Capacity Building and Cornerstones Internalization Project

Project Number: 22-0510-18

Project Period: 2007-2011

Project Holder: Heifer International Thailand
Since 1974, Heifer Thailand has been working to end hunger and poverty in Thailand through the gifts of livestock and training.  To date, Heifer Thailand along with its project holders have assisted over 20,000 families in more than 1,600 villages in Thailand, Myanmar and Laos in becoming self-reliant.  Families have been "Passing on the Gifts" through sharing animals’ offspring or repaying loans to other needy families.
Heifer Thailand has continued to strengthen its relationship with those organizations as well as attempted to expand relations with other potential organizations to further effective coordination and implementation of the projects. Currently, there are 18 project partners in Thailand, 3 project partners in Laos, and 6 project partners in Myanmar working with Heifer Thailand including educational institutions, governmental organizations (GOs), local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and grass-root organizations. However, this project will focus only for 18 project partners in Thailand, one project partner in Laos and 50 prospective project partners.

In partnership with those organizations, Heifer Thailand has provided various kinds of training courses to needy farmers in target areas which focus on increasing capacity of both farmers in agricultural development and animal improvement. Also agricultural inputs such as seeds and machinery equipment have been supplied to those communities as well. 

Project Profile:

Heifer’s Cornerstones are an important tool used in implementing values-based holistic community development. This project will focus on capacity building for 19 existing project partners, 50 prospective project partners and 251 self-help groups in the northern highlands, northeastern lowlands and southern Thailand. The project will provide an introduction to values-based holistic community development and various tools to strengthen self-help groups, including group formation, savings and credit plans, values-based visioning and planning, appreciative inquiry, proposal development for Heifer funding, and project self-review and planning. Potential project partners will be selected to be future training facilitators.

Local Conditions:

Heifer Thailand has been working for underprivileged people in remote areas to end hunger and poverty through the animal-based holistic development for more than 3 decades. More than 2,000 families have received help and built capacity in order to secure a better life both directly and indirectly. Heifer’s Values-based holistic community development model is an important tool through which Heifer Thailand will be able to implement the projects effectively. Heifer’s Cornerstones are a fundamental principle that was developed to support value-based holistic community development approaches within Heifer projects worldwide.

Present world scenario is dominated by the materialistic structuralism by ignoring the value based approach. Social values and norms are being paralyzed. Similarly social harmony couldn't be established in the community as if there is large number of efforts has been carried out. So the VBHCD approach will act as a catalyst for positive change by establishing social harmony and restoring social values through the acceptance of Heifer principles.

The first step for the value-based holistic community development is to reinforce Cornerstones by enlightening people through a productive training exercise. This will allow people to internalize perceptions and better understand the principles. Technical knowledge and various skills will be inputted as needed. Empowerment is the third step towards greater capability.

The evaluation of the umbrella project by Jane Yudelman (July 2006) on Cornerstones training entitled, “Specific to the Cornerstones training” noted that, “in all but one community, the beneficiaries were not conversant with the Cornerstones. Additional discussions with the field staff of at least two of the partner organizations also highlighted their desire to have additional training on the Cornerstones. Given this, and given that the Cornerstones are central to the way in which Heifer works, Heifer-Thailand needs to strengthen this training. This may mean redesigning the training curriculum and introducing refresher courses for the partner organizations so that they too can adequately refer to the Cornerstones when they are working with the communities.”

This project will focus on capacity building for 19 existing project partners and 50 prospective project partners and 251 self-help groups comprising of around 20 families  each in the highland of the North, lowland residents in the Northeast and mixed group of local residents and Muslim villagers in the South of Thailand to implement Heifer projects. The project will provide productive trainings on VBHCD to include:  introduction to VBHCD, Self-help group formation, savings and credit scheme of SHG, various tools used to strengthen SHGs, values-based visioning and planning by SHGs, appreciative enquiry, proposal development/planning for Heifer funding, PSRP and study tours.    Throughout the implementation period, back stopping services and monitoring systems will be established to support project partners to implement and deliver VBHCD at the community level productively. Moreover, the potential project partner and successful community will be selected as a model for Heifer Thailand and share the lessons learned to other countries.  As a result of this project, Heifer Thailand will be able to be a best practice model and specialist for cornerstones training and workshop in both level of Asia and Global in the future.

Project Goal:

To enhance and strengthen capacity building project partners and villagers on cornerstones

Objectives:

• To have capacity to implement projects increased through trainings on Heifer’s VBHCD model. 
• To internalize and enlighten self-help groups through cornerstones and group management training.
• The cornerstones and PSRP tool kits will be produced and delivered to target project partners and communities
• Project Partners will practice co-learning through co-mentoring and shared leadership.

 Passing on the Gifts:

Knowledge and skill will be passed on by participants of training activities and other educational events to others in the community through informal villager training events and individual interaction.   

Funding source: Heifer Project International