NZAID

PMC Update | December 2008

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The Programme Management Committee (PMC) is responsible for the running of the KOHA-PICD and HAF (Humanitarian Action Fund) funding schemes for New Zealand 's international development NGOs. It holds six meetings a year; each is followed by an Update. The Updates include information on decisions taken by the PMC at its most recent meeting and items of general interest to the New Zealand NGO community regarding the two schemes. The PMC welcomes your feedback on the Updates and any suggestions you have for their improvement.

As well as being posted on the NZAID Website, this Update is also sent directly to people within KOHA-registered NGOs. We always welcome other names from your NGO to add to the distribution list. Just send the names and email addresses of people you would like to receive Updates directly to claire-louise@koha-picd.org.nz  and we will oblige, starting with the next Update.

KOHA & HAF Update | December 2008

Introduction

The PMC met on 19-20th November 2008, with a full agenda for KOHA business as well as HAF matters for part of Wednesday afternoon. Belinda Gorman (Deputy Chair, NDRF) joined us for the HAF session. We considered reports from the Block Grant Organisations (BGOs) and from the Independent Grant Organisations (IGOs) before taking decisions on IGO applications.

Hilary Smith and Terry Butt discussed their report “Lessons learned for NZAID and the PMC.” The PMC added this report to the items it set itself to consider at its ‘Policy Day' in early December. David Culverhouse and Lee Sentes, Council for International Development (CID), attended our meeting to discuss the 2009 training programme, which is now finalised. Next year's varied courses offer upskilling opportunities for everyone and we encourage people to make the most of what is available. The PMC had a further update on preparations for the 2009 Forum event which promises to be stimulating and rewarding. Early registration is encouraged to avoid disappointment.

The main outcomes of the November meeting are summarised below along with related items of interest on the KOHA-PICD scheme for the New Zealand NGO development community.

 

New PMC Members

We were very pleased to welcome Michael Riach (Oxfam NZ) and Belinda Gorman (UNICEF NZ) as the new members to the PMC following their election at the Annual Meeting in October. Both Michael and Belinda bring a great deal of development experience to the PMC and we look forward to their contributions to our discussions. Belinda will not attend full PMC meetings until the May 2009 PMC meeting when Robert Choy steps down.

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Organisational Profiles

The PMC granted provisional registration to KOHA-PICD to Engineers Without Borders New Zealand (EWBNZ) and tabled two other applications. EWBNZ are focused on providing engineering and technical aid services for the Pacific region and have already worked in conjunction with KOHA NGO members in the Pacific.

 

KOHA-PICD Reports

The PMC considered a number of project reports from BGOs and accepted the following: ADRA (Annual notification: Marovo women's small enterprise development project, phase II, Solomon Islands; In-Depth Reports: Live and learn, Mongolia; Family planning and safe motherhood project, Nepal); Caritas (Annual notification: Capacity building and extension for Integrated Pest Management, Nepal; In-Depth Reports: The NGO advocacy forum programme, Timor-Leste; Capacity building advisor to Caritas Dili, Timor-Leste; Strengthening capacity for refugee advocacy, Papua New Guinea); Christian World Service (In-Depth Report: Women's enterprise development and gender equality, Philippines); The Leprosy Mission (Annual notification: CAP project, Nepal). Informative reports were also received from Oxfam NZ and TEAR Fund on various $200K+ programme activities.

The following project reports from IGOs were also accepted: ChildFund (Emali project design phase, Kenya); CBM NZ (Samuha-Samarthya integrated therapeutic and rights-based community intervention, India; Partnership with comprehensive community-based rehabilitation, Tanzania; Community-based rehabilitation for the visually impaired and other disabilities, Thailand); ECPAT (Human rights and capacity building, Cook Islands); Fred Hollows Foundation (Community eye health programme, PNG); International Needs (Prevention and withdrawal of children from commercial sexual exploitation, Ghana; Project monitoring visit, Ghana); Livelihood International (Alay Buhay community empowerment programme, Philippines); Mahitahi (Aruligo deaf and disabilities centre development, Solomon Islands; Appraisal, monitoring and evaluation, Solomon Islands Rotary (Appraisal, monitoring and evaluation, Tanzania); Shakti (Reducing gender-based violence and womens' empowerment, Bangladesh); The Family Centre (Workshop to develop programme of partnership activities, Samoa); UNICEF (Partnership appraisal visit, Solomon Islands; Scaling up the response to HIV/AIDS for children, PNG).

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KOHA-PICD Applications Approved | November 2008

  • ChildFund NZ | Emali Watsan and capacity-building project, Kenya. GEN
  • Christian Blind Mission NZ | Samuha-Samarthya integrated therapeutic and rights-based community intervention for persons with disabilities, India. GEN / Community-based rehabilitation for the visually impaired and other disabilities, Thailand. GEN
  • Fred Hollows Foundation | The right to sight: community eye health. CAP
  • Livelihood International | Alay Buhay community empowerment programme, Philippines. GEN
  • Mahitahi | St Anne's rural training centre development, Solomon Island. CAP / San Isidro care centre development, Solomon Islands. CAP
  • NZ CTU | Burmese womens' aid and empowerment, Thailand. PfD
  • Rotary NZ WCS | Appraisal of community needs, Nepal. PfD
  • The Family Centre | Planning workshop with Vaetoefaga I Vaiaiua, Samoa. PfD
  • Toraja Trust | Rural development project, Indonesia. GEN

 

Reminder | Reporting on Multi-Year Projects

Multi year reports are due after nine months so that funding can be approved and paid out to ensure a smooth flow into the next year. IGOs are reminded that a full end of year acquittal of expenditure against budget is still required at the 12 month stage of each year. Please let the PMC know of any delay in reporting by the date when reporting is due.

