Enhancing Capacity Development Methods in NSA Projects

1. Capacity development methods in the NSA project with generous support from the EC Appetizer for discussion – NSA meeting in Brussels June 2013 International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims Borgergade 13, P.O. Box 9049, DK-1022 Copenhagen K, Denmark Tel +45 33 76 06 00 | Fax +45 33 76 05 00 | irct@irct.org | www.irct.org

2. Outline of presentation • Overview of capacity development methods used • Regional and Thematic Seminars • Topics and Methodologies of capacity development components of seminars • Exchanges • Exchange types • Topics and Methodologies of capacity development components of seminars • Subgrant and livelihood activities • Lessons learned

3. Regional and Thematic Seminars • 12 Regional seminars (1 pr year in 4 regions) • Great variance in preparation (both in hosting and involvement of centres), topics (and topics pr seminar), methodology and follow-up • Thematic Seminars • 6 seminars, all in Latin America • Topics: sexual torture and trauma, care for caregivers, integration of legal work in holistic rehab

4. Regional Seminar Topics • Livelihoods • Community and psychosocial approaches • Access to justice and witness support • Forensic documentation • Monitoring and evaluation • Data collection • Care for caregivers • Security for Human Rights defenders • Fundraising • Advocacy towards regional mechanisms • Regional cooperation in advocacy • General regional cooperation

5. Regional Seminar methodologies Various capacity development methods employed including • Seminar style trainings sessions • Training exercise sessions • Presentations from each centre • Focus on host country context • Finding possible common ways forward • Various levels of integration with Regional strategies • Advocacy components in some Seminars

6. NSA project proposal exchange methodology – ”classic exchange” • Internship followed by peer-to-peer supervisions • Internship: short-term supervised work experience in another centre • Peer supervision: follow-up mentoring and support in intern center • Partners will participate as interns in one peer exchange per year, and receive interns from other partners and/or IRCT member centres in an additional exchange per year. • Topics • Holistic rehabilitation (including forensic documentation and integration of legal aspects of holistic rehabilitation) • Organisational development and support, management of centres. (including data collection, M&E, research methodologies, human resource management including care for caregivers, fundraising, project planning, institutional development)

7. Implemented exchange types -different approaches for different needs • Trainings (sometimes by consultants) with little or few practical exercises • trainings with exercises • Centre exchanges not including a lot of hands-on work • Proposed ”Classic” Centre exchanges with on-site peer supervision training and internships with direct on-site, hands-on work

8. Exchange and training topics • Psychotherapy (various branches) • Psychosocial community approaches • Livelihoods • Legal work • Care for caregivers • Monitoring and evaluation • Research, other use of data • Fundraising (and more fundraising support requested)

9. Exchanges (and trainings) implemented • 16 in Year 1 • 40 in Year 2 • 36 in Year 3

10. Exchanges and trainings geographically (note not only center-center exchanges, also trainings) 10 ASIA intraregional 4 MENA intraregional 17 LA Intraregional 2 SSA intraregional

11. Important centre exchange participants (outside of project partners) • Freedom from Torture (formerly Medical Foundation UK) (CRAT, TRC, KRC and Media and donor relations workshop (10 partners)), UK • BZFO, Germany (EATIP, Restart) • El Nadeem, Egypt (TRC, EATIP) • TPO Cambodia, Cambodia (SACH, MAG) • CCC Vellore (not IRCT member), India (SA) • CINTRAS, Chile (CAPS, EATIP) • ODHAG, Guatemala (CAPS)

12. Development achieved from Exchanges and trainings (and Regional seminars trainings) • Exchanges and trainings in various methodologies boost individual capacity as shown by evaluations and monitoring • ”Classic” exchanges between Centres can in addition result in adoptation of policies and methodologies seen to be well-tested and useful in host centres (seeing is believing?) • Networking between Centres and a stronger movement

13. Capacity development aspects of livelihood and subgrant activities • trainings received by some partners from consultants and partner organisations • Experience in integrating livelihood aspects in holistic rehabilitation • Institutional development (livelihoods unit, livelihoods programme) • Institutional relationships built • Equipment purchased

14. Lessons learned • Need to further develop trainer/consultant roster at the Secretariat • Language barriers require an even larger roster of trainers/consultants • There are areas (such as fundraising) where IRCT can not provide qualified trainers and external support is expensive • Seminar participation (topic and learning vs. representation) • Early planning, logistics (visas) • Dedication of Secretariat resources

15. Lessons learned (cont.) • Sustainability (follow-up and sharing individual to own centre) • Have we capitalised enough on the possibility to together use and monitor Centre capacity development plans or strategies with Exchanges as a central component? • Possibly it has been done by partners without the knowledge of the Secretariat? • Project baseline

16. Other questions/issues to consider • Overlap between projects • Academic studying compared to exchanges • Cost effectiveness of exchanges and seminars • Trainings (by local or international experts) as compared to exchanges • Trainings by non-sector experts compared to centre staff