SANAD Evaluation – Morocco Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 This research is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.) The contents of this paper are the sole responsibility of FHI 360 and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Evaluation of USAID/Morocco Civil Society Advocacy Project (SANAD) FINAL REPORT – September 2, 2012 REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP ON CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 1 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 CONTENTS ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 4 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 6 2. USAID STRATEGY AND SANAD’S COMPONENTS ................................................................................. 7 3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................. 9 4. LIMITATIONS ................................................................................................................................................. 11 5. EVALUATION QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 11 6. MAIN FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................................. 12 Question 1: How effectively did the project’s training activities targeting advocacy contribute to achieving the assistance objective? .....................................................................................................................................................12 Question 2: What activities should be modified, expanded or eliminated to improve project effectiveness?............20 Question 3: To what degree (or in what specific ways) have the internal capacity and the advocacy capacity of targeted CSOs improved over the project period to date?....................................................................................................... 20 Question 4: How sustainable (both financially and programmatically) are the activities supported by the sub-grant mechanism of the project?............................................................................................................................................24 Question 5: How relevant is the original project design in the current situation of the Mission priority, women and youth? ...........................................................................................................................................................................27 Question 6: How well do the project’s interventions respond to changing priorities and needs, especially in light of new political dynamics and the reform movement?..................................................................................................... 30 Question 7: In what ways has/could the project strengthen the ability of the Mission to work directly with Moroccan CSOs, especially youth-serving organizations, in line with IPR Objective Two? ......................................................... 31 Question 8: Gender Considerations: Has the project developed sustainable measures to ensure women’s participation in civic action?...............................................................................................................................................................31 7. RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................................................. 32 SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 2 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 ACRONYMS ADFM Democratic Association of Moroccan Women AJJ Youth for Youth Association ALCI Alternative Citizen Movement AMDH Moroccan Association for Human Rights AMEJ Moroccan Association for Youth Education AMOSE Moroccan Association for Educational Guidance and Support AMSED Moroccan Association for Solidarity and Development AO Assistance Objectives APF Focal Point Association, also known as FPO (Focal Point Organization) BAFO Best and Final Offer CAS Country Assistance Strategy CCYR Civil Coalition of Youth for Reform CDCS Country Development Cooperation Strategy CICID Crossroads Initiative on Communication, Information, and Documentation CLDH Local Committees for Human Development CNDH National Human Rights Council CNEF National Education and Training Charter CCJAA Consultative Council on Youth and Associative Action CPDH Provincial Committees for Human Development CSO Civil Society Organization DAS Directorate of Social Affairs DGCL General Directorate of Local Authorities FFPO Fes Focal Point Organizations FLDDF Federation of the Democratic League for Women’s Rights FMAS Alternatives Forum in Morocco ICT Information and Communication Technology INDH National Initiative for Human Development IPDF Initiative for the Protection of Women’s Rights IPR Implementation and Procurement Reform IR Intermediate Result ITQANE Improving Training for Quality Advancement in National Education LDDF Democratic League for Women’s Rights LGP Local Governance Program MEARN Moroccan Education and Resource Network MPTO Mother, Parent, and Tutor Organization MSD Ministry of Social Development MSI Management Systems International MTDS Morocco Trade and Development Services NED