Amazon: Community Self - Development Methodology

amazon
P A R T N E R S H I P S
F O U N D A T I O N

Community Self-‐Development Methodology

Implementation Handbook

By Mary Fifield
Executive Director
Amazon Partnerships Foundation/Fundación Tarpuna Causay

April 2012

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of:

Patricia Grefa
Ángel Aguinda
Ulises Gutiérrez
Yolanda Palacios
Nelly Tanguila

and the communities of:
San Pedro de Auca Parti
San Pedro de Chimbiyacu
Nuevo Paraíso
Canambo
Campana Cocha
Palma Amazónica

Global Fund for Community Foundations
Grupo Faro

This handbook was made possible in part through the financial support of the
German Development Cooperation (GIZ)

© Amazon Partnerships Foundation/Fundación Tarpuna Causay

2012

(Photo: Building ecological composting toilets in the community of Palma Amazónica)
Community Self-‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 2

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1
DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNITY SELF-‐DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY ................ 6
PHASE 1: PROJECT SOLICITATION ................................................................................. 7
PHASE 2: IMPLEMENTATION ...................................................................................... 12
PHASE 3: EVALUATION ............................................................................................... 16
BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED .................................................................. 19
CASE STUDY: CAMPANA COCHA ................................................................................. 21
CASE STUDY: CANAMBO ............................................................................................. 23
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................ 25
APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 26
Appendix 1: Project Solicitation Calendar ............................................................................................................... 27
Appendix 2: Information Sheet for Interested Communities .......................................................................... 28
Appendix 3: Sample Application .................................................................................................................................. 29
Appendix 4: Sample Budget ........................................................................................................................................... 35
Appendix 5: Proposal Scoresheet ................................................................................................................................ 36
Appendix 6: Grant Acceptance Letter ........................................................................................................................ 38
Appendix 7: Individual Agreement ............................................................................................................................. 39
Appendix 8: Sample Attendance Sheet ..................................................................................................................... 41
Appendix 9: Checklist of Principal Activities and Meetings ............................................................................. 42
Appendix 10: Inspection Forms for Rainwater Catchment Systems ........................................................... 43
Appendix 11: Sample Inspection Form-‐-‐How to Calculate Scores ................................................................ 44
Appendix 12: Sample Inspection Form for Composting Toilets .................................................................... 46
Appendix 13: Project Report Form ............................................................................................................................. 47
Appendix 14: Sample Project Report ......................................................................................................................... 49
Appendix 15: Sample Project Evaluation by the APF Team ............................................................................ 51
Appendix 16: Workshop-‐-‐Chain of Deforestation ................................................................................................ 53

Appendix 17: Workshop-‐-‐The Parasite's Journey ................................................................................................ 54
Appendix 18: Workshop-‐-‐How Long Does It Take Garbage to Decompose? ........................................... 56
Appendix 19: Workshop-‐-‐How Many Liters Do You Use? ................................................................................ 58
Appendix 20: Workshop-‐-‐Climate Change and APF Community Support Program ............................. 59
WORKSHOP GRAPHICS & HANDOUTS (SEE GRAPHICS-‐HANDOUTS.PDF)


Introduction
All organizations working in international development, whether focusing on health and welfare in
marginalized communities, environmental conservation or climate change, democratic participation,
or any other issue, are concerned about finding effective methods for showing results and achieving
success. At the international policy level, the United Nations 2005 Paris Declaration acknowledges the
pressing need to measure and improve outcomes. The Declaration, which identifies five key principles
including greater ownership among recipient nations, managing of results, and mutual accountability
for how aid is used, represents “ 'an unprecedented global consensus' ” for reforming the delivery
1
and management of aid to improve its effectiveness."

While this landmark agreement is innovative and significant, for many organizations on the ground
the challenge persists of how to bring about change from the bottom up and how to define and
measure return on institutional investment. Amazon Partnerships Foundation (APF), a non-‐profit
grassroots community foundation formed in Napo Province in the Ecuadorian Amazon, addresses the
issue of effectiveness from another angle, analyzing power relationships that can strengthen or
weaken communities that are the supposed "recipients" of aid. Through six years of on-‐the-‐ground
work with marginalized communities, APF has created and implemented the Community Self-‐
Development Methodology and achieved encouraging outcomes with little economic investment.

Brief History of Amazon Partnerships

Foundation
In 2006, while director of a U.S. community health

non-‐profit that had projects in Ecuador, Mary Fifield
launched a pilot grant-‐making program in which
communities presented their project ideas and the
organization provided not only financing but intensive
training so communities could learn how to manage
and sustain their own projects. Encouraged by
communities' positive response to the program, and
recognizing their increasing concern about climate
change and environmental deterioration, she formed
Amazon Partnerships Foundation (known as (Left to right) Piedad Cerda and APF board
Fundación Tarpuna Causay in Ecuador) with a group members Ángel Aguinda, Susan King, Ulises
of Ecuadorian and North American colleagues. They Gutiérrez, and Mary Fifield in front of a
continued developing the model, which later would rainwater catchment system installed with
APF's support.
become the Community Self-‐Development
Methodology.

APF's mission is to empower indigenous communities through small grants and training for
conservation projects that communities design and manage themselves. Through the implementation
of our methodology, communities take ownership of their own ideas and results. They gain the skills
and confidence to lead their own innovative, effective efforts to manage natural resources based on
their traditional values, and in the process become examples for others in other parts of the world.

Complementing our efforts to promote community leadership, we developed an environmental
education program focusing on climate change in the Amazon, for which we produced the award-‐
winning documentary Life and Breath, filmed in Napo Province in the local language Kichwa and
subtitled in Spanish and English. Featuring interviews with community members as well as
conservation professionals, Life and Breath is an educational tool to help raise awareness among rural
Kichwa audiences about the science of climate change as well as a testimony to their concerns about
the changes they have witnessed and their ideas for projects to address environmental problems. The

1 http://www.un-‐ngls.org/article.php3?id_article=451

documentary has been screened in communities, public forums, schools, and universities and has
been broadcast on Ecuadorian television to increase understanding about the climate crisis and to
support community leadership efforts to confront it.

Results of the Community Self-‐Development Methodology
With just a two-‐member team and a small budget, APF has achieved promising results implementing
our methodology with partner communities. Since our inception in 2009, communities have
submitted projects based on their needs and priorities for rainwater catchment systems,
reforestation, ecological composting toilets, and training in organic cacao production, and together
we have accomplished the following:

Community presentations on climate change and APF's methodology 46
Community workshops on project management 115
Communities trained in project management 11
Projects financed 7
Rainwater catchment systems installed 84
Ecological composting toilets constructed 5
Hardwood and fruit trees planted (cacao and other) 1545
Tree nurseries constructed 3
Technical workshops in organic cacao production 10
Women, men, and children directly benefitting from APF support 1300
Number of viewers of Life and Breath (public forums, community screenings, and 12,000
broadcasts)

Beyond the number of projects completed and number of beneficiaries, the level of community
participation and follow up is particularly notable. The following table illustrates that communities
not only participate during the implementation phase but invest their time after our support ends to
continue sustaining their results:

Average workshop attendance is 83%
89% of families maintain their rainwater catchment systems in good condition
57% of communities that have undertaken a project qualify for follow on support
based on their own results
100% of families surveyed that installed rainwater catchment systems in 2009 are
still using them
84% of famlies that installed rainwater catchment systems in 2009 say they are
very satisfied with the project

At this point in APF's evolution, we recognize the value of sharing the knowledge and results we've
attained so that other organizations can adapt the methodology according to their constituents and
local conditions and create positive change over the long run in other regions.

Even more importantly, as we explore in the following section, implementation of the principles that
form the basis of the Community Self-‐Development Methodology can bring about a profound change
in power relations between non-‐governmental organizations and communities, and this in turn can
help cultivate genuine empowerment at the grassroots. Changing the power dynamic creates the
possibility for development that is not simply measured in number of basic services provided, square
miles protected, or programs implemented, but through tangible evidence that communities know
how to define their own agendas and take action to implement them, resolving conflicts and
successfully managing relationships with others.


Environmental, Economic, and Cultural
Context
APF has worked primarily in Napo Province,

Ecuador where Kichwa people and others
confront climate change, environmental
destruction, and the loss of their culture. With
its emphasis on the value of maintaining
equilibrium between human activities and
conservation of the rainforest, Kichwa culture
has played an important role in helping people
live sustainably for centuries.

Kichwa people make up approximately 55% of
Common Kichwa home, Ahuano Parish, Napo Province. the population of the province, which extends
into the Amazon on the east, borders the
Andes on the west, and comprises part of the UNESCO Sumaco Biosphere Reserve. According to
Ecuadorian environment ministry statistics, the region is extremely rich in biodiversity, containing 58
2
species of snakes, 6,000 species of plants, and seven distinct eco-‐systems, including tropical forest.

Unfortunately, deforestation in the region occurs at a rate of approximately 70 square miles per year,
71% of the population is considered poor according to a national index measuring satisfaction of basic
3
needs and services . River flows are visibly diminishing and rainfall patterns are changing, among
other effects of environmental degradation such as those that result from large-‐scale resource
extraction. Communities are increasingly vulnerable to destruction of their natural surroundings and
the loss of resources that sustained them for generations.

The Persistent Effects of Paternalism
A crucial element to consider when attempting to understand the context is the culture of
paternalism or dependency that still exists in many areas of Ecuador, including the Amazon. With a
long and complex history of isolation, "discovery" by outsiders, and the arrival of Spanish
conquistadores, missionaries, oil companies, government institutions, and non-‐governmental
organizations, the Kichwa nationality, like other indigenous groups, has confronted changes imposed
from the outside and an extreme level of racism and marginalization that has made them internalize
the erroneous message that indigenous people do not have the capacity for self-‐realization.

Despite the fact that communities had been meeting their own needs and managing their natural
resources sustainably for years, a growing culture of paternalism helped create an environment in
which communities became dependent on state or external aid, which in many cases has been
ineffective or provoked conflicts and divisions. This phenomenon diminishes communities' self
esteem and belief in self-‐sufficiency, causes many of them to devalue the natural resources that they
always counted on for sustenance, and contributes to deterioration of self-‐governance skills.
Communities become more vulnerable to outside agendas that make them even more dependent on
others.

Indigenous federations and others have struggled on behalf of their constituents to obtain more
rights and power in the public discourse, and their impressive accomplishments are well documented.
Of course, changes at the community level transpire more slowly, and the remnants of paternalism
persist. However, as communities that have collaborated with APF show, some have overcome these
obstacles and are reversing the tendency toward paternalism, helping to dismantle the stereotype of
disempowered communities. As this attitude grows, so does the potential for significant change.

2 http://sites.google.com/site/wuayrasumac/sumacobiospherereserve
3 Ministerio del Ambiente, 2009 y INEC, 2006.

The Methodology That Makes
a Difference
Non-‐governmental organizations
(NGOs) and other civil society
organizations recognize the
negative impacts of paternalism,
and many have tried to combat it
by strengthening community self-‐
governance and participation. The
problem with this approach is
that it overlooks two key issues:
the demand for many of these
efforts comes from outside the
community, and ideas from
outside do not necessarily reflect
the community's priorities, even if This graphic illustrates how the cycle of support works: the initiative for
the project starts from within the community. As the community
they seem to in the moment. implements the project, their results motivate others to think of and
propose their own project ideas.
With the well-‐intentioned goal of
improving sustainability in the long run, many civil society organizations try to involve communities
early on in the development of a project, but there is an important difference between participating
in a project and taking ownership not only of the idea but the entire process, from planning to follow
up. If the community doesn't take responsibility for the project from the beginning, it is difficult to
convince members to follow up with the project after the period of external support ends because
the community doesn't see the project as its own but rather that of the outside organization.

In addition, projects that an NGO prioritizes, or
Return on Investment
that are mandated by their funders, might not
Average costs per project*
necessarily hold the same importance for

Materials/technical support $2,300 communities. For example, although a
Workshops (APF team) $2,550 community might believe that increasing its self-‐
Transportation $230 governance capacity is important and might be
Supplies $150 willing to participate in such a project for a
limited time, they might consider other needs,
Total per project $5,280 such as potable water, to be more urgent. After
APF's investment per family $330

the NGO project ends, the community will
*Materials are those used for construction, resume its focus on trying to meet more urgent
installation, planting, etc. Technical support refers to needs. For this reason, many community aid
workshops facilitated by non APF staff who are initiatives fail.
specialists in agronomy, etc. Supplies refer to
educational materials, printing and copying, etc.
APF's Community Self-‐Development
Methodology attempts to address this problem
by redefining the power relationships that determine community development agendas. First, the
methodology is based on the belief that for any change to take root, the desire and commitment
must come from the community. Second, the methodology focuses on the priorities that
communities define, which often center around basic needs such as potable water, sanitation, and
opportunities to increase household income among others, as well as on traditional values for wise
natural resource management. With this foundation, we teach communities how to plan, implement,
and evaluate their own conservation projects that help satisfy their needs. Unlike other institutions
that brainstorm a project and seek community participation to carry it out, we ask communities to
submit their proposals to us, and our board approves the strongest proposals for funding and training
support. From the beginning, communities take responsibility for and ownership of the project and
results. Their own results qualify them for follow on support.

