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Community activism

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowering Local CSOs in Yemen through Participation in Local Governance

There were two different types of outcome at local level: dialogue between communities and local authorities; and facilitation of urgent development/humanitarian activities. These were sometimes confused. In addition, the project sought to achieve outcomes internal to the NGO movement, by helping build NGO project management capacity and reinforce accountability and transparency within civil society. While these outcomes were all relevant, their achievement in four different locations including Sana’a was challenging, particularly in view of the ambitious objectives the project was meant to fulfill.
Project Partner
Humanitarian Forum - Yemen
Project Description
The project aimed to address the problem of weak local civil society organizations [CSOs] and the general lack of collaboration between private and public development stakeholders in Yemen. Specifically, the project sought to improve the capacity of local CSOs and strengthen partnerships between local CSOs and the government at the local and national levels in order to effectively address emergencies and respond to humanitarian situations. The project was implemented in four governorates of Yemen (Sana’a, Aden, Hadramawt and Hudaydah ) and in three pilot pilot districts (Ghayl Ba Wazir in Hadramawt, Al Boreqah in Aden, and Al Mansuriyah in Hudaydah), while advocacy at national level was conducted with the authorities in Sana’a. The project was very relevant, in that it identified genuine needs at community level and in terms of civil society capacity building and took a two-pronged approach (that was appropriate to the situation in Yemen. The project could not have anticipated the near-failure of central government that Yemen has experienced since 2014. However the project strategy of working with local authorities and civil society stakeholders at community level was relevant to the reinforcement of local governance, irrespective of the national political situation. Some significant groundwork has been carried out in this respect, which may bear fruit if a functional government is re-established.
Evaluation Date
May 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowering Local CSOs in Yemen through Participation in Local Governance

The project might have benefited from a small grants scheme. Interviewees at the local level regretted that there had been no provisions for a small grants process in the project design. Such a process might have indeed helped enhance the relevance of the multi-stakeholder dialogues at local level, and communities’ buy-in in the project, as a result of the availability of funds to take immediate action.
Project Partner
Humanitarian Forum - Yemen
Project Description
The project aimed to address the problem of weak local civil society organizations [CSOs] and the general lack of collaboration between private and public development stakeholders in Yemen. Specifically, the project sought to improve the capacity of local CSOs and strengthen partnerships between local CSOs and the government at the local and national levels in order to effectively address emergencies and respond to humanitarian situations. The project was implemented in four governorates of Yemen (Sana’a, Aden, Hadramawt and Hudaydah ) and in three pilot pilot districts (Ghayl Ba Wazir in Hadramawt, Al Boreqah in Aden, and Al Mansuriyah in Hudaydah), while advocacy at national level was conducted with the authorities in Sana’a. The project was very relevant, in that it identified genuine needs at community level and in terms of civil society capacity building and took a two-pronged approach (that was appropriate to the situation in Yemen. The project could not have anticipated the near-failure of central government that Yemen has experienced since 2014. However the project strategy of working with local authorities and civil society stakeholders at community level was relevant to the reinforcement of local governance, irrespective of the national political situation. Some significant groundwork has been carried out in this respect, which may bear fruit if a functional government is re-established.
Evaluation Date
May 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowering Local CSOs in Yemen through Participation in Local Governance

