their roles and influence in the lives of PWDs / families / communities

1. their roles and influence in the lives of PWDs / families / communities Partners Meet 2007 G. Venkatesa Reddy, Senior Officer CBR Forum, 14, CK Garden, Wheeler Road Extn, Bangalore – 560 084 Tel. 080-25497387 or 25497388, cbrforum@blr.vsnl.net.in

2. What is a Federation? • Representatives of 15-20 SHGs come together to form and function as a democratic unit / federation to fulfill / address the joint needs of PWDs / Group of SHGs. • It is a forum for regular interaction and networking. • It is a forum to sustain efforts made by small groups in socio-economic development initiatives. • Needs of SHGs, aspirations, opinions, suggestions, recommendations should be respected. • SHGs members are the owners and managers and they should have the decision making power on Federation functions / management. • Federation should be accountable to SHGs and should function with transparency. • Federation should promote unity, solidarity and collective strength. • In the context of disability, it is a disabled people’s movement, working to bring about a lasting social change and working for their rightful inclusion in society.

3. Why are we promoting a federation? • To sustain the process of people’s initiative and power. • To promote unity and collective strength. • To identify and address developmental needs of the SHGs. • To sustain the efforts in the socio- economic, health, education and employment realms. • To establish rapport among SHGs. • To learn and co-operate with each other. • To promote organizational identity, i.e., different from NGOs. • To influence the govt. and the local community. • To promote leadership. • To take the responsibility to improve their own life.

4. Pre-conditions to form a Federation • Strong SHGs in place. • Should have interest to establish a federation. • Records / files are kept in place at SHGs. • SHGs should have developed a system of conducting regular review and planning meetings of their activities. • SHGs should run effectively for at least one year.

5. Steps to form Federation • Identify the compact / cluster area (it should be 5-7 km). • Conduct common meeting for all the representatives of the SHGs in the above area. • Discuss whether they would like to form a federation. • Sharing of SHG experience – achievements / disappointments. • Facilitating cross learning or group to group learning / support. • Strong representative of SHG should attend the meeting and share their experience. • Inter group support should be organized at cluster level to help sustain newer SHGs. • Initially SHGs will attend federation meetings as observers. • Membership in federation

6. What should be the size of a federation, and at what level should it be formed? • Encourage federations with a membership of not less than 10 and not more than 20 SHGs, with a view to ensure maximum participation of PWDs while keeping the size and scale of activities manageable. • If necessary, higher level federations (i.e. federation of federations) could be promoted at a later date. Before this is done, it should be clearly thought out and the activities should be well-defined.

7. Activities that federation should do • Regular review of and reflection on SHG activities. • Strengthen SHGs through ideas, suggestions, exposure visits, audits, capacity building / training, etc. • Collect and disseminate relevant, useful, and interesting information to SHGs • Take up activities of benefit to member SHGs and communities. • Take up activities that strengthen the federations themselves. • Federations should not be encouraged to take on such functions that the individual SHGs could perform on their own.

8. What are the key management features of a federation ? • Ensuring continuity • Federation Meeting • Rules and regulations • Responsibility-sharing • Maintain books and documents • Appraisal, monitoring, and evaluation

9. What should be the training imparted to federations? The training would be at two levels: • At the SHG level: • At least one training session per SHG for all SHG members on the concept of federations, roles of federations, and their own roles as members. • At the federation level: • 3-4 training programmes attended by all federation level representatives on key topics related to the efficient functioning of federations.

10. Empowerment of PWDs/ SHGs through federation • Growth in people’s awareness and confidence. • Ability to articulate problems. • Gaining access to resources and public facilities. • Negotiating over relations between different social groups.

11. Empowering SHGs and communities, the capacities required include: • Capacity to organize in relation to social goals or to bring about enduring improvements in livelihoods and resistance to economic vulnerability. • Improving their negotiating skills and inter-personal relations. • Enabling them to know how to relate with development officials. • Capacity to change power structures or struggle for greater control over resources or decision-making processes. • Capacity to organize, change, learn and consolidate.

12. Should the registration of federation be promoted? • If federation take initiative on their own to be registered, they could go ahead with it. • The federations will be oriented to follow all good practices that are needed of a registered body, including audits.

13. Requirements for registration of federation • Give a name to the federation • Have an official address • Selection of General Body Members and Governing Body Members • Membership fee charged by the federation from its member SHGs Training for the governing body • Approval of the bylaws • System to maintain records, accounts etc. in place

14. Partner NGOs role in promotion and development of federation Preparatory Stage: • Discussions at SHG level on federation. • Training at SHG level on concept and roles of federations and their own roles as members. • Selection of SHG representatives to the federation, and orientation to the selected representatives.