National Endowment for Democracy SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 3 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 PCD Municipal Development Plans PCM French-Moroccan Coordinated Program PPOCR Provincial Program of Organizational Capacity Reinforcement REMAJEC The Moroccan Network for Youth and Citizenship REMESS Moroccan Social Solidarity Economy Network RPCD Regional Partnership on Culture and Development RTI Research Triangle International SANAD Strengthening Advocacy and Networking to Advance Democracy SCREAM Supporting Children's Rights through Education, the Arts, and the Media SDA Social Development Agency UAF Union of Women’s Action SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 4 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents an evaluation of USAID’s Morocco Civil Society Advocacy Project ‘Strengthening Advocacy and Networking to Advance Democracy’ (SANAD). Background SANAD’s objective is to develop Moroccan Civil Society Organizations’ (CSO) capacity to promote democratic reform and advocate on behalf of citizens, particularly the young and the poor, at the national and local levels. This three-year project started on May 25, 2009 and has been extended to November 2012. This evaluation, conducted by the Regional Partnership on Culture and Development (RPCD) from May to July 2012, is based on a review of relevant documents and extensive field work consisting of interviews and focus groups with 73 beneficiary CSOs, ten public institutions, and numerous key stakeholders. Purpose The evaluation serves two main purposes: 1. To provide USAID with a summary of how the Project is meeting its objectives. 2. To inform the design of the new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and new civil society activities. Methodology The evaluation team analyzed SANAD’s interventions in Fes, Sale, Al Jadida, and Rabat, using both primary and secondary evidence produced through quantitative and qualitative research, to determine whether the project met its targets and objectives. Qualitative research involved interviews and focus groups with 21 per cent of the beneficiary CSOs and other stakeholders. The quantitative research consisted of a survey in which questionnaires were administered to the entire sample. Findings Overall, the evaluation team found that many of the Project’s qualitative and quantitative objectives were achieved and that there is evidence of positive outcomes for CSOs. One key deliverable met by the Project was the provision of services to 450 CSOs. However, not all the Project’s objectives were achieved, and there are lessons to be learnt for future program design. Such lessons include points related to the trade-off between breadth and depth of impact and the importance of tailoring interventions to meet the needs of individual beneficiaries. The following is a summary of findings in the key thematic areas set out in the questions that guided the evaluation: 1. How effectively did the project’s training activities targeting advocacy contribute to achieving the assistance objective? SANAD successfully conducted 16 advocacy training workshops, reaching 124 organizations. These workshops and associated activities were enhanced by the “cascading model” of CSO capacity building, which equipped larger CSOs to support smaller CSOs. As a direct result of advocacy training, 25 organizations integrated advocacy into their strategies. Some beneficiaries felt the training modules could have been better designed to suit their specific needs. Webinars received thousands of viewings, but some participants said the “invisibility” of the other participants was a challenge. Eight of the 13 SANAD-supported Advocacy and Youth CSOs (Grantees) interviewed were satisfied with their participation in the project and recognized the positive impact of SANAD on their strategy and evolution. 2. What activities should be modified, expanded or eliminated to improve project effectiveness? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 5 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 See “Recommendations”, below. 3. To what degree (or in what specific ways) have the internal capacity and the advocacy capacity of targeted CSOs improved over the project period to date? The number of SANAD’s beneficiaries (450) is impressive and reflects the project design’s emphasis on reaching a large number of organizations, though the evaluation found that this emphasis on quantity may have led to a reduced impact on each organization. However, the capacity of targeted CSOs was increased in several tangible ways: CSOs in Fes uniformly reported that training improved their capacity to form CSO coalitions; Mother, Parent and Tutor Organizations (MPTOs) created new filing and management systems as a result of training; two MPTOs said they were empowered to intervene in social crises due to the training; and 25 organizations included new advocacy elements in their strategy. 