ffp - manual_organization of pla with religious leaders
TRANSCRIPT
CARE Gender
Organization of PLA
(participatory and learning actions)
with religious representatives and leaders
in Somalia/Somaliland
MANUAL:
February 2015
INDEX
Introduction
Context
Objectives
Chapter one Preparation of the workshop
Chapter two Brainstorm
Chapter three Gender box roles of men versus women
Chapter four The 24 hour cycle
Chapter five Timeline
Chapter six Problem tree
Chapter seven Focus Group Discussion
Chapter eight Action Plan, Evaluation & Closure
Annex I Checklist to prepare a workshop
Annex II Overview of PLA exercises
Annex III Example opening and closure
Annex IV Draft/example of an agenda
Annex V Example resources needed
Annex VI Conflict tree
Annex VII Ideas for energizers
Introduction CARE has been working in Somalia since 1981. The current
portfolio is built around three main programmes: Rural
women, Urban Youth and Emergency. Under the Rural
Women Programme, Foundations for Peace (FFP) is a multi
-country project which started in 2012 in Somalia, Yemen
and Afghanistan.
In the framework of this project, CARE Somalia/Somaliland
initiated a pilot Participatory and Learning Action (PLA) on
how religious leaders can be consulted and engaged to
support positive roles of women in society. This (pilot)
manual is the outcome of a preparation meeting and a
religious leader two-day consultation on the roles of men
and women in the community and in public life and on the
roles religion and religious leaders can play in tackling the
power imbalances that exist nowadays in Somaliland to
positively address gender relations and women’s rights.
Context
While Somaliland has made considerable progress towards
stabilization and democratization, the state remains
fragile. The major international powers, especially the AU,
EU and the Arab League consider the territorial integrity of
Somalia an issue to be resolved first and foremost among
Somalis themselves.
With a population of 8.7 million in 2007, and an estimated
per capita of $226 in 2002 compared to $515 in Sub-
Saharan Africa, Somalia is one of the poorest countries in
the world, ranked 161 out of 163 countries in 2001 by the
Human Development Index (UNDP, 2009). The nomadic
pastoralist economy and culture are under severe
constraints due to conflict, urbanization and
environmental pressures. All indicators of socio-economic
progress —education, health, industrialization,
modernization of livestock management and agriculture,
trade— are among the lowest in the world. Political
development in terms of strong state institutions and a
maturing of the political culture is, at best, fledgling in
most parts of what used to be Somalia.
The cyclical and prolonged drought has a negative impact
on almost all measures of vulnerability and poverty,
including access to services and productivity in rural
communities. Livelihoods in rural areas are
interconnected: once rural pastoralists lose their livestock,
the shop owners lose business, children are withdrawn
from school and teachers go without pay (Rural Women
Strategy September 2013).
CARE International makes the improvement of gender
relations and the empowerment of women a core
component of its interventions in all the countries. Talking
about women’s rights is quite a sensitive issue in Somalia
because it might be easily considered by the population as
something imported from western ideas, that doesn’t do
the Somali society any good.
Objectives
The objective of the consultancy that brought to the
development of this manual is to have a tool that can help
facilitate discussions, consultations and dialogue with
religious leaders on women’s rights issues. CARE has been
working regularly with religious representatives, for
example in the SOMGEP project (a manual was developed
even in that framework). The objective of this manual is
that it will be a practical tool that can be used by both
religious leaders and CARE local staff to make gender and
roles of men and women easier to talk about and in a
participatory and open way. Ultimately the objective is
that gender relations change in a positive way.
Throughout the exercises one will find that both tradition
and religion play an important role in these discussions
about gender relations. The assumption is that people
hold on to traditions that do not give boys and girls, men
and women the same opportunities, saying that this is
according to religion. Both CARE and religious
representatives would like to change these norms, and to
raise more awareness on religion and how this can lead to
positive changes in gender relations.
This (pilot) manual will follow the exercises as they have
been prepared by the CARE Somalia/Somaliland team and
as they have been practised with religious leaders in Burao
in February 2015. Each chapter is dedicated to each of the
exercises with clear instructions on how to prepare the
exercise (materials needed, time, objective, instructions,
facilitator’s tips). Wherever illustrative for the dynamics of
the discussion, some of the reflections of the Burao
workshop will be included.
Basic indicators for Somalia
Population: 8.7 million
Human Development Index: 161/163
IDPs: 1.6 million
Annual per capita income: $226
Female literacy rate (rural): 10%
% married before age 18: 49%
Maternal mortality rate: 1,044/100,000
Chapter one Preparation of the workshop
Whether you prepare a (consultation) meeting or a
workshop, you always need to be well prepared. Please
find here the steps to take when you start preparing a
workshop or meeting with religious leaders.
1. Start with the end: What is your end goal? What will
you have, or what has been achieved at the end of the
workshop?
How will you make sure the objective will be achieved?
