Hear them speak - Biståndsorganisationen Diakonia - …€¦ · · 2014-05-09Hear them speak....

Manab Kallyan Parished Thakurgaon, Bangladesh November 2012

Evaluation of Gender Rights and Governance programme

Hear them speak

Evaluation of MKP Project: “Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance”

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“Hear Them Speak”

EVALUATION REPORT of

Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance

A Project Implemented by

Manab Kallyan Parished (MKP)

Thakurgaon, Bangladesh

Sponsored by

Diakonia, Bangladesh

Evaluation Team Laila Arzu Mand Banu

Mahbubul Islam & Muhammad Taher November 2012

Photos by Sadequl Islam and Muhammad Taher

Cover page picture: Women narrating story of results from a Salish

(Indigenous dispute resolution mechanism)


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EVALUATION TEAM Upon invitation from Diakonia Bangladesh, the evaluation team made a presentation on its plan and approach of work at a meeting with the four partner NGOs (SARA, MKP, PARTNER & S&R) in Dhaka during mid October 2012. This was followed by the signing of agreements and study of literature before the field visits began. The first of the visits was undertaken to MKP in Thakurgaon from 10 to 14 November 2012 (inclusive) for the evaluation of “Ensuring Gender Justice and Good Governance”. The 3 member team was led by Muhammad Taher, a research and evaluation consultant and specialist in Rights and Governance. The other two members included a specialist in Gender: Ms. Laila Arzu Mand Banu, and an Organisational Development specialist: Mr. Mahbubul Islam. Each of these people have many years of experience in development policy and practice in Bangladesh and elsewhere, and have been working as independent evaluation consultants for over 12 years.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The evaluation team would like to express its gratitude to MKP for its whole hearted cooperation particularly during the time of the field visit. Their readiness to provide us with any information we required and facilitating meetings and visits according to our needs in connection to the work greatly impressed us. We are grateful to all the stakeholders of the project that we met in long discussion meetings, for their patience and remarkable open-ness. Particular thanks are due Mr. Rabiul Azam, Director of MKP and Mr. Md. Sadequl Islam, Programme Coordinator for their full time attention to our work and our health. We gratefully recall the kind personal attention received by one of the team when he fell ill. We are equally grateful to Diakonia Bangladesh for entrusting us with this assignment and ensuring that everything went smoothly as planned. We only hope that our modest efforts through this evaluation will help MKP to better organize themselves into a more dynamic and effective development organisation.

Mahbubul Islam Laila Arzu Mand Banu Muhammad Taher Dhaka, April 2013


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TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS

CBO Community Based Organisation CSO Civil Society Organisation

DM Disaster Management ESC Economic, Social and Cultural

FGD Focus Group Discussion

HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ICT Information and Communication Technology

ITK Indigenous Technological Knowledge LEB Local Elected Bodies

LGI Local Government Institutions

MKP Manab Kallyan Parished (Organisation for Human Welfare) M & E Monitoring and Evaluation

OD Organisational Development

PMEL Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning PNGO Partner NGO

RBA Rights Based Approach RIDS Responsive to Integrated Development Services

UP Union Parishad

SP Strategy Plan SRHR Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

STD Sexually Transmitted Diseases

SWOT Strength Weakness Opportunity Treaths ToC Theory of Change

UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights VDC Village Development Committee

WSC Ward Salish Committee


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CONTENTS

EVALUATION TEAM ........................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................................iv CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................................................ v 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................ 1

1.1 Who it works with and why? ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 How does it Relate to the Diakonia Strategy Plan? ................................................................. 2 1.3 Methodology .............................................................................................................................................. 3

2. KEY FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Background ................................................................................................................................................ 4 2.1 Socio Economic Context of the project ......................................................................................... 4 2.2 Important Features of the project ................................................................................................... 6 2.3 An Assessment of Progress................................................................................................................. 7

3. A Critical Review ....................................................................................................................................... 11 3.1 Effectiveness ........................................................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Relevance and Appropriateness ................................................................................................... 12 3.3 Impact ........................................................................................................................................................ 13 3.4 Sustainability .......................................................................................................................................... 13 3.5 Efficiency .................................................................................................................................................. 14

4. Conclusions on the Project ................................................................................................................... 16 4.1 Ward Salish Committee ..................................................................................................................... 16 4.2 Farmers’ Group ..................................................................................................................................... 17 4.3 Adolescent Girls Programme .......................................................................................................... 17 4.4 Harnessing Voluntarism ................................................................................................................... 18 4.5 Need for an Improved PME System ............................................................................................. 19

5. ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................ 20 5.1 Strengths to build on .......................................................................................................................... 20 5.2 Limitations to overcome ................................................................................................................... 20 5.3 Planning for Human Resource Management .......................................................................... 21 5.4 Strategy Plan ........................................................................................................................................... 21 5.5 General Planning Procedure ........................................................................................................... 22

6. KEY CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................. 23 6.1 Management System Review .......................................................................................................... 23 6.2 Need a Strong PMEL Process .......................................................................................................... 23 6.3 Need Higher Level Policy Advocacy ............................................................................................ 24 6.4 Does a New Phase have Particular Target? ............................................................................. 24

RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 26 ANNEXURES .......................................................................................................................................................... 28 Annex 1: Field-visit Schedule ........................................................................................................................ 29 Annex 2: Document Reviewed ...................................................................................................................... 30 Annex 3: SWOT Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 31 Annex 4: Terms of Reference ........................................................................................................................ 32


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1. INTRODUCTION This report came out of an evaluation process of the project entitled, “Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance” implemented by Manab Kallyan Parished (MKP) for the period January 2010 to December 2012. Additionally this also gives a brief assessment of the organisational capacity of MKP and how it should be better organized in order to make more effective contributions in development. This project is a continuation of an earlier phase 2007-09 and is likely to enter a new 3 years phase from 2013. This evaluation is therefore well placed to take stock of its past and inform and advise the organisation on its future path towards achieving an improved quality of results for its beneficiaries, as well as for MKP. This would therefore try to throw light on the prospects of the project and how a pragmatic approach to continuation of support by Diakonia can help MKP emerge as a stronger partner in Bangladesh.

Working in the north-western part of the country, MKP has specialised in the areas of gender equality, primary healthcare, children’s education, human rights and good governance. Although Diakonia remains the oldest and most significant development partner, MKP has had many others on its list that include OXFAM, Radda Barnen, ILO, Proshika and CARE Bangladesh. Currently it has a working relationship with about a dozen ‘donors’ for different projects in public health, water and sanitation, children’s education, disability development and so on. MKP has organised village level groups of men and women engaged in agricultural enterprises and in social action against different illegal practices and prejudices with particular focus on women’s empowerment. MKP has, under Diakonia support, worked with local youth volunteers, adolescent girls groups, gender forum at urban level, to offer legal aid and related support services to disadvantaged women victims. MKP’s work spreads over the districts of Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, and Panchagarh. As it grew over the years, MKPs area of work had also begun to extend into newer sectors and themes. For example, MKP has work experience in agriculture, environment, legal aid, gender equality, human rights, good governance etc. However, the organisation is known mainly for its focus on human rights, gender and democratic governance. Unlike most other NGOs in the country and in the region, MKP has carefully avoided the micro-financial services as it required completely different kind of technical orientation and motivation. The leadership of the organisation is proud today of not having given in to the temptations of making “profit” for the organisation. Its investment into building social capital in terms of networking with different civil society and professional groups appeared to have paid off very well. Established in 1984, MKP is one of the leading NGOs in the region with strong linkages with different community groups, social organisations and government agencies.

1.1 WHO IT WORKS WITH AND WHY? Considering this background, let us now view who MKP works with and their reasons for doing so? This is based entirely on a review of their documents and discussions we held with them during our field visit. Having visited the field area, the following should give a more authentic picture of the people and their situation there. The organisation mainly works with landless and marginal agricultural farmers. A typical household in this category would mainly survive by selling their physical labour on others’ fields, having little or no land other than their homestead land and having no significant


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household asset. Apart from their economic disadvantage, the communities they live in have many social problems like discrimination between people; between men and women, deep prejudices about relationships and many superstitions on the role of nature in deciding human fate. Moreover, with limited access to education and lack of access to health and other services, these remote districts of Bangladesh are generally known to be more underdeveloped than other parts of the country. In order to achieve the goal of establishing a hunger and discrepancy-free society, MKP adopts a bottom-up participatory approach to community based development. It’s Mission (as noted in the brochure) is to establish: “A just society both socially and economically through upgrading the lives of poor and landless people, where they have access to constitutionally given basic needs, irrespective of men and women.”

The specific objectives of MKP work include the promotion of gender sensitive and secular democratic environment within the organisation and in society. To ensure legal rights and justice for all by establishing good governance, ensuring human development through motivation, training and creating self-employment opportunities. While MKP has made impressive institutional gains and made itself known among the people for its valuable work, it has room for improvement, particularly in the area of administrative management and human resource capacity. We shall discuss these in more detail in the following chapters.

