Challenges of a Rural Development Organization

By Sunday Lizu, 2nd year MDP student

Locally run development organizations can have the same challenges as any other organization but there are challenges they face that are unique to their circumstances. Having spent time with a locally run development organization, I would not claim expertise at understanding these organizations but I have quite some experience working with community led organizations. Effective and efficient operations and organizational management can pose quite a challenge to community based organizations and at the core of these is the lack of qualified and capable human resource. It is very important that local organizations are managed by the local people themselves to determine the direction of the organization and meet their set goals and objectives. Apart from this, local organizations also serve as sources of employment for the local people. However, the dilemma remains that of finding qualified individuals in the local communities who will fit into the positions and be able to deliver in line with the vision, mission, goals and objectives of the organization.

 

The 2013 graduating class of the Bina Hill Youth Learning Centre

The challenge of human and social development today is that many development programmes fail because they are planned and delivered by experts that do not reside in the local areas. This top-down model of delivering development to disadvantaged communities has been challenged on the basis that it does not really meet the demands of the communities and do not usually capture the participation of the community members who feel not part of the programme. The paradigm shift in development programming now demands that any programs that are aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of people in disadvantaged areas should allow for the participation of the same people from inception (planning) to implementation. This process requires consultation with the intended beneficiaries and so far, development programmes that have involved the intended beneficiaries in the process of planning and implementation have had a very high rate of success. However, it is not an easy challenge for most development organizations and professionals to completely involve local communities in the planning processes as this implies that the whole process takes longer and more resources are needed to do so.

Sunday (C - back) with some members of staff of the COBRA project of the NRDDB

Low literacy levels in the local communities manifest themselves in different ways and hinder the effective participation of the communities in the planning and implementation processes of these development programs. Local communities can improve their livelihoods in many different ways and many local communities are appreciating the support they are receiving to improve their livelihoods through the provision of social amenities and the improvement of their socio-economic status. My own observations have been that, although the education standards in most of these communities are low leading to a lack of qualified local individuals to run local development organizations, capacity building programmes for effective management have helped in closing the literacy gaps and developing local man power to run development programmes efficiently.  The North Rupununi District Development Board in Guyana is one organization with many challenges related to effective management and operations. However, these challenges exist mostly at the senior management level as the junior staff work hard enough to deliver in their respective positions. All the project staff in the organization are members of the local communities and most have not finished their secondary school education but capacity building programmes and on-the-job training programmes have allowed the local youth to deliver for the organization, serving their communities while earning a livelihood for themselves. Yes, human resources can be a huge challenge for locally run community development organizations but it is a challenge that can be overcome through empowerment programmes that improve the capacity of the local people.  

Change for Sustainability: Insights from North Rupununi

By Sunday Lizu, 2^nd year MDP student

It was on the fourth of June when I left Winnipeg to what at the time was a known but unknown destination. The feelings, as it is mostly the case for anyone travelling to a new place, were mixed. Excited and expectant, I was headed to Guyana, a country that considers itself as both Caribbean as well as South American. My thoughts were that I was going to experience some South American as well as some Caribbean way of life, but much more, as my final destination was predetermined, the way of life of the Makushi, one of the Indigenous tribes of Guyana. My brief stay in Georgetown did not offer me much to talk about here but I did notice some rigid bureaucracies as I struggled as a tourist to get a phone sim card so I could reconnect with my family back home. I was told that I needed to produce a document (i.e. utility bill) that proved my address in Guyana along with my passport. This was hard as I had just arrived in the country and was staying at a guest house. It was a frustrating afternoon on the first day as we tried to make this happen. When it finally happened, with the help of an inside contact person known to our host, the sim cards issued to us were limited only to the period of our stay in Guyana. However, my visits to the two Museums in Georgetown (The Guyana National Museum and the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology) were insightful and provided an introduction to the political and the natural landscape, but of utmost importance, the history and ways of life of the Indigenous people of Guyana.    

 

The picture depicts the process of making Cassava Bread which is an important food to the Amerindian of the Rupununi – on display at the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology in Georgetown.

A one and half hour flight on a twelve passenger plane is all it took us to suddenly keep the reality of Georgetown to memory as we were greeted by scenes of a natural landscape that has the savannah areas encircled by the Amazonian rainforests and mountain ranges. Beautiful scenes to behold that even from the sky the story tells of amazing jungles and river systems.  Welcome to the Rupununi. As can be seen from the pictures below, one taken from the skies above the Amazon gives a glimpse of the river systems in the Amazonian forest. The other picture however gives a view of the Savannah, habitable areas, as they are surrounded by the jungles and the mountains, seen in the near distance. One clear lesson learnt is that the people live at peace with nature and even the frequent visits to some communities by hungry desperate jaguars do not scare them. On many occasions, these wild beasts pay visits to the communities for easy prey such as cattle and dogs. But while, in the past, people had to defend their livestock and hunting companions (dogs) by killing these predators, the language now is that of living at peace with nature and conservation and though people suffer the losses, they no longer make the jaguars pay with their lives for the crimes they commit.

