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

Lesson Learned:

When the project ended there was no formal partnership among the stakeholders involved. Most of the microprojects had ended and the participating organizations considered themselves beneficiaries of corporate social responsibility funds rather than as pro-active partners. The project reinforced current corporate practices in which civil society empowerment is regarded simply as making donations to NGOs. Better information about the costs and benefits of corporate social responsibility implementation and an inventory of industry practices could help to identify NGO capacity constraints and priority needs, tailoring different partnership models to the situation in each district.

Theme: Community activism

Indonesia CSR, partnership, sustainability

Project: Monitoring and Influencing the Central Budget by Civic Empowerment
Evaluation Date: February 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Partnership was a real strength of the project: the Permanent Monitoring Group, where organizational members had worked with each other for some time, over a series of projects, was an excellent institution. The partnerships that the grantee established with local beneficiaries were also strong, and are likely to continue beyond the project.

Theme: Interaction with government

Turkey partnership, sustainability

Project: Educating Rural Women in Haiti for Democratic Citizenship
Evaluation Date: March 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project should have included a phase for consolidation of its achievements. This would have helped provide sustainable and real opportunities for women to have a presence in public life. This could have been through an institutional partnership with all pertinent government institutions that participated in the project and should have involved continued social mobilization raising collective social awareness.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Haiti government, partnership

Project: Promoting Human Rights through Providing Access to Information for Marginalized Women in Zimbabwe
Evaluation Date: November 2015
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The grantee presented the project as a partnership with three other NGOs and a private commercial radio station. The partners clearly brought added value to the proposal because they had long-standing experience working with women in the project areas. However, the partners had been insufficiently involved in the design of the project, and that they were presented with a set of activities to implement but had had little say in defining the project’s strategy.

Theme: Media

Zimbabwe design, partnership, strategy

Project: Honduran Youth for Democracy
Evaluation Date: February 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The implementing partnership managed the project extremely well, linking strategic goals to operational decision making. They also continuously monitored how activities were being implemented. The grantee and its partner’s prior experience in this region also ensured that the project was linked with other similar projects going on in the same area.

Theme: Youth engagement

Honduras partnership

Project: Empowering Civil Society Inclusion on Democratic Policy-Making in Kosovo
Evaluation Date: October 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project was implemented at the right time when the government of Kosovo was in the process of updating and consolidating its national framework for democratic governance. The grantee seized this opportunity and the partnership it developed with the key officials who were driving this process and with the group of CSOs in the Advisory Group gave the reform effort structure and momentum through its regular meetings, topical workshops, training and information sharing.

Theme: Community activism

Kosovo leverage, partnership

Project: Strengthening women’s empowerment in municipal government
Evaluation Date: October 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The partnership was efficient and complementary. Each partner worked to its strengths and there was considerable capacity building among the partners. The intelligent allocation of roles and responsibilities between partners resulted in greater project efficiency by playing to the strengths of each partner.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Fiji, Kirbati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu design, partnership, regional

Project: Creating an Inclusive Policy and Legal System, Protecting Elderly People’s Fundamental Rights in Indonesia
Evaluation Date: January 2023
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The grantee organization LBH Apik and its local chapters are well-established grassroots organizations with internal systems and procedures in place. Building good rapport with local stakeholders was one of the key strengths of LBH Apik and a good strategy to secure commitment and can be continued in future programmes.

Theme: Electoral Processes, Rule of law

Indonesia approach, commitment, Coordinate, coordination, credibility, grassroots, local, network, partner, partnership, process, project management, relationships, reputation, stakeholder, strategy

Project: Transparency and Public Accountability in Education in Brazil
Evaluation Date: June 2020
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

When the accomplishment of specific outcomes is contingent on the collaboration of an external party, such as the governmental authorities, it is essential to make additional efforts setting up partnerships from the onset of the Project. UNDEF (or United Nations Country Team) may play an important role in meeting directly the country local or Federal authorities at the beginning of the project.

Theme: Interaction with government

Brazil collaborate, Coordinate, government, local, local government, partnership, relationships

Project: Advancing Pedestrian Rights in Georgia
Evaluation Date: January 2018
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Consider developing formal partnerships with research organizations or think tanks, particularly those specialized in related topics such as public transportation.

Theme: Community activism

Georgia partnership, transport

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