Introduction
The Community Economic Development Ukraine (CED) Project, a four-year project, started January 1, 2004 , and ends December 31, 2007 . It is financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Government of Canada and is managed by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE). CBIE is a Canadian national non-governmental organization (NGO) with over 10 years experience in Ukraine and over 30 years of experience managing of international projects all over the world.
The CED Project provides Canadian experitise in community economic development to partner organizations in Ukraine . It helps communities to mobilize their own resources, start community initiatives, and work together as a community with local authorities. CED works in three regions of Ukraine , in sites in which local communities have already shown their will to improve their economy and living environment. They want to obtain Western expertise in CED, integrate it into their own community economic work, and help other Ukrainian communities to do the same. The three areas in Ukraine are Pustomyty Rayon, Cherkasy Oblast and Transcarpathia Oblast.
The Project goal is to use social and economic action to strengthen sustainable local communities which work with local government and small businesses, using principles and practices of good governance, to improve the quality of their economic, social and environmental situations.
OBJECTIVES
The CED Project has three objectives :
1. Support and strengthen replicable locally-formed and locally-governed community development associations and community-based ventures in three regions in Ukraine ;
2. Put in place an institutionalized framework in local communities and in higher educational institutions to support initiatives in community economic and social development; and
3. Carry out replicable community economic and social micro-projects within participating communities.
EXPECTED PROJECT RESULTS : OUTCOMES AND IMPACT
This section shows the expected results of the Project for Ukrainian partners. The first type of results are first-level results or outputs. Outputs will be described in the sections which follow this one. The second type of results are outcomes or second-level results. Outcomes are results that we all expect to see in Ukraine by the end of the project on December 31, 2007 . They are shown in the following section.
Outcomes
Through CED Project activities, we expect to see the following outcomes in Ukraine by the end of the project:
- Community development organizations and local government with demonstrated capacity to direct the community economic development process in their own communities, and support other communities being introduced to the process.
- Institutionalized framework in place to provide sustained CED training and advice at local community level and within educational institutions.
- Replicated community development associations/organizations in 18-24 communities.
- Demonstrated new ways of working with local government.
- Increased employment through new micro-enterprises, community development micro-projects, and their multiplier effects.
- Increased services to the poor and marginalized communities with marginalized groups (poor women, youth, farmers) benefiting from increased access to skills development and business opportunities.
- Established network of CD professionals and a sustained provision of training services in CED.
- Foundation laid for a critical mass of CED practitioners through exposure to best practices and standards in CED.
Impact
In the long term, the CED Project expects to contribute significantly to increased employment, improved social environment, and reduction in poverty. This is expected to arise through an increasing number of economically viable small urban and rural communities in Ukraine with the capacity to apply community economic development practices.
The methodology used in implementing the CED Project is critical to its success as an effective community development innovation. The key elements of the strategy are participatory development, relationship building, and commitments to self-reliance and sustainability through capacity strengthening.
1. Participatory Development. P articipatory development is different from other approaches to solving human problems because it emphasizes the active participation of community members in all aspects of the work. Participatory community development is used by citizens to assess their own needs, develop decisions, and work together to implement them. It enables ordinary citizens to learn how to effectively cooperate and use such instruments as needs assessment, planning, plan implementation and evaluation.
2. Relationships Before Organizational Structures. This means that communities develop and learn how to maintain healthy human relationships before creating organizational structures in which they expect to work. In good community development, effective human relationships are created first . Then the energy from these relationships is harnessed to improve people's lives. Communities are made up of people. If the people in communities cannot or do not want to bring their minds and hearts together in cooperation and mutual support, community development cannot occur.
Because of this, the CED Project will begin by developing healthy human relationships in the participating communities and helping people learn how to maintain them. We do not expect to see many community economic development organizations formed in the first year of the project. However, such organizations may be formed at an early stage if communities are ready to do this. Communities participating in the project enter at different stages of their development , and they develop at different rates.