4. How sustainable (both financially and programmatically) are the activities supported by the sub-grant mechanism of the project? From a programmatic point of view, the activities of the organizations financed by SANAD had durable effects. The sustainability of funding is varied. Regional branches of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) could provide an opportunity for future funding to continue advocacy activities. Five MPTOs have secured National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) funding for another 12 months. In addition, new INDH funding for education CSOs (Grantees) and Focal Point Organizations (FPOs) can strengthen the organizational capacities of MPTOs. Two Education Grantees will benefit from INDH grants in 2013 as a result of SANAD’s activities. 5. How relevant is the original project design in the current context of the Mission priority, women and youth? The original project design strongly supports the Mission’s primary focus on youth, less so that on women. SANAD successfully coordinated activities among networks of youth organizations and set up a national youth platform. One gap is engaging youth in discussions on training and employment opportunities. Gender-related issues are not mentioned in the project components or performance indicators. Instead, gender was a cross-cutting issue, i.e. it was included across the board in terms of ensuring non-discrimination in project implementation. 6. How well do the project’s interventions respond to changing priorities and needs, especially in light of new political dynamics and the reform movement? SANAD demonstrated an ability to adapt to the changing political context associated with the new constitution and factors such as the creation of a Consultative Council of Youth and Associative Action (CCJAA). However, SANAD was comparatively less responsive to other evolving civil society issues such as CSOs’ changing relationship with the government and with national reform commissions. 7. In what ways has/could the project strengthen the ability of the Mission to work directly with Moroccan CSOs, especially youth-serving organizations, in line with Implementation and Procurement Reform (IPR) Objective Two? The project has contributed significantly to the operational capacity of local CSOs. Some of the 18 Grantees CSOs1 and the 13 Fes Provincial Program of Organizational Capacity Reinforcement (PPOCR)2 FPOs meet the criteria for partnership with USAID. Smaller CSOs and MPTOs do not meet the criteria to work directly with USAID, due to their lack of resources and weak internal financial and administrative capabilities. 1 The Grantees CSOs, are CSOs direct beneficiaries of SANAD. These Grantees CSOs received  grant, training program and technical assistancethrough SANAD activities. 2 The PPOCR was established after negotiations between SANAD and multiple public funding agencies already engaged in strengthening CSO capacities at the local and national level. It is part of the national Takwiya program led by the Ministry of Social Development, the Social Development Agency, and the Governor of Fes. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 6 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 8. Has the project developed sustainable measures to increase women’s level of civic engagement? There is no emphasis on women as a target group in any project documents or descriptions of targeted groups. Only one of the seven supported advocacy campaigns specifically addressed gender-related issues. Recommendations 1. CSOs should be included in training design to ensure it addresses their specific needs. 2. Capacity building activities should consist of integrated packages of training, funding and technical assistance. 3. A second grant should be made to support the advocacy strategies and campaigns initiated by the first SANAD grant and thus ensure the sustainability of advocacy activities. 4. ICT assistance should be more systematic and more responsive to CSO needs. 5. Further support should be given to CSO coalitions, which have the potential to play a bigger role as ‘watchdogs’ of government activity, including the Local Committees for Human Development (CLDH) plans. 6. Common action to benefit children and families should be fostered to bridge the gap between CSOs and Mother, Parent and Tutor Organizations (MPTOs). 7. The USAID/Morocco strategy supporting the advocacy projects of youth CSOs and coalitions should focus on specific public issues, rather than on issues that concern only the youth. Conclusion SANAD reached an impressive number of civil society organizations, many of which improved their management systems and adopted advocacy as a programming priority. Several also reported the ability to find new funding to sustain their activities. SANAD’s method of mixing live training and webinars was effective, as was the “cascade” technique of training a cadre of high-capacity organizations to pass skills and knowledge onto their lower-capacity counterparts. Challenges included: the failure of the program to tailor training to the specific needs of beneficiaries; Moroccan CSOs’ lack of enthusiasm for advocacy activities, as evidenced both by a baseline survey and the low number of grant applications; issues of ownership of project activities and the lack of independence of SANAD’s partner organizations working in the area of education; and the program’s emphasis on reaching a large number of organizations, as opposed to working intensively with a smaller number of beneficiaries. In sum, SANAD has largely met its quantitative targets but requires more time to achieve its qualitative objectives. At a minimum, USAID/Morocco should consider both continuing grant support to CSOs that may be qualified to work directly with the Mission in the near future and supporting CSO coalition-building, an activity that shows promise. 