INDH: Study tour to Brazil

July 2008 - A study tour to Brazil was organized in June 2008 for Moroccan officials and World Bank staff working on Morocco’s National Human Development Initiative (INDH).

The purpose of the tour was to get a good understanding of the rural Community Driven Development (CDD) and urban slum upgrading experiences in Brazil, given long-standing experiences of this country.

The objective was to learn from the Rural Poverty Reduction Program in the North-East and the slum upgrading and social development programs in Sao Paulo.

The goals were to:

Apply an active learning method and rapid results methodology to ensure that the lessons learned in Brazil could be translated into actionable steps in Morocco,
 
Encourage INDH decision makers to implement best practice in terms of participatory approaches and income generating activities.

Impact of the Study Tour

The rural CDD experience in NE Brazil was relevant in terms of community organization, participation and ownership. The experience with income generating activities also brought home many key messages which are outlined below.

The visits in Sao Paulo demonstrated what can be achieved in slum upgrading when substantial investments are made in social facilitation by skilled social workers and through the coordinated efforts of different ministries and agencies.

Sao Paolo Slum Upgrading and Urban CDD: key lessons
 
Such programs require a high level of social facilitation, and highlight the need to work with families on a wide variety of issues ranging from housing to employment.

The qualification of social workers was a critical factor in the success of the program.

Slum upgrading can be carried out successfully if it is done in a highly participatory fashion and minimizes the need to move families.

 

 

Recommendations and Follow-Up steps

The Moroccan delegation worked on recommendations - to be implemented using the Rapid Result Initiative regarding: income generating activities, Community empowerment, Communication, and Social facilitation for urban development.

The Governor of Paraiba, one of the two NE provinces the team visited, will be invited to Morocco to assist in the dissemination of the lessons learned and their applicability in the Moroccan context.

The main lessons of the trip were presented to the Income generating activities seminar held in Fes, on July 7-8. It has also been decided that the Rapid Results Teams would carry out the required actions above in a 100-120 day time. The outcome of the will be presented to the INDH Steering Committee and the Governor’s Round Table in October-November 2008.