1

“United for Greater Governance and Participation”: Empowering

Rural Communities to Strengthen Local Governance and

Accountability Processes

Year 2 Interim Narrative Report

October 3, 2017 – October 2, 2018

Contract: CSO-LA/2016/377-707

Project Implemented by Search for Common Ground in Partnership with Centre for

Coordination of Youth Activities (CCYA)

This project is made possible with funding support from the European Union

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Acronyms

1. ADYO Arise for Development Youth Organisation

2. AYCN African Youth and Children’s Network

3. AYCN Action for Youth and Child Network

4. AYDO Aheimoh Youth Development Organisation

5. CCYA Centre for Coordination of Youth Activities

6. CCYE Campaign for Child and Youth Empowerment

7. CEFCOD Child Empowerment for Community Development

8. CeFORD Children Empowerment for Community Development

9. CHOs Community Health Officers

10. CSOs Civil Society Organisations

11. DBOC District Budget Oversight Committees

12. FGDs Focus Group Discussions

13. INGOs International Non-Governmental Organisations

14. KoCEPO Knowledge for Community Empowerment Organisation

15. KoWONet Kono Women Organisation Network

16. KYDO Kaheimoh Youth Development Organisation

17. MATCOPS Maitei Initiative Empowerment Programme for Sustainable Development

18. MEST Ministry of Education, Science and Technology

19. NRD-SL Network for Rural Development Sierra Leone

20. P2P Peer to Peer

21. PWDs People With Disabilities

22. SABULA Sabula Women’s Association

23. Search

24. SHADE

Search for Common Ground

Self Help Development Everywhere

25. SMC School Management Committees

26. ToT Training of Trainers

27. UPHR United for the Protection of Human Rights

28. URDY-SL Union for the Reformation and Development of Youth Sierra Leone

29. WAN Women’s Advocacy Network

30. WIND Women in Need of Development

31. YACAN Youth and Children’s Advocacy Network

32. YoPALD Youth for Progressive Action and Livelihood Development

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Content

Acronyms ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Table des matières......................................................................................................................... 3 1. Description ............................................................................................................................. 4 2. Assessment of Implementation of Action Activities ........................................................... 5

2.1. Executive Summary of the Action .................................................................................. 5 2.2. Results and Activities ..................................................................................................... 8

A. Results ............................................................................................................................. 8 B. Activities ....................................................................................................................... 10

A.DME.1: Joint Field Monitoring Visits .................................................................................. 47

A.DME.2: Mid Term Evaluation .............................................................................................. 48 2.3. If relevant submit a revised log frame highlighting the changes .................................. 51

2.4. Please list all contracts (work, suppliers, service) above Euro 60,000 awarded for the

implementation of the action during the reporting period, giving for each contract the amount,

the award procedure followed and the name of the contractor. ................................................ 52 2.5. Please provide an updated action plan .......................................................................... 52

3. Beneficiaries/ affiliated entities and other cooperation ................................................... 53

3.1. How do you assess the relationship between the beneficiaries/ affiliated entities of this

grant contract (i.e. those having signed the mandate for the coordinator or the affiliated entity

statement)? Please provide specific information for each beneficiary/ affiliated entity. .......... 53 3.2. How would you assess the relationship between your organization and state authorities

in the action countries? How has this relationship affected the action? ................................... 53

3.3. Where applicable, describe your relationship with any other organisations involved in

implementing the Action........................................................................................................... 53

Partner Radio Stations .......................................................................................................... 54 Civil Society Organisations .................................................................................................. 54

District Budget Oversight Committees ................................................................................. 54 Other third parties ................................................................................................................ 54

3.4. Where applicable outline any links and synergies you have developed with other

actions 55 3.5. If your organization has received previous EU grants in view of strengthening the same

target group, how far has this action been able to build upon/ complement the previous one(s).

List all previous relevant EU grants.......................................................................................... 56 4. Visibility ............................................................................................................................... 57

4.1. How is the visibility of the contribution being ensured in the Action? ........................ 57 4.2. The European Commission may wish to publicise the results of the Action. Do you

have any objection to this report being published on the European Aid Website? If so, please

state your objections here. ......................................................................................................... 57 5. Appendices: ......................................................................................................................... 58

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1. Description

1.1. Name of Coordinator of the Grant Contract: Search for Common Ground

1.2. Name and Title of the Contact Person: Joseph Jimmy Sankaituah, Country Director,

Sierra Leone.

1.3. Name of the Beneficiaries and Affiliated Entities: Centre for Coordination of Youth

Activities (CCYA)

1.4. Title of the Action: United for Greater Governance and Participation: Empowering Rural

Communities to Strengthen Local Governance and Accountability Processes (UGG).

1.5. Contract Number: CSO-LA/2016/377-707

1.6. Start Date and End Date of the Reporting Period: 3rd October 2017 to 2nd October 2018

1.7. Target Country(ies) or Region(s): Sierra Leone

1.8. Final Beneficiaries & or Target groups: The beneficiaries of the project are 24 youth and

women Local CSOs from the six targeted Districts: Koinadugu, Port Loko, Kono, Kambia,

Pujehun and Moyamba. The project also targets District Budget Oversight Committees, School

Management Committees and Community Teachers Associations in the six targeted districts. Key

stakeholders in institutions responsible for promoting accountability in the targeted districts are

also impacted by the project. This includes local authorities, traditional leaders, Ministries

Department and Agencies (MDAs), Sierra Leone Police, Election Management Bodies among

others. Journalists from local radio stations are also supported by the project. It is anticipated that

two thousand women and Youth from the targeted districts and at least five hundred thousand

Sierra Leoneans who listen to Search’s radio programmes will be impacted by this action.

1.9. Country in which the activities took place: Sierra Leone.

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2. Assessment of Implementation of Action Activities

2.1. Executive Summary of the Action This report covers the second year of the implementation of the “United for Greater Governance

and Participation: Empowering Rural Communities to Strengthen Local Governance and

Accountability Processes” CSO-LA/2016/377-707 (UGG) project, from 3rd October, 2017 to 2nd

October 2018. The overarching goal of this three-year action is to contribute to increase

accountability and citizen’s participation in local decision making around service delivery in rural

Sierra Leone.

The year 2018 saw a significant milestone in the democratization process of Sierra Leone. For the

first time, elections were organized without the presence of a United Nations Peacekeeping

Mission since the end of the civil war in 2002. Additionally, it is the second time under the 1991

constitution in which an incumbent was not a contestant for the presidency. Four concurrent

elections took place on 7 March for the presidency, parliament, local government mayors/council

chairpersons and councilors. A total of 16 presidential candidates ran for office, but none of them

won the 55% of valid votes required for a first-round victory. Therefore, a run-off election was

held on 31 March 2018 between the two leading candidates from the two largest and oldest parties:

Dr Samura Kamara of the incumbent All People’s Congress (APC) and retired Brigadier Julius

Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). Brigadier Bio won a majority of the valid

votes cast in the second round. A total of 132 MPs were also elected on 7 March from among 752

candidates fielded by 17 parties (as well as 40 independents). Additionally, 2.741 candidates stood

for a total of 511 elected local councilors, council chairpersons and mayors. The UGG project

played a significant role in this democratization process by making sure that citizens in the targeted

project districts were active participants at all levels of the electoral cycle.

In the midst of all the political activities and uncertainties, the implementation of the UGG project

is still on track, and most activities scheduled to happen during the second year of the project were

implemented. The project’s 24 beneficiary CSOs view the intervention as relevant, effective, and

contributing to efforts that enhance community participation in decision-making and

accountability processes. The District Budget Oversight Committees considered the trainings and

engagement meetings as empowering and critical to enhancing their work in promoting

accountability and transparency in budgeting processes in their respective Districts. District

Budget Oversight Committees’ (DBOCs) trainings and processes have contributed to building the

knowledge and understanding of the roles and responsibilities and visibility of the DBOC. It has

further strengthened the DBOC to engage with the decentralized district local councils on

budgeting issues. Stakeholders at the local level including the Family Support Unit, Ministry of

Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, traditional and religious leaders, Youth

Commission, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ministry of Local Government as

well as other civil society organisations consider the intervention as significant and positive for

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consolidating good governance at the local level. They welcomed the continuous empowering of

citizens for increased collaboration in decision making processes and in clarifying the roles and

responsibilities of critical elements of their governance actors. More specifically, town hall

meetings and policy dialogues have brought citizens and authorities closer together to discuss

governance issues affecting their communities and have led to collaborative decision making.

Through Community Scorecard trainings and processes, targeted schools were introduced to a

simplified user-friendly monitoring tool; the Scorecard, as a means of enhancing collaborative

decision making between education service providers and service users.

The following key activities were completed in the second year of project implementation;

Objective 1: Increase understanding of and demand for greater accountability and participation

in democratic governance and rural communities

▪ Peer to peer (P2P) civic sensitization and dialogue by and for women and youth:

o 6 community level Financial Management trainings conducted for 72 participants

to improve their financial management ability and enhance project funds

management; (Note: this activity is not stated in the project document. It was

conducted to address critical financial gaps noted in CSOs’ financial reports after

the first P2P activity implementation and to respond to the recommendations from

the monitoring visits).

▪ 90 episodes of Atunda Ayenda produced, distributed and broadcasted on 27 local radio

stations;

▪ 26 episodes of Uman 4 Uman produced in Krio, distributed and broadcasted on 27 local

radio stations;

▪ SMS and Facebook campaign messages disseminated: 5,622 people reached via SMS

messages and 60,691 reached via Facebook posts on key civic and voter education

information;

Objective 2: Increase the capacity of key local stakeholders to voice citizens’ demand for

participatory decision making and accountability processes

▪ 6 trainings in Non-Violent Advocacy, Local Governance and Participatory Outreach for 24

project CSOs conducted;

▪ 1 training for radio journalists in governance and common ground journalism targeting the

27 partner radio stations conducted;

▪ 6 trainings conducted for District Budget Oversight Committees

▪ 6 DBOC Community Engagement Activities executed

▪ 24 On Air Town Hall Meetings conducted

▪ 6 District Policy Dialogues on accountability and service delivery conducted

Objective 3: Enhance citizens’ joint participation in decision making and accountability processes

around public service delivery; with a special focus on education

▪ 1 Scorecard Focal Points training conducted for 24 CSO representatives

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▪ 6 Scorecard trainings conducted for School Management Committees and Community

Teachers’ Associations in the six districts

▪ 18 series of 3 meetings of Scorecard processes conducted in the project districts

Monitoring and Evaluation

▪ 1 joint project monitoring visit conducted by heads of CCYA and Search

▪ 12 Project Coordination meetings held

▪ Midterm Evaluation Conducted

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2.2. Results and Activities

A. Results Solid progress was made in the implementation of the key outputs and deliverables set for year 2

and thus implementation is on track as indicated by the table below, despite the tense elections

environment that engulfed most of the reporting period.

Table 1: Progress Implementation Table

# Activity Description

Total

Target Year 1 Year 2

Comple

ted %

Balanc

e %

Preliminary Activities

A.0.1 Participatory Baseline Assessment 1 1 - 100% 0%

A.0.2

Kick-off meeting and coordination at

National Level 1 1 - 100% 0%

Kick-off meetings at District Level 6 6 - 100% 0%

A.0.3

Mapping of youth and women local

CSOs in the 6 districts 24 24 - 100% 0%

A.1.1.

1

Peer to Peer civic sensitisation and dialogue by and for women and youth

Training on P2P Civic Sensitization

and Dialogue 6 6 100% 100%

Finance Training (This activity was not

originally planned) 6 - 6 100% 0%

24 P2P Engagement Plans 24 24 24 100% 0 %

36 micro activities implemented by the

CSOs 36 12 - 33% 66.7%

A.1.1.