A view of the Amazon rainforest from the plane

At Surama – a contrast of the savannah and the rainforest

 

Tourism- Ecotourism is the big thing here, but next most popular topic that a lot of people in the communities of the North Rupununi have come to understand and educate each other on is that of natural resource management. From the eldest in the communities to the youngest, the message of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources resonates in every mind every day and is surely spoken about and discussed at various fora. We have been educated so far by both the young and the old on how to manage the natural resources sustainably and indeed the communities have adjusted their harvesting and consumption patterns so as to preserve the most important natural resources. I am meant to believe that the decision by the government of Guyana to give the Iwokrama Forests in the Rupununi to the Commonwealth as an international centre was the beginning of conversations around conservation and sustainable natural resource use in these communities. Henceforth, many programs, including youth wildlife conservation clubs were created for the education of the masses. Other projects such as COBRA (Community Owned Best Practice for Sustainable Resource Adaptive Management in the Guiana Shield) and the CMRV (Community Monitoring Reporting and Verification) have all come in to ascertain the impacts on the ways of life of the Indigenous peoples brought about by these conservation programs. It has been a learning process looking at how the people are actually involved in these programs. Lessons picked up on the sidelines of my own assignments.

Echoing the words of the Agricultural Minister who came to grace the graduation ceremony at the Bina Hill Institute on July 3rd, “Good things happen every day in Guyana.” I would agree that good things are happening in natural resources management in the Rupununi. For many years people in the Rupununi have lived on fish and wildlife while growing cassava from which they make the cassava bread and farini as well as the famous cassava drink. It is therefore amazing to note the change in the consumption patterns of the people and their interactions with nature. The message of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources has been understood and people from their respective communities are taking responsibility for the sake of future generations. The North Rupununi District Development Board, in partnership with various stakeholders in conservation, is responsible for a lot of the conservation programs in the North Rupununi. The local ownership and leadership of the projects and programs has facilitated effective partnerships that are producing good results.  

 

Sunday (L), Mr. Michael Williams, NRDDB Chairman (C) & Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Minster of Agriculture - Guyana (R) at the Bina Hill Institute Graduation Ceremony

    

Snippets from Guyana

By Tatenda Bwawa, 2^nd year MDP student

A Humbling Welcome

North Rupunini District Development Board (NRDDB) is a community based nongovernmental and non-profit organization that oversees 16 communities in the North Rupunini, Guyana. The aim of the NRDDB is to create economic and environment development in the Rupunini region through collaboration and consultation. In most of the Rupunini communities, tourism is at the center of their lives, which they see as conservation mechanisms for future generations. In the savannah villages, eco-tourism is a means to foster development for the communities. As part of the welcome from the host organization (NRDDB), a radio interview was scheduled. Radio Paiwomak 97.1 FM is the only radio station in the North Rupunini area and based at Bina Hill Institute.  It is the first Indigenous radio station to operate in Guyana. The sole purpose of the interview was to introduce ourselves, share personal life stories, and the purpose of being in North Rupunini. We will also be giving a bi-weekly updated on the radio in regards to the projects we are working on. We had the warmest welcome by the Makushi people!

Virgin Harding, Radio Paiwomak 97.1 FM broadaster (L) and Tatenda Bwawa (R)

A true eco-lodge experience

Surama Lodge is located in the North Rupunini. The most intriguing thing about Surama lodge is community based eco-tourism right in the middle of the savannah. The rooms are typical Amerindian huts that are self-contained and build western style. The most intriguing and inspirational thing about this lodge is the community coming together and producing an experience like this.  The real highlight of the experience was the boat ride, fishing, touring the forests, and genuine hospitality.  An experience like this proves that tourism is a necessity in the development and management of the local community. Most importantly, the benefits remain in the community.

Tatenda & tour guide Milner in the boat along the Burro Burro River

One of the guest rooms at Surama

Everyone deserves a second chance

Since arriving in North Rupunini every day has been a learning experience. Bina Hill Youth Learning Centre is a two year institution with students from the Rupunini District. The majority of the students never had the opportunity to attend secondary school in their respective communities. Some of them previously dropped out of secondary school and Bina Hill is providing them with a second chance. The mission of the learning centre is to build capacity for the North Rupunini region and Guyana as a whole. Currently, Bina Hill Youth Learning Centre has 27 students (11 First years and 16 Second years).  The institute provides leadership skills, to cultivate the love for indigenous culture, and management of the environment. The youth learn by doing field visits and working on several practical projects in tourism, agriculture and natural resource management. It has truly been a privilege meeting these young people and working with them. Our objective has been to do a “visioning” exercise with them. Every day is learning experience with these young people.

Tatenda with the Bina Hill Institute 1st Year Class