MONITORING AND EVALUATION REPORT FOR SEARCH FOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000566

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W AND PRM/AFR/CACHANG
STATE PASS TO USAID/OFDA/DDEBERNARDO
MONROVIA FOR SEIRIZ AND USAID/OFDA/RQUINBY
GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM IV LI
SUBJECT: MONITORING AND EVALUATION REPORT FOR SEARCH FOR
COMMON GROUND (SFCG) LIBERIA: SPRMCO06CA146


ABIDJAN 00000566 001.2 OF 002



1. Summary: The Abidjan-based Refugee Coordinator
(RefCoord) conducted a monitoring and evaluation assessment
of the PRM-funded Search For Common Ground (SFCG) project,
"Mass Information in Support of Liberian Refugee Repatriation
and Reintegration." SFCG's activities seem well conceived
and form an integral part of the information resources
available to Liberian refugees in countries of asylum.
Although most Liberian refugees will decide whether or not to
return to Liberia before the June 30 deadline on the basis of
their own personal knowledge, SFCG's information activities
have provided refugees with an additional source of
information against which refugees can judge the accuracy and
credibility of other actors encouraging Liberians to return
at this time. End Summary.


2. The Abidjan-based Refugee Coordinator (RefCoord)
conducted a monitoring and evaluation assessment of the
PRM-funded Search For Common Ground (SFCG) project, "Mass
Information in Support of Liberian Refugee Repatriation and
Reintegration." RefCoord held discussions with SFCG staff,
refugees, and partner agencies in Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire on
several different occasions. RefCoord met SFCG staff,
Rebecca Besant (Country Director) and Oscar Bloh (Head of
Programming) from their Liberia office, and Evariste Sadie
(SFCG Cote d'Ivoire) during a mission to Tabou, Cote
d'Ivoire. RefCoord also discussed SFCG's programming with
UNHCR personnel in Monrovia, Nzerekore, Guiglo, and Tabou.

OBJECTIVES AND INDICATORS
--------------


3. OBJECTIVE 1: Provide information to refugee populations
in order to enable them to make informed decisions about
return.

- SFCG has prepared 24 "Situation Report" programs and
expects to produce a further 12 by the end of the project.
This is below the target of 54 such programs;
- SFCG expects to meet their target of 5 video products by
the end of the project;
- SFCG has conducted two of the three drama tours in Cote
d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Sierra Leone;
- SFCG has exceeded their target of 52 segments featuring
repatriation and reintegration of refugees;
- SFCG will report on the increase in the number of persons
able to discern between correct and incorrect information on
return in their final report.


4. OBJECTIVE 2: Facilitate dialogue between refugee
populations and UNHCR and between refugee populations and
their home countries.

- SFCG has established 25 of the targeted 50 listener groups
in Guinea and Sierra Leone. With the rapid reduction in
refugee camp populations, it is unlikely SFCG will meet this
target. It is also possible that so many groups are no
longer necessary given the smaller camp population numbers;
- SFCG will determine the remaining indicators during their
final survey to be conducted during the third quarter.
Results of this survey will be reported in the final report.

PROGRAM ISSUES
--------------


5. Cross-cutting Goals: SFCG's activities target all
Liberian refugee groups and aim to provide key information to
returnees in all sectors, such as education and health,
important in the decision making process to return or remain
in countries of asylum. The project does not have a capacity
building component nor does it seek sustainability of
activities.


6. Coordination: SFCG works closely with a variety of
actors, particularly UNHCR. SFCG has a sub-agreement with
UNHCR Cote d'Ivoire and completed its work under a
sub-agreement with UNHCR in Sierra Leone at the end of 2006.
SFCG programs are regularly broadcast through different
public radio stations that have a strong audience among the
refugee populations outside Liberia.


7. Admin/Financial Oversight: SFCG staff have all signed a
Code of Conduct as part of their employment. SFCG staff
reported adequate administrative and financial oversight, but
RefCoord did not have the opportunity to discuss these issues
in depth with SFCG officials.

ABIDJAN 00000566 002.2 OF 002



8. Security: SFCG reported that some of their staff had
been stopped by gunmen while driving through Danane in Cote
d'Ivoire and had to pay bribes at checkpoints along the road
in Cote d'Ivoire. In one incident, one of the SFCG female
drivers was arrested and they had to pay the officer the
equivalent of twenty U.S. dollars for her release. SFCG had
to pay approximately ten to fifteen U.S. dollars at each of
eight to ten different checkpoints.


9. Problems: SFCG reported difficulties early on in the
project in getting access to Liberian refugees in the
Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. RefCoord was told that
these problems were resolved during the project and that
UNHCR later broadcast their programming to refugee groups in
the camp. Although SFCG is to conduct a final survey during
the third quarter on the effectiveness of their information
program, SFCG staff RefCoord spoke to did not have a clear
plan as to how they would gather the necessary information
from refugees that have already returned and with whom SFCG
is no longer in contact.


10. HQs Oversight: SFCG Monrovia staff reported they had
not received any visits from their Washington office but were
in regular phone contact with their HQs.


11. Cooperation with PRM: SFCG has submitted all quarterly
reports and has shared copies of their thorough base-line
survey conducted at the beginning of the project. Although
RefCoord has not had trouble setting up meetings with SFCG
staff when requested, SFCG has not taken the initiative to
inform RefCoord when drama tours and other programming was
being broadcast to enable monitoring of these field-based
exercises.

COMMENT
--------------


12. SFCG's activities seem well conceived and form an
integral part of the information resources available to
Liberian refugees considering whether or not to return to
Liberia. RefCoord verified in most locations that refugees
recalled specific information and details of SFCG's visits to
their communities to discuss the situation in Liberia. SFCG
also utilizes former refugees from many of the same camps who
are able to provide refugees with first-hand experience about
conditions in Liberia. This can also have a downside. For
example, one SFCG staff RefCoord spoke to explained that she
told refugees in Guinea that health care in Liberia was not
completely free as the government was announcing and
explained how much she pays at a public clinic in central
Monrovia for treatment. RefCoord noted that most of the
refugees she was speaking to at this particular camp come
from upper-Lofa County and asked if she had discussed the
situation in upper-Lofa or only with that particular clinic
in Monrovia.


13. These details, however, probably play a minor role in
whether or not Liberians are deciding to return or remain in
their countries of asylum. In that regard, SFCG's activities
add one more actor to the number of players providing
information on changes in Liberia. In many cases, refugees
do not trust other sources of information, such as UNHCR,
under the belief that they are trying to paint a positive
picture of the situation in Liberia just to convince them to
return. In this regard, SFCG's activities have played an
important role in disseminating details of the return and
repatriation process to a wide audience in several countries
of asylum.
HOOKS