GreenCom Egypt III : final report -- May 1997-October 1999

GreenCOM III accomplished much in a short time. Quantitative achievements included increases: of 193% in farmer meetings held by district engineers; of 122% in knowledge by district engineers of how farmers can save water; from 53% to 100% in district engineer knowledge of water user associations; from 0 to 7 in personal contacts with MPWWR field staff per month by each WCU staff member; and from 0 to 10 fact sheets/technical information materials per quarter. During a 3-month period, Egypt ran GreenCOM/WCU-produced TV spots 1,028 times for free; the spots were seen by almost 26 million people. In the fieldworker partnership component, the WCU provided leadership in supporting MPWWR field staff to be more effective communicators with the Ministry"s clientele groups. At the beginning of GreenCOM III, the WCU was unknown by most field staff; that has changed dramatically. Much of the work done in the communication component was spent expanding the campaign developed under GreenCOM II and on training in video production. Progress has been made in producing communication materials for field staff and the mass media. However, some basic services, such as producing news releases, are still missing. Also, staff need more training in how to design and implement information campaigns. The monitoring and evaluation component focused primarily on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) studies. WCU staff participated in this research and now possess the basic skills needed to conduct applied research, monitor what the field staff are doing, and work with professional research firms to design, conduct, and interpret research studies. However, more training and guidance is needed to develop capabilities in survey, sample, and questionnaire design, as well as in data analysis, reporting, and interpretation. Cross-cutting activities involved building WCU capabilities in support of the three primary components. Unfortunately, the assumption that the WCU would have facilities allowing all the staff to be in one location did not materialize. The Ministry decided to provide a large area which had to be remodeled, requiring a considerable amount of design and construction. At the end of the GreenCOM III project the unit was still not in its new facilities. The computer LAN, video editing, and other equipment could not be installed. Currently, the WCU does not have the capability to send emails; however, two staff opened Hot Mail accounts using the GreenCOM project office connection to the Internet. This illustrates the staff"s interest in improving their communication capabilities. In sum, considerable progress has been made in a short time helping MPWWR establish a viable participatory communication program. At the beginning of GreenCOM III the WCU was almost unknown within the Ministry and by outside agencies, media representatives, and other groups. The WCU is now widely recognized and respected by these groups. A key indicator is the government allocation of a significant budget to the WCU. The WCU was able to pay for much of the printing of materials which GreenCOM advisors helped design. This shows the commitment of the Ministry to the participatory communication program. The WCU will need a considerable amount of assistance during the next several years. Because of the delays in remodeling their facilities, the unit could not recruit the additional staff needed. Currently, there are 10 staff vs. the 42 called for in the WCU organizational plan. The unit is still at the first phase of development -- gaining basic skills in the communication field. Unfortunately, Egypt does not have "Development Communication" programs in the universities, so the Ministry will have to find a way to train both new and existing staff. Much more work will be required in the second and third stages of development program planning and management.