Having completed the training week, it was time to take hold of the reins and prepare to continue what we had begun. At the end of the training week we had tentatively mapped out where we would go on our next field trip and how we could go about continuing to gather Outcome Statements. Before meeting with the team (Frank and Majaliwa), I listed out what we needed to talk about and spent some time thinking about ‘Progress Markers’: what things would we expect to see, like to see and love to see happening in the community in relation to work that SIL Tanzania has done there. (Search online for ‘Outcome Mapping’ for more information about the idea of Progress Markers.)
On Tuesday, 21st March, I met with the team.
We worked through the following:
- Contributions: During the training week we didn’t have time
to list out the contributions to change seen in the Outcome Statements, so we
wanted to work on that. We were able to make intelligent guesses about what had
contributed to most of the changes, helped my Majaliwa’s connection with the
place and people we had spent time listening to. We want to make sure that
during our next field trip we ascertain contributions there and then, asking
where things aren’t clear, rather than ‘guessing’ afterwards! Once we’d listed them,
we counted them out, to see which contributions cropped up the most. We noted
the importance of workshops (literacy and Scripture engagement), having a
proactive literacy/SE worker, identifying influential, motivated people, and
having the Scripture available in various formats (print, audio and film).
- Progress markers: We looked together at the things I had listed out, adapting a few and adding some others. Our goal in drawing up this list is to know what we are listening out for. We have already seen evidence of many of these progress markers on our first field trip, but this list will help us to fish for stories relating to other things we hope to see or help us identify where there are gaps in outcomes and to question why.
- Ministry: We discussed how ministry would fit into the trip. We planned to repeat what we did on our initial field trip of starting the group meeting with a Bible study on John 15:1-12, using both the Malila and Swahili Scriptures. We will also have Malila New Testaments with us to use in the Bible study and for sale. During our initial field trip, the chair of the Malila NGO (UTACDO: Umalila Tradition and Culture Development Organisation) invited me to teach a seminar at his church. On following up this request, he asked me to teach on Galatians, so I will do this at the end of the trip. During our trip to one of the villages we will also plan when Majaliwa can return to do a literacy/Bible study workshop, as we have had very little input in that village to date and, weather permitting, we will show the Jesus Film.
- Fishing for outcomes: We agreed that sharing example outcome stories worked well in our initial field trip, so we planned to use this method again to draw out testimonies. But in addition, we will have a map of activities and materials that we have done over the years, as a prompt for participants to share stories relating to a wide range of things.
- Planning out the trip: We worked out where we would go and when, who could be present at each location from the NGO, where we would sleep, where and when we can process what we have heard and start writing up Outcome Statements while they are still fresh in our minds (which we plan to do each evening), what budget needs there would be etc.
So, God willing, on Tuesday 28th March the
trip will begin! In the meantime, Majaliwa has the job of contacting people to
invite them to meet with us and of finding churches for us to meet in, and I
have the task of preparing a seminar on Galatians!
Author: Katherine O'Donnell
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