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Lessons

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Improving the Participation of 155 Women's Groups

The field workers played an essential role, as they ensured close monitoring of the beneficiary groups, which clearly contributed to the efficiency of the initiatives. These staff were well integrated into the local population, spoke the local language and served as intermediaries between the rural population, the authorities and the media.
Project Partner
L’Organisation Nationale pour la Femme, l’Enfant et la Famille
Project Description
The project’s objective was to increase the number of rural women in Côte d’Ivoire participating in the democratic process, specifically in decision-making. In order to do this, the project set out to raise awareness among rural women of their political and civil rights; and increase the number of informed rural women able to participate in electoral processes either as candidates or as voters. The activities were designed to take into account the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, taking into account that women make up the largest proportion of the voting population. The decision to intervene in the western part of the country, which was particularly affected by the war and where women became victims of sexual and gender based violence allowed a more targeted response to the specific needs of the beneficiary populations.
Evaluation Date
October 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Improving the Participation of 155 Women's Groups

The most significant result of the project was the election of a woman to the position of mayor of her village. Another woman was named as second head of her village, which had been completely inconceivable before. It will be important to consolidate and further expand these results, as it can be expected that more women will want to exercise their civil rights and wish to become potential candidates during future elections. However, women are often handicapped by illiteracy and they also need a certain level of financial autonomy in order to stand as candidates in the up-coming elections.
Project Partner
L’Organisation Nationale pour la Femme, l’Enfant et la Famille
Project Description
The project’s objective was to increase the number of rural women in Côte d’Ivoire participating in the democratic process, specifically in decision-making. In order to do this, the project set out to raise awareness among rural women of their political and civil rights; and increase the number of informed rural women able to participate in electoral processes either as candidates or as voters. The activities were designed to take into account the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, taking into account that women make up the largest proportion of the voting population. The decision to intervene in the western part of the country, which was particularly affected by the war and where women became victims of sexual and gender based violence allowed a more targeted response to the specific needs of the beneficiary populations.
Evaluation Date
October 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Improving the Participation of 155 Women's Groups

The project convinced women that free participation in elections was their right and had advantages. Before, women were obligated to vote for the same candidate as their husbands, whereas now they exercise their right to choose the candidate they want and their husbands are aware of their individual rights.

Project Partner
L’Organisation Nationale pour la Femme, l’Enfant et la Famille
Project Description
The project’s objective was to increase the number of rural women in Côte d’Ivoire participating in the democratic process, specifically in decision-making. In order to do this, the project set out to raise awareness among rural women of their political and civil rights; and increase the number of informed rural women able to participate in electoral processes either as candidates or as voters. The activities were designed to take into account the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, taking into account that women make up the largest proportion of the voting population. The decision to intervene in the western part of the country, which was particularly affected by the war and where women became victims of sexual and gender based violence allowed a more targeted response to the specific needs of the beneficiary populations.
Evaluation Date
October 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Improving the Participation of 155 Women's Groups

The grantee included traditional leaders as well as the officials from the commune and the prefecture. These authority figures became involved in supporting the participation of women and in constructing a framework to ensure visibility of women’s issues and awareness that women’s rights should be supported.
Project Partner
L’Organisation Nationale pour la Femme, l’Enfant et la Famille
Project Description
The project’s objective was to increase the number of rural women in Côte d’Ivoire participating in the democratic process, specifically in decision-making. In order to do this, the project set out to raise awareness among rural women of their political and civil rights; and increase the number of informed rural women able to participate in electoral processes either as candidates or as voters. The activities were designed to take into account the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, taking into account that women make up the largest proportion of the voting population. The decision to intervene in the western part of the country, which was particularly affected by the war and where women became victims of sexual and gender based violence allowed a more targeted response to the specific needs of the beneficiary populations.
Evaluation Date
October 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Improving the Participation of 155 Women's Groups

The strategic approach of the project could have been stronger if the awareness-raising initiatives organized had also included men so as to complement those carried out with women. The project could have also distinguished between different age groups, focusing on young people, who are probably more open to adopting new ideas.
Project Partner
L’Organisation Nationale pour la Femme, l’Enfant et la Famille
Project Description
The project’s objective was to increase the number of rural women in Côte d’Ivoire participating in the democratic process, specifically in decision-making. In order to do this, the project set out to raise awareness among rural women of their political and civil rights; and increase the number of informed rural women able to participate in electoral processes either as candidates or as voters. The activities were designed to take into account the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, taking into account that women make up the largest proportion of the voting population. The decision to intervene in the western part of the country, which was particularly affected by the war and where women became victims of sexual and gender based violence allowed a more targeted response to the specific needs of the beneficiary populations.
Evaluation Date
October 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)

