UNDP BUL/97/008
Promotion of Community Participation and Development in Bulgaria (Chitalishta)
EXTERNAL FINAL EVALUATION REPORT
Evaluation team: Daniela Koleva, Ph.D. Dotcho Mihailov, Ph.D. (Team Leader) Sofia, December 2000
Contents E S ...... 2 I. Effectiveness...... 2 2. Efficiency ...... 4 3. Sustainabilitv...... 5 4. Recommendations ...... 6 1. I ...... 8 ...... 1. 1. Background and context ...... 8 1.2. Description of the Project 9 2. R ...... 11 2.1. Project Document ...... 1 l 2.2. Project timeliness...... I I 2.3. Project activities ...... 12 3. Performance ...... 13 3.1. Effectiveness ...... 13 3. l.1. Immediate Objective l: Selection of pilot Chitalishte and of Projects to he supported ...... 13 3.1.2. Inunediate objective 2: Strengthening oftlre capacities of the selected Chitalishta...... 14 3.1.3. Inmediate Objective 3: Achievement of concrete results in the field of income generation 61cli tlieS ...... 1 8 3.1.4. Immediate Objective 4: Expanding Project experience...... 20 3.1.5. The emer ,hr,.1 GO identin...... 23 3.2. Efficiencv ...... 25 3.2. l. Inputs amid orrtpttt.s...... 25 3.2.2. Project execurion ...... 26 3.2.3. Project mancr,avnc ...... 26 3.2.4. Project imnnitorhn ...... 27 4. O ...... 28 4.1. Sustainabilitv...... 28 4. l. I Sustainable net partnerships ...... 28 4.1.2 Sustainable new activities - static and dynamic str.stainahilin...... 29 4.2. Impacts ...... 31 4.2.1. Impact on the self-sustainahility o/ Chitalishte (catpacirv through self-fnancin.Q) ...... 31 4.2.2. Impact on stall capacities ...... 32 4.2.3. Impact on the Chitalishte image ...... 32 4.2.4. Impact on local development through employment generation ...... 32 .4.2.5. Concerns ahovt C hilalishle capacities ...... 33 4.2.6. Svnergv with other UNDP priorities/irtterventions...... 34 5. Summary of strengths, weaknesses, (SWOT) ...... 36 5.1. Strengths...... 36 5.2. Weaknesses...... 36 5.3. Opportunities ...... 37 5.4. Threats...... 37 6. R ...... 38 6.1. Recommendations on the role of the Chitalishte...... 38 6.2. Recommendations on the execution and management modality of the Project...... 38 6.3. Recommendations on the trainin- pro,,ramme...... 39 6.4. Recommendations on Project activities...... 39 6.5 Recommendations and comments on the Programme Profile of Chitalishte 11 Project ...... 40 Annexes ...... 45 Annex I: Chitalishte Participating in the Ministry of Culture/UNDP Project...... 45 Annex 2: List of the Chitalishta which have applied for and received funding from other donor organisations after the completion of the sub-projects ...... 46 Annex 3: Training Programme Events ...... 49 Annex 4. List of visited persons and institutions by team members...... 53 Annex 5: Evaluation Questionnaire...... 55 Annex 6: Summary table of results of sub-projects finalized...... 57
Executive Summary
The pilot Project BUL/97/008 - "Community Participation and Development in Bulgaria - Chitalishte" was conducted in 1997-2000 in two waves with a total budget of USD 519, 139. Its main objective was to strengthen community participation and development in Bulgaria through 1) building the capacities of the Chitalishta to generate their own income and become self-sustainable and 2) developing the Chitalishta into channels for the promotion of grassroot participation and sustainable human development, by broadening and diversifying their activities.
The Project was executed by the Ministry of Culture with the support of UNDP. It included the implementation of 22 demonstration sub-projects by 21 Chitalishta in different spheres: information, vocational training, agriculture, environment, minority issues, health and others. The sub-project activities were treated as instruments for achieving the main community participation and development objectives of the Project.
1. Effectiveness 1.1. Selection of the Chitalishta
The Chitalishta selected for participation varied widely in terms of region, community context and activities. They formulated sub-project ideas according to their assessment of the concrete local needs, which were then evaluated by the Ministry of Culture and UNDP based on the following general selection criteria: • conformity to the Project framework, • compliance with the needs of the community, • capacities of the Chitalishte to implement the proposed sub-project.
1.2. Strengthening the capacities of the Chitalishta
The training component of the Project extended over its whole implementation period. It consisted of 720 person/days and included more than 100 people. It was tailored to the specific needs of the Chitalishta and consisted of 4 modules of 3 days each, for each of the two groups of Chitalishta. The training provided the participating staff with the required new management skills and was the first opportunity for networking among the Chitalishta.
Capacity building was generated on a learning-by-doing basis in the implementation of sub-project activities. The Project introduced a new style of management, characterized by flexibility, market orientation, greater sensitivity to the needs of the community, imagination in the fundraising and partnership building.
As a result, the Chitalishta • gained valuable experience in project formulation and management; • got greater self-confidence, proved that they were able to cope successfully with new tasks and to meet higher requirements; • -strengthened their image in the community as active agents of change able-to address the topical needs of people, and not just as custodians of tradition; • raised the public confidence in them and claimed partnership on an equal footing with the local authorities; • changed their views on the sources and ways of financing (11 new Projects are on different stages of implementation or preparation in 6 Chitalishta visited in Nov. 2000).
A very important achievement of the Project was the creation of new partnerships at the local level. 196 partnerships were established in total throughout the Project, which in average accounts for 9 partners per Project. In general partnerships were more successful when they started at the preparatory stages of the sub-projects and, therefore, for the second wave of sub-projects a specific requirement was introduced to include the potential partners into the Project proposal. However, additional efforts are needed to ensure higher interaction among the partners for promoting Project ideas. In this respect, it is particularly important is to encourage and ensure partnerships among the Chitalishta in the same settlement.
Another very important achievement of the Project is the emerging network among the participating Chitalishta - both at the national and local levels.
1.3. Concrete achievements in income generating activities
The sub-project activities generated a total of 60,900leva. Additionally 21,9721eva from donations were attracted in the course of the Project.
The "business" success of the Project very much depended on • the management qualities of the local Chitalishte personnel, • the level of cooperation with the local authorities and the businesses, and • the preliminary estimation of the local market resources to buy the product.
The self-financing mechanism was not, however, technically and legally very clear for the Chitalishta. Therefore, the new Law on the NGOs, which was adopted in 2000 and clarifies this issue, should be included in the training components of the future Chitalishte programme.
Some of the Projects did not include income-generating activities, as they were focused on public awareness raising and integration of vulnerable or marginalized groups.
On the whole the Project revealed that the Chitalishte possess stronger mediation rather than purely business potential. Its identity of a mediator enables it to encourage the bilateral link between the business and the citizens - through its educational and public awareness raising functions. 1.4. Expanding Project experience
The pilot Chitalishta developed new roles, practices and approaches to the local development and participation that could be multiplied by the rest of the Chitalishta throughout the country.
Such roles include: • The role of the Chitalishte as an intermediary between local authorities and citizens and as a catalyst for participation • Computer and Internet services in the Chitalishte. The Project proved that such services are particularly successful when linked to specific vocational or educational activities. • The expanded role of the Chitalishte as an educational and vocational centre. Such sub-project activities are particularly successful when linked to the concrete local demand and good interaction with local authorities is achieved. • The role of the Chitalishte as an information/administrative center. These activities often slow down after the end of the sub-project but they are particularly successful in smaller settlements where the Chitalishta are face with a higher demand and lower competition. • The emerging NGO identity. The Chitalishta started to adopt elements and characteristics of the traditional NGOs, which would probably increase their financial stability. However, the specific identity of the Chitalishte as a locally rooted, lasting, cultural and civic awareness institution should be preserved and strengthened. 2. Efficiency 2.1. Inputs and outputs
• 51 permanent jobs and 619 temporary jobs were created; • 2,355 persons were trained; • 5,986 individual consultations were provided; • The total revenue from the sub-projects accounted for about BGN 82,000 or approximately $40,000 • The return rate of the financial inputs for 1-year Projects was 16%; • Profits in business oriented Projects reached about 10% -15%.
2.2. Project execution, monitoring and management
The Ministry of Culture was the Executing Agency of the project, in charge of its overall management. According to the Project Document the Ministry of Culture appointed a National Director, who was monitoring and coordinating the project's implementation on its behalf and reporting to the Deputy Minister and the Minister of Culture.
A decisive condition for the overall success of the Project was its excellent management, which consisted of a Project Office located in the Ministry of Culture and staffed with a Project Coordinator and a Project Assistant. The small team demonstrated efficiency and commitment in performing a bulk of tasks on different levels to meet the complex demands of the Project. In most of the cases the management of sub-project activities provided opportunities for flexible restructuring of budget according to the respective successes and weaknesses. However, due to lack of time, there were cases when budget reallocation was not possible.
Several evaluations on different levels were carried in the course of the Project. They include the international missions in October 1997, June 1998, July 1998, December 1998, June 1999 and February 2000 of international consultants, who assessed the implementation of the Project as well as of the individual sub-projects and developed practical indicators for their evaluation. Local organizations and independent consultants carried out additional assessments of some Chitalishta. The Project was also evaluated by in the framework of the Cluster Evaluation of the Governance projects, supported by UNDP, which was carried out in August 1999 by Mr. Gerardo Berthin, international independent consultant and Mr. Hristo Hristozov, national independent consultant.
