institutionalization

To avoid the vacuum associated with the end of projects, mentoring and monitoring of project partners should be part of the project's withdrawal plan, drawn up by the implementors in partnership with the Local Government Units and the civil society groups working with Persons with Disabilities. In the present case, this provision would have prevented the loss of learning from the project's training and workshops and, at the same time, provided the Organizations of Persons with Disabilities a sense of continuity on the variety of projects they were working on. All Organizations of Persons with Disabilities in the project already have some form of organizational structure, but they must be regularly mentored to continuously improve their representation at the local development council.

The capacity development of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities to manage a viable livelihood enterprise requires a longer period than the usual project life span. Project efficiency could have been improved by prioritizing capacity building early on in the project, so that additional technical support and organizational mentoring could have been provided within the project timeframe, with adequate budget allocation. Compared to the present project's approach, future project designs should highlight the importance of early provisions for adequate organizational capability building, with sufficient time and budget allocation.

Long-term sustainability and efficiency of a project is dependent on a building a strong network of partnerships with relevant actors such as civil society organisations, schools, and community media. Building and leaning on strong partnerships can allow projects to build on existing initiatives rather than act in isolation, duplicate efforts, and ensure longer-term funding and support from relevant actors. For example, in this project a Training-of-Trainers approach through partnering with academic institutions to implement a diploma in an academic setting could have ensured the programme’s continuation to train new cohorts of teachers and expanded its national reach. Additionally, supporting projects to develop independent income streams through partnerships with government agencies, philanthropies, or private actors could work to reduce dependence on stipends in the long-term.