A REVIEW OF THE SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT GROUP FOR DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATIONS

Maya Thomas* and M.J. Thomas

ABSTRACT

Till recently, most development organisations tended to focus on client management, with programme management being given less importance. Of late due to compulsions like decreasing funds for welfare work, increasing need for accountability, the need to reduce costs and improve effectiveness of interventions, improving sustainability and so on, programme management is being given equal importance. Over the last one and a half years, the Technical Support Group has worked with development organisations, particularly those involved in non-institutional forms of rehabilitation in different countries, through assignments to improve their performance. The group carries out information dissemination through the production of the 'Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal', 'Friday Meeting Transactions', other occasional publications, and through the conduct of a 'Friday Meeting' on different aspects of rehabilitation. Other assignments of the group involve organisational diagnosis and development, and training related to planning and establishment of efficient administrative systems. This paper discusses the critical factors that lead to successful outcomes in these assignments.

INTRODUCTION

'Management' in relation to development organisations is commonly understood to have two meanings. The first refers to management of clients by the organisation in order to achieve its goals, for example, rehabilitation interventions like physiotherapy to improve mobility in disabled people. The second meaning of the term refers to the programme management that knits together the different components of the organisation and makes it function as a single unit. Till recently, the emphasis in development organisations had been on client management, with programme management being seen as less important. In recent years, due to compulsions like decreasing funds for welfare work, increasing need for accountability, the need to reduce costs and improve effectiveness of interventions, improving sustainability and so on, programme management is being given equal emphasis (1).

Over the last one and a half years, the Technical Support Group has worked with development organisations, particularly those involved in non-institutional forms of rehabilitation in different countries, through assignments to improve their performance. The Technical Support Group is a loose-knit group without a formal organisational structure. Entry and exit of people in this group is assignment specific and not time specific, that is, persons with different types of skills come in as and when necessary for a specific responsibility assigned to them by the co-ordinator of the group, and leave when they complete the assignment. The people associated with this Group in the last one and a half years have included managers from NGOs, doctors, housewives, human resource development managers from industry, a marketing manager from industry, a chartered accountant, a student from a business management school and two international rehabilitation consultants. The underlying principle behind all assignments in this group is to produce the best possible outcomes, in the most cost effective manner, in consultation with the client organisations.

The 'vision' of the Technical Support Group is the creation of high level of performance in development organisations, particularly those involved in non-institutional forms of rehabilitation, and its mission is to improve performance in development organisations through access to contemporary knowledge, and training. In order to fulfil its mission, the group carries out certain activities such as the dissemination of information through the production and circulation of the 'Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal', 'Friday Meeting Transactions', other occasional publications, and through the conduct of a 'Friday Meeting' on different aspects of disability and rehabilitation. The other objectives of the group are to improve the performance of development organisations through organisational diagnosis and development assignments, and through providing training related to planning and establishment of efficient administrative systems.

ACTIVITIES

1. Information dissemination - Description of activities

The Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal produced by the Technical Support Group, is a bi-annual Journal, meant for private circulation among researchers, planners, administrators, professionals, donor organisations and implementing agencies involved in disability and rehabilitation. This is an academic journal that publishes articles related to policy development, concept clarification, development of methodology in the areas of service delivery, training of personnel, programme evaluation, and development of technology related to rehabilitation. Articles are published after peer reviews by international reviewers, under four different sections, namely, Developmental articles, Original articles, Brief Reports, and Letters to Editor. About 2000 copies of the Journal are mailed free of cost to over 73 countries all over the world. The Journal and its associate publications are available online on the Internet at http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/prdl/othr/apdrj/apdrj.html

Friday Meeting Transactions is an associate publication of the Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal. This bi-annual newsletter is for private circulation and is mailed free of cost on request. It generates its articles from the summary reports of the transactions at the Friday Meetings held on the last Friday of every odd month in Bangalore, India, along with articles on applied aspects of rehabilitation from other authors. It is a newsletter, which publishes training materials that are useful for trainers, practitioners and policy makers. It is available on the Internet at the same website as the Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal.

