Khanya aims to use a learning-by-doing (process facilitation) approach in developing the capacities of its partners, and this is because this approach is central and key to our approach to development. We believe that by applying this approach to working with partners, you empower them to be able to learn effectively from you and also ensure that the capacitation is empowering and therefore sustainable.

Process facilitation or consultation serves the purpose of assisting an organisation, community, or inter- related groups to solve its own challenges and problems through an ongoing progression of building self- awareness, self- diagnosis, and self- directed intervention (Schein in French and Bell, 1999).

Unlike the the doctor-patient model where the external consultant diagnoses the situation and prescribes the solution or the purchase of information model which assumes that the client knows what the problem is and seeks out a consultant to help solve it, thereby providing temporary quick- fixes that are not sustainable, the Process facilitation/ consultation model moves from the premise that the client is central to the problem analysis and in solution- finding. The consultant merely facilitates the process and does not control it. This approach takes time because everyone is brought on board to participate, and it aims at unblocking impasses such as power blockages. This model requires a mind- shift on the part of the participants at the onset of the process

The learning-by-doing approach is facilitated in three ways, and these are;

• Training
• Learning Sites
• Mentoring and Coaching

Training

The training component of developing capacity will be undertaken through facilitation of workshops on content areas like Sustainable Livelihoods, Community Based Planning, and Managing for Impact. Khanya continues to develop content areas and approaches and these will be offered in partnership with the University of the Free State or any other partner. The training approach is based on principles of adult learning with a focus on peer review during all the steps of planning, organizing, and conducting a training/learning event. The course models a variety of effective training methodologies, including demonstration, practice, discussion, brain-storming, buzz groups, case studies, role play, games, and presentations.

Learning Sites

The purpose of the learning sites is “to demonstrate in 2-4 local government responsive community-driven approaches to development which address poverty and promote sustainable livelihoods, and which can be upscaled widely in Africa”.

The process would result in the testing and upscaling of practical approaches to address poverty, integrating and seeking to build on current approaches such as Extended Public Works Programme, Local Economic Development and Agriculture, Natural Resources & Food Security. It would thus be of national and international value.

It should lead to a diversity of other innovative programmes, which emerge from the power of the process, eg around People’s Housing Process, community-based sanitation, pro-poor LED, food security, community-based approaches to address HIV/AIDS etc (Khanya-aicdd, 2008).

Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching is the support for technical, skills-related learning and growth which is provided by another person who uses observation, data collection and descriptive, non-judgmental reporting on specific requested behaviours and techniques. Coaches must use open-ended questions to help the other person more objectively see their own patterns of behaviour and to prompt reflection, goal-setting, planning and action to increase the desired results. Although not always the case, often the coaching is focused on learning job-related skills and the coaching is provided by a professional colleague.

Mentoring is the all-inclusive description of everything done to support protégé orientation and professional development. Coaching is one of the sets of strategies which mentors must learn and effectively use to increase their protégés' skills and success. In other words, we need both mentoring and coaching to maximize learning and development.

Essentially then, coaching is technical support focused on development of the techniques effective organizations must know and be able to implement while mentoring is the larger context and developmentally appropriate process for learning of technique and all of the other professional skills and understandings needed for success.

• Action Learning
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• Facilitation & Consultancy
• Upscaling