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Origins and Objectives of Training Manual and Modules

In 2011 NDI released Democracy and the Challenge of Change: A Guide to Increasing Women's Political Participation, a resource for democracy practitioners to help them develop and carry out effective programs to bring more women into government and politics. The guide focuses on programs in the areas of citizen participation, elections, political parties and governance. It presents the case for increasing women’s participation and provides information on best practices and strategies to move that goal forward. The handbook also offers case studies, check lists and additional reading for each of the areas highlighted, as well as a general list of factors or tactics to consider when designing a program.

These materials draw heavily on NDI and external resources and were developed by Amy Hamelin, Caroline Hubbard, Susan Kemp, Susan Markham, Allison Muehlenbeck, Crystal Rosario and Rebecca Turkington.

How to Use these Training Modules

The training modules are not available in printed form. To make them more useful to program implementers, these materials are included on the NDI website and available on CD-ROM. This section includes a variety of resources that can be used in designing, implementing and evaluating your training programs, including:

Training Manual: A guide to creating a training program that includes advice and examples of best practices. The manual is designed around NDI’s approach to the project life cycle. The training manual is currently being translated into other languages and will soon be available on www.ndi.org.

Sample Agendas: Provide examples of how the various modules can be combined for a range of training activities, objectives and participants.

Forms and Checklists: These resources are provided to help with the logistical and planning aspects of the training activities.

Pre- and Post-Training Questionnaires: Example questionnaires that can be tailored for the specific focus and learning objectives of the training to assess initial levels of understanding, expectations, feedback and knowledge gained through the workshop sessions.

This set of training materials includes 14 content modules that cover a range of issues and skill

areas. In addition, the cross-cutting themes of engaging men and using technology have been

incorporated throughout. Each module is organized by sub-topic folders which include:

• Presentation and notes on each sub-topic;
• Trainer’s guide to aid potential trainers with the presentation;
• Handouts and exercises for potential use depending on the audience, context, knowledge levels and timeframe; and
• Additional resources for the trainer and participants on the specific content area.

Every attempt has been made to make these materials as universal as possible so they are

applicable across the Institute and partner organizations. Those who use them should be aware that all content should be carefully reviewed and adapted to the country context as well as the background of the training participants. Images, terms, exercises and examples all need to be adapted to the target group and context. It is also important to translate the materials whenever possible. NDI will be working to translate these materials over time and encourages those using them to adapt them to their audience.

Finally, NDI welcomes feedback on these materials. Please feel free to share examples, handouts, exercises, additional content and translated materials that contributed to the effective use of these resources for the collective benefit of NDI and its partners. Comments can submitted through this form. 

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