The group promoter (or GP) is a key agent in the success of any participatory project.
He or she works with the poor, building up their confidence in their own abilities and promoting their self-reliance. As this work must be done without creating dependency, the GP's task is essentially that of an intermediary, with three basic roles:
▪ group adviser, strengthening the groups' leadership, organizational and planning capacity
▪ participatory trainer, teaching groups basic technical, literacy and problem-solving skills
▪ “link person”, facilitating communication between the groups and government and NGO development services.
In FAO's experience, one group promoter can help to organize an average of 15 groups in three years. Thus, each GP can reach directly over three years some 150 households, or at least 900 people.
GPs must have experience in working with people and local organizations in rural areas, and familiarity with the problems of the poor. It is essential that candidates have a strong commitment to live with, work with and assist the rural poor for at least two years.
Capable group promoters may be recruited from government agencies or local NGOs. In some cases, preference has gone to government agencies willing to second their staff to the project. Several PPP projects found excellent group promoters among government extension staff, who later returned to their agencies to propagate the participatory approach.
GPs promote self-reliance by involving the group members in activities that allow them to develop leadership and recordkeeping skills. They encourage group-to-group exchanges, and ensure the presence of one or more group members whenever they deal with supporting institutions such as banks and delivery agencies.
When and how should GPs withdraw from their groups? Experience in the implementation of PPP projects indicates that it takes from three to five years for groups to achieve complete self-reliance.
