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Project: Judicial Reform: empowering magistrate-civil society collaboration for Guinea’s new democratic future
Evaluation Date: August 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project was efficiently managed and the budget was appropriately allocated. The grantee proved to be highly committed to delivery of results: 80 per cent of the budget was allocated to project activities, with a minimum amount on overheads.

Theme: Interaction with government

Guinea budget, results

Project: Creative Communication of the Nigerian Budget
Evaluation Date: July 2018
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Involving the media in monitoring public works worked well. Using the media helped empower communities with simplified budget information which they used to demand accountability from their parliamentarians. The media was viewed as a key contributor of information in real time and an avenue through which budget information could be disseminated widely to a large audience.

Theme: Media

Nigeria Accountability, budget, media

Project: Strengthening Youth, Minority and Women’s Organizations in Pakistan
Evaluation Date: June 2016
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

There was no information available on expenditures beyond the final financial report, which stated that there were no major deviations between the planned budget and their expenditures. However, without more information, the evaluators are unable to assess the actual use of the budget, its compliance to the program design or its cost effectiveness.

Theme: Youth engagement

Pakistan budget, evaluation, monitoring

Project: Strengthening Local NGOs in Areas Where Extractive Industries Operate
Evaluation Date: June 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project travel budget was high because of the widely dispersed geographic areas that were selected. The high travel budget took away resources from the NGO microprojects and concrete corporate social responsibility field activities and therefore reduced the project’s impact.

Theme: Community activism

Indonesia budget, travel

Project: Involving women and youth CSOs in strengthening democratic debate and public news media around elections in Afghanistan
Evaluation Date: March 2015
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project budget was not consistent with the project’s intended outcomes. To achieve those higher level results, much more focus needed to be given to the civil society elements of the project design and to the content of the media products. The budget had a heavy emphasis on the development of media products. Only 10 percent was allocated for the more programmatic elements of building a civil society in Afghanistan – journalist network, mentoring, training and workshops.

Theme: Media

Afghanistan budget, planning

Project: Women in Politics in Mozambique
Evaluation Date: December 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project did not budget resources adequately to maintain a continuing relationship with beneficiaries and other partners. This was a complicated project, and, for capacities to be built and maintained, and for openings to be followed up, there was a need for a regular project presence with the Assemblies, government institutions, women community leaders and the base groups.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Mozambique budget, resources, sustainability

Project: Grassroots Gender Accountability in Uganda
Evaluation Date: April 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The fact that budgeting is usually based on annual cycles always comes to play when new service needs are discovered. Village Budget Clubs in at least 3 of the 4 target districts as a result of their local service monitoring activity had launched initiatives to fund identified service needs privately, should they face limited availability or flexibility of public financing.

Theme: Interaction with government

Uganda budget, planning, services

Project: Governance and Transparency through Radio in Southern Africa
Evaluation Date: October 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Given the budget, the scope of the work was too ambitious. Insufficient resources were allocated to core activities which had a negative impact on the outputs and results achieved. Scarce resources were allocated to activities which had marginal relevance for overall project outcomes

Theme: Community activism

Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia budget, impact, resources

Project: Learning and Living Democracy in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Evaluation Date: September 2010
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The small proportion of the project budget devoted to the journalist’s trainings reduced the chances for attracting media attention.

Theme: Rule of law

Bosnia and Herzegovina budget, communication

Project: Action Program for the involvement of religious leaders and community opinion leaders in promoting democracy and sustaining peace in Togo
Evaluation Date: October 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The results of the project in Togo were significantly less than planned for in the budget. It is clear that the project enabled the grantee to rent and furnish premises and to pay its staff for 24 months. In addition, the vast majority linked their participation in the existence of financial compensation. The project did therefore not meet the criterion of sustainability.

Theme: Rule of law

Togo budget, sustainability

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