1.2 HOW DOES IT RELATE TO THE DIAKONIA STRATEGY PLAN? The project undoubtedly meets the Diakonia strategic objectives and corresponding thematic issues of reducing gender discrimination, increased respect for human rights, democratic good governance and improved access to social and economic resources. The way the project has been designed is to directly respond to the Strategy Plan of Diakonia Bangladesh. Therefore, the question is not so much about to what extent the project is aligned with the Diakonia Bangladesh strategy, but more about how effectively are they contributing to the promotion of gender justice, human rights and good governance, including increased access to social and economic services locally and nationally? The discussion in the following chapters will closely review this, though there remains a question of how the roles between a partner and Diakonia country office are divided? Are the local partner organisations also responsible for making a national impact by policy change? Or does the country office play the leading role in this respect? Having said that, there is a strong link of this project with the new Bangladesh Country Strategy of Diakonia (2012-15). All the different result areas of “Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance” reflect the three main thematic strategies of a) Gender Equality, b) Human Rights, and c) Democracy and Good Governance. A small difference may appear in “improved access to social and economic services,” which was included in the previous country strategy, but not in this one. However, since the themes are clearly interlinked, the “Democracy and Good Governance” should take care of social and economic services needs. Because, this is very much within the economic, social and culture (ESC) rights that democracy and good governance should ensure.


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1.3 METHODOLOGY This evaluation has adopted an approach of appreciative enquiry and tried to highlight the good practices. It has adopted a participatory approach with the staff of MKP playing a role in sharing with the external evaluation team their views on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as well as commenting on the earlier drafts of this report. Moreover, at the end of the field visit in Thakurgaon, the team made a presentation on the key findings. Their comments and views received on that day have been included in this report.

Before starting the field trip, the evaluation team had reviewed all different literature on the organisation; documents related to project application, annual reports, baseline information on project households (2004), different policies, procedures, administrative and training manuals besides, (audited) financial reports and financial procedures. Please see a complete list of documents in Annex 2. The initial review of literature formed the basis of developing a brief statement on the “theory of change” for MKP. This required a synthesis of the organisational vision and objectives and goals of the programmes of work. The following statement was considered to reflect the key ToC:

Promotion of fundamental human values of dignity and mutual respect through building community awareness and actions.

According to MKP a sustainable process of development is possible only when the basic sense of justice and dignity of human existence is recognised and firmly established. This articulation process of ToC was helpful in viewing the key intention and assumptions of change that the organisation was working towards. It further helped the evaluators in designing their interview questions administered in the field during the visit to Thakurgaon and Dinajpur areas.

The visit to the programme area started with an introductory meeting with senior staff of MKP. This had a very useful two way communication right at the start with the evaluation team giving an introduction on the purpose of the evaluation and the method of investigation to be followed, among other issues. The staff of MKP also gave an introductory presentation on the programme and MKP the organisation. The occasion was also used for conducting a self-evaluation on both MKP and the programme as noted before. This was followed by visits to observe work on the ground with community groups that comprised women’s groups, mixed group of small farmers, Youth Groups, Nari Forum, children’s schools, adolescent girls groups and held a meeting with civil society groups in Thakurgaon. The details of these activities are given in the Annex-1.


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2. KEY FINDINGS 2.1 BACKGROUND This is a rolling project with support from Diakonia Bangladesh, who has been the longest serving partner of MKP since 1990. The previous two phases of “Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance” have successfully ended in 2009 and 2012. A new 3 year phase was to start from January 2013 till December 2015. The project reflects the goal of the organisation which is: “to establish gender equity, democracy, human rights, and good governance with the participation of people with a view to establish an economically stable society” (MKP Overview, 2012). The project formulation process involved a participatory needs assessment. The process included PRA workshops with participation of people from a cross-section of the local community including MKP group members, school/college teachers, students, religious leaders, NGO activists, Civil Society representatives, and members of local elected bodies (LEBs). The needs assessment was followed up by a staff workshop that gave the project a structure with “some sort of newness” and new dimensions that included some innovative activities (project Proposal 2010-12).

The major thrust of the project was intended to be on raising awareness of people about the danger of a possible proliferation of HIV/AIDS and how to prevent it. Besides, efforts will continue to educate the communities about human rights, sustainable agricultural practices, advantages and disadvantages of a free-market economy, mobilise Civil Society to ensure that the rights of the right-holders are established and conduct gender awareness training, including promotion of gender-friendly technologies.

MKP mainly works with rural (and peri-urban) landless households, especially with women, and other minority groups including indigenous community and different professional groups. As secondary stakeholders, the programme works with different government and non-government officials and departments, including civil society groups, religious leaders, students and teachers.

2.1 SOCIO ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT The northern districts of Bangladesh are generally regarded as one of the most underdeveloped areas of the country, characterised by a high level of poverty, illiteracy, ill health. The area is regularly affected by natural disasters like floods and droughts. Access to services and resources for the poor in this remote region of the country is remarkably low. The Baseline Survey conducted for MKP by Responsive to Integrated Development Services (RIDS) in 2004 clearly reflected the above situation with detailed data at household level. The survey was conducted among 225 households following a random sampling method in 24 Unions of Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, and Panchagarh districts where MKP works. A summary table of the key data is given in the following page.

Although there was a surprise finding that 74.4 percent of people were literate in the MKP project area, against the national rate of 64 percent in 2004, the indicators on awareness on different health and legal rights were as disappointing as was expected.


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For example, the level of awareness among the people about their rights, basic health and hygiene issues and the legal protection that they can have against violation of laws was very poor. Only 50 percent of children were registered after birth in the area, the percentage of unregistered marriage was 62 percent, sixty percent of households did not have sanitary latrines, 45 percent of households reported to have received and paid dowry (illegal act) and only 46 percent of households were aware about HIV/AIDS. A lot of similar data from the survey gives us a picture of a social situation which was highly vulnerable to different health and socio-economic hazards.

Table-1: Key Socio-Economic Baseline Data for MKP Beneficiaries (From randomly selected 225 households in of MKP working area)

Sl. DESCRIPTION Data

1) Average Population per household (1110/225) 4.9

2) National Literacy rate 64%

3) MKP project area literacy rate 74.4%

4) Percentage of women earning cash income 36%

5) Households with monthly income of less than Tk.1,000 47%

6) Households with maximum monthly income of Tk.2,000 31%

7) Households with monthly income of Tk.4,000 and above 3%

8) Daily average wage for a man (day labour in Taka) 46

9) Daily average wage for a woman (day labour, in Taka) 33

10) Households received loans from different sources 75%

11) Households with average homestead land of 13 decimals 94%

12) Households with average size of arable land of 108 dec. 66%

13) Households with own/easy access to tube wells 88%

14) Households with (ring-slab set) hygienic latrine 40%

15) Households aware about HIV/AIDS 46%

16) Patients that visited local traditional doctors 63%

17) Patients that visited MBBS doctors 23%

18) Households that gave or received dowry 45%

19) Children registered at birth 50%

20) Marriage registration with legal documents 23%

21) Marriage without documents 15%

22) Unregistered marriage 62%

Source: MKP Baseline Study Report by RIDS, January 2004

On economic situation, 47 percent of households (size 4.9 persons on average) earned less than Tk.1000 per month, which is considered extremely low for 2004 rates of income (less than a dollar a day per person) and 75 percent of households were borrowing money from MFIs and local money lenders. In terms of household assets and land ownership the picture is rather unclear with 66 percent of households having an average size of arable land of 108 decimals, while 94 percent households had average


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homestead land size of only 13 decimals. It is possible that most households had leased lands for share-cropping, but the small size of homesteads reflect a low level of land ownership. Indeed, according to MKP, landlessness in the area was very high and it was one of the major factors contributing to chronic poverty. In the absence of recent data it was not immediately possible to ascertain the exact level of change happening over the years since 2004, but the impression the evaluation team has received from the field was that the villages and people living in these areas did not look significantly different from average Bangladeshi villages.

However, a couple of “ostensible” differences were visible to the eyes of this team of evaluators who although coming from Dhaka, have extensively travelled around the country. A few refreshing points can be mentioned which favourably compares with the rest of the country. Firstly, a) it is a sparsely populated region with higher land-man ratio, b) existence of communal tolerance and harmony (between Hindus and Muslims with relatively higher percentage of Hindu households), c) limited intrusion of fanatic Islamist practices of gender segregation with smaller number of women wearing burqah or veils, and e) a relatively more ‘liberated’ and woman-friendly environment with many young girls riding bicycles on the streets and women running shops, without an eyebrow being raised. However this was the outer picture; the picture inside was not as simple nor as rosy. For example, the land ownership pattern in the area is highly skewed, the quality of services provided by different institutions was very poor, opportunities for young boys and girls were limited with very limited access to information and sporting activities. In some of the places we have visited, access to electricity was extremely limited and there was no access to newspapers, let alone computer or internet facilities.

