YEMEN MONITORING AND 
EVALUATION PROJECT, PHASE II 
(YMEP II)
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION 
OF THE YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER 
TOGETHER (YCST) PROJECT
Submitted January 15, 2020
Resubmitted January 30, 2020
This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development.
It was prepared by International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI) under AID-279-C-15-00001.
YEMEN MONITORING AND
EVALUATION PROJECT, PHASE II
(YMEP II)
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE 
EVALUATION OF THE YEMEN 
COMMUNITIES STRONGER 
TOGETHER (YCST) PROJECT
January 30, 2020
CONTRACT AID-279-C-15-00001
Prepared for
Jessica R. Pomerantz, 
YMEP II Contracting Officer’s Representative
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
Middle East Bureau
United States Agency for International Development
Prepared by Afrah Al-Zoubah, Nadwa Al-Dawsari, and Rafat Al-Akhali, 
with inputs from Christopher Allio, Roberta Contin, and Jeffrey Swedberg 
of International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI).
International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc.
8618 Westwood Center Drive, Suite 400
Vienna, VA 22182 USA
Tel: (703) 749-0100
DISCLAIMER
The authors’ views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States 
Agency for International Development or the United States Government.
ABSTRACT 
USAID)/Yemen contracted IBTCI to conduct a mid-term performance evaluation of the Yemen 
Communities Stronger Together (YCST) Program implemented by Global Communities. This program 
works to build the capacity of Yemeni communities to identify and address conflict stressors and threats
in order to enhance their resilience and lay the foundation for communities to be better prepared for
national peace efforts. Six overarching evaluation questions were centered around three primary 
categories of the program: relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability. The evaluation was completed by 
three Yemeni researchers who first conducted a desk review of YCST project documents, and then 
executed key informant interviews and focus group discussions with key YCST stakeholders in Yemen, 
Jordan, Germany, and Washington DC.
Evaluation findings indicate that the YCST program is making a relevant contribution to USAID’s Yemen 
Programming Approach (YPA): Objective 2, “Enhance Yemen’s ability to manage conflict” and Outcomes 
2.1, “Mechanisms that allow citizens to identify and address grievances strengthened,” and 2.2, “Social 
cohesion of communities strengthened.” A competent local partner, an established methodology deployed 
by YCST, and the high level of need within the target communities have all contributed to the project’s 
achievements thus far; however, the ongoing conflict and its security challenges, a shifting regulatory 
environment, and multiple staffing changes are challenges that have affected implementation of 
YCST. While progress has been made in the area of relevance, additional measures could be taken to 
further enhance the program’s effectiveness and long-term sustainability. The report concludes with 
recommendations to guide YCST going forward.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ii
Acronyms i
Executive Summary 1
Background 3
Evaluation Purpose 3
Methodology and Limitations 3
Methodology 3
Limitations 4
Evaluation Findings 4
Relevance (design and focus of the program) 4
Effectiveness (management processes and their appropriateness in supporting delivery) 7
Sustainability 13
Recommendations 16
Annexes A–1
Annex 1: Evaluation SOW A–1
Annex 2: Evaluation Methodology A–7
Annex 3: Evaluation Tools A–9
KII- Global Communities Team A–9
KII-Community Mobilizers (CMs) A–10
KII-Local Partner A–11
KII-Local Authority Figures A–12
FGD-Community Enhancement Committees (CECs) A–12
Annex 4: Documents Reviewed A–13
Annex 5: Evaluation Team Composition A–14
Annex 6: Disclosure of Any Conflict of Interest A–15
ACRONYMS
ACC Authority-Community Committees
AOR Agreement Officer’s Representative 
APS Annual Program Statement
CBO Community-based organization
CEC Community enhancement committee 
CM Community mobilizer 
COP Chief of Party
CSO Civil society organization
DCOP Deputy Chief of Party
ET Evaluation team
FGD Focus group discussion
FMF Field Medical Foundation 
GC Global Communities
GoY Government of Yemen
IBTCI International Business Technical Consultants Inc.
IDP Internally displaced person
INGOS International nongovernmental organization 
KII Key informant interview
MEL Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
MOU Memorandum of Understanding 
NGO Nongovernmental organization 
OF Operational feature
PACE Participatory Action for Community Enhancement
PACT Women’s Pact for Peace and Security
RAW Ras Al Aarah Water Association
SFD Social Fund for Development
STC Southern Transitional Council
TOT Training of trainers
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme 
USAID United States Agency for International Development
WPS Women, Peace and Security
YCST Yemen Communities Stronger Together
YPA Yemen Programming Approach
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) requested this mid-term evaluation to assess the 
performance to date of the Yemen Communities Stronger Together (YCST) activity and propose 
actionable recommendations for USAID and its implementing partner, Global Communities (GC). The 
evaluation will help improve GC’s performance in the remainder of the performance period and provide 
USAID with a summary of any lessons learned from the implementation of YCST. The evaluation will be 
forward-looking, with the aim of helping GC to improve the program and identify success stories and 
lessons learned that can inform future work and identify interventions that can be scaled up or replicated 
under the YCST or other USAID-funded programs in Yemen.
YCST is a three-year program that started in August 2018, funded by USAID and implemented in Yemen 
by GC, together with Yemeni partner Field Medical Foundation (FMF) and specialized international 
partners Build Up and Partners for Good. The evaluation team reviewed relevant project documents, 
conducted 19 in-depth interviews with project stakeholders, and convened three focus group discussions 
(FGDs) with community mobilizers and members of Community Enhancement Committees (CECs). The 
evaluation addressed seven questions related to the relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the YCST 
program.
Evaluation findings indicate that the YCST program is making a relevant contribution to USAID’s Yemen 
Programming Approach (YPA): Objective 2, “Enhance Yemen’s ability to manage conflict” and Outcomes 
2.1, “Mechanisms that allow citizens to identify and address grievances strengthened” and 2.2, “Social 
cohesion of communities strengthened.” The competent local partner (FMF), an established methodology 
deployed by YCST, and the high level of need within the target communities are all factors that have 
contributed to the project’s achievement thus far. The ongoing conflict and its security challenges, a shifting 
and difficult regulatory environment, and multiple staffing changes are challenges that have affected the 
implementation of YCST.
The team found that YCST has achieved progress in implementing the five operational features identified 
at its inception: Applied Learning and Adaptive Response; Gender Analysis and Social Inclusion; 
Neutrality/No-Harm Approach; Sustainability; and Sequencing and Integrating, although there is room for 
improvement in the latter two features. The program has moved forward with implementation of key 
activities despite the challenging environment. However, the evaluation team concluded that more clarity 
is needed in YCST’s objectives, specifically in clearly identifying “drivers” and “consequences” of the 
conflict the program is aiming to address. 
While it is too early in YCST’s life cycle to assess the sustainability of the program’s activities, the 
evaluation team has documented both indications of achieving sustainability and areas that require 
attention. Good indicators of sustainability are the increased capacity of local partner FMF and 
beneficiaries, as are the early signs of changing behavior in target communities with the adoption of 
collaborative mechanisms to identify and address grievances. However, it is not clear how or whether the 
established CECs will be sustained as a structure beyond the program’s lifetime. In addition, more can be 
done to integrate existing local actors and structures within the target communities. The evaluation team 
was unable to assess the sustainability of activities to address community stressors as the documents were 
not available and implementation has not yet started.
In order for YCST to reach its potential and to ensure both effectiveness and sustainability, the evaluation 
team recommends revising the activity’s time frame. USAID should consider giving YCST an extension to 
make up for past delays and in anticipation of future ones. YCST needs to address gaps in staffing, both at 
the senior management and field levels, with a specific focus on improving capacity in areas of 
communications and operations. 
To strengthen sustainability, YCST should consider the following:
● Connect CECs with existing formal structures whenever possible and feasible. 
● Provide a longer engagement to strengthen CECs so that they can operate on their own after the 
program ends.
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 2
● YCST should continue to coordinate with other organizations such as the Social Fund for 
Development (SFD) committees, Partners Yemen, Search for Common Ground, and United 
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Yemen. Depending on feasibility and YCST 
assessment, coordination may include sharing information, working within or building upon 
existing structures created by other projects, leveraging funds to boost YCST-funded projects, 
and so on. 
● Maintain a community-based approach. The main beneficiaries of the program should be 
governorate/community-level civil society organizations, community-based organizations, and 
women’s groups rather than national organizations. YCST should allocate resources to build 
capacity as part of the Peace-building grants.
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 3
BACKGROUND 
Yemen Communities Stronger Together (YCST) is a three-year project funded by the U.S. Agency for 
International Development (USAID) and implemented by Global Communities (GC), together with 
Yemeni partner Field Medical Foundation (FMF) and international partners Build Up and Partners for 
Good. The purpose of YCST is to support local-level initiatives that mitigate conflict, strengthen social 
cohesion, promote the peaceful resolution of differences and, where feasible, capitalize on stabilization 
opportunities in Yemen. 
The program was initially designed to target 36 communities distributed between Government of Yemen 
(GoY)-controlled areas (through FMF) and Houthi-controlled areas (through a second Yemeni partner, 
the National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response). However, GC was unable to 
secure the necessary approvals from the de facto authorities in Sana’a and program activities are therefore 
being implemented only in GoY-controlled areas. These include 16 communities located in Aden, Lahj, 
Abyan, and Taiz governorates. In four of these communities, YCST is piloting a stabilization component 
and helping communities work with district authorities to respond to citizens’ needs. YCST is prepared 
to expand into an additional 24 communities over the remaining period of the program. According to GC 
headquarters staff, at the end of 2019 it was determined in conjunction with the Agreement Officer’s 
Representative (AOR) that YCST would not be expanding to the North during Year 2 because of 
continued security concerns (red flags).
EVALUATION PURPOSE 
According to the USAID Statement of Work (Annex 1), the purpose of evaluation was to:
● Assess the performance to date of the YCST program and propose actionable recommendations 
for USAID and its implementing partner GC; 
● Help improve GC’s performance in the remainder of the performance period and provide USAID 
with a summary of any lessons learned from the implementation of YCST; 
● Identify other success stories and lessons that may inform future work and interventions that can 
be scaled up or replicated under YCST or other USAID-funded programs in Yemen. 
The findings and recommendations of the evaluation will inform the remainder of the implementation of 
this award and possible future designs in this sector.
