Final report : participatory evaluation of the Counterpart Consortium cooperative agreement -- project 115-0001, Central Asian Republics

Evaluation covers the period 9/94-12/96 against a PACD of 6/97. The project is being implemented by a PVO consortium which is headed by Counterpart Foundation, Inc., and includes three partners: Aid to Artisans (ATA), Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs (CNFA), and Goodwill Industries. The project is on track. It is well-managed, and its design represents an efficient, cost-effective use of personnel. Project offices are operating in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and another recently opened in Tajikistan. The project has provided training and TA to 1,271 NGOs (more than targeted), including 200 that have also received a seed and/or partnership grant. It has successfully built upon the successes and lessons learned of USAID and other programs in the NIS. Goodwill Industries has founded its own NGO (Goodwill Initsiativa) in Uzbekistan. The Consortium has not targeted a defined clientele, but has provided an open invitation to participate in its programs. The training program is providing relevant and focused modules in four areas: NGOs and community, strategic planning, NGO management and project design, and NGOs and the media. The training of trainers program, which has made good use of Russian trainers, has been effective. The project has been flexible in supporting about 15 different sectors through its partnership and seed grants. The partnership grants (15) are probably the most important in establishing a sustainable link with a U.S. organization, while the seed grants (163) serve a vital role in establishing an NGO on a firm footing. The project's regional nature has stretched the human resources at times. The seven expatriate staff are often traveling, but that hasn't negatively affected their performance. With email now installed in all countries, communication has improved greatly. The circuit rider aspect of the job may have prevented ATA and CNFA from providing equal effort in all the countries. There is a strong need for additional staff for ATA to adequately support its 9 NGO partners and to expand into Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The same is true for CNFA if it is to expand into Tajikistan. Joint programming and the formation of partnerships has been ongoing with other U.S. grantees/institutions and international groups such as UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, EU-TACIS, the World Bank, INTRAC and World Learning. In Kyrgyzstan, leveraging other donor resources (the World Bank, UNHCR and HELVETAS) has enabled Counterpart to establish satellite offices in the more remote rural areas of Naryn, Kara-Balta, and in Jalal-Abad. In addition, EU-TACIS funding has enabled Counterpart to establish a NGO Resource Center in Bishkek with a satellite center in Osh in partnership with a local NGO support organization (Interbilim) and two European partners (Christian Aid and Dutch InterChurch Aid). The Counterpart Country Director also sits on the USIS-managed Democracy Commission which oversees a grant program for local NGOs and others promoting civil society. In Tajikistan, Counterpart has partnered with Save the Children to provide NGO training as well as to share operational expenses. In most countries, NGO legislation is waiting to be acted upon by the various governments. This project is fostering the "bottom-up" approach, with NGO membership being a critical factor in gaining political influence in order to promote policies benefiting NGOs. Counterpart is supporting the Working Group on Legal Reform in Uzbekistan, the Forum of NGOs in Kyrgyzstan, and consumer rights and human rights organizations in all targeted countries. As an outgrowth of the 1995 regional conference on NGOs and the law, NGO coalitions have formed in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan to work on legal reform and promotion of the NGO sector. Timing is important. The program has been operational less than 2 years and in Tajikistan began only this year. Training and a support system of TA in more specialized areas will be needed during the next stage. Lessons learned are as follows. (1) To have maximum benefit, participatory evaluations (such as this) should be implemented midway through a project. This project only has about 7 months remaining, and the staff are concerned about what comes next. (2) Personnel and financial management require professional management from within the country and from the partners' home offices. This project had a different staff than originally proposed, and yet worked as a team of dedicated and professional members due to the transparent management style of all consortium members. The central control from Almaty of all bank transfers has proved effective in financial control. (3) Having an agreed upon monitoring and evaluation plan from the outset is key in successfully implementing a consortium-type project. The entire consortium team knows its responsibilities within the program. (4) Operating in the same local bank as the donor agency does not mean that your assets are secure. Trust your own sources for determining when to move funds from the bank to a safer place. The bigger the safe doesn't always mean your money is safer. (5) Use of Peace Corps volunteers and internships is an expeditious way of leveraging the long-term use of expatriate staff who are familiar with both the culture and the environment.