Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 1 April 11, 2012 TRANSFORMING CONFLICT IN THE NORTHERN BORDER: MONITORING AND EVALUATION REPORT PREPARED FOR: Matthew McBurney Program Development Officer Samaritan’s Purse Ecuador Phone: (593) 2-2509247 Email: mmcburney@samaritan.org PREPARED BY: Juan Carlos Donoso Partner and Project Manager Prime Consulting Cell: (593) 90-569791 Office: (593) 2-3815700 Email: jcdonoso77@gmail.com Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Information…………………………………….3 Methodology…………………...….…..…………………….4 Description of Results………………….……………………6 Appendix: Field Questionnaire………………..…………...22 Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION As a result of Colombia’s internal violence and humanitarian crisis, Ecuador’s northern border has homicide rates that are twice as high as the rest of the country. The compounded problems of poverty, unemployment and exclusion of youth, women and indigenous people, make for an alarming picture of vulnerability. In an effort to teach and implement conflict management and resolution techniques in this area of the country, Samaritan’s Purse has taught thousands of young people practical ways of resolving their disputes in a peaceful manner. This program also intended to be a capacity building initiative. Through the training received in conflict resolution, beneficiaries learned ways to resolve their quarrels in a nonviolent ways. Many of the participants were directly involved in coordinating activities as well as conflict resolution trainings. Samaritan´s Purse coordinated and executed conflict management training sessions in the northern provinces of Esmeraldas and Sucumbios. Local staff with previous training and experience in peaceful conflict resolution techniques facilitated these sessions. In Esmeraldas, the program covered four municipalities (Esmeraldas, Muisne, Quininde and San Lorenzo) and nine parishes (5 de Agosto, Bartolome Ruiz, Camarones, Esmeraldas, Malimpia, Muisne, Rosa Zarate, San Lorenzo and Vuelta Larga). In Sucumbios, Samaritan’s Purse operated in five municipalities (Alto Sucumbios, Cascales, Cuyabeno, Lago Agrio and Shushufindi) and eight parishes (Cascales, Cuyabeno, Dureno, Gral. Farfan, Nueva Loja, Santa Barbara, Shushufindi and Tarapoa). On October of 2011, Prime Consulting was contracted to conduct a process of monitoring and evaluation of the project in the northern border, in order to assess its results, measure its impact among beneficiaries and evaluate its sustainability. During the months of October and November 2011, January and February 2012, the company conducted a survey of beneficiaries in Esmeraldas and Sucumbios. The instrument was applied to 1,175 people, including students, teachers, parents and community leaders in 21 different locations. The report contains a complete description of the methodology used, as well as an analysis of the data collected during the last four months by the field personnel of Prime Consulting, with the collaboration of Samaritan’s Purse Staff. The field survey utilized for this process is also included as an appendix. Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 4 METHODOLOGY In order to design an appropriate instrument that could efficiently and systematically assess the impact of the work conducted in Esmeraldas and Sucumbios, Prime Consulting personnel met with Samaritan’s Purse Program Director and field staff. In that meeting, the personnel from Samaritan’s Purse explained how the program operated and described its area of coverage. Based on this information, as well as other project documentation provided to us, we designed the first draft of the instrument that would be used in the field to attempt to measure the impact that the conflict management program had, from the point of view of the beneficiaries. Once the questionnaire was drafted, we sent it out to the field staff for their revision. Since Samartan’s Purse staff conducted the training sessions in the field and had first hand knowledge of the program and its objectives, their input was essential in the development of the final version of the questionnaire. It is safe to say that without their valuable comments and ideas, the research instrument would have lacked the reliability necessary to make valid inferences about the program’s impact. Due to logistical reasons, it was decided that fieldwork would begin in Esmeraldas. Our goal was to apply the questionnaire to as many beneficiaries as possible in every location where training sessions on conflict management were conducted and were Centers for Conflict Resolution had been established. In order to maximize attendance, Samaritan’s Purse field staffers contacted their network institutions and set up appointments for our field team. On the field, Prime Consulting’s field personnel were accompanied by the Samaritan’s Purse employee who had conducted the training in that location. Once again, their assistance proved