I was only mildly involved in a recent project that aimed to restore livelihoods of those whose livelihoods were most affected. The implementing NGO had a good rapport with the target communities and they used this rapport to record a list of over 300 potential beneficiaries for their programme in only a couple of weeks. Besides other things, they conducted a usual field survey in the middle of the pandemic and remember when I said they have a good rapport with their target communities? It meant that every one of them, if available at the location, would gather around the field officer when she’d go for her data collection. The programme would soon be moving forward to the monitoring and evaluation phases and until the team come up with some safe alternative, the project has the potential to do more harm than good for their target beneficiaries and their team.
Covid-19 has presented some unprecedented challenges before the society, and fortunately, our robust civil society and temporary volunteer groups were in place on time to respond to these challenges in a somewhat swift manner. Some CSOs have also well adapted their processes and practices as per the safety requirements of the day. Unfortunately, a large fraction of small-scale NGOs has been unable to adapt to these safety norms due to a number of factors such as the digital gap among their target beneficiaries, limited resources, lack of training as well as leaderships’ resistance to change. The last one will have to be dealt with from within, but for the rest, this blog will be helpful for you and your organisation in adapting to the necessary changes in the processes of data collection, project monitoring and evaluation.
Efficiency and Collaboration is the key
Let us go back to our example. Did the livelihood project really need a fresh field survey? Couldn’t have the team rather relied on existing data accessed from existing NGOs and Slum Committees? The latter might not have mitigated the need for field duties but would have certainly minimised it by large, thereupon prioritising the safety of the target beneficiaries and the team. Covid-19 begs for all of society to be efficient and the challenges require us to act together and act swiftly and effectively.
Evaluate possible channels for the implementation of your project
Check for the internet and mobile penetration among your target audience and watch out for mass media channels such as radio. Back to our example, candidates could have been shortlisted from existing data and the team could have got in touch with these candidates individually via a phone call or personal appointments. It would have minimised the risk of infection as well as the time taken in identifying the beneficiaries.
Be mindful of the risks of relying on third-party data and technology
Some NGOs do not rely on external help for data collection and technology for obvious reasons such as exclusion. This is why we also recommend being mindful of these risks. Some fieldwork might still be required but collaboration and use of technology can minimise that to huge extents. Besides, it would also be difficult to assess the gravity of the ground-level realities unless there is somebody on the ground.
We pray for your safety and are happy to see you do your bit. We would love to do our bit and help your organisation and your projects adapt to the challenging times and the safety norms that we all must adhere by to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Drop us a text, a call or an email and we shall address your concerns for no cost.