120 likes | 214 Views
Area Based Development Findings, Recommendations, Lessons Learnt. “To know the road ahead, ask those coming back”. ABD Programming. ABD project is a long-term intervention targeting integrated multi- sectoral , multi-donor and multi-beneficiary intervention ;
E N D
Area Based Development Findings, Recommendations, Lessons Learnt “To know the road ahead, ask those coming back”
ABD Programming • ABD project is a long-term intervention targeting integrated multi-sectoral, multi-donor and multi-beneficiary intervention; • Programming is very important – involvement of stakeholders is crucial for the project success! • It is very difficult to design an ABD projects; • How to identify all the stakeholders? • How to accommodate all the interests? • How to involve stakeholders at the national level? • Other donor agencies? • Proper planning of the exit strategy is very important
ABD Programming • Project evaluations have shown insufficient involvement of stakeholders in the programming phase; • Practical implications: lack of ownership/commitment, donor dependency/clientelism
ABD Programming • Be aware: one project intervention cannot solve all the problems in the area – keep the focus on the main problem(s); • Make SMART Objectives and RACER (Relevant, Accepted, Credible, Easy and Robust) Indicators; • Make sure implementation arrangements are appropriate for the efficient and effective project delivery; • A contingency reserve is necessary to budget;
ABD Programming Always be honest with the beneficiaries about what they will/can get from the project;
Implementation • Be aware, ABD project implementation is even more difficult than programming! • It’s very difficult to coordinate multi-stakeholder initiative – building trust is crucial! • Always start with quick wins and with outputs that produce high visibility; • Be aware of hidden agendas, lobby groups, political interests, etc; • Try to get substantial involvement of policy makers at the national level; • Networking is good but there is a work to be done - keep stakeholders tight to their responsibilities;
Implementation • Management structures should be carefully designed, potential management responsibilities of stakeholders should be clearly described; • Who is responsible and accountable for steering the project? • The location of the main project office should be chosen by consensus of all/majority of beneficiaries. • It is important to keep the high presence in the field – having local coordinators might be costly but will contribute significantly to the results delivery.
Implementation • Donor demands for having quick results and for keeping the budgeting schedule might spoil the quality of the project results; • Do not rush, try to be flexible as much as possible;
Implementation • No matter how well the project document is written, likelihood to be changed is almost certain to happen • Beneficiaries and donors change their priorities: make a review of the stakeholder analysis; • It’s easy to be pulled out to a different direction; • If the changes happens during the implementation phase, make sure they are well documented and objectives/results/indicators/implementation modality are adjusted to the new circumstances;
Implementation • Try to get beneficiaries involved in project implementation as much as possible - it is important to make them to be proud of being part of the projects; • Try not to get involved in (local) politics (usually it is unavoidable); • ABD is about developing local capacities – have that in mind when doing recruitment and tendering;
IMPACT • Direct impact in the field of project intervention is very difficult to achieve • How and when to measure impact? • Do not have high expectation in achieving quick impact results on long term issues such as capacity development/institutional building, knowledge transfer, etc. • Spin-offs are likely to happen (how to capture them?)
Sustainability • Very often one ABD project intervention is not sufficient to make substantial changes on target groups; • Sustainability is possible to achieve only if beneficiaries are actively/gradually engaged in implementation from the beginning; • Do not expect the public sector will (be able to) handle over the project after the implementation; • Do not leave beneficiaries without support between two phases of projects; • Try to coordinate with other donors;