In spite of the difficult circumstances in Yemen, the project did have some impact: several local NGOs have acquired a better understanding of rules and regulations concerning NGOs and of the governance principles set out in the Code of Conduct disseminated by the project. At local level, there is evidence that local councils and NGOs have accepted the principle of working together and intend to do so beyond the project period.
Project Partner
Humanitarian Forum - Yemen
Project Description
The project aimed to address the problem of weak local civil society organizations [CSOs] and the general lack of collaboration between private and public development stakeholders in Yemen. Specifically, the project sought to improve the capacity of local CSOs and strengthen partnerships between local CSOs and the government at the local and national levels in order to effectively address emergencies and respond to humanitarian situations. The project was implemented in four governorates of Yemen (Sana’a, Aden, Hadramawt and Hudaydah ) and in three pilot pilot districts (Ghayl Ba Wazir in Hadramawt, Al Boreqah in Aden, and Al Mansuriyah in Hudaydah), while advocacy at national level was conducted with the authorities in Sana’a. The project was very relevant, in that it identified genuine needs at community level and in terms of civil society capacity building and took a two-pronged approach (that was appropriate to the situation in Yemen. The project could not have anticipated the near-failure of central government that Yemen has experienced since 2014. However the project strategy of working with local authorities and civil society stakeholders at community level was relevant to the reinforcement of local governance, irrespective of the national political situation. Some significant groundwork has been carried out in this respect, which may bear fruit if a functional government is re-established.
Evaluation Date
May 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening the Political Participation of Communities of Former Slaves

The project was supported by a project manager based in Nouakchott (around 1,000 km away from the zone of intervention) and had a team of two facilitators in Aîoun, the capital of the region, located about 100 km from the villages targeted. Given the limited human resources available for the project, it did not sufficiently consider the geographical challenges of the region, in which villages are widely dispersed and difficult to access given the lack of roads. Remote project management and external consultants caused an imbalanced budget, which was to the detriment of beneficiaries.
Project Partner
Agence de Coopération et de Recherche pour le Développement
Project Description
The project’s objective was to reinforce the political participation of former slaves, by promoting the equality of rights between former slaves (Harratines) and former masters (Bydhanes) in order to maintain inter-community peace in the region of Hoch El Gharbi, desert areas located in the South-East of Mauritania. The project was implemented in 40 villages including 120 Adwabas (isolated areas populated by former slaves), and focused on Harratines’ literacy, civic education, community capacity building and inter-community dialogue between them and the Bydhanes. Various factors that remained unaddressed limited the project’s relevance: including attitudes towards slavery and lack of engagement from authorities on this issue. In addition the Harratines do not have the operational and institutional capacity to represent their own interests in the political arena.
Evaluation Date
January 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening the Political Participation of Communities of Former Slaves

The grantee combined the project activities in Mauritania with its other food security activities to improve the beneficiaries’ participation in the project. The emphasis on women, community leaders and youth was effective in reaching a wide audience.
Project Partner
Agence de Coopération et de Recherche pour le Développement
Project Description
The project’s objective was to reinforce the political participation of former slaves, by promoting the equality of rights between former slaves (Harratines) and former masters (Bydhanes) in order to maintain inter-community peace in the region of Hoch El Gharbi, desert areas located in the South-East of Mauritania. The project was implemented in 40 villages including 120 Adwabas (isolated areas populated by former slaves), and focused on Harratines’ literacy, civic education, community capacity building and inter-community dialogue between them and the Bydhanes. Various factors that remained unaddressed limited the project’s relevance: including attitudes towards slavery and lack of engagement from authorities on this issue. In addition the Harratines do not have the operational and institutional capacity to represent their own interests in the political arena.
Evaluation Date
January 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening the Political Participation of Communities of Former Slaves

The training sessions and literacy activities in Mauritania were rather academic and poorly linked to the practical concerns of the targeted communities. The lack of knowledge on how to put in practice existing legal provisions against slavery reduced the overall effectiveness of the project.
The project would have benefited from a better combination between theory and practice by delivering more practical training to clarify how to apply existing legal provisions against the practice of slavery.

