edit this page Elements in sustainability - alleviating smoke
For any change within a society to be sustainable, that change must become a part of the normal pattern of life for people, creating a sense of ownership of any changes which have developed. The first part of this discussion identifies ways in which this can happen. The second part is focused on an action plan for achieving sustainability, in the context of a smoke alleviation project.
Participation by beneficiaries in a project must encompass every aspect of a project from its initial inception, right through to the point where the NGO can exit the project, confident that beneficial change is permanent and will continue to grow.
- Identifying real needs and skills: The needs of a society will be most keenly felt and best understood by that society. The strengths within a community group are also best understood by those belonging to it.
- Dialogue: Throughout a project, a major component is real and effective dialogue through community meetings, interviews with the key actors, focus group discussions. This ensures that any changes fulfil the aspirations of everyone involved.
Individuals within a community will be greatly influenced by seeing and discussing benefits with their peers. Providing suitable arenas for this exchange (video, radio, theatre, child-to-child initiatives) will enhance the natural flow of knowledge.
The same people are in the best position to identify shortcomings in a project, and their views and findings should form an integral part of any scaling-up or technology transfer to other regions.
Key elements which need to be evaluated are: the scale of the need; the priority given to that need by the community.
- The scale of the problem: National poverty indicators can provide a good starting point, but these may mask the reality of people's lives where there is a large discrepancy between the very rich and the poor. Where need is only defined by economic indicators, such as loss of earnings, the most vulnerable may fall through the statistics.
- Community priorities: In this situation too, the most vulnerable may have insufficient voice for their needs to be identified. Ways of working that identify the needs of women, the very young or old etc. need to be adopted. Where long-term problems exist, people may not realise that they have an option for change.
[top] [end]Assessing the benefits With sufficient resources, most problems caused by poverty can be adequately addressed. With limited funds, it is necessary to measure the quality of benefits which can be accrued; the cost-effectiveness of those benefits; and whether mechanisms can be put in place to make them realistically achievable by the community in the long-term.
- Assessing quality: The most important criterion is whether or not the beneficiaries like any changes that have been made. If they do not, there is little chance that they will adopt changes once the project has ended. It is therefore vital to have a structured methodology for dialogue and for facilitating change during the project.
Quantitative methods should be adopted where possible to identify successful interventions, and to give weight to arguments for policy influence.
Where interventions lead to the introduction of new artefacts, quality and durability should also be evaluated.
- Ensuring interventions are achievable: Not all interventions cost money; one of the most effective interventions is sharing knowledge. Knowledge can empower people to make those changes which will affect their lives positively. Ensuring that the knowledge provided is accurate and relevant is the responsibility of project practitioners. Simultaneously, indigenous knowledge will increase the understanding of practitioners working on the project.
Indigenous skills and local materials should be identified early in the process, in order to build on the assets of the community.
Realism must be applied where interventions will have a cost, either in money or time. Especially in urban areas, the latter criterion is important - where time can be equated to earning capacity.
The cost of an intervention must be equated with the willingness to pay of the beneficiary, and in many instances this means disaggregating various sectors of a community e.g. women may not have as much money as men. In such instances, it may be necessary to look at the wider benefits of an intervention as well as the effects on the target beneficiaries, in order to interest those who could pay for the intervention in the long-term. This is a key area for achieving lasting benefits, and methods must be identified and addressed right from the start. The key to it lies in providing an integrated package, which will ultimately lead to the demise of a project as the changes become part of the day-to-day norms of the society.
- Dissemination of lessons learnt: Knowledge that is shared can multiply the impact of a project many times over. Key target audiences should be identified, and relevant information disseminated in an appropriate fashion. Inappropriate material is a waste of time and space.
- Policy makers need short factual publications which identify key policy actions and their benefits. This will mainly be in journals and through conferences. Lively websites and short informative films can be used to inform policy-makers of the reality of situations - they too can get bored.
- Target beneficiaries; for many, written matter will be inappropriate, incomprehensible and useless. Word of mouth, video, TV & radio, leaflets with cartoons and drawings, exchange visits, puppetry and theatre etc. will all be more appropriate
- Local NGOs will want factual information on key findings, but these should be targeted towards what can be done and how to go about doing it.
- Providing an interface between groups should not be overlooked: short films where women can speak directly of their needs; workshops where government representatives can discuss openly with local NGOs and beneficiaries; international conferences where representatives from beneficiary communities are invited.
- Subsidies: Subsidies do not have to be the traditional reduction in price to the consumer through project funding going into a direct subsidy. A better approach may be through indirect approaches:
- Training is perhaps the most powerful hidden subsidy. Workshops run free of charge on subjects as diverse as small enterprise management, artisanal skills, quality control etc. can break down the barriers which prevent potential entrepreneurs from making a living.
- Proving the economic case for government aid for those interventions that reduce the demand on tax revenue e.g. improved health reducing lost working days and hospital bills
- Finance: Most interventions require money, but making it available in the short-term, when it is needed, may often be as successful as 'providing for free'
- Soft loans linked to micro-credit allow a longer pay-back period
- Underwriting risk for new technologies or services assist entrepreneurs.
- Policy: Policy-makers will want quantitative data on comparative costs benefits for interventions, set within the poverty context of a particular group or region.
