A CLA Model for Enhancing Communication and Collaboration Among Stakeholders

Developing Rehabilitation Assistance to Schools and Teacher Improvement II (D-RASATI II) (Oct 2013- Dec 2016) was a $29 million USAID-funded project implemented between October 2013 and December 2016. The overall goal of the project was to support the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) in Lebanon to improve the educational services provided to the students of public schools. During the course of implementation, significant challenges arose as the Ministry of Education and Higher Education was endeavoring to respond to, collaborate with, and support the D-RASATI II objectives. The Ministry is composed of four entities, each responsible for different areas of public education governance, and the capacity to effectively support the implementation of D-RASATI II needed to be adapted and strengthened in order for project activities to be implemented smoothly. Particular challenges were related to organizational overlap between the entities, efficient utilization of resources, and efforts to promote sustainability for system-level project interventions. World Learning's D-RASATI II team took it on themselves to engage collaboratively with the Ministry throughout all planning activities so that there would be mutual understanding of Ministry entity mandates and capacity, as well as of project support needs. The team took every opportunity to establish openness through reliable and participatory decision-making and communication mechanisms, and worked together regularly with Ministry unit representatives to develop an Activity Implementation Process. Through this external collaboration and adaptive management, concerns that may have created serious barriers for the project's success and Ministry engagement could be anticipated and mitigated, and the relationship grew through the project period to be one of productivity, collective goals, and mutual respect.