¿MISION CUMPLIDA? EVALUACIÓN DEL PROGRAMA DE ... - Novib

¿Misión cumplida? Evaluación Programa ON-LAC
Sustainability and impact
A distinction should be made first between processes and actors. For the latter the
counterparts massively contributed in their capacity-building efforts: not only in
counterparts of counterparts but also in the development of capacity in (local) government.
This was achieved in the longer term, both directly (securing participation and rights) and
indirectly. As far as processes are concerned, the institutionalised participation of
vulnerable groups and, in general, civil society in general is to a large extent successful.
The implementation of rights is not ensured, but pressure is instrumental to the
application of international conventions.
The choice for institutional support by Oxfam Novib, channeled through strengthening
internal systems and capabilities, has in this evaluation been assessed as a successful
strategy. The evidence to date shows it has led to much stronger organisations than before
the evaluation period. However, the kind of funding led to more dependency on Oxfam
Novib than the percentage of funding shows: a major problem for these organisations in
the future is figuring out ‘how to fund institutional capacity.’ 12 Some organisations are
successfully finding national funding (albeit at the risk of clientist practices) or finding
other ways to secure income.
In all applied evaluation aspects the strategies in Aim 4 were successful. The context was
well understood, the selection of counterparts was well done and the results were
satisfactory. Of course there are limits to counterpart capacities. Findings in this
evaluation coincide with another of 2005, pointing to the need of a new strategy in the
light of the ongoing democratisation. That was consequently implemented and the first
results are now visible.
The obtained impact has been assessed as wide, but fragile and not necessarily
irreversible. The question of sustainability can be answered very positively for the actors
involved: capacity development has been broad and deep. From the perspective of
processes, the development of a more democratic and participative culture has contributed
largely to the results achieved. In the culture of democracy and social participation, this is
to be considered as a positive outcome that is both lasting and fortunately difficult to
revert.
Gender-based violence and reproductive rights of women (Aim 5)
Two main areas were covered under Aim 5 of the ON-LAC Programme: gender and
indigenous identity. The focus of the evaluation was limited to the gender part, specifically
gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive rights. Two principal objectives have
been distinguished. The first was to confront and decrease the social acceptance of
violence against women in all its forms and ensure that violence would not go unpunished.
Second was to guarantee that women could exert their sexual and reproductive rights,
since lack of respect for them remained a fundamental obstacle in combating violence
against women. Special attention was to be paid to rights in the fight against the expansion
of HIV/AIDS. Oxfam Novib recognised that in some countries there had been
improvements in the legal framework. However, this was rightly perceived as being of
little avail in the light of the increase in violence against women and impunity still
remaining adverse factors.
The Programme was meant to improve the social and political climate for one million
women in Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Haiti, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia to achieve an
environment that would enable women to exert their rights and, in their absence, their
12 Two organisations were found to have nearly perished with the removal of ON funding after 2008.
12