LESSON
Lesson Learned: Supporting civic participation of grassroots communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The training sessions for grass-roots trainers were largely one-offs. The failure to build on these sessions made it difficult to assess the extent to which participants had understood and were able to use the knowledge imparted to them. The same applies to the guided tours to the offices of local administrations, and therefore it is unclear if participants acquired a sufficient understanding of administrative processes to conduct lobbying or other activities.
Project Name
Project Partner
Organisation Paix, Unité, Réconciliation, Reconstruction
Project Description
The objective of the project was to enhance citizens’ access and involvement in local governance in 50 communities in Kinshasa and Maniema Provinces. According to the grantee’s analysis elections were a time of apparent democracy, because neither the administration nor elected officials were actually accountable to citizens for their actions. Therefore, the project aimed to raise awareness among grassroots communities about the importance of participating in local governance; to involve grassroots communities in identifying information, training and support needs for participatory governance; and to document and learn from local experience in relation to participatory governance.
The project’s relevance, however, was limited as its scale of action was too small to enhance democratic culture at the level of entire communities, as suggested by the grantee; and it failed to highlight the need for women’s participation in governance.
Report
Evaluation Date
June 2013
Theme
Country