2 Production & airing of Atunda Ayenda 120 30 90 100% 0%

A.1.1.

3

Production of Uman 4 Uman (Krio) 36 10 26 100% 0%

Production of Uman 4 Uman (Local

Language) 84 - - 0% 100%

A.1.2.

1

SMS & Facebook Campaign (1.500 per

year) 4500 72,545 60,691

Target

surpasse

d 0%

SMS Campaign 4,500 4,500 5,622 125% +25%

A2.1.

1 Training in non-violent advocacy 6 - 6 100% 0%

A.2.1.

2

Training of journalists in governance

and common ground journalism 2 - 1 50% 50%

A.2.1.

3

Training and Support to the District

Budget Oversight Committees 12 - 6 50% 50%

DBOC Community Engagement

Activities 12 - 6 50% 50%

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A.2.2.

1 On -Air Town Hall Meetings 36 - 24 67% 33.3%

A.2.2.

2

Facilitation of District Policy

Dialogues on accountability and

service delivery 36 12 6 50% 50%

A.3.1.

1

Training of School Management

Committees and Community Teachers

Associations on Community

Scorecards 12 - 6 50% 50%

Training of Trainers on Community

Scorecard Processes 1 1 - 100% 0%

Trainings for Community Teachers

Associations & School Management

Committees (CTAs & SMCs) 12 - 6 50% 50%

3.2.1.

Use of the Scorecards to evaluate education service delivery and its response to the specific

needs of girls

Training of 24 Scorecard Focal Points 1 1 100% 0%

Series of 3 meetings of Scorecard

processes 36 - 18 50% 50%

A.3.2.

1

Production of video documenting the

Scorecard Process 1 - - 0% 100%

Screening held with partner CSO

members and education service

providers at the district level 12 - - 0% 100%

A.D

ME.1 Mid -Term Evaluation 1 1 1 100% 100%

A.D

ME.2 Monitoring Visits 3 - 1 33% 67%

A.D

ME.3 Final Evaluation 1 - - 0% 100%

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B. Activities

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1: INCREASED PARTICIPATION IN DEMOCRATIC

GOVERNANCE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES

Expected Result 1.1. Marginalised groups in rural communities have increased knowledge

of their civic rights and responsibilities relative to local governance

A.1.1.1. Peer to Peer Civic Sensitization and Dialogue by and for Women and Youth

Training of CSOs in Financial Management

Picture 1: Finance training in Kambia District - group work

Following the training in “Peer to Peer Civic Sensitization and Dialogue” conducted in the first

year of project implementation for project CSOs, and the subsequent implementation of the P2P

activities, gaps were identified in the financial reports of project CSOs. In particular, liquidations

for the P2P activities were inadequate and revealed lack of basic understanding of financial

management principles. In addition to this, the Search and CCYA monitoring team reported that

CSOs required capacity building in basic financial management and a hands-on mentorship. Thus,

Search and CCYA Finance Departments designed a training programme tailored to meet the needs

of the CSO partners to improve their financial staff understanding of basic project finance

regulations, reporting procedures and other requirements of the EU. Across the six districts, 72

representatives of the 24 Project CSOs were trained to meet the demand of the project.

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Table 2: Participants to the Training of CSOs in Financial Management

District No. Female No. of Males Total

Participants Youth

Pujehun 6 6 12 3

Moyamba 4 8 12 6

Port Loko 4 8 12 7

Kambia 3 9 12 11

Koinadugu 4 8 12 6

Kono 5 7 12 4

Total 26 46 72 37

Project CSOs acknowledged the

training as having enhanced their

knowledge in basic financial

management, donor requirements

and financial reporting. In particular,

CSOs were grateful that they

requested overwhelmingly for this

training, which they found to be very

important in the management of their organisations.

A set of questions on basic finance and liquidation regulations was administered to participants

before and after the training to assess knowledge before and after the training. All the 72

participants to the Finance Training responded to all the questions. The pre-and post-test analysis

reveals that; at pre-test, all the participants were below average in their understanding of basic

financial management principles and liquidation. This means that there were gaps in the

knowledge of participants. The pre-test was thus significant in showing knowledge gaps between

participants. At the end of the training the post-test shows 53% increased knowledge based on their

responses to the questions. This was a statistically significant increase and illustrates the success

and impact of the training on participants’ knowledge.

A. 1.1.2. Production and broadcast of episodes of the Atunda Ayenda Radio Drama

During the first year of project implementation, thirty episodes of Atunda Ayenda radio soap opera

were produced and ninety episodes in the second year, reaching the total project target of one

hundred and twenty episodes. On average five episodes per week were broadcasted on the 27

partner radio stations across the country.

Quote: Before this training, I actually did not fully

understand why I faced challenges in reporting finances. All

this information you gave us about; what constitutes a

correct receipt; how to show visibility on payment vouchers;

ensuring correct dates; invoices and receipts is critical

information that will see me improving my work. Ibrahim

Sherriff; Moyamba District

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Through Atunda Ayenda messages targeted

at influencing citizens’ participation in

electoral processes, positive masculinities,

civic education, transparency and

accountability were disseminated in an

entertaining manner. In addition, the

Atunda Ayenda storyline highlights the

project’s priority areas such as the

management of public funds, delivery of public education, health and sanitation services, voter’s

rights as well as the role that key stakeholders and citizens can play in decision making and

accountability processes at the local level. The

mid-term evaluation revealed that Atunda

Ayenda has a wider listenership in the targeted

districts and people are familiar with the story

lines and the themes covered. The study reported

that in deed Atunda Ayenda is supporting the

provision of civic and voter education in an

entertaining way.

The Atunda Ayenda story continued to follow the

lives of key characters as they prepared themselves for the forthcoming elections. Galaxy, one of

the cast, the young man who was staying in the United States of America returned with the plan to

aspire as an MP even though he had been out of communication with the community for a long

time. He finds it very difficult to make

progress because of the questions

raised by Tapia and Jhango about his

real intention behind running for MP.

Posseh, a popular trader suffers

gender-based violence from her

husband because she refused to sign up

for his party and also because she had

not been able to bear a child. However, her close friend Usai decided to take up the matter with

the local Police Family Support Unit despite Posseh not wanting her to do so because she does not

want to lose her marriage. Furthermore, the story helped to educate people on the reasons why the

voter ID card that was being distributed by NEC was different from the National ID card that was

promised as this was another thorny issue. Bolingo, an independent councilor who is now vying

to become MP advices that while it is a difficult question to answer, you can judge someone from

his or her track record. Furthermore, if the person does not perform as promised then there are

mechanisms to hold that person accountable. The issue of dual citizenship is also highlighted with

some people claiming it was a witch hunt to disenfranchise their candidates. Captain Buba is happy

that the first round of elections went on peacefully and his friend Justice the mechanic attributes

this to the fact that there were military officers supporting the police. With the results for the first

round of the elections announced, we see the issue of irregularities within the process being raised

Atunda Ayenda is my number one programme. I cannot miss it for any reason. I am a politician and an opinion shaper and issues of accountability, transparency and integrity highlighted are critical for my career. Sallie Conteh, NGC Chairperson in Pujehun District

I love Atunda Ayenda. It is so funny and I learn a lot from it. I’m following the story closely. As it is, every Sunday, I miss the Praise and Worship in my church because I’ll be listening to Atunda Ayenda. Augustine Conteh, Kono District

Uman 4 Uman is all about inspiring women by telling the experiences of other women. When I listen to Uman 4 Uman, I always tell myself that I can do it; if they can do it. That is why I’m in love with the programme. I hear women from my District Kono talking on radio. Female listener from Kono District

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with all parties crying foul that they had been cheated. (The question then was who was cheated

for who or what?) However, the point is made that the electoral process was credible, and all

parties had the opportunity to have agents in all polling stations to ensure that everything was done

in a fair and open manner.

See Annex 1 for summaries of episodes.

A.1.1.3 Production and broadcast of episodes of the Uman 4 Uman Radio Magazine

In the first year, ten episodes of Uman 4 Uman were produced in Krio and broadcasted at least

twice a week across the 27 partner radio stations. The second year witnessed the production and

broadcast of twenty-six episodes of the 30 minutes’ radio programme produced with the focus on

women issues especially focusing on rural communities. The radio programmes were designed to

highlight issues raised in project activities including P2P activities, town hall meetings and policy

dialogues. Uman 4 Uman served to focus on the barriers to women empowerment, teenage

pregnancies, early child marriages, sexual

and gender-based violence. Uman 4 Uman

provided practical day to day experiences of

women who aspired to enter politics and the

challenges they faced; stories by GBV

survivors and illustrated how women are

seeking justice by making use of the gender

laws.

The themes covered in the editions related to people’s attitudes and perceptions towards the

participation of youth, women and PWDs in public life and sought to facilitate attitude change.

Atunda Ayenda also continued to look at Inclusive participation, limited opportunities for women

to engage in the electoral processes and followed female aspirants for various positions from

different political parties. It also demonstrated the fact that the former president whose tenure of

office was coming to an end did not live up to his promise made to women for the 30% quota and

showcased women who won seats for various positions and also the challenges women faced while

aspiring for political office.

The midterm evaluation exercise found out that Uman for Uman is appreciated for motivating

women by bringing success stories of women who overcame barriers to high echelons of society.

In addition, rural women identify with the issues raised and feel inspired to emulate some of the

women show cased.

See Annex 2 for summaries of episodes.

Uman 4 Uman important for women because when I listen to it, and to the stories other women who were in my circumstances tell; I ask myself; If she can do it, then why can’t I. I sort of gain that energy to push for what I want no matter my circumstances. Aminata Brima – CSO Kono District.

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ER1.2. Citizens in rural communities have an increased understanding of local democratic

processes and the role that they can play in the governance of these processes

A.1.2.1 SMS and Facebook Campaign Disseminating Key Civic and Voter Education

Messages

SMS and Facebook

The SMS and Facebook campaign was

pivotal in disseminating key civic and voter

education messages. During the second year,

the database for SMS messages for key

stakeholders was continuously updated to

reflect the diverse nature of our project

participants. The campaign contributed to

increasing citizen’s knowledge of local

democratic issues and motivating active

participation of citizens in governance

processes. Messaging was intensified towards the March 7, 2018 electoral process by providing

key information to citizens regarding making informed voting preferences, promoting tolerance

and social cohesion. Non-violent messages were especially key during the campaign and voting

periods. Attitude shifting messages were also disseminated to encourage citizens to get involved

in key governance issues, linked up with stakeholders and governance structures to demand

accountability. These efforts were made to reinforce consolidated efforts that were being made

across the country to ensure that the democratic transition in Sierra Leone was smooth and

rewarding. In the second year, 5,622 people were targeted with SMS strategic messages towards

improving their understanding and promoting peaceful elections. The Facebook messages

designed around civic and voter education and inclusion had a total of 60691 reaches (cumulative

total number of people the posts have reached); with 1058 engagements. On average, each message

The Facebook campaign under this project has inspired the CSOs in Kambia District. As we are talking right now; UPHR is disseminating district relevant governance messages on Facebook and WhatsApp. Had it not been for this project and the mentorship received form the project team, we would not have gone this far. Ibrahim Fofana, Programme Coordinator for UPHR, Kambia District

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has reached 1065 people. See Annex 3 for the breakdown of messages sent and people reached.

