Lessons

In order to effectively achieve project goals, grantees must be realistic about their organizational capacity, especially when working in areas and subject matters that are new to their organization. Grantees should call upon the expertise of other organizations with more experience in those fields if possible.

It is easy for nongovernmental organisations who are focusing their efforts
on promoting the greater accountability of government and the private
sector to forget that they in turn have an accountability to the
beneficiaries they serve, particularly where projects are funded by public
money. It is important to ensure the institution of effective complaints
mechanisms to enable beneficiary feedback.

Grantees should take care to adapt the information used in capacity-building exercises to the needs of the target groups. Grantees should consider adapting the information into more accessible or creative forms such as role plays, dramas, or art, or delivering information in conjunction with other activities meeting beneficiary needs (such as sports, life skills workshops) to bring key messages across.

This project provides a good model of planning for project sustainability. The grantee planned for sustainability in every component of the project, leaving nothing to change. This particular grantee's experience suggests that projects that deliver tangible benefits to communities may be sustained by those communities themselves.

Knowledge of the characteristics of the target group is of paramount importance to effective project implementation. The target group in question in this project was Congolese miners. The miners frequently move from one mine site to another depending on whether ores are easy to find or facilities are offered by traders or well owners. Thus, a better awareness of this target group requires that in addition to theoretical training, documents be made accessible to wherever they travel.

In areas where long-distance travel is difficult, it is important to take this into account in project design. The legal clinics provided to miners in this project would have had greater impact if there were more of them or if they were provided with means of transport. The distance between clinics prevented those in need from taking advantage of the legal resources provided to them.

In order to increase the efficiency of radio broadcast awareness campaigns, these programs need to be interactive and broadcast on local radio in the local language.

Providing platforms through which women can educate other women is key for project relevance and impact. Women in Sierra Leone were not scared of speaking out to challenge prevailing cultural norms in Eastern Sierra Leone, they were merely unaware of their rights to land access in the first place. Providing women who have successfully secured land a platform from which to share their experience can build awareness and also inspire others as to what is possible for them to accomplish.

Allocating a portion of the budget to carry out a research component at the beginning of the project is crucial in developing the best understanding possible of the key issues and barriers in the local context.

In Sierra Leone, chieftaincy authorities are key powerbrokers in local communities. When initiatives work to build the capacity of women and girls, these initiatives are made most effective when they also work to change the attitudes of men and in particular, of traditional authorities. In addition, 'chieftaincy by-laws' are the most applied legal framework in rural communities, regardless of what national laws may say.