Review and evaluation of the salvation Army´s Asia-Pacific Regional Facilitation Team Project

Background:
This evaluation is a shared initiative of NORAD and TSA. For TSA, the multi-year and multi-region project has come during a period of significant change, and it was deemed that the Army and the communities it serves will benefit from a review of practice and external assessment of lessons learned. NORAD, in turn, expressed a need for understanding what has been achieved over this period, leading to a clearer articulation of future objectives and of strategies for achieving them.
Faith-based facilitation (FBF) is intended to be a process or approach for deepening relationships across all levels of The Salvation Army operations and programmes. FBF incorporates several different theoretical concepts from social science and development practice, as well as from Salvation Army policies and theology, such as: human capacity development, community driven development, assets based community development, and ‘integrated mission’. It also draws from specific activities and tools, such as SALT (Stimulate, Appreciate, Listen, and Transfer), participatory action research, community asset mapping and facilitation. It thereby aims to be both a way of thinking and doing – as well as provide basic tools to this purpose. This review of the Asia-Pacific Regional Facilitation Team Project followed on the completion of a matched evaluation of the Africa region in 2010.

Purpose/objective:
The broad aims of this evaluation were to: 1) review the long-term pattern of practice, 2) evaluate policy development, 3) assess factors governing sustainability, 4) review available resources that have been developed over the years, and 5) identify the strengths/weaknesses of the future strategy for scale-up

Methodology:
This evaluation of TSA’s Asia-Pacific Regional Facilitation Process was carried out over a five month period (April to August 2012). The evaluation team consisted of Dr Jill Olivier (external reviewer), assisted by Ms Emily Pilborough (IHQ), as well as in-country individuals who accompanied the team on the country site. The principle methodologies utilised were:
*Documentary analysis (desk review of policy and program documentation and outputs)
*Semi-structured interviews (electronic) with key identified international informants engaged in FBF leadership in the Asia-Pacific region
*Site visits to three countries: Philippines, Singapore and Papua New Guinea (PNG) – including observation, focus group discussions (FGD), and semi-structured interviews with individuals
* An electronic questionnaire emailed to selected respondents from all TSA Asia-Pacific zones

Key findings:
The findings in this evaluation have been categorized under each country visited.

PNG
1: PNG has been the focus of recent regional FBF process attention, however currently has no FBF territorial team in place and low capacity for further FBF cascade training
2: ‘Facilitation-like’ activities with community engagement elements are present and embedded throughout TSA-PNG activities
3: There are indications that the community health worker activities utilise some form of FBF, but this would require more investigation
4: FBF could be utilised effectively as a process for ‘conflict management’
5: FBF could be utilised for improved reflective practice within TSA-PNG (to map, plan and integrate TSA activities) as well as to build better relationships with outside partners
6: The ‘delayed’ FBF process in PNG might actually be an opportunity for a ‘home-grown’ FBF process in PNG - if there is the leadership commitment to do so

PHILIPPINES
1: The Philippines has been the focus of FBF process support for some years now. There is a territorial team in place with growing organisational capacity, cascade training has been taking place over the last year, and there appears to be strong buy-in from leaders at a territorial and divisional level
2: While several FBF activities are reported in the Philippines, the overwhelming focus is on the personal-relational level and in particular on utilisation for evangelization
3: There were some concern about the how relationship-building can be supported financially at community levels
4: FBF is an opportunity to map, strengthen and reflect on relationships with external partners
5: FBF could be utilised more effectively as a process for engagement on human trafficking and disaster response
6: FBF could be utilised for improved reflective practice within TSA-Philippines: to map, plan and integrate TSA activities better

INDONESIA
1: Indonesia has been the focus of FBF process support for some years. There is a basic territorial team in place, and the first stages of cascade training have recently taken place at a divisional level. There does not appear to be overt leadership support for FBF as yet, and further strategic planning is required
2: It is still early days, but several FBF-like activities are reported in Indonesia, most visibly in the area of disaster response – providing fertile opportunities for future FBF engagement
3: It would be helpful to focus on and ‘intentionalise’ the integrated mission activities of the Salvation Army in Indonesia through FBF processes, and identifying ‘FBF champions’
4: There is potential to utilise FBF as a process for reflective practice at a divisional and territorial level in Indonesia
5: Indonesia is an important site for learning about relationship building and FBF in non-Christian contexts

Recommendations:
R1. There are clear opportunities or entry points for engagement through FBF that need to be more intentionally sought out and leveraged in the Asia-Pacific region

R2. There are many issues and areas that require further research – or building capacity for information collection and knowledge transfer, if FBF is to develop further

R3. The cascade model for FBF needs to be carefully considered – and alternative entry-points such as integration into TSA education system emphasized

R4. The sustainability of the regional FBF process require urgent attention – as does the process for response to issues that the FBF process highlights

R5. The FBF materials (such as the Building Deeper Relationships manual) require continued development

R6. There is a need for further capacity to be established for regional coordination and communication of the FBF process

R7. There is still a significant role for international (IHQ) engagement, in particular in gaining leadership commitment and systems integration

R8. The governance of the FBF process cannot be left to chance at a territorial level, and the formation of territorial teams needs to be more properly managed and resourced

R9. Strengthening the FBF process and human resource pool requires improved coordination, improved communication, leadership commitment and internal reflection on TSA staff processes

R10. FBF Champions need to be more effectively sought, recognised and valued for this work at all levels

R11. The ‘conceptual integrity’ or processes for conceptual governance of FBF needs to be more carefully protected

R12. FBF can be more intentionally positioned and demonstrated as a leadership tool for reflection, the development of internal processes, and policy engagement

R13. The development of follow-up or M&E processes for FBF in territories needs to be capacitated

R14. Regional communication needs to be more strong resourced and coordinated

R15. The Salvation Army should research and leverage its unique capacity for integrative activities, and role as an intermediary – and consider this role seriously in relation to effecting systems change

R16. ‘Steady as she goes’: systems change requires time, and it is recommended that the FBF process in the Asia-Pacific region now moves into a period of constancy and reiteration

Comments from the organisation, if any:

No comments from The Salvation Army international organisation yet. The evaluation is sent to all territories involved.
There has already been set up a plan for follow up on some of the recommendations i.e. R13 and R14.
We see this evaluation as very important for the progress of FBF within TSA and will use the report and welcome the recommendations.