3. Commitment, Self-Reliance and Sustainability. The Project works only with communities that have already shown self-reliance by making a commitment to help themselves using their own resources. The will to change must be evident. In almost every community, no matter how poor, money is available for small-scale developmental activities. Most communities also have other resources which it can commit: people's time, facilities, and other services. These are well- established community development principles. However, most communities must also use outside resources. So the project also works towards helping them access outside resources while retaining responsibility for and control over the resources and their lives.
This component is the starting point and the beating heart of the project. It is the central element in achieving the project's objectives and overall goal.
Expected Outputs:
1. 3-4 operational community associations or ventures in each of the three regions in Ukraine
2. 9-12 working community advisory and support groups for each umbrella community association
3. working modes established with local government
4. strategic and operational plans (3-5 year scope) for each association
5. loan/grant fund mechanism in place
6. 35-48 community-based local enterprises in total established within project reach and managed using CED criteria
7. 9-24 social improvement programs implemented and sustainable
Local communities in Ukraine are responsible for starting the process of improving their own circumstances. This drives the CED Project. Without a solid sustainable economic base, communities cannot make other essential improvements in their lives.
In the Project, the label “Community Opportunities Development Associations”, or CODA, is used for convenience . In reality, the entities coming out of the project will be called by different names, as decided by the participating communities themselves. Two types of organizations are expected to come out of community economic development in the project:
• organizations which help individual, group, and community efforts to establish business ventures . They could be supported and run by local government or by community groups using their own resources – or by a combination of both.
• locally owned and managed business ventures . Some examples are co-ops, credit unions and community development corporations.
History shows that this is possible. For example, community-owned business ventures such as cooperatives existed in the past in Ukraine . In many places, they are emerging again. Local development organizations independent of government but working with them are also being created in Ukraine .
Both types of organization will have three major functions. First, they will generate better information from many sources to help those involved to make better decisions related to the creation of jobs and wealth in the community. Second, they will encourage community members to become more resourceful in the ways they manage their affairs and encourage development in sustainable and equitable ways. Third , they will motivate
people to be self-reliant and to take over responsibility for their own development and the development of their communities.
The initial steps will take place through the CED Project in cooperation with the first groups of Ukrainian partners: voluntary sector groups, local authorities, and business people in the communities of Pustomyty and Cherkasy. The subcomponents which will bring this about are described below.
At the beginning, participatory baseline studies will be undertaken by community members for use by local communities . They will provide a base of society-wide information to partner communities and strengthen their capacity for participatory community analysis. The baseline studies can be carried out by ordinary citizens. This is a first step in bringing sectors of the community together to work on productive tasks in a participatory way and to start sustainable human relationships and the transformation process.
While baseline studies are being undertaken, an intense form of community consultation called the community story framework will take place. It helps communities to look at themselves as if in a mirror so that they can say what things were like in the past, how they really are now, and where they need to go in the future. This provides the basis on which participating communities can prepare their development plans as a cooperative team.
Within the first four months of the project, key community leaders will gather for basic training workshops in community development and community economic development . This ensures that all partners will understand the goal, objectives, projected activities and expected results of the Project. They will also acquire a common foundation of knowledge and understanding of CD and CED principles and practical skills that can be applied the community.
These workshops will coincide with the first meeting of the project's International Steering Committee. It will bring all major stakeholders together and help participants become aware of the wider context in which their work is taking place.
Subcomponent 1.4: Organizational Creation and Governance
As the first three subcomponents are taking place, the initial partner communities will be either working to create or modify their own local development associations and lay plans for community-based ventures. The forms of organization will vary according to how the communities themselves see their needs, as related to their own past , present circumstances, and future vision.
Governing boards are essential in each organization. The Project will support practices of good governance (transparency, openness, and accountability). Advisory boards, committees or groups may also be formed.
These associations will develop strategic and operational plans , with project training, support and encouragement. As part of their agreement of participation in the project, each community will identify and bring into the process at least two other similar communities willing to participate in the project. During the first year of implementation, basic research will be carried to identify and prepare additional communities .
Subcomponent 1.5: Systematic Nurturing and Support
A support system has been built into the Project. One element of support is the concentrated expertise of highly-qualified Canadian CED professionals. They will visit the various communities, help them solve problems, and carry out workshops related to specialized knowledge and skills. In total, about 12 visits are planned.