3. Sustainability 3.1. Sustainable partnerships
The Project established successful and sustainable new partnerships with local and central institutions. These partnerships contributed very much to the expansion of the Chitalishte role of bringing together different local interests and mobilizing the local social capital. Particularly successful are the established partnerships with local authorities and institutions, including Municipalities, schools, Labour Offices, hospitals and others. During the implementation of the Project the most efficient partnerships included those with local authorities, while after its completion the most sustainable partnerships will probably be those with other NGOs.
3.2. Sustainable activities
The sub-project activities continued and were extended into new practices after they ended. These activities could be classified as: J Social entrepreneurship sub-projects related to business-like activities in the fields of agriculture, tourism, SME promotion and information. r Social integration/cohesion sub-projects related to purely social issues of minorities, drug abuse, environment, children care and protection of women's rights.
3.3. Sustainable impacts
The most valuable impact consists in the reaggregation of the social capital promoted by the Chitalishta and their strengthened potential to bring together different local interests and turn into a natural center of community participation. The Project contributed significantly to the institutional strengthening of the pilot Chitalishta. The dynamic attitude, the newly acquired skills and the traditionally high citizen trust, enabled the them to become mediators for solving local conflicts. The potential of the Chitalishte to facilitate the dialogue and interactions between authorities/institutions, on the one hand, and groups of the local population, on the other, is one of the opportunities for the expansion of their role. In this respect the Project was very successful in establishing new partnerships with local and central authorities, which contributed greatly to the expansion of Chitalishte role. In addition, the Chitalishta strengthened their financial capacities and as a result of the income generating activities most of them decreased their dependency on subsidies.
The Project had a very positive impact on the image of the Chitalishta. There were in total 574 information units covering the Project through the local and central press, TV and radio media, which lead to an increased interest in the traditional Chitalishte activities as well.
The Chitalishte Project created 51 people permanent and 619 temporary jobs. Although the Project did not specifically target the generation of temporary or permanent employment this impact was very important as it promoted a new vision for traditional economic priorities and introduced awareness for new economic opportunities.
The Chitalishte Project is in line with the UNDP main priorities. The synergy with other interventions is evident as the Project's components were related to capacity building and citizen participation, poverty alleviation and job creation, environment protection and regeneration and the advancement of women. Similarly to other UNDP supported initiatives the Chitalishte Project mobilized support and financial contributions from other international donors including the Governments of the Netherlands and Canada.
Summarizing the multifaceted impact of the Project on the pilot Chitalishta, our conclusion is that the Chitalishte is by nature a dynamic organization, which has the potential to play a much more active role in the community life. The Project activated the interaction of the Chitalishta with other local actors as well as their inner dynamics. Adopting the new roles approbated in the course of the Project, the Chitalishta were able to become community center, promoting citizen participation and awareness through practical and relevant to local needs activities.
4. Recommendations
The evaluation team strongly recommends that the support to this unique Bulgarian institution - the Chitalishte - should be continued and expanded. The Project should continue with a second stage, built on the achievements of the pilot initiative.
The Chitalishte institution should be strengthened as: 1. A center for civic education and citizens awareness raising 2. A catalyst of innovative knowledge and practices
The Project priorities should continue to be based on local needs and resources.
3. The responsibilities of the Ministry of Culture representatives should be better specified both in overall execution and everyday management; 4. The establishment of a Project Steering Committee should be considered; 5. Increased responsibilities and interaction with local/regional and State structures should be ensured; 6. The recruitment of dynamic and young people as local sub-project coordinators should be encouraged;
7. Competitive mechanisms for application to the second Project phase should be developed and applied.
The training programme should continue and include:
8. A Chitalishte training Chitalishte component; 9. A specific legal component on the newly adopted NGO law; 10. Regular individual consultations.
One of the ways to increase higher relevance of sub-project activities to the local needs is the development of sub-project ideas on the basis of public discussions after the Chitalishta have been selected. However, a priority should be given to the role of the Chitalishta as:
11. Vocational educational centers and 12. Computer literacy and Internet education centers.
The objectives of the future second project, as developed in the Programme Profile, are realistic and achievable.
13. The interaction between Chitalishta in one and the same community should be ensured. 14. Internet access should be practically oriented. Computer education and Internet use should be clearly linked to the needs of Chitalishte and to particular subproject activities.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF THE CHITALISHTA PARTICIPATING IN THE PILOT PROJECT Table
1. I
This report presents the final evaluation of the Ministry of Culture/UNDP Pilot Project BUL/97/008 - Promotion of Community Development and Participation in Bulgaria ( Chitalishta). The main objectives of the evaluation are: • to assess the relevance, performance and overall success of the pilot Project; • to identify its strengths and weaknesses and draw lessons learned; • to formulate concrete recommendations with regard to its replication and expansion at a national level.
The evaluation includes all components of the pilot Project as well as the demonstration sub-projects, implemented by the participating Chitalishta. It covers the period from July 1997 to December 2000.
The report is based on: • Review of all relevant documents, including the Project Document, consultancy evaluation reports, the Annual Project Report, the Project and sub-project files, the Project related surveys and statistics, etc. • Field visits to 11 pilot Chitalishta, located outside Sofia and 4 other Chitalishta. • Meetings with main Project stakeholders (UNDP, Ministry of Culture, local Project partners), Project management and staff.
The evaluation team would like to thank the UNDP staff, and particularly Mr. Antonio Vigilante, Ms. Trine Lund-Jensen, Ms. Maria Zlatareva, Ms. Emilia Lissichkova, and Ms. Sasha Traicheva for their valuable insights and assistance throughout the evaluation process. Special acknowledgments should be made to the representatives of Ministry of Culture and all local Chitalishte coordinators for their helpful comments and comprehensive information.
1.1. Background and context The Chitalishte is a unique and traditional cultural institution in Bulgaria - a local cultural centre housing a public library, art clubs, etc. Such centres were established in literary every town and village from mid-19th century onwards. Democratic institutions that promote participation, they enjoyed (and still do) very high prestige and trust. There is an extensive network of 4,600 Chitalishta in the 5,000 settlements all over Bulgaria, 3,620 of which are registered as non-profit organizations according to the Law of Chitalishte (1996). Traditionally, the Chitalishta operated on a volunteer basis and were funded primarily through donations and membership fees.
In the period between 1944-1989 a system for central financing and control over their activities was established. During these years the Chitalishte was an instrument for implementing the Government (party) policy and, therefore, lost part of its community functions in exchange for financial stability.
However, the Chitalishta preserved their reputation and continue to attract citizen trust. After 1989, they were faced with the challenge to survive in a situation of restricted financial resources, particularly at the municipal level and with the growing individualistic values.
1.2. Description of the Project
The Chitalishte Project is a central component of the UNDP's efforts to promote the enhancement of good governance, local democracy and civil society's empowerment and participation in the country. The Project was conducted in 1997-2000 in two waves as a pilot initiative with a total budget of USD 519,139. Its main objective was to strengthen community participation and enhance development in Bulgaria through 1) building the capacities of the Chitalishta to generate their own income and become selffinancing and 2) developing the Chitalishta into channels for the promotion of sustainable human development, by broadening and diversifying their activities. The Project was executed by the Ministry of Culture with the support of UNDP.
1.2.1 Project design
Initially the Project envisaged to involve five pilot Chitalishta and support them to develop income generating demonstration initiatives in the field of community development and participation by providing funding of up to $ 25,000 for each initiative. Thus they were expected to 1) gain new experience on a "learning by doing" basis; 2) provide an additional revenue for the Chitalishte; 3) strengthen their positions in the community by responding to one of its topical needs and establish new partnerships with the local authorities, the other local institutions, NGOs and business; 4) demonstrate the capacities of the Chitalishta to adapt to the new socio-economic situation and their potential to become an agent of societal change.
The main target beneficiaries of the Project were the Ministry of Culture, the pilot Chitalishta, the respective municipalities and local communities as well as other local institutions and NGOs. The Project was expected to result in the: 1) building of 5 successful examples of strong and innovative Chitalishta ready to share their experience; 2) a number of other Chitalishta, ready to experiment in the same way; 3) higher interest on behalf of the donors ready to provide financial support to a far greater number of Chitalishte.
The main activities of the Project included training of the staff of the pilot Chitalishta, implementation of the pilot sub-projects and dissemination of the results through a broad public and media campaign.
1.2.2. Project modifications
The Project implementation followed a flexible approach in responding to the changing conditions. In fact, the concrete results and achievements of pilot Project exceeded considerably the original targets and initial expectations both in terms of quantity and quality. The latter is due to mobilization of additional funding from other donors that brought the initial budget of USD 315,000 to a total of USD 519,139, of which USD 260, 170 were provided by UNDP (USD 140,170 from UNDP Bulgaria TRAC and USD 120, 000 from the Regional Programme "Democracy, Governance and Participation" through UNOPS), USD 253,969 - by the Government of the Netherlands and USD 5,000 - by the Government of Canada. The additional funding permitted to expand the
Project activities both in range - with the implementation of 22 sub-projects based in 21 Chitalishta, instead of the targeted five Chitalishta - and in time: the activities lasted 42 months - from May 1997 to December 2000 - instead of the initially planned 18 months.