invaluable. Since they were familiar with school authorities, teachers and students, they were able to transmit to the beneficiaries that the questionnaire that they were about to fill out in no way generated any obligations for them and that it was not a test. Instead, it was a questionnaire designed to improve the quality of the work that Samaritan’s Purse was conducting in those areas. The questionnaire, which we include as an appendix in this report, tapped into several issues regarding the program, which we describe below: • Attendance to a Training Session in conflict management. • Perception of the quality of the training sessions. • Involvement in conflict resolution initiatives. • Types of activities in which they participated. • Perception of the effectiveness of conflict resolution techniques. • Perceptions of Samaritan’s Purse work in the area. • Whether or not participation in the program has impacted their lives. • Willingness to continue their involvement in the program. Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 5 The questionnaire also contains items that gather socio-demographic information of the beneficiaries. After the fieldwork was completed in Esmeraldas, the same process was repeated in Sucumbios on January of 2012. At the request of Samaritan’s Purse staff in that province, three questions that were not included in the questionnaire for Esmeraldas were incorporated. These questions were added to measure the existence, composition and activities of Peace Centers. Completion of fieldwork required three weeks in Esmeraldas and two weeks in Sucumbios. After the data collection process was finished, the information contained in the questionnaires was entered into a dataset. Prime Consulting’s staff then conducts a standard quality control audit that consists in selecting 50 questionnaires at random and comparing the answers in the questionnaire to those entered in the dataset. This process is designed to assure the quality of the data, since systematic error in the dataset would render any analysis invalid. If our auditors discover more than one inconsistency for every 1,000 entries, the data is considered unreliable and the process has to be repeated. Unfortunately, during that process, we discovered that the rate of errors was higher than the one allowed. This resulted in a delay, since the data had to be entered manually again and submitted to a second audit. This time it passed. The final step was to label the data so it was ready for analysis. The following section describes the results. Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 6 DESCRIPTION OF RESULTS The data contained in this section of the report was collected between October 25th 2011 and February 2nd 2012. After the fieldwork was completed, 1,175 beneficiaries had been surveyed in 21 locations of Esmeraldas and Sucumbios. These locations included schools, Peace Centers and even a public park, where the Latin Kings, an organization usually associated with criminal activities, participated of the evaluation session. Attendance to these sessions varied. For example, 102 beneficiaries attended a meeting in the Barrios del Sur center in Esmeraldas. In contrast, only 14 people could be surveyed at Colegio Rodriguez Palacios in Sucumbios. Demographic Data: Figure 1 shows the distribution of respondents in each province. Of the 1,175 surveys conducted, 774 were in Esmeraldas and 401 in Sucumbios. Although this is consistent with the amount of people trained in each province, attendance in Esmeraldas was higher overall. Figure 1. Percentage of Respondents by Province Esmeraldas 65.9% Sucumbios 34.1% PROVINCE Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 7 Respondents were evenly distributed by sex, with 581 men and 594 women participating in the study. When it comes to identifying the participants of the evaluation process, the data tells us that 93% of the surveyed beneficiaries were students, while the remaining participants were parents, teachers, community leaders and a couple of local authorities. Finally, we also asked respondents about their ethnicity. Figure 2 shows that the majority of them identified themselves either as mestizos or Afro-Ecuadorians. The high percentage of Afro-Ecuadorians is easily explained, since, as we mentioned earlier, about 66% of respondents come from Esmeraldas, where 56% identified themselves as being Afro-Ecuadorians. Conversely, in Sucumbios, 88% of those surveyed identified themselves as mestizos and only 5.7% as Afro-Ecuadorians. Figure 2. Percentage of Respondents by Ethnicity. Finally, we asked the respondents about their nationality and whether or not they are refugees. The data shows that 5% of the people who filled out the questionnaire report they are not Ecuadorians. Of those respondents, approximately 65 in number, most of them identify themselves as refugees. Afro-Ecuadorian 40.0% Mulato 5.7% Mestizo 47.4% Indigena 6.3% Otro 