Through learning how to manage their own projects and satisfy their own needs, communities begin a
process of transformation from dependence toward empowerment. First, communities meet a

concrete need that represents a significant change that they brought about through their own efforts.
They begin to think more critically about how they use their natural resources and to once again
appreciate their value, since they see the necessity of those resources for their own sustenance.
Because the process requires the cooperation of all beneficiaries, communities strengthen their
conflict resolution skills and simultaneously build self-‐governance capacity and democratic
participation.

Broadening the Context for Empowerment
The Community Self-‐Development Methodology

is unique because it requires a commitment to
change the power dynamic between those
traditionally considered "donors" and those
traditionally considered "recipients." Of course,
inevitably the entity that has the majority of the
economic resources retains a certain amount of
power, but the methodology requires that the
community establish its development agenda,
and that the outside organization respect it,
thereby offsetting some of the power that
René Machoa, secretary of the committee for an comes from the capacity to finance projects.
organic cacao production project, presents the
project plan in the community of Canambo. The methodology assumes that all actors in a
development project are equal, with rights and
responsibilities, and that each brings its own skills and contributions to accomplish shared objectives.
Within this framework, the NGO has the right to establish support criteria, though the more flexible
the criteria, the more likely the organization is to achieve success and help bring about significant
change.

The methodology's focus on providing small grants and accepting only the best proposals fosters
genuine community commitment and interest and requires a high level of collaboration and
organization. Even though not all communities can reach this level initially, those that do
demonstrate to neighboring communities what they have achieved, awakening an interest in others
that may have been reluctant to participate or make an effort to self-‐organize. Through this process,
the desire and initiative grow within the communities, creating more demand for our program as
others decide they want to participate.

This practical handbook was developed with the intent of helping to foster these changes in power
relationships and bring about real changes in poverty levels, conservation, and other community
development indicators. We offer this knowledge, these lessons learned, and these practices acquired
over the course of a six-‐year period so that other organizations can implement the methodology step
by step, modifying or adapting it according to their needs and the particular circumstances of
communities with whom they work. Our hope is that together we can contribute to genuine, lasting
empowerment as much for effectiveness within our own organizations as for the communities with
whom we collaborate.


Description of the Community Self-‐Development Methodology
Our methodology is based on two beliefs: that for any change to take root, the desire and
commitment must come from the community, and that community development that respects
human dignity requires that the development agenda is set from the bottom up. Of course, external
forces do impact communities and must be taken into consideration, but the motivation for
development must proceed from priorities that communities themselves define.

These principles have guided the development of our methodology:

• Communities have the right to define their future,
be treated as equals in any and all collaboration
in which they participate, and to enjoy benefits
and assume corresponding responsibilities.

• Marginalized communities have the capacity to
learn basic techniques to manage their own
projects.

• Communities have the capacity to take
responsibility for their own project outcomes and
Soresa Grefa presenting a financial report to
organize to sustain them. the community of Palma Amazónica.

• The sustainability of any project depends largely
on communities establishing their own priorities and, based on those priorities,
brainstorming their own projects.

• Communities will take ownership of their own projects if they understand that they are the
owners and drivers of the project from the beginning.

• To the greatest extent possible, it is important to teach communities to do for themselves
rather than doing for them. For that reason, we dedicate significant budget resources to
activities that promote teaching and learning from communities.

• It is important to encourage creative ideas and conflict-‐resolution, striking a balance
between structuring activities to help guide communities and maintaining flexibility so that
they feel free to experiment with different ways to adapt the tools according to their needs.

The following section describes each phase of the methodology: project solicitation, implementation,
and evaluation. Tools and resources for each phase are found in the appendices. Multimedia and
other materiales are available on the Amazon Partnerships Foundation website:
(www.amazonpartnerships.org).


Phase 1: Project Solicitation
The solicitation phase, which requires that the community complete various steps and submit the
best proposal possible with training and feedback from the APF team, is extremely important because
it serves as a self-‐selection process in which the most organized, committed, and motivated
communities emerge as qualified candidates for support. Communities that do well at this stage are
more likely to succeed in implementing their projects, which builds the self-‐confidence they need to
submit subsequent proposals. The process also increases the likelihood that APF's resources are well
invested and utilized.

O B J E C T I V E S I N D I C A T O R S T O O L S
Raise awareness among Number of introduction Application form
communities of scientific aspects workshops
climate change and the importance Project flyer
of the Amazon; recognize indigenous Number of project planning
groups' key role in conservation workshops Proposal criteria flyer

Inform communities about APF's Number of proposals Application calendar
work and approach submitted
Life and Breath
Teach project planning to interested Number of projects approved documentary
communities
Types of projects proposed Climate Change Workshop
Receive and approve quality Plan/ APF program
proposals for training and financial Quality of proposals and level presentation
support of interest/participation on
the part of the community Project flyers and videos

Proposal score sheet

Grant agreement
template/approval letter

Activities
1) Introductory Workshop
In this workshop, we present APF's history, focus, and process to the community. We listen to
people's concerns, needs, ideas, and tools to implement a project if they decide to participate in the
proposal solicitation process.

In brief, the workshop covers the following points:

Climate Change and Community Projects to Confront It

1. After a welcome and introduction by team members, we give a brief summary of the
workshop's activities and purpose.

2. We facilitate a conversation about people's experience with climate change, asking them if
they know the term, and changes they may have noticed in the climate, rainfall, vegetation,
etc. compared to the past.

3. Show the documentary Life and Breath, and later ask people about their reactions.


4. Talk about climate change in the global context,
including the important role the Amazon rainforest
plays in stabilizing global temperature and carbon
emissions.

5. Discuss the community's most urgent needs
related to conservation or climate change and well-‐
being, the tools the community might have to
address those needs, their project ideas, and the
cultural values a conservation project could help
reinforce.
The community of Shiwa Yacu
watching the documentary "Life and
Following the workshop, we explain APF's mission and Breath."
approach, focusing on these points:

• Unlike other organizations, APF does not bring projects to communities. Communities
themselves present their ideas for projects that focus on conservation and/or climate change
based on traditional conservation values. If our board of directors approves the proposal, we
provide up to $2,000 in financial support plus up to a year of project management training
for the community.

• We collaborate with communities in the course of a year so they not only satisfy the need
outlined in the project but learn how to manage future projects based on their priorities.

• The communities own the projects, not APF, so responsibility for results rests in their hands.
However, we teach communities basic and practical project management techniques so they
can be as successful as possible.

• Interested communities need to invite us back for two or three project planning workshops,
during which we teach communities how to write proposals so they have a greater chance of
being approved.

• We look to work with committed and united communities because those tend to have the
greatest likelihood for project success. We can accept only the strongest proposals.

• If a project is approved, communities can qualify for follow on support based on their own
results.

2) Project Planning Workshop
In two or three workshops, we cover the following concepts and activities. We begin the conversation
wtih two questions:

Question Response/Concept Notes
What is "project Capacity to manage activities and Sometimes, communities are
management"? finances to be able to evaluate and not aware of the term "project
test results management" but after we
define it, most can identify
Why is it important for To be able to manage multiple reasons that project
communities to have the projects at once management skills are
skills to manage their own important. Most people have
projects? To prove to institutions and NGOs seen the negative effects of
that the community is capable and poorly managed projects.
trustworthy so it can receive

support in the future

To be able to define the
community's vision, carry it out,
and record results in writing

To strengthen democratic and
organizational processes with
participation from women

To strengthen community unity

Afterward we ask:

Question Response/Concept Notes
What kind of activities Brainstorming project ideas Communities are often
constitute "project unfamiliar with these activities,
management"? Developing work plans and follow other than brainstorming.
up plan However, we explain that these
are simple tools that we will
Collecting data teach them in the course of the
project so they can see for
Reviewing data and publishing themselves how they are
reports advancing toward their goals.
Despite the fact that Kichwa has
traditionally been an oral
culture, community members
usually understand the
importance of having written
data, and many community
members have told us that they
never had the opportunity to
learn about data and report
creation in other projects.


Afterward, we use butcher paper SWOT: Strengths-‐Weaknesses-‐Opportunities-‐Threats
and markers to facilitate a The discussion about needs and priorities is similar to a
brainstorming session, discussing SWOT analysis, but because the SWOT format is an
needs, priorities, and other Occidental framework, we've discovered that
factors that will help determine participants do not relate to it very well and see it as a
which project would be most forced exercise. We cover the same information using a
appropriate to propose. more organic approach, recognizing that in many cases
the most urgent need is obvious and the one that
Next, we use the same technique partipants want to talk about. Therefore, we begin with
to teach participants how to the identified need, ask how they think it can be
develop a proposal, using our addressed, and what are the advantages and
application form as a guide: (See disadvantages to creating a project to address that need
Sample Application): over another, given available resources.

• Project definition and description
• Work plan, including objectives, activities, responsible parties, timeframe, indicators, and
anticipated outcomes
• Follow up plan, including specific commitments the community will make to maintain the
project after APF's support
• Budget, including the community contribution

Finally, we review the list of requirements and evaluation criteria for approving projects. We make
sure that everyone understands them and we remind them about deadlines and other steps (such as
obtaining copies of community bylaws and other paperwork.) We leave with them all of the materials
we've generated in the workshops, plus an electronic or physical copy of the application form so they
can write their proposal and submit related documents by the deadline.

3) Proposal Review and Submission
To deepen communities' understanding
of the project planning concepts and
help them prepare the best proposal
possible, we recommend that they show
us a draft for revision before the
deadline. A representative or group of
representatives from the community
who are responsible for submitting the
proposal can schedule a meeting with
the APF team, who will review the
content, identify points that might need
clarification, and give feedback on ways
to improve the proposal if necessary.

However, the focus of these review
sessions is to teach community members Patricia Grefa, APF Project Coordinator, facilitating a
how to improve their proposal, not to do planning workshop.
the work for them. Therefore, we make
recommendations, ask questions, and help them reflect on their project, leaving the responsibility for
revision and final presentation to them.

Proposals must be received by the deadline with copies of the community's bylaws. Additionally, lists
of participants and any surveys on socio-‐economic-‐environmental data should be submitted at the
same time.


4) Proposal Approval
All complete proposals received by the deadline are sent to the board of directors to be read before
the proposal review and approval meeting. In addition, the Executive Director and team members
prepare notes and recommendations about the communities and projects that may not be obvious in
the proposals but emerge in the process of working directly with the community. In many cases, since
the community is learning to write a proposal for the first time, they may not have the experience to
emphasize certain components that will capture the board's attention. The team's observations are a
useful additional reference if the board needs more information to make its decision.

We use a basic proposal score sheet to evaluate various factors that can indicate a project's likely
success, or not, and the capacity and willingness of the community to implement it. The purpose of
the score sheet is to establish an objective, structured framework for comparing various proposals.
Ultimately, we calculate a score that helps us see the strengths and weaknesses of each. However, we
take into consideration other factors that are not necessarily reflected in the proposal but that the
team perceives during the workshops and other community interactions. These factors might include
the community's level of cooperation and participation in preparing the proposal, workshop
participation, etc, and are often good indicators of whether a community will work together to realize
a successful project.

The score sheet consists of evaluation criteria for both the project and the community. A value of 1
(inadequate) to 5 (excellent) is assigned for each item, and the total score determines whether a
project will be approved. (See Proposal Score Sheet)

Evaluation Criteria
Projects Community
Project Type-‐-‐Does it reflect an awareness of Capacity-‐-‐Does the community have a history of
natural resource conservation and is it consistent implementing its own projects, not simply
with conservation values of Kichwa culture? receiving government or other outside support?
If not, does the community show a willingness to
learn to execute and sustain projects long-‐term?
Method-‐-‐Does it employ sustainable or Values-‐-‐Does the community demonstrate
traditional methods to conserve or manage respect for the environment, support gender
natural resources wisely? Does it use existing equality, tolerate differences, etc? Does it show a
resources to the greatest extent possible? commitment to community well-‐being and
conflict resolution?
Impact-‐-‐Will it directly benefit marginalized Work ethic-‐-‐Does the community work well
populations and help meet other needs, such as together and take responsibility to follow up and
increased household income or basic services achieve anticipated outcomes? Does it use
such as potable water or sanitation? resources effectively?
Importance-‐-‐Does it reflect a real need in the Communication-‐-‐Does the community commit to
community? holding meetings and communicating regularly
with the APF team at mutually agreed-‐upon
intervals?
Likelihood of success-‐-‐Does it have realistic,
explicit objectives and a solid execution plan?

As explained in the introduction, we approve only the strongest proposals, taking into account
subjective and objective criteria, to increase the likelihood of success as much for the community as
for APF. Communities whose proposals are not approved learn from the process and receive feedback
from the board on why their proposal was not accepted. In the majority of cases, communities are
invited to submit another proposal for a future round of funding.


Phase 2: Implementation
Some activities in the implementation phase overlap with those in the evaluation phase. Instead of
waiting until the end of the project to evaluate results, we have discovered that training communities
in some evaluation techniques during the implementation phase helps participants see how they are
progressing so they can make changes midway through the project if necessary.