Picture 2: Snapshot of examples of Facebook messages

Picture 3: Examples of Messages Disseminate on Frontline SMS

WhatsApp

Project CSOs have been able to interact and share information using the WhatsApp groups that

were created in the first year of project implementation. Six district specific WhatsApp groups for

the participating CSOs and a general group servicing all the 24 CSOs are active and provides useful

platform for CSOs and project team members (Search, CCYA, Animators and CSO representative)

to exchange information on governance and accountability and update each other on the

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implementation of activities. CSOs have used this platform to share voice clips, short videos,

photos of P2P activities, policy dialogues and town hall meetings as well as testimonies. In addition

to this, CSOs have used the WhatsApp groups to share information concerning other governance

issues and opportunities in their districts. Search has continued to use these platforms to circulate

Atunda Ayenda and Uman 4 Uman episodes to reach wider audiences. Civic and voter education

messages were also disseminated on these platforms. WhatsApp has managed to bridge the

communication gap between Freetown and the districts by linking the programme managers and

Directors of Search and CCYA to the groups and provide feedback information needed to inform

decision making. The WhatsApp group and activities on the platform has also provided another

layer of monitoring for senior project leaders.

Picture 4: Snapshot of WhatsApp Group Interactions

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2: INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF LOCAL

STAKEHOLDERS TO VOICE CITIZENS’ DEMAND FOR PARTICIPATORY

DECISION MAKING AND ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESSES

ER2.1: Targeted stakeholders have a better understanding of local governance and

accountability processes

A.2.1.1: Training of women and youth CSOs in Non-Violent Advocacy, Local

Governance, and Participatory Outreach

Six trainings on Non-Violent Advocacy,

Local Governance and Participatory

Outreach were conducted across the six

districts. These trainings were a follow up to

the P2P trainings conducted in year 1.

Search and CCYA targeted twenty-four

women and youth CSOs supported by the

project; with the aim of empowering them to be actors for positive change within their

communities using a non-adversarial, collaborative approach to governance processes thereby

influencing decision makers for change. The trainings were based on the notion that civil society

should play a key role to respond to the governance challenges faced in rural communities and that

they can be an essential medium through which the voices of marginalized groups and other rural

populations can be channeled to local authorities and decision makers. The training was conducted

before the crucial national elections held on March 7, 2018; from the 11th to the 26th of February

2018 to ensure citizens are mobilized and the active participation of CSOs in promoting a non-

violent election in their respective communities.

Picture 5: Training in Kambia District - Group photo

Quote: I appreciate this training for being timely

and responding to the current needs since our

taking part in the election process as CSOs is

crucial. Going forward, we are going to work

with other CSOs to promote peaceful elections in

Port Loko District. Person Quoted: Nancy Boima; Port Loko District

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The Monitoring reports and Mid Term Evaluation

indicate that the training equipped CSOs with techniques

to engage with local authorities and decision makers

ensuring that their voices, concerns and requests of the

citizens are taken into consideration by local and national

authorities. In addition, the training inspired CSOs to

relay the voices of their peers, generate support and

attention to major issues, interact constructively with

local authorities and service providers as well building

synergy with the media to support their advocacy efforts.

Importantly project CSOs were actively engaged in non-

violent campaigns before, during and after the elections

and this was a direct impact of the training.

The training was participatory and encouraged participants to share lessons and best practices

based on their field-based experiences. Adult learning principles that builds on participant’s choice

of the training content and process were applied. Topics covered include conflict transformation,

conflict mapping, non-violent advocacy, stakeholder analysis and campaigning.

The training in each district lasted for two days with twenty-four (24) participants each, giving a

total of one hundred and forty-four participants as indicated in the table below.

Table 3: Participants to the Local Governance, Non-Violent and Participatory Outreach Training

District Category Females Males Total Disabled

Port Loko Youth 3 3 6 0

Adults 13 5 18 1

Koinadugu Youth 14 10 24 1

Adults 0 0 0 0

Kono Youth 10 14 24 1

Adults 0 0 0 0

Kambia Youth 13 11 24 0

Adults 0 0 0 0

Moyamba Youth 11 6 17 2

Adults 5 2 7 0

Pujehun Youth 3 3 6 0

Women 13 5 18 0

Total 85 59 144 5

Quote: The Common Ground Approach to

conflict transformation is not only

important for programming but at an

individual level, I tell you; my life will never

be the same. It is good to understand that

winning an argument is not always the best;

hearing my opponents and understanding

them should be the key to avoiding violence.

Person Quoted: Mohamed Sesay, Pujehun

District.

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The pre-and post-tests with questions structured around Non-violent Advocacy, Local Governance

and Participatory Outreach were administered before and after the training. All participants

responded to the questions. The analysis indicates that at pre-test level participants had minimal

understanding of non-violent advocacy, local governance and participatory outreach based on the

questions. Correct responses participants to the questions were less than 30%. This was in

contrasted to the post test that showed a marked increase in knowledge gained of 68%. This

provides evidence of participants’ improved knowledge in understanding non-violent advocacy,

local governance and participatory outreach, in light of the questions they responded to after the

training.

The training complemented town hall meetings and policy dialogues in the sense that the topics of

discussion in these platforms were framed during the non-violence advocacy training. Below is an

example of an advocacy plan developed by the Kono Women Network Organisation;

Table 4: Example of Advocacy Plan

No. Activity Date Venue Targeted

Participants

Output Impact

1. Dialogue with

political parties for

the allocation of

symbols to women

and youth aspirants

2nd &

4th

July

2017

Koidu City;

Kumba

Satta

Resources

Centre

50 (Political party

leaders and

executive members)

50 political parties’

representatives

sensitized on political

inclusion

Increased

participation of

women in

public life

2. Dialogue engagement

with chiefdom

councils on the

utilization of the

DACDF

10th

July

2017;

13

July

2017

Nimukoro

Chiefdom;

Jaima

Court Barry

50 (Chiefdom

Councils’

Committee/

Community

representatives)

2 dialogue engagement

platforms for chiefdom

committee and

community

representatives

Improved

transparency in

the

management of

DACDF

20

Picture 6: Training in Port Loko District - Group Photo

A.2.1.2: Training of Radio Journalists in governance and common ground journalism

A three days training of radio journalist in governance and common ground journalism was

conducted from the 16th to the 18th of May 2018 in Freetown. The training targeted 27 radio

journalists from the 27 community radio stations supported by the project. The Table below is a

disaggregation of the number of participants who attended the training.

Table 5: Participants to the Training of Journalists in Common Ground Journalism

Category Females Males Total Disabled

Youth 5 22 27 0

Adults 0 0 0 0

Total 5 20 27 0

21

Picture 7: Training of Radio Journalists in Freetown - Group Work

Search and CCYA hired a governance expert who facilitated topics related to local governance

and democratic principles while Search’s

Media Team focused on Common Ground

Journalism. Topics covered included

understanding the local governance processes;

effective communication; common ground

journalism; media and conflict transformation

and media products development and

management, conflict sensitive reporting, among others.

The training was crucial to promote a

multiplier effect and the amplifying

of project messages and benefits

across the region to a greater

audience of youth, women and other

marginalized groups. The key focus

of the training was creating

knowledge on the common ground approach to journalism and how journalists can play a role in

increasing awareness of local governance and participatory decision-making processes, fostering

social cohesion at the community level. The training developed journalists’ capacity to stimulate

constructive and solution-oriented discussions about local governance issues, the participation of

women and Youth in governance processes and techniques to ensure that the voices of the

marginalized are amplified. Thus, Common Ground Journalists have taken up new roles to create

dialogues especially around conflict sensitive issues.

I have started a radio programme that links my listeners to the council so that they involve citizens in decision making processes. I always tell my listeners that I managed to do that because of the training that I received from CCYA and Search. Person Quoted: Common Ground Journalist in Kono District; Ms. Comfort Kamara

Recently Pujehun District Council bought 60 hand pumps for the community, 11 got missing. I am using the skills from the Common Ground Journalism to dig out issues and bring citizens’ questions to council. I am applying my knowledge to my work. Mohamed Kayimba, Radio Wanjei, Pujehun

22

The training of Journalists in Governance and Common Ground Journalism ignited activism

among trained journalists who have become agents for articulating the demands, needs and

aspirations of marginalized groups to local authorities. In addition, the evidence gathered from the

Mid Term Evaluation of the project revealed close collaboration between the trained Common

Ground Journalists and project CSOs that has been key in re-airing town hall meetings as well as

radio discussions surrounding issues discussed in town hall meetings, policy dialogues and P2P

activities.

Journalists are now confident to approach local authorities on conflict sensitive issues and promote

radio programmes that speak on governance issues. The trained Journalists have been in regular

contacts with the project CSOs in their respective districts and attended project activities providing

media coverage and disseminating relevant information about the project through their community

radio stations. Some of the journalists have developed radio programmes that speak to sensitive

governance and accountability issues including following up on the 2019 budgeting processes and

highlighting council activities. For instance, one of the Common Ground Journalist in Kono

District started a radio programme dubbed “Council Issues” to discuss important issues related to

the Koidu City Council where she even hosts Council Officials so that they respond to citizens’

questions/concerns and provide

clarity on pressing issues.

Collaboration between CSOs and

radio journalists have provided the

leeway for radio stations to amplify

the voices of youth and women in

their respective communities.

Significant gaps in knowledge were noted in the pre and post-test analysis as revealed by a test

that was administered before and after the training. The test was made up of a set of basic questions

on Local Governance and Common Ground Journalism. A statistically significant increase in

average knowledge gained of 54% was realised. Before the training, knowledge gaps were noted

as the majority of respondents barely got half the answers correct. At the end of the training a

majority of respondents got almost all the answers correct with total marks ranging between 85%

to 100%. This illustrated significant improvement in their understanding of local governance and

common ground based on the questions asked.

The first thing I did after the training was to hold a meeting here to cascade the lessons I learnt from my colleagues. We hold meetings every Monday and apart from planning for the week, we remind each other of the common ground journalism: Pujehun Common Ground Journalist

23

A.2.1.3: Training and Support of the District Budget Oversight Committees (DBOC)

DBOC Trainings:

Picture 8: Kambia District DBOC Training - Group Photo

A two days training workshop for 14 DBOC members and 3 representatives of Council’s Finance

Department was conducted in each of the 6 targeted project districts from 27 August to 7

September 2018. Search and CCYA engaged a consultant to develop the training module based on

the findings of the baseline study, training needs identified from further consultations with DBOCs

and international best practices. More specifically, the training focused on increasing knowledge

in national and local budgeting

processes; local budget

analysis; planning for citizens’

engagement, participatory

budget monitoring and other

areas related to local budgeting

for accountability and service delivery. The training technique centered on showing DBOCs that

they were in the training not just to get information but to also get their problems solved. This was

a practical training making sure that there is a clear linkage between the work and experience of

participants and allowing them the time to discuss with each other how the new information

connects with what they already know.

Quote: If you had not come to our rescue we would have remained dead because we were not functioning at all. The training gave me the zeal to work for the development of my district and made me understand how to relate with the stakeholders and what to do to inform citizens on budgeting issues. I say thank you to Search, CCYA and EU. DBOC Coordinator for Kono District

24

The Mid Term Evaluation revealed that the training created awareness on budgeting processes and

improved DOC's capacity to effectively monitor utilization of public funds thus promoting the

potential for budget transparency reform process at local level. In addition, the training served to

bridge the gap between Council and DBOCs, given that this was one key challenge identified

during the training. However, other key challenges noted during the training related to the fact that

DBOCs had no access to information from MDAs, councils, lack resources to fund meetings and

barely meet among themselves as they are located far apart.

A key observation made during the

Mid-Term Evaluation was that before

the training, DBOCs could barely

articulate their legal mandate thus

considering them as weak institution

in the eyes of other stakeholders.

Consequently, DBOCs appreciated

the training for broadening their

constitutional mandate and detailing

how they ought to work with other

institutions. DBOCs judged the

knowledge gained from the training as

both relevant and appropriate for their

work. The trainings strengthened their

communication with stakeholders,

particularly council by making them understand how to communicate in sourcing information. In

each district, the training was attended by 3 representatives of Council’s Finance Department who

also welcomed the training as opening doors for enhanced interaction between council and DBOCs

on budgeting issues. A key output of the training was a DBOC engagement plan drawn to enhance

the collaboration between the district Councils, Ministries, Departments and Agents, CSOs, local

authorities and DBOCs in each of the districts. The engagement plans developed during the

trainings were executed in the DBOC engagement activities.

