Project Mission
To enhance the democratic culture in Sri Lanka through strengthening a transformation process at the local level, which is intended to: foster empowerment, advocate for participatory governance and promote international education at Northern Illinois University (NIU).
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Project Goal
A - Goal Statement for Core Advisory Group (CAG ) in Sri Lanka
To p rovide direction and support to GROW II Project in Sri Lanka, by acting as a " Think Tank " for innovative strategy formulation related to advocacy initiatives, community empowerment, and other project related activities, working in collaboration with the Sri Lankan stake holders including the NGO Coalition, Diploma Course administrative partners as well as with the Northern Illinois University, USA.
B - Goal Statement for NGO Coalition in Sri Lanka
To be effective and critical partners of an advocacy and empowerment process of GROW II Project, geared at stimulating the democratic culture at the local level in Sri Lanka through strengthening the capacities of the leaders of the member NGOs.
C - Goal Statement for Diploma Course on Participatory Governance and Local Leadership
To implement a formal leadership course geared to prepare a critical group of leaders at the local level to further support the traditions of participatory governance through strengthening the capacities of the NGO Coalition and identified local government institutions, working in partnership with the Northern Illinois University .
D - Goal Statement for Advisory Committee at NIU
- To provide guidance and program support in building a stronger democratic civil society in Sri Lanka through strengthening the capacities of the project partners in Sri Lanka and cultivating an enhanced global perspective at NIU in building civil societies as a key element in international education.
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Project Objectives
- Promote collaborative partnerships among NGOs, civil society organizations and other local development organizations in Sri Lanka to enable productive and sustainable networking to lead and carry out advocacy initiatives and to engage in advocacy policy efforts.
- Build the capacities of (selected) NGOs to strengthen community participation and empowerment including the marginalized women to be partners in building a stronger civil society.
- Develop knowledge, skills and attitudes among leaders of (selected) NGOs and local government institutions in Sri Lanka , through formal learning interventions, for propagating traditions of good governance, including adherence to transparency and accountability in their institutions.
- Enhance the use of appropriate information technologies among NGO, civil society and local government leaders to enable them to access new learning and share information and experiences to further strengthen the democratic culture.
- Disseminate information and materials of the experiences gained among other civil society organizations in Sri Lanka and globally, particularly with the NGOs in the South Asia region, thus assisting in social transformation towards a stronger democratic culture.
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Project Summary
" Strengthening Civil Society in Sri Lanka Through Building Advocacy Partnerships Among NGOs and Developing Local Leadership" also known as GROW II, is a project funded by the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Bureau of Educational Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and implemented in Sri Lanka by the Northern Illinois University (NIU). This two-year project (2004-2006) actively engages the expertise and resources of four units at NIU, namely, International Training Office, Faculty of Adult and Higher Education, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center and the University Women's Center, in building a stronger civil society in Sri Lanka . Intended major outcome of the project is to strengthen the capacities of NGOs to engage in collaborative advocacy policy initiatives and to enhance the competencies of the leaders of NGOs and local government institutions in adhering to good governance, thereby empowering the communities they serve to be partners in building a stronger civil society.
The project builds on the experiences gained by NIU over a two year period through the implementation of an earlier funded project (2002-2004) of the State Department, titled "Capacity Building and Advocacy for Women's Participation in Grassroots Democracy in Sri Lanka ". The current project enables the application of the core principles and strategies related to grassroots democracy that have been tested and implemented by the four NGOs involved in the project in four Model Villages in this earlier project on to a wider scale. (More information on the earlier State Department Project can be accessed by visiting the project website at http://www.niu.edu/srilankaproj .) GROW II Project expands and transfers the successfully field tested and implemented processes on democracy strengthening in a more wider scale through an NGO Coalition consisted of 12 members, thereby taking advantage of the rich learning that emerged from the earlier project.
The project as a whole presents a two-pronged strategy towards achieving the much-needed strategic transformation process in Sri Lanka to enhance civil society. The first component of the strategy is aimed at building advocacy partnerships through a series of activities connected to formation and strengthening of the NGO Coalition. The second component of the strategy is the implementation of formal learning interventions jointly implemented by two prestigious academic institutions in Sri Lanka, namely, Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration and The Open University of Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the Northern Illinois University in order to prepare the needed leadership for strategic transformation towards building a civil society.
The project experiences will be disseminated through diverse means, including a project websites, series of on-going seminars and other academic exchanges and through two major end-of-the project seminars to be held at NIU and in Sri Lanka . Also, the experiences will be shared with other NGOs in the global scene, particularly in the South Asian region through out the project period and beyond.