Friday Meetings are held on the last Friday of every odd month, such as January, March, May and so on in Bangalore, India. These meetings are a get together of people who are interested in the field of non-institutional rehabilitation, to discuss and debate themes related to application of different methods and development of skills in this field. Those who are interested in the field attend without an invitation, and usually between 60 to 70 attend the meeting. The participants attend from different groups such as international donors, development organisations, government officials, business houses involved in promoting development, media, rehabilitation practitioners, researchers, academicians and disabled people. It is always conducted at the same venue on the last Friday of odd months, between 2 pm and 5 pm. The meeting starts with a 45 minute presentation on a theme, followed by a discussion between the participants about the theme. The opinions thus generated can be of great use to people who are decision makers, researchers and interventionists. Sometimes these meetings can also be useful for people to present their innovative programmes and get feedback about their viability before they are started. The participation at the Friday Meetings has been gradually increasing over the last one year. It is expected that it will also promote greater application of the knowledge gained during these interactive meetings, in the work of the participants.

Information dissemination - Discussion

The first effort at information dissemination started with a newsletter, which had a mixture of academic papers, information on applied knowledge, other information related to rehabilitation such as new publications, new techniques, new appliances, and details about projects involved in rehabilitation and CBR programmes. This newsletter was not targeted at any specific readership groups in the initial stages, and was primarily used for advocacy in CBR. After collecting feedback from readers a few times, it was found that there were three kinds of readers in this field who wanted different kinds of information. The first group consisted of academics and related others who are primarily concerned with establishing new findings and their validity. The second group consisted of implementers of projects and trainers who wanted to acquire knowledge regarding the applied aspects of the subject, presented in a simple form. These two groups, who constituted a substantial proportion of the readership, did not feel comfortable with the overlap of subjects in the periodical, as was originally presented. A third group of readers consisted of planners and policy makers, who wanted part of both areas. In response to this feedback, the periodical was then split into two: a journal dealing with primarily new information, either proving or disproving its validity, and published after peer review; and a newsletter dealing with applied aspects, presented in a format that was simple and useful for trainers and implementers, and published without peer review.

A third activity, the 'Friday Meetings', which was already going on independently, was integrated as a component of this information dissemination process. The 'Friday Meetings' are a brainstorming effort by a group of local people from diverse backgrounds who are interested in CBR. These debates on themes related to CBR once in two months, synthesise the views from diverse fields and identify what is applicable to the work in the field. They also generate an enormous amount of data on the applicability of various concepts, which in turn is presented through the 'Friday Meeting Transactions'. Thus the information dissemination effort not only disseminates the available information, but also generates new information through the various articles and through the debates at the 'Friday Meeting' sessions.

These efforts have helped to improve performance of all levels of CBR practitioners by updating their knowledge through the journal and the newsletter that are mailed free of cost and through the online version on the web site. They are also utilised as training materials in some countries to increase the knowledge base, efficiency and enthusiasm of the participants in the CBR field.

2. Organisational diagnosis and development assignments : description
These assignments have been undertaken in countries in South Asia, South East Asia and Africa. The objectives, the process followed, the outcomes and the follow up are summarised below.

Assignment 'A'

