LIFT is supporting the Department of
Rural Development of the Ministry of Agricu...
LIFT is supporting the Department of
Rural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation to build
up its institutional, organisational and technical capacity for local
development planning with an emphasis on empowering village committees to
development their respective village plans and consolidating and integrating
village development plans (VDP) with their respective township development plan
(TDP).
LIFT support to the DRD has
contributed to development of a national model for the VDP process that can be
scaled-up at minimal cost. Subsequently, LIFT has provided support to the DRD
to build its organisational and technical capacity at both union and township
level to institutionalise the VDP process by leveraging particularly township
government capacity. This has allowed Township DRD to reach out its technical
and administrative capacity to build up village community’s capacity in
conducting village development planning and investment programming. As of date,
the DRD with LIFT support has scaled up the VDP process to 49 townships where
some 8,200 village communities have conducted their village development plans
(VDP) and annual village investment programmes (AVIP). DRD itself has made
capital investment to help some of the village communities to implement their
investment programmes.
DRD has plans to extend the coverage
of the VDP process in 2018 with its own funds to meet both capital investment requirement
of village communities and training of village resident planners (VRPs) who are
a critical factor in the VDP scaling up strategy. LIFT support will be anchored
at the township level where the support will be directed at building capacity
of both township DRD and Township Planning and Implementation Committee. LIFT
TA support will constitute facilitating TPIC to coordinate the VDP process,
build competency of DRD officers in conducting the VDP process, and provide
coaching and mentoring of DRD officers for training of village resident
planners, ensuring data consistency for developing socioeconomic planning
tables and VDP project prioritisation.
LIFT is seeking services of two
national experts to augment its current team of development planners engaged in
helping the DRD accomplish its VDP programme. The experts (development
planners) will work in close cooperation with other members of the Development
Planning Team. They will report to the Team Leader (Rural Development
Specialist) who will be have technical support of an international adviser in
development planning.
Key tasks of the experts
(Development Planners) are listed below:
- Working with the Development Planning team in the
Department of Rural Development (DRD), develop an operational work plan for the
townships where capacity building for village development planning and township
developing planning will be undertaken.
- Elaborate and make arrangements with the Planning
Team’s Operational Officer for all logistical and financial requirements for
carrying out field work, training and other tasks as assigned by the Team
Leader.
- In cooperation with DRD Township staff develop a list
or inventory of villages in the townships which will be covered in the village
development planning work.
- Develop full understanding and competency in village
development planning process and related planning tools and instruments which
are set out in the VDP Guidelines and Manual. And, contribute to updating of
the Guidelines and Manual building on field experience at the township and
village level.
- Develop full understanding of the survey database
system which will capture village data and information.
- With reference to the VDP Manual and VDP database
system, develop structured training content and deliver the training to DRD
township staff and other township government staff, as well as representatives
of village development committee and village tract administrator’s office.
- Supervise village level data collection and provide
quality assurance for the data to be collected by village members (village
resident planners). Similarly, supervise data entry, data processing and data
table production conducted through the computerised database system at the
township level. The township DRD officers will be responsible for the data
entry and processing; henceforth training and quality assurance will have to be
done in cooperation with their involvement.
- Provide guidance to village tract administrator’s team
as well as the VDC members on checking consistency of the planning tables (or
data tables) pertaining to the village development plans. Similar guidance and
quality assurance is to be extended to the above members for performing
development analysis of the data tables and writing up the village development
plans.
- Working closely with the Township DRD and other
Departmental staff, consolidate and integrate all the village development plans
with their respective township development programme.
10. Carry out development analysis of rural dimension of township
development plans and budget which would also adequately incorporate all VDPs
in a township. Train Township departmental staff in writing up the township rural
development strategy.
11. Organise and contribute (as resource person) in knowledge-sharing
workshops at the township level for sharing VDP and township development
planning experience.
12. Participate in knowledge-sharing workshops at the
Union level in Nay Pyi Taw on the VDP and TDP process.
13. Assist DRD in other planning tasks such as:
- Updating the work plan for countrywide village and
township development planning and budgeting;
- Building capacity of Township DRD and village
development committees so they are able to prepare their respective VDP annual
investment programme and budget;
- Training villagers to organise implementation of the
village investment programme;
- Other tasks assigned by the Team Leader
Deliverables
- Acquisition of
comprehensive competency in the government’s village development planning
methodology and process as well as the township development planning process
and related instruments.
- Training of DRD
officers and other departmental staff at the assigned townships in all aspects
of village and township development planning, data collection and collation,
data processing and production of planning tables, investment programming and
budgeting
- Coaching and
mentoring of DRD officers and assist them in training of village community
members in data collection and performing development analysis of the planning
tables.
- Supervision and
quality assurance of data collection and data processing, preparation of
village and township development plans, and investment programming and
budgeting.
- Monitoring and
supervision of implementation of the VDP investment programme.
- Monthly
progress reporting; and quarterly assessment of outcome and impact of work
performed.