IcFEM – Formation and Establishment of Field Units
A. Formation and Establishment of Field Units
Goal:
Well established and functional field units in the community (Ps. 133:1–3).
We build capacity of our members to mobilize and organize their community members to assess their own situations, identify and prioritize issues that require intervention, develop and implement their own action plans (community mobilization and empowerment).
Organizational Development
We organize communities into operational structures: Fellowship (village – about 100 households × 6 = 600 members) which grows into a Local Transformation Unit (LTU). LTUs are coordinated at ward level (over 100 villages × 600 ≈ 60,000).
Focus areas include governance and leadership, finance management, administrative systems, programme development and implementation, monitoring, learning and evaluation (MEL), gender, development and sustainability matters.
Key Processes
- Clear membership processes: paid-up and subscribed fellowship members; train LTU leaders on the whole process; provide membership cards and registers.
- Establish fellowship and LTU leadership: facilitate appointment and induction of leaders; clarify powers and functions.
- Ensure fellowships are officially recognized: assess fellowships, determine activeness, provide assessment reports and official recognition.
- Ensure LTUs are officially launched after assessment and qualification.
- Mobilize, orient and engage stakeholders to support community action plans.
- Advocacy through stakeholder engagement to support community action plans (national and county governments, church leaders, education institutions, private sector).
B. Essential Job Functions
- Formation of field units.
- Training, engagement and MEL of FEFU teams.
- Ensure formed fellowships engage in the three mission objectives: Evangelism, Community Development, Mercy and Justice.
- Reach out to newly identified areas to facilitate formation of fellowships.
- Monitor, evaluate, learn and report transformational changes.
C. Current Status and Gaps
- Total number of fellowships: 92
- Total number of members: 2,178
- Number of LTUs: 9
- Some LTUs still in formation stage
- Lack of transport means for LTU leaders
- Lack of transformation centres to coordinate work
- Limited volunteer FEFU teams
- Lack of capital for income generating activities
Lessons Learned
- Empowering the community spiritually is the backbone of accelerated socio-economic transformation.
- Communities can identify and manage their own needs.
- Skills and technologies can be easily shared.
- Increased household incomes improve standards of living.
- Strong leadership and youth involvement ensure sustainability.
- Marketing and value-chain approaches increase agricultural income.
- Breaking spiritual darkness opens communities to positive change.
- Fellowship movements provide platforms for shared ideas, innovation and creativity.
- Communities are endowed with resources that need to be tapped for their own development.
IcFEM Mission
Christ Centred Community empowering transformation