METHODOLOGY AND LIMITATIONS 
METHODOLOGY 
The evaluation was conducted by three experienced Yemeni researchers and community development 
experts, Afrah Al-Zoubah, Nadwa Al-Dawsari, and Rafat Al-Akhali. Collectively, the evaluation team (ET)
brought experience in the research, design, and management of community-based programs focused on 
conflict mitigation, peace building, social cohesion and community engagement in conflict or post-conflict 
type environments.
At the outset, the ET developed an inception report outlining the design for the mid-term evaluation of 
YCST. The inception report included evaluation questions, data collection tools, and a work plan. In 
accordance with the approved inception report, from December 6–15, 2019 the ET conducted a desk 
review of YCST project documents, reports, and other related materials. During this period, the ET 
Leader also conducted field interviews in Aden which included key informant interviews (KIIs) with 
stakeholders including the leadership and staff of YCST, FMF, CEC members, local council members, and 
stakeholders from GC headquarters and USAID. On December 12, 2019, the ET provided a presentation 
of preliminary findings to USAID, whose feedback informed the remainder of the field interviews. On 
January 9, 2020, the ET gave a second presentation to USAID on the final findings of the mid-term 
evaluation. 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 4
The evaluation methodology relied on KIIs and focus group discussions (FGDs) which were primarily 
conducted in Arabic. The ET hired two local researchers to assist the ET Leader in taking notes during 
interviews and FGDs. YCST field staff assisted the ET in arranging the KIIs and FGDs. Interviews with 
USAID and GC headquarters were done over Skype and Google Meet. The ET conducted a total of 19
KIIs, including with members of GC headquarters, YCST, FMF, community mobilizers (CMs), Community 
Enhancement Committees (CECs), and local district officials. Two FGDs were held in Aden with CECs 
and CMs, in which 34 participants, including 11 women, took part. In addition, the team conducted two 
KIIs with key USAID staff. 
LIMITATIONS 
Due to the security situation, the ET Leader was unable to travel outside Aden. To mitigate this limitation, 
she conducted interviews with YCST stakeholders from other governorates by telephone.
EVALUATION FINDINGS 
The following findings are based on field interviews and review of YCST reports and documents. The ET 
notes that there was no significant difference between responses by women and men interviewees or 
FGD participants. 
RELEVANCE (DESIGN AND FOCUS OF THE PROGRAM)
QUESTION 1: To what extent will the YCST outputs produced so far, and those planned 
over the next six months, contribute to achieving the USAID/Yemen’s Yemen Programming 
Approach’s Objective 2 and Outcomes 2.1 and 2.2?
Based on the desk review and the data collected 
from the program management team and CEC
members, the ET concluded that the outputs 
produced so far and planned over the next six 
months are contributing to this objective and 
have made progress in contributing to Outcome 
2.1. Despite a challenging operating environment 
and unexpected management changes, the ET 
believes YCST has succeeded in creating 
mechanisms to identify and resolve conflicts. For example, YCST formed the CECs in 12 communities and 
Authority-Community Committees (ACCs) in four communities. Field-work research indicated that 
activities implemented by YCST, using their Participatory Action for Community Enhancement (PACE) 
methodology, have strengthened mechanisms that allow citizens to identify and address grievances. This 
was the view of most interviewees from the YCST team, FMF, and CMs, as well as the general consensus 
among FGD participants from CECs. According to the CECs, the training and mentoring they received 
from YCST enabled them to collaboratively identify stressors, identify solutions, and propose projects to 
address these stressors. According to YCST personnel interviewed, as a result of this exercise project 
proposals were developed and are currently in the process of being approved and implemented. In the 
past, CEC members reported, communities were entirely dependent on the government. However, the 
skills they gained and tools they learned from PACE have helped community members take the initiative 
to identify and resolve conflicts in their communities proactively. CMs and CECs mentioned that the 
PACE training and exercises helped them analyze and identify solutions to tribal and community-level 
conflicts, even apart from of YCST program areas.
USAID’s Yemen Programming Approach 
Objective 2 (Enhance Yemen’s ability to manage 
conflict) aims to achieve the following two outcomes:
Outcome 2.1: Mechanisms that allow citizens to identify 
and address grievances strengthened 
Outcome 2.2: Social Cohesion of Communities 
Strengthened 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 5
Finally, according to KIIs with the YCST Chief 
of Party (COP) and Deputy Chief of Party 
(DCOP) and YCST reports, the project 
successfully issued an Annual Program 
Statement for peace-building grants targeting 
local community-based organizations (CBOs) 
and civil society organizations (CSOs) in 
October 2019. Of the 327 organizations that 
submitted expressions of interest, YCST 
shortlisted 96 entities. Of those, YCST selected 
eight initial grants. The priority areas for these 
grants responded to the list of stressors 
identified by the CECs. YCST seeks to strengthen a community’s ability to address stressors by integrating 
grants into needs identified by CECs. In addition to strengthening horizontal relationships between 
community members, YCST aims to enhance the level of trust in local authorities (vertical relationships) 
to stabilize communities through citizen engagement and responding to their needs through service 
provisions. Under the stabilization component, ACCs will be linked with CSOs and CBOs to help 
strengthen the local capacity and promote social cohesion and stability. Based on interviews and document 
review, the ET believes the YCST approach of connecting communities through CECs with CSOs will 
help strengthen local capacity to promote community-based social cohesion and peace. This contributes 
to YPA Outcome 2.1. 
The PACE model enables communities to see past their differences and work together to improve 
conditions for themselves. According to the YCST PACE Manager, FMF, and CMs, YCST helped make the 
CECs diverse and inclusive, ensuring representation of different social actors and groups. These include 
tribal leaders, CBOs, religious leaders, civil society, local council members, and local authority figures. 
Members of the CECs also come from across the political spectrum, including the southern-secession 
movement (Hirak), Islah, Southern Transitional Council (STC), General People’s Congress, Salafis, and 
supporters of Hadi. Additionally, marginalized groups such as youth, women, and internally displaced 
persons (IDPs) have higher representation among CECs. The ET concluded that this has helped strengthen 
targeted communities’ ability to manage conflicts and build trust among community members. All of these 
factors improve social cohesion, which in turn is progress toward achieving Outcome 2.2 (Social cohesion 
of communities strengthened). 
Evidence from KIIs and the desk review show that, in a situation where there is much political uncertainty, 
focusing on strengthening community resilience can be powerful. For example, a CM mentioned to the 
ET Leader that, in the Al-Suraih community in Lahj, community members had not met before because of
tribal conflicts. However, through the YCST PACE training and mentoring, members of these tribes were 
able to come together to discuss and prioritize community stressors and needs.1 This is particularly 
important, since attempts to bring a national solution by the United Nations (UN) and others are 
deadlocked. Based on the field work and document review, the ET concludes that building one community 
at a time strengthens each community’s resilience during and after armed conflicts. If and when a peace 
agreement is reached, these communities will be better positioned to support it. However, building social 
cohesion requires a longer engagement than a three-year project permits. YCST will have to work with 
its local partner FMF and the CECs to determine ways to make defined activities sustainable. 
1 YCST defines stressors as problems which, if not addressed, may lead to conflict but have not yet reached a 
violent stage. Conflict is when that problem leads to violence. For example, a stressor can be an environmental 
factor such as drought, water scarcity, poor access to education or electricity, or competition over grazing land. 
If left unaddressed, competition over these resources may escalate and lead to conflict. Examples of conflict 
include revenge killings or destruction of water or electricity facilities by those who feel left out. 
“I learned how to use these skills to resolve conflict in my 
community as I am one of the CEC members. As CECs, 
we now work with others in the community to identify 
conflicts through discussions.” 
—Female CEC member from Dar Saad district in Aden 
“The training helped us also understand the influencers 
and potential spoilers in the community.” [Emphasizing his 
newly learned skill to reassure potential spoilers that the 
CEC and YCST are not a threat.]
—Male participant in the Daad Saad CEC 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 6
QUESTION 2: What factors have contributed to achieving or hindering the achievement 
of the intended outcomes and outputs?
Several factors have contributed to achieving the intended outcomes and outputs of the program. 
These include the following. 
1. Competent local partner and staff: 
The ET found through interviews with YCST and FMF that local staff are experienced and knowledgeable. 
The team has successfully navigated through political sensitivities and existing conflict. Evidence indicates 
that they built relationships with local authorities and communities and began work with the CECs in a 
relatively timely manner, given the immensely challenging environment. The YCST team reported they 
were able to communicate the activities to local communities in a transparent manner without raising 
expectations. During the FGD, some CEC members expressed their appreciation and trust of the YCST 
and FMF local teams. The ET Leader found that the YCST, FMF, and CECs agreed on the value of program 
and its mechanisms for implementation. 
The ET concludes that YCST’s ability to obtain sub-agreements with local GoY authorities during the first 
quarter of 2019 is testament to the local staff’s competence. From the ET’s experience, registration and 
sub-agreements can sometimes take years to accomplish due to corruption, incompetence of government 
institutions, and/or lack of trust in international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs).
2. PACE training: 
YCST local staff, their local partner FMF, CMs, and CECs all told the ET that the one-month PACE training￾of-trainers (TOT) activity that GC organized in Amman was very useful. The YCST team offered TOT for 
the CMs who then trained the CECs in Yemen. The CMs commented that the PACE training equipped 
them with skills needed to train and assist CECs to conduct surveys, FGDs, and participatory analyses to 
identify stressors and community needs. 
3. Project demand:
As described by the CECs during the FGDs, there is a demand for YCST among local communities both 
in terms of conflict resolution and the provision of infrastructure/development projects to help address 
these conflicts. According to CECs in Daar Saad in Aden and Al-Mahfad in Abyan, most of the conflicts at 
the community and district level are caused by the lack or misallocation of resources. As stated by a CEC 
member from Al-Mahfad, “The project [YCST] is so important because YCST helps resolve these kinds 
of conflicts.” For example, in Al-Mahfad, the water committee charges community members equal fees 
for water services even though some receive more water than others, causing tension between the district 
authority and the local communities. In Daar Saad, CEC members mentioned that some community 
members divert electricity directly from the power cables, which causes blackouts in other homes. YCST’s
proposed intervention to support electricity distribution by rehabilitating the electrical distribution 
network and installing new transformers, switches, and power lines should reduce down-time due to 
power overloads in addition to voltage drops that can damage residential appliances.