Table 6: Participants to the DBOC Trainings

District Male Female Youths (M&F) Disabled

Port Loko 11 6 7 0

Kambia 13 4 3 0

Koinadugu 14 3 4 0

Kono 11 6 3 0

Pujehun 14 3 2 0

Moyamba 15 2 2 0

Total 78 24 21 0

Picture 9: Group work in Moyamba District

25

A list of questions related to the roles of DBOCs and budgetary processes formed the pre and post

test for the DBOCs’ trainings. All the participants willingly responded to the questions before and

after the training. What came out clear was that none of the questions was answered correctly by

all the participants. Based on the responses given, the pre-test established that a majority of the

participants had below average understanding of the roles and functions of DBOCs and budgetary

processes. At the end of the training, improvement was noted with all participants showing above

average knowledge in the way they responded to the questions. This demonstrated that the training

had positive impact with an average knowledge gained of 52%.

DBOC Community Engagement Activities

DBOC Community Engagement Activities

witnessed the execution of DBOC

Engagement Plans developed as a key

output of the DBOC trainings. DBOC

engagement activities, framed in line with

the DBOC engagement plans developed as

part of the DBOC trainings were conducted from the 8th to the 13th October 2018 simultaneously

and were attended by a total of three hundred and sixty-two participants; composed of one hundred

and fifty-one females and two hundred and eleven males. Of these, fifty-one of the participants

were youth and eight were people living with disabilities.

Picture 10: Cross section of participants for the DBOC engagement activity; Kambia District

Quote: Even in our chiefdom, accountability is important. Sometimes people grumble just because they do not understand how revenue is collected and utilized. Myself as a chiefdom authority, I would want to see everyone understanding how we collect and use tax money. Alie Sesay, Section Chief, Koinadugu District

26

Table 7: Participants to the DBOC Engagement Activities

District Females Males Youth PWDs Total

Port Loko 12 18 9 1 30

Kambia 15 15 10 0 30

Koinadugu 12 18 8 1 30

Kono 13 17 7 2s 30

Moyamba 8 22 13 3 30

Pujehun 12 18 4 1 30

Total 151 211

51 8 362

The DBOC engagement activities

saw DBOCs members facilitating

engagement meetings that brought

together local authorities and citizens

to discuss challenges, opportunities

and strategies for strengthening the

role of DBOCs and how stakeholders

can support DBOCs to effectively achieve their mandate. In each of the six districts, DBOCs and

stakeholders discussed the challenges that DBOCs are facing, strategies for resolving the

challenges and came up with a way forward to enhance their operations. DBOCs were given an

opportunity to identify the problems that confront them in accessing information and engage

relevant stakeholders to deal with the challenges. Thus, through a common ground dialogue

between DBOCs and stakeholders, the engagement meetings were used to evaluate the interaction

so far between DBOCs and stakeholders, the challenges and ways to resolve them. As an

empowering method, DBOCs facilitated the processes to capacitate them to be able to facilitate

similar processes in the absence of the project team.

DBOC Engagement Activities dealt

with the gaps in communication that

DBOCs were experiencing with

councils, MDAs, elected

representatives (Councilors) and local

authorities by bringing them to a

discussion table and attempting to

resolve those issues. This effort established the potential for improved interactions and visibility

During the meeting with DBOCs, we made a commitment that we will invite them in all budget discussions. Since then, we have been inviting them, they attend and ask salient questions. We urge you to continue supporting them. District Council Chairperson; Pujehun District

Quote: Since the formation of DBOCs in 2004, we have not partnered with any donor or international organization. This project has opened doors for us and I’m sure that if we implement the plan we agreed with stakeholders, the DBOC for Kono District will never be the same. Person quoted: Tamba B. Gbenda; DBOC member, Kono District

27

of DBOCs among stakeholders. In addition, commitments by stakeholders to interact was made

and has the potential to impact positively on the activities and role of DBOC’s at the district levels.

District stakeholders acknowledged the support DBOCs received and confirmed that they have

improved interactions and are committed to continuously provide information to DBOCs to

implement their roles.

ER2.2. Platforms for key stakeholders and citizens to dialogue around accountability and

inclusive participation are created.

A.2.2.1. Facilitation of “On Air” Town Hall Meetings

By the end of the previous reporting period, preparations for the first set of town hall meetings

were at an advanced stage including development of engagement plans with the respective CSOs.

Consequently, the first set of twelve town hall meetings (2 per district; one facilitated by youth

CSOs and the other by women project CSOs) were conducted in November and December 2017

while the second sets were conducted in June and July 2018.

Thus, 24 town hall meetings were conducted; four in each district, with two facilitated by the youth

CSOs and two by the women CSOs. This was important for two reasons: 1) to contribute to the

electoral process by increasing dialogue and 2) to create the conditions for citizens to dialogue

about the post-election environment in their respective communities. In each of these cases,

opportunity was availed to the CSOs to discuss with their constituencies and come up with topics

for discussion that address critical governance issues faced in their communities. As a result, the

on-air town hall meetings served to create space for citizens, authorities and service providers to

dialogue around elections, governance, accountability challenges and addressed issues related to

taxation, community development fund, electoral violence, girls’ education and educational

subsidies among others. Citizens were allowed to express their concerns, doubt and questions on

issues thus allowing them to participate more actively in decision making. Airing the town hall

meetings and allowing live calling and texting multiplied the reach of the town hall meetings

allowing those who did not attend physically to participate indirectly. The town hall meetings were

facilitated by the CSOs, as a way of further developing their advocacy skills and knowledge;

allowing them to improve their skills and experiences by doing as a way of reinforcing the

knowledge and skills acquired through the P2P and non-violent advocacy trainings.

The table below indicates the number of people who participated in the Town Hall meetings per

district.

28

Table 8: Participants to the Town Hall Meetings facilitated by Women CSOs

Attendance for Town Hall Meetings facilitated by women focused CSOs

District Category No. of Females No. of Males Total Participants

Koinadugu Youth 21 13

Adults 9 7 50

Kono Youth 11 9

Adults 15 7 50

Moyamba Youth 10 17

Adults 11 12 50

Pujehun Youth 8 22

Adults 11 9 50

Port Loko Youth 9 17

Adults 11 13 50

Kambia Youth 11 18

Adults 15 6 50

Total 142 150 300

Table 9: Participants to the Town Hall Meetings facilitated by Youth CSOs

Attendance for Town Hall Meetings facilitated by youth focused CSOs

District Category No. of Females No. of Males Total Participants

Koinadugu Youth 18 11

Adults 14 7 50

Kono Youth 14 4

Adults 14 7 50

Moyamba Youth 11 15

Adults 12 12 50

Pujehun Youth 13 11

Adults 10 16 50

Port Loko Youth 12 14

Adults 10 14 50

Kambia Youth 15 15

Adults 17 3 50

Total 160 129 300

29

Picture 11: Town Hall Meeting in Koinadugu District

Evidence from the Mid Term Evaluation

show that town hall meetings have

enhanced interaction between citizens and

local authorities. In Kambia, town hall

meetings provided a platform for citizens

and authorities to discuss challenges

associated with revenue collection and utilization thus promoting openness. As an outcome of the

town hall meetings, citizens are now more aware of the importance of tax and local revenue has

increased. In addition, information on revenue collected and its utilization; that was previously

shrouded in secrecy is now open for public scrutiny as it is shared on radio stations and on social

media.

After the town hall meeting that discussed the importance of girl child education, dubbed “Let the

Girls Learn Campaign”, Port Loko district witnessed increased number of reported cases of

gender-based violence, increased collaboration between FSU and women’s organizations and

enhanced support from traditional authorities on dealing with SGBV. Traditional authorities are

now reporting GBV to the police and they have also banned secret society activities during school

days.

I used to share tax receipts with my friends at the market; to avoid paying tax. With the town hall meetings, I have feel that it is my obligation to pay. I am happy that it is now an open system since they even post the tax figures per chiefdom on WhatsApp. Anita Kamara; Kambia District

30

In Kono District, the town hall meeting

broke the silence that surrounded the

disbursement and utilization of the

Diamond Area Community Development

Fund (DACDF). After the meeting DACDF

committees which are made up of citizens’

representatives and local authorities were

constituted to promote transparency and accountability. Key successes attributed to the town hall

meeting are that chiefdom authorities now call for public meetings to design implementation plans

before receiving the DACDF. In addition, they now keep records on DACDF that they submit to

DACDF committees.

In Pujehun District, the low level of violence witnessed before, during and after the elections was

attributed to the town hall meeting facilitated by youth CSOs, that saw all the heads of political

parties signing a peace pact. The pact established a road map to maintain peace and a commitment

by political heads that they were to desist from any activity to encourage supporters to engage in

violence.

In Pujehun and Kono, where women CSOs lobbied for women’s inclusion in public life, they now

celebrate the election of a female MP (Kono) and a female chief (Pujehun) respectively for the

first time. Town hall meetings gave space to women and youths to challenge heads of political

parties to ensure that symbols are awarded to women and youths and that they are given the

opportunity to contest in elections.

Picture 12: Town Hall Meeting in Pujehun District

See Annex 4 for the detailed district specific deliberations during the Town Hall meetings.

The 2nd set of 6 on air Town Hall Meetings

The second six on air Town Hall Meetings were also conducted in the same locations six month

after the first set. Search and CCYA continued to work to build the capacity of CSOs to strengthen

Honestly, we did not understand how this DACDF is calculated, what percentage we are getting and how it is allocated among chiefdoms. This project helped us to understand this, because if we are to be accountable to our people, they should know. Person quoted: Paramount Chief, Kono District.

31

their role in creating platforms for citizens and stakeholders to dialogue on governance issues to

promote inclusive decision making, accountability and transparency. One such useful platform is

the on-air town hall meetings where citizens raise concerns and questions; and service providers/

authorities give responses and/ or clarifications. This second set of the meetings was focused on

the post-election environment especially bring together newly elected council officials and citizens

to dialogue about key campaign promises and post-election violence that erupted in some places.

In other places, the dialogue was mainly focused on the transition at the local levels and

implementation of commitments made by elected officials during the elections campaign period.

These dialogues also serve to build trust and enhance citizens-state authorities’ relationship as well

as reinforce mutual accountability.

Picture 13: Town Hall Meeting in Port Loko District

Table 10: Summary Table of issues discussed in Town Hall Meetings

District Activity Date Venue Outcome/ Impact

Pujehun Follow up on the execution of promises made during the campaign by the elected councilors

31 May 2018 Gobaru Township - Enhanced citizens’ knowledge on the district development plan

- Increased the potential for accountability of councilors and strengthen the role of women and youths in the development and implementation of the district development plans.

Moyamba Dialogue on social cohesion and commitments made during the campaign for youth participation

1 June 2018 Kaiyamba Chiefdom

- Low cases of politically motivated violence reported.

- Increased number of youths promoting peaceful election

32

in local decision making processes

processes and service as peace ambassadors

Port Loko Dialogue with education officials and elected representatives on the provision of quality education in Port Loko.

11 June 2018 Maforki Chiefdom Port Loko

- Improved and enhanced knowledge of citizens on the implementation of the Free Education Policy in Port Loko.

- Motivated citizens to increase their participation in decision making processes pertaining to education service provision.

