Political training programmes of NPA’s partner organisations in El Salvador

Background

In NPA’s EL Salvador (ELS) Programme, nine out of ten partners have developed political training programmes based on grassroots education methodology (popular education). Grassroots education prepares the participants in their struggle to challenge existing power structures. Hence, training is one of the legs of a tripod: organisation, action, and training. Through training, participants (leaders/members in partner organisations) gain technical, political, and cultural competence and capacity. Training in itself does not transform reality, but without training, there can be no transformation.

Purpose/objective

The goal of the evaluation was to appraise the effectiveness and relevance of political training programs/processes developed by partners, with respect to capacity building and strengthening of the grassroots movement. The evaluation particularly looked at the following: The consistency in the training processes with the organisation’s strategy (written or not). The involvement of the organisations’ leadership in the training programs. The follow-up of the participants in the training processes. Linkages between training, mobilisation, and grassroots work/actions. The training programs ability to adjust to changes in the context. If the training and awareness-raising activities benefit the broader sectors of the population with which the organisations are involved.

Methodology

The evaluator conducted thorough interviews with representatives from each partner. The aim was to establish the partner’s history, context, and mission, to understand teir conception of political training, develop a profile of their targeted population to participate in training activities (women, young people, and/or men), learn about its level of commitment and the level of involvement of the leadership in the training activities. After the individual meetings, a two-day workshop was organised with representatives from all partners to reflect on the findings and recommendations, and to discuss challenges, opportunities, and the way forward.

Key findings

Communication and political training activities have contributed to mobilization people, led to changes in laws (mining, communication, rights), helped forward new values (gender, ecology, agro-ecology), fostered solidarity, etc.

Many training programmes are sporadic, with a dispersion of subjects sometimes driven by external agendas. Academic practices have prevailed, confining political training to classes, courses, and lectures, and not incorporating the lives and actions of speakers and participants as an integral part of the training. If political training is not connected to the everyday activities of the organisation and the participants, it is only information that does nothing to help understand politics and social practices. Issues such as organization, production, work, specific activities of organisations must be a part of political training.

Training activities primarily aimed at leaders and hardly at the organisation as a whole, especially those directly involved in carrying out activities and producing results. Delegatin the training to one of the departments of the organisation, makes it difficult to know the degree of involvement of the boards of directors in drafting, planning, and implementing the training program.

The evaluation confirms that NPA has achieved the expected results for its programme and
effective cooperation with partners. Partners have achieved concrete results, such as increased
capacity and competence, they have mobilised, new laws have been enacted (on water, mining,
community media), training programs developed and technical and political schools established.
Participants in training programmes are more critical, more prepared, and with higher self-esteem
and empowerment. Partners are striving for power in society, and have enhanced agro-ecological
production experiences using cooperative approaches. There is an increased participation of
women and young people. Values, such as solidarity and equality, and against male chauvinism,
sexism and violence, are increasingly disseminated and peaceful coexistence among human
beings, without discrimination or harm to nature, etc.is prompted.

The most noteworthy observations from the discussions:

• Connect political training to the concrete activities of each group.
• Quantitative data “speak” about efficiency whereas qualitative data “speak” of impact, each one is part of the other and both are needed to move forward.
• Contextualise the training, is knowledge used to uphold or transform a situation.
• Establish ties between concrete achievements and the politicisation of beneficiaries.
• Training should provide managerial staff with qualifications to run for public office.
• Training processes must develop new leaders to secure qualified replacements.
• Establish interdependence between the political party (FMLN) and the popular movement.
• Systematize lessons learned and share actions and achievements.

Partner highlights NPA’s support for the training processes. They refer to NPA as a committed
cooperation partner that is trustworthy and shares the same political perspectives, and that is
constantly present. NPA requires frankness in discussions and is demanding in terms of
compliance to agreements, but is flexible when the partner needs to adjustment plans.

Recommendations

• Prioritise political training of the urban public (workers and dwellers) and producers in the rural sector. Select participants directly from workplaces and production sites. Steer training towards young people and male and female workers. Strengthen the link between training and communication entities.
• Develop a training program for different levels of the organisation, management, activists, and grassroots. Contents should include science, political plans, labour and grassroots organizations, values, etc.
• Training should include the concrete activities of each partner (work, agro-ecology, communication, feminism, housing, human rights, etc.) and connect them with structural and theoretical concepts (political economy, history, strategy, pedagogy, etc.).
• Partners involved in grassroots communication must continue to support the grassroots struggle and work to democratise the media.

Comments from the organisation

NPA considers the evaluation process very useful. It provided insight into strengths and weakness
of the different partners’ training programmes and good recommendations. The partners also
expressed that they found the process very useful. The findings and recommendations will feed
into future cooperation with partners in the planning and development of their training
programmes.