Background	Plan and Budget	Anticipated Changes	Documentation
pilot location development priorities Reflect structure social make-up of groups communication practices information resources	information needs the system equipment personnel activities management logistics budget	objectives impact accountability and power sustainability	networking documentation

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

Description of the pilot location:
This project is located in the Ruyigi province, in the East of Burundi, bordering with Tanzania, about 200 km away from Bujumbura, the capital city. The Ruyigi province size is 2,365 km square. It is divided in 7 communes. Butaganzwa, Bweru, Ruyigi, and Butezi communes constitute a natural mountainous region known as Buyogoma characterised by acid and sterile soil. Kinyinya, Nyabitsinda, and Gisuru communes are in the fertile Kumoso plain bordering Tanzania and separated from Buyogoma by a mountain chain. The ActionAid Burundi programme in Ruyigi covers the 3 communes of Butaganzwa, Bweru and Ruyigi, which are divided into a total of 11 zones and 81 collines.

Ruyigi population are small rural farmers, they rely on extensive agriculture for most of their income. The majority of them are not educated. Over the last 10 years of conflict, Ruyigi, as the rest of Burundi, has experienced huge loss of human lives, drop in agricultural production, forced migration within and outside the national borders and poor social infrastructure. The widespread poverty increased significantly since in 1993. For instance the Gross Per Capita (GNP) went down by 20% between 1993 and 1999 as well as the increase of the headcount index.

Socio-economic actors include NGOs, Bilateral and Multilateral organizations, Government structures, local beneficiaries and their associations. Most of the efforts are emergency oriented and much more efforts need to be invested to develop the area.

ActionAid Burundi started operating in Ruyigi province in 1987 when the programme coverage was scaled down to one province following a corporate recommendation to relocate to one area. The choice of Ruyigi resulted from a poverty assessment that typified it as the most disadvantaged province. Following the social and political context that prevailed in Burundi since October 1993, the aim of the programme is to return to peace, prevent further conflict; defend the interest of the poor and vulnerable populations and to link and influence longer-term development perspectives to peace building and conflict prevention initiatives. This programme can be broken down into three main components which are mutually reinforcing each other including resettlement, rehabilitation and reintegration, community reinforcement and direct peace building initiatives. The latter component cuts across and is closely inter-linked with the resettlement, rehabilitation and reintegration and the community reinforcement components.

Reflect is one of the key component of the peace and development programme put in place since 1994 to respond to conflict and poverty issues arising from the 1993 todate crisis. A fundamental role for Reflect in the peace-building programme has been to provide opportunities for people to rebuild trust and social relationships through communication. The Reflect program encourages such activities, from sharing time together in cultural activities and associations, to challenging stereotypes and dispelling myths, and the reconstruction of a shared history. The Reflect methodology continues to be an important tool for analysis, functional literacy and empowerment among the local institutions. With the help of facilitators and using PRA techniques, the community meet in Reflect circles to discuss their problems and find alternatives solutions. This includes conflict management and response, longer term development solutions through micro-projects initiatives, HIV/AIDS, literacy sessions, etc. There are 91 Reflect circles all supported by ActionAid Burundi in the area but only 30 are targeted for this pilot project, 10 from each of the 3 communes.

Key development priorities of poor people in the area
The exercise of identifying development priorities was carried out in the 30 pilot Reflect circles. Facilitators and learners raised the following priority development needs represented in a matrix showing how they compare.

Health centres 1st
Potable water 2nd
Primary and secondary schools 3rd
Farming 4th
Access to credit 5th
Decent housing 6th

Peace and security is a prerequisite and a foundation to all these, therefore peace and reconciliation is also felt as one of the needs, and should be achieved as a stand alone one but also be mainstreamed through other themes.

Reflect structure in the pilot location:
91 Reflect centers are up and running in our Ruyigi DA but only 30 of them are involved in this pilot. Each Reflect center is run by 2 reflect facilitators. The latter are technically supervised by zonal reflect facilitators and functionally by the zonal development committee.

Each month, the reflect center facilitators submit a list of development issues to be discussed during reflect classes and get it approved by the zonal development committee. At the same time, they present the report of previous month's activities and outcomes. The zonal development committee is technically supported and advised by the zonal reflect facilitators.

