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  • 8/7/2019 Evaluation of Humanitarian Protection and Direct Humanitarian Support Programme in Central Mindanao, Philippines

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    Evaluation of Humanitarian Protectionand Direct Humanitarian SupportProgramme in Central Mindanao,Philippines

    Full Report

    Oxfam GB Programme Evaluation

    September 2006

    Commissioned by: Oxfam GB

    Evaluators: Lenore Polotan-dela Cruz, Elmer M.

    Ferrer, Zarina Hipolito

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    Exec utive Summary

    Oxfams Huma nitarian Prote c tion Prog ramm e in Centra l Minda nao is a highly releva nt

    and ap prop riate programm e that a ddressed the need s of 17 c onflic t affec ted

    c om munities in the municipa lities of Pikit, Paga lungan a nd General Sa lipada K.

    Pend a tun (GSKP) throug h a c om bination of d irec t servic e d elivery, c apac ity build ing of

    c om munity ac ters and forma l authorities and the c rea tion o f a favorab le e nvironme nt

    within forma l and informa l institutions for the p rom otion a nd p rote c tion of c ivilian rights

    and entitlem ents. The streng ths of the p rog ramm e a re p rimarily anc hored on the

    follow ing: good and ac c urate need s assessment a nd targeting o f b eneficiaries,

    em ploying a partic ipa tory app roa c h that ha s built owne rship o f the programm e a ndengend ered pa rticipa tion a nd pa rtnership at the c omm unity and loc al government

    leve l, timely de livery of servic es, co mm itme nt to building p artnerships and high level o f

    staff c om petenc ies.

    It is a great a c hievem ent tha t imp ac t is a lrea dy be ing felt in ma ny co mm unities

    supp orted by the program me. Without do ubt, the p rog ram me s integrated ap proac h

    of c om bining livelihood s, public hea lth and direc t a c tion to wa rds free and informed

    dec ision-ma king wa s ab le to signific antly add ress the needs of the IDP c om munities

    thereb y co ntributing to a n improveme nt in their ove r-all we ll-being . How eve r, it is the

    view of the Evaluation Tea m that the sc ale a nd durab ility of such imp ac ts c ould b e

    increased by ad dressing the fo llowing c onc erns:

    Synergy of projec ts The g rea test imp ac t c ould b e fe lt in GSKP and Pikit whe rethere ha s be en a n integ rate d a pproac h to d elivering the p rog ram me s ob jec tives.

    In c ontrast, the limited or lac k of susta ined livelihoo d interventions in Paga lungan

    c ould be seen to jeo pa rd ise the ga ins ma de in FID in these c om munities.

    Significance and reach o f impac ts sma ll-sc a le live lihood p rojec ts, espec ially tho sefoc used on supp leme ntary inc om e g eneration ap pe ar in som e c ases to b e

    prod uc ing very sma ll inc rea ses in income . The net e ffec t of these ga ins ma y be

    offset b y inc rea ses in the c ost o f living c urrently be ing expe rienced in the reg ion. It

    ma y be p ossible to expa nd the sc op e a nd reac h a larger pe rc entag e of ta rgetpop ulation if future livelihoo d interventions foc us on fundame nta l issues of ac c ess to

    and sustainab le m ana ge ment of na tural resources, rat her than on a wide rang e o f

    sma ll-sc a le inc om e genera ting p rojec ts. The p rom ot ion of susta inab le fishing

    prac tices intimately linked to fisheries resource s ma nage me nt c urrently be ing d one

    in Panusolen is perhap s a go od mo del to p ursue. There may also b e a nee d to

    ma ximise the c rea tion o f ad ded value to p rod uc ts and a c c ess highe r value

    ma rkets. Idea lly too , these p rojec ts should b e linked to existing resourc es and

    know led ge found in the co mm unity.

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    Gend er Mainstreaming There a re a lrea dy build ing b loc ks from the g round levelprogram me e xpe rienc e in livelihood and pub lic he a lth from w hic h to develop a

    more solid unde rstand ing a nd fram ew ork for gend er mainstrea ming a nd wo men

    em pow erment . While it is true tha t o rd inary wo me n a re inc rea sing ly ge ttinginvolved in the ec onom ic sphe re and the m anag em ent of c om munity c a re system ,

    they still have to c onte nd with va rious c ultura l and relig ious beliefs and va lues tha t

    promo te d eep ly emb ed ded ge nde r-based po wer asymmetries and disc rimination.

    It is therefore imp ortant that a ny humanitarian and development programm e

    c ontinue with raising aw areness among wo men of their rights and ag enc y and in

    c hang ing ma le a ttitude to wa rd w om en. This c ould be do ne more effec tively by

    mainstreaming womens rights into IDP rights education and infusing these with

    c ultura l and religious eleme nts tha t promo te gend er eq ua lity.

    Sc aling up impac ts through sustained Ad voc ac y The p rog ramm e ha sdemonstrated the benefits of working closely with local government units (LGUs) inthe implem enta tion of the projec ts. Here, the b ene fits have inc luded leg islation of

    ordinanc es, ac c ess to financ ia l, ma teria l, and huma n resource s, and support for the

    smo oth imp lem enta tion of the p rojec t support. It is evident tha t the log ica l next

    move is to link the ga ins at the c om munity-level to c hang e p olicies at the m ac ro-

    leve l tha t drive p ove rty and c onflic t in Central Mindanao. In the same ve in, Oxfam

    need s to improve eng ag eme nt with provincial level gove rnment b od ies.

    Investing in Sustainability - All the c om munities visited by the Eva luation Tea m w ereunanimous in saying tha t it is p rem ature fo r Oxfam to p hase o ut its p rog ramm e a nd

    tha t they still nee ded c ontinued support from Oxfam a nd the ir loca l NGO pa rtners.

    This see ms rea sonab le espec ially be c ause m ost of the reha b ilitat ion effo rts ha vetaken p lac e o nly in the last two years. Com munity be neficiaries have e xpressed the

    need to ac quire more tec hnic al a nd ma nag eme nt skills to sc a le up existing

    livelihoo d p rojec ts as we ll as to de velop c rea tive and effec tive neg otia ting skills vis-

    -vis duty bea rers and forma l autho rities. Two years is c erta inly not enough to

    ensure ec ono mic resilienc e and ac hieve susta inab le livelihoo ds, espec ia lly in the

    c ontext of a fragile e c onomic b ased c oup led with rec urrent p olitic al instab ility.

    Oxfam therefo re nee ds to seriously c onside r investing m ore strate g ica lly in these

    c om munities if it is serious about the susta inab ility and institutiona liza tion of its

    humanitarian and development actions.

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    Part 1

    Introduction

    Oxfam has be en implementing a huma nitarian program me in wa r-torn Central

    Minda nao since 1998. The long -running wa r betw ee n gove rnme nt and MILF reb el

    forc es has had deva stating impac t on its po pulation.

    Oxfam has received a series of grants from the European Commission Humanitarian

    Organiza tion (ECHO) in 2000, 2003 and 2004 to respond to the humanitarian ne ed s of

    c onflic t-affec ted c om munities in Cent ra l Minda nao. In 2005, ECHO provided a newgrant c overing seven m onths to c ontinue and c onsolida te the p rojec t gains, and

    simultaneo usly fac ilita te exit from prog ramm e a rea s. The p rojec t entitled Consolida tion

    of Huma nitarian Protec tion a nd Direc t Humanitarian Support in Three Munic ipa lities in

    Central Minda nao forms the c ulmination o f the huma nitarian p rog ram mes

    imp lem ented by Oxfam in Ce ntral Minda nao . As a c ond ition o f this grant, Oxfam is

    req uired to c arry out an external eva luation to interrog a te the fina l imp ac t resulting

    from the p rojec ts tha t ECHO ha s supported since 2000.

    Ob jec tives of the External Eva luation

    This doc ume nt p resents the final rep ort of the External Eva luation c ond uc ted betw ee n

    July and Sep temb er 2006. The Eva luation sought to c ritica lly assess the develop me nt,

    imp lem enta tion a nd ac hievem ents of the p rog ram me ag ainst state d priorities and

    ob jec tives (in ac c orda nc e w ith the terms and c ond itions) of the d ifferent g rants

    rec eived by Oxfam from ECHO.

    Spec ific ally, the eva luation a imed to:

    Assess the effectiveness and timeliness of p rog ramm e interventions, espec iallythe free a nd informed d ec ision as an a pproac h to inc rea se p rotec tion of

    civilians

    Identify strengths and weaknesses of Oxfam s wa ys of wo rking a nd program meapproaches

    Identify the results (outco mes/ imp ac t) of the p rog ram me intervention/ s, bo thintended and unintended

    Identify lessons lea rnt and to b e learned from program me imp lementa tion Desc ribe and ana lyse perceptions of com munity wom en and m en, and loc al

    authorities, from the p rog ramm e a rea s about the role of the Europ ea n

    Comm unity in promoting d ialogue, peac e a nd d evelopment.