0.6% Ethnicity Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 8 Conflict Management Training: Of the 1,175 beneficiaries that attended the evaluation sessions organized by Prime Consulting and Samaritan’s Purse, the amount of people that reported receiving conflict management training constituted 88% of respondents. Figure 3 shows the percentage of respondents in Esmeraldas and Sucumbios who reported receiving training in conflict management. Figure 3. Percentage of Respondents who Attended Conflict Management Sessions by Province We also asked respondents to identify whether they attended a training session conducted by Samaritan’s Purse staff, or if they received training through a session conducted by a beneficiary who had been previously trained by Samaritan’s Purse. These types of training sessions are called replicas, and they were designed to reach people who were not able to attend training sessions, thus expanding the reach of the project and also to make the students more involved in the process. The data shows that 80% of respondents were trained in sessions conducted by Samaritan’s Purse staff. However, when we disaggregate the responses by individual province, we find that the amount of people 11.6% 88.4% 12.7% 87.3% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Esmeraldas Sucumbios No Si CAP1 Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 9 trained in replica sessions was larger in Esmeraldas, as shown in Figure 4. A possible explanation for this may be the fact that the sites in Sucumbios were more geographically dispersed, thus making it harder for students to conduct replica sessions in other areas. We also asked respondents whether they had participated in replica sessions as facilitators. In Esmeraldas, 63% of beneficiaries claimed to have given conflict management training via a replica session, compared to only 35% of beneficiaries in Sucumbios. These responses are consistent with the differences presented in Figure 4 regarding the source of the training received. Figure 4. How was Your Conflict Management training Session Conducted? Perceptions Regarding Training: One of the main objectives of the evaluation process was to assess the respondents’ satisfaction with the training they received and how much information they retained from these sessions. To this effect, we asked them to rate the training they received either by Samaritan’s Purse staff or in replica sessions. Figure 5 details their perceptions regarding the training sessions conducted by the staff of Samaritan’s Purse. The data shows that 95% 77.7% 22.3% 86.2% 13.8% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Esmeraldas Sucumbios SP Coordinated Session Replica Session CAP2 Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 10 of the respondents rated these sessions as “good” or “very good”. This pattern is similar in both Esmeraldas and Sucumbios, although the responses do vary according to category. In Esmeraldas, 69% rated the sessions as “very good” and 26% rated them as “good”. In Sucumbios, on the other hand, 59% rated the training sessions conducted by Samaritan’s Purse as “very good” and 35% qualified them as “good”. Figure 5. Perceptions Regarding Training Sessions Conducted by Samaritan’s Purse Staff Figure 6 shows the respondents’ perception of training in conflict management received via replica sessions. As the graph shows, almost 90% rated these sessions as “good” or “very good”. This time, the response pattern illustrated by Figure 5 is almost identical in both provinces. At first glance, respondents’ perceptions regarding the training they received in conflict management reveal a positive impact of the project on its beneficiaries. Very Bad 1.2% Bad 0.1% Regular 3.2% Good 29.7% Very Good 65.8% How would you rate the training session on conflict management conducted by Samaritan´s Purse? Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 11 Figure 6. Perceptions Regarding Replica Sessions in Conflict Management We also wanted respondents to tell us how well they think they remembered the material covered in the training they received either via a replica session or with a person from Samaritan’s Purse staff. Figure 7 shows that there is a significant difference in the answers given by Esmeraldas and Sucumbios beneficiaries. The data tells us that almost 44% of respondents in Esmeraldas claim to remember the information received in the training “very well”. On the other hand, only 17% of beneficiaries in Sucumbios made that same claim. 