1. INTRODUCTION This report presents an evaluation of USAID’s Morocco Civil Society Advocacy Project, ‘Strengthening Advocacy and Networking to Advance Democracy’ (SANAD). This three-year project, implemented by Management Systems International (MSI), has a total budget of $7.5 million. The project started on May 25, 2009 and has been extended to November 2012. It is active in four locations in Morocco – Fes, Sale, Rabat, and Al Jadida. The project has clearly-defined numerical targets and qualitative objectives across five key areas: SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 7 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012  Strengthening civil society institutional capacity and advocacy.  Encouraging synergies between the national and local levels of civil society.  Developing the capacity of local organizations to play a strategic role in the National Human Development Initiative (INDH) process.  Increasing the capacity of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to advocate on behalf of marginalized and disaffected youth and to collaborate with local and national government in innovative youth programs.  Enhancing the capacity of local-level organizations to use civil society mobilization and advocacy to improve education quality at the community level. From May to July 2012, the Regional Partnership on Culture and Development (RPCD) evaluated the project against these objectives by reviewing relevant documents and conducting interviews with beneficiary CSOs and key stakeholders. The research findings are grouped into key themes based on the eight questions asked by the evaluation team. They are: 1. How effectively did the project’s training activities targeting advocacy contribute to achieving the assistance objective? 2. What activities should be modified, expanded or eliminated to improve project effectiveness? 3. To what degree (or in what specific ways) have the internal capacity and the advocacy capacity of targeted CSOs improved over the project period to date? 4. How sustainable (both financially and programmatically) are the activities supported by the sub-grant mechanism of the project? 5. How relevant is the original project design in the current context of the Mission priority, women and youth? 6. How well do the project’s interventions respond to changing priorities and needs, especially in light of new political dynamics and the reform movement? 7. In what ways has/could the project strengthen the ability of the Mission to work directly with Moroccan CSOs, especially youth-serving organizations, in line with Implementation and Procurement Reform (IPR) Objective Two? 8. Has the project developed sustainable measures to ensure women’s participation in civic action? Upon conducting the research, the evaluation team identified Question 2 to be of a distinct nature with specific relevance to future USAID programming in Morocco. Therefore this question and associated findings are covered in Section 7 – Recommendations. Also, Question 5 relates to the relevance of project design for women and is covered in the response to Question 8. By way of context, the report also includes information on the cultural and political background of Morocco.3 2. USAID STRATEGY AND SANAD’S COMPONENTS The 2009-2013 USAID/Morocco Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) aims to support the development of ‘a well-governed, democratic and prosperous Morocco meeting the needs of its people, especially youth.’ 3 Annex 1: Background SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 8 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Three Assistance Objectives (AOs) contribute to the attainment of the CAS:  AO1: Increased Participation of Citizens, Especially Youth, in Governance;  AO2: More Relevant Education and Opportunities for Youth;  AO3: Reduced Barriers to Trade and Investment. AO1 is based on three Intermediate Results (IRs):  IR 1: More Effective Representation of Citizen Concerns;  IR 2: More Effective and Accountable Local Government;  IR 3: Targeted Legal Reform (provisional). IR 1, More Effective Representation of Citizen Concerns, will be achieved through the Improved Capacity of Political Parties to Represent Citizen Concerns (IR 1.1) and through the Improved Capacity of Civil Society to Advocate Policy Priorities (IR 1.2). The SANAD Project directly contributes to IR 1.2 of the USAID/Morocco CAS, since it intends to improve and expand Moroccan CSOs’ participation in domestic political processes. It aims to develop Moroccan CSOs’ capacity to promote democratic reform and advocate on behalf of citizens, particularly the young and the poor, at the national and local levels. SANAD is the first USAID project in Morocco that explicitly targets civil society as a key vehicle for promoting political reform through advocacy and participation in governance. Past USAID programs in Morocco focused on specific sectors, mainly education and social and economic inclusion, in which CSOs played a significant role. SANAD is viewed as the first project that is fully dedicated to working with CSOs to engage youth in prospective political reform. The SANAD project was designed with ambitious numerical targets and qualitative objectives across five key components (C) as described below: C1: Strengthening civil society institutional capacity and advocacy.  