Background: In October 2020, Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and Pro Sport Development (PSD) entered into an agreement with Laureus Sport for Good to jointly facilitate a developmental evaluation of the Model City Delhi programme. Earlier in 2019, PSD catalysed and facilitated the “Research” phase as well as the early stage of the “Strategise” phase.
Research Phase of Model City Delhi
As part of the Research phase of Model City Delhi (MCD), a scoping study was conducted by Pro Sport Development (PSD) from September 2019 to February 2020 with the following objectives:
- Identify three potential communities for intervention in Delhi
- Identify key issues faced by women and girls in these communities
- Map relevant stakeholders who align with the objectives of MCD and could potentially collaborate and contribute to the project
Based on the findings that emerged from the scoping study, it was decided that the MCD project would be initiated in the community of Seemapuri in North East Delhi. Some of the key issues highlighted from the scoping study in relation to women and girls from the community of Seemapuri are presented in the figure below.
Facilitating A Coalition and Steering Group for Model City Delhi
The Coalition-building phase for Model City Delhi (MCD) started in June 2020, wherein PSD was commissioned to collectivise local and institutional stakeholders to engage them in the concept of Model City Delhi and to build local leadership to drive forward the project.
Key Achievements during the research phase:
- After three formal meetings, a full-day workshop and several informal meetings, the Coalition was officially formalised in early November 2020, with 29 Coalition members signing up to be part of the project.
- A Steering Group consisting of 11 members was also nominated in early November 2020 to function as the leadership group of the Coalition, with the Coalition deciding that a minimum of 60 percent women must be a part of the Steering Group. Till date, three Steering Group meetings have already taken place, wherein various roles and responsibilities have been assigned to its members, including that of chairperson, secretary and organiser.
- The Coalition and Steering Group members comprise of the following key stakeholders:
- Local youth groups
- Local NGOs
- School Management Committee members from Seemapuri
- Aanganwadi workers (frontline government workers in Early Childhood Care Centres) in Seemapuri
- Local women’s groups
- Sport for Development (S4D) organisations
- Organisations working on gender equality/women’s rights
The Coalition has prepared a comprehensive Terms of Reference (ToR) document to guide its functioning and membership. The ToR includes:
- Responsibilities and membership rules in the Coalition
- Responsibilities, composition and nomination in the Steering Group
- Tools to formalise Coalition/ Steering Group membership
- Information on Conflict of Interest
- Vision and Outcomes of the Coalition (to be incorporated after finalisation by the Coalition)
The Coalition has identified key issues in Seemapuri that they would like to focus on as part of MCD, and has outlined related strategies to address some of the prioritised issues. The key issues that were identified by the coalition would be consolidated for developing the ‘Theory of Change’ framework that would guide the development and implementation of activities under MCD project.