As a result the Project supported 42 pilot Chitalishta in assessing the priorities of their local communities and in formulating innovative sub-projects for local development and participation, of which 22 were selected and funded in two waves. The first I I subprojects were carried out in 1998/1999 by Chitalishta in smaller towns and villages where they represent the only cultural and community centre. In a second phase, 11 additional sub- projects were carried out in 1999/2000 in bigger towns and regional centres where the pilot Chitalishta compete with other Chitalishta and local NGOs.
2. Relevance
2.1. Project Document
Project Document of the pilot Project BUL/97/008 - Community Development and Participation in Bulgaria (Chitalishta) was signed in April 1997, which was the most critical period of Bulgarian transition. The minimum wages in early 1997 fell to US$3 and the average wages to US$12. The average minimum wage during 1997 was 53% of the 1995 minimum wage. The overall economical crises lead to a sharp deterioration of the situation in the cultural sector, including that of the Chitalishta.
The Project Document correctly identifies the main problems to be addressed as
1) the very survival of the Chitalishta in a situation of drastic reduction of State subsidies and citizen focus on individualistic survival strategies. and 2) the adaptation of the Chitalishta to the new' conditions and strengthening their position in the communities with a view to develop their potential in community participation, civic education and action, advocacy and mobilization of local support to promote good governance.
In brief, the idea of the pilot Project, as specified in the Pro Doc, is to explore the potential of a unique traditional Bulgarian institution, which used to be part of the civil society until mid-20th century, to restore its position as a mediator between local authorities and society at large, as a place for voluntary action and public initiative by helping it in capitalizing its credit of trust and facilitating its adaptation to the new conditions.
2.2. Project timeliness
The pilot Project responded to concrete needs of the Chitalishta and the Bulgarian society at large into a timely manner. The Project was launched in the most dramatic period (so far) of the Bulgarian transition. The newly elected government of the United Democratic Forces (UtdDF) was faced with a deep economical crisis accompanied by continuing hyperinflation. The response to this situation was the introduction of the Currency Board system, including strict financial regulations that seriously constrained the opportunities for State subsidies.
In addition, the Government started the implementation of a strategy for decentralization, which resulted into additional decrease in the Chitalishte funding. In 2000, for example, State subsidies to the Chitalishte in Dobrich were cut down twice compared to the previous year. Therefore the Project was not only timely in 1997 when it started, but adequately addressed the development tendencies in the period of its implementation.
On the other hand Chitalishte personnel had practically no experience and skills in fund raising and management. In this respect, the financial assistance provided by the Project was combined by a comprehensive training programme and capacity building activities.
As the secretary of the Chitalishte in Dobrich put it, "the Project gave us a fishing rod, instead offish and taught us fishing ".
2.3. Project activities
The Project objective to strengthen community participation was achieved through the implementation of a wide variety of sub-project activities for local development. These local demonstration initiatives were not pursued as specific objectives by themselves but rather as Project instruments/tools. However, they addressed key national priorities such as: decentralization of the cultural sector, diversification of local economy, employment generation, development of alternative agriculture, promotion of tourism, social integration of vulnerable groups, protection and regeneration of the environment, revival of local traditions and crafts, provision of access to the modern information technologies, vocation training, etc.
As a whole the Project addressed socio-economic domains and target groups, which are of crucial importance for the development of the Bulgarian society. Activities were relevant to local needs and local resources. They corresponded to the overall objective of strengthening the institutional and financial capacities of the Chitalishta and, most importantly, succeeded to bring the citizen interest to the Chitalishta and the Project. The people participated not for the sake of an abstract civil society but because the pilot Chitalishta initiatives responded to their actual and everyday needs. Therefore one of the most salient strengths of the Project was that it successfully addressed the need for increased demand for civil society participation as a pre-requisite for a healthy democratic development.
3. Performance
3.1. Effectiveness
3.1.1. Immediate Objective 1: Selection of pilot Chitalishte and of Projects to be supported.
A. Selection of Chitalishte
To maximize the chances for success of the Project, the selection criteria included: dynamic attitude of the Chitalishte staff, • cooperation with other local actors, • potential for synergy with other UNDP activities, such as environmental protection and poverty alleviation.
The list of dynamic Chitalishta was provided by the Ministry of Culture. It included 70 Chitalishta located in small settlements and 50 city Chitalishta. All of them were addressed by the National Project Director via a questionnaire. Any Chitalishte that responded was invited to participate. Thus a total of 42 Chitalishta took part in the Project.
The fact that half of the initially invited Chitalishta did not respond to the questionnaire suggests that they were either skeptical about the Project, unable to grasp its ideas or did not have the potential to apply. For example in Kurdzhali the ethnic Chitalishte received the questionnaire, but according to its director did not have the resources to apply.
The Chitalishta selected for participation vary widely in terms of: • region (central and border; urban and rural; ethnically homogeneous or mixed), • community context (from small villages where the Chitalishte is the only community centre to cities where the Chitalishte faces strong competition; different degrees of de-industrialization and impoverishment) and • focus of proposed Projects (extending traditional activities, bringing them up to date or venturing in new ones to respond to the new situation).
B. Selection of the Chitalishta sub-projects
The Project was launched through the organization of a workshop, which introduced its main idea and concrete objectives to the pre-selected Chitalishta.
The Chitalishta formulated sub-project ideas according to their assessment of the concrete local needs. They were then evaluated by the Ministry of Culture and UNDP according to the following basic selection criteria:
• conformity to Project framework • compliance with the needs of the community • capacity of the Chitalishte to implement the sub-project.
It is noteworthy that no limits were set as to the range and type of activities to be carried out under the Projects. However, in accordance with the overall aim of the Project to promote local community development and participation, it was required that broad local partnerships should be established for the implementation of each Project.
To minimize competition risks the first 12 sub-projects, carried in 1998/99, engaged Chitalishta in smaller communities. The second wave of 10 sub-projects carried in 1999/ 2000 included city Chitalishta. 22 sub-projects were financed with a total cost of $ 260, 000. The average cost of the sub-projects varied between USD 5,000 and USD 20,000 and their duration was of 10-12 months, which in some cases proved insufficient to achieve the best results in terms of sustainability.
3.1.2. Immediate objective 2: Strengthening of the capacities of the selected Chitalishta.
3.1.2.1 New skills (Training program)
The Project provided comprehensive training to Chitalishte staff to enhance their management skills, competence in legal and financial matters and resource mobilization techniques. Two persons from each Chitalishte took part in the training programme - the local sub- project manager and his/her assistant. The training was held at different places to enable visits to several sub-projects and involve different Chitalishte teams in the organization. The first day of each training module was dedicated to information sharing and exchange of experience. Sometimes, pilot Chitalishte managers taught their colleagues on topics in which they had gained knowledge and experience. This practice resulted into the programme "Chitalishte Training Chitalishte". In addition, a comprehensive package of training materials was accumulated, developed and distributed to the participating Chitalishta that can be used as a basis for the formulation of the larger "Management of the Modern Chitalishta" training programme.
The training extended over the whole period of the implementation of the Project. It was arranged in 4 modules of 3 days each for each of the two groups of Chitalishta and tailored to their specific needs. A total of 720 person/days of training were carried out in the course of the Project and over 100 Chitalishte staff took part in it. (See Annex NO). The training had practical orientation as it addressed topics of interest for all, pertaining to Project management and accounting, fund raising, new legislation, and even use of Internet. Given the limited number of training events and the great diversity of the demonstration sub- projects, specific or individual problems could not be comprehensively discussed at the sessions but were addressed individually. This training methodology worked well in the course of the pilot Project.
Being demand-driven, the training not only provided timely help to the Project managers but also resulted in a fairly clear picture of what the most urgent needs in training were. Another asset of the training program were the interactive teaching methods. The small groups of trainees (20-25 participants in most cases) allowed for an efficient application of such methods. However, in a future training program the opportunities for regular and systematic individual consultations should be considered I in order to better respond to different local needs and Project peculiarities.
On the whole the training responded successfully and flexibly to the practical needs of the pilot Chitalishta staff throughout the Project. First, it provided them with skills that were partially or totally lacking. In this respect, most Project managers emphasize the key role of the training for the building of their managerial capacities that were critical for the successful implementation of the respective sub-projects. Second, and equally important, it was the first opportunity for networking among the Chitalishta and a step towards capacity building in the sphere of participation and collective self-help.
3.1.2.2 Capacity building
Capacity building was generated on a learning-by-doing basis in the implementation of sub-project activities. The Project introduced a new style of management, characterized by flexibility, market orientation, greater sensitivity to the needs of the community, imagination in the fundraising and partnership building. As a result, the Chitalishta • gained valuable experience in project formulation and management; • got greater self-confidence, proved that they were able to cope successfully with
new tasks. and to meet higher requirements; • strengthened their image in the community as active agents of change able to address the topical needs of people, and not just as custodians of tradition; • raised the public confidence in them and claimed partnership on an equal footing with the local authorities; • changed their views on the sources and ways of financing (11 new Projects are on different stages of implementation or preparation in 6 Chitalishta visited in Nov. 2000); • established stable relations between the pilot Chitalishta and founded an Association of the" United Chitalishta ";
The successfully completed sub-projects can be used as "demo" initiatives to demonstrate in a convincing way the greater potential of the Chitalishte institution. Some of the pilot Chitalishta have already been approached by other Chitalishta interested in developing the same activities.
