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Project Management in Sri Lanka
3 months - Sri Lanka
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CWW volunteer Adrian Fawcett went to Sri Lanka ”because I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to be productive. I wanted to integrate as far as possible and not to be treated as a guest.”
Adrian was placed with a community self-improvement NGO whose main objective is to develop the technical and organisational skills of various local communities, primarily in the area of water and environmental sanitation (WES). It was this ‘WES’ project which was the main focus of Adrian’s placement. The overall project aim was to provide effective technical skills to rural communities so that they could be responsible for the future maintenance and development of their own WES facilities.
On arrival Adrian found a complex project structure, involving many people with plenty of enthusiasm but little experience or project management. He started by getting himself out and about seeing the project in action and arranging field visits and meetings with the various community organisations. During visits he was able to identify problems and areas for improvement. With the help of a translator Adrian then presented his findings and recommendations directly to the communities.
The field visits gave Adrian a chance to experience the ‘real’ Sri Lankan culture and he fondly recounts his most memorable experiences…
“…being entertained at countless people’s houses during my field visits”
Adrian also made recommendations to the operational partners of the WES project providing written feedback and ideas on how to improve the way projects are organised as well as developing simple project management tools. This meant he not only built the capacity of his host organisation but also the very people who were out working in the communities. Thus he was able to create even greater local impact.
Adrian’s biggest lesson learned was that as a volunteer “you have to really ‘prove your worth”
His greatest achievement, however was the creation of a monitoring database and impact assessment tool to be implemented throughout the entire WES project which would improve the effectiveness and management of the project long after he left.
“It’s been a great experience to detach myself completely from everything back at home and immerse myself in a totally different culture”
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If you are interested in doing a Placement similar to this one, contact us quoting Case Study Reference: Sri Lanka Project Management (COSI)
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