5.1 The project team

Originally it was planned that after the first two years the project team should consist of two animators, one Secadev co-ordinator, one senior livestock technician and two livestock technical assistants. This team would then cover approximately 50 PAs.

The actual situation is that the team consist of one Secadev co-ordinator, one Oxfam adviser, one agricultural adviser, one administrator, one co-ordinator for the women's PAs, one senior livestock technician, five animators and, temporarily employed from the Ministry of Livestock, four technical assistants (each three to five days per month) and one senior livestock technician (ten days a month). A much larger team than foreseen, particularly in terms of the personnel at grassroots level: animators and veterinary assistants. In the future some animatrices will be employed for the women's PAs.

There is no doubt that the original planning underestimated both the time and manpower needed to implement the suggested approach, especially at grassroots level. Furthermore, no provisions were made for formal or informal training of the project team. SECADEV has a training unit but this unit is still developing its capacity and expertise and is more geared towards technical training in agricultural extension than towards training in community development. (Although they are working hard on this last aspect.)

The demands on the team were very high, especially on their capacity to be flexible, to make their own decisions, to motivate groups and stimulate group processes, all of which require informal training. However, none of the team members had this sort of experience or training and the result was that their informal training took place during the first two years of the project's implementation. This was mainly taken care of by the project co-ordinator and the Oxfam representative, not without success, but at the cost of slowing down the project's activities. During the three years two staff members were sent abroad on short courses for formal training. The possibilities in Chad itself for formal or informal training of development workers are very limited. The need for training should have been taken into account in the project's design in terms of timetables but also in terms of provision for staff to attend courses.