3.1.2.3 Partnership building
On the whole, a very important achievement of the Project was the creation of new local partnerships. In total 196 partnerships were established throughout the Project, which in average means 9 partners per Project (ranging from 2 in Sliven and 3 in Novo Selo and Elhovo to 29 in Dobrich and 26 in Pleven).
This success was very much based on: • The Ministry of Culture/UNDP objective to ensure effective partnerships throughout the Project • The initially high image and synergetic potential of the institution • The traditions and the sustainability of the Chitalishte institution • The traditional intermediary and citizen nature of the Chitalishte
Practically all Chitalishta succeeded to create sustainable partnerships, many of which continue to operate after the Project. • During the implementation the most efficient partnerships were those with local authorities and institutions (Labour Offices, Municipalities). • After the completion of the Project the most sustainable partnerships will most probably be those with other NGOs. ( with the Tourist Council in Koprivshtitsa; with the Women's NGO in Kurdzhali) • A very important achievement of the Project from the Chitalishta's perspective is the emerging network among the participating Chitalishta - both at the national and local levels.
It should be noted, however, that some of these partnerships were created only in the implementation stage of the Project, which means that partners got only after the Project idea was approved by the Ministry of Culture and UNDP. This limited the opportunities for broadening some local partnerships. For example in Smolyan the initial idea of the Chitalishte "Hristo Botev" was to implement a Project for the development of crafts and tourist related services. The other Chitalishte in the town - Orfeevi gori - had a similar idea, which was not approved. Similarly in Kurdzhali the Chitalishte "Obedinenie" could not establish a successful partnership with the Chitalishte of the Turkish minority.
Alternatively, one of the good examples in this respect was Dobrich, where the Project " Parents and Children against Drugs" has been the result of a raised public awareness of drug abuse after a student's death from overdose. The subsequent discussions involved a number of local institutions, schools, organizations and the idea of the Project was generated as a result. Another example was Plachkovtsi, where a broad public discussion was initiated and a poll among the population was carried but only after there were some guarantees of approval of the Project. The Chitalishte was concerned about its prestige if the Project was widely discussed and the application turned to be a failure.
On the whole in most cases the Chitalishta succeeded in creating effective and broad partnerships with other local actors - municipalities, Labour Offices, educational insitutions, hospitals, other NGOs, private businesses - but they did not manage to cooperate with other Chitalishta from the same settlement. In this respect, most of the " missed" partnerships were among the Chitalishta due to the competition between themselves. However, it became clear that partnerships are more successful if they are created at the preparatory stages of the Projects. This was particularly noticeable from the second wave of the Project when a specific requirement was introduced to include the potential partners into the Project proposal. In many cases preliminary discussions with other local actors had been held (For example in Velingrad).
Therefore the opportunity for a broad (but well organized) public discussion at the preliminary stage of the Project should be considered in the future. This approach, however, raises the issue of the selection of the participating Chitalishta in the future programme. Technically we suggest three options for the Chitalishta selection, which take into consideration the "preliminary discussion" phase of the demonstration Projects preparation:
1. Select Chitalishta proposals and encourage their preliminary discussion among local actors and particularly with other local Chitalishta. This is generally the approach of the second wave of the pilot Project, which relies on the capacity-of the Chitalishta to promote the initial idea. This approach ensures the selection of capable Chitalishta ( judged from the concrete proposals) but may undermine the relevance of the idea to the local community environment and potential partnerships. 2. Select settlements and organize public discussion to select the Project idea. This discussion should bring together different local actors, which should jointly select the Project idea and share the responsibilities for its implementation. The strong side of this approach is that the preliminary discussion would 1) ensure responsible participation of all appropriate local actors and, more importantly 2) would produce a Project idea which is relevant to local needs and resources and would therefore raise higher demand for community participation. The experience of the Municipality Forums, supported by the Swiss Government and the participatory decision-making approaches successfully tested under the Capacity 21 Project, supported by UNDP and the Netherlands, could be considered in this respect. The weak side of this approach is that being approved, the Chitalishte would not be able neither to organize the discussion, nor to implement the Project. 3. Select Chitalishta through partners and resource generating capacities. A third approach, which could combine the above two, is to select Chitalishta through proposals that would provide details about potential partnerships and their common resources. Then if approved, a public discussion among these local actors would promote the Project idea (Approach 2)
3.1.3. Immediate Objective 3: Achievement of concrete results in the field of income generation activities
A total of 60,900 leva was the income generated by the sub-project activities in the pilot Chitalishta for the duration f the Project. An additional sum of 21,972 leva of donations was attracted in the course of its implementation.
New centres were established in most of the pilot Chitalishta, most of which continue to function: 2 Internet clubs, 3 offices for consultations, 2 crafts workshops, 6 centres for information and education, 2 women clubs, 1 social advice centre (day care centre), 1 centre for services and innovations, 1 Office for tourist and social services. They attract people of different ages and occupations to the Chitalishta, thus enhancing their role as community centres capable of responding to the real needs of different groups of the population.
To ensure income-generating activities the Project encouraged the Chitalishte to be market oriented and in fact to act as a business entity. This was an untraditional role for the Chitalishte, although it had such experience many years ago. The evaluation proved diverging results based on the following factors:
• The "business" success of the Project was very much depended on the management qualities of the local Chitalishte personnel, and particularly on the Coordinator business capacity. • The level of cooperation with the local Labour Office, the Municipality and the local business very much pre-decided the "business" success of the local Projects. For example in Smolyan, the Municipality added 8dca after the Project started. In Smolyan the Labour Office paid almost half of the labour costs (half of the min wages). In Elhovo the coordinator cooperated very well with representatives of the local business, which insured good sales. The Elhovo Chitalishte extended its cooperation with big herb companies outside Elhovo (Bilkoop, Bulgarska Roza OOD). The preliminary estimation of the local market resources to buy the product also influenced the income generating success. For example in Smolyan the business activities could bring higher incomes if were oriented to the near tourist market of Pamporovo. Alternatively in Pleven (a bigger settlement) the Chitalishte successfully provided PR and advertising services to SMEs. • The self-financing mechanism. The mechanism of income generation in Chitalishte through own businesses was not technically and legally very clear for the Chitalishte. For example in Koprivshtiza a partnering NGO (The Tourist Council) participated in a tourist stock exchange in Germany but could not take advantage of it as far as it is not a tour-operating agency.
With regard to the latter, the new Law on the NGOs that was adopted in 2000 and will come into force as of 1 January 2001, provides clearer regulations as to the economic activities carried out by NGOs. This specific issue should be included in the training components of the future program with a focus on practical legal and financial advice to the Chitalishta.
Some of the demonstration sub-projects did not include income-generating activities, as they were focused on public awareness raising and integration of vulnerable or marginalized groups. Such were the cases in Sliven, Kurdzhali and Dobrich, which were oriented exceptionally to providing social services and in Veliki Preslav and Topolvgrad ( Green-academy), which were focused on environmental issues.
Similarly in Pleven the governess sub-project resulted in comparatively lower incomes, but the sub-project provided a good example of how traditional trust to the Chitalishte can be used to attract clients for untraditional activities. It provided temporary employment to 54 unemployed pre-school and elementary school teachers. The field visit took place shortly after the decision of the Ministry of Education to prolong the winter holidays, which resulted into an increased demand for the governess services and the Chitalishte "Lik" in Pleven was prepared to act as an intermediary in the negotiations between parents and governesses.
Some of the sub-projects were focused on additional income generation through auxiliary activities (viticulture, bee keeping). In Lovech, for example, the revenue from mushroom growing in the end of 1999 was sufficient to cover the costs for a whole year of the two musical bands maintained by Chitalishte "Naouka". The Chitalishte considered the two sub-project activities - mushroom growing and bee keeping - as auxiliary and supporting its traditional activities (according to the local manager, the latter have been even boosted by attracting the project partners to attend them). However, the interest towards - the training courses offered in the course of the subproject indicated another possible venue - the development of the Chitalishte as a training and information centre and a partner in a future regional association of bee keepers.
Similarly the Chitalishte "Probouda" in Plachkovtzi developed its training programs into practical partnerships - the Chitalishte invited experts from the New Agricultural University in Stara Zagora to assess the conditions for cultivation of untraditional agricultural crops. Currently the Chitalishte is negotiating with business partners to launch the cultivation of these crops. The role of the Chitalishte in this partnership would be to provide land and know-how, and the role of the business would be to supply financing, labour and to implement the cultivation. After the Project the Plachkovtzi Chitalishte succeeded to get a loan, guaranteed by the Triavna Municipality for the establishment of a computer center. This is a good example of a sustainable and more importantly a self- dependent maintenance of local partnerships, incited by the Project.
As a whole the Project revealed that the Chitalishte has higher resources to become an intermediary between the business and the population than a mere business entity. This mediation could be based on providing education and services, including business information services. However the mediation identity of the Chitalishte is different from the role of a business/information center. If the strength of the business center is to link a business to a business, the biggest intermediary potential of the Chitalishte is to encourage a bilateral link between the business and the citizen - through its educational and public awareness raising functions.
3.1.4. Immediate Objective 4: Expanding Project experience.
Following the successful demonstration of the expanded role and greater potential of the Chitalishte institution in the modem society, the Project aims to promote the dissemination of the experience acquired and lessons learned at a national scale through a series of public events.