4. Community-based approach: 
YCST respondents emphasized that they avoid focusing on the national-level conflict or conflicts of a 
political nature. The project intentionally avoids discussions about the current political conflict or political 
tension in the south. It solely targets identifying stressors, needs, and conflicts at the community level that 
are not of a political nature, such as disputes over water distribution or those caused by a shortage of 
electricity. The ET concludes that this approach protected the project from being politicized. In Yemen, 
like other conflict areas, project planning must be based on an assessment of existing power dynamics. If 
YCST were to talk about tensions in the south, for example, CECs might be accused by community 
members or armed actors of siding with certain political parties or players. The ET believes that this 
approach worked to unify communities with a focus on tangible community issues that affect them directly
and offer ways to address them. YCST KIIs said they vetted CECs through their community, sometimes 
going door to door, to get feedback on CEC members. Communities approved CEC members and, in 
some cases, rejected or replaced them. This helped to generate momentum for and build trust in YCST. 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 7
YCST, however, also faced challenges that hindered its ability to achieve the desired progress in 
outcomes and outputs. Most of these challenges were due to factors outside of its control. They include 
the following. 
1. Conflict and difficult operation environment: 
YCST suspended work in the north due to difficulty getting approval from Houthi authorities, who 
attached conditions that would have derailed the YCST’s ability to operate. According to YCST reports, 
obtaining subcontracts in areas under GoY control also took longer than expected (which is normal in 
Yemen). YCST team members told the ET that the violent conflict that erupted in Aden and spread to 
other southern governorates in early August 2019 caused further delays. According to YCST, delays were 
also caused by a slow-down in implementation related to the Ramadan and Eid holidays during May and 
June 2019.
2. Staffing issues: 
a. YCST lost its COP and DCOP in early 2019, which disrupted implementation of the 
program and caused further delays. As of November 2019, only two staff members have 
been a part of the program from the beginning. 
b. YCST now has a COP and a DCOP. However, due to security concerns and a restriction 
on U.S. citizens traveling to Yemen, their deployment to Aden remains interrupted by the 
security situation and is uncertain.
c. GC also had problems acquiring Yemeni visas for its international staff, including the 
recently hired Grants Manager and Learning and Knowledge Specialist.
d. YCST had difficulty finding sufficient numbers of experienced professional and technical
local staff in Aden. The competition among INGOs also poses significant challenges for 
staff retention, which may worsen if donors and implementers shift funding from the north 
to the south in response to operating constraints.
3. CECs and community representation: 
Some CECs are selected from large communities ranging from 8,000 to 20,000 in population. A CEC may 
only have between 15 and 25 members. Given such a low ratio, a CEC’s ability to reach out to such large 
communities might pose a serious challenge to YCST and the CECs themselves, especially in urban areas. 
EFFECTIVENESS (MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND THEIR APPROPRIATENESS IN 
SUPPORTING DELIVERY)
QUESTION 3: To what extent have the five identified operational features been 
implemented and contributed to the effectiveness of the YCST?
The ET observed that YCST has made progress in the implementation of the five operational features 
(OFs), with some room for improvement in areas of integration and sustainability. 
OF1 - Applied Learning and Adaptive Response 
The YCST annual report indicated that under Objective 4, the program completed its learning agenda, 
one of the main activities under the objective. The agenda guides learning activities throughout the lifetime 
of the program. The annual report also indicated that the program made seven out of 16 target adaptive 
management decisions following documented program learning. 
YCST’s quarterly report for January–March 2019 indicated that the project’s learning activities included a 
two-day workshop with program staff and FMF in Aden in March 2019. Based on discussions in the 
workshop, YCST revised the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Plan and results framework. 
Workshop discussions were also incorporated into YCST’s learning agenda, which seeks answers for 12 
questions based on themes including participation, inclusion, social cohesion, conflict mitigation, PACE, 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 8
and stabilization. The implementation of the learning agenda started with posting an advertisement for a 
Learning Specialist for the program, who was hired and is currently in Yemen. 
YCST also hosted an annual learning workshop in Amman in November 2019 to reflect on Year 1 and 
strengthen the implementation for Year 2. During the learning workshop, the YCST team pointed to gaps 
in feedback and data from the field. They agreed to establish additional channels to receive feedback from 
communities including hotlines, feedback boxes, social media, community surveys, and establishing a focal 
point for feedback outside of CECs. YCST is also hiring an Accountability Officer to report to the MEL
Director, who will be responsible for developing and managing a community feedback-and-response 
mechanism to ensure YCST receives and addresses beneficiary complaints on a regular basis. The YCST 
team wants to see improvement in software capability for documenting feedback from communities. The 
YCST MEL Director commented that YCST is planning a workshop in Yemen to discuss the steps needed 
to translate recommendations from the annual learning workshop into action. 
Data collected by the ET showed evidence that YCST adapted its approach in some areas. For example, 
to maximize the participation of women and accommodate communities’ feedback in the Jaishan 
community in Abyan, YCST commissioned female staff to ensure that the input of women who were 
unable to participate in CEC meetings could be obtained in identifying the stressors and needs (see section 
OF2.1 on gender representation). Furthermore, the YCST team said they accepted a proposal by the 
CECs to utilize the resources available, however small, to keep their momentum going. This proposal 
included reducing the number of CEC meetings per month from four, as originally scheduled, to biweekly. 
CECs used the money allocated for the two other meetings, about $300, to pay for activities such as 
planting trees or painting schools to show speedy and visible impact of their work with their communities.2
OF2 - Gender Analysis and Social Inclusion 
1. Gender representation: 
YCST has a gender-equality and social-inclusion action plan outlining 22 actions that will promote gender 
and social inclusion throughout the program components. The ET concluded that YCST has succeeded in 
engaging women effectively in the program. Women members comprised between 30 and 45 percent of 
CECs. About half of the CMs are women. Women also constituted a third of the ACC members under 
the stabilization component. YCST has employed a full-time Gender and Social Inclusion Manager, who 
commented that YCST employs a strategy for gender mainstreaming in program strategy and planning, 
MEL, and project implementation. For example, gender was integrated in program baseline research, CEC 
formation, PACE, and stabilization. The Gender Manager developed a Yemen-specific gender main￾streaming training which was incorporated into the YCST trainings for its team, the local partner, and 
CECs. He informed the ET that projects are assessed to ensure they are gender-responsive. For example, 
one of the questions to assess projects is whether it is easy for women and girls to access them. In the 
annual learning workshop, YCST agreed that they need to review the timing around community entry 
activities to ensure they are gender-sensitive. For example, they will seek to schedule activities at a time 
of day when women can participate.
Where it was not possible for women to participate, YCST took measures to ensure their inclusion. For 
example, YCST conducted separate FGDs for women to ensure their participation in governates where
they were not participating in mixed meetings and groups. To increase their ability to speak in group 
settings, the YCST team plans to conduct trainings in leadership and public-speaking skills specifically 
tailored to women, youth, and marginalized groups so that they are more confident and can voice their 
needs and ideas. They also recommend that a local inclusion analysis be conducted early as they move to 
new communities. According to the YCST annual report, in Al-Mahfad women were shy at first but 
gradually contributed to the discussion and identified health care, education, and vocational training as 
most important for women and girls. According to the YCST PACE Manager, most women who took part 
in the CEC in Lahj are illiterate; as a result of the YCST adaptive response, they now have a voice in 
2
YCST covers costs for transportation to trainings, but not for meetings. The only support provided for meetings 
is the cost for refreshments. 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 9
community meetings. Moreover, those who have basic education now play the role of facilitators in their 
communities as part of their involvement with the CECs.
The YCST annual report states that the program intends to work with the Women’s Pact for Peace and 
Security (PACT), Yemeni Women’s Union, and the Peace Track Initiative. According to the YCST COP 
and DCOP, PACT was referenced in the YCST proposal as an organization YCST would potentially 
support; however, it does not have legal registration. Therefore, the group does not meet YCST’s criteria 
for a standard grant. It does, however, meet the criteria for an in-kind grant. PACT submitted a proposal
to conduct a 16-day campaign against gender violence and YCST is considering directly funding that 
activity. The YCST December 2019 monthly report indicates that the Peace building and Women, Peace 
and Security (WPS) sub-funds will be used to “support initiatives that reduce the marginalization of Yemeni 
women in decision-making on political transitions and the peace processes.” The YCST team met with 
several women’s organizations including PACT, UN Women, Women’s Studies Center at Aden 
University, and Ministry of Human Rights to discuss the WPS grants. YCST did not say that it would ask 
these organizations to work with women’s groups in targeted communities, but the YCST senior team 
said that funds to any CSOs and groups will have to meet YCST criteria and guidance, which were based 
on priorities identified by the CECs. The ET concludes that PACT and the Peace Track Initiative have a 
national mandate focused on women’s participation in the UN-led peace process. 
2. Social Inclusion: 
YCST was able to ensure the various political and social actors in the community are represented in CECs. 
For example, CECs members included Islah, Salafis, Sufis, STC, Hirak, and pro-GoY actors. They included 
imams, teachers, retired military officers, journalists, youth, women, and elders. YCST deliberately focused 
on communities where there was a high presence of marginalized populations. 
OF3 - Neutrality/No-harm Approach:
The YCST team told the ET that neutrality was key to the process of selecting its local partner, community 
actors, and CECs. The community-based nature of the project and the inclusivity of the CECs shielded it 
from political polarization. It is the ET assessment that YCST made a good effort to ensure that the 
program and the CECs have buy-in from the larger community. CEC members represent the different 
political and social groups in the communities as described in the preceding section on social inclusion. 
The YCST local team expressed a need for sensitivity to local conflicts when making decisions related to 
projects. For example, the team said they chose not to implement some of the activities identified by
CECs because they believed the implementation of these projects might cause harm. For example, in Taiz
under the stabilization component of the program, the team chose not to fund a project to rehabilitate a 
water well because it was determined that the activity would exacerbate an existing conflict between two 
tribes in the area. 
OF4 – Sustainability: 
Sustainability and the effectiveness of measures taken by YCST are discussed in detail under Question 6 
below.
