Report of the Evalutation of the Kendeyanaaxo Project of the Norwegian Protestant Mission

Background
The project Kendyanaaxo (Health Garden) was originally planned for the commune of Kontela, but because of problems with the local authorities, all MPN’s (Mission Protestante Norvegiénne, Normisjon in Mali) activities there were left and the staff moved to Oussoubidiagna.  The mission changed the project document   to fit for Tomora commune.  The project goals are to help the society to solve their health and nutrition problems in the villages and hamlets in the Touba zone, especially to improve the situation for the women and children.

Purpose/objectives
The main raisons for the evaluation are:

• To get a better understanding of  the social environment before and during the project period
• To appraise the administration of the project
• To appraise the methods of  intervention
• To realize the impact caused by the project activities
• To give the necessary information to the project and all the involved persons and groups to decide the future of the project.
• To use the results of the evaluation to improve the project

 Methodology

• The evaluating team must have a tight collaboration with the project staff
• Study of the project document, plans, reports etc.
• Participant surveys interviews
• Meetings and gatherings
• Interviews
• Informal conversations with young and old men and women in the target groups as well as  with the projects  partners and  collaborating actors

 Key findings
Overall, the expected results in the annual plans according to the objectives are reached and certain are surpassed. A relationship of trust is established between the population of the commune of Tomora and MPN/Normisjon.The population commonly expressed their great satisfactions regarding the achieved results.

The project has contributed to the organizational reinforcement and the re-empowerment of the Community Health Association (ASACO) and implemented and trained villages’ Retrained Traditional Birth Attendants (ATR). With the health centre in Touba, the access to health care increased from nearly a non-existing level up to a very functional one.

The villages expressed that they now possess persons able to read, write and calculate; which was not the case before the arrival of Kendeyanaaxo.

The effect of the more widespread practicing of gardening is a common and general access to vegetables during the dry season. So, the effect of gardening is an improvement of the diet as well as a source of income for some women.

Other post-literacy interventions like training of tree nursery gardeners , women in poultry farming and men in apiculture have improved the food and nutritional situation and constituted sources of incomes. Tree planting also contributes in the protection of the environment.

The achievements mentioned are in line with the goals stated by the project. The strategies, approaches and activities of the project, based on the empowerment of communities, learning by doing, the participative approach and the taking into account of gender have strongly favoured the observed success of Kendeyanaaxo. These achievements of Kendeyanaaxo are causing the visible dynamism, which can be seen in the partnership between the project and the commune of Tomora, both their technical departments and the village communities.

In spite of the strengths mentioned above, there are some obvious weaknesses:
- Certain competences like management/leadership are not taught sufficiently to the CLDs and to the men’s and women’s groups.
- Weak representation of women within the village Local Development Committee (CLD)
-  The project board seems to not be functioning very well, in view of the low frequency of their meetings.

Recommendations

1. The evaluation team recommends that the efforts undertaken by Kendeyanaaxo be continued for another 5-year phase
2. The team encourages Kendeyanaaxo to continue with its intervention strategy/approach that constitutes the key factor of its success
3. The team encourages the Project to increase the number of women within the CLDs
4. The team recommends adding a section of access roads and bridge building in order to disenclave the area of Touba between the villages and the community health centre of Touba
5. The team recommends a restructuring of the Kendeyanaaxo team in compliance with the addition of the section of road- and bridge building and in compliance with the points to be improved
6. The team recommends the recruitment of an agent in charge of the capacity enforcement section, for enforcement of the capacities of the CLDs, the men’s and women’s groups, ASACO and the mill management committee, etc.
7. The team recommends starting a capacity building programme for the deputy coordinator in order to fill the shoes of the Project coordinator. In fact the team recommends that a capacity building plan be developed for the two first years of the next phase.
8. Concerning the CSCOM of Touba, the team recommends the Project to continue to support it for at least two more years
9. The evaluation team recommends the Project to take into consideration the wish of the populations of the villages very distant to the Health Centre for the creation of a rural maternity ward in this area.
10. The team recommends to the Project to plan a baseline study or the collection of data for the next phase which will permit to perform a high-quality evaluation based on objective information.
11. To develop a monitoring system that will permit the monitoring of the execution of the projects as well as the identification of the effects of the intervention on beneficiaries.

Comments from the organization
The evaluation has given a useful external view of strengths and weaknesses of the project. The recommendations were discussed with the project leaders and MPN/Normisjon applied to Norad for financial support to continue into a new project period from 2010.

Further discussions were held during a joint field visit together with BN in December 2009. Steps are taken to imply the recommended measures within the areas of health, nutrition, literacy and the overall management and structure of the project.