OUTCOMES MAPPING - December 2004

Section II: Outcomes Mapping

10. PNGO Outcomes

Capacity to be a GRO | Program Meeting Women's Strategic Interests |
Learning Organization

10.3.2. Decision-making

Decision-making Outcomes Women built their skills to demand their right to actively participate in decision-making PNGOs adopted strategies to ensure all voices are heard in the PNGO Women and men from marginalized groups, such as dalits, became active in taking up decision-making responsibilities, and this resulted in development of programs addressing their community issues Organizational culture now encourages transparent decision-making that builds trust among the members and outside stakeholders

How decisions are made and by whom is an indicator of change toward gender equality. When women, and socially excluded women and men, say they are active in decision-making, then the PNGO is progressing toward gender equality and social inclusion. The process of maintaining transparency and accountability through collective decision making was explored.

Assessment of Results

In the past, decision-making in the women's PNGOs of course was by women, but there was more domination from the senior leaders and less sharing. Dalits for example were not included. Now decision-making in the women's PNGOs shows a high degree of ownership among all members. Dalit executive committee members in WDS and WAM report feeling good ownership although they are mindful of their small numbers and therefore feel the need for more dalit voices in the organization.

In most mixed PNGOs, men formerly controlled the organizations, even when a few women were on the Executive Committees. Now both women and men report their high degree of participation in Executive Committee meetings and ownership of the decisions. Both bring forward agenda items for discussion, and advocate their case, and feel ownership for implementation. Women have increased their confidence to speak up and make their views heard. Although in some of the mixed PNGOs, women still say that they feel less weight is given to their opinions than to men's. It has still been a challenge for women to attain the senior posts on Executive Committees, and JJA is a notable example of a woman taking the Chair.

MPDS is not practicing democratic decision-making and two women of the Executive Committee are members in name only. SG was also experiencing internal difficulties at the time of the outcome mapping mission, and there was not democratic decision-making.

RWUA, with mostly women involved, has the conditions for women to be strong yet some women feel that men advisors/staff take too strong a role in guiding the organization, and perhaps inadvertently, undermine women's place.

Because they have formed the skill and practice to participate and make decisions in a proactive way, women say they now are more active in their home decision-making also. Normally, women are not consulted by their husbands in decision-making. One woman in WAM said that she "informs rather than asks" her husband as needed.

Beba Rai, WAM - "Before my husband did not allow me to go out, but I was able to join one of WAM's groups. Now I am on the WAM executive, and I am very happy that my situation is changed. I am able to influence my husband's decisions, and now I inform my husband rather than asking him."

Women in all the PNGOs are taking an increased interest and capacity to be active in decision-making now compared to previously.

10.4. Capacity to be a GRO

The Semi-Annual Reports document the increase in skills and knowledge - capacity - due to the CNGO capacity building cycle. Attitudes have changed and PNGOs work with new partners, for example, collaborating to advocate on women's rights issues such as child marriage, dowry, chhaupadi and witchcraft and women's' participation in development programs. The capacities have been practiced in the PNGO Initiatives Fund (PIFs)¹⁴ , and with other donor funded projects. PNGOs have been increasingly contracted for a variety of trainings and services by international NGOs and government line agencies that enhanced their credibility and strengthened their capacity. Feedback from other stakeholders (e.g. DDC, LA, and donors) over time has validated CNGO's view that capacity is developing.

The outcome mapping looked at three indictors of capacity to be a GRO. These are qualities that take the PNGO beyond a good program delivery NGO, even if that program is gender-integrated. First, a GRO must have the capacity to deliver programs with good results in a transparent manner that address women's inequality. But more than that, a GRO must position itself to address gender strategic interests: only addressing practical needs does not change the underlying power relations that hold women back, hamper development and deny women their human rights. Although projects that address practical needs have immediate impact, in the longer term, addressing strategic interests is necessary to sustain these impacts. Thus PNGOs that addressed strategic interests in their programs were considered to be more capable as GROs.

Second, a GRO must establish itself as a "learning organization" that can sustain itself through continual renewal of its knowledge and innovation of its practices. Therefore the greater its skills (practice) and understanding of itself as a learning organization, the stronger is its potential as a GRO.

