Project: Narrowing the Gender Gap in Flood Affected Areas of Pakistan
Evaluation Date: July 2014
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The grantee worked with existing government policies and structures to promote gender equity, which grounded its activities within local governance and service delivery systems. For example, its work to promote registrations for birth and the Computerized National Identity Card addressed the basic preconditions for civil and political rights – the ability to be recognized by the State as a citizen. The participants who subsequently registered then became eligible for public services as well as gained the right to vote.

Theme: Women's empowerment
Project: Empowering Civil Society Inclusion on Democratic Policy-Making in Kosovo
Evaluation Date: October 2012
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project was implemented at the right time when the government of Kosovo was in the process of updating and consolidating its national framework for democratic governance. The grantee seized this opportunity and the partnership it developed with the key officials who were driving this process and with the group of CSOs in the Advisory Group gave the reform effort structure and momentum through its regular meetings, topical workshops, training and information sharing.

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

Meeting with all parties involved was an important first step in building mutual trust to facilitate a common understanding of the challenges of corporate social responsibility, including those related to civil society engagement in Indonesia. All stakeholders expressed their concerns, and it was established that companies and local governments must pool local civil society resources if they are to have a visible impact on the community with which they are working.

Theme: Community activism
Project: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)
Evaluation Date: September 2013
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project made sure that women were included in the paralegal network. This made the project more representative and promoted the defense of women’s interests at the local level. This approach also dovetailed with a recent initiative by the Ministry of Gender and Family, which in early 2013 introduced the “Umugoroba evenings” – public events to enable women to interact and share advice.

Theme: Rule of law
Project: Civic Education and Civil Society Empowerment in Remote Areas in Myanmar
Evaluation Date: December 2012
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project created an initial impetus for political change at a regional level. Participants’ perception of government changed: they viewed themselves as rights-holders that can engage the government and hold it accountable. The project also created a desire for continued learning, for example in training institutes that participants and implementers themselves have created. These centers may continue to teach civic education after grantee funding and trainings have ceased. The subject material they teach is also likely to be specific to regional concerns and taught in the local language.

Theme: Community activism
Project: Nigeria Procurement Monitoring Project
Evaluation Date: April 2012
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project helped enhance the standing and credibility of the grantee. It was able to carry out work beyond the scope of the project. Following up on its efforts to open up the public procurement sphere to scrutiny, with the support of like-minded law firms, the grantee launched a number of public interest legal cases concerning the obligation of government bodies to release all relevant information to civil society observers. A positive result was achieved recently in one such case, concerning the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), which had refused to provide the necessary documents to an accredited monitor.

Theme: Interaction with government