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Project: Fostering Ethical Democracy and Advancing Micro Justice in India
Evaluation Date: September 2018
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

In all projects that involve challenging established power structures, staff members that are most visible in project implementation (‘frontline staff’) face a high risk of personal reprisals. It is essential for grantees to be aware of these risks and take the appropriate measures necessary to protect frontline staff, for example ensuring the backing of a larger organization or having senior management playing a frontline role in project implementation as well.

Theme: Rule of law

India implementation, local knowledge, partnerships, risk, staff

Project: Civil Society Empowerment in Advocacy and Policy Development in Vietnam
Evaluation Date: June 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

A number of the training graduates pointed out that the financial vulnerability of CSOs in Vietnam made it difficult for them to allow staff members to devote time during working hours to preparation for training course delivery.

Theme: Community activism

Viet Nam capacity building, resources, staff

Project: Strengthening Citizenship and Consolidation of Democracy in Chad
Evaluation Date: February 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project mobilised very well qualified staff to implement activities. However, a large number of these personnel worked on a volunteer basis and this had a detrimental impact on the quality of the output. The insufficient number of personnel available had also a negative impact on the effective monitoring of the project implementation.

Theme: Community activism

Chad resources, staff, volunteers

Project: Strengthening Democratic Participation of Maya Communities in Rural Guatemala
Evaluation Date: June 2015
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The majority of the project’s multidisciplinary expert team in Guatemala were local to Q´eqchi Maya. The integration of detailed local knowledge contributed to the project’s credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of beneficiaries and local counterparts.

UNDEF/Guatemala

Theme: Community activism

Guatemala culture, indigenous, staff

Project: Strengthening Civil Society and Developing Independent Media in Africa
Evaluation Date: March 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

It is a testimony to the dedication and effectiveness of the project staff that so many activities were actually implemented, despite the design weaknesses.

Theme: Media

Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia staff

Project: Electoral Justice Principles for Trust in the Electoral Process in Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone
Evaluation Date: September 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Integrity Action was able to find and use experienced electoral and judicial sector experts through its connections with members of the JIG and CEG. This was an excellent use of resources as they were senior level persons whose expertise was extremely valuable

Theme: Rule of law

Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone budget, staff

Project: Reinforcement of the role and image of women in West African media
Evaluation Date: October 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The grantee did not fulfil its commitment to recruit a full-time project coordinator, using its own funds.Whenever an applicant indicates preparedness to provide in-kind contributions as part of a project, UNDEF should require that this be expressed in a binding contract, and ensure that the contribution is actually delivered.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger funding, staff

Project: Strengthening Governance and Democratization Processes in Kenya and the East and Central Africa Region
Evaluation Date: May 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

There was a lack of adequate staffing for project activities as staff was also tasked with other work. This delayed some activities and a more coherent implementation of outputs following the Kenyan electoral cycle timeline. Lack of staff capacity could have been mitigated by the grantee at the design phase through increasing the number of project staff, adopting a cascade training approach, and/or providing small subgrants to partners in Kenya which could also help to strengthen organizations at the grassroots level.

Theme: Community activism

Kenya resources, staff, subcontract

Project: Strengthening Governance and Democratization Processes in Kenya and the East and Central Africa Region
Evaluation Date: May 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

There was a lack of adequate staffing for project activities as staff was also tasked with other work. This delayed some activities and a more coherent implementation of outputs following the Kenyan electoral cycle timeline. Lack of staff capacity could have been mitigated by the grantee at the design phase through increasing the number of project staff, adopting a cascade training approach, and/or providing small subgrants to partners in Kenya which could also help to strengthen organizations at the grassroots level.

Theme: Community activism

Kenya design, grassroots, staff

Project: Active democracy and political participation of tribal communities in the Indian Himalayas
Evaluation Date: October 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

While this project in the Himalayan districts of India was well designed to be sustainable after funding had ended, the use of a volunteer workforce might put this at risk. This risk needs to be managed to ensure ongoing sustainability. Since even enthusiastic volunteers will not work for ever without compensation, consider providing modest honoraria to those who have volunteered and also to prepare new volunteers to replace those that drop out.

Theme: Tools for knowledge

India staff, sustainability, volunteer

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