(And the results will be there at the end)? What is
realistic and also feasible taking into account the
dynamics and diversity of religious leaders?
2. Which steps do you need to prepare to get to this end
goal? Work both ways (from the end goal and towards
the end goal) each step needs to follow logically from
the other – check this with a colleague or practise for
yourself.
3. Choose your methods and tools (Annex I)
Which technique can you best use for which purpose?
How do exercises complement each other and
reinforce each other? In the Annex there are three
categories of exercises. A SCAN exercise (like for
example a brainstorm). This is a good type of exercise
to start with as you make an inventory of the
challenges or ideas from participants, in a next
exercise you use a FOCUS exercise, in which you
prioritise or analyse the information you gathered in
the first exercise. The last kind of exercises should also
always be part of your workshop and this is an ACT
exercise. You have gathered information (SCAN), you
have analysed and/or prioritised the most important
issues (FOCUS) and then you end with an Action Plan
for example (ACT) and a follow-up. Who will do what
when, and how do we inform each other after the
workshop? Please see the Annex for the different
types of exercises. Each workshop should be
structured in a SCAN-FOCUS-ACT sequence, but
depending on your objectives you can have two
FOCUS exercises and then an ACT for example, or
have two sequences of SCAN-FOCUS-ACT.
In the preparatory workshop with CARE staff
(December 2013) there was a discussion on with what
exercise to start? Some of the subjects that CARE
would like to discuss, could be quite sensitive, and so
the idea was brought up not to start with a sensitive
subject immediately. It is important that the group
feels comfortable and confident to speak up openly
and freely. When preparing a workshop take into
account your target group. Start with an exercise to
make people feel at ease, to build trust also between
the group and the organisers, and only then discuss
topics that could be sensitive, or not comfortable to
speak about immediately.
4. Add time to your schedule: Make an estimation of time
needed. This depends on the method that is used but
also on the size of the group. (Annex II)
Take into account what group you have in the
workshop. With the religious leaders meeting CARE
knew that some sheikhs had teaching commitments
on Wednesday afternoons, so it was decided to stop
the workshop at 01.00 pm for the leaders to make it in
time for their teaching commitments. Also people
from the Ministry of Religious Affairs were present. At
the start of the workshop the agenda was discussed,
and some of the participants were excused for some
parts of the workshop due to other commitments.
It is also important to discuss the breaks with the
leaders (according to praying times, and times they
might need to leave at the end of the day). Energizers
are also important to keep everyone fresh and
motivated to continue. (See Annex VII for ideas for
energizers). Also here, take into account the group
you work with. Energizers should be fun and
generating energy to the entire group. They shouldn’t
call for resistance or end up in embarrassment for any
of the participants. If unsure, then discuss it with one
or two of the leaders in advance.
4. Prepare an introduction and closure (Annex III)
5. Make a list of what materials you will need for the
workshop (Annex IV)
Find out three things before you start planning and
visualising your workshop:
a) Situation: background, context, who are the people
of the workshop, how do they relate to each other,
what is their interest/ agenda? What can they
TIME
Calculate twice the time for
preparation as for the workshop itself
contribute?
With the preparation of the workshop of the religious
leaders, we weren’t sure yet, which of the leaders would
come or would not come. But it deemed important to know
some of their backgrounds and contexts, to be able to
match CAREs request with the daily reality of the leaders.
b) Problem: what is the aim of the workshop (what
theory of change is basis to this workshop)? What are
the risks? (hopes and fears)
Some of the CARE staff has been working with religious
leaders before, and in the preparation workshop the
challenges and risks were discussed. It was clear that some
leaders would be hesitant to join, as they do not have
confidence in NGO’s that they do not know well. So a
crucial start on the agenda was to explain the leaders
about CAREs activities and programmes, and their
challenges. So that religious leaders could be clear about
the intentions and work methods of CARE.
c) Solution: What are the expectations?
In the preparation workshop this was also discussed. What
would religious leaders expect at least from CARE and from
this consultation meeting? It was to learn more about
CARE and its activities and also to remain involved. So after
the meeting contacts with the leaders should remain.
What has been done with the information they shared? A
validation meeting was one of CAREs’ suggestions to
follow-up on this expectation. What was also done was to
start the meeting with the leaders with an exercise on
what do they bring? (Knowledge, expertise, network) and
what do they expect? From these direct inputs CARE could
also see what more can be done to engage leaders in a
structural manner.
In this stage you are clear about the objectives of this
workshop; you know the deliverables (what needs to
come out). You have thought of the background and you
have a draft agenda, with exercises that fit with the
objective and expected results.
Who do you want to invite for this event?
Think of a balance between men and women, age and
experience, geographical diversity might be valuable, or to
invite people both from the urban and rural areas. Keep in
mind that all these factors will influence the outcomes of
your workshop.
