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Checklists of Swiss Solidarity

Shelter Meeting Geneva

15-16 May 2008Presented by Tom Schacher, Swiss Solidarity

(Technical checklists developed by Heiner Gloor)

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Role of Checklists

• Improve the quality of assistance projects of NGO partners of SwS

• A compilation of lessons learned over the last 20 years which has lead to:

– Definition of minimal standards / minimal requirements

– Asking of questions to stimulate reflection

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Example

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Checklists for Reconstruction

• Reconstruction after earthquakes

• Reconstruction in general

• Construction of Latrines

• Water Supply

• Town Planning and Spatial Development

• Prevention and Preparedness

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Other Checklists

• Agronomy: Securing Food Supplies• Agronomy: Production• Agronomy: Livestock Farming • Social: Taining• Social: Familiy Reintegration• Finance: Savings and Loans• Health• Conflict Sensitivity and Prevention

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Structure Reconstruction Checklists

1. Technical aspects

2. Social and cultural aspects

3. Legal aspects

4. Partner organisation(s)

5. Power balance

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6. Documentation requested from NGO submitting a project proposal

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Base Line

Houses/shelters are not isolated items!

• No houses without addressing the water and sanitation issues!

• No houses in resettlement operations without addressing livelihood issues (access, income, education, health)

• No houses without clarifying just ownership issues (e.g. gender).

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1. Technical aspects

Site selection:

• Safety: land slides, flooding, etc.

• Water, access, livelyhood

• Social services: schools, health centres, markets

• Public infrastructure: water, sewage, electricity, transport

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1. Technical aspects

Construction:

• Solidity: materials, details (higher demands in natural disaster areas like EQ, hurricanes or flooding)

• Execution: quality of workmanship, supervision

• Ecology and sustainability: climate, use of local materials (maintenance), protection of environment

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2. Social and cultural aspects

• Cultural integration and acceptance of project

• Creation of new dependencies

• Involvement of beneficiaries (physical and economic dimensions)

• Maintenance: how can it be ensured?

• Special latrines: cultural aspects

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3. Legal aspects

• Current ownership of land

• Future ownership of land and building

• Question of men/women ownership

• Transfer mechanism and Guarantees (official agreements, etc.)

• What permits are needed, where and when to get them.

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4. Partner organisations

• Capacity: technical, manpower, financial, experience

• Network: integration in local context, contacts to decision makers

• Reputation: track record, political colour

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5. Power balance

• Who has the power to decide, at which level?

• What’s the strategy to deal with the decision makers?

• What are your own trump cards?

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6. Requested documentation

• Detailed project description– With specific answers to all questions of the

checklists

• Detailed budget

• Detailed drawings– With detailed Bill of Quantities

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Open issues

• Core business of NGOs– Should an NGO inexperienced in construction

get into reconstruction projects?– How can it ensure technical quality without

having technical staff in their HQ?– How does communication work with SwS

experts (who is able to answer questions)?– Is it enough to rely on local technicians /

engineers in the field?

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Open issues

• Qualification of local technicians/experts– Though politically correct and cheaper, they

often don’t have a broad development perspective and experience. Their technical knowhow might also be lower, particularly with regard to prevention of natural disaster.

– Which construction standards should be applied: local but insufficient ones, or international but ‘exaggerated’ ones?