impact

Project: Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Access to Public Information in El Salvador
Evaluation Date: August 2014
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

Project outputs were met with efficiency, and even surpassed their aims in terms of quantity. This was due to the flawless management and execution of the project, but also due to the fact that the UNDEF funded project was able to link several activities to an EU-funded project in the grantee’s portfolio. By pooling funds from an additional donor, the project was able to target a larger number of beneficiaries in El Salvador (4361 individuals received capacity building in contrast to a planned 3000).

Theme: Rule of law
El Salvador   ,
Project: Nigeria Procurement Monitoring Project
Evaluation Date: April 2012
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The preparation and publication of the Procurement Observation Handbook built on previous efforts. It is also being used elsewhere in West Africa, and has been provided to the World Bank IDF program and Open Society Initiative for West Africa on request for translation to French for use in French-speaking West African Countries. Feedback on the manual from those interviewed for the evaluation was extremely positive.

Theme: Interaction with government
Nigeria   , ,
Project: Women in Politics in Mozambique
Evaluation Date: December 2011
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

All project activities were relevant to the project objective and well-organized, and the training workshops provided were well-received by participants. However, while immediate learning objectives seem to have been met, the broader purpose of the activities delivered was not clear. This was one indicator of the lack of integration of activities. Another was the failure of the project team to maintain engagement with beneficiary groups and collaborating institutions between activities. These gaps undermined the project’s capacity to achieve the medium-term impact results specified.

Theme: Women's empowerment
Mozambique   , ,
Project: Towards a better electoral process in Mongolia
Evaluation Date: November 2011
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The extent of the project’s outcome is unknown. The grantee did not do a before/after baseline that could have measured its results, nor did it track its trainees afterwards to see if they replicated the training and if so, who they reached. Most of the project work was completed well before the elections, and a lot of work was done subsequently, so attributing results in terms of voter education, domestic observation and actions of the targeted officials is difficult.

Theme: Community activism
Mongolia   ,
Project: Civil society advocating for quality education & healthcare in Mexico
Evaluation Date: February 2012
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project did have an impact for some participants and participating CSOs. But the lack of adequate data on project results makes it difficult to identify or to assess the extent of results. The baseline survey had many gaps and was also not repeated at the end of the project, making it impossible to measure change. Indicators needed to be more focused on achievement of the intended outcomes of increased civic awareness and collective voice for equitable services and any policy changes resulting from the increased demand.

Theme: Tools for knowledge
Mexico   , ,
Project: The National Campaign towards Muslim Family Law Reform (MFL Campaign) in Malaysia
Evaluation Date: March 2016
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The impact of the project is difficult to assess without performance data beyond the output level. Adopt more performance based indicators that can be easily collected and tracked throughout the project, with baseline and end of project data. For example, percentage increase in the level of understanding of participants and changes in behaviour on issues related to women’s rights under Malaysian and Islamic laws. This could be measured through pre and post tests or surveys. When seeking attitudinal change, include knowledge, attitude and practices questions so that this change can be measured.

Theme: Rule of law
Malaysia   ,