In its final phase the Project was focused on mobilizing support to the new role of the Chitalishte through targeted policy advocacy initiatives, which included:
Production of a 30' documentary film "The Chitalishte - Festivity and Hope', which was broadcast on 24 May 2000 (The Day of the Bulgarian Culture) on Channel I of the Bulgarian National Television and rebroadcast on TV Bulgaria Satellite. The film was copied on more than 50 videotapes and CDs (both in Bulgarian and English) and distributed. Publication of the book "The Bulgarian Chitalishte - Past, Present and Future", printed in 2,000 copies in Bulgarian and 500 copies in English. i Organization of the National Seminar "The Future of the Chitalishta in Bulgaria" on 24 October 2000 with the participation of the President of the Republic, the Minister of Culture, mayors, more than 100 Chitalishte staff, representatives of NGOs, the media and the donor community in the country. Development of a special Radio Programme on the Project, consisting of four 60' emissions broadcast in the period October - December 2000 on "Horizont Programme" of the Bulgarian National Radio.
All the above initiatives were aimed at presenting the new roles, practices and approaches to the local development and participation, tested by the pilot Project, that could be multiplied by the rest of the Chitalishta throughout the country.
3.1.4.1 The expanded role of the Chitalishte as an educational centre.
Practically all sub-projects included new educational activities that were mainly focused on tourism, agriculture, civil society development, protection of the environment, usage of the new information technologies and Internet.
The educational segment of the Project proved to match very well with the experience and the traditional role of the Chitalishte. Almost all visited Chitalishta continue or plan to extend their educational activities, which are especially successful when responding to local needs and conducted in cooperation of the Labor Office. In Sliven, for instance, about 10% of the Roma students found a job after the passing vocational courses (for waiters, assistant cookers, etc.). In some cases, however, the vocational courses were not corresponding to the demand as identified by the Labour Office - in Kurdzhali the Labour Office demanded tailors, while the Chitalishte vocational courses included computer skills.
The computer skills courses proved to be a very successful component of the Project. The Internet club in Svishtov, created by the Chitalishte "Elenka and Kiril Avramovi", was the first one in the town. Now that it has been functioning for two years, it is faced with the competition of private clubs offering access to Internet and computer games. The Chitalishte club, however, is the only one that is explicitly oriented towards educational and information services offering training courses and a WEB library. With its low prices the courses attract mainly young people, professionals and unemployed, facing the necessity of vocational re-orientation. The courses for the public are offered in the school holidays, while during the school year courses are organized for students at reduced rates in close cooperation with the schools. Thus the Chitalishte has achieved threefold results: 1) expanded its educational services; 2) attracted young people; 3) secured a stable (though not high) income.
3.1.4.2. The role of the Chitalishte as an information/administrative center.
The Project expanded the traditional information role of the Chitalishte. All the participating Chitalishta were equipped with some office equipment and started to provide information and administrative services.
The evaluation observations proved the following factors for successfully providing such services: Office services such as copying, computer typing, document preparation etc. appeared an income generating opportunity, particularly when there was a market niche for that. Such was the case in Koprivshtitsa and Plachkovtzi, where the administrative and information center faced practically no competition. Alternatively, in Smolyan, where the Chitalishte is on the main street the competition is too high, while in Sliven there is no demand at all (the Chitalishte is in the Roma place). The center in Koprivshtitsa is continuing to work successfully after the Project ended. The center in Plachkovtsi (2,800 population) provides services for an average of 10 persons a day. During the last months, the centre assisted the ID cards and passports renewal procedures. Business services such as providing consultations and business plans etc. are provided occasionally. The business center in Elhovo (created after the Project) contributed to 1 commercial deal through internet. The information center in Smolyan prepared 2 business plans, both successful (both succeeded through much due to the personal contacts of the coordinator) Computer and Internet services. The Chitalishte in Svishtov offered the first WEB library accessible to the broad public. It established lasting partnerships with a number of institutions such as schools, the Labour office, etc. offering facilities for language and Internet courses. The center provided additional services to SMEs and individuals such as media-intensive advertising web pages, web design and web hosting. Advertisement and PR services to SMEs. Such are provided by the Chitalishte in Pleven. This activity was initiated in the course of the Project after an unsuccessful attempt to offer training to small businessmen. It proved sustainable in terms of both income generation and partnership building. The most demanded services of this type include the design and production of flyers, and the organization of a public promotion of the company and its products. 8 such promotions were organized in the course of the Project, 6 - after its end and 6 others are in preparation.
As a whole the evaluation proved that information/administrative centers are successful only when they are linked to particular information activities - for example in providing consultations about agricultural or tourist activities. However, when the Project ends these information activities usually slow down and what continues is very often the provision of non-information services (copying, computer games, etc.) On the other hand, the experience gained and the partnerships established in the course of the business Projects sometimes create a certain demand for information services to the Chitalishte by branch associations and former trainees (as in Lovech) or small business (as in Plachkovtsi).
The provision of administrative services by the Chitalishta could be considered if there are no perspectives for the establishment of administrative information centers in the Municipality - for example in very small settlements or in Roma Chitalishta. In Sliven, for example, the information center responded to the strong administrative information needs of the Roma community (However these services cannot be financially sustainable because of the difficult financial situation of the Roma.) In bigger settlements such administrative information centers may come into competition with other public or private structures.
Information centers are successful if tailored to the needs of the target groups and the specificity of the settlement. Thus the potential venues for Chitalishte information centers could be: • Education, including the utilization of the potential link between the children education (continuing it in the Chitalishte) and the information centers (computer technologies); • Vocational training for the unemployed based on a careful examination of local demand and potential partnerships; • Information and PR services to the SMEs.
3.1.4.3. The new role of the Chitalishte as an intermediary between the local community and the authorities/institutions.
The Project contributed significantly to the institutional strengthening of the pilot Chitalishta. In a number of cases they could act as intermediaries at the grassroots level between specific groups of the population on the one hand, and local institutions and/or municipalities, on the other. That was the main focus of the Chitalishta sub-projects in Sliven, Kurdzhali and Gotse Delchev. In those three cases the Chitalishta advocated for the empowerment and the integration of some marginalized groups (the Roma minority and the women, respectively). Similarly in Dobrich the Chitalishte successfully addressed the needs for integrating another disadvantaged group - the drug addicts. Those who joined the groups at the Chitalishte led by psychologists and physicians, had never before considered the possibility to contact a medical establishment or the police. They felt safer and more comfortable at the Chitalishte as a "neutral" ground not related to any public institution.
The dynamic attitude, the newly acquired skills and the traditionally high citizen trust, enabled the Chitalishta to become mediators for solving local conflicts (as was the case with the conflict about grazing cows in the park in Elhovo). The potential of the Chitalishte to facilitate the dialogue and interactions between authorities/institutions, on the one hand, and groups of the local population, on the other, is one of the opportunities for the expansion of their role but it depends on their abilities to establish partnerships with the municipalities and local branches of state institutions. Another important opportunity, demonstrated by the Project, is the potential of the Chitalishta to re- aggregate social capital, to promote the change in the mentality of the citizens and mobilize them for collective action to achieve concrete goals.
3.1.4.4. The role of the Chitalishte as catalysts of participation
The Project demonstrated the potential of the Chitalishte to mobilize all local actors in resolving concrete local problems - unemployment (as in Sliven, Pleven, Smolyan), drug abuse (as in Dobrich), environment (as in Veliki Preslav and Topolovgrad), depopulation ( in Plachkovtsi), etc. A participant in the Dobrich Project noted that the Project managed to mobilize for the first time different organizations to act together for raising the public awareness of the problem of drugs and a broad discussion was initiated in the media. In addition, most of the sub-projects had visible and tangible results: information clubs and Internet clubs, day care centres and women's clubs, consultancy centres and business clubs, which continued to function after the end of the respective Projects and to attract people to the Chitalishta. A number of Projects included exhibitions and other events, which also attracted public attention. The successful implementation of the pilot sub-projects and their visible results raised the confidence in the Chitalishte and the awareness of its potential as a community centre. Many Chitalishta succeeded to attract volunteers for the implementation of the subproject activities and to raise additional funds both in cash or in kind. A total of 21,972 leva were received from donations by the pilot Chitalishta and 1,640 volunteers took part in Project activities. Another indicator for the success of the Chitalishta in mobilizing support for their initiatives is the change in the citizens' attitude towards the sub-projects and towards the Chitalishta themselves. Many managers stated that the initial skepticism towards the Projects turned into confidence and support with the progress of the Project activities.
On the whole the Project successfully ensured citizen participation because its activities responded to specific and concrete local needs. The Chitalishte pilot Project is an example of raising public interest and citizen awareness through the solution of practical everyday problems. The Project was not focused on participation for its own sake but on achieving practical results, which stimulate the demand for civil society participation.
3.1.5. The emerging NGO identity
In most of the cases the Project introduced knowledge about the NGO sector. Practically all Chitalishta came out of the Project with knowledge and experience about how to apply to NGO donors, what should the Project include, how to respond to donors' requirements, etc. For instance, the necessity "to behave as an NGO" was mentioned by Chitalishte managers in different locations and in different contexts: in relation to Project as a an income source (Lovech, Silistra), to the need of find raising knowledge and experience (Dobrich), to the need of networking between Chitalishte or to lobbying opportunities (Pleven).