- In-project development: It is unusual for a project to end up following the exact course that was planned. A balance is needed between altering objectives completely, and accepting changes to make interventions appropriate, meaningful and therefore sustainable.
[top] [end]Full scale commercialization At the end of the road, the 'beneficiary' becomes the 'customer' and the role of the NGO is superseded by the supplier or service provider. For success, four elements are important - a willing customer, a competent supplier, a pro-active interface between the two, and the 'right price' for the goods or services.
- The 'willing customer': For long-term problems, associated with poverty, beneficiaries may be unaware of possible improvements in their quality of life. Empowering them with knowledge can be sufficient to cause them to view certain interventions very positively. Identifying financial benefits may make other options attractive. It is incumbent on those promoting change to identify and minimize any negative factors.
Once a community has identified those interventions which are relevant and appropriate to its needs, a marketing strategy should be devised to target others in similar circumstances.
Where goods or services need to be produced, a market survey, to find out demand levels should be undertaken. This demand is likely to be highly dependent on the cost of the goods or services, so the market survey should identify demand levels at various prices. It may be that different manufacturing techniques would be adopted for different demand levels, and this too could impact on unit cost.
- The 'competent supplier': A sustainable project should ensure that where there is demand, the means are available to satisfy that demand. The involvement of local NGOs with relevant skills can begin the process of handing on responsibilities to local groups. Likely tasks would be:
- Measuring the level of market interest
- Identifying long-term suppliers or service providers
- Training in multi-sectoral skills
- Underwriting risk in the early stages
- Quality assurance and technical support
- Assistance in setting up a 'brand'
- Assistance in marketing goods or services
- A pro-active interface: Change for the good rarely happens without energy and skills input. A market survey may generate interest, but this needs to be backed up by locally appropriate marketing methods. These could include radio advertising, lively and prominent branding of goods and services, TV interviews, community demonstrations, exchange visits. Quality is an important factor, as for many, the new item may represent a major investment. Early failures can completely destroy customer faith in a product. Where the primary beneficiary is not the person with spending potential, efforts must be made to make the goods or services attractive to both parties.
- The price must be right: If goods or services cost more than the potential customer thinks they are worth, the interventions will have no chance of success. Identifying the price which a customer will pay is therefore essential. Where the price is sufficiently low for the market to be buoyant, the strategies described above will be sufficient. However, where the price is greater than the market can stand, other possible routes must be identified.
- Cost reduction through use of lower grade, but adequate, raw materials
- More efficient production methods
- Government subsidies (as described above)
- Micro-credit facilities
- Identifying the real 'sticking points' and addressing them such as the lack of understanding of benefits; poor location of outlets
- Incentives - linking the intervention with other related, more popular, interventions at a lower overall cost
[top] [end]An integrated package All these elements need to come together in a co-ordinated fashion, if the outcome is to be successful.
[top] [end]II - Action plan for sustainability - Planning appropriate interventions in consultation with the community.
- Identifying assets which will make interventions sustainable - indigenous knowledge, skills, materials
- Understanding the day-to-day problems caused by smoke identified by the community
- Discussing the risks caused by smoke inhalation. Knowledge on health matters, legal requirements etc. can empower people to reduce risks in their lives
- Teaching good practice within kitchens; wood drying, ventilation, using lids, keeping children away from smoke where possible
- Developing interventions, based on group discussions with men and women, and on individual interviews
- Making video records of the project as it proceeds
- Facilitating exchange visits
- Post-intervention discussions to identify any benefits and limitations in both the process and the results of the project
- Poverty indicators, both national and regional
- Hospital statistics close to the project areas
- Interviews with women and men to determine their priorities in smoke alleviation
[top] [end]Assessing benefits to inform both policy makers and beneficiaries - Questionnaires on house characteristics, household studies, basic health of cooks
- Before-and-after smoke monitoring
- Time/activity studies
- Statistical analysis of interventions
- Qualitative assessment of interventions based on interviews
- Building on local capacity through involvement of local groups, educational establishments, local NGOs and local government officials.
- Dissemination at local level of lessons learnt through TV, video, radio, exchange visits, community meetings etc.
- International dissemination through scientific papers and conference presentations.
- Facilitation of information exchange between beneficiaries, local officials and international bodies through films, meetings etc.
- Providing free-of-charge workshops to develop skills in small-enterprise skills and manufacturing and customer support
- Identifying possible sources of soft loans and micro-finance
- Setting up a fund, or identifying a partner to underwrite start-up risks for those fabricating interventions
- Identifying methods for reducing manufacturing costs
- Identifying the optimum options for manufacture of interventions, based on cost and social benefits
- Keeping health ministries involved in discussion on the links between smoke and ill-health
- Engaging those involved in shelter provision about the need to provide smoke-alleviation technologies
[top] [end]In-project development - Ensuring that interventions do not become static, by engaging communities in discussion at all stages of the project, and responding to their suggestions
[top] [end]Full scale commercialization - Promotion of successful smoke-alleviating interventions through exchange visits, locally appropriate advertising, promotions, quality assurance etc.
- Assistance to entrepreneurs in small enterprise development
- Assisting purchasers in provision of micro-credit, access to goods etc.
- Setting up ways to ensure maintenance and technical support for interventions
External links and references Contributors User:Liz Bates 16 December 2003
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