This article covers the drafting, operational and post-operational phases of the Effective Proposal Writing Workshop, for national Risk Education actors held in Erbil, Iraq.

Accord Worldwide organized the Effective Proposal Writing Workshop in association with a client that has been supporting and collaborating with the Iraqi Government and local NGOs. The client has been working with them to address the threat posed by explosive ordnance in Iraq, through Risk Education (RE) and Explosive Hazards (EH). Throughout their collaboration, the client identified the need to strengthen the capability of the national RE actors in fields such as proposal writing, budget preparation, monitoring, and assessment.

Drafting the Effective Proposal Writing Workshop

The workshop took place in the Hotel Nova Sky in Erbil, Iraq, starting from the 15th until the 19th of September 2019. The idea behind this workshop was to enhance the participant’s general knowledge and skills in producing quality proposals that comply with the United Nations (UN) and international donors’ guidelines.

The focus of the Effective Proposal Writing Workshop was to enable the participants to:
– Understand and practice the general principles of writing project proposals;
– Recognize and apply the general criteria for writing the proposal;
– Plan the project and write the project proposal;
– Use the proposals’ components;
– Interpret and use the United Nations system and formats for submission of proposals;
– Above all, understand how to submit proposals and understand pre and post-submission requirements;

The dynamic of the workshop

The workshop included both theoretical and practical linkage and delivery. The facilitators provided the material through PowerPoint presentations, printed cheat-sheets and access to documents and reading material. They included all components of the Learning Pyramid throughout the workshop’s provision to cover various learning styles.
For instance, the facilitators organized daily summaries and quizzes during the workshop in order to promote ongoing understanding and retention. Afterward, they made sure to distribute questions equally, to encourage everyone to take part.
Throughout the workshop, the participants were working in groups, taught one another, received lectures and started discussions. The participants gathered knowledge by practicing, reading and writing, and evaluating one another’s last assignments.
Due to promoting and enhancing the spirit of teamwork among participants, the facilitators formed four groups, balanced according to their specialties and level of expertise.

Post-operational phase of the workshop

The post-operational phase consists of an evaluation methodology describing:
the participants’ reactions and learning abilities;
– facilitators’ observations;
– knowledge transfer;
– workshop evaluation
.

  • The first evaluation measure was to determine whether the participants’ expectations of the workshop were truly met. Accordingly, all of the participants showed interest in laid topics and objectives during the workshop.
  • Secondly, the facilitators’ evaluation was to determine the level of participation and group dynamics. In addition to that, they took further consideration based on the leadership, level of interaction and added-value from own experience.
  • The focus of the knowledge transfer measure was on the learning effectiveness and level of improvement among the participants. This enabled facilitators to evaluate the progress made by participants in acquiring the knowledge after attending the workshop.
  • The workshop’s evaluation was based on the participants’ feedback on the content of the workshop and the facilitators.

The workshop overall evaluation

The overall evaluation score of the workshop, based on the previously explained methodology, was good. The participants’ were satisfied with the content of the workshop and described the facilitators as highly-competent and professional. They mostly enjoyed the group assignments and activities. The venue where the workshop was held, was also highly appreciated among the participants.

Leave a Reply