Training Report: Thirty-Seventh Program Focused Training

A total of 27 participants belonging to 8 organizations participated in this training. The training aimed to increase the understanding of participants on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government laws and the role of counselors through training sessions and participatory discussions with the support of training material on the subject. The objectives of the training were to fully prepare the participants for upcoming trainings of 14,000 councilors in KPK through mock sessions with the support of relevant case studies and pre and post-tests. The participants of this training were local government officials and staff members of implementing partners under Cycle 10. Majority of the participants were mid-career professionals working in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The team which delivered sessions during the training comprised of one external consultant and an internal expert from Capacity Building Team -Citizens' Voice Project. The training began with recitations from Holy Quran and Bible, followed by a formal initiation by Mobeen Ajaib - Assistant Manager Capacity Building. The welcome note was delivered by Ubaid Ullah Chaudhary - Director CVP, and the inaugural note was delivered by Shahid Fayaz - CEO CVP. The training norms were listed down on one chart with consensus from the participants, which included ensuring attendance as per schedule, putting cell phones on silent, actively participating in discussion, respecting each other's point of view, avoiding discussion with each other, and taking care about social and gender sensitivity. The training covered various topics, including Introduction to workshop and objectives, Constitution and Structure of Local Governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Roles and Responsibilities of Village/Neighborhood, Tehsil/Town and District/City District Councils, Their Nazim and Naib Nazim, Business of City District/District, Town/Tehsil and Village/Neighborhood Councils, Constitution, Structure, Responsibilities and important terms and conditions about the working of Different Committees to be constituted at each tier of Local Governments, Internal and External Control and Supervision of Local Governments, Role and Responsibilities of Local Governments in enforcement of Municipal Laws, and other important information regarding Business of Local Governments. The training aids used in the workshops consisted of power point presentations, session delivery by trainer, pre and post-test, group work, participant led presentations, feedback by participant and by other participants, and feedback by trainer and evaluation of training by the participants. The training was conducted in an interactive and participative manner, with a variety of training methods used to cater the needs of cycle 10 thematic area. The result indicated a more interactive and participative training. The midterm evaluation of the training revealed a significant increase in the understanding of participants on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government laws and the role of counselors. The participants showed a high level of engagement and participation in the training sessions, and the training aids used were effective in conveying the information to the participants. The training was successful in achieving its objectives, and the participants were fully prepared for upcoming trainings of 14,000 councilors in KPK.