And third, a GRO must make effective linkages with stakeholders to promote and move forward on gender equality, as well as to access resources and coordinate on programs. A GRO needs to support other organization's capacity development for gender equality and to mobilize other organizations for the cause. In other words, a PNGO can deliver one or many gender-integrated programs, but its impact is limited unless it can mobilize other organizations and individuals to work for gender change. The PNGOs were measured on the number and especially the quality of their linkages, with greater capacity for nurturing effective linkages a measure of their success as a GRO.

Data was collected in PNGO focus groups, in the individual interviews with PNGO members, and in interviews with district stakeholders.

10.4.1. Program Meeting Women's Strategic Interests

Program Meeting Women's Strategic Interests Outcomes PNGOs know how to address strategic gender interests, although they need to be more proactive Many of the PNGOs started to take a rights based approach to advocating women's human rights and to organize women to demand their rights

PNGOs listed their projects/programs and identified whether strategic interests were addressed in them. When strategic interests are met, then the PNGO demonstrates capacity to be a GRO.

Niva Singh, JJA - "When community men said that 'Women are like milk: they must be covered up to protect them', I knew that I must work to change this attitude and address women's strategic interests, not just their practical needs."

Assessment of Results

Awareness raising and legal education on rights and advocating on discriminatory practices such as witchcraft, chhaupadi, dhan khanne¹⁵ and child marriage address strategic interests of women. The PNGOs tackle cases of abuse and so meet women's practical need for safety and justice. Some PNGOs are able to draw on these cases to organize a collective voice to end these practices, such as JJA and WAM.

Saving and credit groups or small income generating projects provide some economic power to women. Further support is needed to change the gender dynamics of the family, so that women control the cash and decisions on benefits. Capacity building and empowerment of women and women's group/ organisations is done so that women take leadership roles.

Women are introduced to new technology (improved cooking stoves - WCDC, tap maintenance - EDC). By implementing the World Neighbours supported reproductive health programs, WCDC and RCDSC have organized women's groups to claim women's right to decision-making over her body. Several PNGOs implement CREHPA program on women's right to safe abortion.

Literacy classes by RWUA are used to improve women's ability to speak out and make decisions. SG programs are focused on early childhood education, and although they have been successful in ensuring more girls attend school, they still lack a strategic gender interest focus and priority in their programs.

Although all PNGOs were clear on how projects address strategic gender interests, not all of their projects went beyond meeting practical needs. In some cases, even when opportunities to include a strategic interest were available, they did not avail themselves of the opportunity. Often there is an entry point to create space for strategic interests if deeper analysis is undertaken and extra effort taken, even if a donor or contractor has not specified such a mandate. In the internally driven, ie self-initiated, programs, strategic interests are met through advocacy and empowerment.

Thus the track record on working on women's strategic interests is good but should be stronger among most PNGOs. WAM deserves special mention for keeping their thinking and implementation at a strategic level.

10.4.2. Learning Organization

Learning Organization Outcomes The majority of PNGOs are now vision-led organizations PNGOs encourage learning and reflection among members PNGOs fully understand their own capacity building needs PNGOs use their learning to improve their programs and advocacy for gender equality Women NGOs members are encouraged to take responsibility for their personal lives, their organization and addressing gender discrimination

During the implementation of CNGO, PNGOs were coached on the concept of a learning organization. This was intended to motivate them to continue to grow and own their capacity building process, especially beyond the CNGO partnership.

A learning organization: continually evaluates whether it is heading toward the fulfillment of its mission statement, and increases its capacity to "master" itself and its future, to develop innovative teams, to define a shared vision and to understand the forces and interrelationships that shape the behaviour of its system actions and decisions.¹⁶

Assessment of Results

A learning organization has shared values, vision and mission (VVM). At baseline, very few of the PNGOs had a shared vision/mission that members understood or could convey to others. Thus the PNGOs were facilitated and encouraged to review their VVM and ensure that gender equality was included early in the CNGO partnership. All did so, and continue to use it.

The outcome mapping team was impressed with the commitment to a gender equality and women's empowerment vision expressed by WAM, WDS and WCDC members in particular, providing a strong sense of direction. In some other PNGOs, new members were less informed, indicating a need to continue to reinforce the organizational meaning.