70 CSOs improve their organizational and advocacy capacity. C2: Encouraging synergies between the national and local levels of civil society.  263 CSOs participate in coalitions or networks established to advocate for reform on common issues or policies shared by these CSOs.  175 CSOs play an active role in coalitions between national- and local-level civil society actors. C3: Developing the capacity of local organizations to play a strategic role in the National Human Development Initiative (INDH) process.  39 CSOs participate in government programming processes at the local level.  52 CSOs engage in dialogue with the local government. C4: Increasing the capacity of CSOs, including community and youth organizations, to advocate on behalf of marginalized and disaffected youth and to collaborate with local and national government in innovative youth programs.  39 CSOs advocate on behalf of marginalized and disaffected or at-risk youth and 15 initiatives target this population group. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 9 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 C5: Enhancing the capacity of local-level organizations to use civil society mobilization and advocacy to improve education quality at the community level.  220 Mother, Parent, and Tutor Organizations or similar school governance structures supported.  105 CSOs advocate to improve education quality.  90 community actions take place to support education activities at the community level. Component 5 was added to the scope of work mid-way through the Request for Proposals processas education is a key focus for USAID’s strategy in Morocco. At the same time as SANAD activities began, USAID launched the Improving Training for Quality Advancement in National Education (ITQANE) project with the aim of supporting the ’School Project’ within USAID’s Education Emergency Plan. Component 5 of the SANAD project aimed to build synergies between ITQANE and SANAD by mobilizing local communities and CSOs, namely the Mother, Parent, and Tutor Organizations (MPTOs), to enhance the quality of education. This was a natural synergy as youth are one of the key target groups of SANAD activities. 3. METHODOLOGY The primary goal of the evaluation was to determine the level of capacity increase among the beneficiary CSOs, specifically in terms of their ability to advocate policies and participate in governance. The evaluation team4 uses USAID’s definition of advocacy as ‘an action-oriented process that gives voice to citizens and historically marginalized groups in order to shape public agendas and change public policies’5. ‘Governance’ is defined by the evaluation team as regulated configurations of power within which several stakeholders of different types, and endowed with different sources of legitimacy, intervene in the same sector and/or area. CSO capacity is defined by the evaluation team as internal capability in terms of organization, techniques, experiences, legitimacy, and social network. During six weeks of fieldwork (conducted June – July 2012), the evaluation team analyzed SANAD’s interventions in four locations; Fes, Sale, Al Jadida and Rabat. The evaluation team used primary and secondary evidence to determine if the project had met its numerical targets and qualitative objectives. The evaluation is a combination of quantitative and qualitative research6. Qualitative data collection involved interviews and a series of focus groups with beneficiary CSOs and key stakeholders. Protocols7 were tailored by the evaluation team to apply to a range of sub-categories (clusters) within the beneficiary CSO sample8. A survey was also carried out by administering a questionnaire9 to the entire sample, allowing for simple analysis. 