Train the community (and the project Number of one-‐time Inspection Forms
committee) in project management activities completed on time
activities: Project Plan
• use of a project plan as an Workshop/meeting
implementation tool attendance rate Workshop Lesson Plans
• coordination of group work
days Comprehension of Attendance Sheet
• purchase of materials workshop topics
• inspections and other Water/Reforestation Project
monitoring activities Level of project committee's Checklist
• collection of use, teamwork and commitment
maintenance, participation, Use/Maintenance Flyers
and attendance data

Training in educational topics
according to the community's
project plan (e.g. water
conservation, deforestation,
sanitation and hygiene, etc.)

Training in technical topics (water
system installation and
maintenance, organic cacao
production, composting toilet
construction, etc)

Activities
1) Project Kick-‐off Meeting

The kick-‐off meeting has three principal objectives: sign the community grant agreement and the
individual user agreements, elect the project committee, and review and update the project plan.
With all communities, we always begin building relationships of mutual respect and commitment
from the first encounter and maintain it through the entire project period and beyond. APF's
commitment is reflected in signed documents outlining our responsibility to the community;
workshops, meetings, and site visits; regular and reliable communication; recognition of our role in
any miscommunication, problem, or conflict; efforts to help resolve conflicts together with the
community; and the expectation that the community maintains its commitment to the partnership as
well.

The community's commitment takes various forms, but some important tools for strengthening
mutual commitment and the role of each party are the community and individual agreements, which
we sign after a project is approved but before beginning work. The community agreement details use
of funds, the project's general objective, and conditions for support. The individual user agreement
serves to clarify rights and responsibilities of participants to do their part to carry out and sustain the
project. The user agreement emphasizes personal responsibility and reduces the possibility that
participants will start finger-‐pointing or blaming others if they encounter problems. Meanwhile, the

community agreement provides a backup for the individual commitment and emphasizes the
importance of teamwork to achieve positive results.

The community also elects a project committee, at least half of whom should be women, which is
responsible for leading the project, convening meetings, creating and presenting reports to the group,
helping participants complete their work, and helping to avoid or resolve conflicts. In some cases the
committees have been elected before the first meeting, but regardless we define with the community
what the committee's responsibilities are and assure that the members can fulfill their duties. We
encourage the participants to think about how to distribute the work load so that no one is
overburdened and the committee members have backup when necessary.

In the kick-‐off meeting, we frame the project plan as the primary implementation tool for the project.
We use a simple form to track activities, person/s responsible, time frame, and results. (See Sample
Project Report). We review with the community the initial project plan they submitted in their
proposal, in particular considering whether other activities or responsible parties should be included
to accomplish the objective and updating the deadlines to coincide with the project start date.

Example: Project Plan Extract
Objective #1: Install 16 rainwater catchment systems to provide potable water for families
Activity Responsible Due Date Completed? With
What Results?
1. Training on how to APF team with February 3 (This column remains
build platforms for participants empty until the activity
rainwater catchment is completed)
systems
2. Build platforms Participants February 10
3. Inspect platforms Project committee February 12
inspectors
4. Purchase materials Treasurer, secretary, February 15
for rainwater systems president with APF
team
5. Deliver materials Hardware store, February 25
president and
treasurer receive
shipment
6. Training on how to APF team with February 26
install systems participants
7. Workshop on how to APF team with February 26
use and maintain participants
systems
8. Install systems Participants By March 2
9. Inspect installations Project committee March 3
inspectors

2) Project Management Workshops
As the community completes activities in the project plan, we revise it with participants at
regular intervals so they can determine how they are progressing toward their objectives,
make any adjustments or changes, and look at specific results:


Example: Project Plan Extract
Objective #2: Maintain rainwater catchment systems and train families to ensure water quality and
project follow up.
Activity Responsible Due Date Completed? With
What Results?
1. Training on how to APF team with March 2 Yes, 100% of
inspect water systems inspectors inspectors present
2. Inspect 25th or 26th Inspectors Monthly from March In process
of every month to December
3. Workshop on water APF team with March 12 Yes, 85% attendance
purification and participants
hygiene
4. Review inspection Inspectors with the June 1 pending
data rest of the project
committee, with APF
team

Beyond the project plan, inspections and other types of monitoring are key elements in training the
community to carry out the project. For example, we train committee members to keep an
attendance sheet. Although many communities do keep attendance at general meetings, many
record just the presence of the men and not the women, or a woman (or other representative)
attending the meeting for a man is recorded as the man, so the woman's individual presence is not
noted. Therefore, we teach communities to use a form on which every participant is registered on a
single sheet so the attendance rate can be calculated more quickly and precisely. The requirement of
recording women's attendance helps reinforce the importance of their presence and participation as
equal members of the community, not just representatives for their husbands.

We train the inspectors in simple monitoring activities and to
help families take good care of the projects. For example, for
rainwater catchment and composting toilet projects, we train
inspectors how to determine the level of maintenance and
how to record data based on a standard so that it can be
analyzed later.

For other projects, such as organic cacao production and tree
nursery construction, we work with inspectors to design simple
forms for nursery maintenance, pruning frequency, etc,
depending on the particulars of the project. We also train them
to collect data on planting and survival rates of seedlings, in
addition to other necessary data, to measure the progress of
the project.
Carolina Tapuy, Elsa Aguinda and
Through this process, the community ends up with a simple Eva Aguinda analyzing the effects of
deforestation in a participatory
collection of data that reflects their work. We compare this
workshop in the community of N uevo
information to baseline data collected at the beginning of the Paraíso.
project.

3) Other Workshops
As noted in the previous tables, we give workshops on educational themes such as water
conservation, deforestation, hygiene and sanitation, and water purification according to the
community's interests as outlined in their project plan. (See the appendices for workshop lesson plans
on these topics).


However, we are aware of the fact that many communities have attended workshops that are not
linked to changes or improvements in their daily lives, and they are not interested in more workshops
that do not result in something tangible. Therefore, we suggest workshop topics that are directly
related to the project, and we design our workshops to be dynamic, fun, short, culturally appropriate,
and useful. In some cases, communities have helped design and lead workshops as well. We do not
require workshops, but communities always request them and value them as an accompaniment to
the project, which reflects their needs and priorities.

To reinforce the traditional value of environmental conservation, some communities have even
wanted to give their own workshops on culture and the environment to the community and the APF
team. Of course we encourage them and see their initiative as an opportunity to promote the same
kinds of activities with other interested communities.

All projects include some kind of technical training. In the case of water and ecological sanitation
projects (composting toilets), we train communities in water system installation and toilet
construction, but we work with other professionals who have technical expertise in topics that are
outside of our sphere (e.g. organice cacao production, etc.)

The implementation phase rolls out a simple process in which everyone can see how they are
progressing step-‐by-‐step toward the completion of the project's objectives, reinforcing accountability
and teamwork.

Collecting Baseline Data

All foundations and NGOs have the reasonable mandate to show results and produce data. However,
sometimes the data we need is not important or relevant for communities. Data collection can
become busywork if it doesn't reflect the true impact of projects, or in the worst case, it can
represent an abuse of power if community members see it as unauthorized knowledge extraction or
an infringement on intellectual property.

In addition, when projects arise organically from the community, clear data that would help form a
baseline of information doesn't always exist, or there is no clear, scientific method for collecting it.
Measuring abstract impacts, such as change in the level of community organization skills, is difficult
to do in the short-‐term with quantitative data.

We have experimented with baseline data collection and arrived at a practice of collecting the
minimum necessary to measure change in indicators that matter to project participants. This data
can be presented along with other project activities if participants are interested. In cases where
quantitative baseline data isn't sufficient to analyze and provide context for impacts, we use
participant interviews, general data, and observations we are able to make as we build
relationships with the communities.

Phase 3: Evaluation
As explained in the previous section, evaluation phase activities overlap with some of the activities in
the implementation phase. The evaluation process helps show the importance of actual, written data
to measure the accomplishment, or not, of objectives. Data is presented to all participants and can
help clarify questions and resolve conflicts. If there is any disagreement about results, participation
levels, activities, etc, everyone has the opportunity to review the project, discuss any problems, and
arrive at a consensual resolution.

Train commitee how to evaluate data Maintenance rate Inspection Forms

Train them to create reports and Workshop/meeting Project Plan
present them to all participants Attendance
Attendance Sheet
Help everyone analyze results and Understanding of data
solve problems calculation Reports

Capacity to discuss problems
or issues and arrive at
consensual solutions

Activities
1) Workshops on Data Analysis

All projects that we support have a community participation and commitment component as well as
an individual participation and commitment component. To help participants fulfill their individual
responsibility, we train the committee's inspectors in simple data collection techniques so they can
present the information to the rest of the group and seek their feedback, analysis, etc.

For rainwater catchment and composting toilet projects, we have developed simple questionnaires
on which inspectors answer whether the projects are being well maintained or not and what can be
done to improve their maintenance or operation. Inspectors share the completed forms with the
participants, who sign if they are in agreement with the inspectors findings or suggestions.

After three inspections, we teach the entire committee how to convert the answers into scores for
each participant. Then the group calculates the average score for all participants to compare it with
the anticipated outcome for the maintenance indicator. We also teach them to calculate the average
attendance rate and number of one-‐time activities completed by the deadline. They fill in the results
data in the appropriate column and contrast the actual outcomes with expected outcomes. The
process is repeated approximately every three months according to the inspection plan. (See Sample
Inspection Form)

2) Report Creation and Presentation Workshopss
After completing each objective, we work with the committee (usually the president, treasurer, and
secretary) to create a project report. The committee uses the written information from the butcher
paper version of the project plan to develop the electronic document. The report uses the same
format but requires more detail on expected and actual outcomes and observations or conclusions
that will help the APF board and the community understand any issues, problems, or results that
exceeded expectations. We help the committee interpret and communicate the information, but the
report is the committee's responsibility.


Example: Project Plan
Objective #2: Maintain rainwater catchment systems and train families to ensure water quality and
project follow up.
Activity Responsible Due Date Completed? What Are
the Results?
1. Workshop on how to APF team with project March 20 Yes. 100% of
inspect rainwater inspectors inspectors attended
catchment systems.
2. Inspect systems on Inspectors Monthly from March In process, see table
the 25th or 26th of to December below.
each month
3. Workshop on water APF team with March 12 Postponed until March
purification and participants 15. 85% of participants
hygiene attended
4. Review inspection Inspectors and the rest June 1 Yes, 5 of the 6
data of the project committee members
committee, with APF attended. Carlos had
team an excused absence.

INSPECTION DATA PER PARTICIPANT
Name Score (out of 20)
Carlos Shiguango 16
Nelly Tanguila 17
Carmelina Andi 20
Eugenia Alvarado 20
Miguel Chongo 18
Angel Huatatoca 15
Dora Aguinda 13

Indicator Anticipated Actual
Outcome Outcome
Meeting/workshop attendance 90% 100%
Number of one-‐time activities completed on time 75% 66%
Average maintenance score (3 inspections) 85% 85%
*"One-‐time activities" refers to workshops, meetings, etc that happen once, as opposed to on-‐going
activities such as monthly inspections.

Notes: The hygiene and water purification workshop was postponed because the secretary was busy
with work and forgot to send out the meeting announcement. The president consulted with the
participants to schedule another date for the workshop. Everyone participated well and could
identify how many drops of water or chlorine are needed to purify one liter of water. The group
decided to post flyers announcing future meetings in case individual households don't receive a
meeting invitation.

Because of an illness, Carlos, the inspector, couldn't attend the workshop on data revision, but he
sent his inspection forms with his oldest daughter, who atteneded in his place and helped calculate
scores with the rest of the group.

Participants attended all of the workshops or sent a representative if for some reason they couldn't
attend themselves.


In addition, we teach the committee how to create a simple financial report that shows income and
expenses based on purchase receipts (which the treasurer keeps to include with the report.)

The committee presents the reports in general meetings so that all participants receive the
information and analyze results together. In the event that participants (especially women) feel timid
or reluctant to comment on the reports, we use various tools to help them overcome their shyness:
humor, stories, question-‐and-‐answer techniques, role-‐playing or skits, etc. In most cases, as we work
with the community as an equal partner, we have witnessed a growing confidence and trust among
all participants. We accompany them in the process of analyzing their own work, making necessary
changes, and strengthening their internal collaboration. As people see the individual and group
contribution to the project, an expectation of transparency arises and people are often motivated to
achieve or exceed their goals.

Sometimes participants interpret the process of data analysis as a critique, but we emphasize that no
one, whether a community member or the APF team, is expected to be perfect. The important thing
is to carry out the project as successfully as possible and help one another so that everyone achieves
a level of satisfaction and cooperation that enables the community to move forward. Within this
context, a sense of pride develops when community members realize that they are meeting their own
needs thanks to their own efforts.


Best Practices and Lessons Learned
We have discovered these tips over the course of several years developing the Community Self-‐
Development Methodology. The most important point is to maintain a positive and healthy
relationship and communication flow with the community, fostering mutual respect, understanding,
transparency, and responsibility that creates good will among all stakeholders, as well as good results.

