Information and referral service/provincial fund : final evaluation -- final report

The objective of the IRS/PF component was to provide DSs, respectively, with (1) information on demobilization benefits and economic opportunities, and (2) small grants for small business and microenterprise initiatives. The IRS/PF successfully attained its objectives and contributed positively to the reintegration of DSs into Mozambican society. Over the course of the project, 79,496 visits were made by DSs to provincial IRS/PF offices, and an additional 30,449 were contacted through outreach programs in rural areas. Requests to the IRS were made for training, employment, assistance with Reintegration and Support Scheme (RSS) payments and other demobilization benefits, self-employment opportunities, and pensions. For its part, the PF funded 4,415 projects for 26,175 beneficiaries -- 22,757 of them DSs -- in the agriculture, industry and crafts, construction, forestry and the environment, fishing, trade and services, and public works sectors. PF projects were in the following categories: income generating activities/microenterprise, service contracts, training, institutional strengthening, labor-intensive activities, community development, permanent employment/on the job training, and returnee support. Secondary benefits of the IRS/PF include capacity building for 10 participating Ministry of Labor employees and conflict resolution team members, and mapping of over 10,000 opportunities for both PF and non-PF employment. The IRS/PF also provided support to other reintegration programs in Mozambique, especially those of the United Nations. Overall conclusions are as follows. (1) The IRS helped link beneficiaries with other programs. For most activities, the access rate reported by the interviewees increased if the respondent contacted the IRS seeking information. However, the IRS appears to have had little effect on the DSs' perception of their own reintegration, and survey results show that a slight decrease in the median perception for reintegration exists for those receiving IRS services. IRS might have created expectations for benefits or programs which it could not or was not meant to deliver. (2) The PF had a positive impact on beneficiaries' perspectives regarding their own welfare and reintegration, their communities, the value of reintegration programming, and the social benefits of peace. PF beneficiaries feel more optimistic about their future than other DSs. In addition, the PF has benefitted DSs economically and increased their economic stability.