In case of the workshop with the religious leaders there
was a discussion on whom to invite; only the moderate
ones and from which areas then? Another concern that
was discussed was whether to invite women or not? Would
that be accepted by the religious leaders? Examples were
given of leaders that would leave the workshop as soon as
they discovered that women would join the discussion as
well. So it is important to think of these things in advance,
and also to inform the participants clearly of your
intentions and ideas upfront.
Practical: location, timing and logistics
What space would be suitable for your target group? It
probably needs to have a lunch facilitation (or you arrange
that separately) it has to be secure, and neither too big
nor too small, and the easier accessible for your target
group, the better.
Also timing is important (not during holidays, non-working
hours, or religious events, or elections of any kind). The
workshop takes time, but assuming that all participants
have a busy schedule, try and make it as long as needed,
and as short as possible).
Make a budget of what you need for the entire workshop,
drinks, food, but also materials for the participants, and
materials to be used during the workshop, and a beamer,
or laptop, internet, electricity. Is there a plan B (for
example to print a presentation) if electricity hampers?
Who will do the reporting? Is translation needed? Do you
need separate spaces to work in sub-groups? A list for who
attended with their contact details? Think of the ground
rules that are useful to do in the introduction of the
workshop. Take into account times for prayers in your
agenda.
Follow-up
Think of what you can return to the participants? Will you
send them a report? Will there be a follow-up meeting? Be
clear what you will do with the information you gathered
and how this will get follow-up in the future. If this is a
single event, people should know that in advance too.
Chapter two Brainstorm
Materials needed
Flipcharts papers, markers, small cartons or about five
OBJECTIVE
To generate a large quantity of ideas in a group that
will be used for inputs for CARE’s Rural Women
Program for example. One idea leads to another:
participants inspire each other.
pieces of paper for each participant, tape.
Instructions
Start by introducing the
objective of this exercise
Be clear of what ideas/issues/
challenges you want them to
write. In this stage it is about
the quantity and not about if
it is feasible or not. So this is about questioning the
participants about a problem situation and what
solutions, ideas, or inputs they can give you, or it
could be to ask them about what problems/
challenges they identify. (For example: What
challenges do you face when visiting rural
communities? What are the issues members of the
community have, or what are the issues that you
personally encounter as a sheikh in those
communities? Give as many examples as you can
think of).
Every one writes ideas as long as there is time and
puts them on the small (coloured) papers.
Participants can put their ideas up the wall at any
time, so that other participants can also see it, and
get new ideas from that
When the time is up, ask everyone to have a close
look at all the ideas that have been generated. One
or two explanations can be asked when something
on the paper is not clear.
Facilitator’s tips
If you see that some people are finished very quickly,
try to stimulate them, with some concrete questions,
or ask them to have a look at what their neighbours
wrote, or what is already put on the wall.
This gives the facilitator insights into what challenges
religious leaders face for example, and this
information could be used by the facilitator to feed
into discussions, or more concretely;
They could be further analyzed in a different
exercise. The facilitator could ask to rate the
challenges. So all the challenges should be clustered
into main subjects, either by the whole group, or by
the facilitator who asks the group. Then the
challenges could be rated, in order of importance of
severance. (See chapter six for follow-up on this
exercise with the analysis. The tool that is used is the
“problem tree” or the so-called “conflict tree”)
The facilitator does have an idea of what issues and
challenges come up here. If these are not mentioned,
then in the second part of the brainstorm, they could
be “probed” by the facilitator. So the facilitator can
energise the discussion by asking; “so we talked
about the degradation of family values, what about
the diminishing role of men in the household as
compared to women? Can you share your ideas? Is
this something you encounter too? How, and why do
you think?”
Tips for sub-themes for brainstorms
What challenges do you encounter when visiting the
communities?
What challenges do you face as a sheikh when
visiting communities?
What differences do you see between the roles and
responsibilities of men and of women in the
household? In the community? In public space?
When you think of religion versus Somali culture
what problems do you see?
Chapter three Gender box of role men versus women
Materials needed
Flipchart papers with a drawing of man and a woman,
markers
Instructions
Start this activity by
introducing the objectives
of the action research/
debates with the religious
leaders. (Discuss sensitive
subjects specifically women’s rights and how that’s
related to Islamic laws and values).
Draw a simple picture of a man and a woman on two
separate flipchart papers. Explain that we are going
to discuss the social construction of gender by
looking at the ”gender-box”. This box includes
stereotypical traits and characteristics of a man or a
woman.
Divide the participants into groups. Assign a man-box
or a woman-box to each group and ask them to
brainstorm what are the role and responsibilities of a
Time
30 minutes
OBJECTIVE
To exchange ideas and experiences amongst the
group about the role and responsibilities of men and
women in the Somali culture and how this impacts
their lives
Time
45 minutes
man/woman according to the society. Let them list
the attributes or characteristics on the flipchart paper.
(you can also ask them to draw either a woman or a
man themselves)
Ask participants to look at the list generated for the
man-box, pick one trait out and ask:
“What are positive aspects of this trait?” Ask for
examples how it could be a benefit (e.g. if a trait listed
is “be strong”, an example is that people will rely on
me because of my strength).