2.2 IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE PROJECT The project has a lot of emphasis on rights issues. Promotion of human rights through awareness raising and social actions was a major thrust. Besides its own direct efforts, MKP has also helped local civil society groups help people from disadvantaged communities to assert their rights and enable responsible people and organisations to respond to the needs of these people. A lot of capacity building training has been organized for the purpose. The following discussion reviews the progress of work as seen in the field as well as in the reports by MKP till June 2012. The project broadly has three inter-related objectives as reflected in its title, i.e., gender equality, rights of the poor and good governance at local level. Reviewed in light of the key theory of change of MKP, the project has strong relevance to its organisational vision and mission. The long track-record of MKP in successfully mobilizing community groups to address these fundamental and complex developmental issues has obviously given the organisation a level of confidence and ease of implementation that can hardly be matched by many local NGOs in Bangladesh. Notwithstanding some organisational short-comings related to management and monitoring, MKP has been on track in achieving ‘changes’ in the lives of poorer people it has worked with.

The key purposes of the project was to ensure improved access to economic resources and social services; improved level of awareness of, and respect for, human rights, strengthening of the democratic process by facilitating participation of the CSOs in


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different issues of local governance, and improving women’s participation in different socio-economic activities in order to promote gender equality in the society. The key activities to achieve those results include: a) motivational work through small group discussions and formal meetings, b) capacity building training, c) Salish/mediation & legal aid, d) Advocacy and Campaign, e) workshop/seminar/publication and f) networking.

The project was to work in 210 villages with about 15,000 people, directly (target group) but total population planned to be covered was 55,540. We shall review below the progress of the project by “results” till June 2012. Reports with detailed progress of the project have been duly submitted to Diakonia Bangladesh in their regular Annual/Six monthly Reports. These reports have extensive monitoring data with minute details. However, in the absence of appropriate analysis of data in these reports, it becomes very difficult to know the actual scenario of change. There are about two dozen Union-wise completed Monitoring tables there. Unfortunately, these are neither self-explanatory nor are there any explanatory notes. We only hope that the efforts given to producing these statistical reports have some use now or in future. We shall strongly recommend that each of these tables include a two line note explaining the table and highlighting what change the given data represents.

2.3 AN ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS Based on our field observations and review of the progress reports, we shall present below a brief assessment of progress of the project against the five key outputs or results:

1. IMPROVED ACCESS TO ECONOMIC RESOURCES

The aim under this result is far greater than ensuring literal access to economic resources. It has actually aimed at making people aware about the value of sustainable agricultural activities and using appropriate environment-friendly technologies for both off and on-farm activities. Many motivational sessions across the beneficiary groups and members of the local government institutions (LGIs), i.e., Union Parishads (UPs) were held that spoke about indigenous agricultural technologies and traditional know how. Over 120 group members were trained in 6 different batches by the end of 2011 on natural resource management and indigenous knowledge. The group members the evaluation team spoke with were convinced that compared to chemical and pesticide dependent HYV and Hybrid seed technologies, the indigenous organic farming methods

Tree Plantation Drive organized by MKP in 2012 in Thakurgaon

were more sustainable and more environmentally friendly. Tree plantation, homestead vegetable gardening, and organising Green Fair at Upazila level (UPz) were completed.


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People in general looked quite enthusiastic about their change in behavioural patterns. The model homestead vegetable gardening and tree-plantation campaigns have created a lot of enthusiasm among the local people. The same messages of the value of bio-diversity and about how to adapt to the effects of climate change have also been spread among the boys and girls of local schools who have actively participated in some of these activities, including Debate sessions.

Under this result, about six thousand men and women were trained in indigenous knowledge and technologies for sustainable agriculture and all were engaged in either paddy or vegetable cultivation. The groups appeared well motivated to organic farming practices and were very aware about the negative long term effects of pesticides and hybrid seeds. They spoke about “farmers right to farmers seeds”, which is being seized by the multinational companies for their exclusive profit. They were determined to resist hybrid seeds. In this respect the farmers had inter-group linkages and exchange of ideas and experiences between them. Besides over four thousand women and 3,648 men were directly involved in different income-earning activities. As a result over nine thousand households have reportedly become food secure. In the process they have learned about many social and economic issues that they were formerly ignorant of. Now local Upazila Agricultural Officers visit them to give classes on different agricultural practices and marketing techniques.

2. IMPROVED ACCESS TO SOCIAL SERVICES

Besides raising community awareness about different sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and HYV/AIDS; sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), MKP had aimed to increase awareness of people on primary health care including environmental sanitation situation. From the baseline study in 2004, it was learned that 54 percent of households were unaware about STD and HYV/AIDS. After the project interventions over the years, most people are known to have become aware of this and many people have changed their behavioural pattern in this respect. The trained group members continue to make people aware about these matters in their respective areas.

According to the baseline study report, although 88 percent of households had access to clean tubewell water, about a staggering 58 percent of households in the area did not have sanitary latrines. Majority of the household members (88%) did not have any level of awareness about pre-natal and anti-natal mother’s care resulting in high infant mortality rates. On Sexual and Reproductive Human Rights, MKP has a well tested training module by which it has imparted training to young boys and girls, including project staff. With the help of local administration, MKP has been trying to secure movement of women and girls so that they are not subjected to sexual harassment. The programme has been regularly organizing different awareness campaigns on the subject through organizing workshops, training, school debate sessions, meetings with guardians of students and organising ‘human Chain’ demonstrations. As a result, there were over 8,700 CBO group members playing roles in their respective localities on prevention of STD/HYV/AIDS and SRHR issues in 2012.

3. AWARENESS AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS INCREASED


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MKP has a number of institutional arrangements to raise awareness on human rights among the local people. Besides its own farmers groups for men and women, there are adolescent girls groups, youth volunteers group, and a women’s forum called “Nari Forum” – comprised of women with social and political clout. All these stakeholders have been mobilised to take part in different campaigns and social actions. They have addressed the problem of trafficking of women and children across the border, incidences of violence against women, under-age marriage, dowry, and illegal divorce. 355 Ward Salish Kendra members have received training on family law, while 193 complaints have been successfully disposed off through Salish till June 2012.

The CBOs and women’s groups this evaluation team has met, have testified to a general improvement in the awareness about different social evils like adverse effects of polygamy, child marriage, and repression/violence against women. However, digging deeper into the issues reveal that complete eradication of these problems will take time. Because these problems are so complex and are linked to so many different social and economic factors that despite the knowledge of their negative consequences some people are still sucked into the traps. As an example, the continued practice of dowry illustrated the issue more clearly. Under a patriarchal social structure, where women’s control over resources and decision making processes are extremely limited, dowry continue to represent a socially ‘valid’ (although not legally anymore) extortionist culture. The law in this regard has been able to offer only very limited practical deterrence. The good news however is, this is now prima facie accepted as a negative culture by most people in the communities. With the gradual enhancement of respect for human rights including restoration of dignity of women in the society, the evil will hopefully disappear one day. Progress in this respect by the project is undeniably significant.

4. ACTORS WORKING FOR DEMOCRACY INCLUDING CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENED

In order to strengthen civil society groups who can play a practical role in strengthening democratic practices in the country, capacity building of the leadership was regarded as an important step forward. Training on leadership to the NGO leaders, members of local elected bodies (LEBs) and different civil society organisations (CSOs) were arranged. Moreover, orientation training and workshops on Gender, Good Governance, and Human Rights were given to religious leaders, political leaders, journalists, lawyers and people belonging to different other professions. Speaking with the members of the Civil Society groups it appeared that the issue of maintaining transparency in all matters, particularly in public offices at the same time while remaining accountable to people and authorities for their actions, was now beginning to be understood by the concerned people. As a result, there were anecdotes shared with the evaluation team on how things were taking positive turns compared to the past. For example, a particular case was narrated where police tried to maintain their neutrality and transparency when a woman victim of family violence was hospitalised, and did not want to put up a case to punish the husband of the victim. In this particular case the police asked for Nari Forum’s assistance in establishing justice.

However, some of these civil society groups, although very effective, seemed to be somewhat dependent on MKP assistance. MKP needs to help them become independent


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by making available small amount of resources with them so that these bodies can immediately swing into action when a need arises.

5. GENDER EQUALITY IMPROVED

The objective of this was to reduce the incidence of violence against women, male domination in decision making process and overall achieving an improvement in gender sensitivity as well as improving awareness about reproductive health rights. The data on progress against this result from the project, reflects the seriousness of the problems in society. In more than two and a half years till June 2012, the project had stopped 297 attempts of child marriage, 24 illegal Hillah marriage, 259 illegal divorces and 194 cases of polygamy. Work in establishing gender equality continues but it is difficult to achieve any significant progress yet, when many structural changes needed for the purpose still need to see the light of the day. For example, women’s position under family law continues to be discriminatory despite having an approved national policy against such discrimination, thus the problem continues unabated, while projects like this continue the fight.

