Building Research Skills and Capacity among Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Working at the Grassroots Level in Tamil Nadu, India

Project outputs included:

• Training modules for training of lead trainers (bilingual English-Tamil)
• Training modules used by lead trainers for training NGO staff (Tamil)
• Manual for Training of Trainers (TOT) in English
• Manual for Training of Trainers in Tamil
• Observation sheets for training sessions
• Feedback form for trainees
• Formats for evaluation of training sessions and trainees
• Knowledge assessment forms for lead trainers

The project team built on their existing partnership - starting with a process of assessing the needs of the network of NGOs. The findings from the needs assessment surveys of NGO directors and staff highlighted the importance of training grassroots staff in the basics of research and research methods. Respondents felt it was very important to introduce such activities for the staff in order to improve staff efficiency in day-to-day activities of the organisation. The findings helped the project team to mould the lead trainers training programme to suit the needs and understanding of NGO staff by simplifying the modules and training exercises for easy understanding and using a mix of English and Tamil languages during the training sessions.

Based on this legwork, organisers developed a standard training module. This was trialled on a group of NGO workers. The team then adapted training modules to address the needs of the participants and local NGOs. Interactive and participatory training, continuous and participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and the need for retraining were some of the key principles articulated.

A group of 12 people from DACT were selected as 'lead' trainers in health research and received training from research experts to become trainers. These lead trainers were supported to cascade skills and knowledge on health research to other NGO staff from the area through a series of training workshops. The following strategy was chosen to be used for the training:

1. Each session started with a situation or problem, which the group discussed with help from the facilitator.
2. The facilitator led the discussion towards the key topic of the session.
3. The facilitator introduced the theory/principles guiding the topic.
4. The participants were divided into smaller groups, and each group was given one more situation/problem to discuss and present in a larger group and discuss and summarise the key points.
5. Feedback on the session, content, approaches/methods used for learning, what they liked/did not like, and need for more inputs/clarifications were sought at the beginning and end of each session.

The lead trainers were trained using 6 modules over 3 sessions. The first focused on: introduction to basics of research, research design and methods of data collection, data documentation and sampling, and sample size determination. To help the trainers apply their knowledge and develop research skills, each lead trainer was asked to work on an individual problem / topic of their choice (as per the need of the NGO that they represented) using a research framework which covered justification and rationale for the study, aim and objectives, research questions, sampling, data collection methods, and the tools for data collection. During the second training workshop, the outline proposals submitted by the lead trainers were discussed in the open group and improvements made based on suggestions given by the researchers from MAAS-CHRD, senior staff of DAC Trust, and other lead trainers. The module on basics of research ethics was introduced during this training workshop. The principles of developing a research tool and the various components of the tools were discussed. The final research training session on the module "introduction to data analysis" was conducted during the third and final training workshop after each lead trainer had completed data collection of their individual study. This was done so as to help lead trainers understand the importance of each stage in a research process and the influence it has on data analysis and report writing. The lead trainers were also given hands-on experience of doing data entry.

The final stage ended with lead trainers adapting the 6 training modules in the local language, designing research training for NGO participants, and helping the project staff with preparation of training of trainer's manuals. Lead trainers conducted mock training sessions to enable them to test their training abilities and practise the various sessions. Colleagues from within their NGOs participated in two rounds of mock training, giving feedback, while also being oriented on the basics of research in the process.

The lead trainers trained a total of 91 participants from 36 NGOs (including DAC Trust) in 4 batches through a 3-day residential training in research. Each training module was conducted by 2 lead trainers and 2 modules were covered each day. The trainers used a range of participatory techniques and relevant practical examples to explain the research concepts.

Health