OF5 - Sequencing, Integrating: 
According to reports and interviews with field staff, YCST coordinates with humanitarian and 
development organizations and participates in the INGO forum meetings in Aden. In its quarterly reports, 
YCST states that it has coordinated with a variety of UN and international organizations operating in 
YCST-targeted governorates. YCST intends to continue coordinating with peace building and stabilization 
actors, including the UN Envoy’s Office, Search for Common Ground, and Partners Yemen to ensure 
there is no duplication of effort. The ET is aware that Partners Yemen and Search for Common Ground 
have long and solid experience doing community-based conflict resolution, including the use of community 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 10
committees to resolve conflicts.3 UNDP Yemen is implementing a local governance program that focuses 
on community-based governance and developing community resilience. Both Partners Yemen and Search 
for Common Ground are part of that program.4
Interviews with YCST senior management and an internal YCST document indicated that YCST strived
to work with existing structures such as village water committees. For example, in Ras Al Aarah in Lahj, 
YCST is going to install a solar submersible pump and electrical equipment to increase the capacity of an 
existing water project that malfunctioned due to an increase in the population and lack of community 
maintenance. To ensure sustainability, YCST plans to work with the Ras Al Aarah Water Association 
(RAW), which existed before YCST’s intervention. RAW will join a four-part memorandum of 
understanding (MOU) that includes YCST, the local CEC, and the local contractor. According to the YCST 
MEL Director, YCST also is working with the water committees in the Mahfad and Jaishan districts in 
Abyan. Further, YCST reported that they have met with the Social Fund for Development (SFD). Under 
the stabilization component, some of the ACCs included members from the local SFD committees. In the 
Dar Saad district, some of the CEC members also come from SFD committees. During the YCST annual 
learning workshop, the YCST team agreed that they need additional knowledge about what the SFD and 
other actors are doing in targeted areas. The YCST MEL Director told the ET that YCST is planning to 
coordinate with SFD as the project expands into new communities and will consider working with SFD 
committees if they meet the YCST criteria (which includes inclusivity, gender, and social balance). 
According to the YCST annual report, the program is adding an Integrated Development and Coordination 
Specialist position which will be recruited in the first quarter of Year 2 of the project. 
QUESTION 4: Are YCST interventions addressing both the “consequences” of conflict and 
the “drivers” of conflict in targeted communities? If not, why?
YCST reports and ET interviews with the YCST team did not reveal a clear definition of how the project 
defines the consequences vs. drivers of the conflict. The USAID Yemen Programming Approach (YPA)
states that Objective 1 and 2 of the YPA are interconnected and address both drivers and consequences 
of the conflict. 
The YPA diagram provided in the Scope of Work suggests that drivers include “a lack of social cohesion 
and mechanisms to address grievances” and consequences include “deteriorating basic services and 
livelihood opportunities.” In the YCST baseline, causes of conflict defined by community members 
interviewed include poverty, lack of livelihoods, lack of representation, tribal feuds, and lack of trust in 
security institutions. 
PACE activities define “stressors” that are related to basic services, security, and livelihood opportunities. 
YCST’s local team, however, reports a simpler interpretation. If conflict is addressed at the local level, 
tension among communities will be reduced. That is the tangible result they would like to see, regardless 
of the terminology. 
The ET concludes that YCST focuses on the local/community level and its implementation intentionally 
avoids getting into larger and broader conflict issues. Thus, YCST does not focus on the structural issues 
of the conflict considered “drivers,” which may be rooted in political grievances and conflict. 
The ET believes that YCST’s addressing of drivers of conflict will depend on whether a national inclusive, 
credible, and legitimate peace agreement is reached. The ET’s review of YCST’s work, however, shows 
some evidence of empowering communities and strengthening community-based mechanisms to prevent 
and mitigate the effects of current and future conflicts. Communities targeted should be better equipped 
to deal with these conflicts as a result of YCST intervention. In addition, engaging local CSOs through 
3 ET member Nadwa Al-Dawsari was the Director of Partners Yemen from 2009 to mid 2012.
4 United Nations Development Programme, Yemen, “Local Governance Intervention Impact,” March 14, 2019. 
Retrieved from: https://www.ye.undp.org/content/yemen/en/home/library/Local-Governance-intervention￾impact.html
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 11
grants will better position communities and civil society to engage effectively when a peace agreement is 
completed and a transition process kicks off. This will ultimately promote the ability of Yemeni systems 
to mitigate drivers of conflict. 
QUESTION 5: Is the program management structure effective for achieving stated 
outcomes and outputs and meeting reporting requirements?
GC staff informed the ET that they underestimated staffing needs when they designed the initial project 
management structure. GC headquarters staff said they particularly underestimated the need for 
expatriate/Third Country National staff with experience in high-profile, multi-component projects who 
could supplement and build the capacity of Yemeni national staff within the three-year project timeframe.
Lack of staff with this expertise also contributed to delays in implementing program activities initially. For 
example, YCST reported the need to hire senior management staff to work with their MEL Director, who 
was reportedly performing multiple functions including MEL and communications, as well as serving as the
acting DCOP during the period from May to October 2019. A COP was posted to Aden on September 
9, 2019. A full-time DCOP was hired in late October and fully on-boarded in November, although working 
remotely. As of January 2020, the COP, DCOP, and MEL Director indicate that YCST has the right staff 
in place. With the exception of the Accountability Officer, Field Engineer, one field-engineer assistant, and 
two engineering consultants, all other positions were included in the modified budget submitted to and 
approved by USAID in September 2019. The Accountability Officer position was based on a
recommendation during the annual learning workshop which took place in November 2019 after the 
submission of the modified budget. GC headquarters staff told the ET that the additional new positions 
can be accommodated within the budget. 
USAID’s regional Democracy, Governance, Peace and Security Officer indicated that USAID is not 
receiving sufficient and detailed reporting from the field. USAID also pointed to poor-quality reports and 
outreach materials submitted by YCST. While YCST’s quarterly and annual reports are useful in providing 
a narrative description of activities during each period, they do not clearly identify deviations from plans 
or a comparison of planned vs. actual activities on a monthly basis, which would allow USAID stakeholders 
to quickly understand the status of the different program components. GC headquarters staff informed 
the ET that the YCST COP will consult with the USAID AOR to review and adjust the format of reports. 
During the third quarter of YCST, GC took additional steps to address the gaps in communication, 
outreach, and grants management. The ET received a description from YCST of their different teams, 
especially in relation to grants, projects, and communication. Details are provided below.
Grant team: 
• During the fourth quarter of 2019, YCST took steps to improve the capacity of its team. YCST 
hired a Senior Grant Manager who is Jordanian. Due to visa delays, he only arrived in Aden in 
mid-January 2020. Under the Senior Grant Manager, YCST also hired a Yemeni Grant Fund
Manager in December 2019. In January 2020, YCST will be hiring an additional Grants Officer and 
assistant. With this, the total grant team size will be six, consisting of one expatriate manager, one
local manager, two grants officers and two grants assistants. All positions were included in the 
modified budget submitted to USAID in September 2019. 
• In addition, YCST hired a short-term consultant in international grants with previous YCST 
experience who assisted with the annual program statement. 
Procurement: 
• YCST has a very experienced Procurement Manager who works under the Director of Finance. 
• The Procurement Manager has a Procurement Officer and assistant reporting to him.
• All procurement positions were included in the September 2019 budget modification.
Engineering team: 
• YCST’s engineering team is headed by an experienced Senior Engineer (Yemeni) who has two 
Field Engineers reporting to him: one for Aden and Abyan governorates and one for Lahj and Taiz 
governorates.
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 12
• Two assistants report to each of the two engineers for the four governorates in which YCST is 
working.
• In November 2019, it became clear that additional engineering expertise was required and YCST 
procured the services of an international senior water and wastewater engineering consultant 
who has worked on numerous USAID programs throughout the Middle East. He remotely 
supports the engineering team, reviewing scopes of work, reports, bills of quality and 
environmental impact assessments, and similar documents and is available for travel to Aden if 
required.
• In December 2019, YCST began recruitment of a senior electrical engineer consultant (Yemeni) 
to advise the engineering team on the design, tendering, and quality control for the Dar Sa’ad 
electricity distribution rehabilitation project. The recommended candidate was being hired at the 
time of this report.
Additional engineering positions to those included in the September 2019 budget modification are one
Field Engineer, one assistant, and two engineering consultants.
Communication: 
• YCST realized its on-site communications capacity needed strengthening and added two new 
positions in the September 2019 budget modification.
• The first new position was a Senior Knowledge, Learning and Communication Specialist (Kenyan), 
who began work in November 2019. Due to visa delays, she worked remotely until her arrival 
in Aden in mid-January 2020.
• The second new position was for a Learning and Reporting officer (Yemeni), who will report to 
the Senior Knowledge, Learning and Communications Specialist. Recruitment for the position is 
now ongoing and the position will be filled in February 2020.
• The two above positions are in addition the existing Communications and Reporting Officer 
(Yemeni).
• A new position not in the September budget modification is an Accountability Officer (Yemeni) 
who will report on improving YCST communication with local communities, establishing and 
managing a community feedback-and-response mechanism. Recruiting is ongoing and the position 
is expected to be filled in February 2020.
• In addition to the above Aden-based positions, YCST is supported by the GC headquarters MEL
team. Two members of the headquarters MEL team planned and facilitated the Year 1 learning 
event in Amman, Jordan in November 2019. Headquarters MEL staff have also assisted field staff 
in editing reports and other documents as required.
Furthermore, a DCOP was hired in early November. Because USAID’s approval of her candidacy as key 
personnel was contingent upon remote management, she has been based in Amman since mid-November. 
She oversees the PACE, grants, and stabilization teams. This should help expedite the grant-processing 
and other activities of the program to make up for the delays in Year I. 
Due to increased security risks5 including the recent attacks against INGOs in the south, there are 
potential U.S. Government restrictions on U.S. citizens travel to Yemen under USAID development 
awards. Thus, GC might have to relocate the COP to a location outside Yemen. This could pose a 
5 Tensions escalated in August 2019 when clashes between supporters of the Southern Transitional Council 
(STC) and government led to complete expulsion of Yemeni government from Aden by STC-allied forces. The 
Riyadh Agreement signed between the two parties in November 2019 seeks to form a new cabinet and reinstate 
forces under Yemeni government based on consultation between “all parties.” The agreement was supposed to 
be implemented in two months, but so far not much progress has occurred. Saudis deployed forces to Aden in 
an attempt to help manage the situation. Although fighting stopped, tensions still run high and fighting may 
resume. 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 13
challenge to YCST as remote management combined with unreliable internet connections in Yemen can 
be difficult. 