MKP Participates in an Anti-poverty Rally


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3. A CRITICAL REVIEW Having observed the overall satisfactory progress of the project, the following presents a critical view using the five evaluation criteria of Effectiveness, Relevance, Impact, Sustainability and Efficiency. This is expected to further qualify the achievements.

3.1 EFFECTIVENESS The programme of work is directly linked with the objectives of the organisation and quite closely meets the Diakonia strategy plan. Though the project document did not have clearly spelled objectives of its different areas of intervention, it has used the title of the project (Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance) as its Goal and the five outputs (or Purposes) as its key objectives. The five results of the project together indicate what the project had intended to achieve with corresponding OVIs and MoVs for each (i.e., access to economic resources, access to social services, awareness and respect for human rights, strengthening democratic governance and gender equity). The project proposal appeared to have missed the opportunity of briefly defining these outputs outside the matrixes. In the absence of this, the evaluation process was slightly handicapped when measuring effectiveness of the project.

Nevertheless, some of the instruments used to implement the project goal were very useful and effective. For example, the community groups organised for agricultural activities, Salish Committee, adolescent girls groups and the civil society group on Gender and the “Nari Forum” looked well-organised and well-motivated. Together they have generated a ‘voice’ of the grassroots which is loud and clear. Among these various groups, the variable level of loudness might indicate the level of their strength and effectiveness. The loudest voice was heard from the Gender Forum comprised of urban and educated women-folk. These women volunteers have a huge social and political clout which they brought to bear on the programme to benefit poorer women in accessing their rights. On the other hand, the village women’s group and the adolescent girls groups looked relatively less vocal and not so articulate about their problems and rights. However, these core beneficiary groups were chosen because, unlike the urban Gender Forum members, they were the most marginalised groups of society subjected to all kinds of injustice and discrimination. Even if their voices were still a bit feeble, it was quite clear to the evaluation team that they had come a long way from their disadvantaged situation. Yet, we would insist on this small point that these poor women should be helped to enable them to speak up in clear and unambiguous terms, the purpose of their being in the groups, and what rights they demanded. The capacity to literally voice their concerns and demand their rights in an articulated fashion should help them in many ways towards achieving their rights. MKP’s efforts to network with different influential groups in the districts have helped MKP attain a stronger stand in the local development sector, while the same linkages have offered its organised village groups to gain valuable social capital. Ensuring rights and gender equality requires effective backing from different social groups (CSOs), which the project has very successfully organised. MKP should also try to reach out to link with the appropriate national platforms to influence the national actors who make policies and decisions in favour of the poor. MKP has grass roots credibility with it to make a case for the poor and marginalised.


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As a final point, one question confronting the evaluation team with regards to effectiveness, was its rather large number of ninety seven activities under a relatively small project of Tk.15.4 million covering three years! Could a fewer number of activities (by trimming off some of the non-essential ones) not have helped it achieve better effectiveness and deeper impact? We have further discussed this issue under Efficiency.

3.2 RELEVANCE AND APPROPRIATENESS This is an ambitious project given the objective of ensuring justice and human rights for people who are socially and economically very weak. Their poverty and illiteracy make them vulnerable to exploitative actions by the powerful. The project appears to them as a big support. It makes them feel less weak and, being organised, makes them feel stronger when asking for access to resources and services due them. The interventions under the project are very empowering for the beneficiaries. Unlike most NGOs working in these districts, MKP has found a niche in addressing the more fundamental needs of the disadvantaged communities than financial support services. Unless people are aware of their true needs, rights and entitlements, they would be wasting their time and energy finding the right way out of their situation to achieve socio-economic emancipation. True, among the many different needs, the poor also have a need for financial support services like savings and credit but what we found from our focus group discussions with women members of MKP groups is, that microfinance was not necessarily the priority need for everyone. For those who need it, and for those who were eligible to receive such services, could relatively easily access the same as there are many MFIs operating in these areas. However, there are not many NGOs operating in the region who work with RBA (rights based approach) to make government service providers accountable to the communities. People realise that this approach makes government officers of different departments more responsive to the needs of the communities. MKP’s development philosophy and actions in this respect have proved to be very appropriate in establishing legally binding transparency and accountability of public institutions, which is a big step towards fostering good democratic governance in the country. In the process, MKP has also been successful in emboldening its position as an eminent Human Rights actor in the region.

Ensuring good governance and gender justice is a relatively difficult proposition in the field of development in Bangladesh, but MKP has demonstrated through its valuable experience, how much this is relevant in achieving socio-economic emancipation of the poor and disadvantaged people. It should project its story of success more widely through well developed communication materials. It is common knowledge that gender disparity, rights violation and lack of access to basic needs are more glaring in this part of the country than elsewhere. It is also quite remarkable to note that when the government plan to support a decentralised development process in the county is not working for various reasons, MKP’s work has actually paved the way towards that goal from the bottom– and this demands replication of the approach in different under-developed areas in the country.


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3.3 IMPACT The project is mostly about capacity building, skills development and awareness raising of the people at different levels which is considered fundamental to a longer term development process. The impact it has been creating are behavioural in nature. They are most likely to stay among the people for a long time to come and are going to influence others in the households and communities. For example, when we talk about equality between men and women, it instantly makes one aware of such needs everywhere - in public or private organisations, at home and at work. The emphasis of the project on establishing transparency and accountability has mainly been for public sector organisations and LEB’s, but that the principle is universally applicable and must be observed by all concerned and for all time to come, becomes clear when we analyse its causes and effects. We have thus observed that the community groups, Salish Committees and the Gender Forum are all aware of the value of good governance in all spheres of life. Our discussions with different groups of people revealed that this is a new dimension (and learning) for many people and they now try to emphasise transparency and accountability in all different places of their influence.

At community level, households are now aware of many other issues of development which were not directly related to the project. For example, besides increased realisation of sending children to school and maintaining good personal and environmental health, people are aware of the value of maintaining communal harmony, particularly the need to educate girl children and exercise their democratic right to vote independently.

The following case story of Parul Begum has reportedly created an impact in the community, particularly for those unruly men who wish to take advantage of the relatively weaker position of women in the society.

Box-1: Salish saved Parul’s Marriage

3.4 SUSTAINABILITY Much of the project inputs have been to build capacity of different local institutions through training, workshop and consultation meetings. In fact most of the project inputs

Parul Begum (40) from Kharibari Village in Thakurgaon district was being cheated by her husband. He had secretly developed a relationship with another woman of the village and was planning to marry her. When Parul came to know about it, she tried to dissuade her husband from marrying another woman against here wishes. Although, this was illegal, the man was bent on marrying the other woman. Being helpless, Parul went to the Ward Salish Committee (Ward No.9, Kharibari, organized by MKP) with a complaint.

In response, the Chair of the Salish Committee Mr. Abdul Khaleque served a notice upon Parul’s husband to appear before the Salish Committee. The committee was able to convince the man that it was illegal and that he could be punished for the act (if he had married another woman) according to the law. The man finally realized his mistake and agreed to stop himself from marrying that woman. He continues to live with Parul now without causing further problem. This has reportedly sent a message to others in the community.


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are of a technical, rather than material, nature. Use of effective learning tools, methods and materials (e.g., training modules and information materials that the Evaluation Team has reviewed) ensured that the community groups and members of independent civil society groups, CBOs, NGOs and individual community leaders are sufficiently aware and informed about the project themes and issues. Impact of this learning is going to be reflected in different activities as they undertake the decisions they make in their respective field of work. And based on our interaction with different project stakeholders, it can be safely assumed, that this learning is not going to be forgotten very quickly. While the trained individuals from the project will play very important roles in their respective organisations, the information and knowledge that they carry with them from the project is going to help influence positive decisions in support of gender justice, rights and good governance. In the particular context of Bangladesh society, promotion of justice and human rights is a challenging proposition given the highly divided and hierarchical social structure and deep-rooted superstitions and prejudices among the people. Nevertheless, the kind of programmes MKP implements has a track record of achieving changes, and this project is no exception. But to what extent the benefits of the changes are going to last will depend on a number of external factors like, how different institutions dedicated to protecting the interests of the poor are performing, how the democratic institutions at different level were functioning in a transparent manner, and how the economic progress of the country, with a concern about equity, continued.

As a knowledge-based programme, the learning that different stakeholders, including the community groups have gained, are believed to have a long “shelf-life”. The knowledge about rights (including sexual and reproductive health rights) and laws in favour of women and children against illegal social practices (e.g., dowry, polygamy, under-age marriage and violence against women) have created an informed community who would continue to help others for a long time to come.

