PARTICIPATORY PROJECT PLANNING: THE IRDI EXPERIENCE

By Joanitah Nankya

“There is satisfaction derived from involving beneficiaries in the planning process of any developmental intervention”. Those who refute this statement are disproving 3000 years of inspiration. This is a poem written by a Chinese poet, La Tse 3000 years ago emphasizing the goodness in learning from the people. “Go to the people; live among them; learn from them; Start from where they are; build on what they have...” That is an extract from the poem.

Participants working on a problem tree with the help of cards during the participatory rural appraisal in Namayumba sub county.

According to Clear Horizon, participatory planning review, the same issue is highlighted in Paulo Freire’s belief that poor and exploited people can and should be enabled to enalyse their own reality.

On the contrary majority of developmental agencies/ Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), are still operating under the archaic way of top- bottom planning. They sit in their offices and come up with project proposals that suit them with out involving the target beneficiaries. That is why most projects end up being unsustainable.

Since its foundation in 1994, IRDI has worked with many developmental partners. However, unlike other partners, International Solidarity Foundation (ISF) her new partner has a remarkable policy of beginning a new project with a planning phase. With this policy, if a new partner is selected, the project idea can begin to be processed with different planning phases and tools in order to create a new project. 

This planning phase also termed as “year zero” (funded by ISF) began with a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) training for IRDI staff with the purpose of equipping them with participatory skills in project planning.  Having gained the capacity, IRDI organized a six-day workshop in Namayumba sub-county the project area. This was done to introduce the PRA to the beneficiaries and to involve them in the planning process so as they identify their own problems.

Significance of Participatory Project Planning 

It should be noted that the planning process helps to analyze and prioritize the problems concerning the project thematics, identify the needs of the beneficiary communities and identify the appropriate strategy to respond to problems. The planning process is important as a process itself, while the relevant actors like the implementing and supporting NGO’s as well as other stakeholders and beneficiaries learn about the different aspects of development in the respective working environment.

More so, actors enjoy increased levels of self-esteem, expanded abilities to realize capacity and heightened sense of appropriation towards programmes. In addition, stakeholders reach collective decisions, a better understanding of the project is created thus increasing motivation. This creates ownership for the sustainability of the project.

Participatory planning is culturally aware and sensitive to differences in power, hence seeks to ensure that these do not predetermine outcomes.

Finally, it is important to note that it is through the outcome of participatory planning that a comprehensive project document is formed, after all stakeholders agree on the terms of the project implementation. This therefore calls for the adoption of participatory project planning by all developmental agencies/ NGO’s in all their programmes. When writing concepts, NGO’s should always emphasis the relevance of the planning phase to their donors. Incase a donor chooses not to fund the planning phase; resources should be mobilized to carry out this fundamental activity.

All IRDI can say is, “thumbs up for ISF!”