1. Be explicit about all expectations from all parties and put commitments in writing. Repeat
important points frequently.
2. Maintain a positive attitude and look for people with a positive attitude to motivate others
with their enthusiasm.
3. Hold people accountable and do not be afraid to express disappointment, frustration, etc,
as these reactions are part of relationships between equal parties and should be expressed
in a professional, healthy way. Together with community members, look for effective
strategies to change behavior.
4. Encourage the group to brainstorm their own solutions before making recommendations
so that they are directly involved in solving problems.
5. Always wait for an invitation to work with a community; never impose or "sell" your
presence to a community.
6. Respect communities' time frames, and to the greatest extent possible, avoid pushing them
to finish tasks to meet the organization's deadlines. Within reason, the project should
reflect the community's capacity to accomplish their work, not the time frames of the NGO.
At the same time, complete the work as efficiently as possible, especially in the construction,
planting, or installation phases to avoid the disappointment and discouragement that can
sometimes result from delays.
7. Do not offer any type of "gift", even refreshments for meetings. (This practice, which is
common in many areas, unfortunately promotes an imbalance of power and the
expectation that the NGO is offering "gifts".) Keep meetings and workshops short so as not
to waste time or create the need to offer food or drink.

Making Information Management Simple and Relevant
Different methods for defining and dealing with information can present a major challenge for a
Western organization collaborating with indigenous groups. Kichwa culture, like many other
indigenous cultures, was traditionally oral, and knowledge and information came from literal and
animistic interpretation of one's surroundings. Over generations people gained intimate knowledge of
the laws of nature and cycles of life in the jungle, as applied to all inanimate and animate beings in
that habitat.

Modern Western culture, by contrast, is defined by management of abstract data that may seem to
have very little bearing on daily life in rural areas. However, learning how to manage and use this
information gives communities an enormous advantage in dealing with outside forces that want to
use resources in indigenous territories or help communities "develop." Likewise, organizations that
learn to appreciate indigenous cultures' methods for defining and managing information will have
much greater success in building relationships of trust and cooperation.

Our goal is to help communities understand the expectations and basic tools of Western-‐style
information management so they can articulate their vision and their priorities in a way that outsiders
can understand and value. At the same time, we respect and support oral traditions, inductive
methods of knowledge acquisition, and other characteristics of traditional culture so that
communities can decide how to combine these Western and indigenous approaches to information if

they choose. Communities also teach us how to
interpret the conditions in which they live, which has
helped us improve our program enormously.

We follow these guidelines regarding information
management:

We try not to overwhelm or burden communities with
unnecessary paperwork, surveys, data collection, etc.
As discussed earlier, we suggest types of information
that will be useful for communities to be able to
analyze when they review their own results and share
Rainwater catchment system inspectors (with
them with others. When we need to collect data that Patricia Grefa) calculating maintenance scores
may not necessarily be directly relevant or important in the community of San Pedro de Chimbiyacu.
for communities, we explain why and ask if they would
be willing to help us gather the information. We are very conscious of collecting data only with
communities with whom we have a relationship. Usually they are happy to cooperate because both
parties have come together in good faith for a common goal, and they want to help us as much as we
want to help them.

We ask community members to help us develop forms, applications, agreements, and workshop
materials that make sense to them. Most of our agreements, inspection forms, and attendance
templates were devised and revised thanks to excellent suggestions from our earliest community
partners. Another community conducted their own workshop on traditional conservation values that
helped us improve a deforestation workshop that we designed. We encourage people to help us
design materials that are easy to use and effective, and to give us feedback so we can improve them.

We try to introduce all educational topics using an inductive instead of deductive pedagogical
approach. For example, in a composting toilet project, rather than introduce an abstract concept such
as statistical analysis with an explanation of what it is, we begin with a simple form that committee
members use to keep a monthly record of whether toilets are clean, stocked with dry material for the
composting chambers, etc. Once that data is collected, we teach a simple method for quantifying the
responses and calculating a score that gives the committee as well as the beneficiaries a sense of how
well they are maintaining their toilets. We review the data as a group, discuss its accuracy and
implications, and emphasize the usefulness of this information not only for the community, but for
other organizations they might approach for help in the future. Community members learn what basic
statistical analysis is by doing it.

While the quality of the data may not necessarily meet
professional standards and there is room for subjective
interpretation, the point of this exercise is not to turn
community members into researchers. Rather, this practical
approach enables people with little formal education to
manage information for their own benefit, increasing
transparency and fostering consensual decision-‐making based
on more impartial data that they have collected and vetted
themselves with support from the APF team.

Guillermo Tanguila planting a tree
in the community of San Pedro de
Chimbiyacu.


Case Study: Campana Cocha
Rainwater Catchment Systems and Reforestation (two
phases, 2009 and 2010)

The community implemented two phases of rainwater
catchment systems for 58 families and kindergartens and
planted 135 fruit and hardwood trees.

In the first phase, the community elected a project committee
consisting of three women and one man and installed 31
rainwater catchment systems for drinking and cooking. They
completed six monthly inspections on the systems, and based
on inspection reports, 91% of families maintained them
regularly. They completed five workshops on system
installation and maintenance, water conservation, and
hygiene and water purification. Average workshop attendance
was 85%. The following table shows anticipated and actual Ramon Aguinda inspecting a
outcomes: rainwater catchment system in
Campana Cocha.

Indicator Anticipated Outcome Actual Outcome
Percent of systems installed (31) 100% 100%
Percent of participants using systems 100% 100%
Average meeting/workshop attendance 85% 85%
Average maintenance rate 85% 91%

At one point, committee members failed to attend an important meeting with a representative from
the U.S. who had come to learn about the project. This lack of attendance put the project in jeopardy.
To address the issue, the committee president called a special meeting of all project participants to
discuss what happened and how to remedy the situation. Everyone recognized the importance of
attending scheduled meetings and fulfilling their commitment, and they acknowledged the
committee made a mistake in not attending the meeting. From that point forward, the committee
attended all other meetings and the entire group made a serious effort to ensure the project's
success.

The community's quantitative results and other indicators (problem-‐solving capacity, follow up, and
commitment) in which they excelled qualified Campana Cocha to submit a proposal for follow-‐on
support.

In the second phase, the community installed 27
rainwater catchment systems and planted five
trees per family, reinforcing the practice of planting
5 trees for every one cut down (the majority of
families used wood, the most widely available and
least expensive material, to construct platforms for
the water tanks.) They completed six monthly
inspections of the water systems, and 98% of
families maintained them regularly. They also
completed six workshops on installation,
maintenance, water conservation and purification,
hygiene, and impacts of deforestation. Average
attendance was 88%, and 80% of seedlings survived Manuela (right) with Mary Fifield in a
replanting. Results are shown in the following table: hygiene and water purification workshop.


Activity Anticipated Outcome Actual Outcome
Percent of systems installed (27) 100% 100%
Percent of participants using systems 100% 100%
Percent of trees planted (135) 100% 100%
Average meeting/workshop attendance 85% 88%
Average maintenance rate 85% 98%
Percent of one-‐time activities completed on 100% 88%
time

The second phase committee consulted with the first, who recommended levying a small fine for
participants that did not attend meetings or send a representative. The group reached consensus on
the idea and all agreed to implement the policy. Attendance increased as a result.

After the first phase, community leader Ángel Aguinda shared the following observations about the
rainwater catchment project:

"The rainwater project has been really helpful for the community
because it makes clean water much more accessible."

Regarding project management training for the committee, he said:

"They have learned some skills but they still lack a little bit of
commitment. That's because there's a culture of just receiving things.
It's necessary to focus more on the fact that all support requires the
community to do its part, that they have to do follow up and
maintenance."
Ángel Aguinda

After Campana Cocha completed the two projects, Mr. Aguinda joined
the board of Amazon Partnerships Foundation and promotes sustainable development activities in his
role as vice-‐president of the parish government of Ahuano. He has facilitated the delivery of
rainwater catchment systems to communities in the parish that do not have access to groundwater
sources.

Prior to the projects, community members wanted to expand the piped water system that provided
an inadequate supply of non-‐potable water. Now the commuity wants to install more rainwater
catchment systems for other uses (clothes washing, bathing, etc). Campana Cocha is positioning itself
as an "ecological communiy" and is participating in an interparroquial eco-‐toursim project.


Case Study: Canambo
Training in Organic Cacao Production (2011)

The community organized a series of workshops on cultivation
practices for organic cacao (convering topics such as pruning,
pest management, compost production, and grafting) for 34
men and women farmers. The project also included
construction of three tree nurseries and raising 3,300 cacao
seedlings. A technical advisor from Fundación Conservación y
Desarrollo delivered five workshops on cacao cultivation, a
Peace Corps volunteer delivered five workshops on organic
compost production, and the APF team facilitated ten
workshops on project management and follow up to the
technical workshops.

The community began enthusiastically, attending meetings
Wilma Piedra inspecting cacao
regularly, submitting reports on time, and following up on tasks seedlings in the nursery.
they outlined in their project plan. They built three nurseries,
one in each of three neighborhoods, and a project committee consisting of two women and four men
helped coordinate follow up and care for the cacao plants.

The nurseries were built primarily of local
materials, with the exception of plastic mesh
covering which was donated by
Conservación y Desarrollo. Initially, the
community planned to build one large
communal nursery, but because of the
geographical distance between the houses,
the community decided to build one in each
neighborhood (three total) to make
maintenance more convenient.
Unfortunately, the APF team and
participants miscalculated the total amount
of mesh required for three structures, and
two were left without sufficient material.
Farmers drawing pest management techniques in a The APF team helped the community look
workshop. for a solution, including covering the other
nurseries with leaves, which would have been a good alternative requiring a little extra maintenance.
The community did not like this idea, however, and everyone voted and agreed to make a small
donation to the project to purchase enough mesh for the remaining nurseries.

However, some participants were concerned about the community leaders' management of finances
with other projects, and some became discouraged as a result. Participants in one neighborhood
ended up covering the cost of mesh for their nursery among themselves, while the others took no
measures to solve the problem and stopped caring for their plants. The committee's leadership
waxed and waned, and some members were occupied with work responsibilities and did not delegate
duties to other participants to keep the project running smoothly.

In the end, the community did manage to complete all scheduled workshops and plant cacao.
However, inconsistent follow up and irregular meeting or workshop attendance were problematic.
(Attendance was strong in planning meetings and cacao technique workshops but poor in compost
production workshops). The following table illustrates the results:


Activity Anticipated Actual Outcome
Outcome
Percent of cacao production workshops completed 100% 100%
(5)
Percent of nurseries constructed (3) 100% 90%
Percent of cacao seeds planted (3,300) 100% 100%
Nursery maintenance rate 100% 66%
Average meeting/workshop attendance -‐-‐ 68%
Percent of compost production workshops 100% 100%
completed (5)
Percent of one-‐time activities completed on time -‐-‐ 89%
(Goals for average attendance and percentage of one-‐time activities were not established for this
project.)

The committee completed project and financial reports and purchased materials, but an apparent
lack of communication and trust among participants and committee members generated confusion
and disappointment, especially in the conflict over materials. This distrust and disappointment proved
too difficult to overcome. The committee recognized their lack of follow up and effort to send out
meeting announcements, which is customary in the community. Nor did they inform the APF team
about schedule conflicts that arose a few months into the project when project meetings were
inadvertently planned during the same time as distance learning classes and work activities.

Ultimately, the project suffered from a lack of teamwork and capacity to solve problems, likely due to
weak leadership in the community. Through this experience, the APF team learned the importance of
helping communities select trustworthy leaders, helping those leaders understand their
responsibilities toward the project, and helping the community make changes in the composition of
the project committee if necessary. We also recognized the need to be more cognizant of these issues
in the project solicitation and approval phase.

Although the community did achieve its principle goals, the results were not sufficient to qualify the
group for additional support from APF. Despite this, participants reported that the project was
beneficial and that they would seek technical support from APF to develop other proposals for other
funders:

"Yes, we liked the cacao workshops. We just got
discouraged when some people complained about
problems and lack of follow up from the committee
president."-‐-‐Margot Chimbo, farmer

"As far as I'm concerned, even though we didn't
succeed with the project because of lack of follow
up, I have learned how to do a project proposal
and now we can submit one to another institution
to do more workshops on cacao fermentation." -‐-‐
Iván Tunay, farmer y community president
Iván Tunay and Margot C himbo


Additional Resources
More information about community development practices and policies:

Amazon Partnerships Foundation
www.amazonpartnerships.org

Global Fund for Community Foundations
www.globalfundcommunityfoundations.org

Grupo Faro
www.grupofaro.org

More information about ecological sanitation and environmental health:

Hesperian Health Guides
www.hesperian.org

Ecosanres
www.ecosanres.org/index.htm

Inodoroseco
http://inodoroseco.blogspot.com/


Appendices


Appendix 1: Project Solicitation Calendar
amazon

F O U N D A T I O N

Community Support for Environmental and Cultural Projects

Schedule 2010

Step #1 (mandatory) 1 September– 31 APF team meets with communities to present
October Life and Breath video and talk with communities
about the program and their needs, priorities,
and ideas for projects. Communities decide if
they want to participate and what project they
would like to propose.
Step #2 (mandatory) 15 October –15 Communities meet with the APF team for a few
November workshops on how to create a project proposal
and complete the application form.
Step #3 15 November – 19 Communities send a draft of the proposal and
(recommended) November. application form in electronic form (Word) to
executive director Mary Fifield. The communities
meet with Mary to revise the draft if necessary.
Step #4 (mandatory) 25 November Communities finalize the draft in electronic
format and submit it by November 25 (either
through email or delivered to the office on a
CD). Communities submit a paper or scanned
copy of their bylaws.
Step #5 (optional) December If necessary, the APF team meets with
communities to complete legal paperwork to
ensure their eligibility for support under
Ecuadorian law.
Step #6 December-‐January 2010 The APF board reviews proposals and raises any
questions or concerns for the APF team to clarify
with the community and return community
responses to the board. The board approves the
best proposals and notifies all applicants about
their decisions by email.
Step #7 January The APF team meets with winning communities
to sign grant agreements and money transfer
documents, etc, and they plan the first meeting
to kickstart the project.

