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Lessons

LESSON

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

The major assumption underlying the project, which was also its main risk, was the ability of grantee to secure meetings with relevant government stakeholders. Grantee intended to mitigate this risk through the use of different strategies to pressure the government for meetings, including a concerted media strategy and activities with grassroots women. In the report on the convention the grantee stated that they invited 50 MPs and only the opposition MPs replied. These MPs felt it was important to discuss the problem of women and gender discrimination but noted that there was a general fear among politicians and the population to voice different opinions as they would then be branded as too progressive or liberal.
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: Civil Sector Capacity Building Initiative in Kazakhstan

The lack of NGO continuity in the different activities limited the sustainability of the project’s outcomes. The increased knowledge gained by some in the preparation of annual reports is likely to be limited only to those individuals who produced them.
Project Partner
Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia
Project Description
The project sought to improve the quality of nongovernmental organizations’ (NGO) services and programmes by strengthening their capacity to effectively implement accountability standards. Its intended outcomes were: strengthened NGO capacity to implement accountability strategies and tools; strengthened capacity of donor community to foster participatory accountability within the NGO community; and increased public demand for greater NGO accountability to beneficiaries. The project design, however, was not well grounded in the larger concept of accountability, or in how donors incorporate these principles into the efforts they fund. It also did not take into consideration feedback received from potential partners and beneficiaries during the design, and did not adequately consult with donors who were identified as a target group.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Civil Sector Capacity Building Initiative in Kazakhstan

The project’s monitoring and evaluation plan was not fully implemented, and no aggregated data was kept that could have demonstrated the project’s reach to the different regions of Kazakhstan, types of NGOs or participants. No performance data or tracking of the use of project outputs was collected either. Baseline surveys established at the very start of the project should have been repeated at the end. Short pre- and post-knowledge, attitudes and practices tests could have been administered for trainings. Data should have been aggregated as part of regular project management, monitoring and reporting processes as well as disaggregated by different variables to understand project reach and performance.
Project Partner
Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia
Project Description
The project sought to improve the quality of nongovernmental organizations’ (NGO) services and programmes by strengthening their capacity to effectively implement accountability standards. Its intended outcomes were: strengthened NGO capacity to implement accountability strategies and tools; strengthened capacity of donor community to foster participatory accountability within the NGO community; and increased public demand for greater NGO accountability to beneficiaries. The project design, however, was not well grounded in the larger concept of accountability, or in how donors incorporate these principles into the efforts they fund. It also did not take into consideration feedback received from potential partners and beneficiaries during the design, and did not adequately consult with donors who were identified as a target group.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Democratic Processes for Bangsamoro Government in Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation in the Philippines

According to implementing partners and beneficiaries, one of the main reasons for the project’s limited effectiveness was that the project missed a fully empowered local manager and/or coordinator, in order to allow for swift integration with the local population, adjustment with local customs, and acknowledgment of highly sensitive social and political-religious sensibilities in the target area.
Project Partner
Tanggol Kalikasan
Project Description
The goal of the project was the objective was to build a strong coalition to ensure the efficient management, conservation and protection of the Lake Lanao Watershed Reservation – through democratic processes involving community integration and the introduction of partnerships, pre-consultation, capacity building, the promotion of micro-projects, and monitoring of policy implementation. The design of the project’s training methodology was appropriate to introduce the basic concept of ecology, best management practices, and to raise awareness of applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations. The project contributed to the joint elaboration and adoption of environmental action plans, as well as supporting policies and ordinances on watershed, fisheries and solid waste management. Print and radio media outputs also facilitated the wider public’s key role in the protection of the environment and to empower individual citizens to participate in the enforcement of environmental laws. The grantee managed to work with the full range of different political, religious and social leaders in the Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation. This was reported by the beneficiaries as an unparalleled achievement.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Democratic Processes for Bangsamoro Government in Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation in the Philippines

The fact that the grantee and its implementing partner failed to devise a strategy to secure additional resources for the capacity building of those barangay officials not covered by the project, has left the Institute for Environmental Governance (IEG) without a clear work plan and direction. Mindanao State University has yet to fully integrate IEG in its strategic planning; and to raise IEG’s planning capacity to enable it to elaborate annual work plans, which are backed by a permanent donor screening activity that identifies potential sources of funding to support its training programme for those barangays not yet covered by the project. It is necessary to integrate previous and future trainees, to ensure the continued participatory development, implementation, and actual monitoring of the region’s local and area-wide environmental action plans.
Project Partner
Tanggol Kalikasan
Project Description
The goal of the project was the objective was to build a strong coalition to ensure the efficient management, conservation and protection of the Lake Lanao Watershed Reservation – through democratic processes involving community integration and the introduction of partnerships, pre-consultation, capacity building, the promotion of micro-projects, and monitoring of policy implementation. The design of the project’s training methodology was appropriate to introduce the basic concept of ecology, best management practices, and to raise awareness of applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations. The project contributed to the joint elaboration and adoption of environmental action plans, as well as supporting policies and ordinances on watershed, fisheries and solid waste management. Print and radio media outputs also facilitated the wider public’s key role in the protection of the environment and to empower individual citizens to participate in the enforcement of environmental laws. The grantee managed to work with the full range of different political, religious and social leaders in the Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation. This was reported by the beneficiaries as an unparalleled achievement.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Democratic Processes for Bangsamoro Government in Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation in the Philippines