Project Description	Organisation working for blind people, through programmes of mobility training, basic rehabilitation training, technical training and rural CBR projects
Objectives	To understand the vision and objectives of the organisation and analyse how these 3 training units funded by the donor fit into the overall objectives of the organisation To assess the local needs that prompted the training programmes in the past, and the need for the continuation of such programmes in the future To analyse the effectiveness of the training programmes with regard to the trainees.
Process	The process was carried out using observation of activities, analysis of records, focus group discussion and interviews with governing board, staff, trainees, families, and employers of trainedpersons, and SWOT analysis.
Outcomes	Suggested changes in curriculum of training to result in better employment opportunities Suggested carrying out a job market analysis to identify new trades. Suggested formulation of better pre-training selection methods to identify those with a suitable aptitude, to reduce drop out. Suggested awareness building at different levels such as schools and employing organisations. Suggested training for self employment, after studying the market needs.
Follow up	Identified a local industry to work with the organisation, to design a new course on an experimental basis, after a market survey. Progress on this assignment has been poor, due to changes in management of the organisation, and due to difficulties in overcoming the resistance to change on the part of the organisation.
Remarks	Initially, it seemed that a process of change had been initiated. However, the project has been a failure subsequently due to difficulties in overcoming the resistance to change on the part of the organisation. Traditionally, many NGOs consider counting their `activities' as a count of achievements rather than the count of `outcomes' of those activities. Similarly, creativity and adapting to change are difficult for these organisations. This project also counted the number of training programmes carried out as a count of achievement, rather than their achievement in gaining employment for their trainees, or the improved earning status of the trainees as a result of the training. This assignment was a failure because the resistance to change could not be overcome. It is suggested that `creativity' and positive attitude for `change' need to be created in the organisation prior to the actual interventions for change. This step was not anticipated in advance in this programme due to the lack of adequate understanding of the organisational dynamics before undertaking the assignment.

Assignment 'B'

Project Description	Organisation providing residential vocational training for adult hearing impaired women
Objectives	To assess the current level of functioning To identify areas of strengths and weaknesses To suggest ways to improve programme implementation
Process	Carried out using focus group discussion with board, management and trainees, and SWOT analysis, with all these groups.
Outcomes	Aims and objectives were clarified and disseminated to all staff. Activities were detailed in relation to aims and objectives, and changes suggested in some activities for better effectiveness. The project was made aware of the need for quantifiable and measurable targets of achievement of the objectives, and for plans of activities based on targets. The project was made to prioritise activities for the next 2 years, to improve the effectiveness of their training programmes, to initiate fund-raising from different donors rather than a single source, and to network with different organisations involved in the same area.
Follow up	The project was able to prepare a detailed activity plan according to identified priorities, with quantified and measurable targets, for submission to the donor. The project was introduced to industry, other donors and organisations that would be of assistance in fulfilling its different objectives.
Remarks	The project was functioning with a set of randomly selected objectives, without a clear vision and mission. The organisational policy was clarified and disseminated to all levels of functionaries and an activity plan was developed based on the policies, after prioritising the needs for the next two years. In the process of prioritising, some activities were discontinued while others were enhanced and expanded to produce maximum effectiveness. Targets were set for all activities. The project developed a plan to raise funds locally instead of being entirely dependent on charity funds, and began to network with others to learn about contemporary methods. With improved clarity about their goals and activities, they were able to function better than earlier. The level of satisfaction expressed by the donor and the project was high in this assignment. The willingness to accept new ideas on the part of the project was a major contributory factor to its success. This was achieved by prior familiarisation of the evaluators' methods by the project personnel, the participatory methods used to improve clarity of goals, recognising the needs of the project as well as of the donor and finding a mutually agreeable solution to the needs.

Assignment 'C'

Project Description	National level organisation established to promote employment opportunities for disabled people, dealing with advocacy.
Objectives	To develop a policy document for the organisation, detailing its vision, mission and objectives in a participatory manner, including representatives from all groups of stakeholders.
Process	A workshop was conducted, sponsored by an industry, with representation from industry, NGOs, disabled persons, and the trustees of the organisation, to jointly develop the different aspects of the policy document.
Outcomes	A policy document was developed, printed and disseminated to all stakeholders who were involved with the organisation. The document was also used for advocacy on the theme of employment of disabled people.
Follow up	A clear policy was available to the organisation to plan its activities. Greater awareness was generated about the organisation, leading to new partnerships with industry, donors and NGOs. National and regional symposia were conducted to propagate the vision of the organisation and to advocate the need for employment of disabled persons.
Remarks	In this assignment, the active participation of all the stakeholders in the workshop was a significant factor leading to success. Preparing the participants of the workshop in advance by informing them about the goal of the workshop, the tentative goals of the organisation as initially visualised by a few initiators, distributing available background information about the theme to the participants, motivating the participants through repeated communications about the need for active contribution and participation in the brainstorming, helped in achieving clarity during the workshop. The workshop was thus highly participatory and the resulting policy document was very useful for the organisation to progress further.