Encouraged by the success of their first initiatives funded by UNDP, the Chitalishta continued to apply to different organizations with follow-up Projects. Some of those Projects were well under way by the time of the field visits, like the Day Care Centre for Roma children at Chitalishte "Lik" in Pleven, funded by the United Dutch foundations, the follow-up Project in Koprivshtitsa for revival of traditional crafts, funded by the EU Phare "Projects, Partnerships" programme and the follow-up herbcollection and herb- growing Projects in Elhovo, funded by UNDP and RIF.
Other Projects had already been completed, like the one of the Svishtov Chitalishte for Presentation of Manuscripts in the WEB Space while others were about to start, like the Dobrich Chitalishte follow-up Project "Drugs - There is an Alternative", funded by the Foundation for Local Government Reform under "Social Entrepreneurship for the Marginalised Communities and Young People" Programme. The Chitalishte in Kurdzhali is actively applying with Projects on women's rights, the Chitalishta in Veliki Preslav and Topolovgrad- with ecological Projects.
This is how the Chitalishte started to adapt elements and characteristics of the traditional NGOs - an organization which operates mainly through applications with Project proposals to external donors. This result, however, could have a contradictory effect: 1. The NGO perspective would bring the Chitalishte closer to the funds of the donors; it would probably increase its financial stability and would eventually benefit the whole community. For example, the Chitalishte "Razvitie" in Elhovo implemented 2 additional Projects after the pilot one. Similary, the Koprivshtitza Chitalishte " Hadzhi Nencho Palaveev" continues to work with other donors. The Chitalishte " Obedinenie" in Kurdzhali has not succeeded with its applications yet but is very professionally addressing the donors with Project proposals. 2. More importantly, the new NGO identity could turn the Chitalishte into a natural community/civil society center through bringing together the interests of very different partners and stakeholders. In addtion, the Chitalishta could disseminate their new experience among smaller local Chitalishte. (The failure to establish a successful partnership with the Turkish minority Chitalishte in Kurdzhali is probably the only reason for Chitalihste "Obedinenie" not to succeed with its applications as of yet.) 3. On the other hand, there are observations that the new Projects of the Chitalishte, financed by other donors after the end of the Ministry of Culture/UNDP pilot Project are not monitored regularly (unlike the pilot one) and are financially less sustainable. These new Projects are sometimes isolated from the immediate local needs and local market opportunities. For example the Business Center in Elhovo, financed by RIF proves modest activities. The rug production in Koprivshtiza, which started after the UNDP Project brings dissatisfactory incomes by the time being. In other words the adoption of a purely NGO behaviour could drive the Chitalishta closer to the existing funds but afar from the local needs and resources.
Therefore Project applications, though a possible source of funding, should not be regarded by the Chitalishta as their main priority and the specific identity of the Chitalishte should be preserved. We consider that the unique Chitalishte identity differs from a typical NGO mainly by its:
1. Higher institutionalization versus project oriented objectives. The Chitalishte unlike the project oriented NGOs is steadily institutionalized within
the Bulgarian society. It should, therefore, continue to be regarded by the State and the local authorities as a fundamental and locally rooted cultural institution and financially supported. 2. Long-term sustainability versus short-term specific projects. Unlike specialized NGOs, which are focused on particular issues or target groups, the Chitalishte should perform the lasting and more importantly - constantly changing role of a citizen awareness institution. Therefore the Chitalishte should be encouraged to maintain its financial self-dependence and long-term sustainability. 3. Locally rooted versus fund driven financing. Unlike NGOs, which are oriented to external (mainly international donors) the Chitalishte has the potential and is traditionally able to re-aggregate the local (even restricted) financial resources.
3.2. Efficiency 3.2.1. Inputs and outputs
The implementation of the sub-projects resulted in the creation of 51 permanent jobs and 619 temporary jobs. A total of 2,355 persons were trained in the courses organized as part of the pilot sub-projects and ranging from language courses to vocational ones. A total of 5, 986 individual consultations were provided and in a number of places, these activities continue to be carried after the completion of the Project on a permanent basis.
The financial efficiency of inputs in different sub-projects is not very comparable due to the great diversity of the demonstration initiatives. The total financial input in subprojects amounted to USD 260,000, whereas the total revenue, including donations, reached approximately USD 40,000 (BGN 82,000). Therefore only during the implementation period (less than 1 year) of the sub-projects the return rate was 16%, which means that if the Project activities continue with similar revenue and investment rates the financial inputs will be paid back during the next couple of years years.
In fact the business oriented Projects reached about 10% -15% profits. For example in Koprivshtiza the production of traditional jam pots brought 10% profit for the Chitalishte. In Elhovo and the Smolyan the agricultural business Projects brought higher profits. The initial profits of the WEB library in Svishtov were re-invested in 6 new computers and after the end of the sub-project, all the expenses of the Internet club and some expenses of the Chitalishte (electricity and telephone) were covered by the income of the club. At the same time, the prices are kept low because of the competition of the private clubs. In Pleven, the governess services bring almost no profit, while the animation services bring significant profits. The latter provide for the maintenance of some free of charge services and activities, such as the library.
When analyzing these results it should be taken into account that the untraditional activities were very new for the Chitalishte management and naturally encountered high business entry costs. For example in Elhovo the local coordinator gained agricultural knowledge step by step and developed the herb collection business into herb cultivation. However, he believes that the Chitalishte should play the role of an intermediary between the big herb companies (such as Bioprograma and Bulgarska rosa) and the local small and family businesses.
3.2.2. Project execution
According to the Project Document the Ministry of Culture was the Executing Agency, assuming the overall responsibility for the Project management, monitoring and coordination. To stimulate closer working relations with the Ministry of Culture the Project Coordinator and her Assistant were located in the Ministry's building. The Ministry of Culture was regularly informed and consulted about the Project progress and its representatives participated in the training events on a regular basis. A special monitoring tour of field visits to pilot Chitalishta sub-projects was organized for the National Director of the Project on behalf of the Ministry of Culture - Ms. Antoaneta Ginina. In addition, the Ministry of Culture provided precious support in the organization of the National Seminar "The Future of the Chitalishta in Bulgaria", which took place on 24 October 2000.
In accordance with the Project Document, the participating Chitalishta were provided with great autonomy in the formulation and implementation of the sub-projects./ This position of the Ministry of Culture was in line with the political priority adopted by the Government in 1997 for decentralization, which prevented for the interference of the central authorities in the activities of the local structures, including the Chitalishta. In the future, however, a special consideration should be given to the specific coordination mechanisms that will ensure higher operational involvement of Ministry of Culture in the implementation of the future programme or any other joint initiatives.
3.2.3. Project management
A decisive condition for the overall success of the Project was its excellent management. The Project was managed by a Project Office, located in the Ministry of Culture and consisting of a Project Coordinator and a Project Assistant. The team demonstrated efficiency and commitment in performing a bulk of tasks on different levels to meet the complex demands of the Project. The minimal Project staff achieved impressive results in terms of encouraging local initiative, identifying the most urgent needs of the individual Projects, close monitoring and constant help to the Chitalishte managers, sustaining financial discipline and flexibility in coping with a number of emerging problems.
The Project Office performed most of the day-to-day management including organization of the training, supervision of the sub-projects and re-allocation of funds, coping with newly emerging situations (e.g. changes in the legislation). As can be seen from the documentation, the sub-project managers relied strongly on the advice and approval of the Project Coordinator. This resulted in a work overload for the team of the Project Office but did not impede the capacity building component of the Project. The evaluation did not prove an excessive centralization of the Project management.
In most of the cases the management of sub-project activities provided opportunities for flexible restructuring of budget according to the Project successes and weaknesses.
However, because of lack of time there were cases when budget reallocation was not possible. For example, according to the Sliven coordinator the number of the musical education courses could be decreased while the number of vocational courses` - increased. The Project Coordinator was also aware that vocational training provokes much higher interest than musical education, but the short Project period did not allow reallocation of funds.
Some of the coordinators are in a position to compare the pilot Project management with that of other donors in the course of later Projects. One of them said: We are running a " crafts development " Project now with another donor organization but we do not have the Ministry of Culture/UNDP Project regular support and assessments.
3.2.4. Project monitoring
Several evaluations on different levels were carried in the course of the implementation of the Project. These included the missions of October 1997, June 1998 and July 1998 of the international consultants Chris Wardle (U.K.) and Jiri Dusik (Czech Republic) and those of Chris Wardle in December 1998, June 1999 and February 2000. They assessed the implementation of the pilot Project as well as that of the Chitalishta subprojects and developed the impact indicators for their evaluation. In July 1998 Business Centre "Mesta" . assessed the individual sub-projects from the first phase with a methodology of the Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development. The Chitalishte participating in the second phase of the Project were assessed by the independent national consultant Mariana Stoyanova in December 1998. In addition, the pilot Project was evaluated in July 1999 in the framework of a Cluster Evaluation of Governance Projects supported by UNDP, which was carried out in August 1999 by Mr. Gerardo Berthin, international independent consultant and Mr. Hristo Hristozov, national independent consultant.
The introduction of practical criteria and impact indicators for each sub-project by the intermediary evaluation proved to be very effective. Another very fruitful recommendation appeared to be the idea to introduce the principle of learning by doing in Project activities. As a whole the Chitalishte coordinators and sub-project teams felt very comfortable with the Project management.