42% of people in Esmeraldas reported that they remember the information “well”, compared to 54% of respondents in Sucumbios. Finally, 30% of the people who filled out the evaluation questionnaire in Sucumbios claimed that they remember the information but “not very well”, while that same answer was given by 15% of respondents in Esmeraldas. In general, we find that although perceptions and experiences regarding conflict management are overall positive, there is a noticeable difference in the two provinces once the data is disaggregated. These differences could be attributed to the extent of coverage of the project in each province, but there might also have been a difference in the quality of the work conducted by Samaritan’s Purse personnel in Esmeraldas and Sucumbios. We will expand on that assessment in our concluding section. Very Bad 1.6% Bad 1.6% Regular 8.9% Good 52.1% Very Good 35.7% How would you rate the training on conflict management you received via replica sessions? Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 12 Figure 7. How Well do you Remember the Information Received in your Training? While the graphs shown above report an overall positive perception of the training sessions conducted by Samaritan’s Purse, it is also important to assess what the beneficiaries can remember. This is vital to evaluate the sustainability of the project, since all the information that they will pass along to others via replica sessions or in conflict resolution sessions comes from what they learned during their training sessions. To that effect we asked respondents to name three aspects about the training they received. This was an open question, designed precisely to find out what beneficiaries remembered from the training they received. Of the 1,175 respondents who filled out the evaluation questionnaire, 74% were able to identify or recall at least one aspect of the training session as important. 70% of respondents specified two important aspects from the sessions, and only 30% were able to name three. Since the questions were open, we grouped similar items together into 21 categories and identified the most common responses. The answers that were repeated the most were: • The importance of peace. • The need for a reduction in violent conflicts. • The need for dialogue. 14.6% 41.7% 43.7% 29.6% 53.6% 16.8% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Esmeraldas Sucumbios Not Very Well Well Very Well CAP7 Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 13 • The facilitator. These results show that even though the perceptions of the beneficiaries regarding the training sessions they participated in were positive, they were not able to name important aspects of those sessions. Activities in Conflict Management and Prevention: After receiving the training in conflict management, those beneficiaries who wanted to get more involved in the project could also participate in other activities, such as early conflict alert activities, peace initiatives and conflict resolution. Early conflict alerts refer to warnings that can be identified by beneficiaries as potential signs of an oncoming violent conflict. Once aware of the warning signs, the beneficiaries can then take action to prevent or mange the conflict in a non-violent way, with the skills learned during their training sessions. Figure 8 shows that only 33% of the respondents claimed that they had participated in an early conflict alert activity, most of them were in Esmeraldas. This should not come as a surprise since a staff member from Sucumbios told the evaluation team that early conflict alerts was not part of the training curriculum in that province. Figure 8. Participation in Early Conflict Alerts Yes 33.4% No 66.6% Have you participated in an early conflict alert activity? Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 14 We also asked respondents to identify three early conflict activities they had participated in. Again, the rate of response was very low. Approximately 390 respondents claimed that they had participated on these activities. Most of them were able to name at least one activity they had participated in and approximately 300 listed two activities. However, none of these respondents were able to recall three of them. The question was asked in an open format, which meant that we grouped similar answers into categories. In total, respondents identified 18 different types of early conflict alert activities. However, none of them were repeated by more than 80 respondents. The activity that respondents mentioned the most was “how to avoid conflict”. Other common answers were “dialogue” and “avoiding fights”. Another type of activity that students participated in was that of organizing peace initiatives. These initiatives ranged from theater plays to dances and soccer tournaments. Figure 9 shows that 72% of beneficiaries reported participating in at least one of these activities. However, there is a slight variation once the data is disaggregated by province, with 76% of respondents in Esmeraldas claiming they had participated and 64% in Sucumbios. Figure 9. Participation in Peace Initiatives by Province 24.2% 75.8% 36.1% 63.9% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Esmeraldas Sucumbios No Yes PAZ1 Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 15 We also asked those who took the survey to identify at least one peace initiative they had