    Develop recommendations for the p riorities and approa c hes for the next phaseof Oxfam s wo rk in Centra l Minda nao

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    Methodology

    The e va luation was designed using participa tory proc esses tha t wo uld a llow d ifferentstakeholders involved in the programme to express their views and perspectives. A

    purposive sample of respond ents wa s ident ified using the follow ing c a teg ories:

    Categ ory Respond ents Data-ga thering Method

    Direc t Household benefic iaries Foc used Group Disc ussion (FGD)

    Service Providers

    (e.g., hea lth wo rkers, sc hoo l tea c hers)

    Key Informa nt Inte rview (KII)

    Community

    beneficiaries

    Loc al g ove rnment O ffic ials/

    Trad itiona l Lea ders(e.g., religious leaders)

    KII

    Government Age nc ies KIIOther pa rtners/

    counterpart

    agencies INGO/ Donor age nc ies Interview

    Senior ma nag em ent InterviewOxfam

    Program me Sta ff FGD

    NGO Partners Sta ff FGD/ Inte rview

    Of the 17 barangays c ove red by the Huma nitarian Prote c tion Prog ramm e, the

    Eva luation Tea m, in c onjunc tion w ith Oxfam sta ff, selec ted five c om munities as samp le

    sites based on the following criteria:

    Priority wa s g iven to c om munities tha t ha d relatively signific ant enga gem ent withthe Oxfam p rogramme rec ipient of a ll services (Pub lic Hea lth, Livelihood s, Free

    and Informe d Dec ision)

    Mode o f de livery (Direc t op erationa l vs with/ throug h pa rtners) Bene fic iary size

    Demo graphic fea tures c om bina tion of Moros, settlers and mixed ethn ic g roup s Imp ac t of conflic t e.g., d isp lac ed , host, returned and resettled c om munities Othe r prac tica l considerations sec urity, ac c essibility a nd rec ep tiveness to the

    evaluation

    Based on the a bove , the follow ing ba rangays we re selec ted : Panusolen and Badak (in

    GSKP, Ma guindanao p rovince), Buliok (in Paga lungan, North Cota ba to) a nd

    Daleng aoe n and Takipan (in Pikit, North Co taba to).

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    Fieldw ork for da ta ga thering wa s c ond uc ted from 8-15 August 2006. The Eva lua tion

    tea m c ond uc ted c om munity-leve l Foc used Group Disc ussions (FGDs) exploring on the

    following theme s: (1) pe rc ep tions of c om munity issues, prob lems, opportunities, (2)

    perce p tions of O xfam and its Huma nita rian Prog ramm e, (3) view s of m ost significa ntc hang es brought ab out b y their projec ts/ ac tivities, including nega tive a nd

    unanticipa ted c hanges, perce ived we aknesses, and (3) areas for imp rove me nt in the

    future. These w ere c om plem ente d by key informa nt interviews and review of

    doc uments and rep orts.

    The respond ents for the Key Informa nt Interview s we re selec ted from among Loc a l

    Government Unit (LGU) officials, village leaders (both formal and traditional), religious

    lea ders, and servic e p rovide rs suc h a s tea c hers, hea lth w orkers and the loca l po lice .

    (See Append ix 1 for Da ta G athering Instrume nts and Append ix 2 for Doc ume nts

    Reviewed.)

    Holding sep a rate FGDs for men a nd women p roved d iffic ult to do given the limited

    time a llow ed for fieldwo rk. It is imp ortant to note, howe ver, tha t there we re o ftentimes

    more wo men pa rtic ipa nts, and the tea m d id no t enc ounter much d iffic ulty in

    enc ourag ing w om en to voice their op inions during the m ixed FGDs.

    Method Respond ents Numb er

    FGD Bene fic iaries 12

    KII LGUs, servic e p rov iders 32

    FGD Oxfam sta ff, NGO partners 3

    Ind ividua l Inte rview s Oxfam sen ior sta ff1 4

    Inte rview Other orga niza tions (INGOs) 3

    The Eva luation Tea m s initial find ings of the eva luation we re presented to Oxfam sta ff

    and m ana ge rs in a valida tion m ee ting held on 14 Sep temb er 2006 in Cota ba to City.

    Results of the va lida tion have bee n inco rporate d into this fina l rep ort.

    Reflections on evaluation

    The Eva lua tion Tea m w as c om posed of three m em bers possessing a goo d range o f

    c om p limenta ry skills and bac kgrounds releva nt to the eva lua tion. They w ere supported

    by three O xfam sta ff who helpe d orga nize the log istics of the visits to partners and

    c om munities, provided advice on sec urity mea sures and c ultural sensitivity of the

    1 The Evaluation Team sought the views of the two previous programme managers by sending out an electronic questionnaire, butunfortunately got no response.

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    eva lua tion proc ess, and a ssisted in transla tion and doc ume nta tion of the com munity-

    leve l interview s/ FGDs.

    The eva luation b ene fited eno rmo usly from the exce llent relationships tha t exist b etw eenOxfam a nd its partners. Oxfam sta ff and partners we re highly c oo perative during the

    entire eva luation and he lped the tea m to ac c ess a wide rang e o f stakeholde rs in a

    very short spac e o f time.

    What c ould b e c onsidered as c onstraining fa c tors of the Eva lua tion inc lude the

    following:

    The limited time p revented the tea m from visiting a ll co mm unities assisted by Oxfam. In d eve lop ing the instrume nts, the Eva lua tion Tea m a imed for simplic ity a nd

    c om prehensivess. Thus, a generic set of exp lorato ry que stions wa s used to suit the

    range o f p rojec ts visited . The instrume nts wo rked we ll but the re wa s a lac k of timeto system atica lly ta ilor-fit the instruments to ea c h p rojec t visited which o c c asiona lly

    produc ed more g eneral informa tion than de sired .

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    Part II

    Overview of the CMR Humanitarian

    Protec tion Program me

    Oxfam ha s been providing relief, reha b ilitation and deve lop ment assista nc e to c onflic t-

    a ffec ted c om munities in Centra l Minda nao since 1998, foc using o n food sec urity, wa ter,

    sanitation and pub lic health promo tion, educa tion, pea ce building and c ap ac ity

    deve lop ment for pa rtners a t d ifferent levels.

    From Oc tob er 2004 to May 2006, Oxfam imp lem ente d a Huma nitarian Prote c tion a nd

    Direc t Humanitarian Support Prog ramm e in the m unicipa lities of Pikit a nd Paga lungan

    (in North Cota ba to p rovince) a nd General Sa lipada K. Pend atun (GSKP in

    Ma guinda nao province ) with funding supp ort from ECHO. Oxfam used a broad rang e

    of interventions tha t linked the c rea tion of a mo re fa vorab le environm ent fo r interna lly

    displaced populations (IDPs) and returnees rights and entitlements with direct service

    de livery and c apa c ity deve lop ment of duty be a rers and c om munity ac tors to ensure

    the susta inab ility of the interventions and c rea te a n ena b ling environm ent fo r c onflic t

    reduction initiatives.

    Key develop ment issues in the reg ion

    The c onte xtua l ana lysis c onta ined in the p rog ramm e d oc ume nts submitted for fund ing

    to ECHO in 2004 identified the key p rob lem in this ma nner: Civilians a re unab le to live

    sec urely in their hom e a rea s or are unab le to return bec ause o f the follow ing :

    Although the re is inc rea sed awa reness amo ngst the agenc ies responsible for c ivilianprote c tion a nd sec urity (Go vernment a nd Philipp ines Comm ission on Huma n Rights

    (PCHR)) there rem ains a lac k of und ersta nd ing o f the rights to basic services,

    informa tion a nd sec urity o f the IDPs, returnees and host c om munities by the d ifferent

    ac tors, and app rop riate ac tions are no t b eing ta ken to fulfil these req uirem ents There c ontinues to b e a lac k of reliab le a nd neutral information ava ilab le on the

    entitlements (as detailed in the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement,

    UNGPID) vis--vis sup port a nd service s for basic nee ds tha t should b e a va ilab le for

    IDPs and returnees.

    There is a b rea kdown of p rote c tive system s to address incidents of violenc e,c oe rc ion a nd d ep riva tion, suc h as ac ts of ha rassment, arbitra ry de tention a nd

    c onflic t c rossfire a s we ll as ec ono mic c onc erns, whic h force peo p le to return to

    insec ure a rea s. A numb er of IDP c om munities have a lso b een forced to return by

    loc a l politic a l p ressure.

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    The c ontinuous c yc le of d isp lac em ents has red uc ed the c apac ity of civil soc ietyand trad itiona l co nflic t reduc tion mec hanisms to assist the c om munities to liaise with

    those responsible in order to deal with their problems.

    Inadeq ua te a c c ess to sa fe wa ter, sanitation fac ilities and p ub lic hea lth servic esresulting in inc reased hea lth risks for c urrent a nd returned IDPs.

    Lac k of livelihoo d op tions limit the c hoic es ava ilab le to IDPs and returnees and oftenforc e p eop le to stay in insec ure a rea s

    The p rob lem sta teme nt w as slightly rev ised in the Oc tober 2005 Extension Phase, a s

    follows:

    Although the re is inc rea sed awa reness amo ngst the agenc ies responsible for c ivilianprote c tion a nd sec urity (Go vernment a nd Philipp ines Comm ission on Huma n Rights

    (PCHR)) a lac k of c apac ity to implem ent the rights to basic servic es, informa tion

    and sec urity of the IDPs, returnees and host c om munities by the d ifferent a c torsremains

    IDPs and returnees rem ain unsure ho w to tac kle inc iden ts of violenc e, c oe rc ion anddep rivation suc h a s ac ts of ha rassme nt, arbitra ry dete ntion and c onflic t c rossfire as

    we ll as ec onomic c onc erns which force pe op le to return to insec ure a rea s, and the

    prote c tive system s are not fully func tiona l

    Inadeq ua te a c c ess to sa fe wa ter, sanitation fac ilities and p ub lic hea lth servic esresulting in inc reased hea lth risks for c urrent a nd returned IDPs.

    Lac k of livelihoo d op tions limit the c hoic es ava ilab le to IDPs and returnees and oftenforc e p eop le to stay in insec ure a rea s

    Minima l supp ort for food produc tion a nd low level of c ap ac ity of IDPs and returneesto d iversify inc om e a nd livelihoo d op tions, limits the a va ilab ility of foo d and incomeat the househo ld leve l.

