How do humanitarian organisations learn from their mistakes?
This issue was the most discussed at the conference „Failed projects and new approaches“ (Failed projects and New approaches), which took place in Kiev at the premises of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Ukraine (ADRA Ukraine). More than 100 participants attended the conference with international trainers from Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary.
Daria Tikhonova, Project Manager of ADRA Ukraine, who organized the conference for the Ukrainian part, assured: „The civil society has developed actively recently, hundreds of projects have been carried out in different countries, including Ukraine. It is very important to do the right thing and to learn from our mistakes and not to repeat them again.“
The trainers talked about the reasons for project implementation failures: poor planning, lack of communication or failed partnerships.
Margaret Olasinska-Chart, head of the Polish Medical Mission, said that sometimes it is difficult to find understanding as organisations work with different cultures, religions and traditions. But despite failed partnerships, for example with organisations in Africa or Asia, it is still possible to benefit from them. She also mentioned that issues should always be discussed, „It's like marriage. You have to work through the problems, talk about them, resolve them and continue the partnership.“
Another trainer, Christine Nnaji, Head of Education at ADRA Czech Republic, supported this comparison and confirmed that it is not the problem itself that is a failure, but rather the unwillingness or inability to talk about it. Kristýna told the conference participants about project planning and the importance of communication at the same time. In order to implement a good project, you need to be able to communicate with partners, whether they are people on the team, but also with others who can be helpful.
„You need to create an atmosphere within your organisation where failures are perceived as normal. They can be discussed and they can be analysed.“ - He said David Gál, Director of International Programs at HBA (Hungarian Baptist Aid). The expert talked about the organization's failures in implementing the three projects, and also how these mistakes were corrected over time and much was learned. „I would like to encourage all Ukrainian NGOs: if you have a dream for your organization, if you want to do something, to achieve something, just do it and you will succeed.“ - said David Gál.
Experts believe that a mistake is an opportunity to stop and analyse the situation. Setbacks help to see things from a different perspective, and are the starting point for change that leads to future success.
Milan Zbořil, an expert on partnerships and civil society development in Central and Eastern Europe, mentioned another reason for the failure. As he assured, public organisations should help people not only to do something for them, but also to do something with them. It is important to communicate with people to know what kind of help they need. He described a situation where he was once certain that the cities„ need was recycling of trash and the lack of a park. “When I started talking to people, I realized I was wrong. People in the villages needed a path to the school. Children were coming to school with wet feet through the big barrens." - Milan Zbořil said. Consequently, the village built not only a sidewalk, but also a square in front of the school.
What's next?
The conference will be followed by a series of training sessions in Kiev, Kramatorsk and Slavyansk until the summer of 2018. Expert trainers will lecture on how to effectively search for resources, project management and how to work with volunteers. Upon completion of the training cycle, the participants who prove to be the most prepared will be able to take part in a professional visit to one of the partner organisations in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. All project activities will take place in the framework of the project „Improving management, fundraising and communication of civil society in Ukraine“ (Enhancing civil society's management, fundraising and communication in Ukraine) - with financial support from the Visegrad Fund Programme and the Dutch Government. The project is implemented by ADRA Slovakia in cooperation with partners PMM - Polish Medical Mission (Poland), ADRA Czech Republic, HBA - Hungarian Baptist Aid (Hungary) and ADRA Ukraine.
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