The discussions around key development issues and needs leads to a development plan of action from the reflect center. The zonal development committee are also in charge of approving and endorsing the development plan of action from the reflect center. Once they have endorsed it, they present it to the local administration and/or to funding organisations for funding and response to the identified development needs from the community.

In the pilot location, there are only centres supported by ActionAid Burundi. They receive training on Reflect but also on other development themes such as management of income generating activities, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, etc. Some of the micro-projects developed out of the Reflect centres receive funding from ActionAid as well.

Describe the social make -up of the Reflect groups involved in this project:
There are more men within the 30 pilot centres though the total Reflect participants show that women are more represented (52.92 % women for 47.07 % men). On another hand, participation rate showed that youth [20-30 years old] is very active. Communes [20- 30 years old] 30 years old and beyond

The Reflect groups are made of both Hutu and Tutsi mixed. This makes meaningful and valuable the peace building and reconciliation activities undertaken by the groups.

Existing communication practices of poor and marginalised people in the pilot area:
Poor and marginalized people in the pilot location get information through the rural newspaper EJO developed by ActionAid Burundi, through the broadcasting radios and also through newspapers and other documentation provided by ActionAid to inform them on various development issues (e.g. farming, HIV/AIDS, etc.). They also get information through meetings organised by the local administration or other development partners. They can also communicate and exchange information with others in the same area when they meet at markets, churches, cultural events through discussions, songs, poetry, dances, etc.

Their key sources of information are:

• Radio - radios are available to a small number of the rural people, those who can afford to acquire them. The poor people usually move to their neighbours homes to listen to the radio and to news when there are some important events or for some radio magazines that are praised by them provided that the timing of these allow it and also provided that there are neighbours who have radios.
• Newspaper -available at a large scale: this refers to the rural newspaper "EJO" developed by ActionAid and which has become a very praised community communication tool. It is used to share accurate information on local issues, including rebel movements, responses and activities, gender, HIV/AIDS, traditional governance, impact and accountability of community development work, etc. Printed on a monthly basis, it is distributed across the 3 provinces in which ActionAid is present and with neighbouring communes from other 2 provinces. Its only limitation could be the variety of subjects that are developed.
• Mobile video-camera: showing information from elsewhere and also recording information from the community and showing it to the audience it would be useful to. These have been mostly used by ActionAid and are a very successful experience. Some other development actors also use them occasionnaly. In the past, it has been used to exchange peace and reconciliation messages directly between villages and camps, to encourage resettlement and dispel rumours.
• Letters: They mainly serve as a one-to-one communication tool to keep in touch with friends and relatives.

Other information ressources or communication media available:
Other sources of informations and communication which are available in our pilote zone are: Telephones: only a few landlines are available in the Ruyigi province town centre.Public and private radios: La Radio nationale du Burundi, la Radio Publique africaine, Radio Isanganiro, La Radio Bonesha FM, etc. Though radios are not affordable to the poor, access can be enhanced and partnerships with radio stations can be developed to make information and communication accessible to the poor. Internet- An internet centre is being developed by one of ActionAid partners but will not be accessible for free. It also requires competencies that poor people do not have and access to information on internet by the poor can only be through a third party provided that they know the information that the poor people need and translate it in the language that the poor can understand. There are no website in the local language yet.

The preference of the community for the different sources of information listed above is shown in the table below:

Sources of information - Rank
Radio - 1st
Newspaper - 2nd
Letters - 3rd
Television - 4th
Telephone - 5th
Internet - 6th

SECTION 2: PLAN AND BUDGET

Key information needs - as identified by target groups:
The key information needs identified are related to the main development needs. They can be summarised as following:

• Experiences from elsewhere in different development areas: serves to stimulate them but also give them new ideas
• Ideas on successful income generating activities: type of activities-self-organisation-support systems-access to credit
• Potential markets for the local products
• Suppliers for the goods needed (seeds, fertilizers, etc.)
• Potential donors and how to attract them to support their development initiatives
• Government commitments for the development of the community
• International and national legal information relevant to their situation and problems

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The communications system:

The communication system that is planned will combine both traditional and modern practices of communication.

Video-Camera To capture information from the different Reflect centres involved in the pilot project and take it to the different audiences modern technology and equipment will be used. The community will continue to use their traditional communication practices to share experiences and voice up their concerns. As usual this will be through community meetings and discussions, through songs, dances, drama, poetry, sports, etc. information.