For more information, contact Mary Fifield, Executive Director:
mary@amazonpartnerships.org

Telf: 2 87 12 55 Cel: 09 679 37 86


Appendix 2: Information Sheet for Interested Communities
amazon
F O U N D A T I O N

Community Support Program

Amazon Partnerships Foundation provides small grants and training in project management so that
communities can identify, create, manage, and evaluate their own projects in cultural and/or
environmental conservation. Communities take responsibility for their projects and maintain them
over the long term.

The APF board can approve only the best planned projects with clearly assigned roles and
responsibilities. We look for projects that meet the following criteria:

Project Criteria
• Focus on conservation of the environment and/or Kichwa culture and address an important,
unmet need in the community
• Have realistic, clear, participatory goals and a good plan for follow up after support from APF
ends.
• Carry out activities through cooperation, commitment, and leadership from the community,
and in particular involve women in project management.
• Look for natural or other resources in the community and use them wisely; be conscious of
conserving the environment
• Incorporate beneficial traditional practices that are pertinent for the project.
• Be willing to show actual results through reports created by the community and do
evaluations at the end of the project.

Community Criteria
• Have current by-‐laws showing that the community is a not-‐for-‐profit group.
• Demonstrate unity, cooperation, and a positive attitude toward solving problems and trying
new ideas.
• Demonstrate the capacity to sustain the project after APF's support ends.
• Commit to attending and participating actively in all meetings, maintaining regular
communication among all participants, and writing and completing reports with the help of
the APF team.
• Present and share what was learned from the project with other communities to help inform,
educate, and learn from others.

When you write your application, please remember these criteria to create a project that aligns with
the priorities of the APF board so your proposal has a greater chance of being approved.

Applications must be received by November 25, 2010.

For more information on how to apply, contact:

Mary Fifield, Executive Director: 09 679 37 86 or Patricia Grefa, Project Coordinator: 093356799
Office: Calle Alejandro Rivadeneyra y Luis Eladio Dávila
Barrio Las Palmas, Tena, telephone: 2 87 12 55

Appendix 3: Sample Application
amazon
F O U N D A T I O N

COMMUNITY PROFILE
Please answer each question in the space provided

Name of Community: San Pedro de Chimbiyacu
Location: Vía San Francisco
Parish: Cotundo
County: Archidona
Application Date: 20 December 2011
Person Responsible: Marcelina Grefa

Phone: Cellular: 09881192
Email: javiergrefa@yahoo.es

1. What is the population of the community?
# of Number of Number of Number of Number of Number of
families boys and girls men over 18 women over men who women who
0-‐18 18 have have
completed completed
high school high school
42 60 90 87 25 15

2. How many families live permanently in the community? 42
3. How many families have their own house? 38
4. Is there a day care, kindergarten, elementary or high school in the community? If not,
where do students go to school? Day care; there is no elementary or high school. They go to
Cotundo.
5. How much do families in the community earn per month (on average)? Families earn
between US$60 and US$80 each month.
6. How many people earn the majority of their income from farming their land? 38 families
7. How many people receive state aid as a major part of their income? 50%
8. Where do people go to the bathroom (in the jungle, in latrines, etc)? How many families
have latrines or bathrooms? About 15 have flush toilets (water), about 5 have pit toilets,
and others use their neighbors'.
9. Where do people get water for consumption? (Stream, river, piped water, rainwater)? Do
they purify the water before consuming it? If so, how do they purify it? Piped water, 1
family gets water from a small waterfall. People boil water.

10. How many families in the community have primary rainforest on their property? Does the
community have a communal protected forest? Families have small lots of about 1 hectare
and there is no primary rainforest.

Current Community Leaders

Name Role Election Date Education Level
Marcelina Tanguila President Nov 2011 12th grade

Hortensia Licuy Vicepresident Nov 2011 12th grade
Miguel Chongo Secretary Nov 2011 8th grade
Carmen Chongo Treasurer Nov 2011 12th grade
Guillermo Tanguila First spokesperson Nov 2011 8th grade

Current Projects in the Community

Project Start Date Duration Other Community
Organizations Person
Helping with Responsible
Project
None

Has the community accomplished any of its own projects? If so, complete the table below.
Accomplishment Year Other Organizations People Responsible

Completed That Helped with
Project
Rainwater catchment 2011 Amazon Partnerships Fidel Grefa, president
systems and reforestation Foundation
Family gardens 2011 Fundación Aliñambi Fidel Grefa, president

Community History
1. When was the community founded, and what year were the organizational bylaws approved?
Twenty years ago some of the founding families moved to the area. The community received its
official approval of bylaws on June 16, 2009.

2. Was the community part of another communitiy at any point? If so, explain why it divided. No.

3. Do any community members belong to another community as well? If so, how many and to what
community? No.


PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Please answer each question with adequate detail. Think about the criteria that the APF board looks
for and submit a well-‐planned project.

1. What project are you proposing? (Choose just one and mark with an “X”)

• Composting toilets_________
• Rainwater catchment systems and reforestation_______x_____
• Reforestation____________
• Sustainable agriculture______________
• Habitat conservation_____________
• Species conservation____________
• Cultural education__________________
• Environmental education ________________
• Traditional handicraft production______________
• Other (please describe):

2. What is the problem you want to solve with this project? How will the project solve it?
There is piped water in the community, but it isn't sufficient for all the families. In summer, there is
no water at all because it comes from a reservoir that dries up. The families that received water
systems in the previous phase of the project with Amazon Partnerships Foundation do have enough
water, but the rest of the families still lack it. If all families have rainwater catchment systems, they
have access to a water source that won't dry up. In addition, rainwater is cleaner, and having clean
water means we won't get sick.

3. How does this project help protect the environment?
We'll plant 100 trees to restore the environment because when we cut down trees, water sources dry
up.

4. How does this project promote traditional values of Kichwa culture?
We used to collect water in clay pots for cooking. Our ancestors used them to collect water and then
turned them over into smaller bowls or cups for drinking.

5. How many families will participate in the project?
23 particpants

6. What will the families contribute (For example manual labor, materials, food for work days, etc)
Please describe.
Manual labor, group work days, food for work days, and other materials (rebar, mesh, and wood for
the platforms, hose, and overhang for tanks)

7. Which members of the community will be in charge of executing the project? What will they do?

PROJECT COMMITTEE-‐-‐FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• President-‐-‐Jaime Grefa; call meetings, make sure project goes smoothly, inform participants
about project, make and present reports
• Vice-‐president-‐-‐Marisol Mamallacta; coordinate when the president isn't available, help the
treasurer with materials purchase
• Treasurer-‐-‐ Carmen Chongo; buy materials, keep receipts, present financial report
• Secretary-‐-‐ Diana Lorena Chongo; send out meeting invitations, take attendance, make and
present report

• Coordinator-‐-‐Joaquina Carolina Grefa Chongo; call out those who are not attending
meetings; in charge of inspecting water systems
• First Spokesperson-‐-‐Viviana Áviles; in charge of inspecting water systems
• Second Spokesperson -‐-‐Euclides Grefa; in charge of inspecting water systems
• Third Spokesperson-‐-‐Olga Chongo; in charge of inspecting water systems

The 23 participants will meet to carry out the project and each one commits to making sure the
project goes well.

8. Do you need support from other organizations (aside from APF) to carry out the project? If so,
do you have agreements with those organizations?
We have agreements with the provincial government and the city of Archidona to pay for 18 water
systems.

9. How will you maintain the project after APF support ends? Please describe your follow up plan.
We are going to maintain the water systems in good condition and clean them every 15 days.
Overhangs will be installed to help protect the tanks from the sun.


Project Plan
Please describe your project. We want to know exactly what will be done, who will be responsible for
it, and how you'll show that you've accomplished each objective.

This part is very important for us to understand how your project will work.

Objective 1: Install 23 rainwater catchment systems to have clean water in the participants' houses.

What activities will you do to Who will do the activity? When does the activity start
accomplish this objective? and end?
1.Meeting with participants All participants 12/13/11
2.Build tank platform All participants complete within 15 days of the
start of the project
3. Install the overhang All participants complete within 15 days of the
start of the project
4. Inspect platforms and overhangs Inspectors and Marcelina 1 week after completing
(community president), APF platforms and overhangs
team will deliver blank
inspection forms
5. Buy materials Committee treasurer and vice-‐ within 1 week after inspecting
president with Peace Corps platforms
volunteer
6. Deliver systems to participants Project committee Within 1 week of purchase,
depending on hardware store
7. Workshop on installing water Marcelina Tanguila and The day after materials are
systems Guillermo Tanguila delivered
8. Workshop on use and maintenance All beneficiaries with help from Within 8 days of installing
the Peace Corps volunteer systems

What outcomes do you want to achieve with this objective? For example, some outcomes might be
attendance rate, number of one-‐time activities completed on time, or maintenance rate.

Outcome: 100% of participants build platform and install systems on time.
Outcome: 100% of participants attend workshops and meetings. If they don't attend, they have to
send a replacement or pay a small fine.

Objective 2: Follow up and maintain water systems to ensure the health of 23 families.

1. Train inspectors how to inspect Norma Áviles, Miguel Chongo, Within 8 days of installing
systems Joaquina Grefa Tanguila systems
(inspectors from first phase)
2. Inspectors do inspections of all Inspectors Once a month, beginning the
participants' systems month that participants receive
the water systems and have
the maintenance workshop
3. Workshop on hygiene and water Participants and the APF team 1 week after the maintenance
purification (activity to purify with workshop
water or drop of clorox)
4. Regular maintenance & cleaning All participants Monthly for a year



Outcome: 85% maintain in good condition/clean regularly

Objective 3: Plant trees so that they generate more rainfall and pure air to breathe, and do
workshops to motivate people to keep planting trees. Do cultural programs to remind people of
ancestral customs and how ancestors took care of the environment.

1. Deliver trees Committee president and pending
Peace Corps volunteer
2. Plant trees All participants Day after trees are delivered
3. Workshop on effects of deforestation All participants Day that trees are delivered
4. Traditional dance/customs All participants Within 1 month of tree delivery
presentation
5.Workshop on cultural exchange All participants and APF team Within 1 month of tree delivery


Outcome: 100% of participants are present to receive trees on the delivery day
Outcome: 100% of participants plant trees within 5 days of receiving them

What documents can you provide to prove that you have met your objectives?

Individual participant agreement forms
Receipts
Attendance sheet
Inspection forms

SIGNATURE OF COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE

(NAME AND POSITION)

DATE


Appendix 4: Sample Budget

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Appendix 5: Proposal Scoresheet
Groups and projects that are evaluated through this process have already met basic requirements of
having a legal structure (per Ecuadorian law), regular phone access, and internet access.

Group or Community Name:
Date of Review:
Completed By:

*Scores: 5=excellent, 4= very good 3=average, 2=below average, 1=insufficient
Minimum score required: 50% plus 1 of total possible

Criteria Score* Notes
1. Project
1a. TYPE: Reflects a general awareness of the
importance of conserving natural resources and
the value of Kichwa culture in maintaining
equilibrium between humans and nature. (Project
examples may include but are not limited to
reforestation, sustainable agriculture, habitat
conservation, cultural or environmental education,
traditional handicraft production, etc.)
1b. METHOD: Employ sustainable and/or
traditional methods for conserving natural
resources or using them sustainably. Use existing
resources.
1c. IMPACT: Directly benefit marginalized
populations; help meet other development needs,
such as household income, basic services such as
water or sanitation, etc.
1d. IMPORTANCE: Reflect a true need in the
community.
1e. LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS: Have realistic and
explicit objectives. Have a good execution plan.
2. Organization
2a. CAPACITY: Have a history of completing
projects, not simply receiving aid from the
government or another institution. If not, show
willingness to learn to execute own projects. Have
the capacity to sustain results over the long term.
2b. VALUES: Show cultural and environmental
awareness, awareness of gender equality,
tolerance toward differences, etc. Show
commitment to community well-‐being and conflict
resolution.
2c. WORK ETHIC: Be able to cooperate and take
responsibility to follow up and obtain results.
Collaborate and use resources effectively.
2d. COMMUNICATION: Commit to holding
meetings and communicating with the APF team
at mutually agreed times.
Subtotal (45 maximum points)


Optional Criteria Score* Notes
1. Reflect an awareness of the threat of climate
change.
2. Have the support of volunteers, other experts,
or other technical resources if necessary.
Subtotal (10 points maximum)

TOTAL SCORE:

Additional comments:

I recommend this group for support from APF:

_____ YES ______ NO


Appendix 6: Grant Acceptance Letter
amazon
F O U N D A T I O N

Tena and DATE

(COMMUNITY NAME) AND AMAZON PARTNERSHIPS FOUNDATION

Financial Grant and Training Support Agreement
Project Timeline: (DATE)

Dear members of the (COMMUNITY NAME):

Amazon Partnerships Foundation (APF) has authorized financial support in the amount of
US$________ for (PROJECT NAME). Please indicate that you agree with the following conditions by
signing this letter and returning it as soon as possible to Mary Fifield, Executive Director.