Kambia Engaging duty bearers to lobby for enforcement of commitments on women’s inclusion in local governance

12 June 2018 Magbema Chiefdom, Kambia Town

- Secured commitments from councilors and Councils towards efforts aimed at Increasing number of women in local government

Koinadugu Sensitization of stakeholders on nonviolence after elections – commitments for peaceful post-election environment

13 June 2018 Kabala - Low incidences of reported cases of politically motivated violence

Kono Tracking commitments made during the elections on health service provision and discussing steps taking so far to achieve those commitment

14 June 2018 New Youth Centre Koidu-City

- Demonstrated commitment and collaboration to monitor commitments made during the campaign period related to health service delivery.

- Increased understanding of the citizens’ rights and responsibilities to health care

Each town hall meeting was therefore structured around a specific conflict or accountability

challenge identified in the districts (See Annex 5 for a details of district specific issues discussed

in each town hall meeting). Below is a table showing the participation per district.

Table 11: Participants to the Town Hall Meetings

District Category No. of Females No. of Males Total Participants

Koinadugu Youth 23 13

Adults 16 24 76

Kono Youth 19 23

Adults 21 13 76

Moyamba Youth 15 23

Adults 19 19 76

Pujehun Youth 24 29

Adults 10 13 76

33

Port Loko Youth 18 31

Adults 16 11 76

Kambia Youth 21 20

Adults 19 16 76

Total 221 235 456

3RD SET OF 6 ON AIR TOWN HALL MEETINGS

The third set of the on-air town hall meetings were also conducted as part of the CSOs’ capacity

building as Search and CCYA provided in person mentoring and support to ensure that the

processes where conducted in line with common ground advocacy and the objectives of the project.

After each town hall meeting, CSOs, CCYA and Search held discussions to review the successes,

limitations, lessons learnt and how CSOs can further improve on conducting activities of similar

nature. This set targeted the participation of outgoing and incoming elected council officials,

political party representative, CSOs and citizens to facilitate discussions leading to a road map on

consolidating the peace and building social cohesion among the different political party supporters.

There were about seventy-six participants to meeting drawn from different stakeholder groups.

As an outcome, In Koinadugu District for example, the town hall meeting stimulated the youths to

demand their share of employment in companies. This has led key companies to begin prioritizing

employment opportunity for the youth as they committed during the town hall meeting.

Picture 14: CSOs' Representatives at the Town Hall Meeting in Kambia District

34

At the same time, Kono and Pujehun meetings focused on the free education. One of the outcome

was the establishment of a multi-stakeholder platform to monitor the implementation of the policy

and the development of a child protection guidelines respectively. Moyamba and Kambia, focused

on consolidating post-election peace and social cohesion given the tense political environment that

characterised the highly contested elections. In both districts, low incidents of post-election

violence were witnessed and project CSOs were instrumental in promoting social cohesion. On

the other hand, the town hall meeting in Port Loko District led to a ban on beauty contests and

fashion shows in schools in favour of debates and quiz competitions and increased collaboration

between the police and FSU. The table below highlights the discussion and outcomes:

Table 12: Summary Table of issues discussed in Town Hall Meetings

District Activity Date Venue Outcome/ Impact

Pujehun Free education policy in Pujehun District

4 July 2018

Gobaru Township

- Increased awareness among citizens about the implementation of the free education policy.

- Enhanced collaboration between education service providers and citizens through dialogue

- Created a multi-stakeholder platform that designed child protection guidelines

Moyamba Dialogue on the roles of stakeholders in mitigating election violence

5 July 2018

Kaiyamba Chiefdom

- Low incidences of politically motivated

violence reported;

Port Loko Causes, effects and solutions to child abuse in Port Loko District

3 July 2018

Maforki Chiefdom Port Loko

- Reduction in the number child marriage being officiated by religious leaders

- Reduction in the number of beauty contests and fashion shows in schools in favour of debates and quiz competitions.

- Increased collaboration between CSOs and FSU

Kambia Curbing violence in Kambia District

4 July 2018

Magbema Chiefdom, Kambia Town

- Low incidences of politically motivated

violence reported;

Koinadugu The problem of youth unemployment in Koinadugu District

5 July 2018

Kabala - Ministry of Social Welfare established a guidance and counselling unit for youths;

- Local companies now giving priority for employment to youths born in Koinadugu

Kono Commitment by Government on the Free Education Policy: Packages for teachers and pupils

6 July 2018

New Youth Centre Koidu-City

- Enhanced the participation of parents in the

decisions that are made in the school at the

wellbeing of their children.

- Established stakeholders’ committee on

free education to improve participation and

interest.

35

Table 13: Participants to the Town Hall Meeting

District Category No. of Females No. of Males Total Participants

Koinadugu Youth 23 10

Adults 32 11 76

Kono Youth 20 13

Adults 32 11 76

Moyamba Youth 18 16

Adults 28 14 76

Pujehun Youth 18 11

Adults 32 15 76

Port Loko Youth 16 26

Adults 19 15 76

Kambia Youth 16 27

Adults 12 21 76

Total 266 190 456

See Annex 4 for district specific highlights.

A.2.2.2. District Policy Dialogues on Accountability and Service Delivery

Six policy dialogue sessions were conducted from the 24th to the 30th June 2018 in the six project

districts. Like in other developing countries, voters frequently lack sufficient information about

the manifestos of politicians and/ or political parties. In the same way, elected officials lack

adequate information about voter preferences. This is exacerbated by a myriad of floating

misinformation on social media mixed with propaganda designed to woe supports. To discuss

some of these challenges, the policy dialogues gave citizens the opportunity to remind and engage

politicians and other stakeholders of their commitments towards specific issues covered during the

campaign period and in the political party manifestos. Additionally, after a highly contested

Presidential and General Elections; the policy dialogues were crucial to shift the nation away from

the confrontations; direct and indirect that politicians and their supporters experienced with

opponents during the tense campaign period and build community cohesion by accepting the

outcome of the election and focus on issues of development.

36

Picture 15: Cross section of participants: Kambia District Policy Dialogue

Picture 16: Policy Dialogue Session in Kono District

A key output of each dialogue was an agreed course of action that presents a road map as strategies

to deal with identified policy challenges. This therefore directed citizens to potential collaborative

decision making and influenced politicians to be more responsive to citizens’ aspirations and

demands. Each policy dialogue sessions attracted the participation of outgoing and incoming

elected council representatives, political parties, and CSOs to facilitate discussions that leads to

the development of a road map that everyone would rally around for their districts. The meetings

sought to promote local level accountability processes that stimulate discussions on the

commitments made by politicians during the campaign period. The table below is a disaggregation

of participants who participated in this activity:

Table 14: Summary of table of issues discussed in Policy Dialogue Sessions

Policy Dialogue - Topic Discussed Date Location Attendance

Total Male Female

Teenage pregnancies and its implication on local communities

25-Jun-18 Port Loko 45 28 17

Women empowerment and inclusion in the local governance processes

26-June-18 Kambia 45 24 21

Promoting social cohesion and dialogues for a peaceful community in the post-election era

27-June-18 Koinadugu 45 25 20

Proper utilization of the diamond Area Community Development Fund

28-June-18 Kono 45 28 17

Developing the appropriate strategies for maintaining post-election peace and social cohesion

29-June-18 Pujehun 45 26 19

Strengthening revenue mobilization for local development processes

30-Jun-18 Moyamba 45 28 17

Total 270 159 111

37

In Moyamba District the policy

dialogue session focused on

revenue mobilization for local

development processes given

that revenue generation had

always been considered a challenge by authorities, while citizens were accusing them of misusing

funds. As an outcome of the dialogue, the Council donated a bike to the project CSOs for purposes

of mobilizing citizens, educating and encouraging them to pay taxes. In addition, council rates are

now displayed on notice boards and the media is active in talking about taxes and their utilization.

This has the potential of increasing the amount of taxes collected per chiefdom and expanding the

tax based of the Council.

In Port Loko district, the policy dialogue discussed policy strategies for dealing with the age-old

problem of teenage pregnancies. As an outcome of the policy dialogue, collaboration between FSU

and CSOs continued to

improve and impact on the

fight against teenage

pregnancies. Another

important outcome is the

increased reported cases of GBV and traditional authorities transferring cases of GBV to the police

according to police accounts. On the other hand, Kambia District, discussed enhancing women’s

participation governance. As an outcome of the policy dialogue, the twenty-two wards have an

equal number of men and women in ward committees. In Kono the dialogue reinforced the

discussion about the utilization of DACDF and since then, authorities have continued to

demonstrate transparency by announcing the arrival of DACDF and facilitating joint meetings on

its utilization. In addition, a bank account was created for the DACDF; and citizens and chiefdom

authorities are working together in prioritizing community development projects to be funded by

DACDF.

Civic education is very important. There are so many people who do not understand how they can support local authorities or even contribute towards peace processes in their communities. Aminata Swaray, AMNET, Koinadugu District.

We held meetings before the elections; Political Parties including National Grand Coalition committed to improve the situation of women by granting them symbols but when elections came; they did not do it. Me, I want answers; Why?? Mariatu Jalloh, participant; Kambia District

38

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3: Enhance citizen’ joint participation in decision making and

accountability processes around public service delivery, with a special focus on education

services.

ER 3.1. Local stakeholders have increased capacities in the monitoring of education service

delivery

A.3.1.1: Training of the School Management Committees and Community Teachers’

Associations

Training of Trainers on Community Scorecards

This activity was covered and reported in the first year of implementation.

Training of SMCs and CTAs on Community Scorecards

Search and CCYA trained School Management Committees and Community Teachers

Associations on effective oversight and monitoring of school related services from 21 to 26 August

2018. The training focused on using a clearly defined monitoring criteria and awareness raising to

enhance their constructive participation in the management of schools by ensure that services are

better utilized. The Scorecard is a simple matrix that enables service providers and users to analyse

the issues that they are facing in service delivery chain; set criteria through which they will measure

performance; progress and recommend action for improvement where necessary. It is a

participatory tool that uses the community as the unit of analysis, generates information through

focus group interactions and enables participation of the local community. The scorecard is

therefore a community-based monitoring tool; a technique for social audit and accountability.

Furthermore, the training was conducted as an

introduction to a unique way of monitoring

services in the sector by providing an innovative

monitoring tool to empower SMCs and CTAs.

The training equipped these structures with the

skills and tools needed to effectively and constructively engage in the monitoring of educational

service delivery in their localities. It also enhances their potential to contribute to local policies,

ensuring quality service provision and become agents of positive change. The empowered and

solidified SMCs and CTAs members contribute to developing the spaces for inclusive dialogue

with citizens and have constructive discussions on education service delivery. By training SMCs

and CTAs, Search and CCYA sought to contribute to empowering them for transparency, dialogue,

debate and accountability. Overall, the training strengthened the potential for an effective service

delivery in the educational sector in their districts which will make positive impacts in the lives of

Sierra Leonean citizens; as well as to address some of the challenges in that sector including the

fragmentation of key stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities that weakens the efficiency of the

sector.

“In the next meeting with other schools, I am going to introduce them to this score card and we are also going to cascade it to ensure it is used in many schools in Pujehun District”. Our own school will act like a test. Amie Kemokai, CTA, Pujehun District.

39

Picture 17: Group work in Score Card Training in Kono District

On the overall, there were one hundred fifty (150) participants who attended the training in the six

districts. Of that number, there disagreement were sixty-two females (62), eighty-eight (88) males

and two (2) people with disabilities. The table below shows the breakdown of participants

disaggregated by gender and PWD per district.