participated in. This time, we kept the closed question format, offering students a list of six different activities suggested to us by Samaritan’s Purse personnel, since they had first hand knowledge of the types of activities conducted by beneficiaries. Figure 10 displays the results. Figure 10. Participation in Peace Initiatives As the graph shows, students organized all sorts of activities to promote peaceful conflict resolution in their communities. Soccer tournaments, games and theatre plays were among the most common ones. These activities are designed to generate involvement within the students and to set an example to the community of the commitment of the beneficiaries to peaceful conflict resolution in areas plagued by violence and other innumerable social problems. In this case, the closed question format also yielded better results, since more students were able to pick from a list of activities we gave them instead of naming one themselves. Given the age and educational background of the majority of the respondents, we believe that this was the more effective way of obtaining meaningful information regarding the project’s impact in the targeted communities. Musicals 12.6% Theatre 21.1% Dance 4.4% Games 21.0% Sports 25.6% Peace Marches 13.4% Other 1.9% Types of Peace Initiatives Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 16 Finally, respondents were asked if they had been involved in the resolution of a conflict after receiving the training. Again, the results show as important variation between Esmeraldas and Sucumbios. Figure 11 shows that 60% of all respondents in Esmeraldas had participated in the resolution of a conflict after being trained. In Sucumbios, on the other hand, only 44% of beneficiaries stated they had done the same. Figure 11. Have You Had to Solve a Conflict After Attending a Training Session? We also inquired whether the resolution of that conflict had been peaceful or violent. In that case, the responses were almost identical for both provinces. In total, 88% of respondents said that the conflict they faced had been resolved in a peaceful manner. Only 12% claimed that the conflict had escalated into a violent situation. When we asked those who had reported that the conflict had been resolved peacefully about the conflict resolution strategy they had used, dialogue was the most common answer, volunteered by over 52% of respondents. Another popular answer was mediation, although it was given by less than 12% of those who answered this particular item. Regarding mediations, 47% of all respondents reported participating in mediation at their schools or conflict resolution centers, although there is a significant variation between 39.5% 60.5% 55.6% 44.4% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Esmeraldas Sucumbios No Yes CON1 Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 17 provinces once again, since only 26% of beneficiaries in Sucumbios stated that they had mediated a conflict, while 56% of respondents in Esmeraldas reported doing the same. In that regard, we included three additional items (PAZ3, PAZ4 and PAZ5) to the questionnaire used in Sucumbios, since it was suggested to us by Samaritan’s Purse personnel to ask about peace centers and their activities, which largely include mediation as an alternative way of conflict resolution. 84% of respondents reported that they knew about a peace center operating in their school. When asked about the conformation of these centers, respondents stated that they are mainly formed by teachers and students, although some community leaders also participate. We also asked about the centers’ primary activities and the most common answer was that they solve conflicts. Impact and Sustainability: The final section of the questionnaire was designed to asses the impact that the project was having in the lives of the beneficiaries and their immediate surroundings, as well as their willingness to continue using conflict resolution techniques after the collaboration between schools and Samaritan’s Purse ended. To complement the information yielded by the field questionnaire, Prime Consulting personnel also contacted several teachers and school officials in Esmeraldas and Sucumbios to ask them about their perceptions regarding the impact of the project and their experience of working with Samaritan’s Purse in general. All of the people we talked to asked to maintain a condition of anonymity, fearing that any negative comment would have a repercussion in future opportunities for assistance. Abiding by research ethics and human protection subject rules that apply to a research project of this nature, we agreed to keep their names or any other identifiable traits out of the final report. We included an item on the questionnaire asking beneficiaries about the frequency of violent conflicts in their schools since receiving conflict management training either by Samaritan’s Purse personnel or via replica sessions. As Figure 12 shows, 16% of respondents perceived an increase in violent conflicts after attending their conflict management sessions. Besides the obvious implication of an increase in violent conflict, this perception could also mean that the students who received the training became more aware of violent conflicts in their surroundings, thus perceiving an increase of these types of incidents. 