Who are we?
Gamos is a small but influential company working with the social
factors surrounding technology use and transfer. A group of professionals who
seek to select their clients (Governments and Non Government Agencies) to make
the optimum impact.
Founded in 1989, Gamos is concerned to use its professional skills for the empowerment of individuals and communities in the poorer sections of society in developing countries. This mainly involves training and research, actively seeking to build capacity in the South.
Our clients include International, Governmental and Local organisations from across the world. We currently hold two enabling agreements with the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in Information and Communication Technology and Energy.
What we do?
Each associate brings their experiences of development from fieldwork
in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe.
The areas where Gamos is particularly strong include:
How do we do it?
Each of the above subjects are approached from an understanding
of how social structures work from small-scale community level, to capacity
building of local institutions, through to policy frameworks. To each project
Gamos brings with it a participative working style and a desire to develop
cross-sectoral working tools, such as the application of the planned behavioural
analysis models to development. Our approach therefore has several distinctives:
-
As a small company, Gamos makes use of a network of contacts, together with
partnerships of associated companies and institutions.
What we do expanded:
Infrastructure Development and
Technology Transfer
Much of our work in recent years has focused on the importance of
social factors towards the successful application of technology and
infrastructure in developing countries. Based on a broad understanding of rural
and urban energy needs, power utility operations, and the impact of
infrastructure development on poverty reduction, we believe that Gamos has
championed innovative methodologies to investigate the social factors that
constrain technology transfer and infrastructure development.
Specific project areas have included:
We have also developed short courses in infrastructure and technology factors such as: -
More detail on Infrastructure Development and Technology Transfer
Enhancing communication for development (ICD and ICT)
Accessing information and undertaking communication with other development actors is vital to good development. In the last few years Gamos has investigated the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Development.
Whether it is providing rural telecom in remote areas or designing and assessing community telecentres and video production units for poverty reduction Gamos has built itself a steady reputation for being one of the front runners in this field. From South Africa to Mexico to Cambodia Gamos works with both indigenous and international partners in researching, trialing and assessing the Information and Communication for Development components of projects.
Gamos notes that "content" is equally if not more important than "access". Getting the poor access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will have no relevance unless there is content delivered through that technology that has application to the life and livelihoods of the poor. Resulting from early ICT studies this view of content has led Gamos to promote "ICT content" within the development sector.
Gamos is not committed to any particular technology although Gamos is currently championing the use of Digital Video. We believe that DV has made a leap, similar to that of typewriters to word processors. We also believe that it holds good potential for creating local content. In the recent past the production of video was constrained by the need for professional camera crews, editing suites, limitations on the number of copies, and the associated expense. The expense meant that the resulting videos tended to be either for international advocacy or national educational campaigns. Delivery of video to communities was also constrained by the technology. Digital cameras now make it reasonable for development organisations to produce their own videos in house, in local language and for a limited LOCAL audience.
Gamos has developed training courses in local production and delivery of
digital video for development education - health, agriculture, livelihoods etc.
More detail on Enhancing communication for development (ICD and ICT)
Organisational
Development
Gamos has expertise in organisational development and is constantly
researching and developing new approaches. For example in helping Tearfund
develop their Capacity Self Assessment tool (CASA). Our belief is that
organisational diagnosis is central to developing relevant and appropriate
organisation development interventions.
Specific organisation development training areas include:
More detail on Organisational Development
Project cycle support and training
We have also made significant contributions to organisations regarding their management of the Project Cycle. Gamos has proven experience at every level of the Project Cycle. From working with partners to identify new projects and construct proposals, mid-term reviews through to impact assessments, and exit strategies. Post programme impact assessments have given Gamos strong insights into the need for exit strategies. At each point we draw on a wide range of past experiences across the development sector to develop innovative ways of training and research. For example, applying quantitative techniques to participatory approaches, creative thinking for development, and introducing a wholistic approach to analysing technology based interventions.
Specific areas of expertise include:
More detail on Project cycle support and training
Impact
assessment
Investigating the social factors mentioned above, we have become
concerned that there are two weaknesses that seem to be current in development
work. We believe in the centrality of participation for all development
planning. However, we also believe that the development sector should attempt to
measure the impact of participatory processes in developmental outcomes in order
for the world to learn what works and what does not, and undertake new
activities accordingly. Two main tools have been developed.
The techniques we have used are not unique and are regularly used in other sectors such as psychology and health care in the North. However, we believe that Gamos is one of the few organisations that has applied these planning and assessment tools to the development sector in the South.