    As part o f the External Eva lua tion, pa rticipa nts we re asked to rec a ll the situa tion

    preva iling in their c om munities a t the sta rt of the huma nitarian p rog ramm e. The

    follow ing tab le p resents an agg reg a te p ic ture o f the responses sha red by beneficia ries,

    key informants and p rog ramm e sta ff:

    Contex t Pre 2004 2004 onw ards

    General

    context

    - Recurrent outbreaks of armedc onflict p ea king in 1997, 2000 and

    2003 ac c omp anied by recurrent

    c ycles of m assive e vac uations

    and t em porary return of IDPs (bo th

    Mo ros and set tlers)

    - High d eg ree o f unce rtainty, fea r,instability

    - Disrup tion of c hild ren s schooling

    - Cea sefire a greement b etwe enGRP and MILF signed in July 2003

    - Ma jority o f IDPs have returned orresettled , although som e have

    rem a ined in ECs

    - There is rela tive pea c e a ndincrea sed sense of sta b ility

    - Post-emerge nc y response o rreha bilita tion was de em ed in

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    Contex t Pre 2004 2004 onw ards

    as sc hoo ls we re used asEvacuation Centers (ECs)

    - Increased burden for wome n a smen we re d ep loyed a s CAFGUs

    - Gove rnment ag enc ies at the loca llevel, no ta b ly the DSWD had very

    insufficient resources and

    c ap ac ity to respo nd to the sca le

    of huma nitarian need s

    - Inc rea se in the number of loc a land internationa l NGOs with

    em ergenc y respo nse a s

    interventions - foo d , shelter, wa ter,

    health, psychosocial counseling

    orde r - Livelihood s reha b ilitationwa s an exp ressed need

    amo ngst IDPs

    - Shift of Oxfam s CMRHuma nita rian Prog ramm e foc us

    tow ards reb uild ing/

    reha bilitat ion and streng thening

    past interventions

    - Inc reasing awarene ss of IDPrights among st c ivilians and

    responsible a genc ies but still

    limited ac tion

    - Pea ce nego tiations betw eenGRP and MILF still on-going;

    anc estral d om a in rema ins as a

    stic ky issue

    Health - Poo r shelte r fac ilities in eva c ua tioncenters (ECs)

    - Poor health awareness andpractices

    - Limited a c cess to he a lth servicesfrom the RHU

    - Poo r wate r and sanitation fa c ilitiesin ECs and host c om munities

    - High incidenc e o f diarrhea andothe r wate r borne d isea ses due to

    ab sence of pota ble water and

    sanitation fa c ilities

    - Foo d b lockades in som e a rea s

    - Inc rea sed hygiene a wa renessand improved hea lth prac tic es

    amo ngst IDPs who rec eived

    ea rlier interventions in PH

    - Inc rea sed ac cess to sa fe wa terand san itat ion fac ilities

    - LGUs espec ially the RHU c ouldalread y be tapp ed for health

    activities- Ac tive pa rtic ipa tion of wom en

    IDPs in hea lth and hyg iene

    promotion

    Livelihoods - Disrup tion o f livelihood ac tivitiesdue to d isplac eme nt as ma in

    sources of livelihoods and income

    (e.g., c rops, livestoc k,

    farms)be came inac c essib le due

    presenc e of m ilita ry or a rmed

    group s; in other area s ac c ess waspossible bu t only in a ve ry limited

    way (soldiers imposed curfew on

    civilians)

    - Ma ssive loss of p roduc tive a ssets(cash c rop s, farmland s, farm

    anima ls, livestoc k) and da ma ge

    of permanent crops

    - IDPs fo rced to sell their assets a tvery low pric es

    - Upon the ir retu rn o r resett leme nt,IDPs key c onc ern was reb uild ing

    their life a nd c omm unity but ha d

    very limited livelihoo d op tions

    - they were c onfined to traditionallivelihood ac tivities (fishing,

    farming) and a griculturalproduc tion w as constrained by

    the lac k of a pp rop riate farming

    technology

    - Families wa nted t o return tofarming to sec ure the ir fa rmland s

    - Decreased pa rticipa tion o fwo men in farming but they

    bec ame ac tive in other income

    generation activities

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    Contex t Pre 2004 2004 onw ards

    - Seve re loss of c ash inc om e- Men s limited m ob ility (due to fea r

    and insec urity) resulted to the

    shifting of roles in the econo mic

    sphe re; more wome n bec am e

    ma in incom e earners as men had

    very limited a cc ess to their farms

    - Government supp ort to livelihoodsand income generation wa s

    a lmost a bsent or extrem ely limited

    - Emerge nce o f alternative sourcesof inco me (e.g., young w ome n

    we re em ployed as dom estic

    helpers in the tow n cent ers,

    peddling)

    - Inc rea sed pa rticipa tion of childrenin incom e earning to supp ort their

    fam ilies (Child Labour)

    - Set-up of eme rge nc yp rep a red ness ac tivities suc h as

    ensuring sa fety o f livestock and

    c rop s during eva cua tions

    - Initia l pha se o f alte rna tivetec hnology tra inings for men a nd

    wome n c onducted in the ECs

    (e.g., Bio-intensive g a rdening

    introd uce d even in the

    Evacuation Centers)

    Safety a nd

    Security

    - General feeling o f fear and lac k ofsafety amongst IDPs to return to

    the ir p lac es of origin; fea r of b eing

    caught in crossfire; fea r of b eing

    suspec ted as reb el or symp athized

    - Moveme nt/m ob ility of men andwomen IDPs werecurtailed/limited

    - Ram pa nt incidenc e o f looting,cattle rustling d ue to presenc e o f

    milita ry and c riminal g roup s

    - Poo r go vernanc e, inac tiveparticipa tion o f LGUs and line

    agenc ies. c ivilian m istrust o f forma l

    authorities

    - Absenc e or inad eq uateprep aredness plans

    - Moro c om munities we resuspected of being MILFsup porters by the milita ry

    - Destruct ion and loss of imp ortantdoc uments suc h as land titles,

    birth c ertific at es

    - Lack of human rights awarenessamongst IDPs

    - Ma ny forms of v iolations of b asicrights arbitrary arrests, torture,

    sa lvag ing/ killing a mo ng me n IDPs,

    - Presenc e o f unexplode dordnanc e in farmland s

    - Men d id not stay in theeva cuat ion c ente rs as milita ry

    c ond uct rounds/ inspe ctions

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    Contex t Pre 2004 2004 onw ards

    curfew w as imp osed and the sewere not rep orted to the

    authorities

    - Force d return to t heir c om munitiesof o rigin

    - Distrust am ong and be twe enMo ros, set tlers, ind igenous

    communities

    To a dd ress the p reva iling situation, Oxfam s huma nita rian p rog ramm e identified three

    sec to rs or result a reas:

    Public Hea lth Red uc e pub lic he a lth risks throug h streng thening of linkag es betw een

    c om munity hea lth struc tures and loc a l government hea lth system s in the p rovision of

    wa ter and sanitation fac ilities and p ub lic hea lth prom otion ac tivities;

    Ac c ess to Informa tion and Dec ision-Ma king To support and p rom ote ac c ess to

    neutral and reliab le informa tion in order to c rea te m ec hanisms whe reb y IDPs and

    resettled / returned peo p les a re a b le to ne go tiate fo r their rights and entitlem ents.

    Livelihoods/ Food Sec urity2 Enha nc e a c c ess to food sec urity and livelihoo d

    op portunities throug h assistanc e to fa milies a ffec ted by co nflict to re-develop their

    ec ono mic c apac ity and d ec rea se the ir vulnerab ility. This wa s done through supportingagricultura l and aquac ulture rehab ilita tion, p roviding livelihoo d assistanc e a nd

    fac ilitating c om munity links with ap p rop riate a nd responsib le loc a l go vernment units

    and ag enc ies. It a lso e nco urag ed diversific ation a nd developm ent o f alternative

    livelihoo d o p tions, whic h are ap p rop riate for the co nflic t-affec ted c om munities like

    organic farming.

    Table 1 - Summa ry of Objec tives, Bene ficia ries and Expec ted Key Results

    Project Ensuring hum anita rian p rotec tion

    and direct huma nitarian supp ort in 3

    munic ipalities in CMR

    Consolidation of huma nitarian

    protec tion and d irec t humanitarian

    supp ort in 3 munic ipa lities in CMR

    Dura tion 12 mo nths

    (October 2004 December 2005)

    7 mo nths

    (Novemb er 05 Ma y 06)

    Targe t

    Communities/

    17 barang ays in 3 mun icipa lities 17 barang ays in 3 mun icipa lities

    2 From 2004-2005, ECHO grant covered the sectors of Public Health and FID while Oxfam Catastrophe fund supported thelivelihoods component. During the extension phase (Nov 2005 May 2006) ECHO supported all three sectors.)

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    Project Ensuring hum anita rian p rotec tion

    and direct huma nitarian supp ort in 3

    munic ipalities in CMR

    Consolidation of huma nitarian

    protec tion and d irec t humanitarian

    supp ort in 3 munic ipa lities in CMR

    Beneficiaries Pikit 2,131 families; 8 barangays

    Takep an, Kalac akan, Dalenga oen,

    Rajamuda, Bagoinged, Buliok,

    Lagundi and Ginatilan

    Pagalungan 865 families; 3 brgys

    Kudal, Bago inged and Buliok

    GSKP 2,855 families; 6 brgys

    Suma kuba y, Bad ak, Laolao ,

    Pansulen, Mibp and ac an and

    Lansangan

    Tota l number of direc t bene ficia ries:

    5,851 families

    Pikit 2,426 families; 8 brgys

    Takep an, Kalac akan, Dalenga oen,

    Bagoinged , Buliok, Lagund i, Gina tilan

    and Rajamud a

    Pagalungan 1,045 families; 3 brgys

    Kudal, Bag oinged and Buliok

    GSKP 3,247 families; 6 brgys

    Sumakuba y, Badak, Laolao, Pansulen,

    Mibp anda ca n and Lansanga n

    Total num be r of direc t bene ficiaries:

    6,718 families

    General

    Objective

    To ensure tha t IDPs are sa fe, ha ve

    ac c ess to b asic services, and a re

    ab le to ma ke free a nd informed

    de c isions reg arding movem ents and

    entitlements.

    To c on tribute to the sa fety o f IDP, their

    ab ility to ma ke free and informed

    de c isions reg arding m ovements and

    entitlem ents and to c ontribute to their

    ac cess to basic services.

