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Lessons

LESSON

Lesson Learned: The National Campaign towards Muslim Family Law Reform (MFL Campaign) in Malaysia

There was logic to the sequencing of the activities in the project design, but the project itself was implemented as a series of activities and would have benefited from being delivered as more integrated and cohesive programme, with adequate follow up, needs based trainings and the use of other developmental approaches.. Factors included the intermittent nature of project implementation, lack of follow up with most workshop participants, and the focus on achieving activity outputs more than on creating a surge in popular support for Muslim Family Law law based on Islamic principles of justice and equality.
Project Partner
Sisters in Islam/ SIS Forum
Project Description
The project sought to increase public demand for law reform based on the principles of justice and equality. It did this by raising awareness among women on their rights within Islam and women’s access to justice. Its intended outcomes were: increased awareness of rights among women at the grassroots level; increased public discussions on religion; and increased engagement and dialogue among women’s groups and government stakeholders by 2015. The project attempted to effect change from the bottom up, but more activities would have been needed at the grassroots level for the desired outcomes. One-off workshops were not enough to create the type of momentum and broad based support needed to create a surge in public voice for law reform.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: The National Campaign towards Muslim Family Law Reform (MFL Campaign) in Malaysia

Linking the efforts done by the broader coalitions for free and fair election and domestic observers will add weight to the effort and allow for a much broader group of individuals to query candidates about their positions and to extract promises for support- or for reasons why they would not support legal reform. It will also increase the visibility of the key issues with the public which could help provide support and build momentum for a parallel advocacy effort for law reform.
Project Partner
Sisters in Islam/ SIS Forum
Project Description
The project sought to increase public demand for law reform based on the principles of justice and equality. It did this by raising awareness among women on their rights within Islam and women’s access to justice. Its intended outcomes were: increased awareness of rights among women at the grassroots level; increased public discussions on religion; and increased engagement and dialogue among women’s groups and government stakeholders by 2015. The project attempted to effect change from the bottom up, but more activities would have been needed at the grassroots level for the desired outcomes. One-off workshops were not enough to create the type of momentum and broad based support needed to create a surge in public voice for law reform.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Promoting Women's Participation in Local Budgetary Processes

A sense of ownership by the women NGOs/CBOs members has apparently been achieved in Niger in each targeted municipality. Nevertheless, sustainable ownership of Gender Responsive Budgeting is still fragile and all stakeholders recognize that more time is needed to consolidate the women’s work which has been initiated.
Project Partner
Alternative Espaces Citoyens
Project Description
Working with women’s community-based organizations and municipal authorities the project aimed to enhance the social and economic rights of women in Niger by supporting Gender Responsive Budgeting. Integrating a gender perspective into all steps of the municipal budget process, the project focused on improving the capacity of women to advocate municipalities to shape local budgetary policies which consider their health, education and water sanitation concerns. The project’s strategy of working directly with women community based organization members and municipal officials brought activities closer to beneficiaries in the five targeted municipalities of Niger. This approach was highly relevant to women as a beneficiary group, which for most part, rarely has a voice in public affairs and limited access to political decision-making processes.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Promoting Women's Participation in Local Budgetary Processes

Women NGOs/CBOs members’ capacity in Niger is still basic. Women need to strengthen their political and technical expertise. The women from research/action groups improved their ability to participate in the decision-making process, but there is no evidence that they are able to manage and monitor the compliance of municipal investments (i.e. health, water sanitation, education, etc.). In addition the political weight of women within municipalities is still weak.
Project Partner
Alternative Espaces Citoyens
Project Description
Working with women’s community-based organizations and municipal authorities the project aimed to enhance the social and economic rights of women in Niger by supporting Gender Responsive Budgeting. Integrating a gender perspective into all steps of the municipal budget process, the project focused on improving the capacity of women to advocate municipalities to shape local budgetary policies which consider their health, education and water sanitation concerns. The project’s strategy of working directly with women community based organization members and municipal officials brought activities closer to beneficiaries in the five targeted municipalities of Niger. This approach was highly relevant to women as a beneficiary group, which for most part, rarely has a voice in public affairs and limited access to political decision-making processes.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Promoting Women's Participation in Local Budgetary Processes

The project in Niger has empowered women through giving them skills to analyse budges based on the issues that affect their daily life. However, gender responsive budget analysis alone does not change budget priorities and the decision-making process in ways that truly promote gender equality. Municipal budgets are still a political product and budgetary commitments are allocated according to political priorities. Relevant decision makers could be addressed through evidence-based round-table discussions and lobbying.
Project Partner
Alternative Espaces Citoyens
Project Description
Working with women’s community-based organizations and municipal authorities the project aimed to enhance the social and economic rights of women in Niger by supporting Gender Responsive Budgeting. Integrating a gender perspective into all steps of the municipal budget process, the project focused on improving the capacity of women to advocate municipalities to shape local budgetary policies which consider their health, education and water sanitation concerns. The project’s strategy of working directly with women community based organization members and municipal officials brought activities closer to beneficiaries in the five targeted municipalities of Niger. This approach was highly relevant to women as a beneficiary group, which for most part, rarely has a voice in public affairs and limited access to political decision-making processes.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: The National Campaign towards Muslim Family Law Reform (MFL Campaign) in Malaysia