25% of respondents did not perceive a change in the frequency of violent conflicts in their schools and 59% stated that violent conflict had decreased. This perception was shared by most of the teachers and school officials we contacted by phone. One teacher in Esmeraldas told us that before the training sessions in conflict management and related activities begun, she had to break up fights on most days. According to her, the project had succeeded in changing the students’ mindset regarding violent conflict. Before the training, she claims, violent students or students who fought a lot were held in high regard by their classmates. After their exposure to conflict management techniques and after getting involved in these types of activities, now the students who others looked up to Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 18 were the ones who intervened and succeeded in stopping a violent confrontation. Other teachers shared her opinion, and most of them were very pleased that their students were being proactive in starting games, sports tournaments or even marches to raise awareness about the negative impact of violence. In general, teachers believe that it makes students feel important and motivates them to learn more. Other teachers were not so optimistic. Even though most of them recognized the value of teaching kids to avoid violent conflict, some teachers think that the lessons learned in the training sessions are hardly enough, since they have no impact in their home life or the violence they are exposed to in their neighborhoods. Figure 12. Impact of Conflict Management Training on Violent Conflict in Schools The second item we included to measure impact was asked directly about the influence of the training on the beneficiary’s personal life. Of those who responded to this item, 50% claimed that the project had impacted their personal lives “a lot”. Although the teachers we talked to think that is an overstatement by the students, they feel that the reason for that answer has to do with a feeling of gratefulness towards Samaritan’s Purse staff. Our field team noted that they knew most of the students by first name and that they were very Increased 15.9% No Change Decreased 25.0% 59.1% Frequency of Violent Conflicts after Training Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 19 well regarded by teachers and school officials alike. The work of the Samaritans, as they are known where they go, has to be recognized regardless of the macro level impact of the project. We also included an item that attempted to assess the self-sustainability of the project. It asked respondents whether they would like to continue participating in the conflict transformation project; Figure 13 details the results. The data shows that a vast majority of respondents in Esmeraldas and Sucumbios would like to continue their involvement with the project. Once again there is a difference between the provinces, but in this case the tendency is pretty clear nevertheless. Figure 13. Would you like to Continue to Participate in the Conflict Transformation Project? Overall, teachers and school officials had a very pragmatic vision of their involvement with these types of projects. In their opinion, while children do benefit from the training sessions they receive, teachers and school officials believe that the real benefits both students and their schools get comes in the form of material gifts, food and money. 17.2% 82.8% 24.2% 75.8% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Esmeraldas Sucumbios No Yes SAT2.1 Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 20 One school principal told us that the main reason his school got involved was because being associated with Samaritan’s Purse or USAID meant that in the long run they could get some equipment for the school, maybe computers, projectors or improvements in their infrastructure. Another teacher expressed her disappointment for what she felt was a lack of retribution for her efforts, not necessarily in the form of money, but maybe a gift for her or her school. Most of the people we spoke to, however, were very grateful and acknowledged the positive impact that the training in conflict management had in their schools, especially regarding disciplinary problems and student motivation. Conclusions: After conducting the fieldwork, talking to beneficiaries and school officials, and working side by side with Samaritan’s Purse staff, we come away with two main impressions. The first one refers to the quality of the work conducted by Samaritan’s Purse