“What are negative aspects of this trait?” Ask for
examples how it could be a negative aspect (e.g. if the
trait listed is “be strong” one example is that it might
pressure boys or men to show their strength by
beating each other up).
“What impact does this trait have on women and
girls?” Ask for examples (e.g. if the trait is “be strong”
then one might be that women are seen as weak.)
So what does this mean in society? How do you feel
about that? Can you give some examples? (discussion)
Facilitator’s tips
When facilitating the discussion on dominant
masculinities, mention how we don’t always have a chance
to reflect on how these “ideals” (the traits that society
teaches us to conform to) may hurt us as individuals and
the people around us.
Probing questions
The facilitator could ask (if there is time for discussion)
how these roles or “stereo-types” have changed over time
(e.g. post-conflict). How realistic are these images of the
roles of men and women in daily family lives? Ask a
woman, and ask a man what they think does match with
reality, or not, and why not?
Do you believe that there is injustice (towards women
and/or men) in this case and why?
What is your believe based on? (Norms, values, tradition,
religion, science, law)?
Chapter four The 24 hour cycle
Materials needed
Flip chart, markers
Instructions
Divide the participants into
two groups. Ask each group
to list or draw all activities
carried out by men/women
in their age group on a
week day and on a weekend day, i.e. over the course
of 24 hours, on two separate flip charts. Is this a
repetition? Then ask participants to list or draw all
activities carried out by the opposite gender in their
age group during the course of a week day and a
weekend day, i.e. over the course of 24 hours, on two
separate flip charts.
Ask the groups to present
their output to the larger
group, and allow them to
ask each other questions if
they feel the need.
Tape the drawings/lists to the wall and in plenary
discuss the following:
How do men and how do
women spend a typical
week day? A typical
weekend day?
How does a typical week or weekend day for men
differ from a typical day for women?
Why are there these differences?
In rural areas everyday is the same and they don’t
seem to have weekends
Facilitator’s tips
Questions to the group or to individuals in the group can
be asked like do you think this is fair? What would happen
if a man carries out a woman’s role/activity and vice-
versa? Would you like to see this change? And how can
you imagine this will change in the near future?
Chapter five Timeline
OBJECTIVE
To get insight into the different roles and tasks men
and women have on a basis of a 24-hour cycle and
how this shapes each of their lives
Time
20 minutes
Time
20 minutes
Time
20 minutes
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the causes and effects of a particular
problem, and also how this relates to another
Materials needed
Flip chart papers, markers
Instructions
With this exercise we come
back to the brainstorm
(Chapter two) with
challenges faced by
religious leaders when
encountering communities. Go through the issues
that have been mentioned, and cluster them
together with the group. Four to six main challenges
may come out, that the entire group recognizes as a
challenge.
Divide the group into three sub-groups, and ask each
group to take one of the issues, that suits them best.
It doesn’t matter if not all issues will be analysed, as
it is better to have a good analysis of a few issues,
than a superficial analysis of many issues. Make sure
that they select an issue that is close to them, and
that they either work on, or are confronted with
daily, because on the basis of this analysis an action
plan will be made, in which they themselves will
probably also play a role.
Share Annex VI with the coordinator of each of the
three groups, and give them a short explanation of
the idea of analysing a problem. What is important is
to look deep into the root causes of the problem, and
to make sure you have the root cause and not a
symptom or an effect, you have to keep asking
yourself why?)
Facilitator’s tips
So each of the three sub-groups work on one issue or
challenge that relates to their work and they have a
drawing (Annex VI) to look at the causes, the conflict
and the effects (on them on people around them).
As facilitator you might like to show one example in
which you fill in from cause to conflict to effect the
challenge you pick.
Example: Disregarding the rights women: Symptoms can
be women are hardly visible in public life. Root causes are
ignorance, lack of education, misinterpretation of religion,
mixing religion with customs that advantage men.
Figure I: example of causes and effects of a lack of
sufficient water
Each group should decide if they want to fill-in the
tree, or if they want to write down each category
(cause, conflict, effect) in a matrix, or however they
think it is best. Annex VI is just a visual example of
the analysis.
This exercise demands quite some input and
supervision usually form the facilitator. Make sure
you are there for any questions, and to see to it that
the groups do not fall for the symptom-trap, instead
of looking for the real and underlying causes.
Chapter seven Focus group discussion
Materials needed
Flip-over papers and markers, a list with very concrete
questions and statements that could be discussed. These
questions need to be prepared in advance.
Instructions
Focus groups are structured
around a set of carefully
predetermined questions –
usually no more than 10 – but
the discussion is free-flowing.
Ideally, participant comments will stimulate and influence
the thinking and sharing of others. Some people even find
themselves changing their thoughts and opinions during
the group discussion.
