Pilot Project in Bukit Batu Subdistrict, Palangka Raya Municipality, Central Kalimantan
January 2009
Requested: $107,000 (USD),
Received: $4,000 (USD) from the Blond Trust, (March 30, 2009)
(Download complete proposal here.)
Introduction
1.1 Background
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The intention is to empower these six villages, plus one additional village, so the entire subdistrict is activated and engaged in a process of governance capacity-building. The first step in this process is participatory analysis and planning at community level that feeds into the annual Musrenbang1 planning process, which starts each year in January.
The overall objective of this approach is the development of sustainable communities that are better-equipped to take charge of their own development path, and to have more responsible local government institutions that can provide community support that is more closely tailored to the real needs within each community.
An additional objective is to use this example to demonstrate the viability and benefit of this approach to local government, with the expectation that once they can see and understand the benefits, they would want to replicate the approach in other subdistricts within the district, and then in other districts in the province.
1.2 Bukit Batu Subdistrict
Strategically, Bukit Batu is very close to Palangka Raya, the seat of government for both the district and the province. It therefore is an excellent location for demonstrating projects to government officials at both levels, and is the best place to be in order to influence government policy, programs, and services. The activities of YUM, as well as those of the BCU School have already attracted the attention of the Provincial Health and Education Departments, with some top officials expressing the wish that through these initiatives Bukit Batu could become an example for replication in other subdistricts in Central Kalimantan
Palangka Raya is also the base for the main civil society organisations operating in the province, as well as for major business enterprises. Therefore, the opportunity to build meaningful networks and alliances is very high.
Bukit Batu Subdistrict also is the setting for much of the activity of Subud in Kalimantan. There are several enterprises based there, as well as a number of social endeavours, including the Kalimantan office of YUM. Rungan Sari, the main residential area for Subud members living in Kalimantan, is also located in the subdistrict.
The last few years have seen a coming together of many of the Subud initiatives in the area, in a spirit of cooperation and desire to help one another. YUM has initiated several activities involving BCU School, and also YTS. In March 2007, there was a major gathering in Rungan Sari attracting participants from around the world, all of whom were committed to furthering the development of Subud in Kalimantan. This gathering brought renewed interest and support to current initiatives. Since then, more people have been coming to live and work in Kalimantan, and several of the projects, such as the BCU School have expanded significantly.
Bukit Batu, therefore, is the logical place to continue to build from in order to strengthen and expand the work of Subud in Kalimantan.
1.3 Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta2
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta (YTS) is a civil society organisation that has been working close to the extractive industries sector in developing an approach to community and rural development that is systemic and holistic in its embrace. The focus is on strengthening governance at community and district government level, using the Musrenbang annual planning and follow up process as the central mechanism to bring about change.
Since 2004, the yayasan has been developing and testing this approach, which now is deployed in a total of 22 villages in two districts and four subdistricts in Central and East Kalimantan. All activities in the village are designed to encourage and reward villagers for any involvement that promotes participation, sharing, and working together either in groups or at community level. Capacity-building and institutional strengthening are important components of this approach.
The idea is to demonstrate the viability of the approach within complete administrative units - ie, subdistrict and district pilot projects - so that government leaders can see the benefits and promote spread to other subdistricts and districts.
On a provincial regional planning level, YTS has been promoting an integrated approach to regional development within Central Kalimantan. This means that the interests of all sectors and all stakeholders will be included when planning, designing, and implementing development programs and activities; and that social, environmental, and economic considerations are integrated, within a context of good governance.
YTS is an Associate Member of the Susila Dharma International Association, and is the only SDI member organisation in Indonesia with experience in doing this kind of work, which is why it was approached to take on this initiative.
Project Objectives
2.1 Overall Objective
The overall objective behind this project is to have a well-functioning society in which local people are actively engaged in processes that shape how development takes place in their immediate environment. One important aspect of this is how individuals and communities interact with government, and for government to become much more responsive to the real needs of people and their communities. In other words, the objective is to bring about a significant improvement in the quality of governance.