The conditions for financial support are the following:

1. Funds can be used only for purposes established in the budget of your project proposal.
2. The community agrees to submit a progress report that describes the use of funds and the
activities you have completed with the funds.
3. The community agrees not to use any part of this funding to make grants to individuals on a
subjective basis or to use it for any non-‐charitable or non-‐educational purpose. Funds shall
not be used to participate in or support or oppose any candidate for elected office (including
publication or distribution of campaign materials) or to finance any voter registration drives
that could favor a candidate (or group of candidates) in particular. Funds shall not be used to
knowingly support any act of terrorism or violence.
4. The community agrees to notify the APF team immediately and in writing if there is any
change in the community's by-‐laws, the community governing board, the project committee,
or any other important change in the project.
5. All costs made for purposes of the project must be accounted for in the community's
financial reports, which should be delivered to the APF team together with payment receipts
for materials, etc.
6. The community agrees to designate a representative to maintain regular contact with the
Executive Director and other team members and be available by cell phone.
7. The project committee agrees to attend all planned meetings and keep the project schedule
on track to the greatest extent possible.
8. All beneficiaries of purchased materials agree to fulfill their commitment to maintain and use
the materials, or otherwise return the materials in their entirety to APF.

Two equal copies of this agreement for financial support and training are signed by:

(NAME, TITLE, ID NUMBER)

on this day _________________ in the name of (COMMUNITY NAME)

(PLACE STAMP HERE)

Appendix 7: Individual Agreement

amazon

F O U N D A T I O N

This agreement is a declaration of individual and voluntary commitment to be a beneficiary of the
project (NAME OF PROJECT), of the family (NAMES OF MALE & FEMALE HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD):
___________________________________________________________________________
for the installation and maintenance of rainwater systems and reforestation, in (COMMUNITY),
(Parish), (COUNTY), Napo Province.

OVERVIEW
With knowledge of the community support program of Amazon Partnerships Foundation (APF), we
have submitted our proposal to be beneficiaries in the said project.

1. OBJECTIVE
1. The objective is to determine the responsibilities that we must assume to be beneficiaries and the
collaboration between the Community of (COMMUNITY) and APF, and to detail each party's
contribution.

2. CONTRIBUTION
The contribution from beneficiaries, according to the budget submitted by the community and
approved by APF, is the following:

2.1-‐Beneficiary agrees to contribute (DETAILS CORRESPOND TO THE PROPOSAL, FOR EXAMPLE):

• Manual labor to construct platform and install tank and other materials
• Wood and other construction materials, food for work days
• (OTHERS DEPENDING ON BUDGET)

2.2-‐APF agrees to make the following contribution:

Grant in the amount of (TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT) exclusively for the use of purchasing materials, as
detailed in the proposal submitted by the community.

3. RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 The beneficiary's responsibilities are (PER THE PROPOSAL, FOR EXAMPLE):

• Build the platform and install water tank and gutters, etc.
• Use materials that we have (faucets, hose or tubing, wood, etc)
• Attend workshops on use and maintenance, water conservation, and others scheduled by
the project committee.
• Clean the system (tank, gutters, filters, etc) regularly.
• Make the project committee and inspectors aware if there are problems.
• Plant trees in an adequate spot and take care of them so they'll grow.
• Keep the water system in its present location (our existing house) for 3 years.

If we fail to follow the terms of this agreement, we recognize we do not have the right to hold the
Council of (COMMUNITY NAME) responsible. The Council together with the Project Committee has
the right to take disciplinary measures according to the community's bylaws in case of breach of

contract. We understand that in an extreme case of failure to uphold the terms fo this contract, APF
and the Project Committee have the right to remove project materials and distribute them to other
beneficiaries.

The community and APF have followed standard norms of communication regarding this agreement.
The Project Committee will apply internal rules regarding procedures and system maintenance.

To acknowledge our acceptance of the stipulations of this agreement, we sign an original and an
identical copy in the community of (COMMUNITY).

NAME (BENEFICIARY-‐HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD) ID NUMBER

NAME (BENEFICIARY-‐HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD) ID NUMBER

DATE:___________________________________


Appendix 8: Sample Attendance Sheet
COMUNIDAD DE NUEVO PARAISO FORMULARIO DE ASISTENCIA DE REUNIONES
ATTENDANCE SHEET NUEVO PARAISO (NP01)
P P:PRESENT
A A:ABSENT
R R:REPRESENTATIVE
J Justified absence
Meeting Date 20/01/11 18/02/11 28/02/11 18/03/11 25/04/11 6/6/11 26/07/11 11/1/11
No. NAME OF BENEFICIARIES
1 Chimbo Aguinda Enrique Jacobo P A P P A A P A
Andi Andi Salome Soraida A P P P P P A P
2 Chimbo Calapucha Enrique Rogelio P P P P P P P P

Aguinda Yumbo Eva Elena P P P P P P P A
3 Chimbo Calapucha Yolanda Francisca P P P P P P P P
4 Inmunda Licuy Ricardo Carlos P P P P P P A P

Shiguango Tapuy Edith P P P A P A A A
5 Inmunda Licuy Remigio Samuel P P P P P P P P

Tapuy Yolanda Fabiola P P A P P A A A
6 Ledesma Sisalina Devis Ermel P P P P P P P P

Carolina Tapuy P A P P P P A A
7 Licuy chimbo Leonardo Carlos P P P P A A A P

Ashanga Elida P P P P A P A P
8 Licuy Grefa Salvador José P P P P A P A P

Chimbo María Magdalena P A P P P A A P
9 Licuy Inmunda Félix Alejo P P P P A A P P

Andy Shiguango Fabiola Yolanda P P A P A A A P
10 Mendoza Andagiyez Manuel Ricardo P P P P P P A J

María Yuquilema P P P P P A A A
11 Shiguango Yumbo Elena Francisca P P P P P P P P
12 Shiguango Yumbo César Moncayo P P P P P A P A

Inmunda Grefa Virginia A A P A P A A P
13 Tapuy Andy César Alonso P P P P P P A P
14 Tapuy Cerda Domingo Gabriel P P P P J J A P
15 Tapuy Cerda Andrés Ricardo A P P P A P A P

Inmunda Licuy Gloria Margarita P A P ? A A A A
16 Shiguango Inmunda David Jonás A P J J P A P A

Aguinda Grefa Elsa Patricia P A ? ? P A A P
Number of women present 10 8 10 9 10 5 3 7

Number of men present 15 14 13 13 8 8 7 10
Number of women absent 2 5 2 2 3 8 11 6
Number of men absent 2 7 7 7 3
Number of justified absences 1 1 1
Number of beneficiaries (families) present 16 16 16 16 13 13 9 16
Attendance rate (families) 100% 100% 100% 100% 81% 81% 56% 100%
Average attendance rate (families) Families Percentage

14.375 90%


Appendix 9: Checklist of Principal Activities and Meetings
Rainwater Catchment and Reforestation Projects
Community:
Project Number:
Activity/Meeting Details Date Completed Related Documents
1. Kick-‐off meeting Sign grant agreement, update signed agreement
project plan, elect inspectors
and/or committee, etc
2. Inspect water tank Must be 100% complete inspection forms
platforms before purchasing materials
3. Purchase materials Representative(s) fromt he receipts and delivery
community meet with APF confirmation
team at the hardware store
and coordinate the purchase
and delivery
4. Workshop on Install one system, sign signed agreements
installing system individual agreements
5. Workshop on use Workshop: How Many Liters?,
and maintenance review maintenance handout
6. Workshop for How to inspect and fill out
inspectors inspection forms, set monthly
inspection date
7. Review/update Update activities wth all
project plan participants and determine
next steps
8. Create financial Teach treasurer how to fill out copies of receipts
report the form, treasurer presents
report to community
9. Project report (after Teach secretary and/or project plan,
completing 1st president how to complete attendance sheet
objective) the report, they present it to
community
10. Workshop on Workshop "The Parasite's
hygiene and water Journey" and demonstration
purification of how to use lemon or Clorox
to purify water
11. Tree Deliver and plant, inspectors delivery checklist to
delivery/planting do a simple report on how confirm who received
many trees survive after 2-‐3 which trees and
months inspection forms
12. Review inspection Teach inspectors how to inspection forms
data (after 3 monthly calculate scores
inspections)
13. Project report Teach secretary and/or project plan,
(after finishing the 2nd president how to complete attendance sheet
and 3rd objectives) the report, they present it to
community along with
inspection data
14. Workshop on Workshop "Chain of
deforestation and Deforestation"
water
15. Final report Submitted by APF team


Appendix 10: Inspection Forms for Rainwater Catchment Systems
Name of Family ______________________
Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 3
Date of Visit:
1. Are the downspouts and

gutters clean? (Write "yes",
"no" or "somewhat")
2. Is there algae or fungus?

(Write "yes", "no" or
"somewhat")
3. Do you see a lot of dirt,

leaves, or bugs inside the tank?
"somewhat")
4. Are the filters clean? (Write

"yes", "no" or "somewhat")

5. Is there any other problem

(holes, leaks, loose lid, etc) If so,
please describe:
6. What does the owner have to

do to fix the problem? Please
describe:
7. Does the owner agree to fix

the problem? (Owner signs in
the box)
Completed by __________________________________ (inspector)
Name and ID number_________________________________________ (inspector)
Date all inspections were completed_______________________________


Appendix 11: Sample Inspection Form-‐-‐How to Calculate Scores
For the family of Enrique Chimbo and María Tanguila
Date of Visit: 12-‐ March -‐10 12-‐April-‐10 14-‐May-‐10
1. Are the downspouts and Yes Somewhat Yes

gutters clean? (Write "yes",
"no" or "somewhat")
2. Is there algae or fungus? No Yes No

"somewhat")
3. Do you see a lot of dirt, Somewhat No No

leaves, or bugs inside the tank?
"somewhat")
4. Are the filters clean? (Write Yes Yes Yes

"yes", "no" or "somewhat")

5. Is there any other problem The filter in the No No

(holes, leaks, loose lid, etc) If so, upper part is ripped
please describe:
6. What does the owner have to Replace the filter Wash off the algae No
do to fix the problem? Please with a little soap and
describe: a brush

the box)

Draw the following table on the back side of the form. The numbers in the rows "Clean", "Somewhat
Clean" and "Dirty" correspond to the question number. For example, in the first visit, the gutters, etc
are clean, so a number 1 (corresponding to the question on the front of the form) is placed in the
"Clean" box in the Visit 1 row. Likewise, there is no algae and the filters are clean, so the numbers 2
and 4 (corresponding to the question numbers on the front) go in the same row, "Clean". For
question number 3 the response is "Somewhat", so a number 3 is placed in the row "Somewhat" in
the Visit 1 column.

Continue filling out the form in this manner. After filling in all the data, draw lines to connect like
numbers (connecting all 1s, all 2s, etc) to illustrate a graphic pattern of the family's maintenance
practices. With the committee, decide how to score the maintenance patterns, taking into account
the number of points that fall in the rows "Clean" and "Dirty", whether there is a general
improvement in maintenance, and other families' results. Together you can decide on a range that
makes sense to the community. In the case of the communities APF works with, most are accustomed
to a maximum score of 20, which mirrors the grading system in Ecuadorian schools. This sample
graphic might receive a score of 16 or 17 out of 20.

The same method is used to score composting toilet maintenance, but incorporates 5 points
(corresponding to 5 questions) instead of 4.
Visit #1 Visit #2 Visit #3

Clean 1 2 3 1 2 3 4
4 4

Somewhat clean 3 1

Dirty 2


Appendix 12: Sample Inspection Form for Composting Toilets
Name of Family ______________________
Date of Visit:
1. Are the funnel and mesh

clean and unclogged? (Write
"yes," "no," or "somewhat")
2. Is the bathroom clean (seat,

floor, etc) (Write "yes," "no," or
"somewhat")
3. Are there a lot of flies or a

bad odor? (Write "yes," "no," or
"somewhat")
4. Is there ash or some other

dry material in the bathroom?
(Write "yes," "no," or
"somewhat")
5. Are users covering feces with

ash or other dry material after
using the bathroom? (Write
"yes," "no," or "somewhat")
6. Are there any other

problems? (leak in the urine
hose, termites, etc) Please
describe:
7 What does the owner have to

do to fix the problem? Please
describe:

the box)
Completed by __________________________________ (inspector)
Name and ID number_________________________________________ (inspector)
Date all inspections were completed_______________________________

Appendix 13: Project Report Form
Project Plan Report

Community:
Submitted by:
Date:

INSTRUCTIONS (OBJECTIVES): Write the objectives, the activities, people responsible, dates,
and completion information in the following table. Do one for each objective. If you have
completed only one objective, delete the other table.