Time
60 minutes
OBJECTIVE
To gain specific perceptions of the participants of a
very concrete issue
Time
100 minutes
In the workshop with the religious leaders the Focus Group
Discussion tool was used to work in sub-groups on a
specific issue that they had themselves identified earlier, as
a challenge or problem in the communities. The Focus
Group Discussion (FGD) was used as a follow-up of the
“Problem Tree” in which they looked at the identified
challenges, and then looked at the symptoms, causes and
consequences. The FGD was then used to generate ideas
for solutions or first steps of actions.
Though it doesn’t leave much time for the facilitator to
prepare questions on each of the topics identified by them,
it does help to note some questions in advance. The
discussion will be concrete and to the point, and the
facilitator has a tool to direct the discussion towards
outcomes/solutions that one has in mind.
Instruct each of the groups to note down their
solutions on a flip-chart;
Give them a strict time-frame ( 50 minutes) to discuss
and note their ideas and solutions;
Give each group 10 minutes to present their solutions
to the different identified problems
Then there is half an hour for discussion, and the
groups can complement each others’ ideas.
Make sure that the reflections of the discussion will be
added to the lists of solutions. In the exercise with an
Action Plan, they can further detail what actions to take, to
get to these solutions.
Facilitator’s tips
Think well through why you want a Focus Group
Discussion. It can be for example because the facilitator/
organisation, lacks concrete and up-to-date knowledge on
a certain issue. A lot of information can be generated in a
short time. A Focus Group Discussion can also be used to
analyse further on a certain topic, but then one too, needs
to be very specific on the knowledge one needs and
prepare questions in advance to guide the discussion.
Example questions
There are mainly five types of questions that could be
used during a Focus Group Discussion. There are
mentioned below. With each of the types of questions an
example will follow, to show what is meant, and when you
ask which type of question.
I. Open-ended questions
This is the most broad question (related to a specific topic)
that gives the respondents room to explain. This type of
question is often used to start and to open a discussion,
and to keep it going.
Examples are beginning with What... so What are the
challenges you face in your community? What are the
issues families are struggling with most, according to you?
Or for example: When you think of the division of roles for
men and women.. What are the first things that come to
your mind?
II. Closed questions
This is the opposite of an open-ended question, and can
only be replied with a yes or a no. These types of
questions are used in Focus Group Discussions to clarify or
confirm certain comments or remarks. They are used to
complement the open questions more than as questions in
themselves.
Examples are beginning with: Do you mean religious
leaders can only speak to women when the husband is
around? Do you mean that...? Are you saying that all tasks
performed by women (except breastfeeding) are cultural
and not defined in religion?
III. Follow-up questions
Follow-up questions are used to go beyond the “top of
your mind” thoughts and to dig in deeper, why people
think, perceive, or are convinced that certain issues
happen or do not happen. An example is a “four question
sequence”.
So you start with a main question: What comes to mind
when you think of challenges faced by rural families, in the
communities you engage?
Then follow-up with some specifications: Why do you think
this is so common? What are the implications for those
families you describe? How did you respond?
IV. Probing questions
Then you can use probing questions:
Can you give an example? And then what happened next?
Please continue...
Probing questions are questions that motivate the story
teller to continue, and to clarify wherever needed.
V. Prompts
Prompt questions are questions to help the group (or
respondent) to talk about something that the facilitator is
interested in, but has not been mentioned so far.
Example: You talked about that Qat is a huge problem is
society, affecting family values, does it also have an impact
in public spaces, in schools, or mosques, or markets for
example?
So prior to a Focus Group Discussion, these types of
questions could all be part of the preparing questions.
The so called “Four Sequence Questions” could be a
guideline to give concrete direction to the information
you would like to get out of this Focus Group Discussion.
Chapter eight Action plan
Materials needed
Flip-chart papers, markers and tape
Instructions
Divide the participants
into three groups and ask
them to help suggest
strategies and solutions
to the challenges that
have been identified, to
lessen violence in the lives of families and
communities (for example) on a flipchart. Instruct
them to write on flip chart paper some suggestions
for you including a role and task division:
Which of these solutions/ strategies can best be lead
by:
The Community
Religious Leaders
CARE
Other stakeholders (which ones?)
Hang all flipchart together and ask each group to
present their suggestions (20 min each)
Facilitator leads the group in a discussion identifying
similarities and differences in the recommendations.
Ask participants if there is anything else they would
like to add.
Wrap-up - 15 minutes
Summarize the main points and issues that were
discussed that day. Conduct an evaluation exercise with
the participants. Express appreciation for all that they
have contributed.
If the facilitator has asked the expectations of the group,
then come back to his flip-chart and ask two or three
people who noted a certain expectation, if this
expectation was fulfilled during this workshop. If yes,
explain please how, and if not, also explain, how or what.
Some participants can also be asked in the group to
comment on the workshop. (Mention something you
learnt, you liked, and an exercise, or an issue, that was
difficult, or that you would like to see differently next
time).
