Project: JOINT Contribution to Strengthen and Expand Democracy in Mozambique
Evaluation Date: June 2014
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

Staff and lawyers from NGOs working in remote districts were very pro-active in engaging with vulnerable groups. This had a marked impact on local community members who were clearly interested in legal assistance. Their awareness of the legal framework – even in the absence of actual lawsuits – may be considered a form of impact. Similarly, the involvement of staff and lawyers in local dialogue forums has contributed, according to some participants, to local officials’ enhanced awareness of the legal framework concerning accountability on such issues as disclosure of budgets and expenses.

Theme: Community activism
Project: Strengthening Democratic Participation Among Indigenous Peoples of Oaxaca, Mexico
Evaluation Date: May 2014
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project supported a series of initiatives to guarantee respect for indigenous rights and their enforcement, and by strengthening the capacity to handle petitions and cases involving indigenous rights violations. A total of 51 dossiers were processed within the framework of the project. Five criminal cases and three agrarian conflicts were resolved. Forty-three were still pending at the time of the evaluation. The community members interviewed stated how important it was for them to have had good legal advice at no cost. The final adjudication of cases is often a lengthy process. Community authorities have already commented on the uncertainty and insecurity created by this situation, noting that the project’s support and legal assistance had been very important to them.

Theme: Community activism
Project: The National Campaign towards Muslim Family Law Reform (MFL Campaign) in Malaysia
Evaluation Date: March 2016
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

There was UNDEF-value added as it allowed grantee to expand its activities, resurrect the Coalition of Muslim Women’s Rights and hold a national convention that it had wanted to do for several years. Donor funding for human rights projects is extremely limited in Malaysia because of its upper-middle income status. It is unlikely that grantee would have received the level of funding needed to undertake this programme from another donor.

Theme: Rule of law
Project: Strengthening Advocacy Capacity of Civil Society in The Gambia
Evaluation Date: December 2013
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

To raise awareness during NGO week in Gambia, NGOS organized exhibition stalls, panel discussions, and live radio broadcasts to explain how they contribute to improvements of basic service delivery. This led to many people who visited asking for more information about how to claim their rights and entitlements. One case involved a local woman, whose stall and contents were seized by the police, when she tried trading vegetables on an informal street market. Proving that she is a regular taxpayer and stating the fact that the town has no official marketplace for women to sell their items, she successfully reclaimed her produce and today still sells in the same place.

 

 

Theme: Community activism