|
WATCH'S
STRATEGY FOR ORGANIZING WOMEN'S GROUPS
AND INITIATING ACTIVITIES
Watch
recognizes that sustainable development
cannot occur if local villagers don't
make decisions themselves. The oppressed
and voiceless must be given the power
to assert their decision making rights
(their legal and human rights). WATCH
staff live with rural families to get
a better understanding of the kinds of
problems they have to deal with. They
use a "dialogical" method to
foster consensus through group discussions.
This method encourages people to reflect
on the causes behind why they are oppressed,
and together to choose courses of action
to alter the causes.
Both
entire communities and single groups request
WATCH's help and WATCH will intervene
in vulnerable communities. Although we
prefer to work in areas where our help
has been requested, there are times when
WATCH must enter uninvited into communities
considered to be at risk, for example,
to prevent girl traffickers from making
inroads where people are unaware that
such a phenomenon exists. WATCH's activities
must begin in these communities even though
the people haven't heard about the problem
and so, aren't in a position to ask for
help.
Entering
Areas and Group Formation
When
WATCH has to go to a new area, it's staff
first visits the site and approaches individuals
and groups to find out who the key informants
are at all levels of the community. Staff
members then meet with these people to
acquire a better understanding of the
area, the current situation, and what
other local leaders should be contacted.
The staff then gets together with these
individuals or groups to gain even deeper
insights into what is going on. Important
information is exchanged during these
sessions and they help to build a climate
of trust between villagers and staff.
This kind of acceptance facilitates the
staff's movements as they circulate around
the community sowing the seeds of relationships
with many different individuals.
If
local groups of villagers, especially
women's groups already exist, WATCH's
staff supports and mobilizes them to do
their work. If, on the other hand, there
are no such organizations, WATCH staff
will work to get small groups of like
minded people up and running.
By
now, WATCH's staff is living permanently
in the community, paying frequent visits
to all homes to find out what people are
hoping for, what they are worried about,
and the story of their lives. WATCH holds
regular meetings for staff members to
discuss what they've learned so far, and
what they still need to learn about the
community's complex network of individuals
and groups. Once the staff has what they
feel is a reasonable understanding of
the picture, they encourage local leaders
and groups at all levels to hold meetings
in which the participants can identify
common situations and problems.
During
the weeks and months these meetings are
being held, villagers and WATCH staff
conduct community surveys using various
PRA tools to gather information needed
to answer questions by individuals and
groups, and to help them grasp the root
causes behind their problems. These are
also good activities to help the community
learn about the resources available to
it, including government resources, and
their legal and human rights. As individuals
and groups talk about their areas and
situations, WATCH staff provide information
on government programs that are out there,
the rights of Nepali citizens who request
help, and the government's obligation
to provide it.
By
taking a close look at their situations,
participants also learn just what the
phenomena of oppression and exploitation
are, and how these evils can occur. The
participants either by themselves, or
prompted by questions from the WATCH facilitator,
come to understand their situation from
various perspectives.
WATCH's
staff learn a great deal about the people
and groups in their communities. They
learn what the community knows and what
it doesn't know, and how knowledge is
distributed across various individuals
and groups. WATCH's staff use this knowledge
to guide their work and to suggest the
questions they should raise to help people
become aware, or more aware, of their
context, and what kind of resources and
rights are available to them if they desire
change.
Many
of these group discussions are very frank
and can even become heated. People who
hold power over others rarely like those
they oppress to become aware of the oppression,
and the means by which it is carried out.
Yet if positive social change is to happen,
many existing power arrangements at the
family and community level will need to
be done away with.
At
this point in the process, WATCH asks
the newly formed groups if they think
it's a good idea to stay together, and
both the new and old groups if they want
to continue to work for change. If their
answer is 'yes,' the small groups will
have to draft and/or ratify their own
sets of rules and regulations. The small
groups, in time, get together at a mass
meeting to share information and decide
if larger groups are needed, or not. If
they decide to form larger groups, then
these too have to establish their own
rules and regulations.
Planning
and Implementing Activities
Activities
are means of organizing people. WATCH
maintains an ongoing relationship with
various groups of villagers by helping
them to review information, available
resources and rights. The groups then
identify their and prioritize their problems.
By reflecting on the activities they have
undertaken, the information they have
obtained and other factors affecting their
lives, the groups come to see the causes
and effects of problems, and how they
are interrelated.
In
the act of reviewing their situation the
groups then decide whether a given problem
needs to be addressed, or even if it can
be addressed. Once the group has chosen
its battle, WATCH staff help them conduct
research on the best way to go about getting
results. Watch staff facilitates this
process by asking questions to clarify
who will be doing what, when, why, where
and how. The idea is to get the group
to learn about the planning process and
to come up with a strategy which will
work. It is very important at this stage
to help the group become clear about the
role(s) of each player. Clarifying roles
helps the participants understand how
their role will contribute to the success
of the overall plan.
