Strengthening democratic institutions

The evaluation focuses on five CSOs directly funded by USAID/Nicaragua over the period 1995-4/98: Centro de Educacion para la Democracia (CED), Grupo Fundemos (FUNDEMOS), Centro Nicaraguense de Estudios Laborales (CENDEL), Centro de Estudios Estrategicos de Nicaragua (CEEN), and Mujeres Nicaraguense CONCIENCIA (MNC). The five CSOs undertake activities reaching a variety of target populations, including teachers and students in secondary schools, political parties, other CSOs, the labor movement, the national security community, and citizens at the grassroots. FUNDEMOS and MNC clearly contribute to enhancing participation and may also contribute to increased possibilities for compromise. CED contributes in the area of participation, while CENDEL likely does not contribute outside the sphere of union activities. Also, CEEN contributes to transparency but, unlike FUNDEMOS, not to participation. The evaluation contains several recommendations regarding the funding mix, the link between the CSOs and the Municipal Decentralization and Development (MDD) Project (5240341), appropriate indicators, USAID management, and institutional strengthening and sustainability in Nicaragua. (Author abstract, modified)