    Spec ific

    Objectives

    To ensure IDPs a ffec ted by c on flic t

    in 17 ba rang ays of CMR a re a ble to

    ma ke free a nd informed d ec isionsreg arding the ir movem ents, and

    have a cc ess to p ublic hea lth

    provision, throug h d irec t assista nc e

    and wo rking w ith loca l government.

    Conflict affecte d co mmunities have

    improved ability to implement

    community protection, livelihood andpub lic hea lth p lans with the imp roved

    supp ort a nd p artic ipa tion of d uty

    bea rers and sta kehold ers.

    Key Results Co mm unities and duty bea rers3

    have increa sed awa rene ss of IDPs

    and civilians rights during conflict,

    includ ing basic services, and o n this

    basis c ivilians a re b etter ab le to

    ac cess information a nd m ake free

    and informed dec isions reg ardingtheir movements.

    Co mm unity hea lth structu res linked

    with LGU hea lth system and

    inc idenc e of wa ter borne disea ses

    decreased.

    Sec tor 1 - Public Health and Water and

    Sanitation

    Enhanc ed capa c ity of LGU and RHU

    to plan and imp leme nt public he alth

    activities

    Wate r and sanitation fac ilities incom munities estab lished and

    maintained

    Barang ay hea lth wo rkers and

    com munity hea lth volunteers be tter

    ab le to de liver prima ry health ca re.

    3 In its proposal to the ECHO, Oxfam describes duty-bearers as those responsible for ensuring rights are upheld, who bearthis duty. In this programme this refers to the state and agents of the state.

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    Project Ensuring hum anita rian p rotec tion

    and direct huma nitarian supp ort in 3

    munic ipalities in CMR

    Consolidation of huma nitarian

    protec tion and d irec t humanitarian

    supp ort in 3 munic ipa lities in CMR

    Sec tor 2 - Food Sec urity

    Partne rships betw ee n com munities,

    go vernment and o ther tec hnic al

    groups functioning so c om munities

    ca n ava il of technical supp ort a nd

    othe r livelihood op po rtunities

    Agricultural practices diversified and

    inco me gene ration a ctivities

    estab lished , improving incom e

    opportunities.

    Sec tor 3 - Spec ific Ac tions - Protec tion

    Government bod ies c oop erate w ith

    com munities to fac ilitate

    imp leme ntation of co mmunity

    protection plans

    Comm unities have increa sed

    co nfide nce to e nga ge with LGUs,

    NGOs, other stakeholders and conflict

    ac tors to c oo rdinat e interventions and

    streng then huma nita rian protec tion.

    Conflic t a cto rs aw are of c omm unityprotec tion issues

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    Part III

    Programm e Impac t and Outcom es

    The Termina l Rep orts submitted by Oxfam to ECHO in Janua ry and Ma y 2006 c onta in a

    full list of signific ant c hanges resulting from the Programme . It is beyo nd the limitat ions

    of this eva lua tion to verify all these a nd o ther cha nges a ttributed to the Prog ramm e.

    Instea d , the eva luation a imed to look a t c hang es oc c urring in a sma ll numb er of

    c om munities in an a ttemp t to see if imp ac t (gene ra lly de fined as signific ant c hang es

    in peo p le s lives ) is being a c hieved , identify the types of imp ac t, and explore any issues

    tha t these ma y reve a l. The eva lua tion team c arried out FGDs and key informantinterview s in the five co mm unities visited . Outc om es and impa c ts we re identified by

    asking c om munity rep resenta tives wha t c hanges they ha d e xperienc ed in their lives

    tha t they assoc ia ted with the p rog ramm e, follow ed by questions to exp lore the reasons

    for the c hang e/ s.

    Impac t at the Community-level

    In the c om munity FGDs c ond uc ted in the five barangays, pa rticipa nts expressed the

    view tha t their ove r-all we ll being ha s imp rove d b roug ht about b y significa ntimp rovem ents in their hea lth sta tus, livelihood s and sec urity and sa fety. The

    bene fic iaries c learly attributed these signific ant c hanges to the support of Oxfam. An

    overwhelming ma jority of the key informa nt interview s a t the b arang ay a nd municipal

    leve ls a lso ve rified these c ha nges.

    Health

    FGD p articipa nts in Baranga y Panusolen, GSKP perce ived a dec rea se in the o utb rea ks

    of diarrhea, measles, skin diseases and worm-infestation amongst children due to the

    increased ac c ess to sa fe d rinking wa ter, an ove r-all imp rove me nt in environm enta lc leanliness in the barangay as we ll as an increase in the hea lth and sanitation

    aw areness and prac tic es of c om munity memb ers.

    In Barangay Badak, GSKP pa rticipa nts we re p roud to no te tha t the m arked

    imp rovem ent in sanitation was b roug ht ab out b y a red uc tion in the p rac tic e of op en

    defec a tion in their c om munity due to the ava ilab ility of toilet fac ilities. Also, the

    c onstruc tion and / or reha b ilita tion of foo t bridges p rovide d e asier ac c ess to the latrines

    eve n d uring the ra iny sea son.

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    In Barangay Dalenga oe n, Pikit town, be neficiaries rep orted the fo llowing: We no w

    know how to m ake a nd use he rbal med ic ines and other first a id rem ed ies and this

    minimized the nee d to p urc hase m ed ic ines from outside. We we re ta ught the proper

    d istanc e (m inimum of 30 me ters) be twe en w ater po ints and latrines in orde r to p reve ntc onta mination. There is greate r app rec ia tion o f the impo rtanc e o f b irth spa c ing and

    ha ving sma ller num ber of c hild ren a mo ngst spouses as a result of the Family Planning

    semina rs.

    The Barang ay Hea lth Volunte ers interview ed in Ba rangay Buliok, Paga lunga n ob served

    tha t the trainings and sem ina rs they a ttended grea tly helpe d b uild their self confidenc e

    and ga ve them the op po rtunity to be co me more involved in the c onc erns of their

    c om munity (w e used to b e indifferent in what wa s go ing o n). In add ition, they said the

    wa ter and sanitation fac ilities installed have c ontributed to c hang ing hea lth and

    hygiene p rac tic es of c om munity memb ers such a s ba thing, de fec ating a nd fetc hing

    wa ter from the river for dome stic c onsump tion.

    In Barang ay Takipa n, Pikit tow n, the safety a nd c onvenienc e enjoyed by w om en a nd

    c hildren in c ollec ting w ate r wa s c ited as another signific ant c hang e b roug ht ab out b y

    the prog ram me.

    Oxfams p rog ramm e sta ff rep orted simila r imp ac ts mentioned above . They me ntioned

    the d rastic dec rea se in the inc idenc e o f wa ter borne d isea ses as a m ost imp ortant

    ac hievem ent, alongside the training o f a p oo l of hea lth volunteers c ap able of hea lth

    promo tion a c tivities at the b arangay level. They note d the m arked imp rovem ent in the

    hea lth and sanitation p rac tices of b ene fic iaries at the househo ld leve l as we ll as feeling

    more sec ure that the w a ter from the w a ter points is sa fe a nd po tab le.

    Livelihoods and Food Sec urity

    In the rea lm o f livelihoo ds and food sec urity,

    it ap pe ars that the p rom otion of Orga nic a nd

    Diversified Farming ha s p rovide d the mo st

    signific ant imp ac t ac ross the five ba rangays

    by d ec rea sing the c ost of farm produc tion

    and red uc ing inde b ted ness of farmers to

    agricultura l traders. In a dd ition, be neficiaries

    also mentioned an imp roved sense of he alth,believing tha t the g radua l shift to orga nic

    farming helpe d m itiga te the ill effec ts of

    using petro-chemical fertilizers and pesticides

    on the ir hea lth and the environm ent.

    In Dalengaoen, beneficiaries who received farming inputs (seeds and fertilizers) are

    now setting aside part o f their harvest in order to have seeds for the next p lanting

    sea son. The shift to orga nic fa rming a llow ed the bene fic iaries to save from the lesser

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    use o f conventiona l inputs (e.g., fertilizers and pesticides) which ena b led them to p ay-

    off long -stand ing de b ts.

    In Bad ak, interview ees too saw a c lea r a ttribution b etwe en the ad op tion o f orga nicfarming o n the one ha nd a nd the de c rea se in prod uc tion c osts on the o ther.

    According to several farmers interviewed, they used to borrow from traders 8,000-10,000

    pesos (USD 160-200) wo rth of fe rtilizers and c hemic a l pesticides for every hec ta re of rice .

    When they shifted to o rga nic fa rming, the c ost of raw ma teria ls wa s d rastica lly red uc ed

    to 500 pesos (USD 10) per hec ta re, which we nt to the p urc hase o f raw sugar, ca ne o r

    c oc onut vinega r, and spice s, amo ng others.

    Other signific ant c hang es c ited by the b eneficiaries in more tha n one ba rang ay are

    the follow ing: the va riety of income -generating p rojec ts (IGPs) suc h a s duc k ra ising,

    soa p ma king, vegetab le g ardening, salted eg g and ba lut ma king ha ve given wome n

    ac c ess to ne w inc om e source s; househo lds enjoy improve d d iets due to ava ilab ility offood suc h as fish, veg eta b les and e gg s (from veg eta b le gardening, fish ca ge c ulture

    and duc k ra ising p rojec ts); and a slight d ec rea se in househo ld expe nd itures (w e no

    long er have to buy soa p for washing c lothes and bathing be c ause we produc e our

    ow n soa p a nd eve n sell these to ne ighbors ).

    In Barangays Buliok and Takipan, women b ene fic ia ries rep orted tha t the goa t d ispersa l

    p rojec t has p rovide d them a source of c ash during times of em ergenc ies (e.g., the

    goa ts c ould b e sold in time s of illness) but the susta inab ility of this will dep end on the

    c ontinued p rop aga tion o f the anima l stoc k. To d ate , how ever, the livestoc k projec t

    have had limited succ ess due to the d ea th and / or theft of animals.