The evaluation team thus believes that while changing behaviour and attitude of people is one of the toughest tasks of development projects, its benefits can have the most durable effects in society

3.5 EFFICIENCY The project has adopted a multi-pronged approach to ensuring gender justice, rights and good governance with a diverse range of activities. The discussion above, under effectiveness, has agreed that the project is relevant and effective. The nature of the majority of work is very cost-effective as it relies mainly on the provision of non-material inputs. The value that the work generates is definitely very high and cannot be measured in financial terms. However, after a closer look at the sheer number of activities to execute, one wonders could the project objectives not be achieved by a fewer number of actions with higher quality?

For a three years project costing about Tk.15.4 million we see a long list of 97 activities under five key results. It must be a nightmare to implement and monitor such a project with maximum effectiveness and efficiency for an organisation like MKP which also has many other on-going projects to care about. In the six monthly report for January-June 2012 there are 20 different annexes of non-financial numerical data with many tables but little text explaining them. Having learned that the monitoring system of MKP has


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lots of room for improvement, filling out elaborate forms to record such detailed information (presumably, of limited value) is indicative of a system which is far from being efficient. That is about the monitoring issue. What about actual implementation management of the project? Consider for example, the case of 15 activities under the result 5: Improve reproductive health rights situation. These 15 different activities include training for 37 staff members, one rally at district level, one discussion meeting at district level, one district level painting competition (over a three year period). The evaluation team wondered if some of the activities could not be grouped together to more closely reflect the objectives of those actions? The other question that arises is why such a large number of staff needs to be trained on SRHR? And why is this not separately presented as project administration cost since normally, staff cannot be shown as direct beneficiary of a development project.

Members of Salish Committee


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4. CONCLUSIONS ON THE PROJECT As a result of effective motivational work, both men and women are now aware of their situation in the household as well as in the community. The increased awareness gained through different activities under the project has given them a level of self-confidence on what they do and what they plan to do. In other words, the target groups felt that they now had a greater control over their lives than before. In this section we shall try to present a few conclusions mainly through a review of some of the community structures created by the project along with some general observations.

4.1 WARD SALISH COMMITTEE The WSCs comprising men and women from a mixed social and professional background appear as a strong social force in support of the community in resolving conflicts and offering mediation services. This 12 member body with 6 women and 6 men, represents an informal local ‘authority’ that dispenses justice in different family disputes and people are indeed benefited from those (please recall the case study of Parul above). They have actually been successful in effectively resolving many disputes – some were recorded but some were not. The strong point about the group is their pragmatism and open-mindedness. Unlike some of the other village groups, they are more thoughtful and forthright in their opinions. For example, in discussing the problem of under-age girls’ marriages and dowry, they readily accept that these are widely known as notorious social evils yet, changing these practices have been more difficult than had been imagined. All agreed that, as a first step, those involved with the committees must practice what they preach. As per the old adage, “Charity begins at home” – the committee members and those who can be directly influenced by the project should be asked to make personal commitments or vows to not engage in any of these ‘illegal’ practices.

A courtyard meeting of the Salish Committee


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4.2 FARMERS’ GROUP The village based 40 members farmers groups are an example of not just harmonious co-existence between men and women belonging to different religious and cultural background, but represent active social forces who are concerned about declining ecological diversity and promoting environmental sustainability through the practise of indigenous technological knowledge (ITK). As a result of group activities, and personal efforts in homestead gardening and cultivation of field crops, many members of the group have been able to increase their level of income earnings. Although, primarily an agricultural farming development group, there were a range of other social and technical issues that they have been dealing with as well. General awareness about gender justice and rights appeared to be recognised. But members were obviously keener on technologies, production and marketing issues than others. They need to be informed that they comprised part of a project which was mainly about Gender-justice, rights and good governance.

4.3 ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMME This is a very interesting, relevant and effective development intervention - considering that these boys and girls represent the future generation and leadership for the community as well as for the country. The limited efforts given by the organisation on this component appeared to have already shown promising results. More and more girls would now like to be members of such groups and would like to be involved in different activities. Because, this opportunity for coming together gives them a chance to discuss issues and exchange views about many different ideas and experiences that they would otherwise not be able to get. For example the issues around gender equality, family laws, sexual and reproductive rights etc. Particularly impressive was the attitude of the girls who ride bicycles to school, come to the centre and visit family and friends on their own. They said that it gave them a sense of freedom and self-confidence. Since riding bicycles by girls in Thakurgaon area is quite common for those who can afford it, it is a mark of progress on its own right. The Director of MKP describes it as a symbol of a vibrating youthful life. He thinks that when a group of girls pass by on their bikes, they carry a strong political message: “We girls are also capable of participating in the road to progress and development by our own right.” He added that as a result of their assertion of right, the incidence of so called “eve-teasing” had already gone out of currency in the district. According to him, people (parents as well as the community) have learned to accept and appreciate it.

Adolescent girls at Multipurpose Centre


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However, looking at it from the programme’s perspective, this component for Adolescent girls appeared lacking in lustre with very limited input and patronage. One of the Adolescent girls group visited by the evaluation team in the afternoon found that the girls meet in a rather shabby room with inadequate sitting arrangements and no lights. They did not have books or newspaper to read nor any arrangements for indoor games, let alone facilities for outdoor activities. It appeared that young girls coming from distant places would not have much incentive to participate in the activities of the group on a regular basis if they were not provided with some basic facilities. Considering the value it generates for the project and for the society, increased level of investment should be considered here.

The group of girls who the evaluation team met at the MKP’s multipurpose centre in Thakurgaon, have a play-field, a small library and some sports facility. This was known to have been attracting more and more girls who showed an interest in joining the programme. In order to meet the expectations of the girls, there needs to be some more creative and imaginative activities included for the centre. For example, besides sports and book-reading activities, there can also be essay writing competitions as well as debates and quiz contests. The evaluation team has additionally suggested that a computer with internet facility, which is not very expensive or inaccessible today, should be made available to these groups of girls if possible.

4.4 HARNESSING VOLUNTARISM One of the major strengths of MKP is its good-will among the local population, particularly among the civil society. This has enabled it to draw on people’s voluntary contribution to the benefit of the disadvantaged and poor. MKP has been quite successful in enlisting support of the members of the civil society including young men and women of the area who have been donating blood to save unknown distressed patients fighting for life. The young blood donors met by the evaluation team looked proud and keen. They were truly filling in a “life-saving” role for many poor pregnant mothers to whom this is an invaluable service. Similarly, the members of the District based “Nari Forum” represented the positive elite women power for the benefit of the disadvantaged. They have been instrumental in resolving many problems of many poor people of the local community who are not familiar with the legal processes and terms and can hardly influence the authorities in seeking justice.

The programme thus appeared to have successfully harnessed the spirit of voluntarism of the community in favour of distressed humanity. In return, this group of volunteers express their satisfaction and gratitude to MKP for creating this opportunity to serve the disadvantaged people. However, these civil society bodies are largely dependent on secretarial support from MKP and are very loosely organised with no consistent plan for periodical meetings. A group might meet once after one month or sometimes not before 3 to 4 months. Although, each of these forums have committees of their own, they do not have a particular plan of action. While remaining informal has its advantages of working around flexible time-frame for meetings and actions, we have suggested that each group had an annual target and an annual plan of action including minimum number of


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meetings each should hold. Besides, these groups also need to have a long-term vision on how they wished to emerge as independent entities.

4.5 NEED FOR AN IMPROVED PME SYSTEM Finally, in relation to programme effectiveness and programme management and enhancing the institutional learning process, this evaluation would recommend investing into developing a strong PMEL (Planning Monitoring Evaluation and Learning) system for MKP. A review of the project documents and the PME framework presented in these reveal many loop-holes. Firstly, in the weak narrative of the project concept, and second, in the monitoring plan depicted (only) in the results matrixes. These documents have exhaustive details of activities, but grossly insufficient explanation of the rationale for those and explanation on how the quality of work would be ensured. The review of the annual and six-monthly reports also shows a lot of unqualified statistical data in many tables with no explanation whatsoever on what they represented.

Meanwhile, the organisation has grown quite big with field areas spread over 3-4 districts and the number of staff has grown to a high level (over 550). It has a range of projects and activities in all different places – some are more than an hour’s drive from the main office in Thakurgaon. This is undoubtedly a challenge for the management to effectively keep track of the people, resources and activities. The way the current affairs of administration and programmes are managed has a risk of causing wastage of resources and not producing evidence of results and impact. Because in order to ensure a high quality of programme outputs, the need for an effective close monitoring cannot be over-emphasised. Currently, the PME that the organisation has, is an ad hoc one and very narrowly “project based”. This is not the most efficient way to plan, monitor and evaluate programme activities of an organisation and it is not the best way to utilise its resources in the most effective and efficient manner. The evaluation team therefore recommends that MKP, with active support from its development partners, develop a central PME system that can be a source of institutional learning as well as a helpful management guide.