As
the participants begin to implement their
plan, WATCH's staff keep them focused
on the steps they have chosen. They keep
asking questions to clarify any new information
that comes in, to get the group to reflect
on the actual process going on, and what
progress is being made. Discussions are
held to review what has been achieved
so far, and whether this fits in with
the goals of overall plan. If unexpected
problems arise, WATCH's staff helps the
group to adapt the plan to deal with these
problems.
Sustainability
of Groups and Activities
In
all its development activities, WATCH
tries to work itself out of a job. Once
groups are formally organized and know
how to investigate situations, collect
information, and implement plans, they
can continue on their own by using the
resources which they know they have a
right to demand.
In
most areas where WATCH has been working
for several years, many of groups have
reached the point where they are operating
almost independently of WATCH. Almost
entirely on their own, they identify problems,
collect and analyze data on the causes
and effects of their problems. Eventually
they will take over the planning and management
of activities within their own communities.
Networking and Federation Building
Once
women's groups begin to get an idea of
their rights and roles, they start a process
of networking: interacting with other
groups. Eventually, this leads to creation
of a Federation of women's groups. Eight
federations have come together in the
areas where WATCH operates. In Rupandehi,
the federation "Women Awareness Support
Group" and "Rural Women Awareness
Organization". In Kapilvastu, Rural
Women Awareness Organization, Kapilvastu.
In Nawalparasi, Mahila Jyoti Sewa Samuha".
Similarly, in Okhaldhunga Federation Groups
for Women's Development and Support Group
for Women's Development and in Chhaimale,
the federations "Foundation Group
for Women's Development" and "United
Women's Awareness Group" held assemblies
in which they ratified their charters.
In Chhaimale they elected 21 members to
a General Committee and 7 members to an
Executive Committee. In Okhaldhunga, they
elected 18 members to a General Committee
and 7 members to an Executive Committee.
Now the federations from all three sites
have started to take more active roles
in the planning, implementation and monitoring
of programs. What they are doing in effect
is taking over the activities of WATCH
and WATCH is helping them to build the
capacity do this.
WATCH'S
STRATEGY FOR ITS OWN OPERATION
By
striving to become a participatory organization
WATCH is attempting to put into practice
the kinds of processes it encourages in
the field. WATCH hopes to allow all staff
to take a meaningful part in administration
and management according to the kinds
of roles, rules and values they have set
themselves.
Originally,
WATCH's management structure consisted
of a seven person Executive Committee
headed by a chairperson. The Executive
Committee acted as an apex body, which
made decisions on policy matters. One
member of the Executive Committee was
the Executive Director who was responsible
for WATCH's day-to-day activities.
This
structure changed in July of 1996 when
the person who was both the chairperson
of the Executive Committee and the Executive
Director stepped down. This resignation,
along with the fact that other committee
members moved abroad or opted out, made
it necessary to rethink the way WATCH
was being run. A five person ad-hoc committee
made up of staff was then formed for the
purpose of reorganizing WATCH. The present
structure and management are mostly a
result of their efforts.
Presently,
a nine member Executive Committee is in
place to oversee WATCH. It is made up
of WATCH staff, consultants, and a villager
from each area where WATCH works. All
the members are expected to attend the
meetings and vote in the decision-making
process. The villagers are encouraged
to discuss issues which they feel are
important to their communities, so that
there is a more participatory process
which is oriented from the bottom-up.
This
committee's role is to make policy, and
to review WATCH's activities in order
to ensure that they are in keeping with
the organization's mission and objectives.
The chairperson still runs the committee,
but the day-to-day operations have been
turned over to a five-person management
committee made up of WATCH central office
staff.
The
five-person management committee meets
daily to review work and deal with problems.
As well, weekly staff meetings are held
to share ideas and provide input into
what areas WATCH is involved in and how
that involvement should be taking place.
At these meetings staff members are free
to comment on and move to change WATCH's
policies
All
WATCH staff meet annually to discuss the
work they have been doing, the organization's
procedures and activities, or any other
matters they feel are important. WATCH's
core values, mission and objectives are
then reviewed. All activities and work
are considered in light of these. The
actions and decisions taken at the annual
meetings are forwarded to the Executive
Committee which reviews and comments on
them.
All
WATCH staff members are currently considered
to be facilitators, although each facilitator
has different job responsibilities. Some
staff members work in the central office
and have administrative and management
oriented responsibilities. Other facilitators
are based almost exclusively in the field,
while other staff have both field oriented
and administrative responsibilities. All
staff members have contributed to and
agreed upon a 14-point statement of staff
values. This statement is intended to
guide and improve their activities and
working relationships both in the center
and in the field.
|
