus on underlying causes of poverty and marginalization, and a greater understanding of formal and informal institutions and their connection to power; better understanding of elites; the politics of local governance; (un)democratic processes; local resource allocation

•Focus on GED

•Focus on reducing organizational culture (reducing hierarchy, GED)

•Developed tools and methods for context, power and gender analysis to better understand poverty

•Focus on change management and communications (ILCA)

What the LRSP (2002-06) meant to CARE Bangladesh

“The LRSP has fundamentally shifted the way CARE Bangladesh approaches its work – from an emphasis on delivering services that address symptoms of poverty, to partnering with others to address underlying causes.”

LRSP Evaluation 2002-2006

LRSP 2007-2011MissionAmplify voices of the poor and marginalized

Global experience; knowledge; purposeful relationships; influence public opinion, development practice and policy

“Exponential increase in impact in the lives of the poorest and most marginalized”

“More legitimate in the eyes of local civil society”

“More influential in addressing the underlying causes of poverty”

LRSP 2007-2011 Strategic Directions

Organizational RelevanceMore influential in addressing the underlying causes of poverty, more legitimate in the eyes of local civil society, more accountable to communities, & more flexible & competitive in a maturing NGO market.

Economic EmpowermentImproved access to dignified employment for the poorest and most marginalized, especially women; markets for their products; information & services for their economic activities; and technical support for their entrepreneurial initiatives.

Learning CultureA culture that promotes learning, knowledge sharing, and excellence in programming, enabling staff and partners to understand, demonstrate, and measure impact on the underlying causes of poverty and social exclusion

SII Findings - 1

Significant achievements in women’s empowerment but critical gaps in achieving structural change

e.g. the institution of dowry

Strategic Implications

Long term commitment

Clearer strategies of change that link our grassroots experience to change at

wider and higher levels

The use of collective strength and solidarity to change structures

Better understanding of risks involved

Networks, alliances, collaborative action

SII Findings - 2

The importance of good contextual analysis

e.g. understanding elite groups, their links to local politics, their possible influence on project activities

Identify effective change strategies to address the underlying causes of inequity


CARE Bangladesh Context analysis tools accessible to

other programs and used by all

Long term, learning programs

SII Recommendations - 3

More explicit and expressed link between GED efforts within CO and in programs

Encourage solidarity among frontline staff


Work much more effectively across units and teams

Build a learning culture

Create space for peer to peer dialogue

to share problems they face in the work context and seek advice from peers as well as learn more from mistakes and about good practices

The Impact statements are CARE Bangladesh’s Strategic Programming Framework

They represent CARE Bangladesh’s four long term programs

They place people at the center around which our programs are organized

CARE Bangladesh has chosen four population groups (four long term programs/ impact statements

Genesis of a program approach in Bangladesh and the creation of the impact statements

•A scan of CARE Bangladesh documents revealed a stark lack of clarity about whose lives we wanted to impact

•Our improved analysis showed the importance of understanding power dynamics, and therefore their impact on poverty, which required us to be clearer and more specific about who we wanted to reach

•Our mission statement and SII experience led to greater attention to the perceptions of the poorest (amplifying the voices of the poor and most marginalized)

•Reflections with field staff indicated greater comfort working with better-off people, and we wanted to change this

Why people focused?

• A clearly defined goal for impact on the lives of a specific group, realized at broad scale.

• A thorough analysis of underlying causes of poverty, gender inequality, and social injustice at multiple levels with multiple stakeholders.

• An explicit theory of change that is rigorously tested and adapted to reflect ongoing learning.

• A coherent set of initiatives that enable CARE and our partners to contribute significantly to the transformation articulated in the theory of change.

• Ability to promote organizational and social learning, to generate knowledge and evidence of impact.

• Contribution to broad movements for social change through our work with and strengthening of partners, networks and alliances.

• A strategy to leverage and influence the use and allocation of financial and other resources within society for maximizing change at a broader scale.