Make sure that, before you close and thank everyone,
you are clear on what kind of follow-up will be given to
this workshop.
OBJECTIVE
To summarize learning and insights on gender
relations for example in order to engage participants
in creating a vision and a concrete tool to act or to
follow-up
Time
60 minutes
Annex I: Checklist to prepare a
workshop 1. Objectives
Are there clear objectives formulated for this workshop?
Are the objectives realistic and in line with the agreements
and plans?
Is the outcome or results of the workshop clear? ( product,
process)
Is every participant or invitee, informed about the
objectives and expected outcomes?
2. Collection of information
As a facilitator do you know enough about the topic and
challenges?
Are there any complementing interviews or meetings
needed in advance?
Is there any complementing literature or documentation
available (hand books, guidelines, project descriptions?)
What is the history of the project/ or problem?
What is the present situation?
Have the challenges been mapped?
What is the desired outcome or situation?
What are the expectations for the future?
3. Participants
What is the agenda of the participants?
Is there a good compilation of participants (the right
balance)?
Do the participants know each other already? (if so a
short introduction, if not, an additional exercise to get to
know each other could be advisable)
Is there a list of every participant (name, last name, sex,
responsibility and organisation or institute)?
Which participants are friendly/ neutral/hostile?
Does every participant have a role in the workshop?
Is there sufficient commitment for the workshop?
How large is the group? Can one facilitator manage that?
When the facilitator informs the participants think of:
a) Time and place (route description?)
b) The essential background information
c) Objectives
d) Agenda and timeframe
e) Working methods of the workshop
f) Questionnaire to get an idea of the expectations
g) Participant list?
What do the participants know, and what do they need to
know at minimum to participate in the workshop?
Is it clear for everyone that the facilitator facilitates and
that the input needs to come from the participants? ( so
the quality of the outputs depends on the motivation of
the participants)
4. Agenda of the workshop
Is the agenda structured in a logical way?
Is there agreement about the content of the agenda?
Have praying, coffee and lunch breaks been included?
Has the agenda been shared with the participants ( even a
draft would be good)?
Is there a good balance between passive exercises
(theory) and inter-active exercises?
Has it been agreed who takes notes on which times and
for which exercises?
Are all the issues to discuss interesting for all participants?
5. Timeframe
Is the length of the workshop clear? (standard rule is a
minimum of two hours, a maximum of five days)
Has the intensity of the workshop been taken into
account? (for example by planning two days first, with a
weekend in between, and then two more days?)
If key people in the organisation should be present in the
workshop, is it taken into account, to stop earlier for the
high level colleagues to finalise operational business?
Where do the participants come from? (if they have to
come from far, or if it is difficult to get to the venue, than
take into account, what time is feasible to start, and to
finish)
6. Location
Has the location of the workshop been arranged?
Take into account that the facilitator needs a minimum of
one hour before the workshop to prepare the room, and
the exercises
Does the location have a beamer, laptop, whiteboard, Flip
-over, projector and screen?
Does the facilitator have all the needed materials
(markers, pencils, coloured cards, tape etc.)?
Are there sufficient empty walls in the workshop space?
Is there space to walk in the room?
Are there separate spaces available for sub-group work?
Do you need to arrange water, or sodas and other snacks throughout the workshop?
4. Other points of attention for the preparation
Have all the needed resources been checked, and are they available (stickers, markers, coloured paper, flipchart paper, name
tags etc.)
Are there enough laptops available? For the people who present but probably also for the note-taker?
Have the flip-charts that can be written in advance, been prepared? (For example with the agenda, and with some theory if
you will discuss that in the first part of the workshop?
Are all hand-outs and presentations ready and relevant documents copied?
Is the evaluation tool ready and available at the end of the workshop?
Annex II: Overview of PLA exercises
I SCAN IDEA OF THE TOOL
The dream To design a common vision, objective or future plan. This can be done by just questioning them: How would
your programme look like in 5 or 10 years from now? Ask them to draw (a map for example) or write down
some characteristics.
You could start to sit with the group in a circle and start yourself by saying: I had a dream... and prepare a 3
minute story that links with the objectives of the workshop.
Brainstorm To generate ideas and or problem in a short timeframe. Participants help each other to find new ideas. This
is helpful when there are concrete problems.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K8W4ooygUU
Religion versus Gender Box Work in sub-groups to open a discussion on what is de role of Islam in Somalia? What is the role of Somali
culture, and what is the role of women/men? Then in plenary, it could be asked what the differences are,
where they are coming from and what impact both positive and negative this has on women in particular?
See Annex I
Brain writing Same idea as the brain storm but then on paper. Depends on the group and if there is confidence, if people
dare or dare not to speak out freely.
See Annex II
Process Mapping Identify the cycle or steps in a process and decide which roles, are played by whom? Useful to analyse a
situation or/and to improve a process. Output could be a process model, or examples of how
communication between CARE and religious leaders, other actors could/should be.