Assignment 'D'

Project Description	Organisation providing technical support to others, in the area of improving mobility of disabled people.
Objectives	To assess the management systems followed at different levels of the organisation, the efficiency of different activities, and the level of impact of organisation's activities on disabled people
Process	Performance audit was carried out at the 3 levels in a participatory manner using focus group discussions and interviews with governing board, executives, partners, associates, and disabled people, and SWOT analysis.
Outcomes	Policies were clarified and defined. Activities were described in detail, with the targets and indicators to measure effectiveness. The management systems were examined in detail, and suggestions made to improve the system weaknesses. The project was made aware of the strengths and weaknesses in its system of functioning, of the need to introduce administrative systems to improve institution building, and to achieve a multiplier effect of its activities through its partners.
Follow up	.The report was printed and widely disseminated to improve the transparency and credibility of the organisation. The project was given introductions to a local industry which would improve some of its management systems that were found to be deficient.
Remarks	The project had been carrying out its activities randomly earlier, without having a clear idea of the composite picture of the organisation. The evaluation process helped the project personnel to understand its nature as a composite organisation, with different activities linked together in an interrelated manner to form the whole. This understanding helped to increase motivation and efficiency within the organisation, leading in turn to better performance, better credibility and consequently, better fund raising capability.

Assignment 'E'

Project Description	Organisation providing special education services for hearing impaired children.
Objectives	To identify strategies to increase funds from other sources and to reduce dependence on a single source. To develop skills within the organisation to identify appropriate and cost-effective expansion strategies.
Process	Focus group discussions were held with the board, executives and parent groups.
Outcomes	The project was trained to identify its vision, mission and objectives, and to detail the activities, targets and performance indicators accurately. The project was made aware of the need to become self sufficient financially, and trained to evolve a fund-raising strategy, classifying different funding sources and matching them to the project needs. The project was trained to analyse its expansion plans by carrying out feasibility studies and follow it up with systematic planning to implement them. The project was trained to develop a detailed action plan with a time table for completion of targets and assigning of responsibilities on different groups within it.
Follow up	The project developed a time table of activities for one year, to lead to a detailed plan of action for 5 years, for submission to different donors. Upon completion of one year, the project was ready with a 5 year plan and an activity oriented budget for its different activities - both existing and new. The project was able to successfully mobilise funds locally.
Remarks	This project had been over-dependent on a single source of funds, without looking at the possibility of securing more stable and multiple sources of funds. Expansion plans were being made impulsively and randomly, without systematic planning and feasibility studies. The evaluation helped the stakeholders to understand the need for becoming less dependent on a single source of funds and to become self sufficient financially, with the active involvement of all of them. They also learned the importance of systematic planning. Their willingness to accept new ideas, the active participation of the different stakeholder groups and their readiness to assume the responsibilities arising from the action plan without external support, contributed to success in this assignment. This project also had an exceptional leader with high creativity and an open attitude to imbibe change.

