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There is much talk in development
circles of partnership building, but the reality is, in many cases, disparate
partners come together around a funding opportunity and such relationships
are challenged by the competition for limited resources. The issue is whether
individual partners can find a collective vision and a unifying purpose,
which transforms such competition into collaboration.
VIPP methods have a proven record in enhancing the effectiveness of participatory
events. This case study looks at the use of VIPP over a longer period, working
with a group of NGOs through a project cycle. It then considers how VIPP
contributed to the process of partnership building. Over the four years of
collaboration, these six partners developed a high level of trust and
co-operation, which has continued beyond the funding period as a mature and
genuine partnership.
The six NGOs* came together to work on an initiative to research and develop
Child Centred Approaches to HIV and AIDS (CCATH): two partners each from
Kenya, Uganda and the United Kingdom. The use of VIPP methods was a constant
feature of the various workshops and meetings, as the partners worked through
the project cycle.
The Process
Needs assessment: The partners work in a range of urban
and rural communities in Kenya and Uganda. After conducting needs assessments
in their own communities, they came together to share their findings. Key
points were put on VIPP cards and then clustered, providing a visual image
of the commonalities between all communities affected by HIV and AIDS.
Analysis: Using the needs assessment findings visible on
one wall, the partners then worked on analysing the data and building up
a framework to plan interventions by identifying the risk and protective
factors which influence the psycho-social well-being of children in communities
affected by HIV and AIDS. The use of VIPP cards in building these frameworks
enabled all the participants to contribute to the analysis. Through this
process, the team articulated the key behaviours, risk factors and protective
factors for a baseline survey.
Planning: With the above information visible, the participants
worked on plans for their individual organisations. Working again with VIPP
cards, the participants were able to look at and learn from each other's
ideas. This promoted a sense of transparency and equality.
Review and reflection: VIPP processes were used at all meetings
and workshops throughout the four year cycle to synthesise learning between
the partners and to enable deeper reflection on strengths, challenges and
solutions.
Monitoring and evaluation: At mid-term and final stages
in the CCATH initiative, the partners visited each other's sites for peer
monitoring. The evaluation framework had been developed through VIPP processes
and then the findings were again synthesised using VIPP. The findings of
the participatory evaluation were also cross checked with the findings of
an external evaluation – again using VIPP, so that the learning could
be owned and internalised.
Envisioning the future: At the end of this phase of the
initiative, the partners used VIPP to envision the future and how they might
continue to develop and promote child-centred approaches to HIV and AIDS.
Although the funding for this particular partnership has ended, the organisations
all continue to link with and support each other, sharing a profound common
vision.
Conclusion: VIPP provided a method for synthesising the
research and experiences of the various partners in a powerful, visual way.
Learning was then collectively owned. Together the partners were able to
formulate key questions and used VIPP techniques to work jointly in answering
them. It encouraged a genuine openness and confidence to share problems with
the group and seek answers as they exchanged strategies.
The various CCATH partners brought different areas of expertise, some working
at the national level on policy and networking issues, some providing training,
evaluation and planning support, others working principally at the community
and school levels with in-depth experience of the realities of families affected
by HIV and AIDS. Each partner, therefore, brought unique insights to the
partnership. Each had skills to offer and to learn. VIPP methods helped this
to happen in a way that was democratic and trust-building.
In the final evaluation, partners observed that the partnership process,
in which VIPP had played a crucial part, had:
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