Training Report: 3 Day Training of Trainers on Participatory Planning

The training aimed to build the capacity of Master Trainers from eight implementing partners, with a total of 27 participants from eight organizations in attendance. The purpose of the training was to educate participants on the concept of Participatory Planning and Development and its role in the local government system. The training methodology was interactive, with trainers engaging participants in discussions and keeping the forum open for feedback, queries, and suggestions. Training material such as pre and post-test, power point presentations, and handouts on participatory planning were used to support the discussions and interactive sessions. The training objectives included increasing the understanding of participants on Participatory Development and its importance in Local Government System, educating participants about the current project cycle, and enhancing the understanding of participants through training sessions and discussions on the concept of participatory planning for Development schemes. The training participants included staff members of implementing partners and local government representatives, with a total of 27 participants (males: 23; females: 4) from eight partner organizations. The team that delivered sessions during the training comprised of 2 internal experts from Capacity Building Team - Citizens' Voice Project. The training was formally initiated by Mobeen Ajaib, who shared the objectives of the training, and Ubaid Ullah Chaudhary, who warmly welcomed the participants and thanked them for sparing time to attend the sessions. The first day of the training began with recitations of Holy Quran and Bible, keeping in view the diversity of the group. Mobeen Ajaib discussed the agenda and set the norms of the training in detail, asking participants to share their expectations and fears regarding the training. Pre-training assessment test was taken from the participants, and training norms were set with consensus from the participants. The norms included respecting each other's point of view, respecting the diversity in the group, ensuring daily attendance as per schedule, and being careful about social and gender sensitivity. The second session of the training focused on Participatory Development and its importance in Local Government System. Participants were introduced to the core concepts of development, local government system, and participatory development. The discussion revolved around participatory development and its importance and role in the local government system. Participants were engaged in group work, where they were divided into four groups and assigned a case study of Lodhran Pilot Project. The groups were given questions regarding the case and asked to deliver their findings and answers through presentations. Participants successfully delivered the presentations, which were followed by a detailed discussion for further clarity of the subject matter. The training also included sessions on Project Cycle, Participatory Planning, Role of Councillors - District, Tehsil, and Village Level, Monitoring of Development Schemes, and Facilitation Skills. The training evaluation and post-test were conducted to assess the participants' understanding and knowledge gained during the training. The training was a success, with participants showing a good understanding of the concepts and principles of participatory planning and development. The training will help in building the capacity of Master Trainers from eight implementing partners, who will in turn train 14,000 councilors in KPK.