Objective # 1:

What activities Who did the What date were When were the activities finished
did you do to activities? the activities and with what results?
achieve the planned for?
objective?

Objective # 2:

What activities Who did the What date were When were the activities finished
did you do to activities? the activities and with what results?
achieve the planned for?
objective?

INSTRUCTIONS (SUMMARY OF RESULTS): Calculate the attendance rate, the maintenance
scores, and number of one-‐time activities completed on time (for example, purchase of
materiales, maintenance workshop, etc) If this form is submitted before the maintenance
phase has started, leave that information blank.

Summary of Results:

Indicator Actual Anticipated
Outcome Outcome
Average attendance in workshops and meetings % %

Average maintenance score % %
Number of one-‐time activities completed on time

INSTRUCTIONS (VERIFICATION): Describe the kinds of documents you have to prove that
you completed the objective.

How can you verify that you've completed the objective?

INSTRUCTIONS (NOTES): Describe any problems that arose during the phase of the project
covered by this report and how they were resolved. Also, describe any activities or events
that exceeded expectations or went particularly well. If you have made any changes in the
original plan, describe them here and explain why you've decided to make the change.

Notes

INSTRUCTIONS (NEXT REPORT): Describe pending objectives or other follow up that will be
submitted in the next report.

Next Report

The undersigned confirm that the information presented in this report is correct:


Appendix 14: Sample Project Report

PROJECT PLAN REPORT: COMPOSTING TOILETS
COMMUNITY OF PALMA AMAZONICA

Date: September 3 2010
Submitted by : Nely Tanguila, teacher (Secretary of the composting toilet project
committee)

OBJECTIVE 1: Build composting toilets for the school 10 de Mayo and five families in the
community of Palma Amazónica to improve family health and avoid contaminating the river with
human feces.

What activities did Who did the What date were the When were the
you do to achieve activities? activities planned for? activities finished
the objective? and with what
results?
1. Meeting to plan Camilo Yumbo. Middle of June 2010 June 18, 100%
work days. María Aguinda attendance
Lorena Grefa
Sebastián Tapuy
Nely Tanguila
2. Place the order for Camilo Yumbo June 18 2010 June 21 at 10 a.m. ,
materials at the Carmen Shiguango placed order
hardware store
(Dimeron)
3. Collect local Each family; Sebastian June 21, 2010, for the 20% of materials were
materials (bamboo, Tapuy will make a school, end of June-‐July 5 collected by the date
etc) checklist to check if all for the families.
families have completed
task.
4. Receive delivery of Sr. Camilo Yumbo June 23 (receive materials) This activity was 90 %
materials from the Sra. Soresa Grefa complete.
hardware store and do Participating families Juen 28 (workshop)
a workshop on how to
build the toilets.
5. Build toilets for five Project committee From June 28 to July 24 90% completed by the
families and the school Participating families deadline.
School
teacher/coordinator

Results

Indicator Actual Outcome Anticipated Outcome
Participation in work days 100% of participants 100%
Collect local materials by expected date 20% 100%
Receive delivery of hardware store materials 90% 100%
and attend construction workshop
Finish construction by expected date 90% 100%

How can you verify that you have achieved the objective?
We have attendance sheets, delivery confirmation receipt, purchase receipts, and photos

Notes
Sergio Tanguila withdrew from the project. He didn't have time because he was doing another project
in Archidona to build a house and couldn't attend the work days. Carmen Shiguango was alone with
her children and ill, and because her husband was working far away, she had to withdraw from the
project also. Therefore, the community proposed to let another family participate in place of Carmen,
and Sebastian Tapuy and Lorena Grefa joined the group.

All the beneficiaries participated in the project. Even other community members who weren't part of
the project helped out on some work days to finish construction more quickly.

In reference to activity #3, Sebastián Tapuy did not do a checklist of families that had collected local
materials on time. Participants did not complete this activity and did not have their materials ready
on time except for Venancio Ashanga.

In reference to activity #5, the school bathroom had not been treated with varnish and the locks had
not been put on the door by the date of the APF team inspection, July 29. Most families had not
installed the bamboo rain gutter nor treated the bamboo walls with diesel to prevent termites. They
agreed to finish the exterior treatement by the first week in August.

Next Report
Objective #2 is pending: "Do regular maintenance and inspections for the composting toilets".

Camilo Yumbo Nely Tanguila
Committee President Secretary


Appendix 15: Sample Project Evaluation by the APF Team

Project Evaluation— Nuevo Paraíso (NP01)
Submitted by: Mary Fifield
Date: November 2, 2011

Project Name: Rainwater Catchment Systems and Reforestation
Project Date: January 2011 to November 2011
Number of Families (Beneficiaries): 16
Number of Schools/Kindergartens (Beneficiaries): 0

Does the project qualify for follow on support? YES

Summary
This project evaluation for the community of Nuevo Paraíso focuses on two principle areas: project
management skills acquired in the course of the project, and goals achieved as they were defined in
the original proposal. Data comes from attendance sheets maintained by the project committee,
internal APF reports, agreements, and other documents verified by the APF team. Maintenance data
was collected by inspectors in the community (who formed part of the project committee), who used
a simple form to record the monthly maintenance level of each beneficiary. Later that data was
converted into scores and calculated based on a maximum 100%. We have verified this information to
the best of our ability.

Results
Project Management Skills (scale: 1 = poor, 5 = excellent)

Criterion Score Notes
Meeting attendance 4 Attendance at general meetings averaged 89%.
This rate fell short of the community's self-‐
assigned goal of 100%, but that was a high bar
to set. On a couple of occasions, we confirmed
meetings but participants did not show up
because of miscommunication between the
committee and participants.
Reports 4 We had some delays with the completion of the
last report because the committee members
did not have money for the bus trip to Tena.
Financial management 5 Materials were purchased according to plan
and the treasurer presented receipts and a
complete financial report.
Problem-‐solving ability 5 Two families did not complete their platforms
by the deadline and were therefore disqualified
from the project, per the ground rules we
established as a group. The project committee
quickly found two others who immediately built
platforms and traveled to Tena to pick up the
water systems themselves. Two families did not
attend the minga where we distributed trees,
so the participants decided to have a drawing
to distribute the extra trees to those present.
The committee also made an effort to send out
meeting announcements ahead of time.
Follow up 5 Inspectors completed their work thoroughly

and on time. The committee also did extra
work to collect data on transplating of the
trees, which took three visits to complete.
Total 23

Project Goals

Activity Goal Actual Notes
Install 16 systems 100% 100%
Recipients use systems 100% 100%
Plant 90 trees 100% 100% 81% of trees are still alive 5 months after
transplating
Attendance at general 100% 89%
meetings
Average maintenance score 85% 93%
for recipients
Number of activities 100% 67% Delays in completing report and building
completed on time platforms, as noted above.

Observations

The community showed genuine interest, participation, and commitment in the project. The few
times when attendance dropped off, the committee made an effort to make sure participants were
better notified about meeting times. The group solved problems quickly and consensually.

Women did not participate as actively in this project as in some other communities, but those that did
participate, for example one of the inspectors and the treasurer, seemed to gain more confidence as
the project advanced. On average, women made up 44% of workshop participants. Future projects
should focus on increasing women's participation and leadership.

This community qualifies for follow-‐on support in 2012.


Appendix 16: Workshop-‐-‐Chain of Deforestation
Principle Ideas
This workshop helps people understand the consequences of deforestation and that sometimes we
make irreversible changes in the land to the point that we can no longer use it.

Key Points
• Any change in how we use land affects the entire ecosystem (ecosystem = all
organisms and physical things in the area).
• Deforestation reduces the amount of water in rivers and streams and can affect the
amount of water in a tropical rainforest
• We must think about the consequences of any change in how we use the land and
always keep in mind the health of the ecosystem. A healthy ecosystem provides
more resources that we need long term (food, products to sell, water, construction
materials, plants for medicinal purposes, etc)

Teaching Objectives
After each workshop, participants should be able to identify at least two options to avoid negative
changes as a result of deforestation (in #6 below) and recognize that loss of forest cover makes the
soil dry out in a tropical rainforest.

Materials
Cards ("Chain of Deforestation/Cadena de Deforestación")

Activity
1. Explain to the entire group that today we're going to do a group activity on forests and
deforestation. Ask:
a. What things are forests good for? (possible answers: water, fresh and clean air,
more plant and animal species, food, construction materials, etc)
b. What happens when we cut down trees? (possible answers: less water, fewer
species, more heat, the land becomes infertile or useless)
2. Show the first two cards (#1-‐intact forest and machete, #2-‐machete and partially cut forest).
Point out that each card has two drawings. The drawing on the right on one card is the same
as the drawing on the left of the other. Explain that there are eight cards in all, and the
object is to match the drawing on the right of each card with the corresponding drawing on
the left side of another card (domino style).
3. Ask for eight volunteers (women and men) to stand in front of the group. Place the cards
face down and mix them up. Explain that each person will pick a card, look for the person
who has a drawing that matches the one on their card, and will stand in a line so the cards
match up correctly. Give the group five minutes to do this.
4. When everyone is standing so that the cards are in the right order, have each person explain
what is on his/her card.
5. Ask the group how the forest looks in the first drawing (card #1), y and what it looks like in
the last (card #8). Go card by card asking what the drawings illustrate, how the forest
changes at each stage, and why.
6. Ask them how we can avoid these negative changes:
a. on card #2 (possible answer: replant trees for those that have to be cut)
b. on card #4 (possible answer: plant a variety of crops and other trees)
c. on card #7 (possible answer: plant or maintain some trees in the buffer area)
7. Reinforce the key points above.


Appendix 17: Workshop-‐-‐The Parasite's Journey
Principle Ideas
This workshop demonstrates how germs can cause diarrhea and how to prevent illness through
simple actions.

Key Points
• Microbes and germs are passed through human feces when we don't defecate in appropriate
places. We end up contaminating rivers and soil and getting sick.
• We all have a responsibility for preventing the spread of microbes.
• Washing hands, washing clothing, and washing after handling animals are good practices to
avoid contact with germs.
• Other measures such as cooking food thoroughly, covering food, using composting toilets,
and thoroughly washing and drying plates, etc are good ways to avoid contaminating the
environment and getting sick.

Teaching Objectives
After the workshop, participants should be able to identify at least three ways to avoid transmitting
bacteria, where feces end up when using a pit or flush toilet, and how a composting toilet prevents
water and soil contamination.

Materials
Pictures ("The Parasite's Journey,"), markers, butcher paper, masking tape

Activity Part 1
1. Show each of the pictures from the sequence below and ask the group what happens in
each:
a. A man has diarrhea and defecates outside
b. A dog sticks his nose in the feces
c. A boy plays with the dog and touches its nose
d. The boy cries and his mother cleans his hands with her skirt
e. The mother cooks and cleans her hands with the same skirt, which have come into
contact with the germs from the excrement
f. The family eats
g. The family gets sick

2. Divide the participants into small groups (3-‐5 people) and give each group one of the
pictures, except for the final image of the ill family.
3. Have them discuss and write or draw how the the actor in the picture can avoid spreading
bacteria at that point in the story (for example, the man uses a composting toilet instead of
going to the bathroom outside).
4. When they finish, ask a woman from each group to present the picture and explain what the
actor should do to prevent spreading bacteria. They should present the pictures in order and
stay in front of the group until the last person has presented.
5. Ask the others if they agree with what each group suggests to prevent spreading bacteria.
Afterward, show the last picture and ask who is responsible for avoiding the spread of
illnesses.

Activity Part 2
1. Show the picture of the pit or flush toilet. Tape it to the sheet of butcher paper.
2. Ask the group where feces and urine go when someone uses these toilets. (They should
answer toward fields, toward the river, to groundwater, etc) Draw their responses on
butcher paper.
3. Now show the picture of the composting toilet and ask where feces and urine go in this type
of toilet. (If they don't know, explain that the feces are contained in the chambers and urine
goes through a hose to a garden or is collected to use for fertilzer for plants.)

4. Ask if this type of toilet is better for the environment and people's health, and why. (They
should answer that feces doesn't contaminate rivers, soil, etc.)
5. To summarize and reinforce, ask them again what they can do to prevent illnesses and the
spread of germs (see Key Points, above).


Appendix 18: Workshop-‐-‐How Long Does It Take Garbage to Decompose?
Principle Ideas
This workshop helps participants understand how to handle waste responsibly. After the workshop,
participants should understand the difference between organic and inorganic waste, how organic
waste can be turned into compost, and why it is important to reduce our use of material and the
waste we produce.

Key Points
• Waste or garbage threatens our environment and our health.
• We should reuse organic waste to make compost for gardens and improve the soil
• A lot of garbage takes a long time to decompose, so it's better to think of ways we can avoid
producing waste.

Teaching Objectives
Participants should be able to explain what organic waste is, give three examples of environmental or
health problems associated wth waste, and identify at least three types of garbage that take a long
time to decompose.