Assignment 'F'

Project Description	Organisation carrying out special education interventions and a CBR programme for people with disabilities in rural areas.
Objectives	To review the functioning of the organisation as a whole. To identify weaknesses in the systems of functioning. To suggest ways of improving the functioning.
Process	Two evaluators were part of this study. Different activities were observed, project records were checked, focus group discussions and interviews were conducted with the board, management, staff, clients and parents, and a SWOT analysis was conducted. Each of the elements was rated independently by the 2 evaluators using a previously prepared evaluation protocol with outcome indicators, quantitative and qualitative measures.
Outcomes	The policies of the organisation were clarified and defined. The organisation was made aware of the need to plan activities in detail, with quantifiable outcomes and the indicators to measure them. The different management systems were gone through in detail, weaknesses identified in some of the systems, and suggestions made to improve functioning. The outcomes of the different activities were assessed, and suggestions made to improve the efficiency of intervention methods.
Follow up	The organisation was able to further define its vision, mission and objectives, in consultation with all its stakeholders. The organisation began to plan systematically to address some of the lacunae identified in its systems and interventions.
Remarks	In this assignment, the use of 2 evaluators, one with expertise in management systems and the other with expertise in client interventions, contributed to a more comprehensive review process. The level of satisfaction in the donor and the project was high, and the report was stated to have fulfilled the objectives of the donor to a great extent, in identifying the areas that needed further attention to improve the outcome of interventions.

Assignment 'G'

Project Description	Organisation providing medical, educational and vocational rehabilitation services for children with mental handicap, cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities , in an urban centre and in 3 rural centres.
Objectives	Stage 1 objectives: To undertake an exploratory visit to build up rapport with the board and staff members. To examine whether the organisation had enough skills to carry out a CBR programme To explore the potential to undertake a subsequent exercise to improve community participation in this programme
Process	Different activities were observed in the urban and rural centres, and focus group discussions and interviews were conducted with the board, staff, associates, clients and families in some of the rural areas, in order to complete the tasks required to fulfil the objectives.
Outcomes	The project was made aware that since its existing rural projects were functioning as an extension service with limited coverage, it could expand them into CBR programmes with wider coverage, more interventions and greater participation from disabled people and families, with minimal additional efforts. It was agreed to carry out a detailed needs and resources analysis in the rural areas, in order to plan for a CBR programme. The project decided to have a workshop for its staff on CBR concepts, planning and community participation.
Follow up	The project was assisted to evolve a methodology to carry out a needs and resources analysis. The project was assisted to have for a workshop for its staff to learn about CBR concepts, programme planning and community participation.
Remarks	This project had a strong institutional and professional base, where the emphasis was on service provision. Concepts of community participation were new to the organisation. The time spent to develop the rapport with the organisation, the provision of background materials related to community participation and participatory planning prior to undertaking the visit, the detailed discussions with the board and staff on issues related to community participation, helped to change the attitude of the project towards the need for community participation in its proposed CBR programme. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the schedule of activities to complete the needs and resource assessment and to conduct the workshop, was disrupted, leading to a break between the initial and the latter stages, which may lessen enthusiasm of the participants.

Assignment 'H'

Project Description	Organisation involved in community development, focusing on natural resources management, women's groups for savings and credit, health and education interventions.
Objectives	To assess the suitability of the organisation to carry out a CBR programme
Process	Focus group discussions were held with the board and staff of the organisation, based on a previously drawn up protocol to assess different areas.
Outcomes	The organisation was identified as a suitable one to carry out the CBR programme in the region, after assessing their familiarity with community development methods similar to CBR, capability of planning for CBR, need for CBR in the area of operation, resources available for CBR, current familiarity with CBR concepts, accountability, relevance of the proposed CBR programme, plans for community ownership and sustainability, and extent of initiatives undertaken for CBR till date.
Follow up	The project underwent a 2 day training in CBR concepts and planning. The project was funded by the donor to carry out a feasibility study in their operational area, comprising a needs and resources analysis, literature review, and visits to other CBR programmes. Based on the results of the needs and resources analysis, the project would prepare a detailed plan for a CBR programme.
Remarks	This was a community development project with little idea about disability issues and planning for disability programmes. However, they were motivated to carry out programmes for the identified disabled persons in their target area. Distribution of background materials on disability and CBR prior to the visit, and carrying out of a customised training session on CBR planning helped the project to crystallise its ideas further, and they were able to successfully plan for a feasibility study prior to initiating a CBR programme in their area.

