1. 2014 ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
How to Conduct a Community
Assessment for Economic and
Community Development Projects
Moderator: Gulam Vahanvaty

2. Resources
Rotary supports
investments in
people to create
measurable and
enduring
economic
improvement in
their lives and
communities.

3. Economic and Community Development Goals:
Building the capacity of entrepreneurs, community leaders, local organizations, and community networks to
support economic development in impoverished communities;
Developing opportunities for productive work;
Reducing poverty in underserved communities;
Supporting studies for career-minded professionals related to economic and community development.

4. Rotary’s Support of Economic and Community Development
Narrow Focus
Broad FocusGlobal
Grants
District
Grants
Service Projects
Rotarian Action Group for
Microfinance and
Community Development
Rotary
Community
Corps

5. Agenda:
• Introduction
• Presentations by Panelists
• Q/A
• Workshop Activity in Groups
• Q/A
• Closing Remarks

6. Panelists:
Tusu Tusubira, Member of TRF Cadre of Technical
Advisors, Past Future Vision Trainer, Past DRFC
Chair, RC Kampala North, Uganda District 9211
Rabeya Yasmin, Director of Ultra Poor Program,
BRAC, Dhaka, Bangladesh

7. 2014 ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
Effective Community Needs
Assessment:
Four Experiential Pointers

8. • Takes time, but
establishes
effective
communication
• Know them as
individuals, NOT
under the
anonymous
umbrella of
beneficiaries
Invest Time in Creating Trust

9. • Seeding Points for Economic and
Community Development are Assets the
community has – skills, resources,
leadership, organised groups, etc.
Identify seeding points – community assets

10. • Many t0 many
conversations
• Separately:
women, men,
community
leaders, groups
• Observation
• Statistics
Triangulate Information on Assets and Needs

11. • Awareness of
what could be
when the minds
open up helps
communities
dare to think
beyond
traditional
limitations.
Address Mindset as part of Assessment

12. www.brac.net
Challenging the Frontiers
of Poverty Reduction
Targeting the ultra poor
Rabeya Yasmin
Director , BRAC

13. www.brac.net
• Founded in Bangladesh in 1972, BRAC is
considered “by most measures the largest,
fastest-growing non-governmental organization in
the world.” (Source: Economist, 2010).
• BRAC has since inception been at the forefront of
poverty alleviation, and microfinance in
Bangladesh and 10 other countries
• BRAC creates opportunities for the poor,
through comprehensive programming in financial
inclusion, education, agriculture and food
security, water and sanitation, healthcare,
community empowerment and legal rights
• We are reaching about 120 million population
About BRAC

14. www.brac.net
Targeting the ultra Poor
• The poorest are caught up in a complex trap and lack the complementary
asset base needed to benefit from regular microfinance.
• Food aid, the traditional instrument for the poorest is designed as a
“crisis management instrument” that fails to create the foundations for
sustainable livelihood change
• Conventional development programs lack graduation concept
• The challenge is to design an approach that uses grants as a strategic
entry point to equip the ultra poor graduate in to mainstream program

15. www.brac.net
Since 2002 BRAC’s Special Investment Program
for the ultra poor
Program Activities Purpose
Asset transfer; weekly stipend
Build economic asset base, ensure
regular cash flow, improve livelihoods.
Weekly stipend for reducing opportunity
cost of asset operation
Enterprise development and life skill
training
Ensure good return from assets
transferred, knowledge and awareness of
rights and justice
Tailor made health intervention
Improve health seeking behavior, reduce
income erosion in health
Engaging with the community
To create an supportive/ enabling
environment at village level to ensure
long term sustainability of improved
livelihood of the ultra poor members.