A learning organization demonstrates "personal mastery" among its members for gender analysis and members are mobilized to achieve the organization's mission.
Several of the PNGOs (especially VCDC, EDC, WAM, and WDS) encouraged individuals to develop their knowledge and skills, often through the formal education system but also in any training opportunities available. People were mobilized to work for the organization, even if there are no paid posts, in VCDC, JJA, WAM and EDS. When there are program funds, people are assigned to posts that encourage their personal growth, e.g. RCDSC. Women and dalits are especially motivated to build their skills.

Sudip Paswan, RCDSC - "I am Dalit, with class 7, and I am proud that I am able to work as a gender facilitator. RCDSC with CNGO has helped to build my capacity and so I have been able to contribute to the organization. Before I didn't understand why CNGO did so much training, but now I am able to see my increased capacity and how to use it. There is a big difference in my life compared to my father's life".

Rukmini Pariyar - "Because of CNGO, women members have the courage to speak in front of men. EDC women members who could only collect fodder before can now write their names".

A learning organization promotes team learning and sharing in a systems way to utilize organizational knowledge.
PNGO interviews indicated that they are serious about collecting new materials / resources and building up their collections, especially EDC, RWUA, VCDC, WAM, EDS, JJA and WDS. All believe that they have a culture of sharing and reflecting on their experiences, and after training events they share the new knowledge. Problems and issues encountered in their work are brought into meetings for ideas on how to solve the problems, and then approaches are modified. Some PNGOs reflect on whether the work has brought results in proportion to the effort involved.

Action learning was introduced to the PNGOs by CNGO to provide a methodology to learn from their work, rather than rely on external "experts". Most of the PNGOs implemented an action learning set after the tool was brought back to their organizations, but only JJA noted that they continue to use it now. Others appear to have adapted some of the features in their reflection sessions but don't consciously promote it. Members who did not attend that training did not understand the methodology or use, suggesting that not all "trainings" are replicated well in the PNGO.

VCDC and JJA noted that they nurture new skills in members by giving people multiple tasks in the organization and encouraging them to take on new roles.

A reflection culture is not a widely shared practice in MPDS and SG at this time.

Mental models or thought systems can enhance or restrain organizational performance.
Mental models are now in practice that promote a GRO capacity are openness to gender analysis, keeping a "gender lens" in front, and raising gender and caste discrimination issues.

PNGOs demonstrate a commitment to social change, and have overcome some of the social practices that hold back equality.

Barriers to performance are the competitiveness within and among NGOs for resources, and so there is a problem in sharing knowledge. The categories of sex, age, education, position, caste and religion place people in a hierarchy that can inhibit openness and taking initiative. People practice deference and hesitate to question their "seniors". The fear of being socially ostracized keeps people in their place, with "leg-pulling" to bring people back into line. Also, the culture of fear due to the conflict inhibits actions and makes people guarded.

A learning organization practices system thinking, seeing the interrelatedness within the organization and their place in the larger system around them that influences the organization.
Several people commented that at first, they didn't understand CNGO - it only seemed to be about training. But now they understand it was capacity building, and about change in them and their organization so they could be more effective. This helps them to see a wider perspective within the organization.

However there still seemed a degree of compartmentalization in all PNGOs. People were less knowledgeable about programs and issues outside their own role. For example, the PNGO was represented in the gender allies¹⁷ by (usually) one person, and other members were less informed about the allies.

For a GRO to be effective, a systems perspective is essential. They need to influence that system as well as understand how they are influenced by it. Due to the linkage building strengthening in CNGO, the PNGOs are much more aware of their "system". Through advocacy and relationship building they try to influence the system.

In summary, sustainability of the learning process is clearly an issue. Many of the people interviewed expressed their appreciation of CNGO, due to their own personal changes. They wanted the CNGO partnership to be extended to continue the process. They knew their capacity was much stronger, yet they felt that their capacity is not yet strong enough. Through CNGO they could visualize their capacity growing. In these discussions, there was much less focus on funds from CNGO; instead, they wanted a learning relationship. This can be interpreted as an understanding of a learning organization: to sustain linkages and retain a source of organizational learning and growth.

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