Continuous support will also be provided. The CED Project will recruit qualified Canadian CED practitioners over the four years of the project. They will be CED workers who are taking or have completed a Canadian CED university program.
Ukrainian regional and local CED coordinators will provide local leadership, support, and advice to Ukrainian partners. The regional coordinators will have Ukrainian community development experience and training. Local coordinators from each partner community or group of related communities will work with the regional coordinators. They will come from among the most capable members with strong community ties linking them to the community after the project ends. Such local coordinators are mentored and guided by the regional coordinators. By the end of Project Year Three, local coordinators will have enough expertise to do most of the work that the regional coordinators were doing.
The Ukrainian CED workers serve as counterparts to the Canadian advisors. They can guide local communities to Ukrainian financing sources, provide or arrange for community-level advice and training, and contribute to ongoing community organizing.
Subcomponent 1.6: Limited Project Grant and Loan Funds
The Project provides small project grant and loan funds . For the most part, it will not become operational until well into Project Year 2. The funds will be managed according to CIDA-approved guidelines. The exact mechanisms will be determined by consulting the Project's Ukrainian partners. The first fund will be grants for short -term social benefit micro-projects to enable communities to develop skills in project proposal writing, project management and financial management. Later, loans for micro-enterprises will be available. The Ukrainian coordinators – regional and local – will help to monitor the micro-projects supported by the loans and grants funds.
Component 2: Build Base of Expertise for CED Sustainability and Replicability
Expected Outputs:
1. 180 CED workers with certificate
2. 3,600 + community leaders, local government representatives and business leaders trained in CED
3. 8 CED courses developed and implemented
4. 10 educational professionals trained
5. Certificate CED program officially offered
6. 300 project participants in the 3 sectors (government, community and business) with direct and indirect knowledge of CED practices in other countries
7. new standards in governance applied by voluntary sector and government leaders
8. 15 citizen advisors trained
Much of the learning needed for successful community economic development (CED) occurs on the job and in the community. For example, Component 1 links continuous informal and short-term non-formal training in CED with actual community work. However, Component 2 carries the learning process of community development practitioners to higher levels. Participants will be exposed to many different ways of implementing CD.
The primary target group consists of members of the partner communities described in Component 1. These members come from the three sectors of society: civil society, local authorities, and local business.
Component 2 is specifically designed to support the capacity strengthening work of Component 1.
Subcomponent 2.1: Skill and Capacity Development for Local CED Practitioners
This provides training to strengthen the skills needed for community economic development practitioners:
· community development theory, principles and practice,
· solid business and management abilities, and
· capacity to motivate individuals and groups to start solving their own problems.
The activity will take place near the end of Year 1 after community participants have been well prepared by Component 1 activities. Between 25 to 30 people will be trained through eight intensive CED courses. Most participants will be community people committed to CED in project-associated communities. About 5 to 8 will be university professionals from Ukrainian universities participating in the Project. The courses will be delivered by professional staff of the Community Economic Development Centre ( Simon Fraser University ) and the Graduate Diploma in CED ( Concordia University ).
Later, the participating community members will share their learning with others, deliver similar workshops in their home communities and apply what they have learned in local CED practice. The university professionals will later be CED advisors to local communities and deliver similar intensive training in subsequent years. All participants will participate in practical internships during or immediately after the workshops.
To prepare for delivery, the facilitator-trainers will carry out a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) to help participants assess what they already know and what they need and want to learn. This will enable the Canadians to modify the workshops to meet local needs.
The courses in general will deal with the following content and skill development areas: 1. community participation in CED; 2. working with local government; 3. co-operative frameworks for CED; 4. developing sustainable communities; 5. designing successful CED projects; 6. developing CED ventures; 7. financing CED; 8. evaluating CED initiatives.
This concentrated program will give key community leaders and university professionals a broad base of knowledge on CED. Ukrainian practitioners can add to this base, adapt it to local situations, and develop new local learning materials.
