Municipalization of Children’s Rights (Final Report)

Background:
Plan Nicaragua in collaboration with Plan Norway implemented the Municipalization of Childrens' Rights project which started in 2005 under the first Framework Agreement (2005-2007) between Plan Norway / NORAD. The aim of the project is to increase the application of children's rights in 24 town councils targeting communities in Chinandega, Managua, Masaya, Carazo, Madriz and Chontales to ensure that they integrate the Rights of Children and Adolescents into their local planning systems. Planned key results expected at the end of the three years were:
• Local development plans to contain children and adolescent rights
• Municipal childhood and Adolescent Commissions (CMNA) and Local Risk Management Commissions to be able to promote and defend children's and adolescents' rights
• Children, Adolescents and women actively participating in the integration of their rights in local development plans and actively participate in the application of the same
• To build in local risk management as an important factor for integration of adolescent and children's rights for sustainable community development

Purpose/objective:
The main purpose of this evaluation was to determine the level of attainment of set goals and objectives for the project and to also determine the extent that the project delivered the expected results. To this effect the evaluation also assessed the effectiveness of the methodology applied.
• Specifically the evaluation was meant to assess the level and effectiveness of children and adolescent participation in the planning and implementation of actions that guarantee their rights including g local risk management
• To analyze the influence and attainment of children and adolescent rights in local organizations
• To analyze the level of articulation of children and adolescent rights in Plan projects including those implemented in partnership with other organizations
• To identify lessons learned for future application

Methodology:
The evaluation employed semi structured interviews with target children and adolescents to assess their level of awareness / knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions. The same assessment was also done on other stakeholders e.g. Plan staff involved in the project, local leaders and partner staff. .
Key findings:
The evaluation observes and concludes that:
1. The evaluation concludes that the Municipality Childhood and Adolescent Commission (CMNA) have been strengthened and a national movement of local childhood and adolescent committee has been formed.
2. The Alliance of Children's Rights i.e. which includes organizations like UNICEF, Plan, Save the Children etc promoted various child rights activities.
3. Plan has developed and attempted to contribute to creation of spaces and abilities for children's participation
4. Children and Adolescents have different levels of development and therefore they also exhibit different levels of participation among them e.g. the following were the different participation modalities that were some of these identified as existing in this project: infant's circles, local children's networks, juvenile associations and school brigades which do local risk management etc
5. Some of the Childhood and Adolescent Networks have managed to get representation in the CMNA (Municipal Childhood and Adolescent Commission), providing leadership and promoting and presenting demands for fulfillment of children and adolescent rights. Local Networks were able to develop plans together to respond to e.g. ninos and other processes in the local municipalities and communities including providing training in children's rights. These processes have also created space for participation by adolescents and children.
6. Plan ensured that local governments which are also integrated in the Association of Mayors' in Aid of Children and Adolescents Networks do indeed conduct assemblies at least once a year as expected. The Evaluation found that indeed the assemblies were being conducted e.g. San Rafael del Sur, Chinondega etc. However, the evaluation could not find any records that such assemblies led to accomplishment / fulfillment of demands of children and adolescent except the Young People's Clubs in San Rafael del Sur kept some records of their activities. For instance some of the unfulfilled demands by the children and adolescents included: streets, roads, schools, sports courts, bridges, libraries and security in parks (e.g. Managua district and Chinandega are affected by violence, drugs and sexual abuse). Some buildings and renovation of libraries and sporting courts were done in Somoto and Santo Tomas but the request for improvements at the school of the deaf remains outstanding for two years and no response has been provided.
7. The children and adolescent consultations showed that they don't know much about the (adult) community plans. In addition the children and adolescents felt that they were taken seriously as their input into these plans was not taken into consideration. The children and adolescents' contact with community leaders was assessed to have been occasional. The exception was in Santo Tomas where the children and adolescent experiences were different and were much more linked to the community organizations.
8. The NNA (Ninos, Ninas Y Adolescentes) / Children and Adolescents committee expressed their satisfaction in that they are able to represent children and adolescents and to also be able to educate them on their rights. Most of the children and adolescents interviewed displayed knowledge of their rights and they have been able to share this knowledge with others.
9. Not all CDMs (Committees of Municipal Development) work properly. IN some municipalities especially those CDMs that were created before the passing of the citizen participation law, those CDMs were not recognized by the Mayors.
10. Institutional strengthening to incorporating rights of child and adolescents has taken various forms in the different municipalities. In some there has been creation of work area for children and adolescents while others give special attention to the demands the children and adolescents. In some cases adolescents and children are given office space and other municipalities have visible budgetary allocation of 1% or more for interventions responding to the issues and demands of children and adolescents.
11. Investment plans of municipalities reflected significant activities to enforce children's rights especially as it concerns execution of infrastructural development and repairs of schools, preschool, recreation and sports centers, libraries etc.
12. The evaluation observed that gender equality is not as yet considered as an important factor that is adequately integrated in the plans and programs, even though some plan and partner interventions included the gender topic e.g. in training. This was more evident in the children and adolescent training and training of women's groups.
13. Children's participation in local development plans is minimal. The children and adolescents co participate in activities like local brigades and school brigades.
14. The evaluation team further observes that municipality funds for dealing with disaster risks are inadequate.
15. CMNA have been rated as a recognized organization for coordination of issues pertaining to children and as an important actor in the promotion of adolescent and children's rights, including training on rights of the child and providing space for juvenile participation and reporting cases of violation of adolescent and children's rights.
16. The coordination and promotion of plan's of child and adolescent rights in San Lucas, Palacaguina and Somoto stood out of all municipalities because their community development plans are more integrated into actions.
17. In general CMNA is integrated in various government ministries and departments e.g. education, health, family and city councils though the degree of their integration varies from municipality to municipality. Other CMNAs are supported by Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), businesses and local radios.
18. The CMNAs have different levels of organization and coordination however one thing they have in common is their inability to diagnose the difficulties that inhibit / limit the accomplishment of children's rights.
19. Constant rotation of staff in CMNA limits the effectiveness and application of training received by the concerned staff that is moved away from the project area.
20. Local disaster prevention committees were trained in local risk assessment and children's rights.
21. Most community leaders had insufficient knowledge to articulate program and projects that Plan is involved in and the evaluation found that there is little coordination between Plan and other organizations.

