FRAMEWORK CONTRACT BENEF – Lot No1 Letter of Contract N° 2007/144232 Final Evaluation of the Multi-annual Micro-Projects Programme (MPP) FINAL REPORT JUNE 2008 Prepared by: Fayolle Andr é in association with: Final Evaluation review of the Multi-annual Micro Projects Programme (MPP) _____________________________________________________________________________________ FRAMEWORK CONTRACT BENEF Lot 1 Letter of Contract: 2007/144232 Project Title: Final Evaluation review of the Multi-annual Micro Projects Programme (MPP) DISCLAIMER This report was produced by Italtrend spa in Consortium with SOPEX, ADAS, Hydro-RD, IAK and Macalister-Elliott & Partners for the European Commission. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. The European Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this report, nor does it accept responsibility for any consequence of their use. June 2008 _________________________________________________________________________________ i ITALTREND in association with SOPEX, HYDRO R&D, IAK, MEP, ADAS Final Evaluation review of the Multi-annual Micro Projects Programme (MPP) _____________________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents Acronyms and Glossary (for some Kiswati words).....................................................................v Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 MicroProjects Programme (MPP) description.............................................................. 1 1.2 Objectives of the evaluation ........................................................................................... 4 1.3 Methodology................................................................................................................... 5 2 Relevance............................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Relevance of the MPP in relation to Government policy and the real needs of intended beneficiaries ................................................................................................................ 7 2.2 Methods applied to ensure organizational development for sustainable linkages between MPP, government agencies, EC and other stakeholders............................................. 9 2.3 Implementing methodology capability to achieve sustainable development in beneficiary communities............................................................................................................. 9 2.4 Best practices & local network systems that emerged from the MPP in empowering communities to be self sustainable in development.................................................................. 10 2.5 Relevance of the MPP capacity building programmes in empowering beneficiaries to manage and sustain their own projects................................................................................ 11 2.5.1 Use MPs as incentive to bring communities to develop Action Plans to tackle main priorities ...................................................................................................................... 13 3 Efficiency............................................................................................................................. 15 3.1 Financial Agreement (FA): 27% EDF fund decommited, MPCU administration costs low (18%) ........................................................................................................................ 15 3.2 Extent to which the costs of financed projects have been justified by the benefits accrued..................................................................................................................................... 17 3.3 Networking opportunities created through the MPP amongst government agencies, communities and other stakeholders........................................................................................ 22 4 Effectiveness........................................................................................................................ 25 4.1 Planned Programme benefits delivered and received, as perceived mainly by the key beneficiaries....................................................................................................................... 25 4.1.1 Beneficiaries are satisfied for the MP they built themselves, and wish more support for water sufficiency, food security, income employment & HIV/AIDS clinics.... 25 4.1.2 Gender: a MPP community achievement, but efforts still needed and mostly at higher levels ......................................................................................................................... 27 4.2 MPP strengths & weaknesses: the sole program that practices decentralisation....... 29 4.3 Performance of the Technical Assistance (TA) (quality of the assistance received by the MPP during 9th EDF ......................................................................................................... 30 _________________________________________________________________________________ ii ITALTREND in association with SOPEX, HYDRO R&D, IAK, MEP, ADAS Final Evaluation review of the Multi-annual Micro Projects Programme (MPP) _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4.4 External factors that contributed, positively & adversely, on MPP results delivery... 31 4.4.1 Due to late arrival of 9 EDF procedures, MPP did not sufficiently tap and challenged NSAs, incluling FBOs ....................................................................................... 31 4.4.2 Initial result & activities related to Income Generating were not implemented .. 32 5 Impact.................................................................................................................................. 34 5.1 Achievement of the planned physical objective: evidence demonstrating the impact of the MPP amongst beneficiary communities......................................................................... 34 5.2 Community capacities that have been built by the MPP through training of beneficiaries ............................................................................................................................. 35 6 Sustainability ...................................................................................................................... 39 6.1 Sustainability of the Microprojects Programme .......................................................... 39 6.2 GOS political & operational support to projects. Recommendations a new MPP...... 41 7 Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................................................. 42 7.1 Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 42 7.2 Recommendations......................................................................................................... 45 8 ANNEXES........................................................................................................................... 51 Annex 1: Terms of Reference ................................................................................................ 52 Annex 2: Name of the evaluator and its firm....................................................................... 59 Annex 3: Methodology applied for the study....................................................................... 60 Annex 4: MPP Logical Framework matrices: Original FA 2003 version, and 2 nd revised version June 2006 by Program Estimate N°7 (PE7) .................................................. 62 Annex 4.1: MPP Logical Framework for the Swaziland Micro-projects Programme (2003-2007) (re: Financial Agreement)................................................................................... 62 Annex 4.2: MPP Logical Framework 2006-2007 (2 nd revision through Program Estimate 7, prior to MTR) ........................................................................................................ 65 Annex 5: Maps of project area .............................................................................................. 68 Ax 5.1: Country Map ................................................................................................................ 68 Ax 5.2: MPP 9EDF projects by sector 2003-2007, and NSAs (MPCU, 31jan08) ................... 69 Ax 5.3: MPP 9EDF: projects 2003-2006 & PE7, NSA excluded (MPCU 19feb08)................ 70 Ax 5.4: MPP Japan (GoS agric fund) projects, 2003-2007 (by MPCU, 19feb2008) .............. 71 Ax 5.5: MPP GoS/CDSF projects, 2003-2007 (by MPCU, 2008feb19)................................... 72 _________________________________________________________________________________ iii ITALTREND in association with SOPEX, HYDRO R&D, IAK, MEP, ADAS Final Evaluation review of the Multi-annual Micro Projects Programme (MPP) _____________________________________________________________________________________ Ax 5.6: Primary Schools (MoE 2004 map) with 9 proposed boreholes (REASWA/ACAT EU Water Facility) ......................................................................................................................... 73 Ax 5.7: Swaziland enumeration areas map: Chiefdoms communities,