SUSTAINABILITY
QUESTION 6: What efforts is YCST undertaking to ensure program sustainability? Are 
they realistic?
YCST made some important steps towards sustainability but needs to ensure that CECs and projects will 
stand beyond the program’s lifetime. Areas where the ET observed nascent sustainability include the 
following.
Building capacity of local partner and beneficiaries: 
According to interviews with FMF, CMs, and feedback from CECs during the FGDs, YCST created a solid 
training and mentoring capacity within local Yemeni institutions to include FMF and CECs. The training 
and skills that the CMs, CECs, and FMF obtained from YCST will remain with them beyond the project’s 
lifetime. Also, by partnering with and mentoring local organizations such as FMF and local CSOs, YCST 
will strengthen their capacity to be more effective and sustainable in the future. 
The PACE model was introduced through workshops to 543 participants, including 151 women in Aden, 
Abyan, and Lahj. Participants included governorate district authorities, CSOs, women, youth, community 
leaders, and religious leaders. YCST specifically trained CECs on the PACE methodology, including key 
tools such as stakeholder analysis, asset mapping, reporting, and facilitation skills. Two hundred and fifty￾six CEC members, including 100 women, were covered in the training. The CMs and FMF trainers that 
were trained by YCST organized and delivered those trainings. 
The YCST team anticipates that peace-building grants will help build and strengthen local capacities for 
peace to include CSOs, CBOs, and CECs. The YCST model goes beyond traditional trainings and helps
local champions of peace and social inclusion learn through implementing grants and projects.
Change of behavior: 
The YCST team says the key advantage of the community-based approach and the PACE methodology is 
that it promotes change of behavior. As a result of YCST training and mentoring, communities are better 
able to work together to identify stressors, agree on needs, and resolve conflicts. Ultimately, communities 
are empowered to take charge of their own matters proactively, instead of waiting for local authorities 
or the government to help them. 
According to the YCST Gender and 
Social Inclusion Manager, the project 
established a quota of 30 percent for
women and 30 percent for youth 
participation in CECs. During trainings, 
women received additional mentoring to 
take part in role play and to give 
presentations. The gender and social 
inclusion manager and PACE manager 
both said they noticed women gained 
more confidence and became more 
vocal during CEC meetings. The ET 
leader who conducted an FGD of CECs 
noticed that women were actively 
participating and voicing their opinions during the discussion. 
The YCST MEL Director noted a change in communities’ behavior during the processes of forming the 
CECs. In Yemen, communities are used to service delivery and humanitarian aid. YCST helped them take 
charge to identify and address their needs rather than waiting for outside organizations to give them 
handouts. 
A Behavior-change Success Story from YCST
In the Al-Madharebah district in Lahj, the village of Al-Ejabah was 
isolated by tribal conflicts. Years ago, a young man from that village 
killed a tribal sheikh from another village. Other tribes from the 
district gathered and punished his tribe by isolating the village. Men 
were unable to leave because of fear they would be killed for 
revenge. Only women were able to cross tribal bounties and shop 
at the food market. When YCST came, the project insisted on 
including Al-Ejabah. The sheikh did not initially agree. After about 
three months, however, YCST was able to establish a CEC with a 
representative for Al-Ejabah. The representative, a male, can now 
cross tribal borders and go to the center of the district to attend 
CEC meetings with the protection of the tribal leader. 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 14
Sustainability of projects: 
YCST is still in the process of developing projects identified by the CECs. The YCST team said they have 
initiated some coordination with local authorities and other formal institutions such as the water and 
sewage authority and electricity authority to discuss the implementation and continuation of projects 
identified by the CECs. At this early stage, the ET is unable to assess the sustainability of the projects as 
the implementation of both PACE and stabilization projects will start in the first quarter of 2020. 
The ET concludes that YCST has taken steps to ensure the sustainability of the projects. According to the 
YCST COP, the program works with local authorities and relevant government institutions. For each 
project, YCST signs a MOU with the relevant ministry branch, contractor, and CEC(s). YCST follows the 
specifications of the ministry in terms of equipment and implementation. The ministry provides joint 
supervision of the project implementation with YCST, and per the MOU, the ministry commits to 
maintaining the project after YCST ends. Relevant projects then become part of the ministry’s electricity 
and water grid systems. In some of the smaller projects, such as the project to rehabilitate a public park 
in Jaar, YCST signed an MOU with the district director. For projects where YCST rehabilitated schools, 
the MOU is signed with the office of education in the district. 
YCST has to do more to strengthen sustainability some aspects of the program, which include:
Sustainability of CECs: 
One of the ways the YCST team said it works to ensure sustainability is by creating and building the 
capacities of CECs so that they can continue to operate beyond YCST. The YCST team is helping CECs 
develop internal bylaws and internal regulations to guide their work, which includes membership criteria, 
organigrams, elections, and division of roles. This, however, is not sufficient to ensure their sustainability. 
The YCST local team stated that it is too ambitious to expect a three-year program to lead to long-term 
and sustainable results, especially given the high tensions, instability, and security situation. Some team 
members suggested that to ensure sustainability, YCST’s engagement with CECs should be extended by 
at least two years. 
QUESTION 7: Describe the main lessons and/or best practices that have emerged.
YCST was less than half-way through implementation when the mid-term evaluation was initiated. Despite 
the fact that the program has not made much progress towards the implementation of its activities, YCST 
was able to draw some important lessons. These include the following: 
1. Buy-in from communities is a key to success: 
Interviews with members of the YCST team, FMF, governorate coordinators, and CECs indicate that the 
high demand for YCST projects among communities increased community buy-in. Ensuring buy-in from 
the communities should be a core criterion for selecting future communities. According to YCST staff 
interviewed, maintaining a community’s support depends on YCST’s transparency and ability to manage 
expectations. The ET agrees with this statement. 
2. YCST’s timeframe is too ambitious and not practical: 
YCST’s implementation timeframe is too ambitious, particularly given the highly unpredictable and fluid 
environment in Yemen which has already caused delays in implementing project activities. The 
combination of timeframe, complexity, and ambition is a major challenge. Insisting on this timeframe risks 
YCST rushing to meet deliverables at the expense of the quality of work.
In Yemen, the startup phase of a project is often protracted. It takes months and sometimes a year, as 
demonstrated by the delays YCST has already experienced. It takes time to build relationships and gain 
acceptance from formal structures and the trust of local communities. It is crucial to give this phase of the 
program the time it needs for smooth implementation to ensure access can be sustained in the subsequent 
phases. Navigating political and local sensitivities also affects the speed of implementation and should be 
given sufficient time throughout the implementation of the program.
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 15
3. The combination of conflict resolution and service maximizes impact: 
YCST is unique in that it does not seek to address conflicts through a traditional awareness campaign or 
conflict-resolution training. It takes a more practical approach, putting resources in place to help 
communities address stressors the communities themselves identify. CECs expressed support for the 
YCST projects that keep the community’s focus on solutions. Allocating funds for small- and medium￾sized projects focused on electricity, water, and sanitation provide for quick results when done correctly. 
According to CECs, many conflicts at the community level occur because of poor distribution of services, 
such as water or electricity. YCST should continue to focus on small- and medium-sized projects.
4. Linking CECs with Local Authorities is important: 
YCST, its local partner FMF, and CECs reported that for CECs and projects to be sustainable, they must
be linked to the local authorities or existing formal structures. In KIIs, CECs in urban areas such Aden 
stressed this need more than CECs in rural areas. In Dar Saad, some CEC members mentioned the need 
to work with the security committee in the district. 
In Aden, CEC members mentioned Akels and some local council figures felt threatened by the CECs—
which is not an uncommon challenge in a context such as Yemen.6 To mitigate the risk of these actors 
becoming spoilers, the YCST team, FMF team, and CECs reported that it is important for CECs to have 
a link with local authorities. The GC headquarters team told the ET that YCST agreed to include one local 
authority representative within each CEC to enhance communication and mitigate against the risk of local 
authorities acting as spoilers. 
The MOU that YCST signs with local authorities for all 
PACE and stabilization projects is an important step. 
During a learning workshop, the YCST team agreed to 
help CECs conduct wider outreach to their 
communities through community radio and other 
communication means such as posters, fliers, and banners. This will help raise community awareness about 
the work of the CECs. The ET echoes this recommendation.
5. Research/assessments can cause harm: 
USAID requested that YCST conduct a stabilization assessment in an area where YCST was operating. 
Many of the questions in the assessment were related to security, which raised suspicion about the project 
among targeted communities and created problems for the local team. Research activities in Yemen can 
trigger alarms among formal and informal actors. They can be interpreted as collecting intelligence for 
foreign agencies. This could put local staff at risk and jeopardize the project. 
6. Reconciling differences between PACE & grant management teams: 
YCST reported disagreement between the PACE and Peace-building Grants teams. YCST issued an 
Expression of Interest for local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to submit proposals to help 
mitigate the stressors and conflicts identified by the CECs. PACE objected to the fact that the Grants 
team were selecting NGOs from Aden to implement projects in Abyan and Lahj. They stated that YCST 
should work with NGOs that are based in their own governorates or communities. The Grants team 
reported that NGOs in Abyan and Lahj did not meet the criteria for selection under the Small Grants 
components of the program. To reconcile this, GC headquarters staff informed the ET that YCST decided 
that the evaluation committee’s review and scoring of grants submissions under the Annual Program 
6 Akels literally means “elders.” Yemeni law also recognizes Akels as “justice enforcement officers.” According to 
the Law of Penal Procedures No. 13 for the year 1994, village Akels fall under the jurisdiction of the Attorney 
General. Article No. 91 through 103 of the same law states the mandate of enforcement officers includes crime 
investigation, tracking suspects and criminals, gathering information, collecting studying evidences and 
complaints, including searching houses, arresting suspects and criminals, and sending reports to the general 
prosecution.
“We need a link to the local authority. That will 
give us recognition and people [in the community] 
will acknowledge us.” 