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Project Description
Initiated in July 2004, State Department funded NIU project titled “Strengthening Civil Society in Sri Lanka through Building Advocacy Partnerships among NGOs and Developing Local Leadership” was aimed at building a stronger democratic civil society in Sri Lanka through strengthening the capacities of NGOs to engage in collaborative advocacy policy initiatives and enhance the competencies of the leaders of the NGOs and local development institutions in adhering to good governance. The project was built on the earlier experiences gained by NIU over a two year period through the implementation of the previously funded (2002-2004) State Department project, titled “Capacity Building and Advocacy for Women’s Participation in Grassroots Democracy in Sri Lanka “ or popularly known as GROW I. One of the major features of GROW II Project is to apply the core principles and strategies related to grassroots democracy that have been tested and implemented by the four NGOs involved in the earlier project in four Model Villages, on to a wider scale.
Project Strategy
GROW II project presented a two-pronged strategy towards achieving strategic transformation process towards further enhancing the civil society in Sri Lanka. The first component of the strategy was intended at building advocacy partnerships through a series of activities connected to formation and strengthening of a NGO Coalition. The second component of the strategy was to implement a formal learning intervention by two prestigious academic institutions in Sri Lanka in order to prepare the needed leadership towards building a civil society.
Core Advocacy Group (CAG) as a Support Mechanism
An advisory body in Sri Lanka, titled Core Advocacy Group (CAG) was set up at the initial stages of the GROW II Project by inviting members of the Partners Forum of the previously funded State Department Project and a few other identified national level leaders in order to elicit technical guidance for major project activities. The main responsibility of CAG is to stimulate new approaches for advocacy efforts and campaigns aimed at strengthening the civil society. Also, the Core Advocacy Group acts as a think tank entrusted with providing innovative thinking and strategy formation related to improving the advocacy initiatives and community empowerment. The Core Advocacy Group is also engaged in strengthening the capacities of the NGOs in the coalition to be effective, critical, and creative agents of a process focused on enhancing the democratic culture in the country. GROW Project Manager in Sri Lanka, who is also the coordinator of CAG, acts as the major facilitator of the major activities of the GROW II Project in Sri Lanka. Project Manager is also the liaison person with the GROW leaders at NIU.
Leadership Development On Good Governance And Civil Society For NGO Leaders And Local Administrators
Leadership development of the NGOs and the local administrators, (specifically Pradeshiya Sabha leaders) on good governance is the second major component of the two-pronged strategy of the GROW II Project. This is a well-planned capacity development intervention achieved through administering a two-tier academic program of one-year duration on Good Governance and Local Leadership. GROW II Project administered two such programs, attended by nearly 50 participants, selected from credible national level NGOs engaged in community development interventions and a few identified local government institutions and these program are considered as the most significant outcome of the GROW II Project. These programs conducted at the Sri Lanka Institute for Development Administration (SLIDA) in collaboration with the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) have produced a critical group of NGO leaders and local government administrators for the first time in Sri Lanka, competent with the theory and practice of good governance as essential elements for building a civil society. The curriculum of the program included a carefully structured set of learning modules related to philosophy, practice, methodologies, and tools on Good Governance and Civil Society, identified after a systematic needs assessment process. The medium of instruction of the Diploma program is English, assuring the opportunities for the minorities to participate in the program. The design of the program has a heavy emphasis on practical aspects and the learning process is geared to encourage critical thinking, change management, and respect for diversity. The instructional resource team was the identified faculty from SLIDA and the Open University faculty, and two other national level resource persons.
Developing Internet- based skills for communication and IT networking provided in an instructor-led environment is also an important component of the program. Tools of on-line communication and networking have been built into the IT course as essential practical elements. The Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center at Northern Illinois University has provided the technical assistance in the design and delivery of the IT component. A field practicum on developing an action plan on a selected theme on good governance and civil society, for each participant to carry out in his/her local area/or his or her organization, is an important element of the program. A Diploma Certificate in Good Governance and Local Leadership, jointly issued by the NIU, OUSL, and SLIDA was awarded to the first batch of graduates of the Diploma Program. The second batch, will be receiving their Diploma certificates at the conclusion of their one-year program in December 2006.
