Training, capacity building and networking has been a critical part of MYRADA’s approach to improve its interventions and to spread its proven strategies to other parts of the country and abroad.
Staff Training: MYRADA has provided several training opportunities to its staff to increase their professional capacities. Early initiatives in this direction were the Development Professional Training Programme (DPTP) supported by the Ford Foundation. The objective was to identify mid-senior staff of MYRADA and provide structured training modules based on field experience. Around 20-30 project staff participated in this programme which had 15 modules. Faculty from premier institutions such as IIMB and IRMA served as resource persons these sessions. Sessions were based on participants’ field experience and the learning was shared by them with their colleagues on the project. The case method was used intensively for these programmes, with participants developing cases from their working areas for discussions during the training programmes. The training was extremely effective in that increased the competency, strategic thinking and communication skills of the participants. As a former senior programme officer and participant recalls, “We felt that we were getting a very good training programme. We felt we are now different”. It was during these sessions that MYRADA’s Mission Statement was developed.
Opportunities were also provided for deputing staff to training courses in various institutes such IRMA and IIRR.
Later programmes for staff training included Participatory Processes (PAPRO) and Water Resources Management Programme (WARM) supported by SDC.