We also have an understanding of the more commonly held models and methodologies such as the Livelihoods model, Participatory reflection and Action, etc.
More detail on Impact assessment
Mitigating vulnerability contexts in livelihoods (what used to be called disaster mitigation or preparedness)
Disaster preparedness or mitigation (DMP) implies that one might drop into a
"relief mode", and possibly that development principles of
participation and framed entry might not be applied. Recent thought has embedded
what used to be DMP into ongoing Livelihoods analysis. We subscribe to this
shift, since it reflects our approach. We therefore talk about mitigating the
vulnerability context of Livelihoods.
More detail on Mitigating vulnerability contexts
How we do it expanded:
Creativity as a learnable skill for development and management.
Our desire not be boxed in has lead to us being one of the first organisations to promote creativity as a learnable skill. We are unashamedly fans of Edward De Bono. De Bono and other champions of creativity feel that critical thinking within Western education often overshadows creative thinking. Gamos has observed that in participatory programmes, there is a prevailing assumption that if poor communities are encouraged to analyse their situations through reflection tools such as group discussion, mapping, wealth ranking, seasonal calendars, etc, that a creative solution will arise from within the community. There is a prevailing assumption that a natural creativity will rise to the surface if the situation is analysed to a sufficient level. And yet creativity is a learnable skill. Communities trained in analysis AND creativity implement actions that are more innovative and have a greater degree of anticipation about future contextual changes resulting in more sustainable actions.
We advocate comprehensive thinking, both critical (analytical) and creative. Our desire not to box specific tools has lead to us being one of the first organisations to move De Bono's six-colour hat thinking from the human resources box out into fieldwork. Gamos now undertakes training of organisations at every level (management to field workers to volunteers) in creativity as a learnable skill.
Behavioural
Analysis
The application of behavioural analysis models to impact assessment
is one illustration of the types of tools Gamos uses. For example, the Theory of
Reasoned Action (TORA) is best understood as a series of hypotheses linking
outcome beliefs, social referents, attitudes, intention and behaviour. It has
been used widely in the North. Gamos has been one a few pioneers who have
applied the TORA to developmental and extension activities. Unlike commonly used
participatory processes the TORA methodology that we use brings to light
"why" people do things, allowing educational messages to be targeted
accordingly. In the last four years, Gamos has applied this to a number of
development processes and activities. It has proven to be applicable cross
culturally and has shown clear effective benefits to programmes.
Quantitative
methods for gauging the impact of participation
As stated above using non-parametric multivariate statistics for
assessments allows us to show the linkages between variables such as
"participation in meetings" and developmental indicators. We believe
this is an important contribution to the development sector where
"processes" are emphasised but rarely scientifically assessed.
The techniques we have used are not unique and are regularly used in other sectors such as psychology and health care in the North. However, we believe that Gamos is one of the few organisations that has applied these planning and assessment tools to the development sector in the South.
Participation
Whether it is project planning or impact assessment or research into
energy use Gamos has proven the invaluable need for the participation of key
stakeholders. In all Gamos initiatives the empowerment of individuals and
organisations through participation is a core value of any approach that we
undertake. Our use of participatory approaches is strongly linked to
strengthening individual's creative thinking and expression.
Capacity Building
Training is a significant part of all that we do. Our approach is
always one of participation, facilitation, and adaptation. Working with our
partners and always being prepared to learn ourselves. Gamos's approach to
capacity building always considers the context that individuals and
organisations work. And to develop interventions that are appropriate and
relevant to the context. Gamos does not support a blueprint approach as every
situation is unique and needs to be understood before any intervention is made.
A wholistic approach using a
modified Livelihoods framework
The Livelihoods framework was introduced to bring a more wholistic
approach to development analysis and interventions. While we use the framework
as the basis for much of our work, we believe that it has one important omission
and weakness. The Livelihoods framework as presented in 1999 by Carney et al,
did not (in our view) sufficiently acknowledge the role of personal objectives,
hopes and dreams. The lives of people cannot be reduced to solely an asset-based
analysis. The psychology of the community is determining factor to Livelihood
options and outcomes. The "traditional" livelihood framework partially
acknowledges this in the human capital, and social pressures determined by
social capital, but insufficiently in our view. Therefore we use a modified
framework that explicitly seeks to determine the influence of people's
objectives, hopes and dreams.
For more information please contact: Webpage@gamos.org
© Copyright Gamos Ltd 1999-date Updated 26th June 2001
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