personnel, both in Quito and in the field. Even though communication was sometimes a problem between field personnel and Quito staff, due to the language barrier, the staff in Esmeraldas and Sucumbios felt that all their needs were being met and that the main office in Quito was providing them with everything they needed to conduct their work appropriately. The overall perception from beneficiaries, teachers and school officials was that they were always professional, committed to their work and that they genuinely care for the students. All three staff members in Esmeraldas helped our field team immensely by setting up the appointments and accompanying them to the schools. Sucumbios was a slightly different story. While one of the two staff members was outstanding, displaying a vast knowledge on the subject of conflict resolution and cultivating fruitful relationships within the community, the other person was difficult to work with, missed appointments and was reticent to talk to us. Our field team was denied entrance to one of the schools because they claimed they had not seen him in months and he had never conducted a training session there. We believe that the difference in results between Esmeraldas and Sucumbios displayed throughout the document might be partially explained by the perceptions and experiences of those beneficiaries who attended schools under his responsibility. The differences in the numbers between the two provinces, however, are also explained by several other factors. For example, direct training by Samaritan´s Purse in Esmeraldas was finished in November 2010, while Sucumbíos finished in May, 2011. This means that Esmeraldas had more time to complete further training and implement peace initiatives/reconciliation/mediation/early conflict alerts, etc. Also, the staff member mentioned above had to replace another member of the team who had resigned in September 2011, which also explains why some of those centers might not have received sufficient technical assistance, thus falling behind other centers in their initiatives and training. Our second impression is regarding the impact and sustainability of the project. After looking at the data and talking to teachers and school officials, we think that the Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 21 project achieved more than what has been reported in these pages. Overall, the macro-level impact of the project on violence in the region is probably minimal. The training sessions reached less than 2,000 people, and although 11,000 were reached via replica sessions, we have seen that these sessions were not as effective in transmitting information to beneficiaries. It is unlikely that crime statistics in Esmeraldas and Sucumbios went down after the training sessions begun. It was also discouraging to see that even though most respondents had favorable perceptions and experiences regarding the project, very few of them were able to recall any information on these sessions or explain how they have used it to reduce violent conflict in their immediate surroundings. However, most teachers told us that violent conflict was effectively reduced at their schools, and they believe that the most important thing the project achieved was changing the mindset of students regarding violence and helping them become a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem. The most compelling example was given by the Latin Kings. Even though they are generally perceived as a criminal organization, over 50 members came to a public park and filled out the questionnaires, without receiving anything in exchange. We believe that, in the long term and with the involvement of these types of social actors, projects like this could have a quantifiable impact on crime reduction in two of the more violent and problematic areas of Ecuador. Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 22 APPENDIX: Field Questionnaire Encuesta de Monitoreo & Evaluación “Transformando en conflicto en la Frontera Norte” PRIME Consulting CIA. LTDA. Por favor encierre en un círculo la opción que más se ajusta a sus características socio￾demográficas: SD1. ¿Cuál es su género? 0. Masculino 1. Femenino SD2. ¿Cuál de las siguientes opciones define de mejor forma su situación actual? 1. Estudiante 2. Padre de familia 3. Profesor 4. Lider comunitario 5. Organización social 6. Autoridad local 7. Otro (Por favor especifique___________________________________) SD3. ¿A qué grupo considera Usted que pertenece? 1. Afroecuatoriano 2. Mulato 3. Mestizo 4. Indígena 5. Otro (Por favor especifique___________________________________) SD4. ¿Pertenece Usted a un grupo de desplazados o refugiados? 1. Sí 0. No SD5. ¿Tiene Usted nacionalidad ecuatoriana? 1. Sí 0. No Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 23 SD6. ¿Cuál es su edad en años cumplidos? ___________ años Ahora le pido que por favor conteste las siguientes preguntas sobre los talleres de capacitación: CAP1. ¿Ha recibido capacitación en transformación de conflictos? 