    In Panusolen, be neficiaries mentioned the red uc tion of d estructive fishing metho ds

    amo ng fishers which they a ttribute to the sem inars on susta inab le fishing p rac tice s (e.g.,

    use o f mesh size) a nd the p assing of a barangay fisheries ma nagem ent o rdinanc e

    reg ulating fish size and fishing me thods.

    Oxfam staff saw a ma rked imp rovement be tween the b eneficiaries ec onomic situation

    now c om pa red to w hat it wa s at the start of the p rog ram me. It is c lea r that the different

    livelihood ac tivities and inco me ge nera ting projec ts introd uce d by the Prog ramm e

    have given me mb ers of the livelihood groups more o ptions for inco me ea rning and

    diversification.

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    Box 1

    Womens Soap making ProjectBarangay Lao-Lao, GSKP

    The project provided the womens group an initial capital as follows:

    Production Cost for 70 bars of bath soap

    kilo caustic soda Php 25.002.5 liters edible oil 135.00100 li silicate 6.50100 ml glycerine 20.00avocado 30.001/8 kilo salt 2.00_________________________________________Total Production Cost Php 218.50

    The livelihood group produces 70 bars of bath soap which they sell to their neighbors and thelocal sari-sari stores at Php 5.00 per piece. A member who sells a bar of soap gets a one pesoshare per bar of soap sold.

    Gross sales = 350.00 (70 x 5 pesos)Less capital = 218.50 (set aside for use as revolving capital)Net income = 131.50/production cycle

    Since the womens group can produce an average of four (4) production cycles in one month,

    they are able to earn a gross sale of Php 1,400 per month. The amount of Php 847.00 isdeducted as production capital and set aside as a revolving fund. The net income of Php 526.00is divided based on the following scheme:

    Net income/month = Php 526.00Share for member-seller = 280.00Organizations share = 246.00

    Individual members income will depend on the number of bars they can actually sell. Theorganizations share is projected for use as a savings fund that women members can borrow intimes of emergency or to serve as capital for other income-generating project that the groupwill decide to undertake.

    The soap making project is so far on its 3 rd month.

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    Box 2

    Duck RaisingBarangay Lasangan, GSKP

    Oxfam distributed 8 female and 2 male ducks permember-beneficiary. During the egg-layingseason, a female duck produces an average ofseven (7) eggs a day or 49 eggs per week. Theducks can lay eggs for up to six months in a year,depending on water and weather conditions.Duck raisers along the Liguasan Marsh are moresuccessful due to the abundance of food such assnails, duck weeds and small fishes.

    An egg is sold at Php 4.00/piece. A beneficiaryearns an average of Php 196.00/week or Php 784/month.

    Currently, women sell the fresh duck eggs directly to the market and neighbors. Some are alsoeaten by the household members.

    The women members have attended balut and salted egg making seminars and are studying themarketability of these products in GSKP, where salted egg is sold for 7.00/pc and balut for10.00/pc.

    As a way to expand the reach of the project in their barangay, women beneficiaries donate twoeggs per week to their group/organization. These are given to other women in the barangay

    who are interested to raise their own ducks. The recipients hatch the eggs. Currently, thereare already 60 women members in the livelihood group and still expanding.

    Women members contribute 2 eggs /week to the group/organization to be given/extended toother women who would like to have ducks. The interested women can hatch the eggs (by hensor ducks) and raise them. Currently, the livelihood group has 60 women members and stillexpanding.

    Sec urity a nd Safety

    In all the barangays visited, beneficiaries expressed feeling more secure and safe

    bec ause of a heighte ned awa rene ss and assertion of their rights as c ivilians.

    Mindalinaw , the rad io p rog ram me a ired by MPC, was c ited by the c om munity

    respond ents as an effec tive source of reliab le information a nd advisories tha t he lped

    them fee l mo re sec ure a nd safe . IDPs have ga ined greate r c onfide nce to eng ag e w ith

    and lobby government officials regarding these rights thereby making them pro-active

    c itizens, a signific ant turn-around from the ir p rev ious mo de a s passive vic tims of a rmed

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    c onflic t. These c hanges a re ma nifested in the fo llow ing responses sha red by c om munity

    me mb ers and key informants in the d ifferent baranga ys:

    Barangay Panusolen:

    we learned about our rights as IDPs we do no t ge t afraid easily and a re less intimida ted we know w hom to ap proac h for help when w e hea r news of c onflic t; we will no

    long er evac uate ea sily

    our ba rangay offic ials a re easier to mob ilize no w o n our beha lf (e.g., to verify newsof hostilities or another wa r breaking out)

    Barangay Bad ak:

    we now know our rights we ha ve ga ined co nfide nce and have found o ur voice as c ivilians the sem inars on IDP rights he lped minimize fear bec ause it taught us the me ans to

    verify or valida te informa tion that reac h us

    pe ac e a nd o rder in the co mm unity has imp roved after Bad ak wa s dec lared a zoneof pea ce b y the loca l officials4

    Barangay Buliok:

    we are awa re o f our rights and c ould stand up fo r them

    we are less a fra id of the milita ry (w hene ver the military wo uld c om e to the village,we used to hide from their view; now w e c ould fac e them and know ho w to

    exp lain/ assert our rights)

    Baranga y Dalengao en:

    we are now more c onfident a nd less hesitant to spe ak out we used to b e a fra id to e xpress our view s for fea r of b eing b randed as reb els or

    sympathizers; we rea lized it is possible to d issent if there a re va lid reasons to

    we a re no w c apa b le o f resolving loc al level dispute s a t the b arang ay level with theac tive involveme nt of the ba rang ay offic ials

    relations in the c om munity have imp rove d ; the C ulture o f Pea c e (CO P) sem ina rshave reduc ed d isc rimination a nd b iases betw ee n Moros and settlers

    we c an no w a pp roa c h go vernment offic ia ls for supp ort and resources

    4Barangay Badak was declared a zone of peace by the local government officials of GSKP as part of the CIDA-funded LGSP

    project facilitated by CO Multiversity, a former partner of Oxfam

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    Barangay Takipan:

    Imp rove d relations within the c om munity, spec ially betw ee n Mo ros and Christians;we lea rned how to respec t ea c h othe r despite our differences in c ulture a ndreligious beliefs

    The b arang ay is more p ea c eful now There is increased vigilanc e a mo ng the c itizens to assert the b arangay as a spac e

    of pea c e vis--vis the m ilita ry and a rme d g roup s; c om munity mem bers a re m ore

    a lert to rep ort to the b aranga y offic ials any unusua l oc c urrenc es/ fac es in their

    community.

    Imp rove d responsivene ss & ac c ountab ility of loca l offic ials; ba rangay officials a remore atte ntive to investiga ting rep orts rec eived from c om munity memb ers (Pag

    ma y isinumb ong ang mg a ta o sa b a rang ay, kaaga d na nila itong iniimb istiga )

    It is imp ortant to no te tha t above c hang es are c onfirmed by informa tion from keyinforma nts a t the municipa l leve l. For examp le, the DSWD Soc ial Welfare Office r in Pikit

    tow n shared the following:

    The rights awa reness and ed uc a tion ha s helpe d improve the ac c ess to servic es of IDPs.

    Co mp ared to p rev ious evac ua tions (e.g., 1997, 2000), the IDPs now a re b et ter served in

    te rms of b asic ne ed s and services (e.g., foo d , shelter, hea lth, sc hooling ), w ith som e

    c om munities even receiving psychosoc ial interventions suc h a s trauma c ounseling or

    stress deb riefing (not from Oxfam ). They a re now awa re o f whic h agenc y or LGU offic ial

    to g o to if they hea r of news about a possib le c onflic t erupting; they a re no t as helpless

    or passive a s befo re.

    The c onflic t situa tion has ge nerally imp roved w ith c ivilians and go vernment b ette r

    ap preciating the imp ortanc e of peac e (kalinaw). The c ivilian p op ula tion ha s bette r

    knowled ge of the ir rights and is inc rea singly getting involved in pea c e b uild ing efforts

    throug h the COPs. The COP ha s he lped d iminish the b iases resulting to imp roved

    relations betw een the Mo ros and the C hristian pop ulations in the seve n ba rangays

    where the spa c e for peac e ha s be en d ec lared.

    Among st the sta ff of ICP, MPC a nd Oxfam , there is a sha red view tha t the follow ing

    c hang es have be en observed in the co mmunities:

    c om munities have muc h better ac c ess to reliab le, ac c urate and neutra l informa tionand do no t rely on just one source ;

    increased c onfide nc e o f the IDPs and loc a l/ barangay offic ials, less fea r of themilitary;

    increased fee ling o f sec urity (c om munities no longer evac ua te easily); Inc rea sed c ap ac ity of c ivilians to exac t a c c ounta bility from their go vernment and

    other duty be a rers

    Inc rea sed c apac ity of c ivilians to ne go tiate w ith forma l and informa l institutions a tthe village and municipa l levels

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    in Pikit where the ba rang ays have b een d ec lared a s spa ce for pea ce , pe ac e a ndorde r has imp rove d ; civilians a re m ore c onsc ientious about mo nitoring the c ea sefire

    and pe ac e nego tiations;

    in Buliok, c om munity volunteers of the Banta y Cea sefire c ontinue to doc ume nt andrep ort viola tions to the BIC

    Womens Participation

    The c om munity level FGDs in four o f the

    five barangays (i.e., Panusulen, Badak,

    Dalengaoe n and Takipan) revea led

    changes in womens self-perception

    and roles in the ir households and

    c om munities as c an b e g lea ned fromthe fo llow ing narra tion:

    In the FGD cond ucted am ong w ome n

    beneficiaries in Barangay Dalengaoen

    (a c om munity c omp osed of Moros and

    settlers), the participants identified the

    follow ing c hang es: women are now

    more a c tive in the ec onom ic sphe re (e.g., p rod uction and ma nag eme nt of farms and

    gardens); inc rea sed involvem ent in c om munity affa irs as a result of wome n s new found

    ab ilities in lea dership, dec ision-ma king and negot iation skills, ga ining persona l

    c onfide nc e, and increased rec og nition o f women s role in resolving c onflic ts. Relatingand wo rking with other women in the c omm unity has de veloped friend ships (am ongst

    Moro a nd settler women) that ga ve them a new sense o f ide ntity and solida rity as

    women.

