In June 2023 Spark Microgrants through the design department launched a twelve month fellowship Program for graduated CBFs who have facilitated the entirety of the FCAP in their communities to provide them with professional development through a learning working experience and also support the design team to bring local expertise and FCAP experience to the design process.The first cohort has  four fellows: two in Rwanda, one in Uganda, and one in Malawi.

In this story, Design Fellows show how community development and skill-building empowers people to take charge of their own lives and support inclusive local development. They highlight their involvement in enabling local leaders, CBFs, and communities to overcome a variety of challenges obstructing community development from their own field experience. The story highlights the value of community meetings, decision-making processes, and the role of Design Fellows.

The four Spark MG design Fellows were CBFs when they first joined the Fellowship program. They said being a Design Fellow for them  is an opportunity that provides special learning opportunities since it gives them an opportunity to work with various teams and exposes them to new technologies, processes, and viewpoints.

"This is an opportunity for me to grow and learn in ways that could not be available in traditional services. When I was a CBF, I worked with pre-finished materials provided by the design team. I am pleased that becoming a Design fellow has enabled me to gain more knowledge, experience, and skills in FCAP. Today, I contribute to the design of a variety of training materials, as well as their implementation and evaluation. I am happy to contribute fully to the FCAP.” said by Raissa Muhayimana, a Design Fellow in Gakenke district.

Princess Kelvin has been a Malawi Design Fellow since September 2023. She joined the design team after serving as a Community-Based Facilitator (CBF) with communities in Lilongwe, Malawi. She asserted that her duties as a design fellow are different from those she had previously held as a CBF.

“A Community-Based Facilitator (CBF) is dedicated to assisting a community in uniting and creating a common future vision. Working with a community you are familiar with can help community members identify and resolve challenges that affect their community. This also contributes to increasing collaboration and decision-making among people as well as improving the community's ability to continue as one. On the other side, a design fellow works actively with the design team, develops new concepts, reports field data for design purposes, trains other CBFs to use tools and resources, mentors and coaches CBFs when necessary, and participates in community activities as a representative of the design team and reports findings”, Princess noted.  

She continued by saying that while both positions require working with a group of people to help them reach their goals, there are some similarities between a design fellow and a CBF.
"A thorough awareness of the people involved and their needs is necessary for both roles. The two roles need a person with strong teamwork and communication abilities as well as the ability to adjust their style to fit the demands of a fast-paced, dynamic work environment, she noted.

Ivan Muketsi works with communities in Bulambuli, Uganda, with a focus on the fresh insights and abilities that come from the fellowship program. He mentioned that a design fellow gains knowledge in public speaking, organizing communities activities, writing proposals, and other areas including media relations and leadership.

“My love of community development, my desire to learn more, gain new skills, and make a bigger difference in people's lives are what drove me to apply for the fellowship position”, Ivan stated,

"The fellowship allows me to build on my experience as a CBF while also acquiring new knowledge, abilities, and tools to improve communities more broadly and sustainably. It is very interesting and in line with his long-term professional goals to work with like-minded people and organizations to address urgent social concerns”, he added.

Interacting with communities, capacity-building for community-based facilitators, and collecting stories for educational purposes are some of the Design fellow's current duties in the field.

Ivan Mutesi pointed out that because of the various demands and situations of many communities, such activities can be challenging. Nonetheless, he is appreciative of this admirable effort since it enables him to instantly impact positive change and empower local voices.
"Every day offers new opportunities for development and learning, and even though some of the tasks may be more difficult than others, I approach them with passion, originality, and a desire to work together to solve problems. Ivan stated, "Overall, even though there are undoubtedly challenging times, I find my work rewarding and essential to making a significant impact in design work".

The Design fellows are more involved in leading need assessment conversations, and focus groups with individuals and the communities. They take great pride in their ability to unite men and women to reflect on their shared history, plan for the future, and build on their common ground.

Prototyping new ideas and reporting field data, such as Rapid Prototype testing and design revisions, are among my responsibilities. We introduce fresh ideas from past concepts, work with villagers and CBFs to create a report, and then submit it to the design team. Jean Claude Hakorimana, a Design Fellow at Burera said.

Educating community-based facilitators (CBFs) on new design is another facet of his job that he takes great pride in.

Princess emphasized the FCAP's aim to increase the number of success stories, particularly those showcasing the positive impact of selected projects on communities.

"The majority of them have access to necessities like food and financial stability, so each member of the community has a job that benefits their home, while others launched small businesses and some are engaged in farming to raise their standard of living”, she noted.

As he works with communities in the Burera district, however, Jean Claude insisted on drawing on his own experience. According to him, there is proof that people's living standards have changed, and as a result, people's attitudes have also changed.

"People came to understand the value of the kitchen. Sanitation improved since every household has a latrine, and village members realized the importance of paying health insurance for their family's wellbeing." "The community has learned the value of working together, and residents who take part in FCAP are observed to remain clean even when heading to the meeting. Before FCAP began, the villagers were scared they wouldn't be allowed to raise questions during meetings. However, they were so fearless that everyone who showed up for a meeting could ask questions” Jean Claude highlighted.

For Princess, “The communities have access to food and other necessities that they need for daily living. Every member of the community has a job that brings in money for their home, such as small-scale businesses or farming, which raises their standard of living”.

Suitable materials for sustainable communities.

