Hoe kijkt onze partner terug op het project?
De partner vertelt... van 8 november 2018 door Edward Bailor
Na elk project vragen we onze partner hoe het project is gegaan en welke lessen de partner heeft geleerd. Je vindt hier het bijbehorende rapport.
1. CONTEXT AND SUMMARY
1.1. The original plan of the project
Yes the project is being executed as planned: Firstly, at the preparation stage the WS local committees (children, technical and cultural) were formed. When CTF received the funds for the construction, all building materials needed for the construction were procured. The local people also gathered all the local materials needed for the construction at the building site. Afterwards, CTF and the community prepared the foundation and did two layers of block work for the 3 classroom, office space for teachers and staff room for the head teachers. The accommodation for the participants was also prepared before the participants arrive in Sierra Leone in July, 2018. Upon arrival the participants worked with CTF and the local people until they reached the highest peak of the building. Some plastering was done the building was roofed with zinc.
1.2. Implementation of the project
The participants arrived in Sierra Leone on Friday 13th July, 2018 at about 16:45 GMT. We spent the night at a guest house in Lungi and traveled to Lunsar on the Saturday 14th July. We arrived in Lunsar after about a 2hrs 30 minutes’ drive. The participants dropped off their bags at the accommodation and we went straight to the current location of Jesephine Bakhita primary school where the participants received a warm reception by the children in the school and the local people. Participants then danced and marched through the principal streets of Lunsar to the project sites. Afterwards, the leaders of the participants and the CTF team held a familiarization and planning meeting that same Saturday 14th July in the evening and planned for the start of the building work and the other cultural activities on Monday 16th. On Sunday 15th July, the participants attended a church service where they gave a song contribution. On Monday 16th a formal ceremony was organized at the project site involving all stakeholders where both Christian and Muslim prayers were offered and statements were made by community stakeholders, authorities and a representative from participants before the construction work began. During the construction, the technical leader of the participants, CTF and the local contractor agreed on targets every day and worked very hard to achieve those targets. At the end of every day, the targets for the day were evaluated, whether they were achieved or not. At the end, new targets were also set for the other day. Various evenings, cultural and children’s programmes were also organized along-side the construction work by the participants in close collaboration with the WS local committee members and CTF staff assigned. Some of the cultural programmes included boat ride, home visitations, visit to hospital, local markets, and agricultural sites, schools, cooking with local kitchen staff and sleep over.
2. CONSTRUCTION
2.1. Buildings worked on
The three classroom block structure has been constructed up to the highest peak covered with zinc and facer boards fixed. Some plastering has also been done.
2.2. Tasks to be done
• Fix the metal doors and windows which has been done already.
• Complete the plastering
• Screed the floor
• Fix the inside celling
• Paint the building
• Officially hand over the building to the community
3. FACILITATION OF THE TEAM
3.1. Children Program
The children’s programmes were well organized and they ended with a children’s party. During the course of their stay, participants divided themselves into small groups. Sometimes while some participants were at the construction site, some were allowed to attend the children’s programme. In this way, every participant was given the chance to participate in the children’s programme.
3.2. Cultural and touristic outings
For the cultural and touristic outings, all participants attended some touristic outings like the boat tour, jungle and sleep over. Participants who were interested in specific cultural events like hospital, schools visit were taken at specific time during the project implementation to see those places. All the cultural activities were well organized and all went on as planned, except for the sleep over cultural activity.
3.3. Life Skills
The Life skills programmes were also well organized for three days and the participants concerned were taken to address young people on critical issues that affects youths.
4. COOPERATION AND INVOLVEMENT
4.1. Leadership team World Servants
For the leadership team of WS, regular meetings were held with leaders concerned in the leadership team of WS with CTF to plan and schedule activities, venues and time for all activities. Key decisions to change or reschedule activities or meetings were taken collaboratively with CTF. However, Interaction between the participants and CTF staff in evening programs was limited because most of the participants were more conformable with speaking Dutch during evening programmes which the locals did not understand.
4.2. Local leaders / key persons
The level of cooperation of stakeholders such as Local leaders/key persons, community and beneficiaries during project implementation was very impressive. For example, chiefs, pastor, Imams and even a member of parliament in Lunsar attended the opening and preliminary handing over ceremonies. Also, the SMC and CTA provided support during the project by cooking for the local contractors, labourers and fetching water for the construction. The level of interaction between the participants and the locals at the construction sites was also superb.
4.3. Community
See 4.2
4.4. Beneficiaries
See 4.2
4.5. (Local) authorities
The local authority are really supportive and help the hospital staff for the submission of all the necessary paperwork.
5. PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
5.1. Accommodation
In my opinion, the accommodation was good as some members of the leadership team attested during the final evaluation with the CTF team. Camp beds (double) and mattresses were provided by CTF for participants in Lunsar. A Generator provided lights at least up to 12 pm Sierra Leonean time almost every day. In Freetown a decent quest house was also provided for the participants. However, the quest house in Lungi where the participants spent the night when they arrived in Sierra Leone before they traveled to project sites in Kambia had no beds only sitter chairs. Participants then innovated different ways to spend the night.
5.2. Food
In the final evaluation the leaders of the participants in Lunsar gave the impression that the food was ok. Although majority of the participants reported diarrhea or running stomachs.
5.3. Transportation
Bus services were provided to pick and return participants to the airport and for all major touristic events. In Lunsar we had two jeeps at the disposal of the project. One was WS jeep and another was Woord en Daad Jeep borrowed from the Woord en Daad’s education project in Sierra Leone . These were readily available for any activity anytime they were needed. However, the WS jeep (Prodo) is now very old and not in good working condition
5.4. Safety
Security arrangements were made with the Sierra Leone police in Lunsar for the nights and the day and there was no complaint of theft throughout the stay of the participants in Sierra Leone.
6. LESSONS LEARNED
1. Participants place equal value on the cultural/touristic and children programs compared to the building. We learned that these should be give equal importance during their stay. Because I now know that participants have different cultural and touristic aspirations, we will the leaders of the team or WS to share the different aspirations of the participants with us before the participants arrive in Sierra Leone. This will put us in a better position to make arrangement with the best of those cultural and touristic aspirations. Also, priority will be given to those cultural and touristic aspirations when participants are in SL.
2. Effective planning with specific details of time and place is an important element of success when one work with participants.
3. In a discussion with participants in Kambia we learned that bread for breakfast and lunch food is preferred over rice. That is, Participants told me that to cook rice for lunch and sometimes dinner was too much. They will Prefer bread for breakfast and lunch.
