Participatory Monitoring for Self Help Groups - a tool for sustainability

by K. Rajaraman

(Content: The author looks at how monitoring systems may be put in place for SHGs under a women’s empowerment programme like the Mahalir Thittam (TNWDP). He stresses the need to instituionalise the system of self monitoring by building capacity within SHGs or Federations and looks at self or participative monitoring as a cornerstone for sustainability.)

Why monitoring?

Any programme or project should have a mission statement enlisting a set of objectives. Monitoring any project or process should logically start with setting of project objectives with a high degree of clarity. Objectives can be quantitative as well as qualitative. If we look at Mahalir Thittam objectives, they are indeed very broad and need to be broken into clear and specific sub-objectives (not detailed here but will be part of the subsequent section on indicators). It is also well understood that project objectives are not static and undergo varying degrees of changes in any reflective system. In fact the monitoring system is an inevitable component of any reflective organisation, as monitoring throws up learning for action.

In an SHG program as in the Tamil Nadu Women Development Project (TNWDP), monitoring assumes a very critical dimension, being a massive replication (in all rural areas of the State) of an earlier lab-scale IFAD project in selected blocks of 8 districts. Monitoring throws up areas for attention like ineffective Project Offices, weak NGOs, weak SHGs, uncooperative banks, areas for attention at every level, etc. Timely corrective action can help put the project back on track.

Who should monitor and why?

Now what happens after we define the objectives of the project? The logical step would be jump into identification of indicators, which would signify achievement of objectives. There is often the tendency for the implementing agency to define and identify indicators without participation of the clients and setup an agency based monitoring system to the exclusion of clients even in the monitoring process. Every stakeholder also has her/his own set of objectives besides the common objectives. This calls for involvement of all stakeholders in the project and hence the term participatory monitoring (PM). The primary emphasis on participation would be with respect to participation of the primary stakeholders or "beneficiaries" or clients of the project.

This raises a fundamental question: "Why should clients participate in designing and implementing monitoring systems?" For a sustainable development process, acute solving of the problem is not the most important factor. Because other people's problems cannot be solved from without in the long run, but rather have to be definitively solved by the people concerned themselves, the following aspects should correspondingly promote the ability of the people to help themselves (self-help). Action competence should be increased, as well as promotion of learning processes and their evaluation. The need for PM may be summarised as follows:

• NGOs appoint a large number of staff for monitoring, who are unfortunately transitory (limited to the project period), leading to unsustainable monitoring systems that are purely NGO based. There is sharp fall in performance as soon as staffs withdraw from the project.
• Community or client-based monitoring or participatory monitoring (as we would chose to call it) has the advantage of being low cost as there is no cost attached, except the cost of training
• PM facilitates building of capacity within the client group, in our case - SHGs and federations.
• PM is a means and strategy for sustainability.

However facilitation of SHG or federation based monitoring takes time and effective monitoring can stabilise only over a two-year period. Till such time, the implementing agency must hold the portfolio of monitoring. The phased transfer of the responsibility of monitoring as well as the process of capacity building starts from day one of the SHG. There are certain processes and events, which are of interest only to the implementing agency and must be necessarily monitored by them.

The PM concept is based on the strength of the processes inherent in grassroots-oriented projects. Therefore, PM places less emphasis on planning and evaluating and stresses intensive monitoring instead. PM is interested in the learning processes, in the ability to act self-determinedly. PM promotes self-determined decisions and actions. That is why the monitoring is not carried out from without, externally, but rather by the actors themselves - the self-help groups and the local promoters. Its instruments are manifold; in the beginning they have to be simple and then grow with the group's experience. The only fundamental test of a PM system must be the test of sustainability.

PM in Mahalir Thittam implemented by the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women Ltd.(DeW), has four actors and, thus, four strands: "Group based Monitoring" by self-help groups, "Federation based Monitoring" by SHG federations, "NGO based impact monitoring" systems and the "DeW MIS". These levels must complement each other.

How do we identify Indicators?

The knee jerk reaction would to be monitor just about whatever is of relevance. A experience worth quoting the TNWDP when too many formats drew protests from NGOs on the count that field workers end up doing only paper work instead of field work. We have learnt from that. Any monitoring system should also bother about the following while deciding the quantity of variables:

• Costs of collection
• Time spent on collection
• Necessity
• Relevance

Any MIS has to be a Minimum Information System - just about what is required, not any more.

Developing or identifying indicators itself needs to be a participatory process that calls for stakeholder workshops. Most workshops ignore the primary stakeholder - the client! The more appropriate workshop should be one that centers round them and involves them in development of the system.