• Accountability systems to internal and external stakeholders that are transparent.

Eight Characteristics of a Program (agreed in Istanbul, 2008)

MostMarginalized

WomenEP people in Rural Areas

People & comms

affected by disaster &

environmental change

Most marginalized

in urban areas

CARE Bangladesh Impact Groups

These women have some form of political power but are constrained by systemic gender inequity. It is important to empower them to be more effective to combat institutionalized patriarchal systems and structures

Women who are slightly better off in terms of economic opportunities, but are not treated fairly and face similar (though less severe) limitations concerning their political and social rights than those in the lower tier. They are vulnerable to descend to lower tiers of the pyramid

These are women who are exposed to multiple forms of marginalization and violation of their rights, which limit their social, economic and political opportunities to lead a life of dignity. They represent the largest share of this impact group and represent overlap with the other impact groups. Women and girls in this category are subject to violence and abuse from multiple sources throughout their life and become accustomed to tolerating it from an early age

Women who face multiple forms of marginalization and discrimination (e.g., single, divorced, widowed or

abandoned from extremely poor or female headed households; women and girls forced into sex work or

victims of sexual abuse; women in geographically remote areas with limited access to info, decision making and mobility; women with HIV, STI and other communicable

diseases; from extremely poor minority communities ; from communities highly vulnerable to disaster; young women

survivors of extreme violence in extremely poor or disaster prone communities)

Women engagedin some economic activity,

but not on fair terms (e.g., women garment factory workers, independent women

entrepreneurs from very poor households, agricultural wage labor)

Women who hold

political decisionmaking positions

(e.g.UP members or

members ofshalish)

All women

in Bangladesh

Identifying the impact group “women”

Women’s Impact Statement

Impact Group

Women headed households

Impact Group

Indebted or likely to lose resources

Exploited/ abused

Prone to disaster or impact of EC

Chronically ill

Chambers of commerce

Sources of finance

Other NGOs

Training institutes

Medical services (could be target)

CBOS

Research Organizations

Private sector (value chain infrastructure)

CBOs, VDC, GUC

Brokers (but good kings)

Service Providers

UP Officials & standing committees

Police and other law enforcing agencies

Social Elites (but good kings)

Schools community

Better off producers in value chains (but good kings)

Extremely poor people in rural areas: lowest wellbeing in political, social & economic realms

Key:Blue – (Sub) Impact groups Yellow – Stakeholders Purple – Target groups

Impact, Target, Sub Groups and Stakeholders

Current approaches and experiences that will inform program strategy

Social mobn. and empowerment (solidarity building)Economic empowerment (Diversification of livelihood opportunities, linking to markets and skills building).Strengthening governance structures & processesDevelopment of human capabilities (education)Facilitating access to khas land, water bodies, health and appropriate financial servicesAdvocating for policy and institutional support in collaboration with other actorsBuilding on the strength & resilience of people

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Impact MeasurementThe most important indicators will be listed here to track:Shifts in UCP; Fulfillment of rights; Contribution to relevant MDG & PRSP goals; Reduction in vulnerabilities; Progress against breakthroughs identified; Measurement of impact also includes assessing scale and reach and influence of CARE and partner programs

DRAFT - Summary Impact Statement - Extremely Poor People in Rural Areas Framework of Analysis, Program Practice, and Learning for Impact

Underlying Causes of Extreme Poverty

Weak and unaccountable support structures: Weak social protection and other services; civil society voice in governance systems not representing the poorest & most marginalized; patriarchal structures

Social inequalities: Powerlessness; Exclusion and denial of rights; Abuse of rights and responsibilities by the powerful; Inequitable distribution of capital and assets;

Limited and fragile livelihood opportunities:From low productive capabilities; lack of policy/ inst support to build capacities of poor people; Undeveloped markets in rural areas; inequitable distribution of resources