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Further Reporting Reminder

This item is for BGOs. This year there were a number of discrepancies in the information provided on the reconciliation sheets and the information on Annual Notifications. For 2009 reporting, could programme and finance staff please check that the information on the reconciliation sheet corresponds to information on Annual Notifications.

 

Short good, long not so good

The development of a new database system is now well underway, which is the good news. One of its features will require much shorter titles for projects. So for any new projects, please start practicing your précis skills. Thanks, or else we may have to be concisely innovative on your behalf.

 

Appointment of Independent Reviewers

After the usual process (public notices calling for expressions of interest and subsequent interviews involving PMC members and staff from NZAID), the PMC is pleased to advise that Hilary Smith and Stephen Haslett have been appointed as the independent reviewers for the 2008-09 year. There will only be two KOHA organisations reviewed in the shortened time available – TEAR Fund and SurfAid International.

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Reminder of Changed PMC Meeting Dates

Just another brief reminder for you of the change to the meeting schedule for early 2009. The PMC's first meeting is 3-5 March, with a deadline for material of noon on 11 February.

 

HAF-Related Reports

The PMC accepted the following reports: ADRA (Annual notification: Post-flood disaster response; In-Depth Report: Wenchuan earthquake response, China); Caritas (Thai-Burma consortium appeal); ChildFund NZ (post-election emergency response, Kenya); Christian World Service (Post-tsunami relief and rehabilitation, Indonesia); TEAR Fund (Primary healthcare for internally displaced persons in Khartoum State, Sudan); The Leprosy Mission (South Asia flood assistance, India & Bangladesh); World Vision (Annual notifications: Malaita peace building project, Solomon Islands; Simwanda dam reconstruction, Zambia).

 

Reporting on the Funding Round for Myanmar

Following Cyclone Nargis that struck Myanmar in May 2008, several emergency projects were funded through the HAF. The PMC has now received and accepted the first two reports. These were from; Rotary NZ WCS ( Shelterbox , Myanmar ) and World Vision NZ (Myanmar Cyclone Nargis emergency response). The PMC thought these reports had interesting information and may merit a discussion with the NDRF when more reports on NGOs' experiences from this disaster have been received.

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HAF Applications Approved | November 2008

  • Christian Blind Mission | Shelter and sanitation for people with disabilities in north Bihar Kosi flood-affected area, India .
  • NZ China Friendship Society | Livelihood reconstruction in Pengzhou County , Sichuan , China / Honghuapu township clinic reconstruction, Shaanxi , China .
  • UNICEF NZ | Lao PDR flood water and sanitation reconstruction, Lao PDR.

 

Survey on the HAF Handbook

Also in the last Update we mentioned the informal survey that Amanda had sent out asking for comments on whether the HAF Handbook could be improved. Most replies were positive and though the number of responses was not great the PMC will now be looking at what useful changes could be made.

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Follow-up to 2008 Annual Meeting

At October's Annual Meeting the community approved two significant policy initiatives that will now be incorporated in the KOHA and HAF handbooks. These were the “ Guidelines on religious diversity and development ” that replace the previous “ Guidelines for faith-based organisations ” and inclusion of changes recognising that people with disabilities need to be explicitly considered in development practices. Our thanks again to those people who worked on both initiatives. Other proposed KOHA handbook changes relating to AM&E, the involvement of expatriates in projects, and how to streamline ‘lessons learned' requests will proceed through further consultation with the community.

 

Revised versions of the KOHA and HAF Handbooks and forms should be posted on the NZAID website by Christmas and hard copies of the revised KOHA Handbook will be mailed out to KOHA-registered NGOs early in the New Year. This second printing of the KOHA Handbook has been designed to be more ‘update friendly'. Further changes will be notified and relevant pages available for downloading from the NZAID website.

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Chair's Comments

In the October PMC Update I mentioned the then-unfolding financial crisis in the USA and speculated that: “ How this crisis will play out remains to be seen, but the inter-dependence of an economically-linked world is presently more a source of concern than comfort .” Since then, trillions in various currencies have been funneled into rescue packages and bailouts and various economic incentives. Yet in early December the United Nations World Food Programme announced that shortfalls from its appeal for funds meant that it could supply reduced rations to only 3.7 million of the 4.2 million people in Zimbabwe currently in danger of starvation. Perhaps these shortfalls will be made up, but early signs are that current economic instabilities will also hit the poorest of the poor and further undermine efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

This is not the cheery news one likes to end with at Christmas time. But these are not normal times. I'm sure those in the New Zealand NGO development community know that their work remains as vital now as ever, and in some places, even more so. We have seen a number of initiatives this year aimed at improving the Scheme. At the October Annual Meeting the PMC tabled a ‘report card' on how the recommendations of the 2005 VASS Review had been actioned. I was pleased to note that the major recommendations have all been successfully completed. Next year the PMC will continue to play its part in improving the effectiveness of the KOHA-PICD scheme. It remains a significant initiative in New Zealand 's international efforts to improve the lives of people in developing countries by addressing poverty and injustice.

Kia kaha

Wren Green

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