While identifying indicators it is also necessary to specify the responsibility for collection. The frequency of collection of necessary data also needs to be specified, as a balanced compromise between cost of monitoring and effectiveness of monitoring.

Indicators of progress:

It is also necessary to take a look at the type of indicators that need to be developed. They can be classified into Risk/Enabling indicators, input indicators, process indicators, output indicators and finally output indicators. Such indicators need to be gender sensitive, more so being for a project for empowerment of women. Let us take a look at samples of each type of indicators. It may be noted that the indicators have been developed out of experience and reader-practitioners must take into account local realities and develop their own indicators in a participative manner with full involvement of stakeholders.

Group-level indicators

SHGs must be trained to monitor their own performance based on the following indicators. Once a year, an external grading exercise for each SHG is undertaken and this has been currently structured as a participative exercise with each SHG fully participating in the assessment leading to greater awareness of areas of weakness and therefore action on the part of the SHG to correct them. The indicators below have evolved out of experience. Some of them are slightly complex and can be broken into sub-indicators as felt fit. Some indicators have both quantitative and qualitative aspects, both of which need to be monitored.

1. Organisational sustainability

• Pro-poor orientation - convenience of meetings & savings, availability of loans, etc. to the poorest members - study of dropping out of SHG by the neediest women.(mn,yp)¶
• Regularity of attendance - high levels of attendance(mn,mp)
• Democracy and sharing of responsibility among all members - all members to go to banks by rotation, sub-committees, etc.(mn,yp)
• Frequency of meetings - regularity of dates(mn,mp)
• Participation of members i.e. involvement and interest (mn,yp)
• Annual or biannual rotation of office bearers(yn, yp)
• Transparency in SHG functioning(mn,yp)Ë
• Attendance & participation in training programs and adoption of best practices(mn,mp)

2. Financial sustainability (economic empowerment indicators)

• Independence from social parasites (like moneylenders, landlords, merchants)
• Responsiveness of SHG to crisis - impact on reduction in vulnerability of members
• Savings per month and total savings(mn,mp)
• Creation of a Reserve fund(yn) – for SHGs over 2 years of age
• Rotation of funds(mn,mp)­
• Repayment percentage of sangha loans(mn,qp)
• Monthly tallying of Accounts(mn,qp)
• Annual Auditing of SHG accounts(yn,yp)
• Up-to-date and proper entries in books and registers(mn,mp)
• Insurance coverage for all members(yn,yp)

3. Economic activities

• External Credit availed(qn,qp)

• Repayments in time (mn,qp)
• Activity undertaken and profitability
• Ability to market products produced successfully
• Ability to source external credit on own strength(yn)
• Ability to meet own costs(yn,yp)

4. Social Empowerment indicators(hyn,hyp)

• Planning for and participation of village development works

• Concern for and action in environment, sanitation and hygiene in village
• Improvement in the functional literacy levels of members
• Education levels of children, especially girl children - elimination of discrimination against girl children

• Action against or Eradication of female infanticide
• Action against or Eradication of illicit liquor in the Village
• Freedom to decide, either as equal partners with husband or independently, on purchases for the family - access and control over resources in the family
• Participation of every SHG Woman in Grama Sabha & Panchayat activities
• Increased Mobility – cycling, visits to banks & other places & participation in events outside village, freedom to visit maternal home, etc., of every SHG woman
• Linkage with & Participation in local instititutions like PTA, Watershed Associations
• Participation in Graama Sabha & taking leadership positions in local bodies - attendance in meetings as well % of elected representatives and vis a vis males both
• Active participation in federations and collective action
• Securing property rights for the women members - either joint or in the womens' names as well as freedom to sell, mortgage and buy property
• Action to reduce Wage differential between male & female workers
• Action to increase age at marriage of SHG members/members children
• Dowry rates / eradication of dowry
• Reduced Infant and Maternal mortality rates
• Promotion of widow remarriage

Federation level indicators

Federations must be trained to monitor their own performance based on sample indicators below.

1. Organisational sustainability:

• Regularity of meetings
• Level of participation of all SHGs in federation affairs
• Democracy and sharing of responsibility of all members (sub-committees)
• Regular review of member SHG performance - social, economic, organisational and process (training participation etc.)
• Assistance to weak SHGs - visits and advisory
• Annual/bi-annual rotation of representatives

2. Social sustainability

• Success in motivating SHGs in taking up reform/development works
• Success in taking up larger issues like wage parity/regional problems
• Motivation given and participation of members SHGs in PRIs
• Advocacy for women's rights & Action against violence/atrocities against women
• Assistance in formation of new SHGs for unreached women

3. Financial sustainability

• Ability to meet own costs
• Ability to syndicate credit for member SHGs - directly or indirectly
• Ability to institute financial discipline in member SHGs - repayment % of loans
• Auditing of federation accounts and transparency

NGO based indicators

Besides monitoring SHGs and federations based on indicators mentioned above, the NGO should also monitor the following:

1. Group formation(process indicators)(mn)

• coverage of all poor habitations
• coverage of all disadvantaged sections of society (BPL, SC/ST/Widows, etc.)

