NewsLetter July 2008
Content of this NewsLetter
- Conference Understanding Development Better
- Policy dialogue about Dutch development cooperation
- Upcoming publication: "Energise MDF"
- Gestion Axée sur les Résultats
- Refresher course in Nepal
- Experience of participant in Project Management Course
- Upcoming courses: Value Chain Concept, Trainers of Trainers, Institutional Development and Organisational Strengtening
- Staff changes
"Energise MDF" on its way
During the last few months Hanneke Spaans and Herman Kreuzen have been collecting dozens of the most fun and useful energisers and icebreakers used in workshop settings.
This resulted in a booklet that will be published and sold from September onwards. You can find ideas and activities that will get your participants up and running, cooperate to solve puzzles, or simply get to know each other a little better.
Herman Kreuzen, intern MDF
Editorial
Innovate and Improve
This is the third MDF newsletter of the season 2008. So far this year has been full of unexpected events and new experiences. For the third time in a row the number of participants attending our courses in Ede did increase. Moreover our staff became involved in new capacity development projects in South Africa, Rwanda, Ghana, Indonesia and Colombia. Our youngest branch office in Goma DRC is rapidly expanding and possibilities for opening offices in Ghana and Bosnia are seriously investigated. In many fields like project management and organisational development MDF products have become "brand names" due to their proven quality. And we keep on improving in other areas such as MfDR and Institutional Development.
From September onwards this will also be reflected in our internal organisation structure. In order to facilitate a further professionalisation of our staff and products, we will have four closely interrelated work-units. One unit focusing on projects and programmes, a second unit putting the organisation and its staff at the centre of its attention, another unit dealing with sector and institutional development and finally a small new unit targeting at aid effectiveness. This new set up will allow us - Herman and Hans - to pay more attention to external relations, to our branch offices and our partner network.
Hans Rijneveld, Director MDF
Policy Dialogue about Dutch development cooperation
MDF is facilitating the policy dialogue between partners in Dutch development cooperation (DC). On request of the Minister, representatives of all stakeholders in Dutch development cooperation participate in a number of meetings and in an on line discussion. Stakeholders include civil society organisations (big and small), government agencies, private enterprise, academics, migrant organisations, etc. A website has been opened where information about this Policy Dialogue can be found: www.ontwikkelingisverandering.nl .
On this website you will find the reports and proceedings of a Starter-meeting (May 22) and of the Conference of June 24 - 25. You will also find six state-of-the-art papers which were written by academics from outside the direct sphere of Dutch DC, and comments on these papers by people from within the sector. All papers, comments and other discussion documents are arranged according to six leading themes of the dialogue: Enabling environment, Complementary roles, Accountability, Learning capacity, Tasks 'North' and 'South', and Public support for DC.
The dialogue will be rounded off with a report about all outcomes of the process. This report will be used by the Minister as inspiration for a new Policy Paper that is due in autumn of this year. Four MDF-staff members are working on this dialogue - under the guidance of a Steering Committee.
Sjoerd Zanen, trainer/consultant MDF
Refresher course in Nepal
We conducted a refresher course in Kathmandu, Nepal, funded by Nuffic for former participants of Course: Project and Programme Management and Administration (PPMA). The course was organised by MDF with support of the Netherlands Alumini Association of Nepal (NAAN). This was the first of its kind by MDF and was very successful. The participants did not only refresh their minds, but also provided the opportunity to share their experiences on the application of what they learned at the PPMA. Discussions on their successes and challenges in their day to day life brought new insights.
The process of this refresher course guided the participants to find the right connection between what they learnt (theory) and what they applied (practice) and how to use in the future (lessons learned). The diversity of the participants from eight countries in South East Asia, ranging from University professors to development workers, created a healthy and challenging learning environment. The participants found that the refresher course not only refreshed their minds but also provided a platform to initiate new interventions and they left full of confidence.
S. Thilakan (MDF-SA) and Hanneke Spaans (MDF-NL), trainers of the course in May 2008
Conference ‘Understanding Development Better’
Do we understand development? This question is at the heart of our conference 'Understanding Development Better'. The conference is designed to serve as a platform for discussions, directly related to this fundamental question. To start with, we will deepen our insights by looking at development and change processes from different theoretical perspectives. A number of academics will translate the development-question from their discipline's point of view, which will provide a starting point for in-depth discussion. Also constraints in development will be part of the (later) discussions, highlighted by different professionals and scientists, to get a better idea on what is stifling development.