2.2 Specific Objectives
Within the Overall Objective there are a number of Specific Objectives that the project intends to achieve:
Specific Objective One:
An effective planning and follow up process is established between communities and government, utilizing the annual Musrenbang mechanism.
Specific Objective Two:
Government programs and services are tailored to and effectively address specific needs in all communities within the government's administrative area of responsibility.
Specific Objective Three:
Social conditions and economic livelihoods significantly improve within the concerned communities.
Specific Objective Four:
Communities demonstrate their capacity to organise and manage community level planning and development processes for the equitable benefit of all members of the community.
Activities
3.1 General
YTS will focus most of its efforts at community level, but will also spend time with subdistrict and district officials to open up communication channels and facilitate relationship-building between communities and government departments. More specific activities are described below.
3.2 Community Level Activities
In 2007, YTS helped facilitate an intensive social mapping exercise in six villages in the Bukit Batu subdistrict. This exercise provided YUM with a deeper understanding of the social, economic, and environmental dynamics in each village, and YUM was able to use this information to refine the design for a malaria program that it was about to launch in these communities. In a sense this proposal builds further upon the information gleaned from that social mapping exercise.
In this project at community level, YTS will do the following:
- Facilitate an initial intensive participatory analysis and planning process (PRA) to establish an information and knowledge base for planning and monitoring;
- Facilitate the annual village planning process (Musrenbangdes), including follow up engagement for villagers with the subdistrict (Musrenbangcam) and district (Musrenbangkab);
- Provide financial and technical support for implementing planned priority livelihood activities in the annual plan - focusing on improving skills, knowledge and experience;
- Provide capacity-building support for village institutions charged with managing project inputs and implementing activities; and
- Provide ongoing facilitation, coordination, and monitoring support.
3.3 Subdistrict Level Activities
The Kecamatan or subdistrict is generally an administrative body that does not engage in implementing government programs or services. It does, however, have responsibility for organising the Musrenbang process at kecamatan level, and therefore is likely in need of support and possibly some training to facilitate the process effectively. YTS will help in facilitating the process at subdistrict, but will not engage in training subdistrict staff.
In the short term, YTS will try to make the function of the Kecamatan more strategic, especially its role in the Musrenbang planning process and in setting development priorities in the subdistrict.
YTS will maintain on-going regular liaison and communication with the Camat, the head of the subdistrict, and Kecamatan staff to keep them well-informed on the activities in the village and any liaison activities with district technical sections. Whenever it is possible to expose subdistrict personnel to important activities in the villages, YTS will help facilitate their participation in these activities
3.4 District Level Activities
The district, or Kabupaten, has planning, budgeting, and implementing authority and resources, and therefore is the most important level of government to liaise with, because most decisions affecting communities and villagers are made at this level.
The role of YTS with the district is mainly one of liaison, coordination, communication, and occasional lobbying. The only effective way to keep district officials and villagers in touch with one another is to spend time with both groups, and to build communication pathways between them.
For economic livelihood support, YTS will meet with people in key departments - Planning, Community Empowerment, Agriculture and Plantations, Fisheries, and Animal Husbandry - to find out their programs and plans for the coming year. This information is communicated to villagers so they can see how well their priorities align with those programs, and decide what measures to take in response.
Similarly with other matters, such as health or education, one must meet directly with the responsible parties in each department.
Early on in the first month, the project team will begin meeting with all key government officials, starting with the District Head, the Bupati, and then the department heads to explain project objectives and activities, and to get their endorsement for the work that is planned.
Later on, it will be important to get district staff to visit communities to observe activities, so they can get a firsthand feeling for the program, and gain a sense of involvement, understanding, and ownership.
At key points during implementation, YTS will organise follow up meetings between local government and villagers, in order to strengthen the communication ties and information flows. These meetings are especially useful for villagers to see how government is responding to their plans and requests, and in turn to stimulate government departments to prepare and deliver programs and services that are more relevant to the real needs of villagers.
