Evaluación Intermedia: “Fortalecimiento de la participación de Mujeres Líderes en el Desarrollo Socio-ecónomico de la Unión de Cooperativas Jigüina R.L. y Peñas Blancas”

Background:
The report presents findings and recommendations for the in-phase evaluation of the project “Strengthening Women Leaders” implemented by CIPRES. The project runs from 2011 to 2014, and the evaluation was carried out in the third year of the implementation period. The main objective of the project is to strengthen women’s participation in grassroots cooperatives in Jinotega and Matagalpa in Nicaragua.

Purpose/objective:
The purpose of the in-phase evaluation is to assess the progress of achievements of results and to identify the factors that contribute or impede the accomplishment of results. Furthermore, the evaluation should present recommendations for the final part of the project.

Methodology:
The consultant applied a methodology that combined qualitative studies and the revision of documents. For the qualitative assessment, focal groups and semi-informal interviews with beneficiaries, interviews with project staff and representatives from the Federation of Cooperatives for Development (FECODESA), of which both union and grassroots cooperatives are members,

Key findings:
The project has a positive impact on the empowerment of women, and is moving towards the accomplishment of the expected results and outcome of the project. This can be exemplified through the following aspects;
- Increased participation of women in cooperatives’ boards
- A revolving fund has increased women’s access to credit, which again has contributed to their economic empowerment within their families and communities.
- The women are assuming a non-traditional productive role that improves women’s status.
- Increasing women’s skills and knowledge on agriculture and the project’s focus on crop diversification, has increased the value of their contribution to the households’ economy and nutrition. This is translated into increased quality of life and the women’s personal autonomy.
- The value of training to increase self-esteem, leadership and personal care, and agriculture training, as mutually reinforced the impact of both components of the project.
- Increased self-esteem, leadership and concern of their personal care

The project has been efficiently implemented, yet it has not started the implementation of activities related to improved access to market. There are also some challenges related to the management of the revolving fund after the project has ended and ensure a sustainable access to credit for women. So far, the project has not achieved results in terms of revising the credit regulations for each cooperative as to make them more accessible for women.

Recommendations:
- Design an exit strategy that integrates actions that lead to the sustainability of the outcomes of the projects, such as the future management of the revolving funds, continuation of crop harvesting, the use of home gardens and farm diversification. Factors that contribute to improve the household economy are particularly important to secure the sustainability of the key outcomes of the project.
- Implement actions that ensure the continuation of the women’s collective work, and promoting their self-esteem, leadership and personal care. This will by the end favour both women and men,
- Increase the women’s consciousness about their identity and capacity to close the gender gap at all levels, and their capacity to do political advocacy.
- Transfer experiences to FECODESA so they can improve their gender policy and implement some strategies to increase women’s leaderships and benefits from the cooperatives in the future.

DF’s comment and use of the evaluation:
In general terms, DF agrees and appreciates the main findings and recommendations of the evaluation. Recognizing the importance of improving women’s access to market, it should be mentioned that activities for this outcome were not planned before the final year due to budget constraints.

The key findings and recommendations were shared with both the board of FECODESA and representatives from the target group. In the final year of the project, some key steps that can be replicated in other unions and cooperatives will be identified and shared with FECODESA. DF also works parallelly with strengthening FECODESA’s gender policy. DF, FECODESA and CIPRES have also started the discussion on the future management of the revolving fund. During the workshop with beneficiaries, key actions for the exit strategy were identified. These actions includes the revision of credit regulations of cooperatives, training of identified women as promoters that will play a leading role in strengthening women’s self-esteem and advocacy with local authorities