CLA with Local Partners for Enhanced Organizational Performance and Learning

This case is presented on Development Food Security Activities (DFSA) USAID supported program, implemented by Relief Society of Tigray (REST). It narrates CLA practices of the organization to enhance its development performance and continuous organizational learning culture. 

Resource maximization and leveraged efforts, targeting of beneficiaries on the same activity by different partners, extension failures due to various implementation modalities at ground level, need for speed and quality of implementation are the root cause of the organization prompted to use CLA approach. Moreover, Relief Society of Tigray decides to use CLA for the purpose of continuous learning and to harmonize the different streamlines of partners which support to achieve the ultimate goal in united effort.

In view of that, after we identified right partners and discussed to determine common intervention areas, we preferred to start on the existing efforts, give time but strategically to reinforce, valuing and using all forms of knowledge and results, documenting, and sharing are the basic principles we followed.

Organizationally, attitudinal change on how CLA leverages our effort is improved. Using CLA approach, joint effort of partners is planned, monitored, reported, documented and lessons are shared; then the way how beneficiaries are approaching to graduation (resilient economy) is strengthened. Maximization of resources and coverage of beneficiaries is improved, layering DFSA's activity to other partners' activities started to benefit communities. The results achieved so far encouraged us to go beyond and update ourselves more.