NGO support toolkit (English)  >  Technical support  >  Mechanisms 

Developing resources

By identifying and helping partners to access key resources which are technically sound, appropriate and user friendly, NSPs can support their partner organisations in a range of topics beyond their own scope and expertise. Resources can also be a cost-effective way to disseminate methods and approaches to a large audience. They can promote consistency of quality standards. They can be essential long-term back-up to other methods of technical assistance such as training.

NSPs may decide to produce new resources, but the production of training materials is often a very expensive and time-consuming activity. Globally, there are hundreds if not thousands of training, guidance and reference publications covering most aspects of HIV/AIDS. Potentially useful resources exist in a great variety of forms which can be adapted to make them linguistically and culturally appropriate. These include:

• newsletters
• manuals, handbooks and toolkits
• books
• CDs
• videos and audio materials
• websites and downloadable resources on the Internet.

By identifying and helping partners to access key resources which are technically sound, appropriate and user friendly, NSPs can support their partner organisations in a range of topics beyond their own technical expertise. There are various ways of doing this including:

• toolkits of evaluated resources (such as this toolkit);
• supporting the development of libraries, professional enquiry helplines, and documentation and resource centres;
• supporting the development of national or regional NGOs which specialise in developing information products tailored to the needs of NGOs and CBOs.

There can be disadvantages to an over-reliance on printed or electronic resources. Only a small minority of people can learn by reading alone. And this is even more the case in countries and regions with lower levels of literacy.

Technical assistance to help NGOs develop their own technical resources locally can be a learning opportunity in itself as well as providing a helpful product. On the other hand, there may be compromises with quality, depending on the expertise and experience of those involved in such development.

Issues to consider

• Before developing new resources, NSPs should first review existing materials to consider if these can be adapted more easily for local use.
• Involving the end user in the development of tools and resources is often vital to the quality of the product and can be a capacity-building exercise in itself. However, NSPs should be wary of involving partners in developing a resource from which they will not benefit directly.
• Manuals and toolkits are most effective when the user is already familiar with the resource. For example, a toolkit used in a workshop or a skills-building session is more likely to be used by the participants in the future.
• Resource centres require considerable investment in terms of time and money. NSPs therefore need to be certain that a resource centre is needed and will be used before developing it.

Related themes

Information management

• Send to a friend
• Printer-friendly