A time to plan...

Africa Director Bruce Campbell Janz

It is the time of year when MCC programs worldwide engage in country strategic planning. In the southern African countries of Mozambique, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe MCC has about 51 partnerships and 68 project plans (plus some short term SALT placements). Here is an idea of what all is involved and what is occupying our time these days as we work with the country representatives to ensure the plans are in place and in line with MCC's strategic directions.

To ensure that the goals and objectives of these plans are met MCC has designed and implemented a rigorous planning system. All project proposals require a concept paper laying out the basic intent of the idea.

Once the concept paper has been reviewed and given the 'go ahead' the partner is asked to develop an extended 'general plan format'. This would include things like a description of the partner, the purpose of the project and an assessment of the context within which the project will take place. Overall goals and specific objectives are identified as are specific activities to achieve those objectives. Beneficiaries are named along with some description if and how they were involved in the planning process.
To measure change each plan must identify 'indicators of change' for the overall goal that will allow us to determine if and to what degree the project was successful.

FOR EXAMPLE - in Mozambique we are working with the Anglican church on an education project for pre-school kids who otherwise arrive in the first grade without the appropriate skills. In conjunction with the Education Secretariat the following plan has been developed.

Goal: ... to help disenfranchised communities be protagonists of their own development, by way of intellectual, spiritual and moral education (note that we want the communities to take ownership of this process).

Objectives:
1) Ensure that the materials necessary to teach the curriculum are available for the students.
2) By 2012 have trained 10 more educators in pedagogical material.
3) By 1014 reduce the percentage of attendance attrition in children from 25% to less than 10%.
4) By 2012 create self-sustaining income generation projects for each of the pre-schools in defined districts.

An example of an 'indicator of change' for this project might be as follows: "90 % of the children who participate in the pre-schools will be matriculated into the first grade. Each preschool will keep attendance records and follow the students progress."

There are many more components to the general plan. Things like doing a baseline study at the beginning of the project;  defining operational assumptions and risks; creating appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes; designing budget and of course ensuring that all plans fall within and meet MCC's operating principles and values.

The plan is developed with a budget and timeline. As this all comes together MCC will begin approaching supporters for the resources to implement the plan. It is indeed a challenging (we work across cultural and linguisitic divides and often encounter entrenched political and economic barriers) but dynamic and extremely rewarding process as communities begin to take their future into their own hands.