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Lao People's Democratic Republic

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Youth as Agents of Democratic Change through Knowledge and Information Acquisition and Exchange in Laos

As a result of the project local and provincial authorities have started to consider natural resource management suggestions. Using educational activities with youth as a way of encouraging them to propose solutions to mitigate negative environmental effects, was a way of encouraging discussion of more complex political realities.
Project Partner
Participatory Development Training Center
Project Description
The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Youth as Agents of Democratic Change through Knowledge and Information Acquisition and Exchange in Laos

Bio-diversity and indigenous knowledge topics (local customs and traditions) have made their way into the education curriculum of primary schools in more provinces and are taught by more teachers than expected in Laos.
Project Partner
Participatory Development Training Center
Project Description
The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Youth as Agents of Democratic Change through Knowledge and Information Acquisition and Exchange in Laos

There are concerns whether and how teaching and promotion of environmental and indigenous knowledge among the Lao youth will or can be continued given the mobility of teaching staff. It is also not clear how it could be expanded to locations previously not covered by the project given inconsistent teaching staff knowledge.
It will be crucial to secure the Ministry of Education’s (implementation partner) agreement that its existing structural, human and financial resources will be accessible to support a future expansion of the project.
Project Partner
Participatory Development Training Center
Project Description
The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Youth as Agents of Democratic Change through Knowledge and Information Acquisition and Exchange in Laos

There is an over-reliance among project beneficiaries on external funding due to a lack of foresight by donor and implementing partner which results in an expectation that the costs for material needs of both the youth and teachers involved in environmental and other locally relevant action research will be paid for by others.
Therefore the grantee needs to involve the Ministry in developing a strategy providing an appropriate response to the participating schools’ basic material needs. Indicatively, such strategy could foresee shared financing by the Ministry (e.g. for pencils, pens, paper) and by the participating schools. The latter could consider selling the products generated during indigenous knowledge education sessions, thus creating revolving funds covering future needs.
Project Partner
Participatory Development Training Center
Project Description
The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Youth as Agents of Democratic Change through Knowledge and Information Acquisition and Exchange in Laos

The grantee (a) imposed on itself very ambitious target indicators, and (b) confused monitoring data, all of which made analysis and reporting of project outcomes less pertinent.
Project Partner
Participatory Development Training Center
Project Description
The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Lao Encouraging and Applying Democracy for Civil Society (LEAD)

The skills gained through the training positively affected the participants’ day-to-day work, including their business development efforts and their attempts to enhance their communication with potential donors. Some CSOs in Laos reported they obtained an international funding as a direct impact of the grantee’s training programme.
Project Partner
Kenan Institute Asia
Project Description
The grantee hoped to empower Civil Society Organizations and community leaders in Lao PDR and, to give them the skills and knowledge to contribute meaningfully to the country’s development. The project involved training various levels of staff in Lao non-profit associations to ensure that they would be able to share the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to transform their organizations into professionally run civil society organizations. The long term goal of these interventions was to build the capacity of the non-profit associations so that were managed in a more business-oriented manner. The participants in the project were satisfied by the organization of project events. Many of them had never been involved in training that combined lectures with practical, hands-on activities.
Evaluation Date
September 2012
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Lao Encouraging and Applying Democracy for Civil Society (LEAD)

The skills gained through the training positively affected the participants’ day-to-day work, including their business development efforts and their attempts to enhance their communication with potential donors. Some CSOs in Laos reported they obtained an international funding as a direct impact of the grantee’s training programme.
Project Partner
Kenan Institute Asia
Project Description
The grantee hoped to empower Civil Society Organizations and community leaders in Lao PDR and, to give them the skills and knowledge to contribute meaningfully to the country’s development. The project involved training various levels of staff in Lao non-profit associations to ensure that they would be able to share the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to transform their organizations into professionally run civil society organizations. The long term goal of these interventions was to build the capacity of the non-profit associations so that were managed in a more business-oriented manner. The participants in the project were satisfied by the organization of project events. Many of them had never been involved in training that combined lectures with practical, hands-on activities.
Evaluation Date
September 2012
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Lao Encouraging and Applying Democracy for Civil Society (LEAD)

Low quality outputs and results were attributable to the absence of a locally based project manager in Laos. The lack of a local project management capacity put the project’s sustainability at risk.
Project Partner
Kenan Institute Asia
Project Description
The grantee hoped to empower Civil Society Organizations and community leaders in Lao PDR and, to give them the skills and knowledge to contribute meaningfully to the country’s development. The project involved training various levels of staff in Lao non-profit associations to ensure that they would be able to share the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to transform their organizations into professionally run civil society organizations. The long term goal of these interventions was to build the capacity of the non-profit associations so that were managed in a more business-oriented manner. The participants in the project were satisfied by the organization of project events. Many of them had never been involved in training that combined lectures with practical, hands-on activities.
Evaluation Date
September 2012
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Lao Encouraging and Applying Democracy for Civil Society (LEAD)

Direct and indirect beneficiaries expressed their need to have continued access to reference materials and that not all of these have been made available in Lao language. Reference materials used in trainings and workshops should have been consistently available in local language and the grantee could have uploaded all the training materials onto the project website so that they could be used more widely.
Project Partner
Kenan Institute Asia
Project Description
The grantee hoped to empower Civil Society Organizations and community leaders in Lao PDR and, to give them the skills and knowledge to contribute meaningfully to the country’s development. The project involved training various levels of staff in Lao non-profit associations to ensure that they would be able to share the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to transform their organizations into professionally run civil society organizations. The long term goal of these interventions was to build the capacity of the non-profit associations so that were managed in a more business-oriented manner. The participants in the project were satisfied by the organization of project events. Many of them had never been involved in training that combined lectures with practical, hands-on activities.
Evaluation Date
September 2012
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Lao Encouraging and Applying Democracy for Civil Society (LEAD)

A closer look at the way micro-grants were managed revealed an absence of proper guidance for end-beneficiaries in Laos on how to appropriately spend granted funding and to transparently report expenditure applying related rules/procedures.
Project Partner
Kenan Institute Asia
Project Description
The grantee hoped to empower Civil Society Organizations and community leaders in Lao PDR and, to give them the skills and knowledge to contribute meaningfully to the country’s development. The project involved training various levels of staff in Lao non-profit associations to ensure that they would be able to share the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to transform their organizations into professionally run civil society organizations. The long term goal of these interventions was to build the capacity of the non-profit associations so that were managed in a more business-oriented manner. The participants in the project were satisfied by the organization of project events. Many of them had never been involved in training that combined lectures with practical, hands-on activities.
Evaluation Date
September 2012