The three days will be spent on 'Understanding Development Better'. We want to unraffle the aid - and - development discussion, to keep the discussion and the focus clear. Aid will therefore only we a very small part of the conference. During the last day of the conference the connection between aid and development will be discussed very briefly in terms of possible contributions of aid. This discussion will provide a bridge to our next conference that will focus more on aid.
The conference will be held in Ede (The Netherlands) on August 27-28-29. All information (e.g. programma, fees) is published on the website: www.e-mdf.nl/seminars. For further questions and information please contact Ellen Tijkotte (ti@mdf.nl).
Gestión Axée sur les Résultats (GAR)
MDF becomes facilitator of the French Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results
The CoP in french online:
Nous avons le plaisir de pouvoir vous annoncer le démarrage de la discussion en ligne concernant la Gestion axée sur les Résultats (GAR). Nous avons prévu de lancer le débat avec un premier thème réservé à la Planification Intégrée de Développement. En étroite collaboration avec la CoP anglophone notre rôle est de stimuler la discussion en langue française de ces mêmes thèmes. Nous comptons vivement sur votre participation aux discussions, voir le sit web: MfDR Africa Community of Practice, MfDR francophone. Conjointement nous pourrons développer davantage un savoir-faire de la Gestion axée sur les Résultats.
MDF fournira l'équipe de facilitateurs. Dick van Blitterswijk et Melinda Wezenaar mettront tout en œuvre pour qu'ensemble nous puissions réussir cette exploration de nouvelles expériences.
The english Community of Practice is MfDR Africa Community of Practice
Herman Snelder, Director MDF
Upcoming courses- click on title
Value Chain Concept
The course has been
conducted seven times since 2006, and ex-participants are now joined in a Community of Practitioners enabling some 80
experts to discuss emerging issues and share global experiences on-line.
Training of Trainers
Professional trainers and technical staff become better equipped to assess practical training needs, to define
realistic training objectives and to implement effective training programmes.
Institutional Development and Organisational
Strengthening
You will acquire an extensive toolkit to analyse organisations and the context in which they operate. You will learn to
assess the performance of organisations and how to decide on strategic priorities for institutional development and
organisational strengthening.
Changed dates
The courses Building Alliances and Lobby and Advocacy will take place from 24 - 28 November 2008.
Staff changes
After four years as a branch director of MDF South Asia, Mike Zuijderduijn returns to the office in Ede where he will be heading one of the new clusters: People and Organisations in Development.
Susanne van Lieshout has taken over as a branch Director MDF South Asia until the first quarter of 2009.
Ger Roebeling joined MDF in January as a senior trainer/consultant working on lobby and advocacy, facilitation of international partnerships; networks and alliances.
Hadewijch Klaassen joined MDF in February and will be assisting the external relations and acquisition unit.
Staff leaving
Sonia Gomez Puente and Paul Munters have decided to leave us from September onwards. We regret their decision, but understand them. We wish them all the best in their next job.
Message from a participant
Referring to the dynamics, it is easy to find organizations facing difficulties to run effective and efficiently. So many factors can be very influential. One of the significant factor is the changing of society structure. This factor has the impact to all of human life, included the organization life.
Unfortunately not all people involved in organizations are aware of the changing society so they maintain the former concepts in handling the organization. The difficulties finally come out.
What MDF offered in the short course of Project Management is very relevant in this context. Nearly all the problems in managing project faced by an organization were deeply discussed and simulated in this course. The subject of OOPP, Intervention Logic, Leadership, Teamwork, and Peer Consultation are some of the many subjects offered, in which we can get eye-openers.
Applying humanistic approach and subjectivity-intersubjectivity perspective, for example, the subjects leadership, teamwork are so inspiring to implement in nowadays context. Seeing another peer staff as having the relatively same capacity, interest, responsibility, and responsibility in managing the organization will make the organization more productive, progress, and achieve the better performance. Project Management course is great. Even though the course was over but the real course will just start at the time we get home.
Elizabeth Zulfa, M. , participant PM course June 2008
PO Box 430
6710 BK Ede
Netherlands
PO Box 430
6710 BK Ede
Netherlands
T +31 (0)318 - 650060
F +31 (0)318 - 614503
E mdf@mdf.nl