See Annex III
Talking Stick Useful when there is a lot of discussion and people don’t let each other finish, or when the discussion gets
heated and needs to be more focused. (Only when you have the stick you may talk. Old tradition derived
from the Indians).
SWOT- Analysis Map the barriers and opportunities that religious leaders encounter in their work and daily life. To analyse
the position of the leaders, and their perspectives. See the similarities and differences among the leaders,
and a tool to derive some priority areas ( which issue is mentioned most, or least for example).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVwQNOIu808
Stakeholder analysis What is the interest, personality, emotion of each participant? Good for self-reflection and also for the team
process, can be useful throughout the workshop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYatFyQ6XxY
Annex III: Example opening & closure Example of an introduction
Introduction/ Opening by... 10 minutes
Objectives and background of workshop 10 minutes
Agenda with general time path 10 minutes
Introduction of participants (You could use an exercise like the “name game”) 15 minutes
What are the expectations of the participants? 10 minutes
Set ground rules of the workshop with the participants 10 minutes
II FOCUS IDEA OF THE TOOL
Power analysis To map positive and negative forces, people, issues that contribute to a certain problem or
situation. This is useful when you need to describe problems and looking for causes and to
give an overview of the bigger picture. Following this exercise you could identify action points
to strengthen a certain positive powers, or how to take away some of the obstacles.
Cluster To cluster ideas and solutions. This tool is often used to complement a brainstorm or SWOT
whereby ideas are first identified.
Focus Group
Discussions
In groups or sub-groups with a facilitator discuss a certain topic for a certain time, and see
what rich information comes out. Questions or prepositions could be prepared. A lot of
focused information can be gathered, and immediately be shared with the entire group, to
validate it, and to come to further discussion or possible ideas for solutions.
Super heroes Stimulate your fantasy to take a hero of yourself to tackle a certain problem. For example how
would Desmond Tutu solve this? Method is: chose a hero, write 5 characteristics of this hero,
then ask yourself how he-she would solve this, and then translate these ideas into this specific
problem. ( helps to think out of the box)
Problem tree To analyse the causes and effects of a particular problem, and also how this relates to another.
Ranking/prioritizing Method used to prioritise problems, or certain issues. For example which problem could be
easiest to tackle ( a quick win) and which need more time and effort. Depending on what we
want to know.
Timeline Helps to record changes over time (important historical markers and milestones, give a wider
context, or to draw certain trends). Depends on if this is important to CARE to take this into
account, and of course time is a matter.
Venn/Chapati Diagrams Used to explore the roles & relationships and links between them
III ACT IDEA OF THE TOOL
Streams To formulate global actions per theme. People work in groups on their expertise (or where
their heart is) subject, Which initiatives should be developed in this area? And when the
groups have done this they can switch to the other groups posters.
Transformation
mapping
This is when you need a concrete action plan and commitment from your team/ religious
leaders. It is a timeline according to which people can then work to plan what actions are
needed to come to a certain transformation or change. So output is an action plan. People
could sign it to increase their commitment.
Action mapping Map all actions needed. Every thinks of what is needed to realize a certain change. Then a
who, what, when template could be filled in by the group, or sub-groups. What is the action
needed, when does it need to be ready and who will take the initiative, what other actors are
needed?
Example of a closure
Wrap-up, resume of the workshop, highlights 15 minutes
If you have asked for expectations, then check with the participants 10 minutes
Next steps? How do we follow from here? Agreements clear? Do we miss anything? 15 minutes
Compliments and thanks to the participants 5 minutes
Evaluate: keep it short, what info do you really need? 10 minutes
Annex IV: Draft/Example of an agenda Agenda workshop (target group)
(date) (city, county)
TIME SESSION METHOD/TOOL GOAL
8.00 - 9.00 Introduction
Opening
Objectives & background
Go through the agenda
Introduction participants
Expectations of
participants
Decide on ground rules
together
Icebreaker: example “name
game”
Exercise: Ask them what do you
expect from the workshop?
What do you bring? They can
write that on small cards, and
hang it on the wall
Objectives of the workshop:
9.00 - 9.30 Identify the main issues
that this target group
deals with
Example: Brainstorm To collect or identify as many ideas/
challenges from the group. ( make it as
concrete as possible)
9.30 - 10.00 Discuss this in the group/
or have the group cluster
the issues
Group Discussion/Clustering To get an overview of the main issues that
are shared by the group.
10.00 - 10.15 COFFEE/TEA BREAK
10.15 - 11.15 Analysis (or first
prioritising)
Chose a FOCUS exercise
11.00 - 12.45 A second exercise?