Organisational diagnosis and development assignments - Discussion

Among the organisational diagnosis and development assignments undertaken, four dealt with reviewing the functioning of the organisation and suggesting ways of improving the administrative systems, two assignments were appraisals to assess the suitability of the organisations to take up CBR programmes, one was to train the organisation in planning and skills development for a specific purpose, i.e., fund-raising with an optimum mix of resources, and one was to develop the policy document for an organisation. Six of the assignments were initiated by donor organisations while the remaining two were initiated by implementing NGOs. Some factors that the authors identified as critical ones for successful outcomes in these assignments are briefly described in this section.

Firstly, it is necessary to have sufficient preparation time prior to the field intervention, in order to obtain background information about the assignment, to clarify objectives and to develop a suitable methodology that is acceptable and affordable to the client organisations. The needs and expectations of all concerned parties with regard to the assignment require to clarified, and the interventions need to be tailored to suit the clients' requirements. By taking this step earlier, the confusion that sometimes arises during field visits or during training sessions, can be avoided and the real time spent at the site reduced, thereby reducing the costs of assignments and at the same time arriving at the most valid results.

Systematic planning, evaluation and monitoring are still not well understood by many NGOs in developing countries. Many activities are carried out in a random manner without being linked to the goals of the organisation. While most organisations are able to articulate their vision and mission statements quite clearly, they require assistance in activity planning, target setting, identification of outcome indicators and methods of measurement. Often a listing of activities and their quantitative measures are confused with outcome indicators and impact, giving rise to a false sense of accomplishment.

Evaluation assignments tended to be limit setting exercises earlier, where the evaluators had to identify whether the organisations had transgressed pre-set boundaries of their programmes, and guide them back to their original positions wherever necessary. Today however, evaluations that are promotive in nature are usually required by the clients, involving organisational diagnosis and development exercises dealing with aspects like programme planning and forecasting, attitude changes, improving management systems, promoting sustainability, replication of successful service provision methods, and so on.. Thus these assignments are more comprehensive and more goal oriented.

3. Training assignments - Description

Assignments 'A' and 'B'

Objectives	To give the participants an overview of concepts and concerns in the field of CBR. To give the participants an exposure to an on-going CBR programme. To train the participants in the elements of planning for a CBR programme.
Participants	30 participants each from project partners of the donor, at two workshops conducted in different regions.
Duration	2 days each
Design	Field visit and workshop, with participatory group discussions.
Outcome	The participants gained an overview of CBR concepts, practices in the field, and the elements of systematic planning of activities, target setting, identification of outcome indicators and methods to measure them.
Remarks	The distribution of preparatory background materials about CBR and about planning, and the participatory method of learning helped the participants to gain a better knowledge about CBR and about the planning process. However, two days was considered as insufficient for both a field visit and for the training session because for most NGOs who had been working in unrelated areas earlier, the time was too short learn about CBR concepts and practice. Secondly, most NGOs who attended these workshops were used to only random planning for their programmes, without clear goal oriented activities, and this mind set had to be changed before training them in systematic planning.

Assignment 'C'

Objectives	To prepare Indian industry to effectively take up its new role in caring for the welfare of the community.
Perticipants	30 participants from industry representing one half of the country.
Duration	1 day
Design	Presentations from some of the participants about their community welfare programmes, followed by a workshop to brainstorm and come up with suggestions on how industry can effectively participate in development work.
Outcome	Further workshops were planned by the organisers, to assist industry to plan and implement community development programmes, either on their own, or in partnership with government and international donors, and to assess the cost effectiveness of the programmes undertaken.
Remarks	Since community development is still a peripheral activity for most of Indian industry, they do not have much enthusiasm to be involved in development work. As a result, they tend to identify highly visible, but short term projects with poor results, as the most desirable ones for their participation. Attitude change in Indian industry is necessary for them to be involved in sustainable development programmes.

