NGO support toolkit (English)  >  Technical support  >  Mechanisms 

Exchanges and study tours

Exchange visits and study tours provide technical support by taking participants to other more experienced organisations, where they can see how the work is actually implemented. They are very good for organisations starting up projects in new areas, so they can actually see how an intervention works in practice.

Exchange visits usually involve several members of one organisation visiting another organisation which is working on the same issue or target population. They provide an opportunity for in-depth study of working practices, and at times opportunities for direct participation in the working methods of another organisation.

Study tours involve members of one or more organisations visiting a number of projects. Although they tend to be less in-depth and hands-on, study tours provide an opportunity to compare and contrast the various methodologies and strategies used by different organisations.

Exchange visits are an excellent way to show managerial approaches and people skills in action. They also provide great opportunities for learning and motivation from peers.

Study tours can be an opportunity to bring representatives from different sectors together. Away from the constraints of their jobs and roles, participants can get to know each other and form constructive relationships. This can be particularly effective for promoting multi-sectoral partnerships, especially in those countries where there is insufficient collaboration across sectors. But study tours can be time consuming and expensive and the logistics can be complicated, particularly where international tours are arranged and interpreting is needed.

Issues to consider

• NSPs need to be aware of the pros and cons of promoting an organisation as a model project. Having to constantly host visitors can take up significant time and human resources for an organisation and may ultimately be detrimental to the implementation and effectiveness of its projects.
• It is important to try to match the stage of development of visited and visiting organisations, so that the distance between the quality of their working practices does not seem too great. For example, visitors from a young CBO which may be running its first funded project, may feel overwhelmed by a visit to a very large and long-established NGO with many staff and projects.
• Visiting organizations need to be given support to determine if or how to implement what they have learned. This support should be made integral to the programme to ensure the benefits from the visit are maximised.
• Organisations visited may need support in developing the ability to discuss the project, to demonstrate achievements and to analyze the process that has led them there. This ability to identify their own lessons is critical, otherwise people may visit the project but not learn from the people involved.

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