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.
Project Partner
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Project Description
The project’s general objective was to increase access to justice for marginalized groups among the rural population of the southern district of Kamonyi, including people living with HIV/AIDS and the Twa ethnic minority. The project document highlighted that access to justice in Rwanda was a privilege reserved for the elite: an urban prerogative that discriminates against uneducated, low-income populations living largely in rural areas. The project was built around three main areas of activity: providing direct access to free legal assistance, through the opening and daily operation of a Legal Aid Clinic in the rural district of Kamonyi; setting up a citizens’ system and strengthening local capacity to address judicial issues through the education and training of paralegals; and creating a responsible and solidarity-based dynamic where law students provided direct legal as part of their school curriculum. The project was highly relevant, as it was tailored to local legal mechanisms put in place by the national framework to reform and decentralize the justice system. Overall the project improved legal structures and services in the Kamnoyi district and contributed to greater justice at the local level.
Evaluation Date
September 2013
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)

The project improved the training provided to the university law students by introducing a practical dimension that brought them closer to local issues and realities. It also significantly raised awareness among law students in the capital about the legal situation and recurrent problems in rural areas and how the law was enforced there.
Project Partner
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Project Description
The project’s general objective was to increase access to justice for marginalized groups among the rural population of the southern district of Kamonyi, including people living with HIV/AIDS and the Twa ethnic minority. The project document highlighted that access to justice in Rwanda was a privilege reserved for the elite: an urban prerogative that discriminates against uneducated, low-income populations living largely in rural areas. The project was built around three main areas of activity: providing direct access to free legal assistance, through the opening and daily operation of a Legal Aid Clinic in the rural district of Kamonyi; setting up a citizens’ system and strengthening local capacity to address judicial issues through the education and training of paralegals; and creating a responsible and solidarity-based dynamic where law students provided direct legal as part of their school curriculum. The project was highly relevant, as it was tailored to local legal mechanisms put in place by the national framework to reform and decentralize the justice system. Overall the project improved legal structures and services in the Kamnoyi district and contributed to greater justice at the local level.
Evaluation Date
September 2013
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)

The project’s emphasis on training women paralegals was another key factor in sustainability, as the higher social status acquired through training encourages women to become more invested in their communities, thanks to the mechanisms for recognition and confidence building.
Project Partner
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Project Description
The project’s general objective was to increase access to justice for marginalized groups among the rural population of the southern district of Kamonyi, including people living with HIV/AIDS and the Twa ethnic minority. The project document highlighted that access to justice in Rwanda was a privilege reserved for the elite: an urban prerogative that discriminates against uneducated, low-income populations living largely in rural areas. The project was built around three main areas of activity: providing direct access to free legal assistance, through the opening and daily operation of a Legal Aid Clinic in the rural district of Kamonyi; setting up a citizens’ system and strengthening local capacity to address judicial issues through the education and training of paralegals; and creating a responsible and solidarity-based dynamic where law students provided direct legal as part of their school curriculum. The project was highly relevant, as it was tailored to local legal mechanisms put in place by the national framework to reform and decentralize the justice system. Overall the project improved legal structures and services in the Kamnoyi district and contributed to greater justice at the local level.
Evaluation Date
September 2013
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)

One factor limiting the relevance of the project was that the university law students involved in the Legal Aid Clinic were not individually graded. Their activities in the project ultimately had no impact on them obtaining credits toward their education or their law degree, thus reducing the relevance of the project to the students themselves.
Project Partner
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Project Description
The project’s general objective was to increase access to justice for marginalized groups among the rural population of the southern district of Kamonyi, including people living with HIV/AIDS and the Twa ethnic minority. The project document highlighted that access to justice in Rwanda was a privilege reserved for the elite: an urban prerogative that discriminates against uneducated, low-income populations living largely in rural areas. The project was built around three main areas of activity: providing direct access to free legal assistance, through the opening and daily operation of a Legal Aid Clinic in the rural district of Kamonyi; setting up a citizens’ system and strengthening local capacity to address judicial issues through the education and training of paralegals; and creating a responsible and solidarity-based dynamic where law students provided direct legal as part of their school curriculum. The project was highly relevant, as it was tailored to local legal mechanisms put in place by the national framework to reform and decentralize the justice system. Overall the project improved legal structures and services in the Kamnoyi district and contributed to greater justice at the local level.
Evaluation Date
September 2013
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)

The project could have further developed the printed support material and continued distributing it to paralegals so that it could be replicated and assimilated into other ongoing activities. The material should have been more didactic while maintaining a flexible format. The material should have been written in the local language with a more manageable length using clear examples and visual illustrations.
Project Partner
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Project Description
The project’s general objective was to increase access to justice for marginalized groups among the rural population of the southern district of Kamonyi, including people living with HIV/AIDS and the Twa ethnic minority. The project document highlighted that access to justice in Rwanda was a privilege reserved for the elite: an urban prerogative that discriminates against uneducated, low-income populations living largely in rural areas. The project was built around three main areas of activity: providing direct access to free legal assistance, through the opening and daily operation of a Legal Aid Clinic in the rural district of Kamonyi; setting up a citizens’ system and strengthening local capacity to address judicial issues through the education and training of paralegals; and creating a responsible and solidarity-based dynamic where law students provided direct legal as part of their school curriculum. The project was highly relevant, as it was tailored to local legal mechanisms put in place by the national framework to reform and decentralize the justice system. Overall the project improved legal structures and services in the Kamnoyi district and contributed to greater justice at the local level.
Evaluation Date
September 2013
Theme
Country