About Us..Localization

The Localization process (key interventions undertaken

Consultations with staff

A workshop to support staff understand local organizations and define roles of the different stakeholders was conducted in April 2007. During the workshop, the key roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders were defined. Participants made an analysis of the environment within which they operate and were exposed to the different components that make up an organization. The workshop helped build confidence among staff and to re-assure them of the way forward. The staff agreed to remain committed to the process to its logical conclusion.

Strategic planning- Phase 1

This was a second workshop to be conducted. The workshop which was attended by 13 staff members including a representative from LWF Kampala and Church of Uganda looked at an analysis of the environment to form a basis for strategic planning. It become evident from the workshop that AIDS is still a big concern and participants agreed that there is no need of changing the core business of the project. During this workshop, participants came up with a vision, mission and strategic objectives for the local NGO.

Strategic planning-Phase 2

The second strategic planning workshop mainly looked at the practical part of planning which involved the development of sub objectives and activities, strategy, and the logical frame work and budget for the strategic plan. By the end of this workshop, a draft strategic plan for the local NGO had been developed and a final copy will be ready by end of November 2007 to be shared by all the key stakeholders.

Challenges faced during the localization process

The interventions required enough time. Some workshops are action oriented i.e. after the workshop; staff is given specific tasks to accomplish within the shortest possible time.
Some capacity building areas were left out during the initial budget planning by the consultant (CDRN). On the side of RACOBAP, such areas would be crucial if we are to have a smooth transition. Such areas include: - Financial Management, Public Relations, Organizational Assessment, RBA/advocacy and a partner’s forum.
Resources allocated for interventions were not enough. Some workshops required almost all staff but due to budgetary constraints, few staff were always represented.
It has been sometimes hard to balance the day to day workload of the project with the localization agenda. In some instances, some project activities lagged behind in terms of implementation.
There is skepticism among our partner’s especially local leaders as to whether the local NGO will have the necessary resources to support programmes.
As normally expected, there was fear among some staff that they might lose their jobs. This therefore required a lot of confidence and consensus building. The project strategic management team together with the consultants has tried to demystify this fear.