Mountfield, Ben; Dalmau, Agnes, 2010, Evaluation Report for Spanish Red Cross Evaluation of Livelihoods Projects Sri Lanka Tsunami Specific Plan, Final evaluation, Spanish Red Cross, Madrid.

2.1 ENABILING ENVIRONMENT

2.1.7 Institution and capacity strengthening on IE

Recommendation: 1. Ensure projects include focus on capacity strengthening of institutional partners and dissemination of project learning as specifically related to the IE:

• Include focus on capacity strengthening of government institutions including local authorities.
• Promote training of trainers in government institutions so that they can continue to train others in their respective offices.

Reference: Mountfield, Ben; Dalmau, Agnes, 2010, Evaluation Report for Spanish Red Cross Evaluation of Livelihoods Projects Sri Lanka Tsunami Specific Plan, Final evaluation, Spanish Red Cross, Madrid.

Evidence sample: Awareness and capacity building of community and local government officers and political authorities will be useful from a long term point of view. Government departments can add real value to the projects where those departments have capacity and willingness, and negative impact where they don’t.

______________________________________________________

2.3 DIRECT ACTIONS IN COMMUNITIES

2.3.2 Entrepreneurship: Capacity strengthening on economic activities

Recommendation: 3. Share training model for people dependent on the IE with relevant local training authorities for wider replication.

Reference: Mountfield, Ben; Dalmau, Agnes, 2010, Evaluation Report for Spanish Red Cross Evaluation of Livelihoods Projects Sri Lanka Tsunami Specific Plan, Final evaluation, Spanish Red Cross, Madrid.

Evidence sample: The project beneficiaries  were extremely highly valued the training on financial management of livelihoods wherever it was used. A significant majority of households visited during the fieldwork stated that this was crucial for the success of their livelihood project.

_______________________________________________________

2.4 APPROACHES TO ENHANCE LIVELIHOODS, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

2.4.3. Social protection

Recommendation: 6) Consider in project design when carrying out livelihood projects with people dependent on the IE in post-emergency contexts that cash grants may be more preferable than direct distribution of commodities. Cash grants allow beneficiaries to purchase high quality, highly specific products, and avoid the delays experienced in commodity procurement and distribution. Note that those in authority may be suspicious of cash grants, suggesting that people could not be trusted to spend them appropriately.

Reference: Mountfield, Ben; Dalmau, Agnes, 2010, Evaluation Report for Spanish Red Cross Evaluation of Livelihoods Projects Sri Lanka Tsunami Specific Plan, Final evaluation, Spanish Red Cross, Madrid.

Evidence sample: the evaluation indicated that beneficiaries almost universally preferred cash grants to distributions of commodities. A range of reasons were given for this, including the ability to purchase high quality, highly specific products, and the delays experienced in commodity procurement and distribution. It was evident that those in authority were very suspicious of cash grants, suggesting that people could not be trusted to spend them appropriately. This concern is not borne out by the fieldwork, or by analysis of the various monitoring data made available to the evaluation team.

____________________________________________________

2.4 APPROACHES TO ENHANCE LIVELIHOODS, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

2.4.10. Strengthening IE with attention to migrants, refugees, trafficked persons

Recommendation: 15) To protect investments post disaster in livelihoods of the poorest IE groups, provide cash transfer but also additional short-term support to cover the gap in essential needs so that working capital of their livelihoods activities are not affected. This may include food aid and support to obtain basic household needs kits.

Reference: Mountfield, Ben; Dalmau, Agnes, 2010, Evaluation Report for Spanish Red Cross Evaluation of Livelihoods Projects Sri Lanka Tsunami Specific Plan, Final evaluation, Spanish Red Cross, Madrid.

Evidence sample: to protect investments in livelihoods, the evaluation recommended that the poorest groups can benefit from a cash transfer but also receive additional short-term support to cover the gap in essential needs so that working capital is not effected.

__________________________________________________________

2.4 APPROACHES TO ENHANCE LIVELIHOODS, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

2.4.11. Strengthening IE with attention to general or other specific vulnerable groups

Recommendation: 5) Use community-led wealth ranking exercises to select the most vulnerable beneficiaries instead of using applicants responses against capacity and vulnerability criteria as it can especially to errors of exclusion.

Reference: Mountfield, Ben; Dalmau, Agnes, 2010, Evaluation Report for Spanish Red Cross Evaluation of Livelihoods Projects Sri Lanka Tsunami Specific Plan, Final evaluation, Spanish Red Cross, Madrid.

Evidence sample: the evaluation noted that community-led wealth ranking exercises are an effective means to select beneficiaries. The initial approach using applicants responses against criteria of capacity and vulnerability was less successful, and led especially to errors of exclusion.