1. Sí (siga) 0. No (pase a la pregunta TAC1) CAP2. ¿Ha sido Usted capacitado en transformación de conflictos a través del taller o a través de réplicas? 1. En A través del taller (pase a la pregunta CAP2A) 2. En A través de réplicas (pase a la pregunta CAP2B) CAP 2A. ¿Cómo califiría Usted la capacitación por parte del personal técnico de Samaritan´s Purse en transformación de conflictos? 1. Muy Mala 2. Mala 3. Ni buena ni mala 4. Buena 5. Muy buena CAP 2B. ¿Cómo calificaría Usted la capacitación a través de réplicas en transformación de conflictos? 1. Muy mala 2. Mala 3. Ni buena ni mala 4. Buena 5. Muy Buena Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 24 CAP3. ¿Cuáles han sido los tres (3) temas que considera Usted que han sido los más importantes en su capacitación en transformación de conflictos? 1. _____________________________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________________________ CAP4. ¿Ha replicado Usted a otras personas en transformación de conflictos? 1. Sí (Siga) 0. No (Pase a la pregunta CAP7) CAP5. ¿En cuántas réplicas ha participado? _________________________ réplicas CAP6. Nombre los sitios en los que Usted ha replicado: _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ CAP7. ¿Qué tan bien recuerda Usted los contenidos de su capacitación en transformación de conflictos? 1. Muy mal 2. Mal 3. Ni bien ni mal 4. Bien 5. Muy bien TAC1. ¿Ha realizado llevado a cabo alguna actividad de alerta temprana de conflictos? 1. Sí (siga) 0. No (Pase a la pregunta PAZ1) Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 25 TAC2. ¿Qué actividades de alerta temprana ha llevado a cabo? Por favor nombrelas: _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Ahora le pido que por favor conteste las siguientes preguntas sobre iniciativas de paz: PAZ1. ¿Ha participado Usted en alguna “iniciativa de paz? 1. Sí (Siga) 0. No (Pase a la pregunta CON1) PAZ2. Por favor indique la iniciativa de paz en la que ha participado 1. La música 2. El teatro 3. La danza 4. Los juegos 5. Los deportes 6. Las marchas pacíficas 7. Otro (Por favor especifique _________________________________________) PAZ3. Existe en su centro educativo un Comité de Paz? 1. Si (Siga) 2. No (Pas a CON1) PAZ4. Por quienes está representado ese Comité de Paz? 1. Maestros 2. Estudiantes 3. Organizaciones sociales 4. Otros Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 26 PAZ5. Podría describir brevemente las actividades que realiza el Comité de Paz? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ CON1. ¿Ha tenido que resolver algún conflicto luego de la capacitación? 1. Sí 0. No (Pase a la pregunta CON4) CON2. ¿El conflicto que Usted enfrentó fue resuelto de manera pacífica o violenta? 1. Pacífico 2. Violento CON3. ¿Podría por favor describir brevemente la técnica que Usted utilizó para resolver el conflicto? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ CON4. ¿Cree Usted que los métodos pacíficos son un medio eficaz para resolver conflictos en su comunidad? 1. Sí (Pase a la pregunta CON5) 0. No CON 4A. Si contestó que no en la pregunta anterior, ¿por qué? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 27 CON5. La cantidad de conflictos en este centro ¿han aumentado, permanecen igual, o han disminuido o permanecen igual después de las capacitaciones? 1. Han aumentado 2. Permanecen igual 3. Han disminuido REC1. ¿Ha participado Usted en algún caso de reconciliación o mediación? 1. Sí (Siga) 0. No (Pase a la pregunta SAT1) CAP14. ¿Qué actividades reconciliación o mediación ha llevado a cabo? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Ahora le voy a hacer algunas preguntas sobre su situación personal: SAT1. En general, ¿qué tanto ha influido el proyecto de transformación de conflictos en su vida personal? 1. Nada 2. Algo 3. Poco 4. Mucho SAT2. ¿Continuaría Ud. participando en el proyecto de transformación de conflictos? 1. Si 0. No Por favor explique sus razones: Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 28 Para finalizar, quisiera que por favor me ayude a evaluar a la USG: SAM1. ¿Ha asistido a una reunión convocada por la Samaritan´s Purse (los samaritanos) en los últimos 12 meses? 1. Sí 0. No SAM2. En general, cómo calificaría usted a la labor que realiza Samaritan´s Purse (los samaritanos) en su comunidad? 1. Muy mala 2. Mala 3. Ni buena ni mala 4. Buena 5. Muy buena MUCHAS GRACIAS Av.  de  Los  Shyris  N32-­‐218  y  Av.  Eloy  Alfaro Edf.:  Parque  Central      Of.:  1203 Quito-­‐Ecuador (02)  382-­‐3848/099377172 www.primeconsulting.com.ec 29 INFORMACION A SER LLENADA POR PRIME CONSULTING POR FAVOR NO CONTESTAR NUMERO DE CUESTIONARIO (ASIGNADO EN LA OFICINA) _____________________ PROVINCIA________________ CANTON__________________ PARROQUIA__________________ NOMBRE DEL CENTRO DE RECONCILIACION___________________________ NOMBRE DEL SUPERVISOR________________________ FECHA DE LA EVALUACION_________________________