IDS recently hosted a small field-based workshop for India Pollution Control Association (IPCA) and Going to School Fund (GSF), two NGOs that IDS supports. Each NGO brings different core capabilities to the table. For example, IPCA has relationships with rag pickers while GSF  has capabilities in activity-based learning. Both IPCA and GSF staff members participated in the workshop. The workshop entailed a pre field-visit discussion, a field visit to one of our rag-pickers schools, and a post field-visit discussion. Workshop discussions covered such topics as the size, scale, and location of schools, the development of organizations, the introduction of activity-based learning, and metrics. We expect this workshop provided immediate cross-learning opportunities for the participants and will ensure potential collaboration between the two NGOs in the future.

Many NGOs operate in isolation from each other; however, IDS firmly believes learning and sharing among NGO partners is critical to the development of the social sector. We expect the learning process should not only help provide better services to the most vulnerable citizens but also improve the effectiveness of delivery costs, lead-time, and the quality of services as we embark on social change.

This workshop is just a start for IDS to serve as a “hub” for sharing knowledge and capabilities across organizations in order to make a difference in the lives of the very poor.