Evaluation of World Education grants for women's micro-enterprise and urban re-vitalization

Phase I of the Urban Revitalization project aimed to increase morale and ease social tension in the aftermath of the March 1991 coup d'etat by generating incomes in urban communities and by strengthening civic organizations working on urban cleanliness and the restoration of buildings. These efforts seemed to have succeeded; tensions never reached explosive levels and the scheduled elections took place without violence. Phase II consolidated Phase I gains and reinforced the capacities of some NGOs, economic interest groups (GIEs), and civic groups already supported; it also created new GIEs to provide sustainable solutions to the needs of the population. Phase III aimed to strengthen Phase I and II outcomes and replicate their successes in six secondary cities. However, the project remains most sustainable in Bamako, where it had been underway for some time; where NGOs were already active and familiar with the populations' needs; where there were more resources for follow-up support, TA, and complementary activities such as health education; where population density made garbage pick-up more viable because it more clearly responds to a perceived need for which people are willing to pay; and where there existed water systems that made delivery of potable water a viable activity. In other secondary cities, most of the GIEs were in serious trouble, due in part, to faulty pre-project surveys and feasibility studies, the lack of the enabling conditions found in Bamako; use of inappropriate technologies; and NGOs' lack of understanding of environmental and sanitation issues, and inadequate technical capacities in construction, adult education, survey techniques, and feasibility studies. Phase III has suffered from administrative and budgeting constraints caused by USAID action, e.g., initially reducing the period of the grant from 3 years to 1 and then only approving 1-year extensions. This hampered community participation in the project and the provision of training to NGOs, groupes civiques, and GIEs, particularly in the secondary cities. The Women's Micro-enterprise grant initially provided beneficiaries with business and leadership training associated with a grants mechanism; and then initiated savings and credit associations to support business trainees and mobilize local resources for the provision of credit to women savers. The Bamako WE Office established a Management Committee which extended credits to seven women's groups, which then formed four credit unions, three of which are still part of the program. In 12/94, the project was folded into the Urban Revitalization grant. Since then, seven new credit unions have been put into operation, with nine more expected by the end of 1996. The project, implemented directly through Malian NGOs, was dependent on the quality of NGO personnel. At the same time, WE followed no Logical Framework for the administration of the grants (no quantitative goals). As a result, USAID has been dissatisfied over the effectiveness of the programs, and the NGOs have been disillusioned with the amount of capacity-building assistance they have received from WE. Evaluating the project was difficult; while the reporting of concrete accomplishments (e.g., number of latrines built) was quite good, though needing improvement in secondary city activities, documenting of decisionmaking was poor. WE has taken steps to improve monitoring. Allegations have been made that WE employees are board members of NGOs receiving grants from WE, and that the transparency of WE's process for selecting NGOs for participating of the program is questionable. These seem unfounded, but steps should be taken to eliminate the lingering concerns of the NGOs. The two programs have not been integrated in any way; greater synergy for greater impact could be achieved through, for example, incorporating health education in all training and literacy programs (for credit union members, groupes civiques, GIEs, Parent-Teacher Associations [APEs]), and by developing courses and research activities in which all representatives could participate.