Learning, Building Knowledge and Influencing

-Assumptions/ risks/ hypotheses in paths of change to be tested (pg xx)-Key knowledge and learning areas - themes/ strategies/ approaches (pg xx)-Sets of questions to drive reflective practice (pg xx)-Tracking Advocacy Outcomes - policy, pub opinion, dev practice (pg xx) -Communication Plan

Macro Trends and ContextStability of government and coherence of policies; Macroeconomic trends; Environmental/ climate change trendsImpact of world food prices;Social movement trendsBangladesh dev. indicatorsConsolidated voices of poor

LEARNING AND IMPACT

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The chronic Nature of Extreme Poverty

X+

Theory of Change

Extremely poor people overcome the barriers that prevent fulfillment of their rights by…

Better access to and use of resources & services

Active engagement of poorest in local gov. and devpt processes

Reduced exploitation and dependence on others

ANALYSIS

Long Term Impact Vision Extremely poor people in rural areas, especially those people trapped in a set of unequal power

relations, sustainably overcome the barriers that prevent the fulfillment of their rights (rights here are

not only those that are already enshrined in the constitution and policy, but rights that may be

negotiated over time).

Description of the Impact GroupExtremely poor people in rural areas. This includes people whose well being in political, social and economic

realms as assessed by poor rural communities, obtain the lowest ranking. Special attention will be paid to people who are trapped in a set of unequal power relations.

PROGRAM PRACTICE

Long Term Impact Goal

• Part vision, part goal

• This is a 10-15 year ambition, and specifies the kind of enduring impact we would like to see being achieved in the lives of the impact population group, at broad scale

• Both ambitious and realistic

CARE Bangladesh Long Term Impact Visions/ Goals

The Most Socially, Economically, Politically Marginalized Women are empowered

The Most Marginalized Groups in urban areas have secure and more viable livelihoods[1] and are increasingly treated as equal citizens by the state and society

Extremely Poor People in rural areas, especially people trapped in a set of unequal power relations, sustainably overcome the barriers that prevent the fulfillment of their rights

The most vulnerable people and communities prone to disasters and environmental change build resilient livelihoods

Theory of Change

•Is the heart of our impact statementsIs the heart of our impact statements•Our belief about how change will occur Our belief about how change will occur

(not what CARE will do)(not what CARE will do)•A set of hypotheses and critical A set of hypotheses and critical

assumptions that make up a assumptions that make up a causal pathway causal pathway of changeof change which is the basis of the program which is the basis of the program design.design.

•Outlines key domains of change we feel Outlines key domains of change we feel are importantare important

WHY A THEORY OF CHANGE AND NOT JUST A LOGFRAME WITH IF-

THEN LOGIC?•Social change is messy and complex,

not linear•The sort of change we seek cannot be accomplished by us alone•We have to seize opportunities and learn what works, and what does not

Narrative FormThe most socially economically, politically

marginalized women will be empowered by women’s greater exercise of choice in decision affecting their lives at all levels and reduced violence against women and girls. This, accompanied by a strong social movement built on women’s solidarity and participation of men, will have a multiplier effect in realizing the impact vision

Women’s Empowerment TOC

TOC: Women’s Empowerment

CARE Bangladesh Impact Statement on the most Socially,

Economically and Politically Marginalized Women

Women will be empowered by:

Exercise of greater choice in decisions affecting their lives

Reduced violence against women

Strong Social movements built on women's solidarity and participation of men

+ X

TOC: Women’s Empowerment

• The “+” sign signifies that the two domains are not necessarily inter-dependent but mutually supportive.

• The strong social movements is a multiplier on the achievements of the two domains of change.

• The multiplier effect is also present in the pressure for structural change of institutions and norms

• Finally, our SII research has shown us that solidarity building is crucial for women’s empowerment.

