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Project: Coalition against Poverty: Oil Revenue under Public Oversight
Evaluation Date: April 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project’s original problem analysis and expected impact assessment were unrealistic. Project design and strategy underestimated structural and institutional resistance to reform in Kazakhstan, resulting in quite limited effects on formal institutions such as the national and local councils, and on official patterns of behaviour, such as decisions on social investment.

Theme: Community activism

Kazakhstan government, institutions

Project: Education and Training of Youth for Democracy in Burkina Faso
Evaluation Date: June 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project design failed to consider the reality of youth associations in Burkina Faso and to include an element aimed at strengthening the young leaders’ capacity. A civil society organisation is often reliant on only one leader and the most of those organisations lack organizational and operational capacities.

Theme: Youth engagement

Burkina Faso capacity, institutions, leadership

Project: Promoting Good Governance among Tribal Inhabitants in Bangladesh (PROGGATI)
Evaluation Date: December 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The community organization members who served on the governance committees are still active in the indigenous communities and could serve as a continuing resource for community members. However, the committees themselves were not sustainable as most participants linked them to the project, rather than to a continuing community institution or system.

Theme: Community activism

Bangladesh institutions, structures, sustainability

Project: Empowering Civil Society and Women to Engage in Policy Processes
Evaluation Date: August 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

To promote the actual application of human rights in Honduras, a debate should be organised to improve links between the actions achieved for and with women -their community-based organisations and networks – and the actions intended to strengthen the institutional mechanisms that guarantee their rights. The aim would be to get local authorities to sustainably integrate a pro-woman agenda both in terms of political representation and municipal budgeting. Democratic participation is fragile and currently depends on the willingness of the authority in power. But this willingness could be replaced by a framework of legitimate and lasting good governance.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Honduras authority, budget, institutions

Project: Youth Partnership for Improved Budgetary Governance in Lebanese Municipalities: Musharaka
Evaluation Date: October 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Working in the Municipality offices gave young participants an insider’s view of how the institution operates and a better understanding of its role. Similarly, Municipality officials said that their interaction with the Youth Shadow Councils had allowed them to see and appreciate the young people’s contribution, gradually leading them to view the young people as colleagues instead of interlopers.

Theme: Youth engagement

Lebanon institutions, local government

Project: Promoting the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance
Evaluation Date: June 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

A thorough inventory of the websites of the six participating national NGOs was disappointing. Only one referred to the project, and then only in a brief summary identifying UNDEF as the funder. More worrisome, none of the websites made reference to the African Charter at all. This suggests that the empowerment that undoubtedly occurred was more an empowerment of individuals than an empowerment of institutions. It also underscores the point that most (not all) African democracy NGOs are focused on national issues.

Theme: Community activism

Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa capacity, institutions

Project: Promoting the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance
Evaluation Date: June 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project empowered individuals more than institutions. Much of this empowerment occurred in the context of international travel and meetings financed by the project (including CIDA funding). It is likely that impacts would have been greater had there been more funds available to finance in-country activities.

Theme: Community activism

Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa institutions, sustainability, travel

Project: Engaging Civil Society in a Democratic Election Process in Sudan, Bahrain, Tunisia and Jordan
Evaluation Date: March 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The expert group on elections monitoring, trainings, and provision of elections monitoring services that was developed as part of the project should be formalized in terms of its membership, procedures and web presence.

Theme: Community activism

Bahrain, Jordan, Tunisia institutions, sustainability

Project: Representation and political participation of five urban indigenous populations in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Evaluation Date: June 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The attendees commented that it was symbolic that the university had participated in the process, since it normally did not get involved in this type of initiative. The professors were completely open and accessible, opening their classrooms on Sundays and assigning the instructors and researchers.

Theme: Community activism

Bolivia education, impact, institutions

Project: Empowering people through citizens’ journalism in Albania
Evaluation Date: October 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Some CSOs also felt their opportunities to benefit from the skills training beyond the participation of their student volunteers was limited which affected relevance for their organization. The training reached the student volunteers, but not in most cases to the organization, and any benefits accrued in terms of strengthening was with the individual students rather than the CSO.

Theme: Media

Albania impact, institutions, training

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