—CEC member in Daar Saad
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 16
Statement (APS) would include members of the Grants, PACE, and Stabilization teams. Evaluation of grant 
submissions is then conducted relative to established and defined criteria. During the first round of the 
APS, of the 27 applicants invited to move to full grant application, four are based in Lahj, one in Abyan, 14 
in Taiz, and eight in Aden. GC headquarters staff reported that YCST continues to review selection criteria 
and transparently adjust them to ensure that local NGOs can be selected and supported with capacity 
building. With the composition of the evaluation committee, no one team is able to solely determine who 
meets or does not meet selection criteria.
7. Unclear how stabilization component fits into YCST: 
In interviews with YCST stakeholders, there is ambiguity about the stabilization component in that it is 
not clear how it relates to other components of the program. According to YCST, this component was 
introduced by USAID as a pilot and was not part of the original project proposal GC submitted. It is 
currently implemented in two districts in Abyan and two districts in Taiz. According to GC headquarters
staff, the YCST team recognized that staffing gaps on the stabilization team might have contributed to 
limited understanding of the component outside of that team. The annual learning event in November 
provided an opportunity for the team to look at YCST as a whole and to see commonalities, such as the 
focus on community participation across Components 1 (PACE) and 3 (stabilization).
According to the YCST quarterly report for August–September 2019, the stabilization component’s goal 
is to “support legitimate local authorities to rapidly and effectively respond to the priorities of their 
constituents.” As part of the component, and with support from YCST, district authorities established 
four ACCs. Like CECs, ACCs identify stressors that reduce social cohesion and prioritize solutions; unlike 
CECs, in ACCs figures of local authority have high representation. 
RECOMMENDATIONS 
1. Reconsider project timeframe.
The program has experienced delays of at least three months in deliverables across all components which 
are only expected to worsen when the next batch of communities is added and service-delivery project
implementation starts. The ET highly recommends that USAID consider starting a discussion with YCST 
about the time extension(s) needed for the program to deliver all planned activities. 
2. Address remaining staffing concerns.
YCST’s staff recruitment in late 2019 and plans to recruit international and Yemeni staff during January
2020 adequately respond to the staffing issues and gaps the project had during the past year. The YCST 
COP, DCOP, and MEL Director confirmed to the ET that they have the staffing they need to implement 
the projects. 
● Country communication team: To improve reporting and capturing project outcomes, YCST 
needs to capture success stories, anecdotes, lessons learned, and photos. YCST should consider 
hiring local communication coordinators dedicated to collecting communication-focused data 
from communities. Communication-focused staff work should include field trips, taking notes 
during activities and meetings, and writing reports on observations. This will provide the necessary 
detail requested by USAID. These communication coordinators should have a background in field 
research and/or journalism. Some of them should be women. 
3. Take measures to promote project sustainability.
● Create sustainability plans: YCST should work with CECs to determine how these projects 
can be sustainable after the program ends. Sustainability plans should go beyond training, and lay 
out strategies to institutionalize the projects. These should be as specific as possible. 
● Focus interventions: YCST should assess the geographic scope of its intervention. The focus 
should be on quality interventions that can leave sustainable outcomes and be scaled up later, 
rather than meeting the quantity initially committed in the project document. In order to achieve 
lasting outcomes, YCST should invest more time and engagement with the existing communities 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER 17
to ensure they are sufficiently strengthened to be sustainable beyond the project’s lifetime. CECs 
need at least two years of mentoring by YCST to be sustainable. USAID should consider 
approving a reduction in the number of communities originally committed by YCST if necessary. 
The ET encourages USAID to discuss with the YCST whether covering the 36 communities is 
realistic given the project timeframe. The ET recommends that USAID be open to the idea of 
reducing the total number of communities if necessary. 
Because slow implementation can cause frustration, YCST should consider quick, inexpensive, 
and achievable projects to maintain momentum. These could take the shape of providing 
furniture to a clinic, a solar energy system to local school, a garbage-collection campaign, or 
painting schools. 
● Tap into existing structures: YCST should continue to explore working with existing local 
structures such as community-based water committees. When feasible, YCST should coordinate
closely with SFD and explore possibilities for working with organizations such as Partners Yemen
and Search for Common Ground.
● Build the capacity of local NGOs and CBOs through Grant Management: Grants should 
prioritize NGOs and CBOs that are based in the governorates/communities. If capacity is an 
issue, YCST should consider teaming them up with more established INGOs or established 
national Yemeni NGOs and allocating some of its funds to build their capacity. To determine the 
right approach, YCST should conduct a capacity analysis for selected local NGOs and design a 
capacity-building program accordingly.
4. Maintain gender inclusion.
YCST’s approach is community-based. Therefore, women, peace, and security grants should focus 
primarily on women’s organizations that are based in the targeted governorates rather than national 
women’s groups and organizations. To overcome potential capacity issues, YCST can work with other 
well-established national organizations that have proven track records of conducting capacity-building 
programs for community-based organizations. These capacity-building projects should not be limited to 
training but include mentoring to help these organizations learn to assess, plan, and implement projects 
by doing. 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 1
ANNEXES
ANNEX 1: EVALUATION SOW
USAID/Yemen Statement of Work
For A Mid-Term Evaluation of the
Yemen Communities Stronger Together (YCST)
 I. Purpose of the Assessment
The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the performance to date of the Yemen Communities 
Stronger Together activity (YCST); propose actionable recommendations for USAID and 
implementing partner organization, Global Communities (GC) that would help improve the 
activity’s performance in the remainder of the performance period; and provide USAID with a 
summary of any lessons learned from the implementation of YCST.
 II. Background
Global Communities is executing for USAID/Yemen the program known as the Yemen 
Communities Stronger Together (YCST). The program is being implemented in partnership with 
GC Yemeni partners Field Medical Foundation (FMF), and GC’s specialized international partners 
Build Up and Partners for Good (PfG). The program hypothesizes that, if local capacity to 
collaboratively identify and address conflict stressors and threats to social cohesion is built, and if 
tangible community-level results are demonstrated, then the resilience of Yemeni communities 
and institutions will increase, local authorities who participate in systems of accountability 
strengthened by YCST will be better prepared to lead their communities’ participation in national 
peace efforts, and the effectiveness of models that can be replicated across the country will be 
demonstrated, laying the foundation for a peaceful and effective transition process.
Objective 1: Engage Communities in an Inclusive Approach to Identify and Implement Service 
Delivery and Conflict Mitigation Projects.
Objective 2: Build the Capacity of Formal and Informal Local Leaders, Organizations, and 
Networks to Serve as Neutral Arbitrators and Peace Builders that Can Meet Community and 
Constituent Needs.
Objective 3: Pilot Stabilization Approaches to Support Local Legitimate Authorities to Rapidly 
and Effectively Respond to Citizen Priorities that, if addressed, will Contribute to a Reduction in 
the Risk of Localized Violent Conflict.
Objective 4: Carry-out Regular and Action-Oriented Learning and Contextual Analysis Across 
YCST Interventions to Support Adaptive Management and Enhanced Outcomes.
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 2
II. Yemen Programming Approach
III. Stated Operational Features, Outputs and Outcomes
Operational features
1. Applied learning and adaptive response will be central to YCST and integrated into 
project design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).
2. Global Communities and our partners will strictly maintain neutrality and follow a 
conflict sensitive Do-No-Harm approach.
3. Gender analysis and social inclusion assessment using findings to design an YCST 
Gender Integration and Social Inclusion Plan. To support our ability to foster social 
inclusion.
4. (Sustainability) The sustainability of projects funded by YCST is considered during the 
project selection process, with sources of future operations and maintenance identified 
with communities and local stakeholders and related skills training provided.
5. The YCST COP will incorporate USAID’s Sequencing, Layering and Integration (SLI) 
approach to ensure that activities avoid duplication with other projects in our targeted 
areas, maximize outcomes and support long-term impact.
Outputs
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 3
6. Support locally legitimate authorities to rapidly and effectively respond to citizen 
priorities that, if addressed, will contribute to a reduction in or the risk of localized 
violent conflict. 
7. (Sustainability) In building the conflict mitigation and leadership skills of individuals, 
particularly women and youth, YCST develops champions for cohesion and peace.
8. (Sustainability) PACE engages communities to systematize inclusive processes and 
develop a practice of engagement with local authorities, while also building the skills to 
identify and implement local projects for community enhancement independently.
9. (Sustainability) Strengthening the willingness and capacity of local authorities and 
service providers to build better relationships with communities, understand their needs, 
and identify local resources to sustain peace at the local level. 
Outcomes
10. Support locally legitimate authorities to rapidly and effectively respond to citizen 
priorities that, if addressed, will contribute to a reduction in or the risk of localized 
violent conflict. 
11. (Sustainability) In building the conflict mitigation and leadership skills of individuals, 
particularly women and youth, YCST develops champions for cohesion and peace.
12. (Sustainability) PACE engages communities to systematize inclusive processes and 
develop a practice of engagement with local authorities, while also building the skills to 
identify and implement local projects for community enhancement independently.
13. (Sustainability) Strengthening the willingness and capacity of local authorities and 
service providers to build better relationships with communities, understand their needs, 
and identify local resources to sustain peace at the local level. 
IV. Scope and focus of the Mid-term Evaluation
This mid-term evaluation will cover the period of October 1, 2018 to November 2018. 
The YCST mid-term program evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the implementation of 
this program. It will also collate and analyze lessons learned, challenges faced, best practices, any 
impacts/results in/to targeted communities, actors and institutions and, where possible, any 
progress towards sustainability of the YCST’s interventions. The evaluation will include a review 
of Global Communities’ YCST project design, theory of change and assumptions made at the 
outset of this program and whether or not they remain valid. Finally, the mid-term evaluation will 
assess whether the program results are on track: capacities built, and cross cutting issues of gender 
and minorities inclusion have been addressed. 
The findings and recommendations of the evaluations will inform the remainder of the 
implementation of this award and possible future designs in this sector.
V. The Evaluation Questions
The following key questions will guide the mid-term program evaluation:
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 4
Relevance – (The design and focus of the program)
● To what extent will the YCST outputs produced, so far, and those planned over the next 
six months contribute to achieving the USAID/Yemen’s Yemen Programming 
Approach’s Objective 2 and Outcomes 2.1 and 2.2? [Note: At this time, there are no 2.3 
interventions.]
● What factors have contributed to achieving or hindering the achievement of the intended 
outcomes and outputs?
Effectiveness (The management processes and their appropriateness in supporting delivery)
● To what extent have the identified operational features been implemented and contributed 
to the effectiveness of the YCST?
