WOMEN FOR WOMEN DRC: MONITORING AND EVALUATION

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000526 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR PRM/AFR, GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF EAID UNHCR CG SUBJECT: WOMEN FOR WOMEN DRC: MONITORING AND EVALUATION ASSESSMENT - COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT SPRMCO07CA150 ¶1. The following monitoring and evaluation report assesses Cooperative Agreement SPRMCO07CA150 for $234,015 awarded to Women for Women (WFW) to support its program "Stronger Women, Stronger Nations: Ending Violence Against Women in Eastern Congo." RefCoord met with WFW National Director Christine Karumba May 20 and subsequently discussed its programs with Adele Safi, head of Synergy Against Sexual Violence in South Kivu, and Deo Bahizire, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) coordinator, UNFPA sub office, Bukavu. Overview -------------- ¶2. WFW met or exceeded many of the goals set for the program during the reporting period. Although difficulties associated with travel in the DRC prevented WFW from closely following all activities of the health centers supported by the program, it maintained sufficient control over operations to ensure that grant requirements were fulfilled or surpassed. ¶3. Goal A: Match with sponsors 1,200 of the most socially-excluded women returned refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable women in South Kivu's Fizi territory. -- WFW was successful is finding sponsors for the majority of the Fizi territory caseload. The program provided financial and other support for displaced women and created psycho-social conditions needed to encourage successful reintegration by the returnees and their communities. ¶4. Goal B: Provide each of the 1,200 women with rights awareness and leadership education. -- WFW developed rights and justice materials and media for distribution to returned refugee sponsors. Using outside resources, WFW incorporated best practices into their campaign to distribute and create informational material for illiterate beneficiaries. ¶5. Goal C: Provide 1,200 of the most socially-excluded women, particularly returnees, refugees and IDPs from Fizi territory, with training in vocational skills and business development. -- Goal C continued: Provide support to PRM beneficiary populations, particularly women and children, who have experienced GBV during flight, in camps, or on arrival in their home countries or countries of asylum, to ensure their access to basic protection and assistance regarding the violence experienced and whether comprehensive services, including referral, are available for GBV survivors. -- All WFW programming incorporated care for SGBV survivors. WFW was careful to ensure that assistance did not identify survivors or violate their right to privacy. Working with health care professionals, WFW identified vulnerable women and reached out to them. ¶6. Goal D: Train and educate 550 male community and traditional leaders about the impact of GBV on the community. -- WFW trained in excess of 550 male community leaders on the impact of SGBV. Training was devised to foster men's leadership in preventing sexual violence, and mitigating the social impact of rape on families and communities. Male participation in these programs was still difficult to achieve. WFW takes an approach that does not accuse or alienate men. UNFPA found that WFW was successful in including men, as trainees and trainers, at all levels in their programming. ¶7. Goal E: Strengthen community structures to better respond to violence against women by changing attitudes and perceptions of sexual violence and women's rights. -- Safi of Synergy Against Sexual Violence in South Kivu said that WFW is the only international organization in the region that assists victims of sexual violence directly. WFW also trained and assisted local government officials on issues of integrating male and female victims of sexual violence into their new homes. She appreciated its work and said it had been very successful. -- WFW heads Synergy's socio-economic reintegration activities in South Kivu. Safi said that WFW has trained many victims and vulnerable women in different vocational and development skills; many are now running their own businesses. WFW helps women to be self-sufficient and lessen their dependence on others. Safi said that trainees continue activities after they graduate from WFW programs. Core questions -------------- ¶8. PRM Goals: WFW training programs build the capacity of local government and social leaders, providing basic skills necessary to support integration of vulnerable members of society. Through livelihood training, vulnerable individuals, including survivors of multiple sexual assaults, are better able to reintegrate into their communities. Their economic activities, even if not immediately profitable, help raise their status in the community from that of victims to full members. ¶9. Complementarity: WFW works closely with UNHCR and all implementing partners. Programming is flexible and can address the immediate concerns of refugees and partners. WFW works as an active partner with local mental health authorities and regional governments to ensure staff is sensitive to the needs of SGBV survivors. ¶10. Program objectives: WFW surpassed the desired objectives for this program cycle. A significant measure of its success was WFW's selection to lead Synergy's socio-economic reintegration programming in South Kivu. ¶11. Operational efficiency, management, and communication: WFW records are well-maintained and its director is clearly in control of staffing and programming. WFW appears to be, dollar for dollar, the best SGBV programming investment PRM has made in Eastern Congo. Control and monitoring -------------- ¶12. The WFW office in Bukavu exercises close monitoring of the operations. Staff communicates with Bukavu through the UN communications network. ¶13. WFW Bukavu communicates regularly with PRM office in Kampala. The program office is responsive and provides regular updates. Security and protection -------------- ¶14. South Kivu is a high threat area. Access to parts of Eastern Congo is difficult and dangerous. However, there were no specific security concerns for WFW staff during the quarter. (Note: In the past, some women activists have been threatened by community leaders. End note.) Future funding -------------- ¶15. RefCoord supports future funding for WFW livelihood and SGBV programs in FY2009. UNHCR will consider expanding WFW-type programming in 2009-10. RefCoord recommends considering WFW as a trainer for other UNHCR partners in sponsorship and training programs in South and North Kivu. GARVELINK