Lessons Learnt

d.o.b foundation has been actively engaged in development co-operation since 1997. Over these years, it has booked successes and made mistakes - and it has learnt a great deal from both.

As long as they are acknowledged immediately, mistakes can actually help to achieve rapid progress and development for people and organizations. Making mistakes is a part of the creative process, a part of the search for new solutions to (often old) problems. You can learn from a success as well if you are aware of the factors that were the ingredients for it.
We would like to share several of the most important lessons we have learnt and insights we have gained in the hope that others can benefit from them without having to make the same mistakes. This list of lessons and insights will continue to grow and develop. New lessons will be added to the list as they come. We learn everyday!

Other organizations also share the lessons they learn online. We invite everyone to follow suit so that, together, we can grow wiser and stronger!

The lessons

It’s all about leadership and entrepreneurship
Whether a project is successful depends on WHO is responsible. We have learnt that this does not necessarily have to be the initiator.
Continue reading

Dream and think big and in order to reach this work together in multidisciplinary teams.
Something we and our project partners have come across is getting stuck by thinking in shapes too soon (size, who, where, how, etc.). We have learnt now that it is better to postpone that.
Continue reading

Pay attention to marketing and communication!
Each project has its momentum and demands a specific way of selling itself'. This can literally mean putting a product on the market, but it does not solely have to be about commercial goals.
Continue reading

Carry out thorough research and combine knowledge and experience
The initiatives we take on nowadays are often complex. Each subject has its own dynamic. It’s not about building a school anymore, but about bringing about profound and sustainable change in the structures in which a problem or situation is embedded.
Continue reading

Involve all stakeholders
In case of complex issues it is essential to convene all stakeholders.
Continue reading

Realize who you are getting involved with
It is not always clear straight away what the position of a person or organization in a country is or which relationships play a role. Sometimes we didn’t find out until much later.
Continue reading

An initiative should have an inherent chance of success
In the past, if we were enthusiastic about an initiative, we often said to ourselves 'let's pull and tug at it until it works'. We were of course focused on doing our utmost to achieve success. Now, with the same commitment to success, we do what is necessary to guarantee it.
Continue reading

Lessons Learnt from projects we've supported in the past

The Dutch Bakery in Mramor
Read the lessont learnt from this project here.

Water from Gypsum
Read the lessont learnt from this project here.