Assignment 'D'

Objectives	To understand the principles and concepts of CBR. To gain insight into the advantages and difficulties of the CBR approach. To obtain practical ideas on how the CBR approach could be used in the rehabilitation of persons affected by leprosy. To understand the skills and resources needed to transfer rehabilitation technology from institutions to the community.
Perticipants	35 participants from the field of leprosy treatment and rehabilitation from different countries in the South Asian region.
Duration	3 days.
Design	Workshop, with small group discussions and participatory learning methods.
Outcome	The participants gained an overview of CBR principles and concepts. The participants identified the aspects of leprosy rehabilitation that could effectively be shifted into the community, and also identified which other groups of disabled persons would benefit from this shift, apart from those with leprosy. The participants identified the common barriers to such a shift, and the possible ways of overcoming the barriers. The participants identified the new skills and resources required to make such a shift possible.
Remarks	Clarifying the requirements of the trainees well in advance, distribution of background materials much before the workshop and the participatory method of learning helped the trainees to evolve strategies to apply the knowledge gained from the workshop, to their work in leprosy rehabilitation.

Assignment 'E'

Objectives	To understand the conceptual issues and controversies related to planning and management of CBR. To understand the elements of systematic planning for CBR.
Perticipants	12 participants, from CBR projects from different parts of Africa, supported by the donor.
Duration	5 days.
Design	Workshop, with participatory learning methods.
Outcome	The participants gained an understanding about the concepts and problems in CBR. The participants learned about the elements of planning for CBR. The participants were able to draw up plans for their own CBR projects, based on the learning from the workshop.
Remarks	Planning for the workshop well in advance, clarifying the objectives, the distribution of background materials earlier and the participatory method of learning contributed to the effectiveness of the workshop.

Assignment 'F'

Objectives	To understand the conceptual issues and controversies related to planning and management of CBR. To understand the elements of systematic planning for CBR. To understand the use of innovative resources in CBR. To understand the priorities for early intervention in CBR. To understand the transfer of physiotherapy interventions from institutions to homes of disabled persons.
Perticipants	20 participants from CBR projects supported by the donor in India and Bangladesh
Duration	4 days
Design	Workshop, with participatory learning and discussion, presentations on topics of early intervention and physiotherapy, followed by participatory workshop and discussions.
Outcome	The participants gained an understanding about the concepts and problems in CBR. The participants learned about the elements of planning for CBR. The participants were able to identify the priorities for early intervention in CBR, and to identify the strategies and resources required to fulfil them. The participants were able to identify the advantages and limits of shifts of physiotherapy interventions to homes, and the resources required for such interventions.
Remarks	Planning for the workshop well in advance, clarifying the objectives, the distribution of background materials earlier and the participatory method of learning contributed to the effectiveness of the workshop.

Assignment 'G'

Objectives	To gain a basic knowledge of the concepts of CBR To learn how to assess the needs and resources in their areas of operation. To learn how to prepare a systematically planned project proposal for CBR if a need is identified.
Perticipants	13 participants from CBR projects from one state in India, supported by the donor.
Duration	2 days
Design	Workshop, with participatory learning and discussions
Outcome	The trainees' conceptual knowledge and understanding of different aspects of CBR, improved. The trainees felt confident about undertaking a planning exercise for a CBR programme, with some external assistance. One of the participating organisations followed up with a plan to study feasibility of CBR in its area of operations.
Remarks	Most of the trainees reported that they had gained new knowledge from the workshop. Advance planning, clarifying the background and the requirements of the trainees, and the distribution of background materials much before the workshop helped the trainees to acquire the knowledge effectively.

