ABC-Development Strengthens CSOs and Women’s Networks on Data Collection and Social Accountability

Venue: Kambia District Industrial Growth CentreProject: Supporting Gender Equality and Social Accountability through a Strengthened Civil Society in Kambia District

ABC-Development conducted a capacity-building training for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), women’s networks, Community of Practice representatives and media representatives on data collection, people-to-people awareness raising, community scorecards and other social accountability tools.

The activity was implemented under the project “Supporting Gender Equality and Social Accountability through a Strengthened Civil Society in Kambia District,” funded by the European Union through Trocaire, the lead partner for the consortium.

A total of 34 participants participated in the training, comprising 28 women and 6 men, including 4 persons with disabilities.

The training was designed to strengthen the ability of civil society actors and women’s networks to collect reliable information, raise community awareness and use evidence-based accountability tools to engage duty bearers and advocate for improved services.

The primary purpose of the training was to equip CSOs and women’s networks with practical knowledge and skills to:

• Conduct effective community data collection;

• Raise awareness through people-to-people engagement;

• Use community scorecards;

• Apply other social accountability tools;

• Generate evidence for advocacy; and

• Strengthen women’s participation in democratic governance and development.

The activity contributes to the project objective of strengthening civil society to engage in women’s empowerment and support women’s active participation as actors in democratic governance and development in Sierra Leone.

The training covered a broad range of topics relating to data, community engagement and social accountability.

Data Collection

Participants explored:

• Understanding data;

• Data collection;

• Types and methods of data collection;

• The importance of collecting accurate data;

• The effects and challenges associated with inaccurate data; and

• Key steps in the data collection process.

Emphasis was placed on the importance of reliable information as a foundation for effective advocacy, community monitoring and engagement with duty bearers.

Participants also discussed the importance of community awareness raising, including:

• Why awareness raising matters;

• Different methods of raising awareness;

• Approaches for effective community engagement; and

• Ways to promote awareness-raising activities within communities.

These skills are expected to support CSOs and women’s networks in reaching community members with relevant information and encouraging greater participation in governance processes.

The training introduced participants to:

• Community scorecards;

• Administration and use of community scorecards;

• Advantages of community scorecard tools;

• Other social accountability tools;

• Sample community scorecards; and

• Practical application through group work and presentations.

The practical group exercises allowed participants to apply the concepts discussed and develop a stronger understanding of how scorecards can be used to identify service delivery concerns and facilitate dialogue between communities and duty bearers.

The training achieved several important outcomes:

• Targeted participants, particularly women representatives from networks and CSOs, actively participated in the training.

• Participants demonstrated improved understanding of the topics presented.

• Participants gained knowledge and skills in data collection and community awareness raising.

• Participants enhanced their understanding of community scorecards and other social accountability tools.

• Group exercises provided participants with an opportunity to apply their learning practically.

• The participation of women and persons with disabilities strengthened the focus on inclusive civil society engagement.

The training therefore provided a foundation for participants to move beyond identifying community concerns and towards collecting evidence, raising awareness and using accountability tools to advocate for change.

The high level of participation by women was particularly significant. With 28 women among the 34 participants, the activity created an important platform for strengthening women’s capacity to engage in advocacy, accountability and governance processes.

The inclusion of four persons with disabilities also reinforced the project’s commitment to ensuring that accountability and governance processes are inclusive and responsive to diverse community needs.

During the training, the power generator experienced technical problems and was temporarily unavailable. Because the activity relied on digital presentations, this caused a short delay.

The issue was quickly resolved by the service provider, allowing the training to continue successfully and the planned presentations to be completed.

The training will be followed by practical activities aimed at translating participants’ knowledge into community-level action.

These include:

1. Development of evidence-based position papers and advocacy campaigns.

2. Supporting women’s networks to conduct community data collection.

3. Supporting people-to-people awareness raising.

4. Supporting the use of community scorecards and other social accountability tools.

5. Hosting radio discussions and airing awareness jingles.

6. Regular follow-up monitoring of project activities.

These follow-up actions are intended to strengthen the connection between community evidence, public awareness, advocacy and accountability.

The training represents an important step in strengthening the capacity of CSOs and women’s networks to use data, community scorecards and social accountability tools to promote better governance and service delivery.

By equipping community actors with practical skills in data collection and awareness raising, ABC-Development is supporting communities to generate credible evidence, amplify their concerns and engage decision-makers more effectively.

The strong participation of women and persons with disabilities demonstrates the importance of ensuring that governance and accountability processes are inclusive and accessible to all.

ABC-Development remains committed to strengthening civil society, advancing gender equality, amplifying women’s voices and supporting communities to participate meaningfully in democratic governance and development.

Project: Supporting Gender Equality and Social Accountability through a Strengthened Civil Society in Kambia DistrictFunding: European Union, through TrocaireImplemented by: ABC-Development