In a conversation with Design Fellows, they expressed how appropriate they think the design resources and materials are from the perspective of the community. "When creating the materials, it's crucial to take into account elements like cultural significance, language accessibility, and usefulness for every community in a way that makes them simple to apply in the community's setting," Ivan Muketsi stated.

“Involving community members in the creation and revision of training materials is one method of ensuring that they accurately reflect the opinions of the community. We can learn a great deal about the viewpoints, requirements, and preferences of target recipients, community leaders, and stakeholders by asking for their feedback. By working together, we can make sure that the information is valuable to the community, relevant, and sensitive to cultural differences” he noted, adding that, “How the training materials are delivered and their format should also be taken into account. Can individuals of the community with different levels of literacy and education access them? Are they delivered in visually appealing and easily comprehended formats, including interactive modules, movies, or visual aids? Training materials can be improved by being modified to accommodate various learning preferences and styles”.

Ivan also stressed the significance of continuous evaluation and feedback systems, which serve as the cornerstones for pinpointing areas in need of development and guaranteeing that training materials stay pertinent and effective over time.

“Getting feedback from the community on the materials' usability, accessibility, and clarity regularly can assist in pinpointing the materials' strong and weak points and direct iterative improvements. It's critical to give inclusion, cultural sensitivity, and practical relevance top priority when improving the applicability of training materials from the perspective of the community. Community members may be empowered to influence positive change in their communities and we can develop resources that effectively fulfill their needs by incorporating them in the design, delivery, and evaluation of training materials” he concluded.

Personal experience

"One particular experience I had that sticks out was getting to collaborate closely with a community to put up a sustainable dairy business. At first, it was difficult to understand the complex relationships of dairy cows and win over the community.

We were able to create a complete strategy that took into account both immediate demands and prospective sustainability objectives, though, by engaging in open communication, actively participating, and working together to solve problems. This included organizing local committees to supervise the project's execution and maintenance as well as conducting training sessions on dairy animals and management techniques.

It was immensely satisfying to see the project's beneficial effects on the community's general well-being and access to feed animals. In the context of sustainable development, it emphasized the significance of community-led projects, inclusive methods, and continuous involvement.

The importance of CDD in collaborating with communities to address difficult issues and effect significant change was reaffirmed by this experience. Additionally, it emphasized the value of humility and gaining information from local experts to inform practical solutions that are genuinely customized to the needs and realities of the communities we serve”,| Ivan Muketsi-

Driven by her personal experience, Raissa Muhayimana, a Design Fellow in Gakenke district, emphasized the function of a Fellow and the abilities needed to assist CBFs in comprehending FCAP lessons so they may lead community-based conversations and other initiatives.

“The community will suffer the most if CBFs do not heed the messages of the villages to learn what they are trying to teach the people. Describe the steps FCAP used to reach the objective.
Every day, communities require information from CBFs”, she mentioned.

CBFs thrilled to become Design Fellows

When asked how they felt about being promoted from the CBF role to Design Fellow, most Spark MG Fellows said that they enjoyed working with a design team to come up with and carry out a design solution to a particular problem, as well as providing creative ideas and supporting the team while in some cases a CBFs might be misunderstood.

Regarding their feelings regarding their promotion from CBF to Design Fellow, the majority of Spark MG Fellows stated that they relished the opportunity to collaborate with the team to develop and implement design solutions to a specific issue. They also mentioned that while a CBF could sometimes be misinterpreted, Design Fellows were happy to embrace a new era of providing creative ideas and supporting the team

“We are very close to the people we work with and easily interact with them in focus groups when discussing a particular topic and when trying to find a solution to it. Now, we continue to put together our ideas and savings from community members”, they said.

Success Story

The Bumulaha community in Bulambuli district used FCAP to implement dairy and Boda Boda (motorcycle) projects. The community first struggled with household income and children's nutrition. Training and assistance were provided to community members so they could launch their dairy farms and Boda Boda businesses. As a result, households saw an increase in income, better access to dairy products and transportation, and healthier children as a result of drinking  milk. The community was encouraged to become more self-sufficient and entrepreneurial through an all-encompassing strategy, which demonstrated the transformative power of FCAP projects. It also raised living standards.

How the Fellowship program is helping communities in Burera District

1. The villagers of Kinyababa Sector, particularly those near Uganda (Nyabizi 2, Nyabizi 3, Rubayu, Kavumu, Shaga, Kanyaminyinya, Gatare, and Girisiri), feel that the number of illicit cross-border enterprises has decreased because they now have projects that are supported by Spark MG microgrants. They disclosed that before their partnership with Spark, they were unable to afford their children's education, but such initiatives benefited them. They are also glad that women are increasingly aware of the significance of collaborating and planning with their partners.
2. In general, the residents of Kinyababa Sector have seen a decline in illegal business and household issues. Villagers are happy that the fertilizer from the animals raised as part of the Spark initiative has significantly boosted the harvest from agriculture. They also value the role that credit and loaning projects play in their development since they get loans to support agricultural projects.

The historically marginalized people from the villages of Nyabizi 2, Nyabizi 3, Shaga, Musaga, and Kanyaminyinya strongly testified that they are happy the ACE projects have given them special consideration because they are no longer dependent on the hunting and pottery work they performed in the past; instead, they earn the same income by becoming breeders and farmers as their fellow villagers.