12.45 - 13.45 LUNCH
13.45 - 14.00 Energizer
Short wrap-up
Exercise: some physical game
Question/Remark round
(depending on how many
participants)
To prevent the after-lunch dip and activate
the brain
Monitoring the energy and motivation, and
see if questions, issues should be picked up
in the second part
14.00 - 15.00
15.00 - 15.30 Plenary/groups
15.30 Short reflection & Wrap-
up
Shortly introduce day 2 –
or close the workshop
with an evaluation and
agreements for follow-up
Annex V: Example resources needed Example of resources table
Annex VI: Conflict tree
PROCESS STEP TOOL/TECHNIQUE TYPE OF WORK RESOURCES
Introduction Icebreaker Name game Plenary
First PLA exercise Scan Brainstorm Plenary Flipcharts papers, markers, small cartons or about five pieces of paper for each
participant, tape.
Annex VIII: Ideas for energizers What we have in common
The facilitator calls out a characteristic of people in the group, such as ‘having
children’. All those who have children should move to one corner of the room.
As the facilitator calls out more characteristics, such as ‘likes football’, people
with the characteristic move to the indicated space.
Group statues
Ask the group to move around the room, loosely swinging their arms and
gently relaxing their heads and necks. After a short while, shout out a word. The
group must form themselves into statues that describe the word. For example,
the facilitator shouts “peace”. All the participants have to instantly adopt,
without talking, poses that show what ‘peace’ means to them. Repeat the
exercise several times.
Fruit salad
The facilitator divides the participants into an equal number of three to four
fruits, such as oranges and bananas. Participants then sit on chairs in a circle.
One person must stand in the centre of the circle of chairs. The facilitator shouts
out the name of one of the fruits, such as ‘oranges’, and all of the oranges must
change places with one another. The person who is standing in the middle tries
to take one of their places as they move, leaving another person in the middle
without a chair. The new person in the middle shouts another fruit and the
game continues. A call of ‘fruit salad’ means that everyone has to change seats.
Find someone wearing…
Ask participants to walk around loosely, shaking their limbs and generally
relaxing. After a short while, the facilitator shouts out “Find someone...” and
names an article of clothing. The participants have to rush to stand close to the
person described. Repeat this exercise several times using different types of
clothing.
Simon says…
The facilitator tells the group that they should follow instructions when the
facilitator starts the instruction by saying “Simon says...” If the facilitator does
not begin the instructions with the words “Simon says”, then the group should
not follow the instructions! The facilitator begins by saying something like
“Simon says clap your hands” while clapping their hands. The participants
follow. The facilitator speeds up the actions, always saying “Simon says” first.
After a short while, the “Simon says” is omitted. Those participants who do
follow the instructions anyway are ‘out’ of the game.
The king is dead
The first player turns to their neighbour and says, “The king is dead!” The
neighbour asks, “How did he die?”, and the first player responds, “He died
doing this”, and starts a simple gesture or movement. All participants repeat
this gesture continuously. The second player repeats the statement and the
third player asks, “How did he die?” The second player adds another gesture or
movement. The whole group then copies these two movements. The process
continues around the circle until there are too many movements to remember.
Don’t answer
Ask the group to stand in a circle. One person starts by going up to someone
and asking them a question such as, “What is your most annoying habit?”
However, they must not answer the question themselves – the person to their
left must answer. People can make their answers as imaginative as possible!
The hand game
Every one sits in a circle on their knees, leaning on their hands in front of them.
Then all people cross their right hand over the hand of their neighbour. Then
one person starts to clap their hand on the floor one time, and every one
follows in clockwise direction; when someone claps twice on the floor then the
direction changes. The hand that makes a mistake will be out of the game, so
you can still play with one hand. Continue until a few people are left. When the
group gets better you can increase speed to make it more difficult.
Can it!
Have participants sit in a circle with their feet extended. Place a can on the foot
of one of the participants. The object is to move the can around the circle
without touching the can with your hands or having it fall. The can must be on
at least one foot of each participant. Timing and balance are key!
Paper animals
Organize participants into groups and have each of them stand in a circle;
Each group receives a large sheet of paper. The person (group leader)
holding the paper thinks of an animal and tries to share his thoughts with
his group without talking (only using gestures and sounds);
The same person starts to create the animal by makes one tear in the
paper. He then hands the paper to the next person, who is then also
allowed to make one tear. The paper sheet is handed from one person to
the next until 5 minutes are over. Meanwhile no-one is allowed to talk;
After the 5 minutes are over, the groups can share their animal and their
experiences with the other groups.
Line-ups
You can use this general idea with many options. The idea is for the group to
line up in a particular order without speaking. Speed and safety are key! Try any
of these:
Birthday line-up
Timeline line up (by who has been here longest, to shortest length of
time.)
Number of siblings
Who lives nearest and farthest from this point
CARE International - Somalia/Somaliland
Fulvia Boniardi
CARE East, Central & Southern Africa Regional
Office (ECSARO)
Nairobi, Kenya
T: +254 (0) 202 807 133
©CARE FEBRUARY 2015: NATHALIE VAN SCHAGEN & ADAN YUSUF ABOKOR