Recommendations:
1. The municipal planning system should reflect the vision of development of the communities and of the municipality accomplishments of the childhood rights and incorporate and coordinate the community development plans.
2. Plan should facilitate efforts to revive committees with the involved mayors as it was initially planed in the project.
3. Encourage the Ministers to instruct their delegates participating in the Municipal Commissions and Municipal Development Committees, to strengthen the members will and willpower.
4. The Municipal Assemblies, as an expression of participation where children and adolescents present their demands, should be institutionalized as a permanent mechanism. A monitoring system should be defined to incorporate and finally accomplish their demands in the municipal development plans.
5. Plan should consider a strategy directed to strengthen the abilities of the leaders and empower the community organizations; stronger application of the rights of children and adolescents and the creation of community development plans.
6. Because of its potential Plan should define more profoundly its crucial role as a provider and attendant of childhood rights on the community, municipal and national level.
7. Plan could determine the topics of gender incidence focused on the work with children and adolescents.
8. Use planning processes as an opportunity to incorporate the gender focus starting with a participating consultation of the groups they work with.
9. Plan should strengthen the relationship with specific local and national networks to determining actions to accomplish the rights of children and adolescents on the national and municipal level.
10. Plan should insist on the elaboration and implementation of municipal public policies through the Network of Municipal Governments in Aid of the Childhood and Adolescence and its members that contribute to the accomplishment of the rights in the municipality.
11. Design and implement a system of trainings on childhood rights in the community development targeting to parents and community leaders and in the municipal field to decision makers and the institutional staff.
12. The GLR offers the opportunity to work on the environment and climate change topic but has to define how to connect it. Top priority is to work on a culture of prevention. Together with the Civil Defence and the Ministry of Education (MINED) an appropriate and attractive methodology should be elaborated to contribute to the construction of a culture of risk prevention and reduction.
13. Plan should develop a data base per municipality, placing the institutions, profiles, projects and financing possibilities, a map of players to have an overview of possibilities and resources. This will allow coordinating and focusing the efforts on the accomplishment of the objectives.

Comments from the organisation, if any:
Please note that the original evaluation report was done in Spanish and this evaluation and summary is a translation of the original evaluation report. Therefore annexes e.g. questionnaires etc which were part of the Spanish version are not included in this translation.
The project "Strengthening Child Rights Framework at Local and Municipal Level", included in second Plan Norway/NORAD framework agreement (2008-2010), which in many respects represents a continuation of this project.