Program Focal Point: Gender Based Violence, period 2005-2009

Background:
NCA has carried out a thematic global evaluation of its priority “Women and men working on Gender Based Violence”, that covers Guatemala, Mali and Nicaragua with specific exercises, and the whole Institutional Program with a documentary evaluation. Under this framework, the purpose of this evaluation exercise has been to document the accomplishments that were achieved, limitations and challenges of NCA Central America (Guatemala and Nicaragua) in collaboration with its counterparts, in implementing the thematic priority of Gender Based Violence; and also to value NCA’s commitments towards the principles of responsibility and transparency.

Purpose/ Objective:
The specific objectives for the evaluation have been:
Evaluating the degree of progress and scope of the Specific Objectives stated in the Guatemala and Nicaragua Program, regarding interventions on GBV. Examining the relevance of the GBV focus of NCA in Guatemala and Nicaragua. (For example, if it reflects and is synergic both with the national and regional priority focuses, as well as with the plans.) Evaluating whether the implementation ways, integration and intervention of the GBV focus are sustainable, relevant, efficient and effective within the main areas of activities of NCA (emergency preparations and assistance, long term development and advocacy). Identifying the limits and challenges that need reinforcement in the GBV programs/projects of the counterparts that NCA is financing. Documenting non planned effects. Identifying Lessons Learned.

Methodology:
Evaluation team of 2 consultants: one local leader-consultant and one assistant-consultant from NCA Head office. The method used has been qualitative, incorporating institutional perspectives (from NCA and its counterparts), thematic (focus based on rights, rights of women, GBV) and contextuals (violence, insecurity, corruption, impunity). Collection of information was favored through semi structured interviews (individual and group from the generating questions agreed upon in the framework of the evaluation. Likewise, a study has been carried out of the main Global NCA documents, the documents that warrant the performance of the Regional Office and of its Protection against Violence and Insecurity Program in both countries; as well as the projects’ documents of the counterparts and other products related to the GBV main thematic line, and more broadly with the work done regarding women’s participation, equity and protection.

Recommendations:
1. Form a joined focus of human rights and the specific rights of women, this would create the opportunity to work with, and use the inclusion of both genders as a tool, and not as an objective; and to address within the framework of rights all the forms of violence against women, in order to provide clarity, focus, and to help identify the impacts of reducing the cases of VBG.
2. Formulate a strategy for the Nicaragua and Guatemala Sub-region since they have common problems in addressing Violence Based on Gender. This will allow setting up more ambitious mid-term objectives, wherein the different problems in the region can be prioritized and linked together. In addition, it will help create the conditions to identify the programs' interrelations within the thematic main line of VBG, HIV-AIDS, water, sanitation and emergencies. This exercise should include prioritizing regional and national results.
3. The constant and permanent link with the thematic resources of equity and VBG of the Oslo headquarters, will create the opportunity to give coherence to the work at a central, regional, and national level; to make the work done in regions more visible, and to maintain continuous exchange and learning strategies. In addition, promote the constant positioning of these issues inside NCA. This could also insure larger funding resources from external donors.
4. In order to strengthen the strategic regional alliances of the Regional Office regarding women's rights issues, it has been suggested to conduct an internal reflection within the context of the next strategic plan, and to perform this while the purposes of the main line of VBG and its incidence and programming may be rethought.
5. The reduction of counterparts entails a substantial discussion about the social and political stakes, not only for the Protection Program Against Violence and Insecurity, but also the programs of the Regional Office. Before making decisions about this it would be important to have sound criteria available that would allow assessing the work of each organization, not only in terms of its projects, but also regarding its potential in the political advocacy and thematic impact, especially in the fields of equity and VBG.
6. Strengthening the strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation capabilities of both the Regional Offices and the counterparts. The challenge would consist in the institutionalization of the strategic planning processes, the development of qualitative indicators to facilitate the identification of more specific change signals that would transcend the sensitization activities of the projects. In the strategic follow-up of the counterparts' main line of VBG and equity it would be convenient to change the GEA manual completely; but also to incorporate into the processes of impact appraisal, popularized and participative methodologies that involve target groups.
7. Provide the counterparts with strategic follow-up through special meetings during special instances of the execution of their projects, and not merely with visits to participate in the regular activities. Additionally, an exchange with the counterparts should be maintained in order to strengthen thematic learning. For example, it would be important to discuss work methods that are being used, such as the Methodology of Maleness, the Critical Path to Address Violence, Methods of Analysis of Feminist Theology, amongst others.
8. In order to achieve changes within the Churches, it is essential that NCA and its counterparts clearly define what types of changes should be sought within the Churchinterviews) structures, both at the individual as well as at the institutional levels. Based on this, an operational strategy should be designed that includes specific indicators to be identified on top of awareness. Tools should be developed for the follow-up of multiplication and/or practical implementation activities.
9. To ensure the consolidation of the institutional identity, motivation, thematic coherence and high quality of the programs' executions, at least one Program Official of each country and of each Regional Office should stay involved in the thematic networks, processes and events coordinated by headquarters in Oslo.
10. The reorganization of the ACT National Forums, due to the merger of ACT International and ACT Development into ACT Alliance, should be systematically supported and used as an opportunity to facilitate the development of strategies, tools and practices for emergencies coherent with the frequently existing institutional gender related policies of the member organizations, and the work tools to include gender perspective in its long term work.

Comments from Norwegian Church Aid (if any):