Faculty Development Program At Northern Illinois University
As a preparation for administering the above-mentioned Diploma Program on Good Governance and Local Leadership, the Sri Lankan resource staff in charge of instruction and facilitation participated in a three-week Faculty Development Program at the Northern Illinois University. This program was designed to (1) guide them in designing the curriculum (2) provide directions in planning and implementing the program and (3) familiarize/orient the faculty to the concepts, theories, and principles related to good governance and civil society most prevalent in the global scene and explore its application to the Sri Lanka context. Seven recourse faculty identified from the Sri Lanka Institute for Development Administration (SLIDA), and the Open University of Sri Lanka (including the Program Coordinator and the Program Advisor) participated in the Professional Development Program that took place at NIU in September-October, 2004. The detailed agenda of the Professional Development Program was developed after careful analysis of needs, project related tasks and themes. The resource faculty to the Faculty Development Program at NIU were specially invited NIU faculty (including the faculty from Adult and Higher Education, Division of Public Administration and Department of Political Science), members of the current Sri Lanka Advisory Committee at NIU and invited guest resource persons from the higher education institutions in Chicago and relevant community development activists in the Chicagoland area. On-going evaluations of the program were conducted to elicit feedback from the participants to assure that they receive the needed skills to plan and lead the Diploma Program on Good Governance and Local Leadership, upon their return to Sri Lanka.
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Project History
GROW (Grassroots Organizing by Women) Project, focused on Sri Lanka, is a collaborative effort by four NIU units, with the Faculty of Adult and Higher Education at the College of Education as a key collaborator. There were two major projects, popularly known as GROW I and GROW II, implemented during a four-year time period – from June, 2002 through August,2006, both focused on grassroots empowerment in Sri Lanka, with specific emphasis on rural women. These two consecutive projects were funded by two grants from the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, $ 182,376.00 for the first project and $ 200,000.00 for the second project. The International Training Office at the International Programs Division, along with three other NIU partners that included the Faculty of Adult and Higher Education, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center and the Women’s Resources Center had provided major cost-sharing for the project. The overseas partners in this strategic synergy is a NGO Coalition headed by four prominent women's NGOs in Sri Lanka - Agromart Foundation, Centre for Women's Research, Sarvodaya Women's Movement, and the Muslim Women's Research and Action Forum. These collaborating partners in Sri Lanka had been giving tremendous support and had been very committed to the objectives of the GROW Project, a major factor in the successful implementation of the project.
Prof. Laurel Jeris, at the Faculty of Adult and Higher Education, has acted as the Project Advisor to both projects giving excellent direction and guidance through out the entire four-year period. In addition to her continuous guidance to the project on campus, Dr. Jeris has visited Sri Lanka four times for a period of one month each year and have given tremendous support to the project activities on the ground that had gone a long way in the unique success of the project. Dr. Jaya Gajanayake, is a native of Sri Lanka and an adjunct faculty of the Faculty of Adult Education, has been the Project Director of the two project and had provided direction to the project with her unique knowledge of the project context in the field. This is also a major factor for the project success. Dr. Phyllis Cunningham, Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Adult Education has provided excellent support to the GROW project as the Chairperson of the GROW Advisory Committee at NIU. Prof. Jorge Jeria, a Senior Professor at the Faculty of Adult and Higher Education, also has served as a member of the project advisory committee at NIU. Gene Roth, at the Faculty of Adult and Higher Education has been another member of the NIU Advisory Committee, and a major resource for the project. Prof. Roth visited Sri Lanka twice on GROW Project related missions, first as the NIU representative to lay the foundation to the project during its first initiation in September 2002 and a second time, on June 2004 to join a pinnacle event of the project, an International Symposium. Prof. Roth was a part of an NIU team that visited Sri Lanka, headed by NIU Provost, Dr. Ivan Legg, to participate in the International Symposium held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with an invited audience of 250 Sri Lankans. This was a real landmark not only in the history of the project but also in the 70-year history of women political empowerment in Sri Lanka. During the GROW symposium that was graced by the current President of Sri Lanka – Mahnida Rajapaksa- as the chief guest, GROW leaders submitted a declaration titled GROW Declaration demanding affirmative action clause in the election laws in Sri Lanka to enable 33% women representation at the local government level. Since then the GROW advisory committee in Sri Lanka has taken the GROW Declaration forward. GROW Declaration, if materialized will be a landmark in the nearly 75 year history of democracy in Sri Lanka and no doubt will be an invaluable legacy of the GROW Projects in Sri Lanka spearheaded by NIU.
GROW projects have stimulated and built the capacities of the leaders of the above-mentioned NGO Coalition in Sri Lanka to face new challenges and opportunities for strengthening women's active participation in grassroots democracy. At the same time, the projects have broadened the understanding and awareness of women's contribution to democracy strengthening among NIU faculty and graduate students as a part of an effort to internationalize the university curriculum. The Sri Lankan partners were resourceful in implementing the core principles of the civil society strengthening process in four Model Villages in Sri Lanka under the directions of the four NGOs partners of the project. These Model Villages are continuing to act as field laboratories not only for the activities of the four major partner organizations but also for other non-government and government organizations in Sri Lanka engaged in strengthening grassroots democracy in Sri Lanka. Prof. Laurel Jeris, Project Advisor has conducted intensive research in these Model Villages and has written articles and made conference presentations on GROW Model Villages.
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