ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

TRAIN THE TRAINER PROPOSAL

ROYAL BAFOKENG ADMINISTRATION

Prepared for:

ROYAL BAFOKENG ADMINISTRATION

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME

Training Facilitator:
Ms Mfalatsane Priscillah Sadi Motsuenyane
Summary

The overall objective of this proposal is to “train the trainers” to empower the community, in
particular, women as change-agents and facilitators of community-driven programmes and
projects aimed and transforming the social and economic status of their community. The
specific objectives of the programme is to train 18 people (15 community members
representing the 5 regions of the Royal Bafokeng Nation and 3 RBA officials) as Trainers to
facilitate community driven and asset-based community development initiatives aimed at
eliminating poverty and hunger and improving the well-being of the local people.

The training programme will run for 8 days covering both the theory and Practice (5 days) and
portfolio of evidence (3 days).
1. Introduction

Most of South Africa’s poor communities living in underserviced areas, mainly in rural areas,
continue to face challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Although government
has, for the past 23 years invested billions of rands in a broad range of poverty alleviation and
employment creation programmes and interventions, these challenges continue to grow and
have become much more complex than ever before.

Communities trapped in the poverty and inequality cycle are characterized by high prevalence
of antisocial, criminal and violent behaviour which are the result of high rates of migration, a
sense of uselessness, crime and violence, inadequate support, lack of opportunity and
substance abuse1. These social challenges cause divisions in the community thus impacting
negatively on social capital which is a foundation of community cohesion. As a result of these
challenges, poor communities suffer loss of capital/assets, mainly human, social and financial
stocks. A decline in these community assets triggers a downward spiral of community
development.

A strategy to reverse this downward spiral is what poor communities of this country needs to
turn their threats into opportunities. In this regard, transformational community development
approaches that will assist the communities to build on their assets is required. Such an
approach focuses on the capability of people and their assets to meet their needs; create
wealth and opportunities for sustainable job creation. A transformational community
development approach is asset-based and referred to as Asset-Based Community Development
(ABCD).

In order to develop and implement the ABCD approach, development of human capacity
becomes very critical. People and communities that are empowered with the necessary
knowledge and skills become the architects of their own development and are able to confront
a diverse set of challenges in a rapidly changing social and economic environment.

Human capacity development must include the capacity of the community as well as the
organizations that work with them. Capacity building in this regard becomes more effective
when within a participatory human/learner-centered framework. It becomes a powerful tool
for generating a collective vision and building consensus on the appropriate path to achieving
common goals among all the key stakeholders.

2. Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)

The ABCD is a bottom-up community-driven approach that focuses on community strengths

and the often unrecognized assets. It promotes the mobilization of people, associations, and
institutions to come together to build on their assets thereby creating a “positive mind-set”
that being poor does not mean people are less capable to produce and to participate in
business and market processes to generate income and create employment opportunities.

1
Holtman, Barbara. Social Transformation Systems
The principle behind an ABCD approach is that when communities recognize their assets and
opportunities, they are more likely to be motivated to take initiative to mobilize and strengthen
their asset base. Guided by this principle, the facilitator (or trainer) has to decide which
combination of tools and methods are appropriate to assist communities to organize
themselves, identify, link, and mobilize assets, and use these as leverage when engaging others.
The methods are also useful for organizations wanting to support communities without
undermining ownership or overwhelming groups with resources.

3. Objective of the Training Programme

The main objective of the programme is to develop a pool of trainers and build their capacity to
design and facilitate practical training on Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) in order
to facilitate further training and champion sustainable community-driven development in their
local communities.

The training will focus on the following:

a. ABCD as a Paradigm: Presents tools that are intended to change mind-sets from needs-
based to asset-based thinking.
b. ABCD as a Process: Includes tools that can be used at the community level to stimulate
community-driven development and also combines practical methods for asset
inventories and mapping (covered in ABCD as a Practice during the training of trainers
program).
c. Effective Process Facilitation: Offering some techniques and tools to design and deliver
an ABCD learning program for a variety of audiences.

3.1. Specific Objectives

a) To train and equip a pool of trainers with the skills and tools required for ABCD facilitation
b) To develop the trainers’ theoretical and practical knowledge of ABCD
c) To develop a cadre of community based trainers with effective presentation and process
facilitation skills
d) To provide trainers with practical tools, strategies and techniques to make their training
dynamic, engaging and effective.

4. Target audience

The training will target 15 women leaders selected by the Royal Bafokeng Nation leadership,
who are passionate about community development and are committed to the upliftment of
their local communities/villages and 3 RBA officials. Minimum educational qualifications of
Grade 12 will apply to all participants.
5. Content of Training Programme

5.1. MODULE 1: ABCD AS A PARADIGM

Presents tools that are intended to change mind-sets from needs-based to asset-based
thinking.