15. Partner NGOs role in promotion and development of federation Formation Stage – (0-6M) • Facilitate framing of vision, Mission, Goals • Facilitate framing of rules and regulations, activity plans, and clarify functions, roles and responsibilities of federation and members

16. Partner NGOs role in promotion and development of federation Stabilization Stage – (6 -24M) • Capacity building inputs • Facilitate processes on manner of operationalizing activity plans in accordance with Vision and Mission. • Facilitate building linkages with Govt. and other institutions. • Facilitate establishment of documentation, financial management systems, and audits.

17. Partner NGOs role in promotion and development of federation Phasing out Stage – (25-36M) • Continue to attend federation meetings periodically and facilitate federation strengthening processes. • Introduce system of conducting periodic participatory evaluations.

18. Partner NGOs role in promotion and development of federation Withdrawal Stage – (36m - above) • Occasional ‘friendly’ appearances at meetings and events organized by the federation.

19. Should a federation engage in fund-raising? For what purpose? Fund raising can include the following: • Membership fees as a one-time payment from member SHGs. • Monthly contributions from member SHGs. • Fines from member SHGs for violations of rules, etc. • Bank interest earned on the account of the federation. • Donations from any source. • Contributions from other institutions for programmes within the scope of the federation’s objectives. • Service charges (when the federation’s services are used for any work). • Income earned from any income-generating programme taken up by the federation.

20. Should a federation engage in fund-raising? For what purpose? Federations require funds to meet their own operating costs. Even with a limited range of activities, they still need money to open a bank account, purchase books of accounts, files, stationery, etc., pay a book-writer, host tea for members at federation meetings, meet travel expenses, and so on.

21. How can a federation establish credibility and legitimacy? Credibility and legitimacy should Be established in the eyes of member SHGs and in the community The following factors contribute to this process: • attaining the features of an organization • showing good results in relation to objectives. • building good relations with the Govt. and as many institutions as possible.

22. What to encourage? • Circulation of federation meeting minutes to all member SHGs. • Sharing of responsibility among all member SHGs. • Periodic audits and sharing of audit findings with member SHGs. • Planning of all activities with focus on Vision,Mission, and Goals. • Periodic assessment of achievements against plans. • Training programmes to strengthen the federation. • Regular update all the necessary books, reports, and other documents.

23. What not to encourage? • Use the federation to achieve an outside agenda. • Pay travel costs and food costs for members attending federation meetings. • NGO takes the responsibility for calling federation meetings. • Host federation meetings on NGO premises (our experience shows that they will expect us to make all the arrangements including cleaning up after the meeting). • NGO gets involved in decision making on behalf of the federation. • NGO holds or writes the books and documents of the federation. • NGO is a signatory to the federation account. • Pay faculty charges, service fees, etc. directly to federation members, if they are engaged as resource persons. • Give subsidies / grants to the federation.

24. Grading criteria for federation of SHGs • Vision and Mission • Developed by the federation and known to all at the federation as well as the member SHG level. • Organisational Management • Appropriate size maintained, Regular meetings, regular attendance. • Rules and regulations in place, Sharing of responsibilities. • Financial management • Bank account , Fund raising, Fund utilisation. • Book keeping, Auditing, reporting, and follow-up. • Organisational accountability • Rotation of representatives. • Sharing of information. • Distribution of benefits. • Linkages • Linkages with Govt. and other institutions. • Learning and evaluation • Regular training programmes. • Work reviews and performance appraisals.

25. Appraisal, monitoring, and evaluation • The federation prepares a monthly financial statement (MFS). • The work of the federation is reviewed at each monthly meeting. • An appraisal of performance is done once a year, against established targets and indicators. • An annual get-together of all members from all member SHGs where certain basic information on the performance of the federation will be compulsorily shared.

26. Empowerment of PWDs through federation All the above to lead to their empowerment! • Empowering may be understood as ‘Enabling people, especially PWDs, to acquire and possess power resources in order to enable them to make decisions on their own or resist decisions that are made by others which affect them.

27. Thank you G Venkatesa Reddy, Sr.Officer CBR Forum, 14, C.K.Garden, Wheelers Road Extn., St. Thomas Town Post, Bangalore – 560 084. Phone:080-25497387/25497388 Email:cbrforum@gmail.co