16. www.brac.net
Asset transfer
We offer 12 enterprise options
to our program participants

17. www.brac.net
To allow the client breathing
room, and time to start earning
income from her assets, the
client receives a cash transfer
or stipend, and in some cases a
food to supplement their diet.
Stipend

18. www.brac.net
Client receives weekly home
visits and training on how to
use their asset, on health and
hygiene matters, basic skills
and literacy, and general
support and counseling
Training

19. www.brac.net
Panel doctor give
prescription to ultra poor
members
BRAC Health staff
visiting ultra poor
member
Client receives healthcare support
with access to community medical
workers, physicians and
medications
Tailor made
health support

20. www.brac.net
Clients increase their social standing
and receive guidance on integrating
better with their community. Here, a
village poverty reduction committee,
organized by BRAC, conducts a regular
monthly meeting to help clients
address various issues they face.
Social Integration

21. www.brac.net
Community participation in Social Integration
•Targeting program participants
• Mobilizing community support through
formation of Village Poverty Reduction
Committees

22. www.brac.net
Community targeting of
program participants :
Ultra Poor households are selected
through a participatory wealth ranking
exercise by the community and BRAC.
The methodology applies two techniques:
•Social Mapping
•Wealth Ranking

23. www.brac.net
Community participates in a
spatial mapping and wealth
ranking exercise to identify
community members in the
most need

24. www.brac.net
Village Poverty Reduction Committee
•9-11 member committee
•Formed with village elites
•Representative from ultra poor members

25. www.brac.net
Why Village Poverty Reduction committee ?
In order to make best use of all the assistances provided from the program
the committee ensures :
-social security to the ultra poor Households
-security of the assets transferred by the program
- Integration of the ultra poor in to the mainstream community

26. www.brac.net
Sl
no
Activities
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1
Make a list of non-enrolled children,
ensure their admission in school and
stipend
2
Provide free coaching for school-
going poorest children
3
Provide school bag and shoes for
school-going poorest children
4
Ensure security of the targeted ultra
poor households
5 Stop open defecation in village
6
Ensure every child is immunized
under national immunization
campaign
7
Provide support for medical
treatment
8
Repair/ construct house for the
poorest community members
9
Assist in installing tube-well and
latrine at the poorest households
10 Keeping their village clean
Activity Calendar for Village Committee

27. www.brac.net
Village committee meeting
Free coaching
by committee
Winter cloth
distribution by
committee

28. www.brac.net
Free coaching by
committee
School bag ting
School bag distribution by
committee

29. www.brac.net
Annual sports organized by
committee
Prize distribution in annual
sports

30. www.brac.net
Tube well installation by the
committee
Village cleaning campaign
by the committee

31. www.brac.net
Contribution village committee to the ultra poor
members
Sl.
No.
Nature of Support Number
1. No. of Total Village committee formed 9244
2. No. of children get free tutorial support 3423
3. No. of school bags distributed among ultra
poor children
5,589
4. Pair of shoes distributed among ultra poor
children
3,777
5. Sanitary Latrine installed 23,692
6. No. of houses repaired 105,000
7. Birth registration done 45,479

32. www.brac.net
Village Poverty Reduction Committee
unique case of community participation and
contribution in combating ultra poverty in rural
Bangladesh

33. www.brac.net
RESULTS AND IMPACT
•In Bangladesh, more than 95% of
participants achieve graduation
with 92% crossing an ultra- poverty
threshold of 50 cents per day and
maintaining their improved
conditions for the next 4 years
•Internationally, reports from the
various CGAP and Ford
Foundation funded pilots show that
in 18-36 months, 75% to 98% of
participants meet the country
specific graduation criteria

34. www.brac.net
RESULTS AND IMPACT

35. www.brac.net
rabeya.y@brac.net
Join us in the movement to end ultra-poverty.
Contact us to learn more.

36. Questions
for the
Moderator
and
Panelists?

37. Workshop Activity Instructions:
1. Read the community description of page 1 of the
activity handout.
2. In groups, discuss the questions on page 2 of the
activity handout.
3. Note any important points or questions that arise as
you discuss.
4. Ask for assistance from the moderator, panelists, or
Rotary staff members as needed.

38. Community Assessment and Economic and Community
Development Resources:
• Communities in Action: A Guide
to Effective Projects Publication;
• Community Assessment Tools
Publication;
• Area of Focus Publication;
• Economic and Community
Development Policy Statement
(global grants);
• Rotarian Action Group for
Microfinance and Community
Development;
;

39. Thank you
for your
time and
service to
Rotary.
Questions?