SLAHDA- Partnership

Collaboration 

SLAHDA’s collaboration with the Government is an essential precondition for a successful operation, SLAHDA’s intention is not to take over tasks, which naturally belong to the Government but based on clear agreements, supplement official service and enable our partners in the CBO in a better manner to utilise the available resources.

In order to meet the heavy demand in the field situation, SLAHDA would work with other donors who are willing to support SLAHDA’s activities. SLAHDA works as an implementing partner of the TEACH INTERNATIONAL -USA.

SLAHDA will actively participate in the formal and informal NGO-Network in order to share experiences in the development field and to avoid duplication of the work.

 Sustainability

The SLAHDA intervention will always have sustainability as an objective. To ensure the sustainability the community development is always time limited and divided into four phases. First is the initial year of operation where the basic mobilisation work begin with a base-line survey. Based on the survey the co-operation is established and the first activities are jointly planned.

The second phase will function as much as possible as an equal partner in collaborating with the target community which will evolve itself into an organisational structure capable of dealing rationally with its organisational aspirations in as transparent and accountable a manner within a democratic atmosphere. The growth of a revolving credit fund, which supplement and complement the savings fund of the membership, will further develop.

The third phase will be the period wherein in accordance with the plan the “localisation” will take place.  All activities of the programme will increasingly be run by the CBO with SLAHDA taking the position, which will transform to a consultative role during the last year.

SLAHDA will build up and support a sustainable net work consisting of communities, which have left, phase three on a basis of an equal partnership to ensure a continuation and growth of the activities initiated as the last effort.

 Evaluation 

Project Evaluation

Internal evaluations are part and parcel of the Project Cycle Management and are the responsibility of the project co-ordinators, which in turn are guided by the head office. 

External evaluations are carried out on selected projects to reaffirm the existing situation in its reality.

Programme Evaluation

From time to time external evaluations are envisaged in order to assess the performance of the organisation from an external point of view. SLAHDA Sri Lanka will be responsible in selecting the ideal team which would consists of experienced local and expatriate personnel who are in the field of development especially that of the community development.

 Adaptability – Change

Organisations have to change to adapt themselves to changed external and internal circumstances, e.g. other demands of beneficiaries, changes in the government policy, collaborating with other agencies, aspirations of donor community etc. If there is strong differences between the actual situation and the desired situation then change is inevitable or else the organisation would suffer set backs.  Hence SLAHDA too would consider the necessity to adapt change, from time to time after analysing the situation optimistically with the pure intention of serving the target population in a better and meaningful fashion.

 Conclusion

The rationale for SLAHDA’s existence is to facilitate the process of empowerment of selected marginalised communities and this too should be envisaged through the mutual understanding between the community and the catalytic intervener, the SLAHDA. Hence, SLAHDA maintains dialogue as a continuous process of learning which is the very essence of development activities.  Change becomes inevitable in this context, in which SLAHDA has to adapt itself to external and internal circumstances. Also it has to cater to the demands of the donor community as well as that of the beneficiaries.  Hence SLAHDA as an organisation while constantly striving to respond to the challenges also keeps itself small but flexible in order it may address any unique human situation.  The secretariat acts as a motor that steers the projects at the field while entertaining the bottom up approach, which demands efficiency within a context of equal partnership.

 Collaborating with other organisations is SLAHDA’s strategy to sustain its efforts which is also complementing and supplementing the Government’s strive to reach out to its people.

 SLAHDA - Sri Lanka’s efforts are nurtured and strengthened by the local and foreign funding.   

Amidst such divergent concerns, SLAHDA is committed and soul searching to operate an ‘appropriate development model’ that has the potential to yield high impact in terms of resource mobilisation for the deprived.

 A basic principle for SLAHDA’s community development is to work with partner organisations and the partnership will be based on an agreement. 

The need for SLAHDA to work with partners is one of the strategies to establish sustainability, while countering the dependency syndrome of the target population and further establishing a voice among the marginalised in the process of empowering them.

SLAHDA’s approach in building up partners is given considerable priority in the sense that it builds up groups among the grass root level and nurture, guide and support them to become equal partners in development.

The agreement emphasises responsibility, transparency and clarity of both the parties, which are essential in the culmination of active partnership. SLAHDA ’s partners will have implementing responsibility for all the  joint project activities.

Building up the capacity of the partners in order that they may be able to carry out their tasks and responsibilities effectively, is envisaged by SLAHDA as a measure to ensure the sustainability of the programmes.  Partnership alliances can be also bilateral where SLAHDA works with an umbrella organisation or with a network.