EL ALMANARIO, UNA METODOLOGÍA PARA LA AUTOGESTIÓN DE PROYECTOS DE DESARROLLO EN COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS DE GUATEMALA

Abstract

El Almanario is an innovative methodology for development project planning and management through which community based organizations (CBO) elaborate, apply for and carry out their owns projects. It was first designed at 2004 by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Guatemala to manage the Small Grants Program (SGP) of the Global Environmental Fund (GEF). It is aimed to provide indigenous men and women with low educative levels with a methodology that enable them to organize and develop their own projects without any intermediate NGDO. The current paper develop the key aspects of El Almanario as they are: 1) a particular philosophy of work; 2) a physical document (or instrument) for the effective design, planning and monitoring of the project; 3) the organizational issues; 4) the project process itself and; 5) specific measures in terms of gender issues. Afterwards, the influence of El Almanario in the capacities of communities to manage their own projects is discussed in terms of participation, networks, gender relations and learning processes.