CANADA NEPAL GENDER IN ORGANIZATIONS

Section II: Outcomes Mapping

7. Purpose of Outcomes Mapping

| Outcome Mapping Users |

7.1. Purpose

The overall purpose of the outcomes mapping was to assess:
(1) the extent to which the project has achieved "Outcome 2" as given in the project logical framework analysis, and (2) the contribution of the Community Based Initiatives Fund (CBI) in achieving this outcome.

Outcome 2.0 is:

NGO participants that effectively plan and implement gender-responsive development initiatives, and that competently provide technical services to community-based organizations and user groups in a gender-responsive manner.

Therefore the key questions that framed the outcomes mapping were:

How has the PNGO capacity changed so that the PNGO now performs as a (gender mainstreamed) GRO that is able to facilitate gender mainstreaming and gender-responsive development in their district? How has the CBI Fund in particular contributed to this change process?
What results have been achieved with local government institutions, the NGO community and within the community, with respect to gender mainstreaming and gender-responsive development?

Since CNGO is a capacity building project, rather than a program delivery project, the changes are more directly attributable at the PNGO level. First, changes within the PNGOs needed to be mapped. Second, the final major capacity building intervention was the implementation of small projects. The mapping work therefore looked at the CBI project results to assess the success of the whole PNGO capacity building process: if there is an improvement in PNGO capacity, then the expectation is that CBI project results will be stronger. Thus individual and organizational change in PNGOs is expected to contribute to changing gender relations in their working area.

To deepen understanding whether the project "Outcome 2" has been achieved the outcomes mapping mandate requires looking at the changes in the district. It required moving beyond the PNGOs themselves to looking at what the PNGOs and other CNGO interventions have achieved in the district to promote good governance and gender mainstreaming. What is the track record of the PNGOs in implementing gender-responsive programs and providing technical services?

The "outcomes roadmap" (Annex 2) illustrates the relationship between the project components (inputs/processes) and the outputs (capacities) that have been documented in the regular CNGO semi-annual reports, to the level of outcomes in the district. These are the changes that contribute to and reflect gender responsive development and gender mainstreaming and result in benefits in the lives of community women and men, in community organizations and networks, and in local government. Is the district, due in some part to CNGO, better able to address gender - is the enabling environment better? Four years (project implementation period) is an extremely short time for gender change to happen and be sustained. Is there enough momentum to carry it forward? Whose responsibility is it to follow through on these beginnings of gender change? Measuring or understanding change in the district is more difficult to capture than in the PNGOs, and many factors (plus and minus) contribute to the changes in addition to CNGO. Two major influences during project delivery were the Maoist conflict and the absence of local bodies. These are discussed in more detail in the Project Context Challenges Section.

This entire analysis leads to the final purpose of the outcomes mapping: What can be learned for new project design? The Section on Recommendations outlines findings to support future work.

7.2. Outcome Mapping Users

The primary user of the outcomes mapping is CNGO for project reporting purposes to CIDA and HMGN. It will help CNGO clarify whether and how the project met its output and outcome level targets, and contributed to gender mainstreaming and good governance. Therefore this is an internal assessment of what was achieved, based on the project Management Plan, in the current context.

District stakeholders are also users - they participated in the project delivery, and in this outcome mapping mission. The CNGO inputs can only be sustained if there is benefit for them. The opportunity to meet with district stakeholders and reflect on the project led to discussions on the way forward in the current context.

Active and capable GROs are ready to continue their gender equality work, and needs were expressed from other stakeholders in the district. The issue is how to maintain / sustain this momentum. The GROs are motivated, yet they need incentives. In addition, the question is how to further gender equality in other districts. Potential users of this outcomes mapping therefore are donors as resource providers.

Equally important users are the PNGOs. They indicated they felt weak in evaluation skills, so their participation in the process enabled them to practice participatory evaluation; to learn-by-doing. This is one additional capacity building input with the PNGOs, and involving them gives ownership of the results. The process of looking deeply into their own results as PNGOs shows how far they have come, and how far they have to go in a self-reflection process. A challenge is for them to transparently and honestly assess their own results; so they begin to see any evaluation process as an opportunity "to improve" rather than "to prove". It is also an opportunity for the participants to capture what the experience of CNGO supported capacity building has meant. Capacity building is a big change, yet challenging gender inequality is an even greater challenge. Therefore in their capacity as a GRO that strives for impact and sustainability, the evaluation process and learnings provide useful feedback and new skills. In addition, it is expected that the experience will lead to refreshed motivation in their work, stronger linkages with other PNGOS, and new strategies, methods and program activities for themselves.