    Ac c ording to the M oro wo me n in Barangay Panusolen, their involvem ent in livelihoo d

    projec ts suc h a s soa p -making, duck raising and ga rde ning have expande d their

    knowledge and provide d them a dd itional means to ma ke m oney and c ontribute to

    fam ily inc om e. More impo rta ntly, their memb ership in the wo me n s orga niza tion (Kislap

    Kababaihan ng Panusolen) has developed their self-confidence, increased their

    mobility and expande d their wo rld outside the hom e, pe rhap s indica tive o f the

    c hang ing self-ima ge amo ngst Moro w om en in terms of the ir role and p ote ntials.

    In Takipan and Badak, bene fic ia ries ob served tha t it is ea sier for wo me n to pa rticipa te

    in meetings and p rojec ts suc h as the hea lth and hygiene c amp a igns, eve n as they a lso

    noted an inc rea sed pa rticipa tion of their men folk in pub lic hea lth ac tivities (e.g.,

    ma intenanc e teams of wa ter pumps). Aside from the obvious hea lth be nefits to the ir

    fam ilies, the insta lla tion of w a ter we lls red uc ed the multiple b urdens of w om en as it

    ma de fetc hing w ate r and wa shing c lothes more c onvenient and safe for wome n.

    How eve r, the d ow n side of this is tha t in som e c ases, the m en no long er take p art in

    c ollec ting wa ter (view ed a s a nega tive effect).

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    Cha nges in the g end er roles we re a lso ident ified in the key informant interviews whe re

    the DSWD office r in Pikit ob served : In my visits to the c om munities, I have see n the

    wo me n to be m ore a c tively involved in b arangay meetings and assem blies. I think this isan o ffshoo t o f their be ing tra ined and mo b ilized as voluntee rs (e.g., hea lth, livelihoo ds,

    pe ac e building).

    Other results/ outc om es at the com munity level

    Inte rviews with sta ff of NGO p artne rs as we ll as c onversa tions with key informa nts a t the

    c om munity and munic ipa l leve ls a lso no ted wider-leve l c hanges as follow s:

    the c apac ity bu ild ing ac tivities (e.g., tra inings and sem ina rs) tha t a lwa ysac c om panied the servic es delivered by the prog ramm e helped build a sense o fow nership and taking responsibility a mo ngst the b ene fic iaries of the p rog ramm e.

    Volunte erism (loc a lly refe rred to as bayanihan) wa s revived in the c om munity andpe op le re-d isc overed the va lue of unity and helping o ne a nother to ad dress

    c om munity prob lem s suc h as during the c onstruc tion of wa ter pum ps.

    The religious leader in Barangay Panusolen ob served tha t amo ng Muslims, mo repe op le now go to the Mo sque every prayer time b ec ause the w ate r pum p installed

    nea r it ha s ma de it easier for them to c lea nse them selves befo re w orship.

    Ac c ord ing to the ICP sta ff wo rking in Pikit (whe re M oros and set tlers from Luzon andthe Visayas have c o-existed ), there is inc rea sed rec og nition and adop tion of

    indigeno us c onflic t resolution m ec hanisms tha t a re p rima rily ba sed on d ialogue and

    pea c efu l neg ot iations (e.g ., the Co unc il of Elde rs or Islam ic religious leaders still exertgreat influenc e and are o ften c onsulted to m ed iate and resolve c onflic ts involving

    women and men in the c om munity. They c ited a verse from the Koran tha t

    admo nishes parties involved in conflic t to resolve this in the soo nest p ossible time ).

    Also in Pikit, the ICP sta ff inte rviewed ob served tha t the inte rfa ith dia logues andinter-cultura l excha nges have promo ted better understand ing be twee n Moros and

    set tlers and as a result rela tionships a re imp rov ing. As one p a rticipant explained :

    Muslims and Christians used to be susp icious of o ne a nothe r. With bet te r

    unde rstand ing and respec t for one ano ther now, one c an ob serve Christians

    assisting the ir Muslim neighb ors during the Duyog Rama dan a nd Muslims in turn

    helping o ut the ir Christian ne ighb ors during oc c asions like Christmas or lent. Mo re

    inter-marriages c an a lso be ob served which fa c ilita te ea sier resolution of inter-ethnic

    c on flicts. (It is not c lea r to the Eva lua to rs, howe ver, whether the increa sedinterma rriag e is a relatively rec ent oc c urrenc e, and whe ther there might b e

    neg ative or unintended impa c ts assoc ia ted with it in the future.)

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    Impa c t at the Institution level

    Signific ant c hanges a t the level of o rganiza tions and institutions we re anothe r leve l ofresults exp lored by the e va luation . This is c onside red suitab le and c ritic a l espec ially

    since one o f the Prog ramm e s exp lic it intent is responsibilising d uty bea rers throug h

    investing in c apac ity building of d uty bea rers to ensure the susta inab ility of the

    intervent ions. Tow ards verifying c ha nges oc c urring a t the institutiona l and

    organiza tiona l levels, rep resenta tives of Oxfam s partne r NGOs (i.e., ICP and MPC) and

    government institutions in the three municipa lities of Pikit, Panga lungan and GSKP were

    asked to a nswe r a pa ra llel set o f questions.

    Significant Changes within Partner NGOs

    Data from the field indica te tha t the program me signific antly co ntributed to d esirab le

    outc om es or cha nges in orga niza tiona l p rac tices of the tw o p a rtner NGOs. In ge neral,

    the c ontributions attribute d to the Humanitarian Prog ram me pe rtain to enhanc ing

    orga niza tiona l performanc e, increasing know led ge and skills amo ngst individua l sta ff

    and broad ening of fram ewo rk and a pp roa ches of c onc erned NGOs.

    In the FGD c ond uc ted with staff me mb ers of ICP, they ac know led ge d that the key

    c ont ribution o f the p artnership with Oxfam is tha t it allow ed ICP to have a

    c om prehe nsive a nd holistic p rog ramm e fo r the IDPs tha t integ ra ted livelihoo ds, hea lth

    and rights ed uc ation, wherea s they used to c onc entrate o n the C ulture o f Pea c e (COP)sem inars. All three , they further ob served , are essential elem ents of susta inab le pea c e

    building.

    The ICP sta ff put high p rem ium on ga ining increased c om pete nc ies in Pub lic Health

    and Livelihood s wo rk brought a bout b y the c ap ac ity developm ent a c tivities initiate d

    by Oxfam . The follow ing observations from one sta ff we re c onfirme d by the o ther FGD

    pa rtic ipants: We rea lly did not know very muc h ab out the tec hnic al co mp etenc ies or

    sta nda rds req uired in c onstructing w a tsan fac ilities befo re w e e ntered into partnership

    with Oxfam. The same is true for our live lihood s wo rk. We ha d to learn so m uc h new

    things a long the wa y. But our involvem ent in the trainings and sem inars c ond uc ted as

    part of the humanitarian programme significantly increased our understanding and

    tec hnic a l ca pa c ity on suc h things as wa ter qua lity testing and monitoring and pub lichea lth prom otion, to nam e a few .

    The MPC o n the o ther hand ac know led ge d that its pa rtnership with Oxfam ma de it

    possible for the organiza tion to b roa den its services for IDPs throug h the c rea tion o f the

    Bakwit Information Center and the support for the MindalinawRadio Programme and

    other Banta y Ceasefire initiat ives. As an orga niza tion, MPC likewise g a ined hand les on

    huma nitarian p rote c tion as a fram ew ork and understand ing of UNGPID as a too l for

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    prom oting IDP rights. Fina lly, MPC a lso c red ited learning bette r financ ial ma nage me nt

    and rep orting from its partnership w ith Oxfam .

    Significant Change s within Gove rnment Institutions

    Early on, Oxfam rec og nized that the p rog ramme s direc t imp ac t on the c apa c ity of

    vulnerable p eople to withstand the e ffec ts of c onflic t is la rge ly med ia ted by the ab ility

    of d uty bea rers (bo th sta te a nd non-sta te a c ters) to p erform the ir roles and

    responsibilities. Hence the programme put significant emphasis on increasing the

    c apac ity of gove rnme nt age nc ies and their rep resenta tives to fulfill these entitlem ents

    by fac ilita ting the strengthe ning of func tiona l and susta inab le p artnerships and

    netw orks betw een and amo ng IDPs, loc a l gove rnme nt units, line ag enc ies and NGOs,

    am ong others, for them to wo rk toge ther towa rds ma king huma nitarian supp ort andprotec tion responsive to the nee ds of the c om munities and app rop riate to the c onflic t

    situation.

    Responses from key informant interviews conducted with representatives of line

    agenc ies in the three munic ipa lities sugg est significa nt c hanges in values and

    c omp etencies that they a scribe d to the program me:

    Oxfam streng thened our va lues as governme nt w orkers (MAO, GSKP) Our relationship w ith Oxfam has c ha lleng ed us positively. We bond ed with the sta ff

    be c ause w e c ond ucte d joint co mm unity visits. We always had to keep pac e w ith

    them and relied on the ir resourc es It enric hed our knowled ge and ap prec iation o f

    d isaster prep ared ness. The trainings g iven b y Oxfam m ade the b arangay offic ials

    understand a nd ho pefully prac tice g oo d loc a l go vernanc e. (DILG, GSKP)

    In a rea l sense, Oxfam he lped us in our work during and a fter the em ergenc iesphase. It a lso helpe d us be mo re ac c essib le to the IDP c om munities as we joined

    them in som e of their c om munity-leve l ac tivities. Oxfams app roa c h de mo nstra ted

    to us the impo rtanc e o f organizing and em pow ering the c om munities/ be nefic iaries.