● Are YCST interventions addressing both the “consequences” of conflict and the “drivers” 
of conflict in targeted communities? If not, why?
Sustainability
● What are the key factors that will require attention in order to improve prospects of 
sustainability of the program outcomes and the potential for replication of the approach?
● Describe the main lessons and/or best practices that have emerged? 
VI. Evaluation Data Collection and Reporting
The mid-term Evaluation of YCST will be carried out through a desktop review of relevant 
information and data, field visits to selected project sites, and meetings with GC employees and 
other key stakeholders are envisaged. Data collected should be disaggregated (by sex, age range 
and location), where possible.
Desktop review should include the following: YCST Cooperative Agreement, quarterly, monthly 
and weekly progress reports, baseline studies, gender and social inclusion assessment, gender and 
social inclusion action plan, work plans, training materials, conflict analysis, PACE model, third 
party monitoring reports, data quality assessment report(s), performance data table, and other 
documents identified by USAID/Yemen, Global Communities and the Evaluators.
Field Review: Data will also be collected from key informants through interviews, discussions, 
consultative processes, and site visits with YCST staff, sub-awardees and beneficiaries and 
USAID/Yemen staff.
Findings and Recommendations Report: A report summarizing the mid-term evaluation’s findings 
and, as relevant, recommendations. This report including all associated annexes/attachments will 
not exceed 25 pages.
VII. Timeline
USAID estimates the mid-term evaluation will take place between November - December 2019 
with the initial/draft final report submitted no later than January 13, 2020.
VIII. Work Schedule and Level of Effort
1. USAID/Yemen authorizes a team of 3 for this mid-term evaluation.
2. A 5-day work week is authorized.
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 5
3. Travel is authorized for Yemen and the Washington, DC area. Frankfurt and Riyadh 
meetings and discussions with stakeholders will be held via phone and/or video 
teleconference calls.
Activity Deliverable Time allocated 
(business days)
Evaluation design, methodology and
detailed work plan
Inception report 5 days
Inception Meeting Initial briefing
Documents review and stakeholder
consultations
Desk and Field Reviews, 
Analysis, Initial Report 
Writing and Verbal 
presentation/debriefing 
of preliminary findings
15 days
Field Visits
Data analysis, debriefing and 
presentation of draft Evaluation Report
Final mid-term evaluation report 
addressing all USAID/Yemen’s 
comments/questions and submission to 
USAID/Yemen.
Draft Final Evaluation 
Report
5 days
USAID/Yemen’s 
Review and Comments 
of Final Evaluation 
Report
5 days
Final Report Addressing 
USAID/Yemen’s 
comments/questions and 
submits final report
3 days
Total number of working days (for both
programs)
33 days
IX. Deliverables:
1. English Language documents: All deliverables and associated documents will be in 
English
2. Inception report: The evaluator will prepare an inception report which details the 
evaluators understanding of the evaluation and how the evaluation questions will be 
addressed. This is to ensure that the evaluator and the stakeholders – USAID/Yemen 
teams and the YCST team, etc. - have a shared understanding of the evaluation. The 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 6
inception report will include the evaluation matrix summarizing the evaluation design, 
methodology, evaluation questions, data sources and collection analysis tool for each data 
source and the measure by which each question will be evaluated. The inception report 
will also include a workplan outlining when and how the mid-term evaluation will be 
conducted. The inception report will not exceed 15 pages and a single annex is 
permissible. The annex shall not exceed 5 pages.
3. Desktop Review. A completed desktop review meeting the objectives, the authorized 
time period, and objectives/deliverables of this mid-term evaluation. 
4. Field Review. A completed field review meeting the objectives, deliverables and 
authorized time period of this mid-term evaluation. 
5. Verbal Debriefing/Presentation: The evaluation team will provide USAID/Yemen and 
Global Communities a Verbal Debriefing/Presentation (teleconference call) outlining 
initial draft report’s key findings and recommendations. Comments and questions during 
this verbal debriefing/presentation will be addressed in the draft written mid-term 
program evaluation report.
6. Draft Mid-Term Program Evaluation Written Report: The evaluation team will 
prepare draft written Evaluation Report for USAID/Yemen and Global Communities to 
review and comment on. While the report will be shared with Global Communities, the 
primary audience for this report is USAID/Yemen. Comments from USAID/Yemen and 
Global Communities will be provided within 5 business days after receiving the Draft 
Report. The report will be reviewed to ensure that the evaluation meets the 
objectives/deliverables of this mid-term evaluation and for any clarifications. The draft 
mid-term evaluation report including any associated annexes/attachments will not exceed 
25 pages.
7. Final YCST Mid-Term Evaluation Written Report. The final mid-term evaluation 
written report (15-25 pages) including all associated annexes/attachments will not exceed 
25 pages. The final report will be submitted 3 business days after receiving all draft 
report comments from USAID/Yemen. It will include findings and, as relevant, 
recommendations.
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 7
ANNEX 2: EVALUATION METHODOLOGY 
The evaluation methodology included:
• A desk review of relevant information and data;
• Field visits and focus group discussions at selected project sites;
• Interviews with GC employees and other key stakeholders; 
• Data collected disaggregated where possible (by sex, age range and location);
• Data coded and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. 
The evaluation went through the following steps:
1. Preparatory stage:
• Developed the inception report, including the evaluation work plan and data collection tools based 
on the scope of work developed by USAID;
• Conducted a preliminary call meeting with USAID to finalize the work plan and obtain a common 
understanding of how the evaluation would be carried out and the points of contact;
• Coordinated with the GC and YCST teams on the ground to facilitate the field work.
2. Field data collection:
Field work started on December 6, 2019 and continued through December 15, 2019. Due to the security 
situation, field work took place mainly in Aden city. Interviews with KIIs from Abyan and Taiz were 
conducted via telephone. 
Overall, the total number of those interviewed was 19 and 34 people participated in FGDs. The number 
of women interviewed in the field was 14, or 29.1 percent of the total number of interviewees.
Key Informant Interviews: There were 17 interviews in the field, including three women. In addition, 
the ET interviewed two USAID staff and one GC headquarters team member. KIIs were conducted with 
the following. 
• YCST COP and MEL Manager
• PACE Manager, three governorate coordinators, Stabilization Component Manager, Grants 
Specialist
• Four members from Almahfad CEC (by telephone)
• Two members from local councils in Alshamayteen and Almaafer (by telephone)
• Project Unit Manager at FMF 
• District Administrator (by telephone)
• Three interviews with GC headquarters’ staff and USAID 
Focus Group Discussions: Three FGDs were conducted: one with CECs, one with FMF CMs, and a 
third with YCST CMs. A total of 34 persons took part, including 11 women. 
Desk Review: The ET conducted a desk review and analysis of YCST project documents, reports, and 
other related materials. During December 6–15, 2019, the ET Leader conducted field interviews in Aden. 
USAID provided access to the following project documents: 
a) YCST Cooperative Agreement 
b) Quarterly, monthly, and annual progress reports 
c) Baseline study 
d) Gender and social-inclusion action plan 
e) 1st year and 2nd year workplans 
f) Training materials 
g) Conflict analyses 
h) PACE model 
i) Third-party monitoring reports 
j) Data-quality assessment reports
k) Performance data table 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 8
l) USAID Yemen Programming Approach
Incorporating USAID’s feedback: On December 12, 2019, the ET had a telephone meeting with 
USAID to share the main findings. USAID feedback on the findings informed the remainder of the field 
interviews. On January 9, 2020, the ET gave a second presentation to USAID on the final findings of the 
mid-term evaluation. 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 9
ANNEX 3: EVALUATION TOOLS 
KII- Global Communities Team
Target: COP, DCOP, Stabilization Manager, MEL Director, PACE Manager, Social Inclusion Specialist 
Progress and Relevance: 
1. Give us a description of the program components and activities under each component: 
o PACE 
o Forming CECs
o Stabilization? 
o CSOs and CBO: Peace-building grants?
o Identification of stresses 
o Identification of interventions (projects)? 
o Using creative technology through partnership with Build Up
2. What factors contributed to your progress in the program? 
3. What obstacles did you face that delayed or hindered you from implementing activities? Explain 
o How did you address these obstacles? Give examples
4. Can you give examples of how your interventions have adapted to respond to learning and 
contextual challenges? 
5. How far did you go with the Women, Peace and Security sub-fund? 
Effectiveness: 
6. How have YCST interventions so far addressed both the “consequences” of conflict and the 
“drivers” of conflict in targeted communities? 
What did you do to ensure the program design and implementation is conflict-sensitive? 
7. What mapping did you do to ensure no duplication of efforts with other organizations? 
o What effort did you make to tap into existing local structures (e.g. SFD’s community 
committees?) 
8. Were you able to meet the criteria of selection in all the CECs you formed? 
o What challenges did you face while forming the CECs? 
9. Your project doc says that to avoid opposition from local leaders or create conflict among 
community members, you will ask local leaders, particularly tribal sheikhs, to nominate individuals 
to serve on the committee in accordance with YCST requirements. 
o Did you face any problems/challenges with tribal sheikhs /community leaders in the 
process of nominating members for the committee? If yes, what were the challenges?
o Why are there CECs with male-only members, despite criteria?
Sustainability: 
10. What did you do to ensure sustainability? 
o What are the challenges you identified that might undermine the sustainability of the 
program? 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 10
o How did you overcome these challenges? 
Management Structure: 
11. Is the program management structure effective for achieving stated outcomes and outputs and 
meeting reporting requirements? 
o What would you change to make it more efficient? 
12. Do you think you have enough time and resources to implement all program activities? 
13. You implement from A to Z, e.g., you hire engineers, you do direct implementation of project 
including procurement, etc. 
o Is this feasible? Do you have the capacity to do all of this? 
o How sustainable is that? 
KII-Community Mobilizers (CMs)
Capacity Building (effectiveness/relevance): 
1. How did you find the training you received? 
2. Was it useful and relevant? If yes, explain. If not, why not? 
3. What could be improved about the training in order to make it more useful and relevant to your 
work and role in the program? 
