Please describe your proposed solution.
Ghana is a developing country and as a result various organisations including Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) undertake a number of development initiatives in different parts of the country as a way of supporting the Government's efforts to accelerate development in the country.
It is estimated that more than 1000 NGOs are operating within the country in various sectors such as education, water and sanitation, health, child protection, gender, skills development etc. Each NGO is involved in implementing development interventions in various regions of the country based on their annual programmes and thematic areas of focus.
NGO interventions are extremely relevant in terms of the support they provide to communities, particularly in the rural areas in the provision of some basic amenities such as classroom buildings, boreholes for easy access to potable water, educational materials, hospital equipment and free or partly funded surgeries etc. However, due to lack of public information, communication and collaboration among NGOs in the sector, it is difficult for NGOs to clearly identify communities that have benefitted from specific development interventions. This results in a situation where some NGOs implement their activities in the same beneficiary communities where other NGOs have already done similar interventions, leading to duplication of efforts and waste of resources. When this happens, needy communities are deprived of essential facilities while some beneficiary communities may have them in excess.
This lack of collaboration and communication leads to waste of resources, duplication of efforts, overconcentration of interventions in particular communities to the detriment of others among other challenges.
This problem could be resolved if there is a known public NGO information platform where NGOs can subscribe to and upload all their activities such that other NGOs can consult the platform and easily identify communities which have not been reached, or identify other NGOs doing similar work in order to collaborate with them. The idea is to have a one-stop location for all information relating to NGO work in Ghana. This will facilitate information sharing, collaboration and prudent use of donor resources.
The focus of this proposal is therefore to conduct a feasibility study among local NGOs in Accra, as a starting point, to determine the level of interest among the NGO community in subscribing to such a platform and making their activities public, to faciltate such collaboration and streamlining of efforts. As part of the study, NGOs will be made aware of blockchain technology, particularly the Cardano blockchain, since the platform is expected to be built on the Cardano blockchain.
The study will focus on local NGOs operating in Accra for now, and we intend to administer questionnaires to a sample size of 80 to 100 NGOs. A well-structured approach will be adopted in engaging respondent NGOs and collecting data to ensure that potential challenges are nipped in the bud.
Our approach involves the following:
a. Engagement with Regulatory and NGO Umbrella Bodies
NGOs are required by law to register with the government institution which regulates their operations and this is the Department of Social Welfare. As a starting point, we intend to obtain a list and contact of registered NGOs at the Department and this list will form the basis of our sample of respondents. Also, NGO umbrella bodies such as the Ghana Association of Financial Non-Governmental Organizations (FNGOs), the Association of Private Voluntary Organizations in Development (GAPVOD) and the Inter-NGO Consortium will all be contacted to obtain a list of their members in case the list obtained from the Department of Social Welfare is not exhaustive enough.
We will engage with the leadership of these three umbrella bodies to clearly communicate the purpose, benefits, and importance of the participation of their members in the feasibility study due to the intended benefits it can bring in terms of enhancing collaborative community work. The focus will be to seek the endorsement and cooperation of the leadership in order to facilitate data collection from their member NGOs.
b. Schedule Preliminary Meetings
Arrange preliminary meetings with member NGOs from the umbrella bodies to explain the study's objectives, methodology, and how the study will be rolled out. We will also use the opportunity to hold focused group discussions/forum on the existing challenges with regards to collaboration and their thoughts on signing on to a platform which will help in disseminating information about their activities. As part of these meetings, relevant information which may be essential in designing the questionnaire for data collection will be obtained and any concerns they may have regarding data collection and the study's impact on their operations will be addressed.
These meetings will be used as a platform to create awareness of the Cardano blockchain and Project Catalyst. The NGO community will be taken through the stages involved in Project Catalyst, the roles they can play, and how to register to become Cardano community members if they so desire.
c. Develop questionnaire
Based on discussions with the NGOs, and review of relevant literature, we will develop a qualitative questionnaire to gather primary information. A google form questionnaire will be designed for data gathering. The questionnaire will, among other things, collect data on the preferences of the NGOs with respect to how information will be presented on the platform, the level of detail they will like to give about their activities etc. Interviews will also be conducted with some of the participating NGOs to obtain more indepth information and a clearer understanding of their needs.
d. Data Collection
(i) Pilot Testing
After the development of the questionnaire, a pilot test of the data collection process will be done with a small group of the sample to identify and address any issues before scaling up.
(ii) Roll out of data collection
It is our expectation that not less than 80 NGOs will participate in the study however, this number may be revised upwards or downwards depending on the number of NGOs we are able to mobilise through the umbrella bodies and the Department of Social Welfare. Data collectors will be engaged to conduct interviews with some of the NGOs as well as provide support in speeding up the process of data collection.
e. Data Analysis and Reporting
After data collection, the following will be done:
- Collate, clean and make ready the data for analysis.
- Data analysis and report generation
- Preparation of presentation slides on findings
- Conduct a workshop for the NGOs on findings to validate the findings of the study
The findings of the study will be shared with the Cardano community online, and will form the basis for progressing to the next stage of the project which is the design and development of the said NGO platform.