Building the capacity builders: lessons from a multi-country training programme for local consultants. Issue 4 (19th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: James, Rick
• Is Part Of: Development in practice. Volume 28:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 584
• Page End: 590
• Publication Date: 2018-05-19
• Subjects: Aid – Capacity development -- Civil society – Partnership; Technical assistance -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; Economic assistance -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; Developing countries -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; 338.91091724
• DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2018.1444017
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0961-4524

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Local consultants are an implicit, but overlooked, part of many capacity development strategies. It takes a trustworthy consultant to facilitate genuine change in a civil society organisation. This practical note identifies the learning from a local consultant formation programme ("Consultants for Change" – C4C) implemented in five countries in 2016–17. The note highlights six factors critical to C4C's apparent success: recruitment; focus of the learning; design of the process; assignments between modules; mentoring support; and the human/financial resources. These same factors may be relevant and applicable to other capacity development programmes.