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5. ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT It would not be unfair to say that MKP, like a couple of other Diakonia partner NGOs in Bangladesh, has been overly focused on programmes and projects and very little focus is given to organisational development. Over many years of its operation, the organisation had time enough to concentrate its energy mainly in developing programmes of work and securing resources for their implementation. Donors interested in implementing a particular project in this geographical area (a priority development zone for most), looked for the most experienced local NGO and found MKP among the best. As the majority of these donors were here on a short-term basis, they could not care less about the organisational future of their partners. Hence, except for Diakonia, not many development partners showed interest in developing the core organisational capacity and competence of MKP. Even for Diakonia, its major concern seemed to have been in ensuring conceptual unity on the thematic issues, so that the implementation quality remained correct and high. Capacity building support provided to MKP was mostly on specific themes and contents of the concerned projects.

On the other hand, MKP remained mostly pre-occupied with responding to donor needs for producing new proposals, reports, case-studies and so on. As it has always tried to align itself only with donor needs, the organisational structure remained flexible and very much project-centric. MKP did not have time to emerge as a self-contained institution with a secure core funding source that could have enabled it to maintain a group of core staff and implement long-term projects. Although, it has its basic systems and procedures which can meet its donor and Govt. reporting requirements, MKP does not yet have a proper central planning and central coordination mechanism. Nor does it have a staff development plan with long term objectives. Without a clear and effective central coordination and planning system, the organisation runs the risk of losing its institutional memory, together with the valuable lessons it has generated for future.

5.1 STRENGTHS TO BUILD ON With an annual budget of Tk. 45 million (roughly, US$570,000) and a staff size of about 560, MKP today is not only a large regional organisation in Bangladesh, it is the leading NGO of the area. It has a large body of devoted staff and its work is focused only on this particular geographic region. It has some valuable physical assets with an office building and a training centre on its own land, along with necessary office equipment and transport. The organisation has an accountable governance system with eminent people on its executive committee. Above all it has a very high reputation as a helpful development organisation among the people of the region.

Its management system is functional and it is able to coordinate implementation of about a dozen small projects. MKP and its leadership have a good rapport with local government administration as well as Civil Society comprised of people from different professional groups. Most importantly, MKP is a trusted partner for the community groups in different parts of the region, including those in remote rural areas.

5.2 LIMITATIONS TO OVERCOME


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As noted before, all its work is either under one project or another with not one having a long-term assurance of continuity. There is no core organisational programme of work and no donors have yet agreed to cover costs of core support. As a result, every piece of work has to be covered by one project or another. In other words, a high dependency on project based work makes the organisation feel a little uncertain how the coming years would be like? Even when there are enough donor assurances for support for a given period of time, the organisation might still run into a cash-flow problem due to delay in processing the application and obtaining government clearance for the fund.

5.3 PLANNING FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT The staff of the organisation feel that, being situated far from the capital city (500 km from Dhaka), they often lag behind in adopting modern skill and technologies in their work. For example, not many staff of MKP were sufficiently skilled in using ICT technologies due to lack of exposure and experience. Similarly, MKP feels that it is often unable to keep itself up-to-date with new information, new ideas, new concepts and new skills required for the nourishment of a modern development institution. Similarly, they lack appropriate technical competence in some of the areas like PME, research, and knowledge management. The methods and systems they use for these purposes are a bit outdated. For example, the accounts department is staffed with well-qualified people with appropriate accounts management capacity. However, for the sake of increased efficiency, computer-based financial management in these days, is very essential. It was however, good to learn that they were planning to gradually computerise their accounts system. Communication in English language was another area of their limitation that has so far been addressed only by ad-hoc arrangements. This needs to be improved with a planned process of staff recruitment and training.

As most of the staff members are under short-term contract, establishing a proper personnel management system with substantial staff development measures has not been possible for MKP. This has had a negative effect on the growth of the organisation, which is unfortunate for an old organisation like MKP. It has a good number staff members who have been working for a long time now, yet not entitled to usual benefit packages (e.g., provident fund, gratuity, pension) that most organisations would offer. MKP needs to plan now, how it can overcome this shortcoming in order to have a solid institutional footing for MKP. It can explore about it by learning from different established NGOs in the country and also by receiving professional consulting services from management consultants.

5.4 STRATEGY PLAN A review of different organisational policy and project documents reveal that MKP lacks a coherent strategic vision1 and consistent articulation of its strategic intents. The organisation needs to have a clear shared vision on what it wants to achieve in future. Like any well-developed organisation, MKP needs to have a strategy that guides its use

1 A strategic vision is defined as “A dream of an intended reality; one that inspires, brings about commitment and expresses the values of an organisation”. This is not something that an organisation can achieve on their own. It guides them in their work and which they believe can be achieved if enough projects and organisations share the vision and work towards it (SP Toolkit by Janet Shapiro, CIVICUS).


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of resources in order to accomplish a mission. It should thus reflect organisational theory of change (MKP assumptions on how social change takes place). Although, MKP now has its statements for vision and mission statements they do not appear to be part of a structured strategy plan. We think it is time MKP developed a Strategy Plan that will guide it into a new future with increased consolidation of its work for increased effectiveness and efficiency.

5.5 GENERAL PLANNING PROCEDURE As noted before, the organisation currently has many on-going small sized projects. Compared to the past, it has far too many projects than before, yet the management structure remained more or less the same. Hence, there is a strong need to update and decentralise the management system and practice. Accordingly a central planning and management mechanism that would maximise utilisation of its resources should be developed. The linkages and synergies between all different programmes of MKP (e.g., water and sanitation, Rural Justice, NFPE, primary healthcare etc.) need to be established and linked to a strategic plan. Domination of the people at the top is reflected everywhere which disallows the benefits of a participatory development process that ensures more effective decision making based on collective knowledge and wisdom. Currently, it appears that there is no clear system of delegation of responsibilities. This needs to be improved with some of the authorities’ responsibilities delegated to other staff. At present, all different organisational decisions, big or small seem reliant on the ED, which puts a heavy demand on his time? To improve the situation, second line leadership needs to be developed and made more visible.

The Chair of MKP Inaugurates a Tree-plantation drive


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6. KEY CONCLUSIONS The operation of MKP is focused on empowerment of disadvantaged communities through building social and political awareness mainly, but also to some extent through building economic capacity with the help of agricultural enterprise development. This has been largely relevant and effective. Its work components do promise wider and deeper social impact leading towards a more equitable and inclusive social order. The programme on Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance has created increased access to knowledge, resources and services on health, education and agricultural development for the poor rural communities. A better standard of living has thus been promoted and the communities that MKP works with have experienced a steady upward mobility.

6.1 MANAGEMENT SYSTEM REVIEW As the volume of work has increased manifold over the years, it has necessitated the organisation recruit many new employees and expand the work into newer areas. This has naturally required an increased volume of financial and material resources in order to manage. However, the management structure and system did not seem to have improved to the extent necessary in order to cope with the growth. For example, the current project-centred management practice and PME process has experienced stress as reflected in some of their recent documents discussions with the staff. This situation needs to be changed to achieve the desired level of efficiency, result and impact. The evaluation team believed that a stronger central management and coordination mechanism was necessary to improve the situation. At the same time MKP needs to strengthen its management system and procedure as well as devote its attention to developing an organisational strategy with revised Vision and Mission statements.

The organisation also needs to develop a culture and process of participative planning and review with which a group of senior staff members will assist the Director in producing plans and making decisions. Currently, the project based planning responsibility is entirely on the shoulder of the Director. The work is very much desk-based rather than processed based following the principles of participative planning. Clarity in line management of staff is needed by clearly defining staff responsibilities. For example, roles and responsibilities for Finance and Administration units should be separate and not to be managed by the same staff as currently practiced. This will help increase the level of effectiveness in work as well establishing transparency and accountability. The Director needs to be relieved of managing too many posts as the current Organogram does not have a provision for second tier management line that would share some of his responsibilities. This should enable the Director to devote more time in strategic thinking and planning for the organisation as well as for the programmes.

6.2 NEED A STRONG PMEL PROCESS Efforts are also needed to develop an effective PME (Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation) system based on clear logic-based planning and review framework. The current results framework that MKP follows (for Diakonia) can be further improved and


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simplified. As it stands now, the reporting system of MKP appears overly detailed (20 Annexes), yet with inadequate information and analysis on impact. The MKP needs to define and articulate the concepts and values of some of its successful works in clearer terms, so that the ideas and experiences behind those are known most effectively to others. It has to be done in such a way that everybody understands what MKP specialties are there. For example, there needs to be documents defining and explaining the roles and functions of ‘Gender Forum’, ‘Cycle Girls’ and ‘blood donors’. This will help establish MKP as an outstanding and creative orgnisation with innovative models of work in social development.