Assignment 'H'

Objectives	To understand the different meanings of the term 'sustainability' in relation to CBR. To understand the different factors influencing sustainability in CBR To identify different strategies to improve sustainability in CBR
Perticipants	40 participants, from rehabilitation projects from different parts of the world.
Duration	2 hours
Design	Workshop, with participatory learning and discussions
Outcome	The participants gained an overview of the different factors influencing sustainability in relation to CBR. They reported that they were able to discuss different issues related to sustainability, to become aware of how these factors differed in different parts of the world, and how these factors are dealt with by different groups.
Remarks	Remarks The handouts prepared as background material facilitated the process of effective learning. The level of satisfaction with the workshop was high, because the participants found that they benefited greatly from the cross cultural learning of how different the problems were in different parts of the world, and how they had something to learn from each of the strategies used in different places, at the same time realising that many things were not applicable in other contexts.

Assignment 'I'

Objectives	To understand the different meanings of the term 'sustainability" in relation to CBR. To understand the different factors influencing sustainability in CBR To identify different strategies to improve sustainability in CBR
Perticipants	20 participants from CBR projects from different provinces in China.
Duration	One and a half days
Design	Workshop, with participatory learning and discussions
Outcome	The participation was good, with an opportunity for all to say what they were doing, to learn from everyone's experiences and to construct desirable strategies using the different experiences that were illustrated during the participatory discussion. The feedback showed that the participants appreciated the atmosphere created for argument, questioning, discussion and problem solving. The follow up resulted in a plan for a collaborative research project to assess the level of sustainability of different CBR projects of the participants.
Remarks	The prior distribution of preparatory materials for discussion, translation of those materials into the local language, and the participatory method of learning helped to make the discussions more focused and useful for the trainees. The level of satisfaction with the workshop was high, because of the participatory methods used that were new to this group, and that were seen as a welcome change from the didactic methods that they were used to earlier.

Training assignments - Discussion

Among the training assignments, eight dealt with the need for improving knowledge on CBR concepts and planning, while one dealt with helping industry to plan for its role in community development. The individual needs and requirements of the assignments were varied in relation to their duration, expected outcomes, number of participants, and costs. Because of this reason, standardised training programme are not likely to be effective learning exercises for these kinds of assorted groups. Each training programme had to be flexible and carefully planned in advance and customised to fulfil the specific requirements of each group. Preparation of precise background materials related to the themes of the workshop and their distribution well in advance to the trainees helped to focus the discussion and resulted in better outcome. The participatory methods used in the workshops helped the trainees to construct strategies realistically, using examples from their own experiences.

CONCLUSION

The goal of the Technical Support Group is to improve efficiency in development organisations, using the available current knowledge effectively. Traditionally, organisations provide information on different themes through publications and the establishment of resource centres such as that of Healthlink in London. These organisations facilitate the quick retrieval of available information for those who wish to do so. However, there are few seekers of information in a non-competitive field like development where most funds are charity based and most activities are non-profit oriented welfare programmes. The motivation to improve efficiency and to become more accountable, is generally low in such fields. The Technical Support Group has been experimenting with different strategies to overcome this form of resistance to change in development organisations through information generation and dissemination, organisational diagnosis and development, and training. All these activities attempt to change the mind-set of a critical mass of people in the field of rehabilitation, and thus increase efficiency and accountability through peer pressure. The expectation is that under the influence of a critical mass with changed attitudes, a new trend will be initiated through peer pressure, which will be followed by others as well. The area for change that is identified by the authors as the most critical in this field, is goal oriented planning. Poor access to available information also limits the pace of change in this area. Because of these reasons, most of the technical support provided by the group is primarily to promote better access to information, to make an early diagnosis of malfunctioning, and to carry out training to imbibe newer methods. It is too early however, to conclude if these strategies will lead to significant changes in the development field in the near future.

*J-124 Ushas Apts, 16th Main, 4th Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore - 560 011, India.
Tel and fax : 91-80-6633762, Email : thomasmaya@hotmail.com

REFERENCE

Thomas MJ, Thomas M. Need for Technical Support in Rehabilitation in Developing Countries. Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal 1997; 8 (2): 37-39.

Table of Contents

Title:
ASIA PACIFIC DISABILITY REHABILITATION JOURNAL Vol. 10 @ No. 1 @ 2000

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