Howto: How to sustain developmental projects

In a recent evaluation exercise I participated in, with one of the agencies providing social services in the country, the donors gave considerable emphasis on whether the agency developed the capacity of the beneficiaries, to sustain the project activities and benefits, when they pull out. Three questions pertaining this issue featured on the questionnaire, but to my dismay, it was not given its deserved attention in answering. Attainment of project sustainability is not as complex as it is perceived. The core aspect to achieve is to influence the mindset of the stake holders, or beneficiaries. This can be done through formatting their attitudes and psychology, to own the project, as opposed to being spectators, as outsiders do things for them. For development to be sustainable, it has to be by the people, within the people and for the people, or community members intended to be serviced by that project. This is defended by the writings of one of the famous social mobilization proponents, called Paul Freire, in his writings about concientisation. He emphasized the aspect of involving community members, to have a pivotal role in the initiatives intended to improve their lives. He called it ‘‘liberation’’ as opposed to ‘‘domestication’’, which he said is the act of imparting an alien project on to the community members, with pre-set designs and structures, where the beneficiaries have no say, but simply to receive it and watch on as the project does things for them. Such circumstances have happened, where the beneficiaries, have termed the developments out of such projects, as belonging to the project. Therefore giving them names affiliated to the mother project. The following steps can be taken to achieve sustainability of a given project. Before inception of the project and its structures, it is critically vital for a needs assessment, or a baseline survey, to be conducted, in this the project facilitators need to go to the intended beneficiaries, and ask them about their priority needs and felt problems. This is done to get the views, interests, pertaining the beneficiaries situation, and opinion about the proposed project. This interaction is important because, it makes it possible to identify, priotise, and learn from the decisions and interests of the beneficiaries. Another aspect that enhances sustainability of developmental projects, is building the beneficiaries capacities, to have a constructive role in the project for instance, if the target group has a significant number of illiterates, who cant communicate effectively at all levels, basic literacy skills need to be first passed on to them. If the beneficiaries are people with disabilities, with mobility difficulties and low self esteem, a confidence building program needs to be put in place, and for the disability, assistive devices need to be first put in place. The same should happen if the beneficiaries are People Living With HIV/Aids, who have lost hope in life, and suffer the effects of stigma, advocacy clubs against stigma and discrimination, and counseling services need to be put in place. The bottom line is to empower the beneficiaries, and to minimize the barriers to constructive involvement into the project. Encouraging and motivating participation of all stake holders, at all levels of the project, right from planning, implementation up to evaluation. This constructs a bond between the project and its beneficiaries, characterized with a sense of responsibility and ownership of the project, by the beneficiaries. Participation of the beneficiaries should even be extended to the level of collecting contributions, in form of resources to be used. However, these should be within the reach of the beneficiaries. For example in the case of providing wheel chairs for beneficiaries with disabilities, a certain amount should come from them. This makes them even safeguard the wheel chairs, as opposed to just donating. How ever, the contributions should be voluntary and with in the reach of the beneficiaries. If the project is well connected to its beneficiaries, through dialogical communications, such things as contributions come spontaneously. Ends