Developing Partnerships

I’m sritten this article on my flight to Muscat, Oman making my way towards London for one week to say good-bye to work colleagues and meet up with some friends.  I’ve been reflecting upon how numerous partnerships that I’ve helped to develop in Nepal came about.  

Since I’ve left  World Jewish Relief (WJR), the London based Humanitarian Manager was recently in Nepal in order to help with the transition.  We attended a meeting with Helvetas and CORDAID which I felt showed why the partnership with both of these organisations have succeeded. 

One of the major reasons why partnerships work is due to building good relationships, i.e. the ability to listen to what others are asking, being open to saying “yes” and finding common solutions to issues.  Organisations working in the development sector are often driven by their donor funds.  This includes geographical, programme and other areas of focus.  However, no matter which geographical area an organization is working in there is always the ability to share information about common programme areas. 

What I’ve found in working with Helvetas on their Farmer Business School is that the organization is strongly focused on a market system approach.  This was very much in line with the work that WJR’s partners are doing.  The geographical area which Helvetas is focusing on is not the same as WJR.  However this did not deter conversation about developing market systems and also reviewing a variety of other than agriculture businesses which Helvetas has helped to facilitate.  When asked how can we learn more about these other businesses, the ability of Helvetas staff to say we are happy to go to the field with you and show you what we are doing is very positive. 

CORDAID is an organization that has been working in Rasuwa in parallel with Community Self-Reliance Centre (CSRC), a WJR partner.  A number of months ago, we had decided to help support 200 farmers to commercially grow tomatoes.  I found out that CORDAID’s local partner, Parivartan/PATRA was going to support another 180 farmers to grow tomatoes.  This made me quite concerned as I wondered how so many farmers could get a decent price at market.  However, due to relationship building, the staff of both organisations are cooperating in working with the community to build a marketing system, which will be sustainable.  Since staff from both organisations also attended Farmer Business School training a few weeks ago, they are on the “same page” in terms of helping to facilitate a community based marketing system.

In the Helvetas/CORDAID meeting there were five individuals all from different cultures.  However, what I realized is that, although we might speak and communicate very differently, we were all willing to help one another, set our organizational egos aside and get to a position of “yes”, in the name of sustainable economic/community development. 

Prior to the above described meeting we also met with the convenor from the Market Development Forum Nepal (MDFN).  The group members are focused on sharing information in order to help  develop market systems and create greater economic development for the poor.   This is a positive step hopefully leading towards organisations partnering to making markets work for the poor. 

In a postscript to a recent article, I wanted to bring you up to date on a partnership that has helped a young Nepali, Neeta, to attend  her first year of pharmacy school.  I had mentioned an Indian professor, Amrita, who has been working in the US, who had met us at the Momo Hut.  After providing some funding to Neeta and then further hearing Neeta’s family story Amrita and her daughters decided to provide the remaining first year fees.  To me this shows how relationships lead to the ability to enter into partnership and that helping an individual from one family to attend college and  to eventually get out of poverty has wide ranging implications.  We still have the second and third year fees to consider and I’m hopeful that others will join this partnership.