6.3 NEED HIGHER LEVEL POLICY ADVOCACY A review of Diakonia Country Strategy informs us that the project under evaluation directly contributes to the strategic objectives of Diakonia Bangladesh and its thematic issues of reducing gender discrimination, increasing respect for human rights, promotion of democratic good governance and improved access to social and economic resources. The local level work of MKP has over many years of networking, rapport building and support, created an impact in reducing the incidence of rights violation, improving gender equality and awareness about the need of transparent and accountable governance system. However, as one can imagine, a lot of this is dependent on changing national policies and the governance culture at the top. Much of the change at local level may not be possible if changes at the higher level are not forthcoming. For example, if implementation of the policy directives of the national Women’s Policy does not happen, the process of change at the community level in promoting gender equality may not be expedited. Similarly, unless there is a noteworthy break-through in the promised decentralization process through devolution of power to local government authorities, promotion of good governance and having ‘responsive’ local institutions may remain a far cry.

Therefore, one might ask to what extent the project is contributing to the above, if at all? How does it play a role, even in a small way, to making a change in the promotion of gender justice, human rights and good governance including increased access to social and economic services nationally?. While the value of community level improvements achieved by the project cannot be under-estimated, a sustainable long-term difference in this respect also cannot be expected without policy change and macro level interventions. How has the effects of MKPs work influenced the national institutions or the government in amending or adopting policies that would have lasting effects? Has Diakonia used the lessons and examples created by its partners to mobilise national opinions and thoughts?

6.4 DOES A NEW PHASE HAVE PARTICULAR TARGET? It is heartening to note that Diakonia has remained a trusted development partner for MKP in Bangladesh for a long time now, (since 1990). Such a long-term partnership has had many practical advantages for MKP which sees Diakonia as their key patron and a mentor. However, it was not clear if any particular criteria were used by Diakonia to decide extension of a project phase? Does extension of a phase for an on-going project entail commitment from the partner to achieve particular land marks? Or is extension made because a particular value addition is promised by the new application for the


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upcoming phase? Notwithstanding the practical advantages that entails continuation of partnership relation between two trusted and tested institutions, the above question is asked because the rationale for extension of phases and any conditions thereof was somehow not spelled out explicitly anywhere. If a programme was continued to apply the same set of solutions year after year to address the same group of problems without creating additional values (not just more of the same) and adding new knowledge and new lessons; or not having an eye to affecting changes at the macro level scenario with an emphasis on sustainability of benefits, then it had better reconsider its decision in this respect. Linked to this is the question of the usual rationale or conditions used for phase continuation support to a partner by Diakonia? Are the partners required to offer an innovative solution or a new approach to qualify for support to the new phase?

The above is however, not to suggest that it was not necessary to extend the phase for this particular project. On the contrary, we believe that projects of this nature cannot be expected to produce meaningful and sustainable results if longer term intervention of 10-15 years is not planned.

Youth Volunteers who work with MKP


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RECOMMENDATIONS 1. That a programme for ensuring gender justice, rights and good governance would

require several years of work and many different activities in the particular socio-political context of Bangladesh cannot be denied. What the evaluation has observed however, is that there is not enough rationale for the projects movement from one phase to another. There were some notes on the innovative posture the new phase would have, but the elements of innovation were not explained in detail in the project proposal. Regarding the incredibly high number activities, the questions that comes to our minds is what are the relative values of one activity over another? Could some of the activities not be grouped together under particular headings or theme to show that a specific result is achieved by that? Could not implementation of fewer and focused activities produce better results? It is therefore recommended that for the sake of efficient and effective implementation and management of a project, activities should be fewer and sharper. Moreover, it should be made explicit that any extension of a project phase should meet a few conditions in order to receive approval, for example, the proposal should have innovative elements including more effective approach and necessary additions or deletions.

2. For ensuring participation of people from different walks of life into different activities of MKP with regard to ensuring gender justice, rights and good governance, MKP has helped forming different stakeholder groups at different levels. We have Upazila based Gender Forum, District based Nari Forum, Ward level Salish Committees, Adolescent girls groups and urban youth volunteers groups, besides village level farmers groups and women’s samities. It is understood that the village and ward level groups with limited literacy skills of the members will need support from MKP for a long time before they were able to function on their own. But Upazilla and District based forums and committees are capable of functioning independently. Therefore they need to be encouraged to develop their short and long term plans of work including targets to achieve. Besides, they should also be asked to develop a plan to become fully independent entities in future.

3. For the sake of developing MKP into a proper institution, it needs to find a way to have a core group of staff with the required key competence under permanent contract (all contracts are terminable though, under certain situations). This would enable the organisation to plan investments in staff development and have benefit packages for them like provident fund, gratuity, and pension. This should give MKP a stronger institutional structure with much enhanced capacity to manage its affairs..

4. The organisation is overly dependent on the Director for all planning and decision-making tasks. For a more effective organisation, MKP needs to have a system of planning (Annual or biannual) in which representation of staff from all different levels including the fields should be ensured. Similarly, for a more efficient management of operations, the Director may plan to delegate some of his responsibilities to some of his senior colleagues. He might also find it useful for the purpose, to create a position of a deputy director.

5. Although, MKP is a grass roots organisation and its strength lies in successfully mobilising local communities and public sector institutions for the benefit of the


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poor, it is recommended that the organisation has an enhanced capacity in the areas of research and advocacy, particularly at the national level. MKP’s field level experience should lend strong credibility to its policy advocacy work. Moreover, success of its community level work on gender justice, rights and governance is often reliant on changes in national policy. Therefore, MKP is encouraged to upgrade its institutional capacity at that level.

6. For a modern, progressive organisation like MKP, the need for a SP (Strategy Plan) cannot be over-emphasised because that should provide the organisation with a shared vision and mission. It should provide MKP with valuable guidance in developing a set of coherent demand-based programme of work. Therefore, the organisation should invest some resources to obtain professional guidance in developing a Strategy Plan.

7. A PMEL process should be introduced in MKP so that the organisation gets accustomed to a regular (quarterly, six-monthly or/and annual) planning and review process. Moreover, strong M&E capacity is needed because the management staff will constantly require information to produce reports for donors. Therefore they need to develop systems, tools and skills in planning, monitoring and evaluation.

8. TheMKP needs to offer ‘permanent’ contracts to (at least) some of the older staff members so that the organisation has a committed and motivated cadre of core Staff who will be entitled to benefits like PF, Gratuity and pension. For that, provision will be needed to create appropriate committees, agreements, get them registered if necessary and produce procedures manuals.

9. As volume of accounts and accounting work is becoming bigger and more complex, MKP should try to introduce computer-based financial management system. Besides, in order to bring about an increased level of efficiency, accountability and transparency, roles between the staff of Finance and Administration should be clearly separated. It is recommended that the management structure and process in the central office is reviewed and appropriate people are entrusted with specific responsibilities as noted above.

10. Given the future potential of adolescent girls in the country (they are likely to be the future leaders), the Adolescent girls groups should receive appropriate attention. They should be provided with appropriate place to meet with minimum facilities like book library, ICT (information, communication and Technology) and entertainment facilities like sports and music.

11. MKP may decide to conduct a follow-up study based on the 2004 baseline study report that the organisation has to assess changes in the socio-economic condition of the people in its work area. This should enable the organisation to assess effectiveness (or other wise) of its interventions

12. In order to be a more effective organisation and produce better results from its work, MKP might decide to reduce the number of different projects or activities that it is currently involved with and focus on a smaller volume of work. MKP should now have an eye on quality rather than quantity. Diakonia may wish to help in this respect by committing some necessary resources.


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ANNEXURES


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ANNEX 1: FIELD-VISIT SCHEDULE Programme Schedule for visit to MKP, Thakurgaon in November 2012

Date Visits/Meetings Remarks 10/11/2012

4.30-7.00pm

Arrival at Thakurgaon; Meeting with senior project staff at MKP Training Hall

Executive Director presided the meeting and project heads and other senior staff were present

11/11/2012

10.00-11.00

Group visits and meetings with Durgapura Nari Samity, Dakhin Shill Para Nari Samity, Dhakain para Nari Samity

Samity President Ms. Shahida was present and Momotaz of MKP guided

11.30 -1.30 Meeting with Ward Shalish committee Khoribari, Razaga union

Abdus Samad, Sasanka Ram Barman of MKP accompanied

03.00-4.00pm Meeting with farmers forum Jogonnathpur, Kalitola, Schoolpara Sadar upazila, Thakurgoan

Rahmat Ali of MKP, and Rais Uddin-President, Falguni Roy-Vice President

04.15-05.10pm

Visit to Millpara Adolescent girls group at Aoliapur union, Thakurgoan

Rumana Akther of MKP, Ms. Konok Chapa, Secretary were present

12/11/2012

10.30-12.00

Meeting with Upazila Gender Forum of 50 members at MKP training Institute

Ms. Rekha Rani, Ms. Rehana elected Upazila members and women leaders - 20 members were present.