    In fac t, it should b e the governme nt p laying tha t role. (DSWD, Pikit)

    Working w ith Oxfam streng thene d the extension ac tivities of MAO and ma de thewo rk of field o ffic ers a lot e asier bec ause o rga nizing , c oo rd ination and fund ing a re

    alrea dy ta ken ca red of b y Oxfam . We lea rned the latest in a gric ultural tec hnologies

    like organic farming; before we partnered with Oxfam our know led ge in farming isob solete. We w ere ab le to tea c h farmers ab out o rga nic farming. We learned that it

    is better to w ork with pa rtners bec ause it p rovides a c hec k and ba lanc e m ec hanism

    betw een government and NGOs. (MAO, Pikit)

    From the p oint of view o f senior managers and sta ff of Oxfam, the p rog ramm e s efforts

    to forge direc t interfac e a nd relationships be tween the IDP c om munity and municipal

    line a ge nc ies (suc h a s the Depa rtme nts of Hea lth, Ag ric ulture, Interior and Loc a l

    Go vernment , Soc ial Welfare and Develop ment, and Comm ission on Human Rights) has

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    helped overcome the fee ling of isolation and de privation o f IDP c om munities and

    imp roved the level of trust and c onfidenc e. It has also d eveloped the c ap ac ity of

    go vernment to b ec om e m ore ac c ounta ble to their duties and respo nsibilities as

    evidenc ed by the follow ing na sc ent c hang es in prac tic e:

    Loc a l gove rnme nt exec utives have d eve lop ed awa reness of the ir responsibilities asduty bea rers, a lbe it still in va rying leve ls.

    - In GSKP, the municipa l gove rnme nt ad op ted huma nitarian protec tion into itsmunicipa l de velopm ent plan a nd ha s formulated a Co ntingenc y Prep a red ness

    Plan.

    - DILG rep resenta tives a re now mo re o pen and bolde r to p ub lic ly d isc uss use ofgove rnme nt revenue s with b arangay officials (a ma tter tha t is still considered

    sensitive a nd a lmo st ta boo amo ng LGU offic ia ls).

    - Polic y making ha s imp roved at the barang ay level where barang ay o ffic ialshave been observed to mo re c onsc iously seek reg ular information inputs fromline agenc ies like the RHU, DA, DSWD and DILG. Also, ba rangay c ounc ils ho ld

    Counc il meetings more regularly and are mo re a b le to mediate and resolve

    loca l c onflic ts whe neve r the trad itiona l Counc il of Elders fails.

    Com munities have ge nerated ma teria l and tec hnic al supp ort from municipa lage nc ies and o ther tec hnica l support group s (resea rc h and tra ining cente rs, othe r

    NGOs and dono rs)

    - bene fic iaries now ha ve direc t links and c an ac c ess informat ion from m unicipa llevel LGUs (e.g., livelihood resource s/ budge t a va ilab le a t municipa l leve l)

    - DA tec hnicians d irec tly monitor livelihood p rojec ts a t the c om munity leve l (e.g .,regular immunization of livestock)

    -Beneficiaries livelihood p lans a re reco gnized and ad op ted at the ba rang ayand municipa l levels

    - Ac tive pa rticipa tion of the municipa l rura l hea lth unit (RHU) in barangay-levelpublic hea lth a c tivities

    - Com munities have ac c essed funds from the municipa l bud ge t for pea c ebuilding ca mp aigns

    - Oxfam a nd ICP c onduc ted UNGPID sem inars amo ngst sold iers of the 40th IB ofthe Philippine Army

    Imp rove d relationships betw een informa l comm unity struc tures and forma lgo vernment struc tures

    - Com munity Hea lth Volunteers (CHVs) trained by the p rog ram me have be enlinked to forma l mec hanisms like the m unicipa l RHUs and a re a b le to ac c ess

    hea lth services d irec tly;- CHVs are recognized as partners of RHUs because of their increased capacity in

    health and hygiene p romo tion

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    Negative Impacts

    In a n a ttemp t to fully ac c ount for the range of p otential results of the p rog ram me, theEvaluation Tea m spe c ific a lly inquired ab out the c om munities percep tion of negative

    and / or unanticipa ted imp ac ts resulting from the program me.

    It is important to stress tha t no signific ant ne ga tive results we re a ttributed to the

    prog ramm e b y almost a ll the d ifferent type s of respond ents. It wa s only after rep ea ted

    prob ing tha t som e respond ents sha red the fo llow ing ob servation:

    M ayb e wha t c ould be c onside red as a nega tive outc om e is the envy or jea lousyamo ng c om munity members who d id no t direc tly rec eive servic es or support (e.g.,

    wa tsan fac ilities and livelihoo d support), or who have rec eived less than the

    others (DSWD, Pikit) Neighb oring b aranga ys that a re no t c overed by the Oxfam program me have

    turned envious of o ur ba rangay (FGDs in Daleng aoe n, Panusolen a nd Takipan)

    Although the same ob servation w as sha red by the Ma yor of Pikit, he a lso explained

    further: I see no significa nt nega tive results, exc ep t tha t no t eve ryone in the c om munity

    c ould b e p rovided with servic es or livelihood supp ort. We just ha ve to ac c ep t the fac t

    that you rea lly ca nnot p lea se e verybod y.

    Among st the livelihoo d p rojec ts, it ap pea rs tha t the bene fic iaries found the g oa t

    d ispersa l most p rob lem atic. In Buliok and Takipan, the c om munity bene fic ia ries

    ob served tha t the rota tion system of d istributing the go a t o ffsp ring d id no t wo rk well,lamenting tha t som e b eneficiaries have not rec eived their anima l up to no w. Som e of

    the m other go ats rep ortedly died or were stolen.

    Over-a ll Ana lysis

    It is a great a c hievem ent tha t imp ac t is a lrea dy be ing felt in ma ny co mm unities

    supp orted by the Huma nitarian Protec tion p rog ramm e. Without d oub t, the

    program me s integ ra ted ap proa c h of comb ining livelihood s, pub lic he alth and d irec t

    ac tion tow a rds free and informed dec ision-making w as ab le to signific antly add ress theover-all need s of the IDP c om munities.

    Overcom ing uncertainty and d aily dep rivations of basic huma n need s

    Oxfams Pub lic Hea lth interventions have c ont ributed imm ensely to improving the living

    c ond itions of IDPs. The c om munities increased ac c ess to sa fe w ater and hygiene

    fac ilities c ould not be under-estimated . This has improved c lea nliness and sanita tion a t

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    the ho usehold and c om munity levels that in turn ha s c ontributed to the d ram atic

    dec line in morb idity and mortality due to w ate r borne disea ses among c hildren.

    Oxfams add itiona lity in this sec tor lies in the provision of ed uc a tion tha t ac c om paniedits servic es suc h a s the hygiene and hea lth promo tion trainings amo ng eva c uee s. The

    IDPs c ontinued prac tic e a nd a pp lic ation of the hygiene ed uc a tion they lea rned from

    the p rojec t in their ow n househo lds and c om munities has helpe d a c hieve this ma jor

    change.

    In the c om munities visited, the livelihoo ds wo rk is p rog ressing a t a n inc rem enta l pa c e

    and targeted be nefic iaries have a growing sense that the y c an be c om e self-reliant in

    the ir live lihood s in the future. This increa se in confidenc e is a ttributed to the fo rma tion of

    livelihoo d group s a t the village leve l, the a c quisition of ne w knowled ge a nd skills (e.g.,

    orga nic fa rming te c hnolog y, susta inab le fishing, experimenta tion on t raditional ric e

    varieties), the estab lishme nt o f dem onstra tion farms to enc ourag e the g radua l shift frompe tro-chemica l farming to o rga nic fa rming, and the c om munities increased c ap ac ity

    to link with g overnment a ge nc ies to ac c ess muc h-neede d resources and informa tion.

    The livelihoo d p rojec ts p rovide d an imp ortant lifeline for bene fic ia ries to re-sta rt their

    live lihood ac tivities upon their return or reset tlement. How ever, the c omm unities still

    have a long wa y to g o in this a rea . The d eva sta tion of p rod uc tion assets wa s just too

    muc h, and it will req uire m ore w ork and resource s befo re livelihood resilienc y is to ta lly

    achieved.

    Surmounting insec urity a nd dispossession o f ba sic rights

    From an emp hasized sense of he lplessness, it is rem arkab le tha t there is now an

    ob servab le increa se in the d eg ree of c onfide nc e a mo ngst IDPs to rep resent the mselves

    and to c laim their entitlem ents. This c om es from their knowled ge and rec og nition o f

    the ir identity as rights-holders (no longer po werless vict ims) and a lso from a new

    understand ing o f gove rnme nt offic ia ls and fo rma l authorities a s duty-bearers w ho a re

    responsible to up hold, protec t, de fend and p rom ote the righ ts of c ivilians from d ifferent

    forms of violenc e (illeg a l arrest, de tention, to rture, summ ary exec ution), co ercion

    (forc ed eva c uation, forced return) and de p rivation (denial or absenc e o f ba sic

    services and live lihood s).

    It is immed ia tely evident tha t the IDPs have inc rea sed c onfide nc e a bout asserting their

    rights and feel sa fer to spea k out ab out these rights (co mp ared to a very ap pa rent a nd

    gene ra lized sense o f fea r in the past). In Pikit where seven barangays have b een

    dec lared as Spa c es for Pea c e, the c om munities have ma ny times proven the ir pow er

    to a ssert respec t for the spac es of p ea c e to wa rds the w arring parties (bo th milita ry and

    armed groups).

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    Transforming institutions

    Loc a l government exec utives now have awa reness of t heir responsibility as duty-

    bea rers, albe it at d ifferent leve ls. At the municipa l level, this is mo st a ppa rent in GSKP

    where the m unicipa l go vernment a do pte d O xfam s protec tion framew ork into its

    Municipa l Contingenc y Prep ared ness Plan.

