An Overview of the Selection and Implementation of SDC Projects

Details on the mechanisms of selecting SDC projects were provided by SDC participants who also offered views on the evaluation of these projects and on measuring their social impact. Participants shared the view that the main mechanism for the selection of SDCs project was through a range of programmes set by the Ministry. According to participant SDC01:

“The Ministry sets a number of programmes and initiatives for all SDCs to select from. Each centre draws their annual plan based on a combination of the most suitable available programmes and sends it to the Ministry for approval and funding.”

Elaborating on the types of government-set programmes, participant SDC02 added: “Examples of these programmes include projects to support divorced women and productive families (cottage industries), child care for children with special needs, family guidance and support. In addition, some projects focus on conducting social surveys to identify families in need of help and to then explain to them how to access social welfare. Other programmes are designed to train young women in things such as hair dressing and sewing.”

However, a number of participants argued that different communities have different needs and this should be reflected in the types of programmes being offered. In this context, participant SDC06 stated that “communities have specific needs and this should be reflected in development programmes”. In addition, it was stated that “community needs differ from an area to another” (SDC03), and “the choice of programmes depends partly on community needs but the freedom of choice is not absolute” (SDC01). Consequently, the SDCs use a number of methods to establish the specific needs of their local communities. These methods include the use of surveys conducted by the Ministry, surveys conducted by the centres, direct consultation with local communities and NGOs. For example, in their responses to a question about their methods of selecting social programmes, participants stated “surveys are a recent development in collecting primary data and we are still in the early stages” (SDC03), “we try to respond to public opinions and offer relevant programmes based on surveys and questionnaires conducted by the centre” (SDC04) and “we use questionnaires to establish community needs” (SDC02). It is clear that some of the SDCs are beginning to take a pro-active approach to determining the areas of support needed for their local communities and to help them select appropriate support programmes. For example, participant SDC05 stated:

“We conduct our own surveys to help establish community needs. In one survey in the city of Dammam, we learnt that members of community were not aware of the SDCs or of the services provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs. We are looking to conduct more research to help identify community needs and issues. We hope to do this on the basis of academic research and we are in discussions with local universities to help us design and conduct social surveys.”

According to SDC participants, the majority of projects and programmes currently conducted by the SDCs focus on “social development” (SDC05) and their main target

programmes include “an annual summer festival focusing on community and family

activities” and “mother and child educational programmes” (SDC02). Other programmes are designed to “strengthen neighbourhood relations” and “raise awareness about domestic violence problems” (SDC03). Funding initiatives are also included in some of the SDCs programmes. For example, participant SDC03 mentioned that they were involved in a programme to “support cottage industries (productive families)”. As for the typical duration of these programmes, participant SDC05 stated that “the nature of the programme and the beneficiaries determine its duration”, and participant SDC01 explained:

“Some of these programmes such as recreational and entertainment based ones are typically run on short-term basis, while others such as our child care programme, which include about 190 nurseries, are run on a long-term basis.” As for the implementation of SDC programmes, participants stated that they try to avoid duplication of projects and activities by ensuring to coordinate with other stakeholders such as local social development committees. In addition, participant SDC03 mentioned that “programmes are often mixed to include popular and less popular but important elements” (SDC03). It was agreed that successful projects and programmes are rolled out and shared with all other SDCs. It is important to note that in addition to their role in planning, coordinating and running these programmes, the SDCs have additional supervisory and regulatory roles. These roles include “regulating and licensing children’s nurseries and family rehabilitation centres”, as well as “supervising the charities and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the national development committees” (SDC05). In this context, some participants expressed an opinion that “with the newly added task of supervising NGOs, SDCs are starting to do more supervision and less implementation of projects” (SDC04). Overall, participants do not appear to be very satisfied with the success of their

programmes. For example, it was stated that “programmes are somewhat successful but there is a need for more” (SDC01), “some of these projects are successful but others do not attract participants” (SDC02), and “programmes are partly successful” (SDC04).