Program Structure (effectiveness/relevance/sustainability): 
CEC:
4. How did you form the CECs? Explain the processes.
5. Were you able to achieve the criteria for selecting the CECs? 
6. Did you find it difficult to include women, youth, IDPs in the committees? 
7. What difficulties did you face in the processes of forming theses CECs?
8. How did you overcome those challenges? 
9. What would you change to make this process more effective?
PACE:
10. How did you find the approach of PACE and forming CECs in principle?
o Is it suitable for local context and is there better alternative?
o Do you think it will be effective in addressing and mitigating local conflicts?
o Did it cause any problems in the community? Or something of that sort? 
o Is it sustainable? 
▪ If yes, how?
▪ If no, why not?
o Describe the main lessons and/or best practices that have emerged
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 11
CEC grants:
11. How did you find the processes of working with CECs to identify stakeholders and specific 
projects to be funded by YCST?
o What challenges have you faced? 
o What would you do differently? 
12. Do you think the projects will be sustainable after the end of YCST? 
KII-Local Partner 
Field Medical Foundation 
National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Relief 
Capacity Building (effectiveness/relevance): 
1. How did you find the training you received? 
o Was it useful and relevant? If yes, explain. If not, why not? 
o What could be improved about the training in order to make it more useful and relevant 
to your work and role in the program? 
Program Structure (effectiveness/relevance/sustainability): 
2. Were you involved in the design of program objectives and activities?
o What was your involvement? 
3. How did you form the CECs? Explain the processes: 
o Were you able to achieve the criteria for selecting the CECs? 
o Did you find difficulties to include women, youth, IDPs in the committees? 
o What difficulties did you face in the processes of forming theses CECs?
o How did you overcome that challenge? 
o What would you change to make this process more effective?
4. How did you find the approach of PACE and forming CECs in principle?
o Is it suitable for local context and is there better alternative?
o Is it effective in addressing and mitigating local conflicts?
o Did it cause any problems in the community?
o Is it sustainable? 
▪ If yes, how?
▪ If no, why not? 
o Describe the main lessons and/or best practices that have emerged?
5. How did you find the processes of working with CECs to identify stakeholders and specific 
projects to be funded by YCST?
o What difficulties have you faced? 
o What would you do differently? 
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 12
o Do you think the projects will be sustainable after the end of YCST?
6. Are there any recommendations you would like to mention in order to make the program design 
or activities more conflict sensitive, relevant, and effective? 
KII-Local Authority Figures
District Directors or any other local official involved, depending on the area 
Questions: 
1. What do you think about the YCST program? 
2. Do you see the forming of CECs an effective approach to address conflict & needs? 
3. Describe how you are involved in the project. 
4. Do you think this project (identification of needs by CECs & implementation of project by YCST) 
will help you improve your ability to respond to your constituents’ needs? 
a. If yes, how? 
b. If no, why not? 
5. Do you think this program will be sustainable? 
a. If yes, how?
b. If no, why not?
6. Do you have any recommendations to improve the program implementation and make it more 
effective, relevant, and sustainable in the future? 
FGD-Community Enhancement Committees (CECs)
Target: 4 to 6 CECs, at least one in Aden, one in Abyan, one in Lahj 
Evaluation team will strive to conduct women-only FGDs when feasible 
1. How were you formed? Explain to us how were you selected to be members of the CECs? 
2. Did you find the training you received from the program useful? 
a. If yes, why? Give examples 
b. If no, why not? 
3. As a CEC, how do you interact with the community, district authority, and other groups in your 
community as part of the YCST program? 
4. How did you find the process of identifying the stressors and projects?
a. In your opinion, was the process suitable? 
b. Do you feel this exercise help strengthen your social cohesion as a community? 
c. What challenges did you face in the processes of identifying stressors & project? 
5. How are the projects you identified going to help mitigate the stressors and conflict in your 
community? Explain.
6. If you have a choice, how would you do this project differently? 
7. Do you think you will be able to sustain yourself after the end of the project? 
a. If yes, how?
b. If no, why?
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 13
ANNEX 4: DOCUMENTS REVIEWED
YCST Cooperative Agreement:
1. USAID Yemen, Cooperative Agreement No. 72027918CA00001 – Yemen Communities Stronger 
Together, USA, August 2018
2. USAID Yemen, Cooperative Agreement No. 72027918CA00001 – Yemen Communities Stronger 
Together – Modification No. P002, USA, February 2019
Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual Progress Reports:
3. Global Communities, Yemeni Communities Stronger Together – Monthly Reports, Yemen, 
October 2018 - September 2019
4. Global Communities, Yemeni Communities Stronger Together – Quarterly Reports Y1Q1, Y1Q2, 
Y1Q3, Yemen, January-July 2019
5. Global Communities, Yemeni Communities Stronger Together – First Year Annual Program 
Performance Report, Yemen, November 2019
Baseline Study:
6. Global Communities, YCST Baseline Report – Abyan, Aden, Lahj and Taiz Governorates, Yemen, 
February 2019
Gender and Social Inclusion Action Plan:
7. Global Communities, YCST Gender and Social Inclusion Action Plan, Yemen, February 2019
1st Year and 2nd Year Work Plans:
8. Global Communities, YCST Year One Workplan, Yemen, September 2018
9. Global Communities, YCST Year One Workplan Update, Yemen, March 2019
10. Global Communities, YCST Year Two Workplan, Yemen, September 2019
Training Materials:
11. Global Communities, YCST Training Materials, Yemen, 2019
Conflict Analysis:
12. Conflict analyses conducted by Community Enhancement Committees for their respective 
communities (in addition to the conflict analysis conducted through the baseline study)
Third-party Monitoring Reports:
13. Third-party monitoring reports on a sample of YCST activities (twelve were provided to the 
ET team)
Data Quality Assessment Reports:
14. IBTCI, YCST Data Quality Assessment, October 2019
Performance Data Table:
15. Global Communities, Performance Data Tables (PDT) for 3rd and 4th quarters of Year 1, Yemen, 
2019
USAID Yemen Programming Approach
16. USAID, USAID Yemen Programming Approach 2017-2020, updated April 2018
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 14
ANNEX 5: EVALUATION TEAM COMPOSITION
Role Responsibilities
Evaluation Team
Peace Building Evaluation 
Team Leader
Ms. Afrah Al-Zouba
• Provided overall leadership and direction for the YCST 
Evaluation
• Lead the development of deliverables, tools, and workplan
• Researched and identified key informants and carried out KIIs 
in the field
• Lead the drafting of final evaluation report and presentation of 
findings to USAID
Peace Building Evaluation 
Team Member
Ms. Nadwa Al-Dawsari
• Conducted document review of documents relevant to the 
evaluation
• Utilizing localized subject matter expertise developed 
assessment tools, protocols, and workplan
• Conducted data collection and analysis 
• Contributed to drafting of final evaluation report and 
presentation to USAID
Peace Building Evaluation 
Team Member
Mr. Rafat Al-Akhali
• Conducted document review of documents relevant to the 
evaluation
• Utilizing localized subject matter expertise developed 
assessment tools, protocols, and workplan
• Conducted data collection and analysis 
• Contributed to drafting of final evaluation report and 
presentation to USAID
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 15
ANNEX 6: DISCLOSURE OF ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST
DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM
Name: Afrah Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Zouba
Title:
Organization: International Business and Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI)
Evaluation Position: Team Leader
Evaluation Award Number: AID-279-C-15-00001
USAID Project(s) Evaluated
(Include project name(s), 
implementer name(s), and 
award number(s), if applicable)
Project Name: Yemen Communities Stronger Together (YCST)
Implementing Organization: Global Communities
Award/agreement Number: 72027918CA00001
I Have real or potential 
conflicts of interest to disclose 
(Yes/No):
No
If yes answered above, I disclose the following facts:
Real or potential conflicts of interest may include but are not limited to:
1. Close family member who is an employee of the USAID operating unit managing the 
project(s) being evaluated or the implementing organization(s) whose project(s) are being 
evaluated.
2. Financial interest that is direct, or is significant though indirect, in the implementing 
organization(s) whose projects are being evaluated or in the outcome of the evaluation.
3. Current or previous direct of significant through indirect experience with the project(s) being 
evaluated, including the involvement in the project design or previous iterations of the project.
4. Current or previous work experience or seeking employment with the USAID operating unit 
managing the evaluation or the implementing organization(s) whose project(s) are being 
evaluated.
5. Current or previous work experience with an organization that may be seen as an industry 
competitor with the implementing organization(s) whose project(s) are being evaluated. 
6. Preconceived ideas toward individuals, groups, organizations, or objectives of the particular 
projects and organizations being evaluated that could bias the evaluation.
I certify (1) that I have completed this disclosure form fully and to the best of my ability and (2) that I will 
update this disclosure form promptly if relevant circumstances change.
Date: Signature:
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 16
DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM
Name: Rafat Al-Akhali
Title:
Organization: International Business and Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI)
Evaluation Position: Subject Matter Expert
Evaluation Award Number: AID-279-C-15-00001
USAID Project(s) Evaluated
(Include project name(s), 
implementer name(s), and 
award number(s), if applicable)
Project Name: Yemen Communities Stronger Together (YCST)
Implementing Organization: Global Communities
Award/agreement Number: 72027918CA00001
I Have real or potential 
conflicts of interest to disclose 
(Yes/No):
No
If yes answered above, I disclose the following facts:
Real or potential conflicts of interest may include but are not limited to:
1. Close family member who is an employee of the USAID operating unit managing the 
project(s) being evaluated or the implementing organization(s) whose project(s) are being 
evaluated.
2. Financial interest that is direct, or is significant though indirect, in the implementing 
organization(s) whose projects are being evaluated or in the outcome of the evaluation.
3. Current or previous direct of significant through indirect experience with the project(s) being 
evaluated, including the involvement in the project design or previous iterations of the project.
4. Current or previous work experience or seeking employment with the USAID operating unit 
managing the evaluation or the implementing organization(s) whose project(s) are being 
evaluated.
5. Current or previous work experience with an organization that may be seen as an industry 
competitor with the implementing organization(s) whose project(s) are being evaluated. 
6. Preconceived ideas toward individuals, groups, organizations, or objectives of the particular 
projects and organizations being evaluated that could bias the evaluation.
I certify (1) that I have completed this disclosure form fully and to the best of my ability and (2) that I will 
update this disclosure form promptly if relevant circumstances change.
Date:
20 February 2020
Signature:
Type text here
MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF YEMEN COMMUNITIES STRONGER TOGETHER A– 17