Project: Jeunesse et participation électorale au Burkina Faso
Evaluation Date: May 2022
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

When supporting electoral processes there is clear value in working “upstream” to cover, and connect, key aspects of the full electoral cycle (e.g. registration, awareness raising, monitoring, conflict prevention and resolution) before the election event itself. Where possible, this can also include linkages with initiatives promoting access to information and freedom of speech – i.e. ensuring that electoral choices are as well informed as possible and contribute to community dialogue and improving social cohesion. A new civil society platform for the Sahel, the Coalition citoyenne pour le Sahel, appears to be a promising forum just such interaction.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Build communication channels across all regions, not just capital cities

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

Most of the 12 microprojects selected involved business opportunities in agroindustry and farming. There was no specific mechanism to review the results of NGO microprojects . This was a missed opportunity. Reviewing the results in a workshop could have built broader support for the changes advocated at the local and government level. This was not an effective way to help local actors make their voices heard by authorities and private enterprises or to facilitate trust-building and dialogue on how corporate social responsibility should be managed and how to involve NGOs as CSR partners.

Theme: Community activism
Project: Citizen Participation to Improve Local Governance
Evaluation Date: January 2014
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The vast majority of the grassroots organizations involved valued how the project promoted public participation as a counterweight to public authorities. Most of the targeted municipalities in Benin have organized public hearings on budget resources. In addition, the participation mechanism has enabled elected officials to use consultative methods to determine local priorities with the participation of the grassroots population.

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

One of the grantee’s implementation partners perpetrated significant fraud and had to be excluded from the project. Thanks to the solvency of the grantee, its organisation was able to find appropriate solutions to respond to these situations: using its own funds, it paid out an amount equivalent to the fraud in order to guarantee the implementation of the activities that had been initially planned. Financial and technical follow-up procedures were developed to ensure transparency in the management and to guarantee a good level of efficiency. Moreover, the grantee provided support and reinforcement of the capabilities of its implementation partners in financial and technical areas as well as in managing human resources.

Theme: Women's empowerment