The overall situation regarding women’s rights in Malaysia was largely unchanged by the project. However, if the project had not occurred, it is likely that the space to discuss Muslim women’s rights would have closed further as grantee activities kept these issues in the public arena. It also seems likely that this project provided a safe space for women to discuss their problems and to find strength in collective voice. The project also gave some of the women’s groups, pro-reform media and interested Members of Parliament (MPs) the language and justifications they could use to support Muslim Family Law reform when that issue arose.

Project Partner
Sisters in Islam/ SIS Forum
Project Description
The project sought to increase public demand for law reform based on the principles of justice and equality. It did this by raising awareness among women on their rights within Islam and women’s access to justice. Its intended outcomes were: increased awareness of rights among women at the grassroots level; increased public discussions on religion; and increased engagement and dialogue among women’s groups and government stakeholders by 2015. The project attempted to effect change from the bottom up, but more activities would have been needed at the grassroots level for the desired outcomes. One-off workshops were not enough to create the type of momentum and broad based support needed to create a surge in public voice for law reform.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Support for Democratic Transition and Promotion of Citizenship

The field research undertaken as part of the project interviewed a wide sample of citizens and provided a precise diagnosis of the electoral behaviour of those communities, but the end-product was too academic and lacked digestible messages that could be easily communicated as part of sensitization activities.
Project Partner
Association Nationale de Développement Durable
Project Description
The project intended to tackle the low level of civic participation in the disadvantaged rural zones of central Tunisia and to boost the civic commitment of those populations. In addition to strengthening the capacity of local actors to transmit information about the election process, the project aimed to increase awareness of and participation of targeted groups - women, young adults and adolescents - in the mechanisms and the activities of Tunisian civil society. Taking into account the profile of the grantee’s partner organizations and the available resources, not all of the project’s objectives were realistic or achievable. The partners introduced important modifications to the expected results during project implementation and there were several delays which affected the way that activities were implemented.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Support for Democratic Transition and Promotion of Citizenship

The students who participated in the reflection process on the new constitution gained a better understanding about the importance of democratic values. It is hoped that those achievements will counterbalance the influence of the religious radical rhetoric.
Project Partner
Association Nationale de Développement Durable
Project Description
The project intended to tackle the low level of civic participation in the disadvantaged rural zones of central Tunisia and to boost the civic commitment of those populations. In addition to strengthening the capacity of local actors to transmit information about the election process, the project aimed to increase awareness of and participation of targeted groups - women, young adults and adolescents - in the mechanisms and the activities of Tunisian civil society. Taking into account the profile of the grantee’s partner organizations and the available resources, not all of the project’s objectives were realistic or achievable. The partners introduced important modifications to the expected results during project implementation and there were several delays which affected the way that activities were implemented.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Support for Democratic Transition and Promotion of Citizenship

Participation of members of the partner agencies and of the local organisations was remarkably high, particularly in the training sessions. The students and the rural women also responded in a very positive way to the project interventions. However, young adults who were not in education were mores hesitant about getting involved.

Project Partner
Association Nationale de Développement Durable
Project Description
The project intended to tackle the low level of civic participation in the disadvantaged rural zones of central Tunisia and to boost the civic commitment of those populations. In addition to strengthening the capacity of local actors to transmit information about the election process, the project aimed to increase awareness of and participation of targeted groups - women, young adults and adolescents - in the mechanisms and the activities of Tunisian civil society. Taking into account the profile of the grantee’s partner organizations and the available resources, not all of the project’s objectives were realistic or achievable. The partners introduced important modifications to the expected results during project implementation and there were several delays which affected the way that activities were implemented.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Support for Democratic Transition and Promotion of Citizenship

Some of the activities assigned to partners were not carried out neither were they replaced by other activities. There were great disparities between the activities and the achieved outcomes. The grantee could have reorganized its very ambitious and confusing results framework to link activities, outputs and outcomes more clearly. The grantee could benefit from training on results frameworks and monitoring.
Project Partner
Association Nationale de Développement Durable
Project Description
The project intended to tackle the low level of civic participation in the disadvantaged rural zones of central Tunisia and to boost the civic commitment of those populations. In addition to strengthening the capacity of local actors to transmit information about the election process, the project aimed to increase awareness of and participation of targeted groups - women, young adults and adolescents - in the mechanisms and the activities of Tunisian civil society. Taking into account the profile of the grantee’s partner organizations and the available resources, not all of the project’s objectives were realistic or achievable. The partners introduced important modifications to the expected results during project implementation and there were several delays which affected the way that activities were implemented.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Theme
Country