The Project documentation is full and comprehensive. It proves a regular and thorough reporting, comprising 3 intermediary reports for sub-projects taking less than one year.
4. Overall success
4.1. Sustainability
4.1.1 Sustainable new partnerships
Most of the created partnerships continued to work after the end of the Chitalishte sub- projects. For example the Koprivshtitza Project produced several new partnerships after it was completed. The Chitalishte established a sustainable partnership with the Tourist Council (a local NGO), although at the beginning of the Project there was certain tension between them. Together with this NGO the Chitalishte have been running a tourist office and sharing the incomes and costs for maintaining its services. Apart from this the Koprivshtitza Chitalishte created a cooperative company, which was expected to work in the tourists sector along with a commercial tourist company. In addition, the Chitalishte hosted the newly established Ombudsman in the Information Center, created during the sub-project. Similarly in Elhovo the Chitalishte hosted the newly established Business Center, created under a Project, financed by the RIF (Regional Investment Fund). In Kurdzhali the Project promoted establishment of partnerships with gender oriented NGOs, (particularly with Center Nadia) and was included into a nation-wide network of 15 women organizations. Before the start of the Chitalishte sub-project there had been I ethnic and I Bulgarian women NGO in Kurdzhali. As a result of the sub-project the Chitalishte succeeded to enroll women from different ethnic communities into the Women Club "Rhodopea".
Particularly successful were the partnerships established with local authorities and institutions, including municipalities, schools, labour offices, hospitals and others. projects which succeeded to get higher support and cooperation from the Labour Offices (Smolyan and Elhovo) were much more successful than sub-projects where such partnerships were missing (Kurdzhali and Sliven). As noted by Mrs. Nikolova, Municipal Secretary in Dobrich, most businessmen tend to cooperate with the Municipality and in this respect the partnership with the Municipality could instrumental for mobilizing additional support and therefore is very important for the overall success of the different initiatives.
The partnerships with schools were also frequent and proved to be effective as well ( Svishtov, Dobrich, Silistra, Plachkovtsi, Pleven). They enabled the Chitalishte to attract more young people to their traditional activities as well (eg. students were attracted in the Theater Club of the Chitalishte in Svishtov) and to establishing new ones, not envisaged in the sub-projects (such as the Strategic Games Club in Svishtov and the new tourist routes in Plachkovtsi developed together with the Tourist Club of the Veliko Turnovo university).
Other local stakeholders that provided support the Chitalishte initiatives included branch associations (such as the Union of Beekeepers in Lovech), sports clubs ( Extremsport in Dobrich), other Chitalishta (in Pleven and Svishtov), private business ( in Plachkovtsi and Pleven). An important lesson drawn from the pilot experience was that business companies tend to respond when approached as partners and not as donors. For instance the local business in Plachkovtsi got interested in the Project activities (a raspberry evening) only when identified them as market opportunities.
On the whole the Project was very successful in establishing new partnerships with local and central institutions. These partnerships contributed very much to the expansion of the Chitalishte role (in both new and traditional fields) of bringing together different local interests and mobilizing the efforts of all local stakeholders for resolving concrete problems.
4.1.2 Sustainable new activities - static and dynamic sustainability 4.1.2.1 Social entrepreneurship Projects
Most of the new activities continue and extend into new practices after the end of the sub- projects. For example in Koprivshtitza the new Information Center continues to provide significant incomes after the Project is completed. Similarly the production of jam pots in Koprivshtitza was followed by the production of other traditional products (rugs). A side result of the partnership with the Municipality, established during the implementation of the sub-project, was the introduction of the Ombudsman institution, located in the Information Centre. In addition Koprivshtitza Chitalishte conducted the following new activities in 2000: V 2 Chitalishte lotteries r 2 charity concerts
Similarly the Elhovo Chitalsihte continued its agricultural activities in herb cultivating, initiated by the sub-project and after its completion developed its own nursery garden. The education courses also continue and 300 additional people have been trained in herbs collection and cultivation. The development of these new activities in Elhovo shifted the focus from herb collection to herb cultivation as the latter turned out more profitable and market oriented. The Elhovo Chitalishte is now implementing a third consecutive Project - after the first Ministry of Culture/UNDP pilot Project as it Chitalishte had established stable relationships with the Municipality, the big herb producers, the Roma organizations and the Labour Office. In Smolyan the agricultural Project of the Chitalishte is also sustainable in both static and dynamic terms and the Municipality added 8dca to the initially provided 5dca of fields for cultivating mountain fruits and agricultural products.
4.1.2.2 Social inteRration/cohesion Projects
Most of the Chitalishte sub-projects achieved sustainability not only in financial terms but also in their social and institutional impact. The anti-drug Chitalishte initiative in Dobrich, for instance, initiated broader public campaign in support of the drug addicts and promoted the cooperation among all relevant stakeholders in addressing this problem. In Kurdzhali, the Chitalishte social Project in support of the local women resulted in the establishment of sustainable partnerships with NGOs that also had a clear social impact on the integration of the different minorities. Up to now, however, this did not bring any additional income generation to the Chitalishte but provided opportunities and know-how on how to apply to other donor organizations. Similarly in Sliven the Chitalishte sub-project achieved its concrete objectives, although the coordinator does not consider a follow-up without external financing.
On the whole the Project successfully introduced a number of new activities, which provided opportunities for sustainable development of the Chitalishte institution both in terms of self-financing and social impact. 4.2. Impacts
The most valuable impact of the Project consists in the renewed/reactivated potential of the participating Chitalishta to bring together different local interests which transformed them into a natural center for community participation and development.
The evaluation field visits found out that the pilot Chitalishte staff was speaking a language totally different from the staff of Chitalishte not participating in the Project. One of the Chitalishte managers said: "I cannot imagine how the other Chitalishte staffs are operating. .. " This quotation is a clear evidence of the changing mentality and the transformative role of the Chitalishte. However the higher citizen potential of the Chitalishte institution was particularly visible in 1) its higher self-financing capacity, 2) its higher image, resulting from a higher potential to create partnerships, and 3) its crucial role in addressing local development issues such as unemployment, environmental, ethnic, educational, informational and others.
4.2.1. Impact on the self-sustainability of Chitalishte (capacity for self-financing)
As a result of the income generating activities most of the pilot Chitalishta decreased their dependency on subsidies. For example in Koprivshtiza the subsidies in 1997 accounted for 90% of the Chitalishte budget, compared to 20% in 2000 (after the end of the sub-project). Similarly in Pleven the subsidy in the total Chitalishte budget equaled to 26% in 1997, compared to 8% after the Project in 1999. In Smolyan, the traditional income generating activities account for 5% of the Chitalishte budget, compared to 10% generated by new agricultural activities through the sub-project, the ambition being to reach 20% share through the new agricultural activities in the Chitalishte budget. Similarly in Elhovo the new agricultural activities of the Chitalishte seriously decreased the budget dependency on State/Municipality subsidies as well.
However the new incomes are still not dominating the Chitalishte budgets. In Kurdzhali income generating activities account for only 20001v (all traditional) compared to 150001v from property renting and 40001v from subsidies. In Smolyan the successful new agricultural activities account for 70001v/year compared to 120001v from rents and another 120001v of subsidies. In this respect, the potential of the income generating activities should not raise very high financial expectations. If successful these activities would probably account up to 20% of the Chitalishte budgets. On the other hand the current law allows the Municipality to flexibly provide subsidies to the Chitalishte. There are indications (in Elhovo and Koprivshtiza) that the Municipality decreases subsidies if the Chitalishte succeeds to ensure own incomes.
In fact, the bulk of the Chitalishte incomes, particularly in bigger settlements, continues to come from rents of property. On the one hand this provides a sustainable financial stability to the Chitalishte but on the other, rent-seeking may bring passiveness and inequality among Chitalishta in the same settlement. In Kurdzhali, for example, the newly created ethnic Chitalishte "Umer Lutfi" has no rent incomes and gets 50001v from traditional activities, whereas the Bulgarian Chitalishte gets 10001v from traditional activities and has 15,0001v from rent per year.
In cases where the Chitalishte assets (buildings and others) are municipal property, some competition mechanisms should be introduced for the local Chitalishta to obtain those assets by all local Chitalishte so that rent incomes are not considered for granted. Different Chitalishta must be given equal opportunities to access municipal resources on the basis of Projects, activities (new and traditional) and finally - citizen trust. Such competition would decrease the risks of inadequate or passive Chitalishte management.
4.2.2. Impact on staff capacities
The Project resulted not only in institutional strengthening of the pilot Chitalishta but on the development of their human resources as well. The Chitalishte staff benefited a lot from the training (some managers estimated the training as key for the success of their sub- projects: "I wouldn't have managed at all without the training; I only later realized how ignorant I had been in the beginning", admitted one of them), as well as from the international expertise both in the course of the training and during the visits of the international consultants (Chris Wardle) to the individual Chitalishte.
The Chitalishte managers acquired know-how in a number of important fields, such as development of ideas into Projects, the resource mobilization and the partnerships building. The most important impact of the pilot Project on the Chtalishte staff, however, was the transformation of their mentality and the change of their attitudes and ideas about the role of the Chitalishte as part of the civil society.
