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LESSON

Lesson Learned: Enhancing Women's Land Ownership Rights in Eastern Sierra Leone


Providing platforms through which women can educate other women is key for project relevance and impact. Women in Sierra Leone were not scared of speaking out to challenge prevailing cultural norms in Eastern Sierra Leone, they were merely unaware of their rights to land access in the first place. Providing women who have successfully secured land a platform from which to share their experience can build awareness and also inspire others as to what is possible for them to accomplish.


Project Partner
Humanist Watch Salone
Project Description
This community-driven project is aimed at supporting an informed public debate and advocacy on women land ownership rights in the Districts of Kailahun, Kenema and Kono in Eastern Sierra Leone. The project will focus on research, public awareness-raising, building knowledge of communities on human rights and the Devolution of Estates legal framework, thus creating a forum for communities to critically analyze the need to enhance gender fairness and social justice, in the existing land tenure system.
Evaluation Date
July 2018
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Promoting Good Governance among Tribal Inhabitants in Bangladesh (PROGGATI)

These communities are marginalized and lacked the understanding needed to participate more effectively. The project’s approach was to create alternative leaders to advocate on behalf of their community rather than working directly to engage these indigenous communities. The project also could have focused more on issues of critical concern to the communities, such as land tenure which is essential to their livelihood and traditional way of life.
Project Partner
Green Hill
Project Description
The project aimed to increase the political participation of indigenous (tribal) communities and community based organizations (CBOs) in the Rangamati Hill District of Bangladesh leading to an increase in their demand for more responsive public services and policies. The project set out to do this by increasing the dialogue between formal and traditional forms of local governance. Specifically, the project’s objectives were: enhance the capacities of local government leaders, CBOs and tribal community leaders; enable better coordination between stakeholders; and, promote democratic processes to ensure pro-poor service delivery and resource allocation. Its intended outcomes were: empowered CBOs and alternative community leaders; improved participation by traditional community leaders in the formal governance system; increased women’s participation; more pro-poor gender-sensitive local services; greater trust between the different stakeholders - indigenous inhabitants, Bengalis, CBOs and local government - and regular media reporting on governance issues in the Rangamati Hill District. The project did seem to help resolve small but important issues for the communities, and helped to increase the visibility of the open budget system by promoting its use by its committees. It also seems to have increased the general level of awareness of project participants on governance issues.
Evaluation Date
December 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Promoting Good Governance among Tribal Inhabitants in Bangladesh (PROGGATI)

The project’s focus on safety net issues was important, however, more focus on the critical issues of land and indigenous rights as provided for in the Peace Accord, could have made this project more relevant for the communities. There are still issues of peace and integration that remain unresolved which are directly affecting the governance in the region and its ability to respond to the tribal poor.
Project Partner
Green Hill
Project Description
The project aimed to increase the political participation of indigenous (tribal) communities and community based organizations (CBOs) in the Rangamati Hill District of Bangladesh leading to an increase in their demand for more responsive public services and policies. The project set out to do this by increasing the dialogue between formal and traditional forms of local governance. Specifically, the project’s objectives were: enhance the capacities of local government leaders, CBOs and tribal community leaders; enable better coordination between stakeholders; and, promote democratic processes to ensure pro-poor service delivery and resource allocation. Its intended outcomes were: empowered CBOs and alternative community leaders; improved participation by traditional community leaders in the formal governance system; increased women’s participation; more pro-poor gender-sensitive local services; greater trust between the different stakeholders - indigenous inhabitants, Bengalis, CBOs and local government - and regular media reporting on governance issues in the Rangamati Hill District. The project did seem to help resolve small but important issues for the communities, and helped to increase the visibility of the open budget system by promoting its use by its committees. It also seems to have increased the general level of awareness of project participants on governance issues.
Evaluation Date
December 2013
Country