3.1 Sampling 4 Annex 2: Evaluation Team 5 USAID/SANAD Award – MSI task order #263‐I‐02‐06‐00008‐00 6 Annex 3: Evaluation Plan 7 Annex 4: Methodological tools 8 Annex 5: Categories of SANAD beneficiary CSOs 9 Annex 4: Methodological tools SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 10 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 It is difficult to calculate the precise number of SANAD beneficiaries. According to SANAD's database, project interventions over three years reached around 700 organizations, of which 450 benefitted from at least one capacity reinforcement activity. The evaluation team identified a group of 354 beneficiary CSOs located in Fes, Sale, Al Jadida, and Rabat that received significant support from the project. Around 40 per cent of the beneficiary CSOs are MPTOs. Most of the CSOs are located in Fes, as shown in Table 1. This is due to the participation of SANAD in the Provincial Program of Organization Capacity Reinforcement (PPOCR). The PPOCR targets 154 local CSOs, representing 43 per cent of the total number of SANAD beneficiary CSOs. Fes is also where SANAD activities were first implemented. Al Jadida has the lowest number of beneficiary CSOs, and only eight MPTOs. Al Jadida was not initially selected by SANAD’s team as a target area but was later included when Component 5 was added (see Section 2) and because it is the location of USAID’s ITQANE program. The evaluation team conducted interviews with 21 per cent of the 354 beneficiary CSOs identified10. The selected CSO sample was based on the civil society categories designed by SANAD11:  ‘First circle’ CSOs have a direct relationship with SANAD and have benefited from the full package of project activities including grants, training, and technical assistance. CSOs in this circle are termed ‘Grantees’. The evaluation team interviewed representatives of 18 Grantees.  ‘Second circle’ CSOs have a direct relationship with SANAD and are termed ‘Focal Points’. This circle is made up of 13 CSOs in Fes that were selected out of the PPOCR. The evaluation team interviewed representatives of three of these organizations.  Among the ‘second circle’ of CSOs are youth organizations involved in national coalitions. The Civil Coalition of Youth for Reform, established by SANAD, represents eight youth CSOs. The evaluation team interviewed representatives of three of these organizations. Both Grantee and Focal Point organizations function as ‘Anchor Organizations’ that mobilize other CSOs. This created a cascading model of CSO capacity building. I.e., once trained, these Anchor Organizations train other smaller CSOs on advocacy and governance issues. Anchor Organizations have also helped to establish CSO coalitions to develop common advocacy strategies and projects.  Three focus groups were conducted, involving 35 local organizations that form part of coalitions coordinated by Focal Point or Grantee organizations. These organizations represent the ‘third circle’ of CSOs as they have no direct relationship with SANAD.  MPTOs represent 40 per cent of the total targeted CSOs. The evaluation team interviewed representatives of 15 of the 141 MPTOs (five in Sale, six in Fes and four in Al Jadida). 10 Annex 6: List of interviewees   11 Annex 5: Categories of SANAD beneficiary CSOs SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 11 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012  The evaluation team also interviewed representatives of six other CSOs that were not part of SANAD’s program but were involved in implementing advocacy projects. Two focus groups were also conducted, in which 21 National Human Development Initiative Local Committees for Human Development (CLDH) team coordinators, civil workers in Fes, and CSO members in Sale participated. Also interviewed were ten representatives from Morocco’s public institutions, including: National Mutual Aid in Fes; the regional delegation of the Ministry of Social Affairs in Fes and Sale; the Elected District Presidents of the National Human Development Initiative (INDH) in Fes and Sale; the Social Development Agency in Fes and Sale; the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills in Sale; and the Ministry of Social Development and the Delegation of the Ministry of Education in Sale. The evaluation plan proposed a total of 131 interviews with CSO representatives to be conducted over a two-week period. However, some organizations were not available during this time and consequently only 73 CSOs are represented in the evaluation sample. There is therefore a risk that the organizations that did not participate in the evaluation may have characteristics and experiences that are not represented in the results. However, the organizations involved are diverse in geographic location, beneficiary type, size, scope of work, and activities. The evaluation team therefore presents the results with a reasonable degree of confidence in their representativeness. 4. LIMITATIONS Time constraints prevented the implementation of a comprehensive impact evaluation based on an identified control group. This limitation was identified and reported in the initial evaluation plan submitted to USAID ten days after the evaluation commenced. A lack of access to critical background documents regarding the initial CSO mapping and needs assessment limited the evaluation team’s research. While the SANAD team cooperated by arranging interviews, providing activity documents, and calculating data, the lack of access to these background documents prevented the evaluation team from measuring change against a comparative baseline. The timing of the evaluation at the end of the school year meant that many public institution workers, school employees, and MPTO members were involved in exam preparation or supervision and were not available for interview. The evaluation team was only able to reach a sample representing 10 per cent of the MPTOs, so representatives of only 14 of the 141 MPTOs were interviewed. 