To capture information needed in the pilot are from elsewhere and share it back with the pilot project community.

Radio Also, specific radio magazines will be broadcasted on subjects of interest to the pilot project beneficiaries in their local language. Information recorded from the same community will also be broadcasted to voice up their concerns and share their experiences. Partnerships with the mass media will be developed to respond to the above needs.

EJO and posters The rural newspaper EJO and the posters will continue to be produced and distributed. To make it more relevant to the needs of the community, the pilot centres will be requested to elaborate more on the subjects they want to see developed and also on what they want to share with other communities. For the latter, they will contribute articles or will supply all the information to the EJO correspondents who will write about it.

Other newspapers and documents Other newspaperps developing subjects of interest to the communities will be acquired on a ad hoc basis and made accessible to the communities for their information. Internet and telephone

These are tools that need to be accessed by the ICT staff to locate information relevant to the community, put it in a friendly format and communicate it to them. It will also be necessary to introduce the facilitators to internet so that they can also access websites in French and Kirundi, retrieve information and share it with the other community members.

Activities and equipment:
As activities to be undertaken we have:

• To discuss with the community of the pilot zone and allocate responsibility on the subjects that each of the Reflect centre community wish to share with others
• Purchase the equipment needed (TV-Camera-video-radios-generators-)
• Develop partnerships with both private and public media and sign memorandum of understanding
• Document the experiences and the concerns of the community
• Develop TV and radio magazines for experience sharing and advocacyAcquire videos, radio tapes, and newspapers on subjects of interest to the community
• Train facilitators in the use of TV, video and camera so that they can view the different videos by themselves
• Train facilitators in the use of Internet.

Equipments to be purchased include a TV, Cameras, video, radios, generators, computers + accessories, photocopy and fax machines.

Roles of the new project staff:
There are 2 new posts necessary for next year within this project.

• The first would be more of a field post and will be in charge of supporting and training the pilot centres.
• The second will be office based and in charge of editing EJO, and locating other useful information sources as and per the expressed needs by the community.

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Core activities:

• Appointment of two technical staff on ICTs project.
• Create a partnership with both private and public media.
• Purchasing of equipment
• Real implimentation of the ICTs project through the community and ActionAid staff members.
• Training of ActionAid staff members on ICTs( Karusi, Rutana and Bujumbura)
• Exchange visit in other pilot locations ( Uganda, India)

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Management structure:
The ICTs project is managed by a Programme Manager who provides overall technical and managerial support to the project team. He is also the line manager for the ICT project co-ordinator. The 2 staff to be appointed next year will be supervised by the ICT project co-ordinator. The project is integrated in ActionAid programmes and this provides opportunity for mutual support, learning and sharing.

Logistical details:
The whole equipment will be housed in Ruyigi centre because our zone is living a high insecurity we must keep all the material out of the reach of rebels..In this case, the same staff will organise many field visits with the necessary material to support the community to share informations.According to the recruited technical staff, they will live in Ruyigi and they will organise their works to help community to improve their ability in logical framework of ICTs project.

Budget:

Personnel costs - new project staff: ICTs Coordinator + 2 Assistants, ICTs exchange visits, ICTs staff training = total £14,728

Equipment costs: Video projector, Computer, Telephone installation, Digital camera, Second hand computers from Computer Aid (UK), Installation and configuration of the training and information center, Maintenance,Transport fees towards the community
Total £ 10,000

Additional funding: Until now, we have not received any funding or ay other sources of funds.

SECTION 3: ANTICIPATED CHANGES AND BENEFITS

Objectives:
The overall objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of poor people to communicate thus increasing their abilities to contribute to conflict prevention, peace building and longer-term development of their communities. The ICT project will strengthen the existing communication systems, but also bring in new technology such as the internet. It is meant to: exchange ideas, knowledge and experiences between villages in the pilot location and beyond;contribute to peace building and provide relevant information to influence longer-term development of the communities;Lin the grassroots analysis to national policy making by voicing up their lessons and concerns.

