“During the pandemic, there was drastic change in the economic, political, environment context, and Voice Philippines with its partner YGOAL was able to adjust quickly and guide the herd of partners on the way leading to the new normal. The series of ‘kumustahan’ (check-ins) and webinars for capacity building has not only increased knowledge but has also developed camaraderie among partners. Overall, we feel empowered with the process, the dynamics and the capacities developed are very useful in our current work.” Bouncing forward: Unromanticised resilience
In Uganda, the disruption caused by COVID-19 also resulted in an exploration of out of the box solutions to Linking and Learning during the extended lockdown period. The largely in-person platforms that allowed free interaction and a strong social and emotional connection were disrupted causing a loss of connection among different rightsholders. The Linking and Learning Facilitators have been able to devise several strategies to facilitate linkages among grantee partners, rightsholders and other stakeholders adjusted to fit within the ‘new normal’ environment. These include monthly online catch-up meetings, where creative art and infographics, were used enabling sharing of project focus areas or Linking and Learning needs. Online learning events were held to share stories and discuss lessons learnt with new grantee partners. Materials and newsletters were shared in soft copy and audio-visual formats by email, WhatsApp platforms and uploaded on the Voice in Uganda’s online digital platform. This experience has been documented in detail in a blog titled, Linking and Learning adaptions in Uganda by Edith Nantongo, Lauyah Nassejje & Richard M. Kaye, L&L Facilitators, Uganda.
questions in their proposals. This has now been scaled up to all grantee partners and now figures prominently in three different types of grants: innovate and learn, influencing, and empowerment accelerator. She further shares a collective aspiration within Voice that “... more organisations - especially funding institutions - will embrace learning. Learning is essential to running the various functions within our institutions effectively, but also holds up a mirror to our biases so we can create more tangible, inclusive interventions.” The year 2020 unfolded huge challenges in all Voice countries,just as in the rest of the world. Amidst the challenge was the amazing collective action of the rightsholder groups to respond to urgent and emerging needs. It was a moment that emphasised intersectionality, facing uncomfortable zones, and working together to see what could possibly work given the significant shift. The Voice Linking and Learning community in the Philippines documented their journey as they pivoted through it and found this an opportune time to expand connections. A major question that remains is: how do we sustain Linking and Learning beyond Voice? We are very happy to see Linking and Learning being slowly integrated by grantee partners and rightsholders, either at the individual or organisational level. Some have been vocal about how they intend to institutionalise this as a component in their organisation, while others have taken on the value at a personal level. Another is the transition of Linking and Learning Facilitators from their own collectives to becoming Linking, Learning and Amplifier Officers with Voice as well as the successful contracting of three former grantee partners as new Linking & Learning Facilitators! “Linking and learning is not just a simple concept but something that should be institutionalized in any organisation to ensure that knowledge and learnings are effectively shared and maximised by others. So, repeating the same mistakes will be
avoided and more resources will be saved. In addition, current societal problems are complex. Working on it alone might create a significant change but working together makes bigger changes. Regarding this, COSE (Coalition of Services of the Elderly) has not changed its internal policy as it has to follow a process but linking and learning concept is already included in our succeeding project proposals with other donors.”
Coalition of Services of the Elderly (PH Influencing Grantee Partner)
What we look forward to in the coming years is more vibrant and abundant Linking and Learning processes and collaborations initiated by grantee partners themselves. Linking and Learning (L&L) started as words on paper and a ‘meta-learning process within Voice resulted in the development of the present L&L approach and way of working that centres rightsholders and grantee partners’ innate capacities and potential. In the end, the goal of L&L is to create a situation where the work of Voice grantee partners can continue whether Voice exists in its present form or not. So, L&L can continue to be the ‘lab’ where Voice tests out ideas on how to push the boundaries on inclusion and innovation, inculcate empathy and question power, including its own power. Of course, challenges will emerge, and these will be welcomed. It might come with the uncertainty we continue to face as the pandemic continues to upend our lives. It might come with the shifted contexts and added nuances of the rightsholder groups we support. It might come with the new grantee partners and other stakeholders we will come across. The lessons learnt, the discoveries, and deepened relationships will help us come through and advance further. So on to the next chapter.
Save Sierra Madre Network Alliance, Inc., PH Sudden Opportunity Grantee Partner
On to the next Linking and Learning chapter
Voice is thrilled to discover what the extension phase will bring into Linking and Learning, and what Linking and Learning will bring to the extension phase! While the first phase was a period of discovery, trust-building, and questions, we plan for the extension phase to be a period of emphasised reflexivity, amplification, and yes, more questions (but also of course some answers along the way)!
Wendy Otieno, Linking, Learning and Amplifier Officer in Voice Kenya shares how Linking & Learning not only adds value to rightsholder projects and advocacies, but also to the whole grant-making process itself, in this blog. One example is the expansion of the Linking and Learning approach from the first phase, where innovate and learn grantee partners were encouraged to include learning
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