5. EVALUATION QUESTIONS The following eight questions guided the evaluation and shaped the scope of work. They are listed below in order of importance: 1) How effectively did the project’s training activities targeting advocacy contribute to achieving the assistance objective? 2) What activities should be modified, expanded or eliminated to improve project effectiveness? 3) To what degree (or in what specific ways) have the internal capacity and the advocacy capacity of targeted CSOs improved over the project period to date? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 12 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 4) How sustainable (both financially and programmatically) are the activities supported by the sub-grant mechanism of the project? 5) How relevant is the original project design in the current context of the Mission priority, women and youth? 6) How well do the project’s interventions respond to changing priorities and needs, especially in light of new political dynamics and the reform movement? 7) In what ways has/could the project strengthen the ability of the Mission to work directly with Moroccan CSOs, especially youth-serving organizations, in line with IPR Objective Two? 8) Has the project developed sustainable measures to ensure women’s participation in civic action? The responses to these questions are addressed in Section 6: Main Findings. Upon conducting the research, the evaluation team identified Question 2 to be of a distinct nature pertinent to future USAID programming in Morocco. Therefore this question and associated findings are covered in Section 7: Recommendations. Also, Question 5 relates to the relevance of project design for women and is covered in response to Question 8. 6. MAIN FINDINGS Question 1: How effectively did the project’s training activities targeting advocacy contribute to achieving the assistance objective? 6.1.0 Limited number of advocacy training workshops, enhanced by the cascading mechanism. After reviewing the training modules conducted by SANAD and speaking to beneficiaries, the evaluation team found that the number of advocacy training workshops was lower than the number of workshops on other topics. This is despite advocacy being identified as a core program component. Table 2 summarizes the number of advocacy training sessions conducted by SANAD. Over the three years of the project, SANAD conducted 102 training workshops, of which 26 were webinars. 16 training workshops focused on advocacy (four in Fes, six in Rabat, and six others in the form of webinars). The ten training workshops organized in Fes and Rabat reached a total of 54 organizations, including:  6 Advocacy Grantees  7 Youth Grantees  5 Education Grantees  13 Focal Point Organizations SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 13 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Reached directly by SANAD 44% Reached via SANAD beneficiari es 57% Organizations receiving advocacy training Table 3: Organizations receiving advocacy training  18 member organizations of the Youth Platform (members 2009 – 2010)  5 member organizations of the Civil Coalition of Youth for Reform (CCYR) (members 2011 – 201212 Webinars aimed to reach a larger number of organizations. However, there is no precise record of the number of participants as the data only counts attendees who appear on-line once they connect to the webinar. SANAD reports that there were 51,111 webinar viewings. The SANAD website hosts all webinar recordings and reports that these recordings have been accessed 13,700 times SANAD focused its most intense capacity building efforts on the group of 18 Grantees. These organizations received in-depth training and funding. This approach created a core group of ‘higher￾capacity’ or ‘Anchor’ organizations that are now equipped to share their knowledge and offer localized technical assistance to smaller organizations. In keeping with this cascading model of CSO capacity building, five Grantees that received initial training from SANAD went on to organize workshops that reached more organizations, as described below:  The Moroccan Social Solidarity Economy Network (REMESS) organized three workshops on ’Advocacy in Favor of Small Producers’ and reached a total of 28 organizations.  Alternative Citizen Movement (ALCI) organized three workshops on ‘Advocacy Techniques’ and reached ten organizations.  The Crossroads Initiative on Communication, Information, and Documentation (CICID) organized three workshops on ’Advocacy Techniques’ for sixteen organizations.  The Moroccan Education and Resource Network (MEARN) organized one workshop on ’Advocacy Techniques’ via the Internet and reached 12 organizations from the education sector.  