Yet again, Gift of the Givers is on the front line in providing humanitarian support – this time in Ukraine.
Six years ago, I had the good fortune to hear Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman give a key-note presentation at the PMSA conference in Durban. It is a presentation I will never forget, not only because of the amazing things that the Gift of the Givers are doing but also because of the project lessons and project learning he conveyed. I think the project profession could greatly benefit from hearing more about how these types of organisations make the impossible happen.
Dr. Sooliman is a captivating presenter. Hearing his story about how he came to take on the role of humanitarian champion here in South Africa and globally (in places like Afghanistan, Syria, and Chechnya) is inspirational. I was at the Durban conference talking on stakeholder engagement, and his discussion about how the Gift of the Givers set up their aid projects had many resonances.
Do nothing but listen
Like any aid group, the deployment of the Gift of Givers team into a disaster zone takes careful planning and consideration. Not least to ensure that your staff and resources are safe and capable of making a difference. But like any project, you don’t know what to expect until you get your feet on the ground. Dr. Sooliman described how during the first few days when the team arrives – they do nothing! Well, he actually said that they don’t just get on with implementing their own ideas and processes. Instead, they go out and listen. They ask the questions necessary to find out what people on the ground need. Often what people say they need isn’t actually their top priority, so sometimes it is about watching and listening, and evaluating. That can be far more powerful than trying to find the right question to ask of the right stakeholder. This means making sure you listen to the best possible stakeholder exchanges – to the needs and wants that will make a difference to most people. Does that sound familiar in projects? It does to me!
Beware the wrong resources
After Dr. Sooliman’s talk, I think every person in the conference room was ready to jump up and volunteer. He had anticipated this and pointed out to us, in the nicest possible way why Gift of the Givers don’t take volunteers! It takes careful selection, training, and appropriate apprenticeships to create the skills necessary to deal with aid situations. The wrong approach is dangerous for the staff involved. It can threaten the Gift of the Giver’s acceptability to the stakeholders on the ground and it may be potentially life-threatening for the people involved in the project and its recipients.
In projects, we certainly worry about getting the right resources, but perhaps we need to spend time considering the consequences and risks of having the wrong resources. How much of this can our projects bear and still realistically deliver? Is the right person in front of our stakeholders? Are they capable and politically acceptable in the eyes of our stakeholders? As much as we would like to think this doesn’t matter. It does!
Use what you have in unique ways
Gift of the Givers is funded by the public. Every cent is counted. Every cent matters! They know that when the funds aren’t enough, you need ideas. If you can’t build a hospital at the site, then take one with you!
Gift of the Givers is innovative in making its funding count. In Bosnia, they introduced the idea of field hospitals, completely fitted out in donated transport containers. Everything was prepared before transport and then shipped to where they were needed.
In projects, being innovative in solving project problems within project constraints is what it is all about. In our research on projects and project planning (Worsley & Worsley, 2019 Adaptive Project Planning), we consistently found that high-performing project managers are far more aware of the constraints they are working within. They are more emotionally and psychologically prepared to deal with these challenges.
Constraints define our approach to project planning, and if they aren’t on your projects, you are getting it wrong! This has always been one of the most rewarding aspects of project management. I think we can all look back with satisfaction and pride at that time we made things happen against all odds.
Who would be at your project table?
I was once asked who I would want at my project manager’s dinner table. I would include Dr. Sooliman because he fundamentally understands:
- Who we engage with and how will always matter when it comes to understanding the real priorities of our clients
- Resources matter and some resource decisions are just not viable or safe to take.
- Projects will always have constraints – it’s how we work with them that defines us as project managers.
Who would be at your project managers’ dinner table? I would love to hear!
Further information
Gift of the Givers committed in March this year to:
launch a campaign to help citizens affected by the conflict, including those displaced and without access to basic resources, after meeting with representatives from Slovakia, Romania, the Ukraine health ministry, Croatia, one of the chief co-ordinators of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, a doctor in Kyiv, and surgeons from the US and Europe.
The intervention will be in two parts: provide emergency medical and non-medical assistance to front-line facilities and internally displaced civilians inside Ukraine, and fund the repatriation of SA students
Source, Unathi Nkanjeni, Sunday Times, 07 March 2022 – 09:00
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