We want to have this training last beyond the four years of the Project. Ukrainian universities can help this happen because of their greater resources, their institutional stability, and their tradition of extending their reach into local communities.
Because the business management skills needed in any business enterprise are very important to Ukrainian partners, extra training needed in this area will be arranged as project implementation takes place. The majority of such business training is expected to take place and be organized by regional and local coordinators in Component 1 as each community assesses its business skills training needs.
Subcomponent 2.2: Local and International Internships and Study Visits
Internships and study visits expand the CED training programs with direct experience and analysis of practical examples , encourage the development of linkages and networks, and facilitate the production and implementation of CED action plans and draft CED micro-project proposals within project sites.
The internships and study visits will result in a broader understanding and knowledge of effective, successful CED practices and means of overcoming barriers to such success and effectiveness. Participants will produce an analytical report and a case study on their internship or study visit. Following their return to their communities, they will help their communities produce an action plan for CED. Finally, participants will produce micro-project proposals and present them at a conference following the internships or study visits. Participatory development is central to the process of effective sustainable community economic development. Action plans and micro-project proposals, as concrete outputs from study visits and internships, will mean engaging stakeholders by using participatory approaches. Those who participate in the CED training, internships and study visits are expected to be community catalysts and leaders. They help partner communities to develop the action plans and micro-projects. The above results are not just products of internship and study visit participants but of their communities as a whole.
2.2.1 Local ( Ukraine ) Internships: Participants in the intensive CED courses above will complete two-week local (Ukrainian) internships , attached to a Ukrainian organization engaged in CED work. The internships will (1) enable participants to deepen understanding of their training by observing how organizations work in CED, (2) fill in the information gaps that exist about what is going on in CD in other parts of Ukraine , and (3) strengthen networking by encouraging links between organizations.
2.2.2 Internships in Canada : Later, some participants will complete internships in Canada . Some Ukrainian CED workers and university trainers will take part. Participating interns will be assigned for three weeks in a structured work program with Canadian CBOs who are supporting partners in the CED Project.
2.2.3 Study Visits: The study visits to countries next to Ukraine, to European countries, and to Canada will (1) allow participants to see how CED is carried out in other countries; (2) help them analyze their experiences and share them with others unable to take part; and (3) strengthen relationships among themselves. Key participants in the study visits will be community formal and informal leaders, local authority representatives, and business persons.
Subcomponent 2.3: Strengthening the Base for Formation of a Critical Mass of CED Practitioners
Over four years, the CED Project expects to lay a sustainable foundation for CED initiatives in Ukraine. This foundation is laid primarily through the work of Component 1. Another way of sustaining these initiatives is by establishing a non-certificate program in one or two Ukrainian universities and linking them to the community. This will create a core group of experts able to provide in-depth and advanced knowledge and allow for incorporation of new knowledge and developments in CED.
In the second half of Project Year 2, up to ten committed university professionals will undertake a five-month CED training program in Canada . This program will include internships and adaptation of course materials to Ukraine . The Ukrainian universities at which these professionals are based will agree, as a condition of having their staff participate , to deliver a Ukrainian-adapted equivalent program to CED practitioners for a minimum of two years supported by the project and three years after the end of the project.
At the community level, the CED practitioners who completed the workshops in Subcomponent 1 will deliver the program to local people right in their own communities. The trainees at the universities and in the community will be local citizens who come from communities that want to improve their own economic and social situations and are actively seeking the tools to do that.
Subcomponent 2.4: Citizen Advisors and Trainers in Governance
This subcomponent aims to develop a cadre of citizen advisors on governance to support community-based ventures and advisory groups. These advisors will be involved in Component 1 activities and will also be trained in Canada and also within the CEE region. The citizen advisors come from the local communities participating in the project. They will put their skills to use in improving the functioning, transparency and accountability of governing boards within the project.
Good governance is important in the operation of successful CED ventures. CED ventures must relate to the local community through their governing boards and advisory groups. Volunteer boards of CED ventures bring stability to a community as well as encourage change and innovation.