Session 1: Introducing ABCD

Session Objectives:
 To come to a common understanding of Asset Based Community Driven Development
based on the local context
 To conceptually contrast a needs-based and an asset-based approach

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants have a common understanding of ABCD, which sets the tone for the rest of the
training.
 Participants knowing the difference between the needs-based and asset-based approaches
as well as their pros and cons

Duration of Session:
20 minutes

Resources:
 Flipchart
 Markers
 Glass Half-Full of Water

Session 2 – Understanding the limitations of focusing only on needs

Session Objectives:
 To demonstrate how focusing only on needs limits our ability to see opportunities for
investment in community-driven development

Duration of Session:
1 hour

Resources:
 Flip chart
 Markers

Training Materials:
Community Summaries

Expected Outcome:
 Participants understanding of the limitations of a needs-based approach
Session 3 – The impact of Language and Labels

Session Objectives:

 To challenge participants to think critically about the commonly used language in the
development sector and how it can perpetuate inaccurate (and often negative) stereotypes
of the communities where we work
 To contrast the needs-based and asset-based language

Duration of Session:
1 hour

Resources:
Flip chart
Markers

Training Materials:
Video: The Danger of a Single Story

Expected Outcomes:

 Participants’ understanding of how language can undermine the ABCD principle

 Participants’ understanding of the impact of language and labels on the psyche of the
community

Session 4 – Ladder of Inference

Session Objectives:

 To understand how we often make decisions, assumptions and judgements about

community members based on incomplete information
 To challenge us to think about the ways we use information to inform program design,
delivery and partnerships

Duration of Session:
30 minutes

Resources:
Flip Chart
Markers

Training Materials:
Hand out: Ladder of Inference (Activity 1)
Random items typically found in a backpack: cellular phone, notebook, soap, camera, apple,
condom, book, etc. (Activity 2)
Expected Outcomes:
 Participants ability to examine their assumptions, beliefs and information and consider how
they affect their actions
 Participants understanding of the importance of having quality information as the basis for
building a holistic understanding of a community
 Participants understanding of the impact of their assumptions on program design

Session 5 – The Needs Map versus the Asset Map

Session Objectives:
 To compare and contrast the kinds of information that is generated when facilitators ask for
needs and problems versus assets and capacities
 To understand the central importance of asking the “right” kinds if uncovering assets is the
ultimate goal

Duration of Session:
15 Minutes

Resources:
None

Training Materials:
Hand out: Needs map and Assets map

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants ability to contrast between the needs map and the asset map

Session 6 – Types of Poverty

Session Objectives:
 Broaden participants’ notions and definitions of poverty to include more than just the
absence of material wealth (e.g. psychological, spiritual)
 Show that everyone in the world experiences poverty
 Display how we all display our own types of poverty in small ways everyday

Duration of Session:
30 minutes

Resources:
Flipchart paper
Markers

Training Materials:
The Story of Sipho
Expected Outcomes:
 Participants understanding of the different types of poverty ability to contrast between the
needs map and the asset map

Session 7 – The Development Field

Session Objectives:
 Raise consciousness about where participants fit in the hierarchy of development actors
 Think critically about the traditional flow of resources and the power dynamics between
development actors

Duration of Session:
45 minutes

Resources:
 Flipchart paper
 Markers

Training Materials:
None

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants understanding of the development field – who are the players and gatekeepers
 Participants to create a data base of development actors/role players

Session 8 – Power Walk

Session Objectives:
 Identify power differences in communities
 See how some people are excluded from participating in development activities
 Learn ways to be inclusive
 Discover ways to focus on achievements and assets of all group members

Duration of Session:
30 minutes

Resources:
Large space for moving around

Training Materials:
List of Power Walk Characters and Statements

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants’ understanding of the types of power and their impact on people participation
in development
 Participants’ knowledge on how to address power imbalances
Session 9 – Levels of Engagement

Session Objectives:
 Explore advantages and disadvantages of different types of partnerships between
development actors and communities (from least empowering to most): inform, consult,
participate, partner, own
 Learn about tools to foster transparency in partnerships

Duration of Session:
25 minutes

Resources:
Flipchart paper
Markers

Training Materials:
Levels of Engagement Chart

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants understanding of the levels of engagement and what they mean
 Participants understanding of partnerships, advantages and disadvantages and whether to
pursue a relationship or partnership
 Participants knowledge of how people participate in development programs and projects
and the impact thereof

Session 10 – Active Social Capital

Session Objectives:
Demonstrate the importance of bonding and bridging social capital (e.g. relationships, networks
and associations)

Duration of Session:
20 minutes

Resources:
None

Training Materials:
None

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants understanding of the types and importance of social capital
Session 11 – Nobody has nothing – We all have something

Session Objectives:
 Challenge participants to identify the assets and creativity of people who are traditionally
labelled as the “poorest of the poor”
 Show that everyone, no matter how poor, has access to assets

