Trip Report
November 2010
Steven Rotter, Program Manager for Bolivia, Ethiopia and Uganda, travelled to Bolivia in November, 2010, visiting partners and programs in Santa Cruz, Sucre, Cochabamba and La Paz. Be sure to read Spotlight on…Celestina’s Story.
CFTC: Was this your first time traveling to Bolivia?
SR: No, this was my fourth time traveling to Bolivia, the last time I travelled to Bolivia was in 2009.
CFTC: Can you explain what the purpose of a monitoring trip is?
SR: The purpose of a monitoring trip is to verify what the partners are doing. Reviewing their (quarterly) reports gives me a lot of information, but seeing the partners with my own eyes gives me a better insight into their day-to-day operations. I am able to grasp more details. It is a great way to see what they’ve been doing with our CFTC funds and to what extent they’re progressing with plans. Periodically, a Program Manager will want to check in to make sure activities are going ahead according to plans. We have, as you know, a country office in Bolivia, and our Country Representative, Mr. Fernando Romero, works out of that office. Mr. Romero Fernando carries out quarterly monitoring visits, but it’s important that someone from Canadian Feed The Children’s head office also out monitoring from time to time.
CFTC: So there are meetings set up ahead of time with each different partner?
SR: Yes, at both the partner locations and at their head offices in Bolivia. We go in with a plan, and a travel itinerary is produced. My schedule is communicated with the partners, which ensures that they are available during the time that I am there. All in all, I met with all seven of CFTC’s partners in Bolivia: Alalay, La Paz Foundation, IPTK, SCSJ, Casa de los Ninos, i.e. Sant’ Egidio, NJDP and Juana Azurduy.
(To read more about these partners and the work they do, click here.)
CFTC: What was a highlight of the trip for you?
SR: When I traveled to Bolivia in January 2009, I met a young girl named Celestina. She lives in the rural area of Karpani in Bolivia. She was very sick when I met her with the help of Casa de los Ninos, one of our partners in Cochabamba. We were able to get her the medical attention she needed. This past November, when I visited Casa de los Ninos’ centre and the local school children learned that we were going to Karpani to pay a visit, a group of them were determined to join us so that they could see their friend again. So a lunch was arranged and a good time was had by all. This was definitely a highlight of the trip for me.
CFTC: Do you often recognize beneficiaries from previous trips?
SR: Yes, I recognize the same children quite frequently on these trips. But it often depends on the size of the partner. For instance, if there is a centre that houses 200-300 children and you’re only there for a few hours, you may or may not recognize faces. But in this case, because the community of Karpani is so small, and because Celestina’s situation was so unique, visiting her was definitely something that stood out in my mind.
CFTC: What impact will this trip have on Canadian Feed The Children?
SR: These trips verify that our partners are doing good work and that we are having an impact in the countries in which Canadian Feed The Children works. It is great to meet with each of the partners and get a chance to speak in depth with them about the work that they do. We spend time talking about future goals and program growth. It is an amazing experience to see the children that we help and to experience what the work that we do looks like on the ground. Monitoring trips, both carried out by our local offices or by Toronto-based staff, equip Canadian Feed The Children with the knowledge we need to successfully work with each of our community partners.
