SLS-8d3c - Community Capacity Building Model

Changing from the household-based model to the community-based model posed two challenges.  One is the increase in the level of the technical challenge, in terms of the increased technical difficulties in the design, implementation and maintenance of the solar charging stations.  The other is the greatly increased scale of the overall project, the need for much more well-trained manpower, the complexity of the logistical planning and management, and the procurement of the required equipment and materials.  To turn the new plan into reality, the focus had to be shifted more towards building up the capacity of the local community to take up much of the project themselves.  

On the other hand, passing along relevant knowledge and skills has always been part of our objective. It is, in fact, the high order one.  Building something of value to the community is valuable service. But helping the community help themselves is a more long term, sustainable approach.  But it is difficult to figure out what the need is, what skills to pass along, who to pass it to, and how to actually do it.  Obviously it takes much effort, perseverance, and mutual trust.  It does not happen often.  

A tripartite capacity building model was developed to address these challenges in our Rwanda solar panel project. The model involves (1) a Project Team of multidisciplinary members from PolyU, (2) a Bridging Team from the frontline NGO partner and/or local university and (3) a Community Team of resident community youths.  The Project Team of teachers and students (mostly Chinese with some foreign students at PolyU) are those participating in a service-learning course from PolyU. The teachers are the primary designers of the project, in collaboration with the bridging team partner NGO, AEE Rwanda. 

The Bridging Team consists of individual Rwandans who are local to the national culture and context, though not necessarily to the specific local community (in Gikomero). AEE Rwanda, having been serving the local community for some time, identifies the community (village in Gicaca) and negotiates with community stakeholders on the specifics of the community engagement, i.e. entering, building and exiting the community. The bridging team also consists of student volunteers from the local universities (coming from all over Rwanda), who usually join the project out of curiosity, either about the project itself, or about the incoming team, and a desire to help their fellow countrymen. They serve as peer guides to our students on the project team and translate the project team students’ engagement into the local culture and context. 

The Community Team comprises of resident community youths living in Gicaca. They have the most intimate knowledge of the community and also have the most to gain from the success of the project. Their empowerment can be seen as the critical ingredient for success.  However, because of the relatively low level of education achieved and English proficiency, it is also one of the most difficult to ensure. Together with AEE, the project team teachers designed a certificate-bearing learning program. AEE then promoted this learning program to the community and enrolled a sizeable group of young people. They have to (1) have some level of basic education (i.e. be able to read and write in their native language), and (2) have a reputation for commitment, integrity and responsibility in the community.  The learning program that we devised in the Rwanda context is a just-in-time, learning-by-doing model that resembles the “industrial training” modules mandatory for engineering students in Hong Kong. The community team youth work alongside the project and bridging team of university students to carry out and implement the project. Hence, the project essentially serves as a practical learning program.

On to the next step.  Can they manage a big project without us being there in person - but only remotely through the Internet?   This is actually a project being planned fore summer 2021, while these words are being written.