Burundi

1. Women and Governance Project Evuation

   In Burundi, women had not been associated with any level of power previously, from the village level (the hill) up to the government. Thus the general objective of the project to build the capacities of women so that they can take part in political decision making processes is essential for the future of Burundi. Several women explained that they are more at ease when, in a conflict, other women are able to play the role of mediators.

   The specific objectives were pertinent with real needs, to build the capacities of 140 associations so that they can defend the interest of women at the municipality level, the province and the whole country; to improve women and girls' access and their participation quality to the governance process.

   Nonetheless, the objectives were not fully met because of the followings:

   • The project helped a certain number of women to become aware of the importance of electoral rights and their role in participating in power.
   
   
   
   • The trainings on civic education emphasized on fundamental rights, including the electoral rights. Participation was analyzed only in relation with the elections, leading the majority of the participants to think that the next participation to the political life of the Country will happen at the elections.
   
   
   
   • There was a problem of targeting the beneficiaries: organizations were targeted at the exceptions of political party members and election candidates. Human targeting was challenged by the problem of definition of youth (young adults up to 35 years of age, or unmarried persons). Geographically speaking, Search chose to do the trainings nationwide with a big number of beneficiaries. This had damaging consequences on building capacity for organizational management.

   Download the "Women and Governance" Project Evaluation
   [In French]

   Download "Women and Governance" Project Evaluation Comments from SFCG
   [In French]

   Download "Women and Governance" Project Evaluation Key Findings
   [In English]

2. 2004 Victims of Torture Mid-Term Project Evaluation

   This external mid-term evaluation was led by Dr. Sylvestre Barancira and Nathalie Zajde. The Victims of Torture project has the following goal: The reduction of negative effects of torture by assistance to victims and the prevention of acts of torture in Burundi. Some key findings include:

   • The VOT project strategy is effective and efficient in achieving the expected results in sensitization of the population and broadcasting testimonies through the media and other publications.
   
   
   
   • The system of decentralization established by the main coordination has allowed the project to not only reach the original expected number of 800 VOT project beneficiaries, but to exceed that number as well.
   
   
   
   • The system of monitoring needs to be improved by way of an increase in frequency of field visits and the reinforcement of staff capacities.

   Download 2004 Victims of Torture Evaluation

3. 2002 Independent Programme Evaluation Search For Common Ground In Burundi

   This document is an independent evaluation of the Search for Common Ground - Burundi programme conducted by Amr Abdalla, Noa Davenport, Leslie McTyre and Steven A. Smith. The overall goal of the Burundi programme is to reduce ethnic conflict and encourage reconciliation. To this end, SFGC currently runs four in-country programs: Studio Ijambo, an independent radio production studio; The Womens' Peace Center, a forum for unifying and strengthening civil society and promoting democratic processes; The Youth Project, a cooperative project which brings together ethnically mixed youth leaders as well as organizes other peace-building projects for youth; and Integration Initiative, a new project aiming to maximize the synergies among and around SFGC projects as they expand both geographically and in scope. Key findings include:

   • In terms of cultural appropriateness, SFCG's activities, especially their media ones, seemed to correspond well to the African oral culture, and the social patterns of Burundians
   
   
   
   • Interviews with officials in USAID, and the US government, showed much appreciation, if not admiration, of SFCG efforts in Burundi
   
   
   
   • As the government and political actors are engaging in more activities geared towards rebuilding Burundi's unity and peace, those involved in these processes could benefit from an increased role by SFCG

   Download Independent Programme Evaluation