External Final Evaluation Strengthening community capacity for exercise, defense and advocacy of human rights

Background

Misjonskirken Norge has received support through Digni to this project in Colombia in two periods, 2008-2012 and then 2013-2017. This is the final evaluation after 10 years work.

Purpose/objective

The purpose of the project is to promote community capacity in El Pacto Colombia for exercise, defense and advocacy of rights in children and women.

The final evaluation was conducted according to the evaluation proposal and responded to the following objectives:

1. Analyze the relevance of the project
2. Identify and assess the results achieved in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency.
3. Assess the project management model and the relation between different regions and initiatives where the project was implemented.
4. Identify the impact of the project.
5. Analyse the sustainability of different regional initiatives.
6. Get recommendations for strengthening APC

Methodology

The evaluation was conducted between July 2017 and August months and the analysis period spanned from 2008 to 2017. The evaluation consisted of document studies, field visit to three regions and meetings with leadership and staff of the project and local partner.

Key findings

As a general conclusion, the evaluation estimates that the project in its formulation reflected a GOOD RELEVANCE in defining the problem and the proposed impact intervene with good internal consistency in the definition of objective and results.

There are no defined baseline-study with well developed indicators back to 2008. That makes measurement of results difficult. Despite the foregoing and despite the budget reduction APC has institutional management and response capabilities required to support the implementation of social initiatives of churches and partner organizations. These qualities are due to the staff, characterized by a good level of excellence, commitment and professional knowledge, the flexibility to perform different functions and management capacity both at headquarters and in the regions.

One of the strengths of the project and APC is the ability to establish good inter-institutional relations and its convening, and this feature contributes largely determines the success and achievement of results.

Being direct executors of the project in their respective regions, the church assumed the defense and promotion of human rights in itself and as part of its social commitment. Through the implementation of the project, the church is a promoter and consciousness of human rights around the neediest. The church as a major player in the project, promotes and monitors compliance with human rights and uses his prophetic voice of denunciation where these rights are violated, regardless of race, color, political, nationality.

IMPACT

The project has helped to break the barrier of silence children and women both in the Church and in the community, allowing the possibility of recognition of the dignity of women to be effective, as well as recognition of the capabilities that have communities to transform their own terms.

The main effects perceived in / participants in the training process are:

1. greater knowledge of APC and churches about human rights in the region; b
2. acquisition of skills for the use of instruments concerns generation to continue their training in human rights;
3. networking with other organizations both from APC, as organizations in the regions.
4. Operation of Virtual Diploma is a great opportunity for people to acquire knowledge

For those interviewed, the most benefited groups in order from highest to lowest, were: women, children / girls, churches and organizations, the men, victims of the internal armed conflict.

Effects achieved:

1. Better understanding of what are human rights, training, appropriation of procedures and methodologies;
2. incorporation of Human Rights based approach;
3. Public policy advocacy, access to justice.

The evaluation considers the project achieved very good effectiveness to achieve important results in those areas that contribute more directly to the desired impact.

It has been found that the relationship between compliance activities and resource investment made, has been adequate, reaching the products specified in project formulation. Accounting is conducted in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in Colombia.

Volunteer work still continues in regions that develop initiatives approved by APC especially on Advocacy. Each regional approximate group of participants was between 10 and 15 volunteers trained between 2012-2017, in total around 75 volunteers.

Recommendations

To FIPEC: Recognize and support APC as the implementing organization of social projects of its partners.

The Board of Directors of APC: Strengthened as a collegial body responsible for directing, direct, lead and sort the destinations of the association and trained to meet their strategic, tactical role, executive, evaluation and control.

To APC: Strategic Framework and Plan. It is recommended to prioritize work on the axes and actions in which APC present greater expertise, leadership and legitimacy, considering its human capital, operational capacity, regional needs and build alliances with other expert organizations in specific target groups and actions. It is recommended to explicitly include cross-cutting perspectives in all axes and actions as well as develop different coping strategies for group rights holders and incorporate and / or dealing with stronger emerging issues in socio-political agenda of the country.

Design new intervention from the logical framework approach.

The design of the new document project formulation must have a preliminary analysis of the problems to address and the solutions posed to address them. The choice of the central problem to address must be credible, and there must be logical and hierarchical consistency in relations "cause and effect" deployed among the trees of problems and solutions and finally the selection of alternative solutions to the problems should be accurate. It is recommended to build a baseline that has initial, final and temporary compliance indicators.

Sustainability. You must have a sustainability strategy aimed at implementing related fundraising activities, namely:

1. Diversification;
2. Acquisition and retention of donors;
3. joint resource mobilization with other organizations;
4. and the development of a portfolio of institutional services for distribution and sale, among other functions.  

Comments from the organisation

Misjonskirken Norge recognizes this final evaluations findings from our knowledge of the project and local partner. The overall picture shown in the report seems to be close to reality.

Now in retro perspective it is easy to share the evaluators concern of lack of a good baseline-study from 2008 that could have helped more in the mediation of results. We have to remind ourselves that such studies were not very common in our context ten years ago, we were much more qualitative and narrative in our communication, applications and plans back then.