Expected Outputs:
- High quality advice, support and management provided by the Ukrainian team;
- Well-managed grant and loan funds;
- Web-site providing CED information and informational exchanges with working partner networks, reaching 3000+ Ukrainians;
- Four issues of CED journal and 24 bi-monthly newsletters;
- Critical mass of citizens with advanced information on rights, government responsibilities and processes able to influence local authorities;
- Synergies and coordinated work with other Canadian projects and other donors, with increased leverage;
- Three base line studies (one per region), including gender disaggregated data and other demographic statistics; and
- Three lessons learned conferences.
The main objective of this component is to ensure the sustainability and overall impact of the project. It helps Ukrainian partner organizations put in place a system for analyzing needs, shares information and lessons learned, and provides ongoing technical support to Ukrainian stakeholders. The activities of this component unify the first two components, ensuring that they merge and work together effectively.
Project Components 1 and 2 consist of plans, activities, and processes that help to lead to the transformations sought by Ukrainian communities. However, these do not occur by themselves and not in a vacuum. This third component of the CED Project will provide the advice, overall coordination and support of a team of professional experienced Ukrainians to guide successful project implementation. This team consists of four full-time experts: a field manager, a deputy manager, a secretary-administrator, and a bookkeeper. Other part-time staff are also team members.
Subcomponent 3.1: Advisory Services and Administrative Support
The Ukraine team provides advisory services, guidance, counseling, issue management and resolution, administrative support and coordination to Ukrainian partners. The team operates from an office in Kyiv and frequently visits participating organizations in various parts of the country.
This subcomponent coordinates (1) baseline studies ; ( 2) participatory evaluations; and (3) annual lessons-learned conferences, Ukrainian advisory subcommittee meetings and follow-up work.
The Ukrainian team liaises with other international donors and projects, national government initiatives, national NGOs and local CBOs engaged in related work at the grass roots level, and other Canadian projects. This liaison will help us to learn from other similar work, pool resources to achieve a higher level of results, and avoid duplication.
Subcomponent 3.4 : Management of Grant and Loan Funds
The Ukrainian team in this component will select the organizations that will manage the funds. The team will also`oversee the management of the grant and loan fundsto ensure that all procedures are followed cearly , correctly, fairly and with accountability. The fair administration of the funds is a sensitive issue and their effective management under the leadership of the Ukrainian field team requires careful planning.
3.5.1 Web Site: The Ukrainian team will develop and maintain a web site to meet the needs of Ukrainian project partners and the project.
3.5.2 Newsletters and Journals: The Ukrainian team will also engage Ukrainian partners in producing bi -monthly newsletters. A journal will be produced yearly, with a focus on community economic development in Ukraine , highlighting the achievements of project partners and others in Ukraine and in the CEE region.
3.5.3 Conferences: For the first three years, partners and their associates will gather for a two-day conference in a different region each year to share information and strengthen project teams.
This component describes the management structures and processes that will be applied to ensure that the CED Project is managed efficiently and effectively to achieve its anticipated results.
The project is managed by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE). Within CBIE, the Senior Director, Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE) is responsible for overall management. The Project Manager is responsible for the planning, implementation, and reporting of all project components and activities. The Project Manager (PM) is assisted by a Project Coordinator and Secretary. For the first two years, the PM will live and work in Ukraine rather than in Canada .
The Field Support Office (FSO) in Ukraine has been described in Component 3. The FSO is not part of CBIE's official management structure but fulfills vital roles in implementing work plans on the ground in Ukraine .
The CCEE staff has a high degree of competence in RBM acquired through training and practical experience. RBM will be applied as a management strategy in the Project.
CBIE's financial management systems and information systems are managed at the corporate level through its Finance Department.
The CED Project involves very wide partner networks both in Canada and Ukraine . As a result, appropriate communication techniques are essential. The major consultative and communication mechanisms used to achieve effective communication and consultation will be through broad-based steering committees and advisory groups.
In addition to the committees and advisory groups, CED communication strategies include well-defined internal communications mechanisms.
The CED Project will be promoted externally through its own publications, the CBIE website and the CBIE listserv. Canadian partners will promote the project through their own internal publications. Regular local press contacts in Canada will also be used to publicize visiting delegations or special project events.
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