Materials
Butcher paper, graphics ("The Lifecycle of Trash") markers, masking tape

Discussion
1. Explain to the group that we are going to talk about trash, why it's a problem, what the
difference is between organic and inorganic garbage, and what we can do to treat or reduce
our garbage.
2. Ask participants: Why is trash a problem for our health and the environment? (possible
answers: damaging to plants and animals, attracts pests and transmits illnesses, can contain
toxic chemicals, when trash is burned it releases gases into the air and worsens global
warming, etc)
3. Ask if they know the difference between organic and inorganic garbage. (answer: organic
garbage is made of biodegradable materials from animals, plants, or humans that
decompose and can be returned to the soil without contaminating it; inorganic garbage is
usually produced by factories or industries and sometimes takes centuries to decompose)
4. Ask them to name some examples of organic garbage (possible answers: food waste, feces,
paper, sawdust, plant leaves, etc), and inorganic (possible answers: glass, plastic, aluminum,
tin, etc)
5. Ask them how inorganic garbage can be handled or disposed of. If they answer that it can be
buried, talk about the risk of contaminating the soil with toxins that could be in inorganic
waste. If they say it should be burned, discuss the risk of producing smoke that contains
carcinogens from plastics (and cause cancer). Also, burning trash releases gases that heat up
the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Talk about the reality that sometimes
people don't have a safe way to dispose of trash. In that case, what responsibility do
governments have to get rid of the most dangerous waste (e.g. batteries, medicine,
insecticides, etc), and what responsibility do each of us have to reduce the waste we
produce?

Activity
1. Ask the group if they have ever thought about how long it takes a Bon Ice wrapper (or
another common piece of plastic litter) to decompose. Explain that we are going to do a
group activity to discover how long trash takes to decompose.
2. Divide the group into two teams and write two lists with the following items*, leaving a lot of
space in between each line and a lot of space between the lists so that the two teams can
work independently:

glass jars

disposable diapers
bamboo
banana peel
tin cans
aluminum cans
toilet paper
plastic
tires

3. Give each group slips of paper that contain decomposition rates (2-‐3 weeks, 200-‐500 years,
etc) and some masking tape
4. Explain that they have to guess which is the correct decomposition rate for each one of the
items on the list and write their answer next to the item. Give the group three minutes.
5. After three minutes, ask a member of one team (preferably a woman) to read the list of
items and decomposition rates. Repeat with the other group.
6. Ask the groups what is the most important thing people can do with garbage. If they answer,
"reduce it", give them an extra point.
7. For each decomposition rate correctly guessed, give one point. The team with the most
points wins.
8. Ask the group if they agree with the decomposition rates, if the amount of time for each
item to decompose is greater or less than they thought, etc. Ask them what they can do to
reduce the amount of waste they produce.

* The graphic includes socks, painted wood, and rope, but the decomposition rate for these kinds of
items varies greatly depending on climate and other factors, particularly in the rainforest. For that
reason, we only include items for which the decomposition rates are not so variable.


Appendix 19: Workshop-‐-‐How Many Liters Do You Use?

Principle Ideas
This workshop gives helps participants think about the amount of water used for daily activities.
When people see the detailed information about liters or gallons used per activity, they can make
decisions about how to conserve or prioritize their use of potable water.

Key Points
• Any time we use water from any source, we need to think about how to conserve it.
• Water is for all beings on the planet, and humans have to think about our impact when we
use water that animals, trees, etc also depend on.

Teaching Objectives
After the workshop, participants should understand the importance of water conservation, and that
water from the rainwater catchment tank should be used for the most important activities (drinking,
cooking, washing dishes, and sometimes bathing infants.)

Materials
Graphics ("Everyone needs water"), butcher paper, markers, masking tape.

Activity
1. Explain that we are going to do an activity to discover how much water we use and for what
purposes.
2. Divide the participants into small groups of men and women (4-‐6 people)
3. Give each group a copy of the graphic "Everyone needs water"
4. Ask groups which activity is represented by each drawing (cooking, drinking, bathing,
washing clothes)
5. With the entire group, decide on how many people a typical family has. Then each individual
group needs to consider how many liters each family uses for each activity. Above each
picture, they should write the number of liters used. (If they prefer to calculate in gallons,
make sure that all the answers are calculated using the same unit of measurement.)
6. While the groups are working, draw a table with columns for each activity in the header and
rows for each group and the number of family members on the left.
7. When all groups are finished, ask a woman from each group to present the results. Write the
number of liters for each activity. If some have calculated in gallons and others in liters,
convert the answers to liters (1 gallon=approximately 4 liters)
8. According to research, on average people consume the following amounts of water:
• 1-‐3 liters for drinking
• 2-‐3 liters for cooking and washing dishes
• 6-‐7 liters for bathing
• 4-‐6 liters for washing clothes
When all the groups have presented their information, share the average use data with them
and ask what activities use the most water.
9. Remind them that the water tanks hold up to 500 liters of water. Ask how they should use
water from the catchment tanks (cooking, drinking, washing dishes) and for which activies
they can use water from other sources.
10. Sometimes participants will say they should use tank water to bathe infants because they
can contract infections from bathing in contaminated river water. In that case, ask them how
they should bathe the baby, with how much water, etc. We want to reinforce the concept
that whatever the water use, we should always think of ways to conserve.
11. Ask which other beings need water in the rainforest, and what happens when humans don't
take into account the water needs of trees, animals, etc.


Appendix 20: Workshop-‐-‐Climate Change and APF Community Support Program

PART ONE: APF program presentation
1. Write the general information about Amazon Partnerships Foundation (team names, office and cell
phone numbers, address) on butcher paper

2. Explain the purpose for the visit
a. To give a workshop and show the video Life and Breath about climate change
b. Share information about APF and the kinds of projects we support

PART TWO: Workshop on climate change
3. Ask the group: Has anyone heard the term "climate change"? (If the answer is yes, ask them what
they know about it and note their responses. If the answer is no, ask if they have heard the term
"global warming".) Next, ask the group:

• What was the rainforest like years ago, and what is it like now?
• What were the rivers like years ago, and what are they like now?
• What was the climate like years ago, and what is it like now?
• Are there as many animals as before, or not?
• Are these changes something to worry about, or not?
•
Have the participants answer the questions themselves and note whether the group is aware of the
deterioration of the environment and environmental changes.

Important points to reinforce:
• Changes are happening all over the world, but Ecuador is among the countries that will be
most affected by climate change.
• The Amazon is the world's largest tropical rainforest, and trees act as regulators for the
climate. If we lose the rainforest, it will affect everything that lives in it and the entire world.

4. Write the following 3 questions on butcher paper, leaving space to write the group's answers later.
Read the questions to the group:

1) What are the causes of climate change?
2) What are the effects of climate change?
3) What can we do to confront it and improve the situation?

Mention:
• That they should think about the questions as they watch the video
• That the video was filmed in Napo Province in Kichwa

5. Show the video

6. You can divide the group into smaller groups or ask the large group to answer the questions. Read
each and let them answer.

• Deforestation has a very large impact, as great as burning fossil fuels (from cars, factories,
etc)
• Other causes include mining (gold, gravel, etc) because of the extraction process and
monoculture crops
• Effects include droughts and flooding, crop failure, dry rivers, dry and infertile soil, more heat,
loss of biodiversity, etc.
• Population growth means that all human activity has greater impact, and we are impacting
ourselves, our neighbors, and nature

Note any particularly unique or interesting comments or observations during the workshop.

PART THREE: Projects

7. Explain what APF does
• We work with communities to help them implement their own projects to conserve the
environment and/or Kichwa culture.
• Our approach is different from other organizations.
• We don't bring projects to communities. Communities that want to participate need to
present their own project to the APF board. If it's approved, we provide up to $2,000 and a
year of project management training for the community..
• Because we are a small foundation, we can't work with all communities, only those that are
most motivated and committed to implementing their own project.

8. Explain the types of projects we support:
• Reforestation
• Organic agriculture
• Production or sales of traditional handicrafts
• Composting toilets
• Rainwater catchment systems
• Gardens or plant nurseries
• Any other idea that the community has to satisfy an unmet need

9. Explain the process for communities that want to participate:
• Invite the team to give 2-‐3 workshops on how to write a proposal
• Put everything in a Word document and submit it by the deadline
• If the proposal is approved by the APF board, we begin to work with the community for one
year, teaching them how to implement their project

• We can only approve the best proposals, but we help communities write their best proposals
through workshops.
• Communities own their projects, but we teach them how to manage them, do reports, etc.
• If they manage the project well and show positive results, they can qualify for follow on
support the following year, but it depends on the community.

9. Write and explain the criteria: What do we look for from communities that want to propose a
project?
• Cooperation, collaboration, and commitment
• Positive, serious attitude toward achieving goals and solving problems.
• A good follow up plan to continue with the project after APF's support.
• Commitment to work as a team and communicate regularly with APF.
• Community bylaws as required by law.

Final Comments:
We leave the decision to participate in your hands. All you have to do if you'd like to participate is call
us to schedule a time for the first workshop on writing a proposal.


Workshop Graphics
Chain of Deforestation/Cadena de Deforestación
The Parasite's Journey
The Lifecycle of Trash
Everyone Needs Water


Handouts
How to Purify Water
About Composting Toilets
How to Use a Composting Toilet
About Rainwater Catchment Systems
How to Maintain Your Rainwater Catchment Systems

How to Purify Water
What does contaminated water look like?
Red dots are coliform bacteria, which in large quantities can make
you sick with diarrhea or other intestinal problems.
The blue dots are E. coli, which should not be present in
water for human consumption. This bacteria can cause
serious illnesses and is transmitted through human or
animal feces, and sometimes by insects. For that reason,
you should wash your hands well before touching the
water tank.
What does clean or potable water look like?
Here you can see what water looks like when it is treated with bleach
or lemon and the tank is clean.
How do you purify water using bleach?
To purify the water inside the tank: Put 6 SOUP SPOONS of bleach (AJAX in the red
packaging) inside the tank (which holds 500 liters) when it is full.
To purify water after pouring it into a bottle: Fill a one-‐liter bottle with water and put 3
DROPS of bleach (AJAX). Shake it and leave it for 30 minutos before drinking.
How do you purify using lemon juice?
Fill a one-‐liter bottle with water from the tank and squeeze the juice of
one lemon into it. Shake it and leave it for 30 minutes before drinking.
Remember: always keep your tank, gutters, downspouts, etc. clean,

washing them with bleach and soap. Bleach is stronger for purifying water and will kill any
bacteria, but lemon also works, has a milder flavor, and contains vitamin C.
Source: A Community Guide to Environmental Health, Hesperian Publications, 2009.

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Community Self-­‐Development Methodology

© Amazon Partnerships Foundation/Fundación Tarpuna Causay

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNITY SELF-­‐DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY ................ 6

PHASE 1: PROJECT SOLICITATION ................................................................................. 7

PHASE 2: IMPLEMENTATION ...................................................................................... 12

PHASE 3: EVALUATION ............................................................................................... 16

BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED .................................................................. 19

CASE STUDY: CAMPANA COCHA ................................................................................. 21

CASE STUDY: CANAMBO ............................................................................................. 23

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................ 25

APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 26

Appendix 1: Project Solicitation Calendar ............................................................................................................... 27

Appendix 2: Information Sheet for Interested Communities .......................................................................... 28

Appendix 3: Sample Application .................................................................................................................................. 29

Appendix 4: Sample Budget ........................................................................................................................................... 35

Appendix 5: Proposal Scoresheet ................................................................................................................................ 36

Appendix 6: Grant Acceptance Letter ........................................................................................................................ 38

Appendix 7: Individual Agreement ............................................................................................................................. 39

Appendix 8: Sample Attendance Sheet ..................................................................................................................... 41

Appendix 13: Project Report Form ............................................................................................................................. 47

Appendix 14: Sample Project Report ......................................................................................................................... 49

Appendix 16: Workshop-­‐-­‐Chain of Deforestation ................................................................................................ 53

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 3

WORKSHOP GRAPHICS & HANDOUTS (SEE GRAPHICS-­‐HANDOUTS.PDF)

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 4

Brief History of Amazon Partnerships

In 2006, while director of a U.S. community health

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 1

Results of the Community Self-­‐Development Methodology

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 2

APF has worked primarily in Napo Province,

The Persistent Effects of Paternalism

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 3

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 4

Broadening the Context for Empowerment

The Community Self-­‐Development Methodology

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 5

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 6

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 7

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 8

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 9

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 10

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 11

1) Project Kick-­‐off Meeting

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 12

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 13

Community Self-­‐Development Methodology Implementation Handbook, Amazon Partnerships Foundation 14

Collecting Baseline Data

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1) Workshops on Data Analysis

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Making Information Management Simple and Relevant

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Community Self-‐Development Methodology

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DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNITY SELF-‐DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY ................ 6

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WORKSHOP GRAPHICS & HANDOUTS (SEE GRAPHICS-‐HANDOUTS.PDF)

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Results of the Community Self-‐Development Methodology

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The Community Self-‐Development Methodology

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1) Project Kick-‐off Meeting

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Date of Visit: 12-‐ March -‐10 12-‐April-‐10 14-‐May-‐10