TOC: EP people in rural areas

CARE Bangladesh Impact Statement on Extremely Poor

People in Rural Areas

Extremely poor people overcome the barriers that prevent fulfillment of their rights by:

Better access to, and use of, resources and services

Active engagement of the poorest in loval gov. & dev processes

Reduced exploitation and dependence on others

+ X

Domain of Change

Desired Long-term Goal(related to population impact group)

Domain of change Domain of Change

Breakthrough

Breakthrough

Current Situation, including underlying causes/barriers to change1

2

3

4

6

7

Pathways of change

Indicators related to breakthroughs, domains, and long-term goal

Assumptions and Risks

5 Stakeholders

Breakthroughs• A change that represents a leap forward or an advance

on the pathway of change that is not easily reversed. • In its most important form, it is a structural or systemic

change. On a smaller scale, it can be something that happens for the first time (a precedent)

• A change affecting an impact group that:– is in inclusive of both:

• breadth of impact – significant and expanding numbers of people in the impact group affected by the change (signifies a trend that does not stop)

• depth of impact as manifest in the level of wellbeing and transformation in the lives of those affected

• is reflected not only amongst people with whom we work on the ground but people outside our operational areas – exponential impact

• it is only a breakthrough if you use it as one

Why are breakthroughs important?

• They are like the crystal of the impact statement• They set our ambitions• They focus our action, “our” being not only

CARE but in our interaction with others. They are the product of our ‘joined forces.’

• They establish our guideposts on both the theory of change and the timeline.

• They tell us where we are and where we’re going (the compass and the watch)

• Over time they help construct our identity and relevance in the country

Strategies and Approaches

•Technical, Sectoral Strategies (economic development, maternal health, education, governance, disaster risk reduction)

•Operational Strategies (scale up, partnership)

•Approaches (community led, empowerment, spatial spread)

Impact Statement - Measurement and Learning System

Some key features

•Part of Ubora Country Office measurement and learning system

•Measures impact on impact groups

•Measure up to MDGs

•Keeps track of key trends

•Progress towards achieving breakthroughs

•Incremental Changes

•Help us test our assumptions around the theory of change

•Each project will have to measure up to a core set of indicators for impact and domains of change

CARE Bangladesh Learning Lab

Work streams for the shift to program approach..

Defining and conceptualizing impact statements

Developing and using impact measurement and learning systems and standards

Operationalizing a program approach on the ground

Review of organizational systems and practices to enable the shift (core positions, planning processes, talent management, financial mgmt & reporting….)

Change communication

Developing purposeful relationships Shifting our

identity (internal and external)

Resourcing strategies – transition and medium term

Implications and Propositions - 1

•All new design decisions related to target group, geography, strategies, approaches, scale, scale up strategies will be in alignment with the impact statements

•We will take specific steps to make space in people’s work days to prioritize the work to enable our shift to a program approach

•We recognize that it is essential to involve colleagues in the field more in program development – we need to invest in field offices to be able to do this (implications for roles of FOMT/ ROMT)

•We will make changes in our recruitment practice to make it easier to pay attention to talent management and retention of key staff


•We will ensure consistency in our operational strategies and approaches (partnership, community led, site selection and scaling up)

•We will identify geographies to invest in and this will drive our decisions in responding to bids

•All design and new program development will be backed by sound context, UCP, gender and power analysis (there has to be evidence of the use of such analysis in every project design)

•We will develop such analysis in all the main regions we work in over time, and systematically update it to be able to observe trends


•Strategies in technical areas will be clearly articulated in terms of how they help us achieve change related to our domains of change for our four impact groups to reach the scale articulated in the impact statements, and in our selected geographies (economic development, governance, education, health and nutrition, maternal mortality)

•CARE Bangladesh commits to periodically measuring impact on our population groups at a country office level, and annually reflecting the story the impact is telling us

•No project will be developed in isolation


•The urban impact statement currently focuses on specific types of marginalization, and needs more analysis to understand the dynamics of migration in the country, and patterns of urbanization (even in relation to the other population groups)

•We need to have a focal point for our urban focus

•In each region we need mapping of other actors and what they are doing (regions to do this)•We need to develop criteria if we want to move beyond our agreed geography

care bangladesh program review and action koitta, april 26-28, 2009

Documents