12.15- 1.10pm Meeting with Adolescent girls group at MKP training Institute

21 member were present many girls came riding Bicycles ,

03.00-4.30pm Meeting with civil society members at MKP training Institute

Religious leaders, lawyers, government official, teachers, journalists were among 17 people present in the meeting

04.45-5.30pm Meeting with youth Volunteeers donating blood - at MKP training Institute

12 blood donors were present in meeting

13/11/2012

11.00-12.00

FGD with ‘Parpugi Fishers Samity at Parpugi, Jamalpur Union

Ms. Shankhabala-President, Ms. Parulbala-Secretary and Meher Niger of MKP were present.

12.30-1.30 pm Meeting with ED at MKP head office At Head Office

03.00-4.30 Meeting with Nari forum at MKP training Hall About 30 participants; Luna from MKP led

03.30-5.30pm Meeting with Finance personnel at MKP head office

Mr. Naresh, Ms. Protima, Mr. Sijit Kumer Das

08.00 pm Meeting with Mr. Abul Hossain Sarkar, Chairman of the Executive Board, MKP

At MKP Guest House.


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ANNEX 2: DOCUMENT REVIEWED

Serial Name of Document

1. Project Proposal: Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance, January 2010- December 2012, MKP, Thakurgaon.

2. Six Months Progress Report for the project, Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance, January-June 2012, MKP, Thakurgaon

3. Annual Progress Report for the project, Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance, January-December 2010, MKP, Thakurgaon

4. Annual Progress Report for the project, Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance, January-December, 2011, MKP, Thakurgaon

5. Manab Kallyan Parishad-MKP “AN OVERVIEW”

6. Country Strategy, Bangladesh 2012-2015, Diakonia, Dhaka.

7. MKP Baseline Study Report on Socio-Economic Status of the Beneficiaries by RIDS, Dhaka. January 2004.

8. Kormi Niyog o Chakri Bidhimala

9. Shishu Odhikar Surakha Nitimala

10. Gender Policy (within organization)

11. Guidelines on Financial Policy, Accounting System and Practices for MKP

12. Action plan of Gender Justice Project

13. HIV & AIDS Policy

14. Audit certificate, report project and of MKP of 2010-11

15. Training materials on gender and human rights, watsan and health, family law, environment, local agriculture,

16. Baseline survey report EGJRGG project, December 2010

17. Project proposal on EGJRGG, preprimary schooling MKP

18. Evaluation Report on Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance project for 2010-11 by Avijit Roy, January 2012.


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ANNEX 3: SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths Weakness

Large number of devoted staffs

Focus on one particular geographical region

Strong team spirit and congenial work environment

Accountable to Government and Donor

Transparent and accountable management

Have sufficient logistics arrangement

Experienced gender sensitive work force

Organized and sensible group members

Dependency on project base activities

Lack of proper monitoring system

Lack of core organizational programmes

Dependency on limited fund sources

Donor dependency cash in flow

Limited access to mainstream development (information?)

Lack of modern skill and knowledge in development management

Opportunities Threats

More focus for specialized programs

Strengthening other sectors and issues like child rights, food security, climate changes

Gradual development of PME system

Leading (organisation) in socioeconomic development at local level

Shortage of (sufficient) fund

Natural Disaster and uncertain political situation

Employees turnover

Government policy for NGO management


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ANNEX 4: TERMS OF REFERENCE

TERMS OF REFERENCE Name: Project evaluation of Diakonia funded projects: Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance with the participation of Rural People

Quality and Value-Based Pre-primary Schooling for Disadvantaged, Poor and Ethnic Minority Children

Gender and Good Governance

Justice and Human Rights for Underprivileged People (JHUP)

1. PURPOSE 1.1. Evaluate whether the interventions are on track and are likely to reach their objectives by

assessing the effectiveness, impact, relevance, sustainability and efficiency

1.2. Highlight good examples, practices, if any, within the projects

1.3. Where applicable, recommend how to improve the design and implementation of the interventions

1.4. Assess to what extent the projects are making effective contribution to the present results according to the current Strategy Plan for Diakonia

1.5. Recommendations regarding continuation/phasing out of the evaluated projects

2. BACKGROUND 2.1. Diakonia committed SEK 5,678,480, to four Diakonia supported projects during years 2010-

2012 that are scheduled to end in December 2012. Breakdown as below:

Project Budget

Partner: MKP, Thakurgaon Project: Ensuring Gender Justice, Rights and Good Governance with the participation of Rural People. Period: Jan 2010 – Dec 2012

BDT 15,400,000

SEK 1,691,240

Partner: MKP, Thakurgaon Project: Quality and Value-Based Pre-primary Schooling for Disadvantaged, Poor and Ethnic Minority Children Period: January – Dec 2012

BDT 2,990,000

SEK 260,000

Partner: PARTNER, Rajshahi Project: Gender and Good Governance Period: Jan 2010 – Dec 2012

BDT 20,142,132

SEK 1,870,240

Partner: SARA, Mymensingh Project: Justice and Human Rights for Underprivileged People (JHUP). Period: Jan 2010 – Dec 2012

BDT 2,01,49,066

SEK 1,857,000


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2.2. The major thematic areas of these projects are: Gender equality, human rights, democracy and access to social and economic resources.

3. RECIPIENT

The recipient of these evaluations is Diakonia Bangladesh and relevant partner organisations

The evaluation, once finalised, will be shared with other relevant stakeholders as necessary

4. SCOPE OF WORK

The evaluation will assess progress over the past years considering projects’ effectiveness, relevance, impact and efficiency of the criteria as below:

4.1. Effectiveness: Has the intervention achieved its objectives or is achievable using the current design.

To what extent have the agreed objectives been achieved?

Are the successfully achieved activities sufficient to realize the agreed outputs

What are the reasons for the achievement or non-achievement of outputs or outcomes?

What could be done to make the interventions more effective

4.2. Relevance: are the interventions consistent with the needs, priorities of the rights holders and the polices of partner country, partner and Diakonia

Are objectives in line with needs, priorities of rights holders and problem analysis Do the interventions have the potential for replication and/or expansion

4.3. Impact: what are the overall effects of the intervention, intended and unintended, long term

and short term, positive and negative.

How the interventions affected the well-being of different groups of stakeholders What would have happened without the interventions What are the positive and negative effects Do the positive effects outweigh the negative ones What do the rights holders and other stakeholders perceive to be the effects of the

intervention on themselves To what extend does the intervention contribute to capacity development and strengthening

of institutions

4.4. Sustainability: will the benefits produced by the interventions be maintained after withdrawal of project support.

To what extent does the positive impact justify continued investments Did stakeholders participate in the planning and implementation of the intervention to

ensure local engagement Do relevant partners possess sufficiently strong governance structures and professional

capacity to sustain the activities Is the technology utilized appropriate to the economic, social and cultural conditions of the

country Are the interventions harmful to the environment

4.5. Efficiency: can the costs of the interventions be justified by the results

What measures have been taken during the planning and implementation phase to ensure that resources are efficiently used

To what extent have the development components been delivered as agreed Could the intervention have been done better, more cheaply, or quicker Could an altogether different type of intervention have solved the same problem at a lower

cost


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5. STAKEHOLDER

The work will be carried out in a transparent manner in consultation with the people relevant to the interventions.

This should include Diakonia staffs, key personnel of partners, stakeholders, rights holders and other designated persons as appropriate.

There should be active participation from relevant implementing partner organisations It is essential that the evaluation is designed to enable target groups to constructively

participate in the evaluation process

6. METHODOLOGY Desk and field visits, interviews (with individuals/groups) as required according to work plan.

7. WORK AND TIME SCHEDULE

Diakonia will receive a work plan prepared by the consultant, based on the present terms of reference and on the time expected to carry out the tasks.

The length of the consultancy should be within five-six weeks. Preferred deadline for submitting the tasks are by Mid November 2012 or according to agreed

work plan of the evaluator The deadline for submitting the report will be stipulated in the contract signed between the

consultant and Diakonia according to an agreed work plan.

8. EVALUATOR

The assignment will be carried out by a team/group of external evaluators who have: knowledge of local context experience of project evaluations, relevant issues and method gender sensitive and possess knowledge of gender equality issues proficiency in Bengali and English language skills

9. REPORTING AND DELIVERABLES

Draft reports should be presented within a reasonable time for feedback from Diakonia and partners.

Final report: Four evaluation reports based on four projects of three partners One summarized report for Diakonia based on key observations and recommendations

Printed and digital copies of the reports should be presented to Diakonia’s country office in Bangladesh.

10. OWNERSHIP AND CONFIDENTIALITY

The consultant should respect the confidential nature of all information acquired during this consultancy with Diakonia. Diakonia is the sole copyright owner of the products stemming from this consultancy. 11. FORM OF PAYMENT

Diakonia will pay the consultant, upon certification that the services have been satisfactorily delivered, no later than 15 working days after the submission of the reports.

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