Duration of Session:
20 minutes

Resources:
None

Training Materials:
Community Scenarios

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants acknowledgement that all have assets in the community
 Participants capacity to link identified assets to available income-generating activities

Session 12 - Case Studies

Session Objectives:
 Learn from real world examples of community-driven development
 Build analytical and team-building skills

Duration of Session:
60 minutes

Resources:
 Flipchart paper
 Markers

Training Materials:
Community-Driven Development Stories

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants to have a shared understanding of the meaning of “community”
 Participants capacity to mobilize people and assets to undertake projects or activities
 Participants to understand factors contributing to projects/development success
 Participants to appreciate challenges that have to be overcome to achieve community
driven development
Session 13 - Story T elling

Session Objectives:
Identify and critically examine cases of community-driven development from participants’ own
experience

Duration of Session:
45 minutes

Resources:
Flipchart paper
Markers

Training Materials:
 Criteria for Community-Driven Development Stories and Accompanying Questions
 Common themes of Community-Driven Development

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants to share their stories orally or in a written assignment of local community-
driven success

Session 14 – Defining Active Citizenship

Session Objectives:
 Come to a common understanding of what it means to be an active citizen
 Discuss the balance between the rights and responsibilities of citizenship

Duration of Session:
45 minutes

Resources:
 Flipchart paper
 Markers

Training Materials:
 Examples of Presidential Speeches
 Excerpts from the NDP
 Bill of Rights

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants to have a shared understanding of “active citizenship”
 Participants to determine the status of “active citizenship” in South Africa
Session 15 – How to convey the ABCD messages using media

Session Objectives:
Provide examples and identify ways to convey ABCD messages and themes using multi-media
e.g. quotations, proverbs, videos and photographs

Duration of Session:
As desired

Resources:
Flipchart paper
Coloured paper
Markers
DVD player or computer

Training Materials:
Examples of Quotations, Proverbs, Videos and Photographs displaying ABCD Principles

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants to learn about various methods that can be used to convey ABCD messages
 Participants to showcase the use of various inspirational communication methods in
conveying ABCD messages

Session 16 – Field Visits and Learning Exchange

Session Objectives:
Provide examples of how field visits can reinforce ABCD principles and practices

Duration of Session:
As desired

Resources:
 Flipchart paper
 Markers

Training Materials:
Example of Field Visit Advertisement

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants exposed to successful communities (where possible)
 Participants to visit communities to practice some of the asset mapping tools
Session 17 – ABCD Principles

Session Objectives:
Distinguish between ABCD Tools and Methods and an ABCD as an Approach or Set of Principles

Duration of Session:
45 minutes

Resources:
Coloured paper
Markers

Training Materials:
Examples of ABCD Principles

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants capacity to distinguish between ABCD Tools and Methods and an ABCD as an
Approach or Set of Principles
5.2. MODULE 2: ABCD AS A PROCESS

This section will focus on tools that can be used at the community level to stimulate
community-driven development and also combines practical methods for asset inventories and
mapping (covered in ABCD as a Practice during the training of trainers program).

Session 18 – Introducing the ABCD Process

The principle behind an ABCD approach is that when communities recognize their assets and
opportunities, they are more likely to be motivated to take initiative to mobilize and strengthen
their asset base. Guided by this principle, the facilitator has to decide which combination of
tools and methods are appropriate for helping communities to organize themselves to identify,
link, and mobilize their assets. There is no blueprint for designing ABCD training programs.
Some facilitators prefer to spend more time on paradigm shifting and others on practical tools
that people can use at the community level to identify strengths and assets and stimulate
action. The balance is ultimately up to the facilitator but remember: if you spend too much time
on paradigm shifting, people leave the training feeling like they “get it” but find it hard to
practically integrate ABCD into their work and to convey to others what ABCD actually “is”. On
the other hand, if you spend too much time on tools, then people leave the training without the
intended mind-set shift. Throughout the process, the facilitator has to bear in mind that
mapping assets is as much about organizing as it is about discovery.

Section 19 – Community Entry Points

Session Objectives:
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different community entry points for introducing
ABCD

Duration of Session:
30 minutes
Resources:
None

Training Materials:
None

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different community
entry points for introducing ABCD

Session 20 – Appreciative Interviewing

Session Objectives:
 Discover ways to focus on achievements and assets
 Remind people of past success with the aim of motivating them for future action
 Identify the energy of potential leaders who will mobilize community members
Duration of Session:
45 minutes

Resources:
None

Training Materials:
None

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants understanding of the importance of appreciative interviewing as the basis for
positive thinking in the community