Although the youth responded strongly to the project’s capacity building offer, acceptance was less pronounced among local government officials at the barangay level, as well as among traditional/religious leaders. Only 58% of the targeted barangay officials and 71% of the targeted religious/traditional leaders attended the grantee’s training. Leaders expressed to evaluators their frustration about the spill-over effects of environmental degradation originating from neighbouring barangays that were remiss on environmental protection.
Project Partner
Tanggol Kalikasan
Project Description
The goal of the project was the objective was to build a strong coalition to ensure the efficient management, conservation and protection of the Lake Lanao Watershed Reservation – through democratic processes involving community integration and the introduction of partnerships, pre-consultation, capacity building, the promotion of micro-projects, and monitoring of policy implementation. The design of the project’s training methodology was appropriate to introduce the basic concept of ecology, best management practices, and to raise awareness of applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations. The project contributed to the joint elaboration and adoption of environmental action plans, as well as supporting policies and ordinances on watershed, fisheries and solid waste management. Print and radio media outputs also facilitated the wider public’s key role in the protection of the environment and to empower individual citizens to participate in the enforcement of environmental laws. The grantee managed to work with the full range of different political, religious and social leaders in the Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation. This was reported by the beneficiaries as an unparalleled achievement.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Democratic Processes for Bangsamoro Government in Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation in the Philippines

While the project recognized the rich cultural traditions of the people of the Lake, the grantee underestimated the time and resources needed to overcome the challenges and divisions, which characterize the political and societal context. This is why in some areas the project fell short of its objectives.
Project Partner
Tanggol Kalikasan
Project Description
The goal of the project was the objective was to build a strong coalition to ensure the efficient management, conservation and protection of the Lake Lanao Watershed Reservation – through democratic processes involving community integration and the introduction of partnerships, pre-consultation, capacity building, the promotion of micro-projects, and monitoring of policy implementation. The design of the project’s training methodology was appropriate to introduce the basic concept of ecology, best management practices, and to raise awareness of applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations. The project contributed to the joint elaboration and adoption of environmental action plans, as well as supporting policies and ordinances on watershed, fisheries and solid waste management. Print and radio media outputs also facilitated the wider public’s key role in the protection of the environment and to empower individual citizens to participate in the enforcement of environmental laws. The grantee managed to work with the full range of different political, religious and social leaders in the Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation. This was reported by the beneficiaries as an unparalleled achievement.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Civil Sector Capacity Building Initiative in Kazakhstan

Anecdotally, although the project did increase the visibility of the concept of NGO accountability through the workshops - which were publicized in the media - the concept of accountability was defined in such narrow terms that the results of the project were mainly found at a very low level specifically in the production of annual reports by each of the subgrantees.
Project Partner
Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia
Project Description
The project sought to improve the quality of nongovernmental organizations’ (NGO) services and programmes by strengthening their capacity to effectively implement accountability standards. Its intended outcomes were: strengthened NGO capacity to implement accountability strategies and tools; strengthened capacity of donor community to foster participatory accountability within the NGO community; and increased public demand for greater NGO accountability to beneficiaries. The project design, however, was not well grounded in the larger concept of accountability, or in how donors incorporate these principles into the efforts they fund. It also did not take into consideration feedback received from potential partners and beneficiaries during the design, and did not adequately consult with donors who were identified as a target group.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Democratic Processes for Bangsamoro Government in Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation in the Philippines

The youngest beneficiaries trained by the project have shown their ability to organize themselves as an environmental youth organization (RYTK), in order to network with other partners, and to increase membership to support their activities (such as clean up drives, environmental leadership seminars, and environmental youth summits). While this is a promising starting the leaders and members of RYTK are too young and too inexperienced to be the sole carriers of such a responsibility.
Project Partner
Tanggol Kalikasan
Project Description
The goal of the project was the objective was to build a strong coalition to ensure the efficient management, conservation and protection of the Lake Lanao Watershed Reservation – through democratic processes involving community integration and the introduction of partnerships, pre-consultation, capacity building, the promotion of micro-projects, and monitoring of policy implementation. The design of the project’s training methodology was appropriate to introduce the basic concept of ecology, best management practices, and to raise awareness of applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations. The project contributed to the joint elaboration and adoption of environmental action plans, as well as supporting policies and ordinances on watershed, fisheries and solid waste management. Print and radio media outputs also facilitated the wider public’s key role in the protection of the environment and to empower individual citizens to participate in the enforcement of environmental laws. The grantee managed to work with the full range of different political, religious and social leaders in the Lanao Lake Watershed Reservation. This was reported by the beneficiaries as an unparalleled achievement.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Together against violence and discrimination of women

There was particular concern about the role of the local vigilance groups in Djibouti. While there was obvious enthusiasm and energy to improve understanding in the communities, especially from the female members of the groups, the male leaders’ responses to instances of violence perpetuated the community-negotiated outcomes that avoided reporting violence to the authorities and resulted in silencing women.
Project Partner
Association des Femmes de Tadjourah
Project Description
The objective of the project was to contribute to the elimination of violence and discrimination against women in 20 communes of Djibouti’s Tadjourah region. This was to be achieved through awareness raising and mobilisation of the local population; and by building the personal capacities of local actors and structures, followed by the creation of 20 local vigilance groups in the targeted communes. There was, however, a fundamental flaw in the design of the project that reflected a mismatch between the problem identified and the responses chosen. The grantee’s research identified the principal cause of violence against women as patriarchal attitudes and behaviours that relegate women to an inferior status in the couple, the community and the nation. A weak legal framework to support action to end violence, and weak implementation of existing clauses in the Constitution that promise gender equality were also found. The project did not address these causes but focused on raising the awareness of women, potentially putting them at risk of reprisals.
Evaluation Date
March 2016
Country