Southern Church Unit - Capacity Building Project (SCU-CBP), Ethiopia

Background:
The impact evaluation is commissioned by the Norwegian Lutheran Mission (NLM)-Norway. It is part of NLM’s policy to perform external evaluations of projects around two years after the projects have phased out. The terms of reference has been designed in cooperation with NLM’s country representative in Ethiopia and the project coordinator. The evaluation is carried out by Kåre Kristensen from the Centre for Intercultural Communication in Stavanger, Norway. The projects period is 2005 -2007. The amount spent on the project is 1.350.000 NOK. The Capacity Building Project was implemented in 2005 and continued up to December 2007. The project was funded by NLM and Norwegian Missions in Development (BN) / NORAD.

Purpose/objective:
The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the long term impacts and the sustainability of the project. The findings and the process will provide useful information and experience that will be useful in the planning, implementation and monitoring of other projects in Ethiopia, as well as similar projects in other countries. As a new capacity building project was initiated in 2008, the evaluation will also provide us with useful knowledge in the continuation of this project. The evaluation will also provide us with information on whether the methods employed have been appropriate and successful.

Methodology:
The methods used in this evaluation have been a review of existing information and secondary data as project proposal, annual plans and reports and final reports. These documents were provided prior to the evaluation to let the consultant become a little familiar with the project before arriving in Ethiopia.
Both in-department interviews and focus group discussions have been important tool to learn about the project, the projects to assist, relations with the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) and relations to the government. Most contact has been with the Development and Social Service Commission (DASSC) both at head office and in the DASSC/Units, staff at the NLM/E development office and NLM/N staff.
Visits have been completed to three DASSC/Units and to two other projects.

The NLM/E office has shown important examples of documentation as follows:
- Report proposals from the project coordinators
- Evaluation reports for Health clinics
- Other papers produced by the NLM/E office
- Proposals for project agreements prepared to be signed if the 5 new projects requested and a second phase of the FGM project are accepted.

Key findings:
The Capacity building project has achieved its goal when it comes to a better understanding about reporting on time financial as well as on activities. There is a better understanding of accounting The challenge is to follow up reporting on time and to be concrete about what is done and what is not done and if it is not done be concrete in explanation. The project has also been crucial for a good and viable handing over of Gidole hospital to the government. The project has managed to give the responsible for reporting a better understanding of the formats for reporting and request for financing of project ideas.

The project has been central in preparing evaluations of projects handed over to the government and dialogue with local populations and government in how to continue eventual collaborations with Norwegian financing. Further with elaborating future collaboration contracts etc.

The collaboration with the DASSC at different level has become much better from the starting in 2005 up till now. There is a close collaboration concerning the NLM financed activities in the 6 Southern Units. The NLM Capacity Building Project is not yet ready to be completely integrated in the DASSC structure. Partly the reason here is that the recently established structure for Area Capacity Building in DASSC not seems to have found a good structure yet.

There is no project in Southern Units on women empowerment. That is most needed, even if the FGM project is central in heightening women’s living condition.
The DASSC has created a structure for capacity building in all its Units. This might be seen as a result of our project.

Recommendations:
Continue the work in the close cooperation with DASSC. The project is advised to see during the coming year what will be the final structure for DASSC Area capacity building. Study further possibilities for transferring a lot of small projects in Southern Ethiopia into one program. Transfer more power to Ethiopia from Norway when it comes to accepting smaller budget reallocations etc.

Continue the process with final evaluation in collaboration NLM-project, local government, local church and local structures with phasing out projects to assure that all questions about financing and responsibility are clear for all partners to avoid future problems. Continue close collaboration with government about the projects. Invite more local government representatives for seminars and work with a women empowering project in the area.

Comments from the organisation:
The Capacity Building Project CBP had its pilot phase from 2005 -2007. The post evaluation was conducted in 2010 while the project was in its first period of five years (2008 -2012). CBP will have a bridging period in 2013 with possibility to have ample amount of time to include final evaluation recommendations in their 2nd phase from 2014 onwards. There is still a continuous need in terms of capacity building especially around project cycle management of the Southern Church Unit development projects funded by NLM.