Session 21 – Community Asset Mapping

Session Objectives:
 Mapping skill of the hand, heart and head
 To acquire analytical skills and a tool for mapping individual skills
 Mapping Associations
 Discover the informal and voluntary groups or associations that are active in a
community
 Understand the various relationships between these associations
 Identify opportunities for collaboration among associations
 Acquire a tool for mapping associations and their relative importance
 Mapping physical and natural assets
 Identify the physical and natural assets that exist within a village
 Show living conditions within the village (types and location of houses, access to
services, etc.)
 Acquire a practical tool for mapping physical and natural resources
 Mapping Institutions
 Discover the full range of institutions in a community
 Identify which assets these institutions could offer for community development
 Acquire a practical tool for mapping the assets of institutions
 Transect Walk
 Further analyse the physical and natural resources including associations and
institutions within a community
 Identify social and economic development challenges and opportunities

Duration of Session:
40 minutes 60 90 60 40

Resources:
Flipchart
Markers
Magazines
Coloured Paper
Existing Community Map (from previous exercise)
Training Materials:
Sample: “Head-Heart-Hand”
Table of different kinds of associations
Example of a community map
Example of a transect walk map

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants knowledge of how to facilitate community mapping and the use of various
mapping tools

Session 22 – Community Economic Analysis

The Leaky Bucket: Systematic examination of how the community functions economically.

Session Objectives:
• Create an understanding of the perspectives of community economic development
• Acquire skills to analyse the community economy
• Tracking how the money flows into and out of the community.
• Determining how the flow of money can be managed to ensure circulation in the
community
• Identify opportunities for savings and income generation in the community
• Identify money for goods and services flowing in and flowing out of the local economy

Duration of Session:
180 minutes

Resources:
Flipchart
Markers
Laptop, internet connection, white screen (if using the digital version)

Training Materials:
How to Construct a Leaky Bucket and Example of a Leaky Bucket

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants acquired skills analyse how the community economy functions

Session 23 – Action Planning

Session Objectives:
Show how the previous tools can be used to stimulate activities that make full use of assets and
opportunities
Learn how to link identified assets and opportunities to new opportunities

Duration of Session:
60 minutes
Resources:
Flipchart
Markers
All maps done previously: Individual skills, associations, natural and physical resources,
institutions, Leaky Bucket

Training Materials:
None

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants knowledge of action planning steps and how to develop a plan of action

Session 24 – Reflection on the ABCD Process

Session Objectives:
 Share and discuss results of group mapping activity and “low-hanging fruit” plan of action
activity
 Attain a deeper understanding of the principles and practice of ABCD
 Prepare for practice and development of a Portfolio of Evidence

Duration of Session:
90 minutes

Resources:
 Flipchart
 Markers
 All community maps created previously

Training Materials:
PoE Template

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants understanding of how to create a Portfolio of Evidence

Session 25 - How to support ABCD Action Plans

Session Objectives:
 Discuss strategies for investing responsively in community-driven development
 Come up with criteria for identifying community-driven development
 Identifying prospective funders/donors
 Prepare an “opportunity statement” for prospective funders/donors

Duration of Session:
60 minutes

Resources:
Flipchart paper and Markers
Training Materials:
Hand-out of Business Planning Tools
Hand-out of various funding streams

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants skilled to develop bankable business plans and respond to request for
proposals

Session 26 – Monitoring and Evaluation

Session Objectives:
Learn one technique for doing evaluation with a community

Duration of Session:
60 minutes

Resources:
Flipchart
Markers

Training Materials:
Example of “Most Significant Change”

Expected Outcomes:
 Participants skilled to facilitate community based monitoring and evaluation

Session 27 – Final Assignment (Portfolio of Evidence)

Session Objectives:
Facilitators to plan how they are going to integrate what they have learned into their work and
life

Duration of Session:
3 days

Resources:
RBA Community Development Practitioners

Training Materials:
Hand-out of the Assignment (provided in the Training Materials Guide)

Expected Outcomes:
 Portfolio of Evidence
 Presentation of PoE to RBA/RBN Representatives
6. Duration of Training

The duration of training and practice will be 8 days covering both theory and practice in Asset
Based Community Development.

The content of the sessions will take into account specific aspects of the society and culture,
the nature of the challenges as well as the ways in which community responses to these
identified challenges have been addressed, and relationships among communities and
organizations.

The methodology used during training will be based on experiential learning and participatory
processes including interactive presentations, group work, facilitation by participants, role
playing, exercises, simulations, ‘teach backs’, field work and practice, debriefing and application
by all participants.

6.1. The Training Plan

The Training Plan is as follows:

NO OF DAYS OF TRAINING AND PRACTICE: 08 DAYS

WEEK NO OF TRAINEES START END
1. Theory and Practice 18 05 March 2018 09 March 2018
2. Portfolio of Evidence
18 12 March 2018 13 March 2018
Development
Presentation of POEs 15 14 March 2018 14 March 2018