2. Supervisory staff(input indicators)(qn)

• Project leadership and coordination - second line of leadership
• sufficient numbers
• training for staff
• quality of supervision by staff as measured by SHG grades/performance

3. Training indicators (process indicators)(mn)

• Training schedules
• Attendance at training
• Trainer performance, Training quality and impact on SHGs functioning (in terms of adoption of best practices)

4. Finance(mn)

• Costs involved (project expenditure)
• Availability of finances - dovetailing other funds

5. Gender monitoring(yn)

• impact of project on gender division of labour
• impact of project on mobility of women
• impact of project on access & control over resources in household/community

DeW based monitoring

The Project offices of DeW in various districts and the Project Management Unit in Chennai monitor the following. A sample format for monthly monitoring of SHGs is enclosed.

1. Input Indicators

• NGO staff availability - trainers and field workers
• Coverage of blocks,
• Coverage of SC/ST habitations and persons, etc.
• Funds availability and disbursement of support costs to NGOs

2. Training indicators

• Training schedules
• Training impact

1. BLCC/CLFC performance
2. NGO performance - an NGO performance appraisal system has been evolved(hy´ )
3. Monthly SHG performance - SHG-wise based on a format enclosed(m)
4. Annual Grading of SHGs – TNWDP has a 46 indicator annual grading system which is akin to annual performance appraisal of personnel. This points out areas for attention by SHGs.
5. Project office performance - a PIU® grading system(hy) and staff performance(mp)
6. Gender monitoring - project impact on gender(yn,yp)

Capacity Building for monitoring

Training is a very vital component for monitoring at various levels:

• DeW Project staff need training in developing an SHG database, using the data to learn & take action participatively with NGOs and SHGs, and to facilitate NGO staff in instituting a sustainable self-monitoring by SHGs.
• NGO staffs need training to facilitate SHG/BLCC/CLF to institute self-monitoring systems as part of their periodic visits to SHG/CLF/BLCC meetings, help them identify their own weaknesses and set it right.
• CLF/BLCC members need to be formally trained besides facilitation in reviewing member SHG performance and drafting action plans.
• SHG members/functionaries need to be given formal training for self-monitoring at SHG meetings, BLCC/CLF meetings is a major input. This is in addition to the support provided by the NGO field workers.

Role of NGOs and Project Staff:

NGO staffs play a very important role in developing indicators as is felt relevant to women and facilitate SHGs and BLCC/federations in reviewing their own performance in their monthly meetings and setting action plans. NGO staffs must raise awareness of SHGs to gender issues by asking empowering questions at SHG/CLF/BLCC meetings as part of a step-by-step and gradual process of facilitation. This will play the MOST important role in making SHGs sustainable and self-reliant. Hence NGOs and the project office should ensure that field workers and trainers are able to build sufficient capacity within SHGs/CLFs/BLCCs to take charge of monitoring over a six-month period of its existence. This will be the ultimate test of sustainability.

DeW Project staffs and NGO staffs have added responsibilities:

• Social empowerment indicators: are mostly qualitative in nature and tend to be sidelined as they don’t make good charts or tables, especially when compared to internal rotation or credit! It has to be understood that these indicators are the ones that indicate sustainability of the lasting kind. Greater emphasis must be given to these indicators.

• Visual indicators of progress should be developed like pictorial grading charts which SHGs/CLF can be used on a monthly basis by SHGs to grade themselves. Examples are charts developed in the AP UNDP assisted SAPAP programme and the charts used by SHGs and NGO for grading themselves at CSR-NEERA (Thothukudi-TN). TNWDP also proposes to develop similar charts to be used by the SHGs/CLFs. This is very relevant in case of most SHGs, which have neo or semi literate members.

• Documentation of progress: Proper system of filing/documenting monthly/periodical reports at NGO and project offices will help in evaluating and reflecting on progress. Building up of a computer database would be of relevance, wherever possible.

• Course correction through learning: Facilitating reflection of progress on a monthly as well as on a periodic basis throws up reams of learning that has to be converted into action. The NGO field worker is the cutting edge in this process and she/he must ensure that SHGs or federations correct the mistakes made. This learning also feeds upward to DeW and should help redefine objectives and strategies from time to time. Conversion of learning into action pays for the cost of monitoring.

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