"Mr Project" from Laos

Dear Friends,
I am (you gave me the name) "Mr. Project", he he, until now it's true that Jo Hann reminded us during the course that I (from CIDSE) look like or act like a shopper to travel to rural communities and select definite criteria to set up the activities and yet we still can't get the communities based on those criteria!!! It's quite a different situation in Laos if compare to your country contexts. We can't work independently. Every time NGO's work at any levels, we should cooperate with the government, and every time when we say something, we should b careful...!!

It's true that we try to analyse the root cause of the issues as the central and NGO network and for example to provide information on land issues (concession). We recognised that the root cause is not only the transnational corporations investing to plan industrial trees in large scale but also the weak (corruption) government officials or the policy makers. We try to persuade local villagers to recognise their basic rights on communal or private properties particularly the land tenure right.

I still travel to rural communities to discuss and interview the village chiefs or local authorities in different districts and provinces to start the projects (Rural Community Land Project and Law Dissemination Project) as I had presented during the CO course in Bali. We hope to get Memorandum of Understanding MOU with them in April!

Take a read everybody, this story from Hem Nareth of Cambodia YRDP! She really sounds excited to share her story with all of us! BUT Nareth please blog in so I don't have to process your letter to all! Write directly into the blog! Friends please comment on Nareth's story!
Blog Editor: Jo Hann

Dear everybody, Do you know? I shared the CO to my colleagues at YRDP on 29-31 of Dec 08. Do you know what is the result? It was quite great result, Because:

1. Some of them who are not ever think about the sustainability by our own, but now they start thinking and support how to sustain our project / program by our own.

2. Before they thought that they choose the right entry point for our project or program, but now they have found out that we better try to find out the entry point again.

3. The important point is that , now in the meeting not only me who talking about CO concept and new strategies, but now they understand and support me to fingh for a better solutions always! I'm so happy.

To those happy , I would love to thank Uncle Sivutha, and Sothun who help me a lot in plaining, designing to share all of this CO concept that we learnt from Indonesia.

* In another sharing with other 10 different NGOs who working in empowerment women in Cambodia, I did sharing to them on 2nd of Jan 09. Do you know what? they said that this CO is quite really interesting and also very good in helping them in their work.They said that, before they work only them being the outside COer, they work very hard and not empower the inside people to be inside COer , that this point made them rethinking about their strategies to make sustainable by empower local people to be COer. IT's quite effective and sustainble.

Another, thing that they said, before they thought that thier project why not so actively involve from the people because of they don't have gift for people. but now they start understand that because not so involve not about that, it about our wrong strategies which didn't involve people to understand and analys issues / problems by them selves. So now they start to thinking about how to engage people to understand and analyze the problems by themself.

Do u know what! ? they invited me to facilitate this CO concept again, they want to learn in detail. I never ever see their passion to learn like this, I work as network with them 1year and a half already, just only this time, i can see they really interested in this CO concept.

Oh, my god , how powerful of CO! ok, now is enought for sharing the sucess!, but now pls take a look my challengess when I did sharing:

Challenges:

1. As Johan said, how u choose the right game to let them act and reflection. Especially Island game, when ur participants are not so active and creative, pls becareful! it will not work!

2. Becareful how u can make them can analyse problems by themself?

3. Participants confussing what are the steps of CO?? or what kind of perspective of COer should focus? And also what is cycle of analysis!

4. Entry points is should focus on economic or ...?