Table 15: Participants to the training of SMCs and CTAs

District Category No. of PWDs No. of Females

No. of Males Total Participants

Port Loko Youth 0 6 6 12

Adult 2 5 8 13

Kambia Youth 0 2 3 5

Adult 0 8 12 20

Koinadugu Youth 0 1 1 2

Adults 0 8 15 23

Kono Youth 0 0 0 0

Adults 0 9 16 25

Moyamba Youth 0 1 3 4

Adults 0 12 9 21

Pujehun Youth 0 1 4 5

Adults 0 9 11 20

Total 62 88 150

40

Key outcomes of the trainings included; participants’ understanding of the scorecard and how to

design it; increased understanding of the importance of joint planning and joint decision making

by service providers and users in the educational sector; and improved understanding among

participants on how to mobilise service providers and service users for scorecard processes.

Pre and post-test questions structured around the development, use and administration of

community Scorecards were designed and administered before and after the training. At pre-test

level, participants revealed difficulties in answering the questions showing that there had little or

no prior knowledge of the Scorecard methodology. Below average knowledge was demonstrated

before the training with all questions having less than half of the participants giving correct

answers for them. After the training, a majority of the participants showed understanding to the

questions and performance was above average. An average increase in knowledge gain of 51%

was realized based on the test administered.

ER3.2: Local stakeholders lead collaborative advocacy activities and monitoring of

education service delivery.

A.3.2.1. Use of Scorecards to evaluate education service delivery and its response to the

specific needs of girls:

Training of Community Scorecard Focal Points

One training of Community Scorecard Focal Points with twenty-four participants was conducted

on 15 August 2018. The training targeted one representative of each of the project CSOs selected

by their peers based on their work, familiarity with education services and their capacity to

facilitate sensitive discussions.

By conducting the training Search and CCYA sought to train Scorecard Focal Points to ensure that

they fully understand the concepts of social accountability in local governance. In addition, the

training was intended to capacitate Scorecard Focal Points to have a thorough understanding of

the Scorecard tool and methodology to support evaluation of educational service provision. The

training also provides knowledge and skills in facilitating common ground dialogue between

education service users and providers. The idea was to empower them to be actors for impactful

change using a non-adversarial, collaborative approach to governance processes. The rationale

behind this objective was to hold education authorities accountable while at the time, CSOs having

the practical knowledge on how to promote accountability and transparency. The process

recognizes the weaknesses and more importantly, the potential in local CSOs and seeks to

empower them to take on their role as the bridge between the education authorities and citizenry.

This training therefore, served to create a midpoint between the project actors and the scorecard

41

mechanism that

is based on

peaceful

dialogue and

collaboration.

They were

equipped to undergo similar processes around other services, based on the citizens’ demand.

Table 16: Participants to the training of Community Scorecards Focal Points

Category Females Males Total Disabled

Youth 2 12 14 0

Adults 6 4 10 0

8 14 24 0

From the role play and the simulation exercises, participants were very confident in facilitating the

Scorecard tool which was an indication of how prepared they are to support the utilization of this

tool at their respective districts. Feedback from participants also indicated that the tool is very

useful in promoting downward accountability in service delivery as it provides opportunity for

dialogue between the service users and the service providers and the possibility for consensus on

controversial but fundamental issues between service user and service providers. It improves the

quality of services and the window of opportunity for abuse is limited because providers may not

want to be named and shamed should any issue of corruption arises.

A pre and post-test structured around questions related to community score cards was administered

before and after the training. All the participants responded. At pre-test participants showed

minimal understanding of the design, development and use of the score card. There was evidence

that majority of participants had little or no knowledge of the score card. After the training,

knowledge gain was demonstrated by participants’ confidence in responding to the questions with

most questions having between 75% to 100% of the participants answering them correctly. The

average increase is knowledge gained based on the questions asked was 55% illustrating

significant improvement.

Quote: “We in Moyamba District have been engaged with schools for a while

now. We are definitely going to use the score card in several other schools in

the district besides the ones benefiting from the project.” Person quoted: Abdul

Joe Kamanda, Coordinator for YACAN; Moyamba District

42

Picture 18: Community Scorecards Focal Points Training in Freetown

The Mid Term Evaluation found out that Scorecard Focal Points were active in introducing the

Scorecard concept in their organisations and communities. Kambia CSOs, were particularly

highlighted as having come together, developed a proposal surrounding the concept and now they

are implementing a governance related project funded by DFID. In addition to this, CSOs have

used Scorecards in other platforms and forums to monitor each other and track progress in

implementing commitments. Thus, generally, Scorecard Focal Points now consider themselves

experts in training and administering Scorecards.

Community Scorecard Processes

The scorecard processes are complementary to the training of Scorecards Focal Points that took

place on 15th August 2018 at St Edwards School as well as the six trainings of School Management

Committees and Community Teachers’ Associations conducted from 21st August to 26th August

2018 in the six project districts. SMCs and CTAs in two schools per district were trained to

appreciate the essence of a scorecard and be receptive to citizens demands as a preparatory step to

the use of Scorecards. As a follow-up to these trainings and to ensure that the Focal Points, CTAs

and SMCs put into practice what they learnt, Search and CCYA organized a first round of

community scorecard process in each of the targeted schools.

The table below is a disaggregation of participants who participated in the engagement for the

Scorecard processes.

43

Table 17: Participants to the Community Scorecard Processes

District Males Females Youth PWDs

Pujehun 9 11 5 2

Moyamba 10 10 6 0

Koinagudu 11 9 4 1

Kono 12 8 4 0

Port Loko 11 9 7 1

Kambia 13 7 4 0

66 54 30 4

Three meetings were conducted in each District involving CTAs and SMCs in two schools. The

first meeting involved service users who were supported to develop a scorecard. The second

meeting involved service providers designing their own scorecard while the third meeting was an

interface meeting between the service users and service providers. The meetings were intended to

promote accountability by ensuring that education service providers and service users highlight

issues they consider as affecting the sector, discuss these issues through scorecard processes and

map a way forward to resolve them.

Picture 19: Meeting with Service Users for the Scorecard processes in Koinadugu District

Thus, through a common ground dialogue between both groups, the Scorecard was used to

evaluate how services have been provided. CSOs facilitated the processes in order to empower

them to be able to facilitate similar processes in order to promote ownership and sustainability.

This mechanism is based on supporting communities to evaluate service provision through

peaceful dialogue and collaboration. CSOs, SMCs and CTAs were equipped to undergo similar

processes around other services, based on citizens’ demands and interest. Meetings between the

duty bearers and the users have been described as effectively dealing with challenges such as

44

punctuality for pupils and teachers, minimized truancy, indiscipline including drug abuse,

pornography, inadequate furniture, overcrowding of classrooms and water provision. Parents,

teachers and pupils collaboratively discussed these challenges and came up with practical solutions

to address them. Evidence showed that some of the resolutions agreed during the scorecard

processes have been translated into concrete projects such as building walls to protect the school

premises from outside interferences as well as rehabilitation of water wells, development of

student registers regularly marked and analysed.

For illustration purposes, below are scorecards and a work plan developed in Pujehun District by

Service Users and Service Providers of Holy Rosary Primary and Holy Rosary Secondary Schools.

Table 18: Example of Scorecard by Service Users

Issue Score Reason Recommendations Indicators of

Improvement

Poor

performanc

e of pupils

in public

examinatio

n

2 -Poor monitoring of

children by parents;

Inadequate learning

material; Lack of

commitment by school

children

-SMC and CTA to hold

a meeting to discuss and

resolve the challenges;

Parents to support

provision of learning

materials

Better

performance of

pupils.

Teenage

Pregnancie

s

3 High number of school

dropouts caused by teenage

pregnancies

Sensitization on

reproductive health

care; Schools should set

up peer groups; More

health education in

schools

High turn-up of

girls in school;

Improved

understanding

of reproductive

health issues by

girls.

Filthy

environme

nt

1 School environment is

dirty; Filthy toilets

-Teachers should

prioritise cleaning of the

environment

Clean school

environment

Table 19: Example of Scorecard by Service Providers

Issue Score Reason Recommendations Indicators of

Improvement

Congestion in

classrooms

2 -Increased enrolments;

limited number of

classrooms; poor

classroom

management; poor

ventilation

-Request government

for additional

classrooms; Seek

support to get more

furniture from parents

and government

-Effective

classroom

management;

Adequate

accommodation

and furniture

45

Truancy 2 High reports of children

seen loitering in market

places; Poor monitoring

of children by parents’

Empty classrooms on

Thursdays

-Fencing of school

compound;

Supervision by

teachers; inviting

parents when children

are absent for 5

consecutive days

No reports of

truancy; High

retention of

pupils in schools

especially on

Thursdays.

No water

service

1 No functioning water

wells; Pupils missing

class to fetch water;

Government should

provide for water well;

Parents should provide

labour for

rehabilitation of

existing water well by

-Functional

water well;

-Improved

sanitation

facilities; clean

toilets

Table 20: Example of Action Plan from Interface Meeting

What is to be done? By who? When? Outcome

Rehabilitation of

water well

SMCs to ensure

provision of labour by

parents;

By December

2018

Availability of water

in schools;

Building of

classrooms and

equipping them

CTA to communicate

with relevant authorities

for funding for

classroom construction

and furniture

By December

2019

No congestion in

classrooms

Enforcement of code

of conduct

School heads and CTA

to ensure that all

teachers understand the

code of conduct;

Penalty to be given to

defaulters of the code of

conduct

Immediately Code of conduct

fully operational

Radio discussions Scorecard focal points

to organize one radio

discussion per quarter

for SMCs and CTAs to

discuss issues affecting

children and teachers

Ongoing Improved

understanding of

education sector by

community people

Set up monitoring

teams to control

truancy

Teachers to mark

registers twice a day

Immediately No reported cases of

truancy

Fencing of school CTAs to lobby with

council and ensure the

school is fenced

By mid-year

2019

Increased security

Popularization of the

school syllabus

CTAs Ongoing Improved pass rates

46

Thus, as illustrated; through

Scorecard processes service

providers and service users were

able to discuss issues confronting

the school and came up with

tangible courses of actions, with

clear timelines and assigned

responsibilities. The scorecard introduced community-based monitoring necessary to ensure issues

are resolved and do away with the friction relations that sometimes exist between service providers

and users. Participating schools are now able to set a criterion for measuring performance and

ensure the implementation of agreed actions;

and they are meeting regularly to discuss issues

that they never discussed before. Evidence

shows that the action plans from the scorecard

processes are being implemented, there is

enhanced interaction promoted by more

meetings involving teachers, pupils and

parents. Evidence gathered during the Mid

Term Evaluation noted general satisfaction among pupils and parent stemming from the fact that

they acknowledge that school authorities now involve them more in decision making and when

they speak, they are listened to.

See Annex 6 for detailed district specific proceedings.

A.3.2.2: Production of a video documenting the community Scorecard process:

This activity is scheduled for year 3.

The Score Card has helped us to resolve issues associated with corporal punishment, truancy and overcrowding. As resolved in our score card activity, our water well is now functional, we have put our registers in place and we have ruled against corporal punishment. Principal; Kono District

This Score Card has made pupils confident to discuss issues that

they would not have discussed before. In our last meeting girls

spoke against sharing desks with boys accusing them touching

them improperly. To deal with this challenge, girls requested

that they sit apart from boys and we have made sure that

happens in each class. Principal; Pujehun District

47

A.DME.1: Joint Field Monitoring Visits

Picture 20: SFCG & CCYA Monitoring Team with Heads of Project CSOs in Pujehun District

Search Country Director and CCYA Executive Director conducted a joint field monitoring visit to

the six project districts in May 2018. The purpose of the visit was to assess from senior

management levels the progress of project implementation and to capture feedback from CSOs,

beneficiaries and district stakeholders on the strategies and quality of project implementation. The

visiting team interacted with project beneficiaries, stakeholders and local authorities to ascertain

the relevance of the project in relation to what is working well and what needs to be improved.

The monitoring team held discussions with project CSOs, MDAs, Council representatives,

traditional authorities, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; Family Support Unit,

Ministry of Youth, Social Welfare Ministry, representatives of women and youth organisations.

