NGO support toolkit (English)  >  Technical support 

Mechanisms

A wide range of technical support mechanisms can be used to increase understanding and develop the skills and capabilities of NGOs and CBOs. Each have different strengths and weaknesses, and the challenge for a NGO support provider (NSP) is to choose and combine different methods to meet the complex, multiple and changing needs partner NGOs and CBOs.

Three types of factors need to be considered to choose the right balance of mechanisms for technical assistance.

First, the cost needs to be weighed against the likely impact. Consider for each mechanism, how many people or organisations will benefit; what the depth of engagement and coverage of issues will be; how different mechanisms may complement each other; and what the long-term effect will be.

Secondly, different themes and issues may call for, or rule out, specific

Thirdly, local context and capacity may influence the choice of mechanisms: The NSP’s capacity to either directly provide or indirectly manage the running of different mechanisms (for example, depending on the mix of staff capabilities); the NSP’s access to good existing resources (either locally or internationally) in one format or another; the profile of existing local technical support mechanisms; NGOs’ and CBOs’ culture, style of leadership, and expectations about technical support. E.g. some organisations may not want to participate fully in training with other NGOs, which they may see as direct competitors for local funding.

It is important to clearly identify the aims and objectives of the technical support, and then be realistic about how far these objectives can be achieved using different mechanisms.

Some NSPs use intermediary technical support providers to deliver their technical support programmes. The advantage of training or mentoring technical support providers is that, by investing in a relatively small number of people who go on to provide technical assistance to others, an ever larger number of technical support providers will eventually reach the community of NGOs and CBOs.

One common version of this approach involves the training of trainers in several steps. First potential trainers can be involved as participants in a workshop, next they can be participants in a training course about training skills, and finally they can be mentored in co-facilitating their first workshops until they develop the capacity and confidence to run workshops independently (or in pairs).

However, the investment in developing the skills of local technical support should not be under-estimated. The NSP should ensure that there is adequate provision in budgets and workplans for follow-up, supervision and support to ensure that newly trained trainers and consultants have the capability and resources to maintain quality.

The principle of multiplying impact by providing technical support to intermediaries who then disseminate technical support can be applied at several levels and across several ‘hybrid’ mechanisms of indirect (but nevertheless often very effective) technical support. For example, it can involve training manuals, expert websites where professionals can share problem-solving and exchange experiences, training-the-trainers workshops, seminars and conferences, and one-to-one mentoring or consultancy for consultants themselves.

Issues to consider

• An NSP needs to be careful not to get into a rut, where it automatically applies familiar off-the-shelf mechanisms simply because they are convenient. These may not be applicable without adaptation from one country to region to another. They may no longer be relevant to the new needs of a changing epidemic. For example, in relation to treatment advocacy.
• While there is an argument for NSPs to stick to familiar areas of expertise and methodologies, innovation and creativity can only happen when they are willing to experiment and learn from others. For instance, NSPs will always have to develop innovative ways to work with people who have different literacy skills or who come from different cultural or religious contexts.
• When developing a pool of local technical support providers and resource experts, attention must be given not only to their skills and knowledge but also their ability to support others. Individuals need to internalise information and processes before they can go on to support others. It may be necessary for NSPs to provide tangible incentives to encourage trainers to do this, and support them on an ongoing basis. Quality control issues will need attention when the NSP effectively subcontracts or delegates its technical support to other providers