Impact:

How do Reflect ICT participants expect to benefit from the new communications system?
The Reflect ICT participants will be the first beneficiaries of this projectThey will identify the information they need to address their problems They'll have access to accurate information and use it to solve their own problems They will be able to voice up their issues to the local and national governments They will acquire new skills This is confirmed by Madame Spès Baranyizigiye, Nzozi reflect circle facilitator in Bweru commune during the last training of facilitators on ICTs project. She said: " This training is very useful because it will help us to work efficiently through reflect circles in order to develop our strategies in fighting poverty together as an ActionAid's device."

Who else is expected to benefit from implementations of the communications system and how?
The communication system will benefit different partners, especially other stakeholders of ActionAid programmes, staff, local administration, community based organisations, Civil Society Organisations. It will also improve the understanding of the local issues by policy makers and hopefully their interventions will be consequent. We will also ensure that the impact of the project is maximised and sustained, linking to national level advocacy and campaigning work, as well as to Reflect groups outside of the actual pilot, through ActionAid and the national Reflect network.

How will these benefits be measured?
The project impact will be measured through regular monitoring and evaluation activities. Further, participatory review and reflections will take place at all levels, documented and their recommendations implemented.There will also be oral testimonies coming from different social categories and some related studies of field issues as well as reports from reflect cirles.

Problems or obstacles anticipated and possible resolutions:
Here, the major problem is the insecurity because this creates instability at the community level. However the situation is likely to improve with the cease-fire agreement with the major fighting group and there is hope that even the remaining one will soon join the negotiation table. Meanwhile, all equipment will be housed in Ruyigi town centre away from rebel incursions.This poses a problem of transport means and the project should cater for transport arrangements to make this project work.

Accountability and power:

How will new skills and status be distributed and how is this expected to affect power relations in target communities?
In particular, if the proposed system invests individuals with new status through access to technology, skills or roles, explain how these individuals will be held accountable to the wider group/community. Please support with evidence of analysis at Reflect circle level.

Facilitators and participants of the 10 pilot Reflect groups will receive trainings and access information. Beyond the ICT project, they are also involved in other projects to gehter with the rest of their communities be it within ActionAid programmes or not. Their empowerment through the ICT project will enable the to reach the status level of the others. But also, ICT will be mainstreamed into the rest of AA programmes to benefit all the communities. Information generated through the ICT project will be shared across through the EJO newspaper, the radios, videos project, etc.

Who made the key decisions relating to this plan?
Reflect facilitators and participants of the 30 pilot groups made key decisions, the process involved training and discussions with the facilitators who in return facilitated discussions with the participants. Reports are available..

How will participating Reflect groups continue to be actively involved in the implementation phase of the ICT Project?
Facilitators will keep on working normally through reflect circles but in integrating the project in their daily facilitation work. They will help the participants generate more ideas on their information needs but also they will help in documenting participants experiences for sharing with others through EJO and other medias. Facilitators will also be the channel to share information from outside with the participants and other communities.

Sustainability:
Since the project will cater for the equipment and training of instructors, and the people are supposed to pbe paying some fee to have access to the Internet or Receive computer training, the communication system will actually be able to cater for itself after the project lifetime.

Section 4: Documentation and Sharing Learning

Networking:

What relationships were formed during the planning process?
The planning process was conducted in tight collaboration with the IT department, HR/OD and Logistics.After successful implementation of the project, more relationships are to be created with CBOs operating in the project location, other Ngos and the local administration since they will all have access to the system.

Who are the main audience for the learning and outcomes of this project and how do you intend to reach them?
Those who will be beneficiary, it will be the community who will be supported by all people who have been trained.The project issues will be found out by the same community, by different radios, partners and also by ActionAid staff members. For those who are very far from the pilote location, we will be linking by internet and exchange visits.

Documentation

What methods and media will you use to document the processes and outcomes of this communications system?
Both private and publis media will be key players in documenting the communications system issues and also exchange visits will be very important on the same documentation.

How do you intend to ensure that this is shared appropriately?
A ccess to the communication System is open to the public who can reach the Center.

For those villages without access to the town center, a video projector has been catered for and the instructors will be travelling to provide some training.We shall ensure everyone has been reached by the following means:First of all, at the community level, there are facilitators and administrative representative structures called community leaders at zone level.Secondly, reflect circles assessment reports held in may, facilitators fulfilled questionnaires and the result was very authentic and their participation was very dynamic.Finally, the facilitators who have been trained on ICTs project, give monthly reports stating their activities in different reflect circles.