The monitoring exercise revealed that the project is well appreciated by stakeholders who view it

as timely and relevant to addressing governance and accountability challenges in their respective

communities. In addition, stakeholders view town hall meetings and policy dialogues as an

important platform which provides the opportunity to engage with citizens on critical governance

and policy issues for improve collaboration, mutual trust and participation of citizens in the

governance processes. Importantly, the visit concluded that P2P activities, town hall meetings

and policy dialogues have promoted engagement and discourse around sensitive issues such as

revenue mobilization and utilization, teenage pregnancies, women’s involvement in politics,

Gender Based Violence, girl child education, quality service provision and local level

transparency and accountability which has resulted to improved service delivery, greater

awareness and participation of citizens in the governance processes of their community.

48

A.DME.2: Mid Term Evaluation

In September and October 2018, Search’s Institutional Learning Team (ILT) and the Design,

Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator (DM&E) conducted a qualitative midterm evaluation that

was critical in assessing the appropriateness, impact and effectiveness of the project intervention

with the aim of making recommendations for an improvement of the project intervention. The Mid

Term Evaluation which targeted 50% of the project districts was conducted in Pujehun, Kono and

Kambia districts. The initial findings of the review informed that, generally, the project activities

were implemented in line with the set goal and objectives of the intervention. However, there were

suggested areas for improvement in order to maximize project achievements such as a slight pivot

in the ways to support DBOCs for more efficiency on their part.

The Mid-term evaluation established that targeted CSOs have continuously been involved by

Search and CCYA in the implementation of the project. The review concluded that town hall

meetings, policy dialogues, Scorecard trainings and the implementation of P2P micro activities

enhanced collaboration between stakeholders, service providers, service users and local authorities

and thus culminated in the development of new initiatives to address emerging challenges. The

unexpected positive results noted include the fact that some CSOs have enhanced collaboration

even beyond the project as they are now implementing together other initiatives and setting other

platforms which they confirm could not have been done without the empowerment of the project.

Journalists of partner radio stations who were interviewed confirmed that their relationship with

CSOs and stakeholders have grown and they have been amplifying the messages of town hall

meetings which they have re-aired multiple times on local radios to the benefit of people who

could not attend the meetings. The review further revealed that there are high levels of community

ownership and stakeholder buy-in of the project but there are structural challenges of DBOCs such

as limited mobility, low stipends and late payments of stipend which requires advocacy and

national level engagement for redress.

Appropriateness

The study shows that the project is adequately responding to the general needs and constraints of

the target participants. Project beneficiaries interviewed have been involved in the implementation

of the project activities. The stakeholders and beneficiaries reached also demonstrated increased

capacities to engage with duty bearers on emerging community issues in collaboration with their

end users. In general, the project beneficiaries indicated that the P2P activities, town hall meeting,

policy dialogue, DBOC and Scorecard activities were appropriate to their needs both as

organizations and as individuals. The common ground and participatory approaches applied

in activity implementation are viewed by project beneficiaries and stakeholders as appropriate,

relevant and cost effective methodologies. The participation of CSOs in P2P activities, town hall

meetings and policy dialogues is not only empowering but enhances commitment in resolving

conflict sensitive community challenges in a collaborative manner. Thus, the project enjoys

49

tremendous support from

beneficiary CSOs,

stakeholders and local

authorities. Participatory

and common ground

methodologies have

promoted credibility,

improved trust between

service providers and

service users and thus

fostered community engagement in project activities.

The District Budget Oversight Committees reached during the field study consider the trainings

and engagement meetings as empowering and appropriate to enhance their work in promoting

accountability and transparency in budgeting processes. District Budget Oversight Committees’

(DBOCs) trainings and processes contributed to building the capacity of local government

institutions to engage on budgeting issues. The midterm evaluation also noted with interest that

the Score Card trainings and processes introduced schools to a simplified user friendly monitoring

tool; the Score Card, that has served to enhance collaborative decision making between education

service providers and service users in solving school related challenges.

Stakeholders contacted at the local level including the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and

Children’s Affairs, Ministry of Local Government as well as other civil society organisations

consider this intervention as significant and positive for good governance. They welcome the

initiatives as empowering to citizens for increased collaboration in decision making processes and

the role the project is playing in clarifying stakeholders’ responsibilities. The evaluation found that

the project activities, the choice of the training topics and the beneficiaries, were appropriate in

light of the results this project seeks to achieve.

Evidence shows that the trainings provided the necessary capacity to identify and resolve

challenges related to accountability and participation of youth and women in the governance

system. The project CSOs now are now using the skills acquired from the training to analyse and

identify crucial community issues and design appropriate engagement plans to address these

challenges with the appropriate community audience. For example, in Pujehun District, the CSOs

are using the skills learnt to bridge the relationship with miners and landowners to resolve land

conflicts associated with mining in and around Merlin. The topics discussed in town hall meetings

and policy dialogues were seen as appropriate given that they were framed in a participatory

manner with the community. DBOC and Scorecard activities were also seen as appropriate in as

far as they improve interactions with service providers contributing to improved accountability

and transparency.

In fact, the best thing about this project is that activities are shaped by community people, led by us the CSOs. This means that our project is addressing specific needs in line with issues of concern to the population, matters that citizens and stakeholders are seeking solutions for. Our P2P, town hall and policy dialogues are breaking the silence and giving solutions appropriate to everyone. Suleiman Kamara, Kono District

50

Effectiveness

The study provided evidence that the project has given voice to the marginalized youth and women

who reported that they were largely unaware of their rights and excluded from making fundamental

decisions in governance systems before the implementation of the project. The Women and youth

FGD participants

confirmed that the

trainings (P2P, Non-

violent Advocacy, Score

Card, DBOC) and

activities (P2P, town hall

meetings, policy

dialogues) conducted

have created confidence

for their participation in

decision-making and service-delivery. P2P activities have promoted CSOs awareness of their key

role in local democratic processes as they worked with their communities to identify specific

governance issues and work as positive agents to bring collaborative solutions to the challenges

confronting their communities. Town hall meetings, policy dialogues, score card activities and

DBOC activities have been instrumental in continuously building the capacity of CSOs addressed

issues of limited constructive collaboration among rights holders and duty bearers. This is creating

a more engaged citizenry, promoting an active civil society and responsive duty bearers thus

contributing the achievement of project objectives. Evidence gathered revealed that the work of

DBOCs, SMCs and CTAs in monitoring service delivery has improved and they are now being

availed with more information.

The awareness raising campaigns through the Atunda Ayenda and Uman 4 Uman continue to be

much more effective in reaching out to the wider audience and are contributing to inspire women,

men and youth to become informed citizens and zealous to be part of the governance system in

their communities. In future engagement, the project should think of initiatives that go beyond the

project life span. There is need to enhance peer-to-peer learning through creation of an exchange

platform for DBOC officers and creating WhatsApp groups using the same format used for

beneficiary CSOs. The Kambia District DBOC could be used to demonstrate their skills to the rest

of the DBCOs. There is need for Search and CCYA to embark on national-level advocacy for

DBOC allowances to be paid on time, increased possibly, and enhanced communication with

Ministry of Finance. Search and CCYA staff interviewed strongly feel that based on the current

status of the trained DBOC committee members, there is need to develop unique projects focusing

on DBOCs to make them more functional. The study saw marked capacity differences between

the DBOCs in Kambia on the one hand and Pujehun and Kono on the other hand.

At first women were afraid to stand up but this election but this

time we had 71 women that contested for political positions.

Fifty two were given symbols and 10 won. We now have 1 female

Honorable and 9 females in the district council. Older and young

women are now much involved in governance relate discussions.

Now the chairperson of the Disability Association is a woman.

FGD Participant; Kono District

51

Sustainability

The Mid-term evaluation data provides convincing evidence that the project has potential for

sustainability. Beneficiary CSOs have exhibited some capacity to organise citizens and support

them to articulate their needs; bring citizens and authorities to deliberate on these issues and come

up with solutions in a collaborative nonviolent manner. In addition, there is evidence that citizens

are able to follow up on commitments made in meetings to demand action from duty bearers.

Project CSOs have the potential to leverage the networks and relationships with key stakeholders

to foster continued engagements after project closure. Given that, there are other activities linked

to this project that CSOs have conducted; beyond the project scope, especially in Kambia District,

potential for continuous replication of activities is largely possible. There is evidence that CSOs

in Kambia District are creating CSOs’ fora to discuss challenges with authorities and

collaboratively develop concrete action points to address such challenges. In Pujehun District, the

CSOs took upon themselves to facilitate common ground discussions between a mining company

and citizens over a controversial mining project.

The Common Ground Journalism has ignited a sense of activism among radio journalists to

advance questions and issues from citizens and highlight citizens’ concerns while also providing

a platform for authorities to respond to these concerns. There is overwhelming evidence that

journalists who benefited from the training have confidently applied their skills and are proud of

the changes that they are bringing to their communities. Thus, potential for sustainability was

noted. The scorecard processes have a similar impact as the study revealed that trainings and

processes have been cascaded to other schools and other platforms. Thus, the tool has generally

been accepted as a community tool for monitoring progress in implementation of commitments.

Recommendations

The Mid-term Evaluation recommended that, for the remaining one year, while intensifying the

SMS and Facebook campaigns, the project should also capitalize on WhatsApp groups as it is the

main form of social media platform used in rural areas. As with the CSOs, the project should set

up WhatsApp groups for DBOCs, SMCs and CTAs to communicate and share achievements of

their respective activities, which has enhanced effective collaboration and information sharing

around project activities. In addition, inter-district exchange visits between DBOCs to share ideas

between and amongst themselves are also recommended. Where possible, refresher trainings

should be prioritised. It was noted that the composition of the SMC and CTA differ per district

and in some cases, some members of the SMC are also members of the CTA. To avoid any

confusion, it is recommended that the implementation team uses the terms “service users” and

“service providers” in future trainings and activities.

2.3.If relevant submit a revised log frame highlighting the changes

No changes were made from the last reporting period

52

2.4.Please list all contracts (work, suppliers, service) above Euro 60,000 awarded for the

implementation of the action during the reporting period, giving for each contract the

amount, the award procedure followed and the name of the contractor.

Search signed a contract with partner CCYA for this action, with a total value of €135,000, as

per the agreed-upon budget.

2.5.Please provide an updated action plan

Below is a table that provides an updated action plan.

Table 21: Year 3 Action Plan

No. Description Year 3

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

A.1.1.1 P2P Micro projects - 6 6 -

A.1.1.2 Atunda Ayenda - - -

A.1.1.3 Uman 4 Uman Krio (36) - - - -

Translation and Hearing – Temne 12 12 12 6

Translation and Hearing – Mende 12 12 12 6

A.1.2.1 SMS and Facebook campaigns 5 5 5 5

A.2.1.1 Training on non-violence advocacy - - - -

A.2.1.2 Training in Common Ground Journalism - 1 - -

A.2.1.3 District Budget Oversight Committee

Trainings - 6 - -

Support to DBOC Engagement - - 6 -

A.2.2.1 Town Hall Meetings - 12 - -

A.2.2.2 Policy Dialogues 6 - 12 -

A.3.1.1 Training of focal persons - - - -

Training of SMCs and CTAs - - 6 -

A.3.2.1 Use of Scorecards - - 18 -

A.3.2.2 Video Production - - 1 -

A.DME.

1 Monitoring Visit - 1 1 -

A.DME.

2 Mid Term - - - -

A.DME.

4 Year 3 Review & Close Out - - - 1

53

3. Beneficiaries/ affiliated entities and other cooperation

3.1.How do you assess the relationship between the beneficiaries/ affiliated entities of this

grant contract (i.e. those having signed the mandate for the coordinator or the affiliated

entity statement)? Please provide specific information for each beneficiary/ affiliated

entity.

