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Project: MDG Unions: Building Participatory Democracy From the Bottom Up in Rural Bangladesh
Evaluation Date: May 2015
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The grantee presented data, which demonstrated an increasing presence of women advocating gender- and youth-specific concerns in the Ward Shavas. There is also quantitative and qualitative evidence of enhanced local government accountability and service delivery. In addition, volunteer animators, civil society group representatives and self-help group members, with whom evaluators have met, continue to mobilise local community members to participate in local governance, and to hold local decision makers accountable. Interaction among local Bangladesh government, Union Parishad representatives, and all segments of the local population worked and changed the way in which local governments make their annual budget planning choices.

Theme: Community activism

Bangladesh activism, budget, mobilize, services

Project: Gender Equality and Equity - Follow Up to CEDAW and Romani women
Evaluation Date: November 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The training curricula and methodologies for delivering the training were very effective in the case of both the youth empowerment initiative and the preparation of young women activists to undertake field research on the situation of Roma women in local communities. The grantee may have discovered a niche for itself in training young people as a means to supporting their engagement with the public realm.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) activism, engagement, strategy, youth

Project: Democratic dialogue in Palestine: Acculturation towards tolerance
Evaluation Date: February 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The impact of the project was significant at an individual level, with a number of participants putting their training into action within their communities in Palestine – through training, organization of meetings, campaigns and on-line exchange.

Theme: Youth engagement

Palestine activism, impact

Project: Active Citizens and Accountable Local Government
Evaluation Date: November 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Compromise is often a necessary element of successful advocacy processes. Imperfect legislation for pedestrian’s rights can be better than no legislation, particularly when amendments can be introduced later. The original project proposal had included the development and drafting of legislation. However, when the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) launched a bill, IP determined that it would make more sense to engage in and influence the MOI’s proposal rather than seek to push their own initiative. IP engaged in a dual-pronged stategy during the advocacy process that included both constructive and frequent dialogue with the MoI on the content of the law as well as civic activism to pressure parliament on approval of the legislation.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Georgia advocay, civic activism, legislation

Project: Engaging Civil Society in a Democratic Election Process in Sudan, Bahrain, Tunisia and Jordan
Evaluation Date: March 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project created tightly networked, mobile elite of regional experts on elections monitoring, trainings, and provision of elections monitoring services. This made elections expertise more accessible in the region. At the individual level, the people who received training were more likely to continue to be engaged in community activism.

Theme: Community activism

Bahrain, Jordan, Tunisia elections, regional

Project: Engaging Civil Society in a Democratic Election Process in Sudan, Bahrain, Tunisia and Jordan
Evaluation Date: March 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

There was no evidence that the project sought to coordinate with other donor-led initiatives in the democracy field. Such coordination would have to be initiated by the grantee. In the current context, Arab countries are enjoying a surplus of offered democracy support aid for community activism.

Theme: Community activism

Bahrain, Jordan, Tunisia coordination, democracy

Project: Youth Partnership for Improved Budgetary Governance in Lebanese Municipalities: Musharaka
Evaluation Date: October 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project had a clear impact in building the capacity of youth in the areas of good governance, accountability, and transparency. Creating the Youth Shadow Councils had a very positive impact on the beneficiary populations in the Bekaa region, particularly because it promoted interaction among youth of different faiths and political persuasions. The young people consider the project to have been an initiation in social activism that enabled them to “do something together”.

Theme: Youth engagement

Lebanon culture, inclusion, youth

Project: Civil Society Engagement for Democracy and Good Governance
Evaluation Date: January 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The budget was not balanced. The coordination team undertook the minimum of work with the beneficiary groups and instead relied heavily on the involvement of volunteers. While recognizing the importance of volunteering in civil society, activism also requires the necessary resources to carry out actions. The lack of resources compromised the quality and sustainability of the results.

Theme: Community activism

Côte d'Ivoire budget, results, volunteers

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