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
Project: Rural Media Development for Promoting Democracy and Human Rights
Evaluation Date: November 2017
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The training gave a wide understanding of all dimensions of human rights, both civil-political and socio-economic rights. This led to a rich and interesting diversity in articles produced by journalists. While this was interesting some participants had a tendency to equate all human interest stories and criminal acts to human rights stories (for instance, the abduction of a new born baby from a hospital ward by a disturbed individual or a case of a child murdered by a private individual) but without making clear links to the accountability and responsibility of duty bearers.

Theme: Media
Project: Civil Sector Capacity Building Initiative in Kazakhstan
Evaluation Date: March 2016
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The concept of accountability is important and needed in a context where many NGOs seek government funding to provide services. There is a need to ensure that NGOs in Kazakhstan are linked to their beneficiaries and for all NGOs to realize they need to be as accountable as they are asking their government to be. This would also include clarifying the NGOs’ vision and mission, developing their consultative structures and processes, and adopting integrity standards and regular public reporting processes.

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

Most of the 12 microprojects selected involved business opportunities in agroindustry and farming. There was no specific mechanism to review the results of NGO microprojects . This was a missed opportunity. Reviewing the results in a workshop could have built broader support for the changes advocated at the local and government level. This was not an effective way to help local actors make their voices heard by authorities and private enterprises or to facilitate trust-building and dialogue on how corporate social responsibility should be managed and how to involve NGOs as CSR partners.

Theme: Community activism