This action is being implemented in partnership with the Centre for Coordination of Youth

Activities (CCYA). Search and CCYA have enjoyed cordial working relations dating back to 2002.

Search and CCYA have been working together to implement projects for more than a decade and

half. Search brings its international expertise in conflict transformation, media, training and

capacity development as well as its proficiency in programme and financial management. On the

other hand, CCYA brings its knowledge in operating at grassroots level in Sierra Leone since 1998

working to empower women and youth. Both organizations have implemented several projects

and two from the European Union Delegation in the last four years.

Following the 2018 elections, the then Executive Director of CCYA Mr. Ngolo Katta was

appointed as National Youth Commissioner. The Board of CCYA therefore appointed Mrs.

Abigail Stevens as the Executive Director. She was the focal staff assigned to the project. She

thereafter appointed Ms. Anita Bangura, to replace her on the project. The CCYA new project

focal person has been engaging with the project and has made couple of visits to the project sites

and interacted with the CSOs and other stakeholders at the districts.

3.2.How would you assess the relationship between your organization and state authorities

in the action countries? How has this relationship affected the action?

Search and CCYA have established a good reputation spanning over a decade among local

stakeholders and government agencies. Local authorities, Ministries, Agencies and Departments

who have engaged with Search and CCYA in the first year of project implementation have

continued to do so thus strengthening the relationship further. The Family Support Unit of the

Sierra Leone Police; Ministry of Youth; Ministry of Social Welfare; Office of National Security;

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; Chiefs, traditional authorities and Councils are

some of the key stakeholders who have been engaged and who continues to support the project in

the target districts. However, with the March 2018 local council elections which saw the election

and appointment of new local council officials and new public officials, new networks and

relationships have to be built with the newly elected officials.

3.3.Where applicable, describe your relationship with any other organisations involved in

implementing the Action.

● Associates(s) if any

● Sub-contractor(s) if any

● Final Beneficiaries and Target groups

● Other third parties involved (including other donors, other government agencies

or local government units, NGOs, etc.)

54

Partner Radio Stations

Search and CCYA are collaborating with 37 radio stations of the independent Radio Network

(IRN), to support the media component of the action. Search has a long history of partnership with

IRN radio stations, as the network was co-created by Search in 2002 following a project that was

implemented in partnership with the United Nations system. Tapping on that relationship, Search

has managed to enjoy discounted rates, advertisement platforms and free repeats of radio

programmes. The stations have been instrumental in broadcasting episodes of Atunda Ayenda and

Uman for Uman. Additionally, they have aired town hall meetings and, in some cases, re-aired

them and hosting discussions on the topics. Partner radio stations also value the relationship

between Search and CCYA under this project as the programmes enhance their own listenership

thus sometimes repeating the programmes at no cost.

Civil Society Organisations

The twenty-four CSOs supported by this project; twelve gender focused and youth focused CSOs

have enjoyed cordial working relationships with both Search and CCYA. This has been

strengthened by the successes that the project activities implemented with CSOs have brought

including enhancing the visibility of the CSOs, improving their advocacy and mobilization

capacities and strengthening their relationships with local stakeholders. Moreover, the relationship

with the CSOs is further strengthened by transparency and openness of Search and CCYA in

jointly conducting activities with them. Project CSOs value the relationship with Search and

CCYA, appreciate the increased visibility that comes with the project and the continuous capacity

building from trainings and activity implementation. Findings from the Mid-Term Evaluation

demonstrated how project CSOs are inspired by Search and CCYA’s partnership and how Project

CSOs have started forming networks and fora to secure funding.

District Budget Oversight Committees

The six DBOCs supported by this project in the six project areas of Moyamba, Pujehun,

Koinadugu, Kono, Port Loko and Kambia welcome the intervention by Search and CCYA as

timely and relevant in supporting them to execute their mandates. Thus, Search and CCYA have

also enjoyed pleasant working relations with the DBOCs. DBOCs value the relationship with

Search and CCYA and acknowledge the efforts this project is made in building their capacity and

strengthening their relationship with local stakeholders.

Other third parties

Search and CCYA have excellent relationships with entities that have been involved in this action

including organizations and institutions working on governance issues. Examples include Local

councils, government offices at local level, the police, political parties, Community Teachers’

Associations, School Management Committees and other Civil Society Organisations have

responded positively to invitations and actively supported the action. Search and CCYA’s

relationship with government agencies is stronger at local level where the action is being

implemented given that interactions are more often at this level rather than at national level.

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3.4.Where applicable outline any links and synergies you have developed with other actions

● Project titled “Mobilising Civil Society Support for implementation of the African

Governance Architecture” funded by European Union and implemented by Action Aid

International Sierra Leone and CCYA started in 2018 and will complete in 2021. This

project has positive links and synergies with this action. The project is being implemented

in Western Area, Bombali and Bo Districts and seeks to increase and strengthen the role

that CSOs play in processes to ensure that all African Union (AU) member states are more

democratic and accountable to their citizens in alignment with legal instruments,

institutions and processes of the African Governance Architecture (AGA). The targeted

beneficiaries are CSOs and networks; youths; Ministries, Departments and Agencies

(MDAs) as well as Parliamentarians.

● Search for Common Ground, in partnership with the 50/50 Group (50/50), the Institute for

Governance Reform (IGR), and the Budget Advocacy Network (BAN), has secured

funding from Irish Aid to implement a 12-month project that builds on our current and

past work, particularly on our recent elections programming, pre-election debates project,

and governance programming, to ultimately promote social cohesion and accountability

within the post-election environment, with women’s empowerment and participation

streamlined throughout, and media programming. The project focuses on three key activity

streams, which includes ‘fostering women-led social cohesion’; ‘Strengthening local level

accountability and women's participation’, and strengthening ‘media programming’ to

promote access to information and positive narratives relevant to the goals of the project.

The target areas of this intervention are Kono, Port Loko, Kambia, Kenema, and Tonkolili,

which were selected based on the presence of election-related violence as well as Search

and its partners’ access to and ongoing work in these districts. Leveraging close to two

decade’s worth of experience working in Sierra Leone, Search is well-placed to carry out

this project, building on our relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders, including

with CSOs, CBOs, communities and community leaders, government stakeholders and

local authorities, and media institutions.

● Search for Common Ground (Search) in partnership with, five Sierra Leonean

organisations, National Election Watch (NEW), Campaign for Good Governance (CGG),

Independent Radio Network (IRN), Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), 50/50

Women’s Group (50/50), and an international organisation, Westminster Foundation for

Democracy (WFD), has recently completed the implementation of a 20-months ambitious

project Standing Together for Free, Fair and Peaceful Elections in Sierra Leone with

funding from the UK Department for International Development through DFID Sierra

Leone. The undertaking aimed at contributing to creating the conditions for free, fair, and

peaceful elections in Sierra Leone based on the theory of change which suggests that Sierra

Leonean men, women and persons with disability will take more informed decisions about

their governance when provided with reliable information.

In implementing this project, Search and its partners capitalised on their elections

observation, media programming, public policy formulation and dialogue and community

mobilisation expertise to train and empower marginalised categories of society – women,

youth and PWDs – to effectively participate in the 2017/18 electoral cycle. The aim was to

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support free, fair and peaceful elections but also an inclusive public policy dialogues, town

hall meetings and electoral process. The Standing Together Project co-funded activities

under the UGG including 12 town hall meetings, 6 town hall meetings, Atunda Ayenda

and Uman 4 Uman radio programmes. 9jm

3.5.If your organization has received previous EU grants in view of strengthening the same

target group, how far has this action been able to build upon/ complement the previous

one(s). List all previous relevant EU grants.

● Project titled “Opening Political Space at the Chiefdom and Ward Levels for Marginalised

Voices: Women and Youth” was implemented by Search in partnership with CCYA, the

Grassroots Empowerment Movement for Self-Reliance, the independent Radio Network

and National Election Watch from January 2011 to January 2013. This action capacitated

youth and women leaders at chiefdom level to actively engage in promoting civic education

among groups that they represented. The project, among other benefits, saw marginalized

Youth and women being able to formulate demands of their elected officials and local

decision makers. Women and Youth openly advocated peace and non-violence during

elections and demonstrated the ability to work with the police, community leaders and

other stakeholders to moderate and or mediate tension among persons or groups having

divergent political views. Search now benefits from the rapport created with local

authorities, the police, Election Management Bodies, Youth Commission and other

government offices at district level. Gains made during the implementation of the action

are now being consolidated in the implementation of the current action.

● “Engaging Children and Youth as Partners in Preventing Violence against Children”

Project funded by EU and implemented by Search Sierra Leone in partnership with CCYA

and SLEYO from February 2014 to September 2016. Through this action, Search and

partners engaged with Ministries, government officials, policy makers, decision makers,

donor agencies, and youth focused civil society organisations and the general public to

empower young leaders to engage with other youth at the community levels. Search and

partners leveraged on relations established during the implementation of this action to

reach out to key officials. For instance, local councils in Pujehun and Port Loko and the

Police were very receptive and enthusiastic of the action because of the rapport created as

a result of implementing the previous action in their district. The mapping of youth and

women CSOs also made reference to this action to identify potential youth organizations

that can be supported. Hence some youth organisations who benefited from that project

and met the selection criteria are also being supported under this action. This action has

utilized the Youth research report of the previous report to set the stage for discussion about

violence against children and youth in dialogues forums and increase the confidence level

of the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone police to continuously engage Search

because of the value that we add to their work.

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4. Visibility

4.1.How is the visibility of the contribution being ensured in the Action?

The EU visibility guidelines have been strictly adhered to by Search and CCYA and the project

CSO beneficiaries as detailed in the Communication and Visibility plan. Search has used this plan

to ensure effective communication and visibility of its activities and results. The European Union

has been recognised on banners, Facebook post, radio programmes, radio program jingles and

equipment. The EU Logo and acknowledgement have appeared on all training manuals, attendance

registers, payment vouchers, field reports, etc. The sticker depicting the EU logo was produced

and used on necessary inventory purchased with project funds by Search and CCYA, in accordance

with European Union guidelines including furniture, vehicles and computers, etc.

The European Union Logo has been included on electronic communications, including Facebook

messages, radio and television programmes. The United for Greater Governance website has

been created to allow the broader public to track project progress, access training and other

materials produced (https://www.sfcg.org/united-greater-governance-sierra-

leone/?fbclid=IwAR1aEfYkEDu-

7wK5tbkTxrZEnyDAudFBbqYhj49yLN_8yfD3mvvpwz2J2tc).

The European Union support continues to be recognised verbally during project activities

including town hall meetings, policy dialogues, trainings, Scorecard and DBOC processes as well

as in coordination and planning meetings, trainings. Project beneficiaries including the CSOs,

DBOCs, CTAs, SMCs and stakeholders who are linked to our activities are well aware that the

action is supported with funding from the European Union Delegation.

4.2.The European Commission may wish to publicise the results of the Action. Do you have

any objection to this report being published on the European Aid Website? If so, please

state your objections here.

We have no objection

Name of the contact person for the Action: Joseph Jimmy Sankaituah

Signature…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone

Date report due: December 2nd, 2017

Date report sent: ……………………………………………………………………………….

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5. Appendices:

1. Summary of Atunda Ayenda episodes produced in year 2

2. Summary of Uman 4 Uman episodes produced in year 2

3. Breakdown of Facebook campaign messages, engagements and reaches

4. Highlights of First set of 12 Town Hall meetings

5. Highlights of second set of 6 Town Hall Meetings and third set of 6 Town Hall

Meetings

6. Highlights of policy dialogue sessions

7. Highlights of Scorecard Processes Sessions per district