3.5 Information and Communication
YTS will document and communicate results from the development process: extracting, sharing, and communicating lessons learned. This will entail the use of various media and means, such as personal exchanges during visits, regular reports, a quarterly newsletter, the internet, photography, video and other media, as well as milestone events in which experiences and achievements will be shared and communicated more broadly
Financial and Human Resources
4.1 Budget
The total budget for this three year program is approximately US$ 107,000, or approximately US$36,000 per year. Budget details are presented in Annex II. The budget allocation is illustrated in Figure One and shows that 42% or US$44,200 is for Program Costs, which covers field activities with government and the seven communities; 44% or US$46,500 is for Employment Costs, for two full time staff and supervisory time from YTS; 12% or 12,400 is for Program Overhead, which is travel and field expenses; and 3% or US$3400 is for General Overhead, for YTS administration and office expenses.
Figure One: Budget Allocation 2009-2011
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4.2 Personnel
Two full time YTS staff will be allocated for the duration of the project. YTS will also provide management and supervisory time to oversee project implementation, and for critical monitoring and review moments. YTS office personnel will handle all administration and accounting matters.
Monitoring and Evaluation
5.1 Monitoring and Evaluation
Field staff will actively monitor all activities on an on-going basis, and their observations will be included in monthly and quarterly reports. In addition, specific monitoring frameworks will be set up for economic livelihood activities to measure performance and results on a regular basis.
A set of criteria and indicators will be determined for each of the program's four Specific Objectives. These will be reviewed and evaluated annually to measure progress towards achieving the objectives.
5.2 Annual Review and Assessment
Before the end of each year YTS will facilitate annual review and self-assessment events in each village. Following these village level events, a collective review and assessment gathering will be conducted to foster sharing and exchange of experience between communities, and to consolidate the lessons learned during the year for incorporation into next year's planning process.
5.3 End of Program Evaluation
Just before the end of the three year program, YTS will facilitate a village level review and assessment comparing the baseline social and economic data that was established at the beginning of the program, with the data collected at the end of the program. The comparative results will provide a good measure of how effective the program has been at community level.
The four Specific Objectives will be evaluated to determine the final level of achievement in the program.
Documentation & Reporting
6.1 Documentation
A written record of all activities and participation will be kept, as well as uptake of new practices and behaviour. Multiple media will be deployed for this, including written documents, photographs, and video documentation.
6.2 Reporting
The following reports will be provided:
- Monthly reports on activities and finances.
- Quarterly reports will include some analysis of progress towards the objectives.
- An annual report will summarize highlights of the process, and will provide an analysis of the results that emerge from the annual review, assessment and evaluation. This report will be submitted at the beginning of the following year.
- A draft final report will be submitted before the end of the program, and will be finalised with financial details after one month of project completion.
Financial reporting and analysis will be included in all progress reports. The project will establish a separate bank account, to ensure transparent accounting and management of the budget.
Summary
7.1 Concluding remarks
In implementing this project, YUM will move their activities in Central Kalimantan to a more holistic and programmatic level, because through the Musrenbang planning process the interests and capabilities of communities and the objectives of local and national government, will become more closely harmonised. This then will provide YUM with a much clearer picture of how it can strategically focus its efforts and resources to improve conditions within these communities, because after the Musrenbang YUM will better understand the role, responsibility and capacity respectively of both government and the community, and will know the commitments each will be making to community development.
As a direct result of this project, communities in which YUM currently operates will benefit from having a stronger connection with local government. These communities will become institutionally stronger and more self-sufficient, their economies should strengthen and diversify, and individual households will benefit from greater access to government economic and social support programs.
Government will gain by having better knowledge and understanding of the real needs of its constituents. Government policies, programs, and services will become more efficient and effective because they will more closely match the needs and requirements within the communities they are serving. Moreover, with stronger and more capable community institutions, program implementation and service delivery will have a much more stable and reliable environment within which to operate, resulting in wider and more effective impact.
Because this is an area-based initiative, covering the entire subdistrict, other initiatives in the area, especially those under the Subud banner will also benefit from the overall improvement in community-government relations, and from the direct involvement in the annual planning process. So the overall impact is likely to be much wider than simply the YUM program.
Finally, as a pilot demonstration development model, close to the home base of key decision makers in the province, the project is optimally placed to be taken up by government and other interests for wider application and scaling up.
Download the complete proposal here.