Project Partner
Agence de Coopération et de Recherche pour le Développement
Project Description
The project’s objective was to reinforce the political participation of former slaves, by promoting the equality of rights between former slaves (Harratines) and former masters (Bydhanes) in order to maintain inter-community peace in the region of Hoch El Gharbi, desert areas located in the South-East of Mauritania. The project was implemented in 40 villages including 120 Adwabas (isolated areas populated by former slaves), and focused on Harratines’ literacy, civic education, community capacity building and inter-community dialogue between them and the Bydhanes. Various factors that remained unaddressed limited the project’s relevance: including attitudes towards slavery and lack of engagement from authorities on this issue. In addition the Harratines do not have the operational and institutional capacity to represent their own interests in the political arena.
Evaluation Date
January 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening the Political Participation of Communities of Former Slaves

The dialogue and exchange of knowledge amongst women’s CSOs from different communities were effective in bringing together both communities.
Project Partner
Agence de Coopération et de Recherche pour le Développement
Project Description
The project’s objective was to reinforce the political participation of former slaves, by promoting the equality of rights between former slaves (Harratines) and former masters (Bydhanes) in order to maintain inter-community peace in the region of Hoch El Gharbi, desert areas located in the South-East of Mauritania. The project was implemented in 40 villages including 120 Adwabas (isolated areas populated by former slaves), and focused on Harratines’ literacy, civic education, community capacity building and inter-community dialogue between them and the Bydhanes. Various factors that remained unaddressed limited the project’s relevance: including attitudes towards slavery and lack of engagement from authorities on this issue. In addition the Harratines do not have the operational and institutional capacity to represent their own interests in the political arena.
Evaluation Date
January 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening the Political Participation of Communities of Former Slaves

Given the limited human resources available for the project, it did not sufficiently consider the geographical challenges of the region, in which villages are widely dispersed and difficult to access given the lack of roads. Remote project management and external consultants caused an imbalanced budget, which was to the detriment of beneficiaries.
Project Partner
Agence de Coopération et de Recherche pour le Développement
Project Description
The project’s objective was to reinforce the political participation of former slaves, by promoting the equality of rights between former slaves (Harratines) and former masters (Bydhanes) in order to maintain inter-community peace in the region of Hoch El Gharbi, desert areas located in the South-East of Mauritania. The project was implemented in 40 villages including 120 Adwabas (isolated areas populated by former slaves), and focused on Harratines’ literacy, civic education, community capacity building and inter-community dialogue between them and the Bydhanes. Various factors that remained unaddressed limited the project’s relevance: including attitudes towards slavery and lack of engagement from authorities on this issue. In addition the Harratines do not have the operational and institutional capacity to represent their own interests in the political arena.
Evaluation Date
January 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Campagne d’Education au respect des Principes Démocratiques et Promotion du dialogue Démocratique au Burundi

This project was focused on the preparations for the general election planned for 2015 in Burundi. This project was implemented in the 13 municipalities of the capital of the country, Bujumbura and it targeted its municipal elected councilors, political parties’ leaders and Parliamentarians.
Project Partner
Coalition de la Société civile pour le Monitoring Electoral
Project Description
This project was focused on the preparations for the general election planned for 2015 in Burundi. The project’s objective was to empower local councilors in the Municipality of Bujumbura, leaders of political parties and parliamentarians and educate them regarding the importance of democratic culture within the political bodies and to create dialogue between political leaders so as to build a climate of trust and cooperation in the 2015 general elections.
Evaluation Date
November 2014
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Campagne d’Education au respect des Principes Démocratiques et Promotion du dialogue Démocratique au Burundi

The project strategy assessed the needs of municipal elected councillors’ through a survey. Based on this the project undertook trainings, meetings, and debates amongst political leaders and Parliamentarians. The project also translated the Electoral Code into Kirundi from French to make it more accessible to citizens. This activity was not foreseen in the project document. The project aimed to propose improvements to the electoral code however, the electoral code was already modified by the authorities and agreed political parties when the project started.
Project Partner
Coalition de la Société civile pour le Monitoring Electoral
Project Description
This project was focused on the preparations for the general election planned for 2015 in Burundi. The project’s objective was to empower local councilors in the Municipality of Bujumbura, leaders of political parties and parliamentarians and educate them regarding the importance of democratic culture within the political bodies and to create dialogue between political leaders so as to build a climate of trust and cooperation in the 2015 general elections.
Evaluation Date
November 2014
Country