4.2.3. Impact on the Chitalishte image
The Project had a very positive impact on the image of the Chitalishte institution and Project was covered by a total of 574 information units in the local and central press, TV and radio media. All interviewed coordinators believed that the Project significantly contributed to the increased the public trust in the Chitalishte institution. The main factors behind this were that: • The Project addressed practical and significant needs of the local communities • The Chitalishta demonstrated an ability to generate funds and employment instead of being a burden to the municipal budgets • The Chitalishta succeeded to bring together controversial local interests
4.2.4. Impact on local development through employment generation
The Chitalishte Project did not specifically target generation of temporary or permanent employment. However this impact was very important as it brought the Chitalishta closer to the most sensitive issues of the community. The Project created in total with 51 permanent and 619 temporary jobs, of which 70% were occupied by unemployed people and many provided to the Roma community. In Elhovo, for example, there were only 5-6 Roma families collecting herbs in 1998 before the start of the Project. Now, after its completion about 30%-40% of the Roma population in Elhovo is engaged with herb cultivation. In Koprivshtitza about 40 women were engaged in home decoration of jam pots, compared to 78 after the Project and as an additional result of a commercial company employed 13 people and started to produce the same pots but taking the business on a very large scale (without paying license to the Chitalishte) failed to sell much of the stock.
In fact the most critical influence on the promotion of employment was not the practical creation of temporary or permanent jobs but the creation or rather the introduction of awareness about new economic opportunities. In Elhovo and Smolyan this was the opportunity for alternative agricultural business. In Sliven 9 out of 44 participants in the vocational training found jobs after the end of the sub-project but, more importantly, the Project in Sliven introduced the awareness that Roma can find work as waiters or cook-assistants.
At the same time the Project promoted a new vision for traditional economic priorities. In Koprivshtiza, for example, it introduced new opportunities for the development of the traditional tourist sector by producing souvenir jam pots. In Smolyan the Project was based on the traditional mountain agriculture but introduced the awareness of new opportunities for producing mountain fruits and herbs.
Summarizing the multifaceted impact of the Project on the pilot Chitalishta, our conclusion is that the Chitalishte is by nature a dynamic organization, which has the potential to play a much more active role in the community life. The Project activated the interaction of the Chitalishta with other local actors as well as their inner dynamics, Adopting the new roles approbated in the course of the Project, the Chitalishta were able to become community center, promoting citizen participation and awareness through practical and relevant to local needs activities.
4.2.5. Concerns about Chitalishte capacities
The Project was faced with certain risks, some of which were identified in the Project Document and special provisions were made to reduce them. These risks were related to: • the selection of really dynamic Chitalishta as participants • the potential possibilty that they would venture into unrealistic Projects • the insufficient management skills of the Chitalishte staff • the potential skepticism on behalf of the local public or institutions, which might have impeded the establishment of local partnerships • the difficult coordination and monitoring of diverse and spatially dispersed Projects. After the end of the Project, however, some of these concerns continue to exist. The criticism to the Project is most often based on the following arguments:
1. The engagement of a culture institution with business and untraditional activities would deteriorate the traditional Chitalishte role.
The evaluation did not prove this argument. On the contrary, as a result of the pilot Project the traditional activities of the Chitalishte improved both in quality and number. For example the Kurdzhali Project brought 50 new members to the Chitalishte and enriched the traditional Chitalishte activities by creating a multi-ethnic choir. Similarly the Koprivshtiza Chitalishte improved its traditional activities as before the Project it organized concerts only inside the Chitalishte building whereas after it started to take the choirs out and to perform (paid) attractive programs for tourists. It should `be emphasized that these activities were not included in the sub-projects and resulted from developed management skills.
2. The business activities of the Chitalishte would deteriorate its spotless image of a non-profit organization.
This is an important consideration shared by some local coordinators and some representatives of the Ministry of Culture. The evaluation did not find practical evidences on this argument but it should be taken into account that to a great extent the trust in the Chitalishte comes from the image of a non-business organization. However, the main thesis behind this argument is that only the poor can be trusted.
3. The support provided to the selected Chitalishte cannot be multiplied because of the high number of the Chitalishte in the country.
This argument says that if 42 Chitalishte required a Project of half a million USD, it is unlikely to secure USD 2,3 billions to support the 4,600 Chitalishta in the country. This argument neglects the pilot nature of the Project, which objective was to test the opportunities for self-financing and self-development of the Chitalishte. In fact the multiplication effect of the Project is most evident from the emerging Chitalishte network. However, the argument reminds the need to ensure the principle of competitiveness in application to restricted available funds.
4.2.6. Synergy with other UNDP priorities/interventions
The Chitalishte Project is very well integrated within the general UNDP priorities. The synergy with other interventions is evident from several perspectives:
• Capacity building and citizen participation. The Project created strong and lasting partnerships with wide range of institutions, strengthened the opportunities for financial sustainability of the Chitalishte and introduced effective management. • The social dimension. The UNDP social impact priority is central for the overall Chitalishte Project that is most evident in Projects such as in Kurdzhali (gender and minorities problems) or in Sliven (bringing back Roma children to school). As a whole the Project completely falls into the overall UNDP mandate to strengthen sustainable human development in Bulgaria. • The selection of demonstration initiatives. All supported initiatives fall into the UNDP main priorities, namely poverty alleviation and job creation, good governance, advancement of women and environment protection and regeneration. For example business-oriented Projects such as those of Elhovo and Koprivshtitza benefited from the experience accumulated in the Beautiful Bulgaria Project while, the Topolovgrad Chitalishte Project developed its ideas on the basis of the UNDP environment programmes.
V Integration of donors' efforts. Similarly to all UNDP Projects the Chitalishte Project succeeded to mobilize support from different international donors including the Governments of the Netherlands and Canada. r
5.Summary of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)
5.1. Strengths • The Project introduced significant, relevant and very necessary know-how about promoting the Chitalishte independence and self-confidence, and particularly in identifying income-generating opportunities. The Project broadened the role of the Chitalishte institution in several perspectives: 1) The Chitalishta established new partnerships with the local and national actors (local authorities, State institutions, NGOs, private businesses, schools, hospitals) 2) They developed their role as providers of new civic culture and knowledge. It is very important that the new knowledge was most often related to the very immediate and everyday needs of the community (opportunities for employment and local economic development) and 3) The Chitalishte institution strengthened its position as a mediator of different local interests; the Project brought together stakeholders of the local development such as the administration, the business and the citizens. • The Project supported very diverse range of activities, which allowed to test different opportunities for Chitalishte development. • Most of the Project activities were relevant to the local needs such as unemployment, social integration and diversification of economical development. The Project was cost-effective. If Project activities continue the Project investment will be paid back in about 2 years. • The Project management ensured the participation of the target groups, which guaranteed high levels of responsibility and ownership of results. • The Project provided the opportunity for learning by doing. • The Project was very well managed and regularly assessed, including through clear and accountable indicators. • Most of the Project results are sustainable and replicable. The Project initiated the opportunity to replicate results through a Chitalishte association.
5.2. Weaknesses
• There were not clearly defined mechanisms and rules on how to operate with the Project profits and how to continue with the income generating activities. This was due to the unclear legislation of NGO incomes. • The opportunity of creating partnerships between different Chitalishta in the same community was not entirely utilized. For example in Smolyan two Chitalishta did not succeed to join efforts on a similar idea and in Kurdzhali two Chitalishta of different ethnic basis remained competitors. • In some cases the local coordinators could not establish efficient partnerships with some important State stakeholders such as the Labour Office, the Social assistance services and the local schools. • Some local partnerships were created after the Project idea was approved instead of developing the idea on the basis of a broad community discussion.
This was partly due to the pilot nature of the Project but it deprived some Chitalishta from important partners (For example the other Chitalishte in Smolyan and Kurdzhali). • The duration of the sub-projects was too short for some of the scheduled activities. For example the agro-technical periods related to some initiatives were not taken into account in advance. • Some local market opportunities were not entirely utilized and others - overestimated. For example the tourist market in Smolyan was neglected while the potato market in Koprivshtiza and the souvenir market in Silistra were overestimated.
5.3. Opportunities
• Community Center. The Project revealed the potential to develop the Chitalishte institution as a mediator of different local interests. It has great opportunities for cooperation with key local institutions such as the Labour Office, the Social Assistance Services and the local NGOs. • The opportunity for developing the Chitalishte as an educational center. The educational activities of the Project turned out perhaps the most successful ones. These educational activities could be developed in the forms of 1) education in computer and internet literacy, 2) vocational training and 3) continuing the school education in the Chitalishte (language and other courses). • Business mediator and information center. The Project results showed that the business related Chitalishte activities should be rather developed as intermediary than direct entrepreneurial activities. However, they also proved that the Chitalishte is able to run its small own property and to gain profits from it. Nevertheless the strength and comparative advantage of the Chitalishte consists in introducing new experiences rather than in acting as a commercial organization. • Providing administrative services could be an income opportunity for the Chitalishte, located in small settlements. Such administrative centers in big administrative centres could be faced with the competition of specialized municipal administrative centers. • An opportunity that has not been explored by the pilot Project could be the self- financing experience in some specific cultural activities, developed by Chitalishta in Sofia. When applicable this experience could be multiplied by the future Chitalishte training Chitalishte programme. However, the perspectives for future development should rather be sought on a local level, than determined by some centrally located bodies.
5.4. Threats