    There is bette r relationship b etw een informa l co mm unity struc tures and forma l

    gove rnme nt structures and institutions. An exam ple of this wo uld b e the hea lth

    volunteers organized a t the b arang ay w ho ha ve now be en reco gnized by the RHU at

    the munic ipa l leve l. The hea lth vo luntee rs a re now used by the RHU as a resource and a

    d irec t link to the peop le in their barangays.

    Transforming unequal gende r relations

    Throug h the ir ac tive involvem ent in their orga niza tions and livelihood p rojec ts, wom en

    IDPs perceived an increa se in their pe rsona l/ individual c ap ac ity to ea rn a n incom e and

    pa rticipa te in comm unity c onc erns. They have ta ken step s to trave rse b eyond their

    p riva te d om estic sphere and e xpand their soc ial netw orks with other wo men in the

    c om munity. Mo re important ly, the experienc e o f disp lac em ent (i.e., the ha rdships and

    suffering b roug ht ab out b y the wa r, inc luding the p rolonged ab senc e o f men w hile

    wom en a nd c hildren stayed in the eva cua tion c enters) had force d wom en to ma ke

    dec isions on their own and led them to assume lea dership p ositions in the pub licdo ma in of the co mmunity.

    Are the imp ac ts likely to be sustained 5?

    The p rogramme , espec ially in the last seven m onths (extension phase), has ta ken

    deliberate and painstaking efforts to build mechanisms that will ensure sustainability of

    the p rog ramm e s ga ins. A key m ec hanism fo r this is the formation of mutua lly bene fic ial

    pa rtnerships with loc a l gove rnme nt units, line a genc ies and d eve lopm ent o rga niza tions

    ac c om pa nied by c apa c ity building a t various levels. How ever, a range of view s wa sexpressed about the likelihood of susta ining imp ac ts b roug ht ab out b y the prog ramm e

    to date.

    At the c om munity level, bene fic ia ries and LGU offic ials a like saw these ga ins as

    substa ntia l but still increm enta l, and tha t it is still p rema ture for Oxfam to pha se out its

    supp ort from their a rea s. It is not yet the right time! wa s the c om mon feed bac k

    5Sustainability is defined as the extent to which benefits achieved [by the project] can be continued in an appropriate wayafter outside assistance has ceased

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    expressed by c om munity memb ers and loc a l offic ia ls whene ver the a bo ve que stion

    wa s posed by the Eva lua tion Tea m.

    Oxfam should not lea ve us yet. We a re still hung ry for mo re know ledg e tha t hasbe en d enied us for a long time. We a lso w ant to extend the supp ort we g ot fromOxfam to othe r mem be rs of the b arang ay who eq ually need the supp ort so w e

    hop e Oxfam will help us expa nd the c apac ity of our orga nizat ion. (Panusolen FGD)

    It is too ea rly for Oxfam to lea ve us. We a re just sta rting to reg ain hope. We need toexpa nd our know ledg e a nd tec hnica l skills. (Badak FGD)

    We do n t need dole-outs anymore. We a sked Oxfam to p eriod ica lly visit us eve n asthey transfer to a new set of project sites. If possible, they should still allow us to

    participa te in the sem ina rs they orga nize for the o ther ba ranga ys. (Dalengaoe n

    FDG)

    The same view is sha red by ICP sta ff in the flow ing m anner: The va rious ac tivities

    unde rtaken b y the program me in the last two years have ma de a difference in the livesof p eop le. How ever, these g a ins need to be sustained lest it fac e the da nge r of be ing

    reve rsed . It wo uld b e a wa ste if this happens. We hop e Oxfam c ould b e more stra teg ic,

    comprehensive and longer-term in investing its resources instead of just conforming to

    funding-driven p rojec t timelines.

    From the response o f the O xfam sta ff, it a ppea rs tha t the wo rk in the barangay leve l in

    GSKP and Pikit have fa r be tte r cha nc es of susta inab ility for four rea sons:

    It is in these b a rangays whe re a significa nt num ber of Com munity Hea lth Voluntee rshave b ee n tra ined and have b een integ ra ted into the fo rma l Rura l Hea lth Unit (RHU)

    system.

    It is a lso in these barangays whe re the peo p le have suc c essfully lob b ied for theinteg ra tion o f their p rotec tion p lans into the m unic ipal developm ent p lan a nd the

    LGU has a lloc a ted the ma nda ted funds (5% of the Internal Revenue Allotm ent , IRA)

    to supp ort the implementa tion o f these c om munity p rotec tion p lans.

    The d irec t links and engage ment now existing betwe en the ba rang ay-level Huma nRights Act ion O ffic ers (BHRAOs) a nd the Co mm ission o n Huma n Rights at the

    reg iona l leve l are seen to inc rea se c hanc es of susta inab ility a s they perform

    mo nitoring , doc ume nta tion and rep orting func tions of rights abuses a t the

    c om munity level.

    Fina lly, the Spac e fo r Pea c e in Pikit has c ap tured the ima gina tion of a c ritica l massof the co mm unity advo c ate s and c ontinues to gain supp ort from the go vernment,

    military and the MILF.

    Howe ver, the re is less indic a tion tha t impac ts a t the municipa l leve l LGUs are likely to b e

    susta ined as of yet . There a re a lot m ore to ac c om p lish in transforming loc a l

    go vernment units and ag enc ies tow ards exac ting greate r ac c ountab ility and reliab le

    pub lic servic e.

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    What e lse is need ed to inc rease likelihood of sustainab ility?

    It is interesting to note tha t instea d of m ateria l inputs, ma jority of c om munitybene fic iaries ga ve fo rem ost va lue to deve lop me nt ac tions tha t will further inc rea se

    the ir hum an c apac ities (e.g ., add itiona l know ledge a nd skills). They strong ly expressed

    the d esire for more c ap ac ity deve lop ment supp ort in order for them to de velop

    c rea tive and effec tive wa ys of engag ing a nd neg otiating w ith duty bea rers and forma l

    authorities. An FGD participant from Badak best expressed this in the following manner:

    We wa nt to b ring our rights awa rene ss to a higher leve l by lea rning how we c ould

    ac tua lly exercise these rights in our every da y life. How do we assert? How do we figh t

    for them ? What ac tions c ould we take if they are denied?

    In add ition, co mm unity bene fic iaries a lso expressed the need to a c quire more

    tec hnica l and ma nagem ent skills to sc a le up existing livelihoo d p rojec ts (e.g., orga nicfarming, marketing o f IGP p rod uc ts, ente rp rise d eve lop ment espec ially for wo me n and

    the o ut-of-sc hoo l youth) a nd further imp rove their hea lth sta tus (ac c ess to a ffordab le

    medicine; prom otion of traditiona l med ic ine).

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    Part IV

    Program Effec tiveness and Ways of Working

    The e arlier cha pte r of this rep ort doc umente d the signific ant imp ac t o f the p rog ramm e

    at the c om munity level in terms of imp rovem ents in hea lth sta tus, live lihood s, sec urity

    and sa fety a s we ll as c hanges in the p rac tices of p artner orga niza tions and institutions.

    This c hap ter will loo k into the p rog ramm e e ffec tivene ss (i.e., the extent a nd the

    ma nner to which the project o bjec tives have be en a c hieved ). It will loo k into the

    approp ria tene ss of t he ob jec tives, strateg ies and ac tivities of the p rog ramm e vis--visthe need s of the benefic iaries. It w ill a lso loo k into the streng ths and wea knesses of the

    approa c h and me thod s, pa rtnerships, sta ffing and p roc esses for monitoring, eva lua tion

    and lea rning.

    Review of Programm e Design a nd Strategy

    When the c urrent huma nitarian p rotec tion p rog ram me be ga n in Oc tob er 2004 the

    ma in p rob lems of the c onflic t-affecte d c om munities we re the follow ing:

    Lac k of capac ity of the d ifferent ac tors in the c om munity and institutiona l level toimp leme nt the rights to basic services, informa tion a nd sec urity of the IDPs, returnees

    and host c om munities;

    Inc rea sed hea lth risks for current and returned IDPs bec ause o f inad eq uate ac c essto sa fe w ater, sanitation fa c ilities and pub lic he a lth servic es;

    Limited a vailability of food and inco me at the household level bec ause o f minima lsupp ort for food p rod uction a nd low level of c apa c ity of IDPs and returnees to

    d iversify inc om e a nd livelihoo d op tions;

    Protec tive systems we re no t fully in p lac e a nd func tiona l thus IDPs and returneesrem ain unsure how to tac kle incidents of violenc e, c oe rc ion and de privation suc h

    as ac ts of harassment, arbitra ry dete ntion a nd c onflic t c rossfire as we ll as ec ono micconcerns.

    In orde r to a ddress the situa tion Oxfam exp lored a b roa d range o f interventions tha t

    wo rked tow ards find ing durab le solutions to the suffering of c onflic t-affec ted

    pop ula tions. This wa s done by linking the c rea tion of a mo re fa vorab le environm ent fo r

    IDPs and returnee s rights and ent itlem ents with d irec t service delivery. As the

    prog ramm e d eve lope d , it eventua lly shifted from d irec t servic e p rovision to increased

    c apac ity build ing o f duty bea rers and c om munity ac tors to ensure the susta inab ility of

    the interventions and c rea te a n ena b ling environm ent for conflict red uc tion initia tives.

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    pa rtnerships with LGUs and line a genc ies, inc lud ing the Departme nts of Hea lth a nd

    Agriculture.

    Networking/Linkaging

    It a lso w orked a t va rious leve ls of c ritic a l links betwe en and amo ng IDPs, LGUs and line

    agenc ies, INGOs and NGOs, for them to w ork tog ethe r tow ards ma king huma nitarian

    supp ort and protec tion respo nsive to the nee ds of the c om munities and ap prop riate to

    the c onflic t situation.

    Iterative

    It wa s expec ted tha t as these p a rtnerships bec ame strong the y will help b uild the