Tahhadi organized one advocacy workshop on ’Inclusive Education’ and reached four organizations. Through this cascading model, SANAD’s training reached 70 organizations indirectly. Table 3 shows the percentage of CSOs that were reached directly or indirectly by this training. A total of 124 organizations participated in one or two advocacy training workshops over the three years. Note that these figures do not take into account the number of organizations that received training via webinars. 6.1.1 Limited scope and variety of advocacy modules did not reflect the specific needs of the organizations. Two modules were covered by the training workshops: a general module focusing on definitions, planning and advocacy techniques; and a second module that was inspired by Supporting Children's Rights through Education, the Arts, and the Media (SCREAM) and focused on Information and Communication Technology, known as SCREAM IT. 12 Annex 6: List of interviewees SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 14 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Module 1 – General advocacy The first module served as an introduction to the concept of advocacy and its tools. It was given to all organizations regardless of their needs or specific situation. As a result, some Advocacy Grantees that had existing experience with the concept found the module uninformative, although it was valued as a way to conceptualize familiar practices. For the organizations without prior experience in advocacy, the workshop gave ideas for future strategic planning. This module could potentially be the ‘first step’ in a series of workshops on advocacy capacity building. In interviews, representatives of the four Advocacy Grantees reported that this module started the capacity building process but did not advance past the first stage. Other modules could be developed to include advanced techniques or customized to deal with specific aspects of advocacy that are relevant to individual organizations. Module 2 – SCREAM IT The SCREAM IT module was presented to seven Youth Grantees. The module aimed to increase youth participation in CSO work by developing their skills in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This module was built on the experience of Tanmiya13, an organization that developed a similar workshop in 2006. The module was considered to be very innovative and interesting because it was action-oriented. However, its impact on the strategy and action of recipient organizations’ appeared weak. This may be because the module only targeted youth, who may have limited influence on CSO operations. It is anticipated that this learning could be more easily translated into action by obtaining ‘buy-in’ from CSO management teams. Webinars All stakeholders interviewed considered webinar training to be useful because it overcame many of the logistical constraints to attending face-to-face workshops. Webinar modules were based on the general advocacy module and formed a part of the ‘cascading model’ of CSO capacity building. However, and although Morocco is considered to have one of the best levels of internet connectivity in Africa, technical difficulties limited some participants’ ability to access the webinars. According to the Moroccan Association for Solidarity and Development (AMSED), the organization tasked to lead most of the webinars, this necessitates additional training and planning for alternatives when technical difficulties arise. Despite these difficulties, however, there is significant interest in webinar content as evidenced by 51,111 viewings of SANAD’s webinar recordings. Another constraint to using webinars is the ‘invisibility’ of the participants and the difficulty of observing their participation. For these reasons, AMSED has requested a grant from SANAD to pursue the integration of webinars into its capacity building activities. When interviewed by the evaluation team, AMSED representatives explicitly reported that without such a grant they would question the practicality of continuing to use this training tool. SANAD used webinars for more than 25 per cent of its training workshops. It is assumed that the above constraints may therefore have had a significant impact on the effectiveness of SANAD’s capacity building efforts. 13 Tanmiya is a Moroccan CSO that aims to strengthen national capacity of Moroccan associations through the use of technology and information communication. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 15 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 6.1.2 Integrating advocacy into organizations’ strategies. Some Youth and Education Grantee organizations demonstrated positive behavior change after receiving training under the SANAD program. Seven Youth Grantees, five Education Grantees and 13 Fes Focal Point Organizations (FFPOs) began incorporating advocacy into their strategy and action plans. Two organizations – the Moroccan Association for Youth Education (AMEJ) in Sale and ‘Citizenship Space’ (Espace Citoyen) in Fes – whose representatives the evaluation team interviewed were members of this group. AMEJ had been interested in advocacy on youth issues since 2007. Participation in SANAD’s activities built AMEJ’s capacity to partner with other organizations to define common strategies, policies, and schemes to support youth employment. These developments happened in parallel with SANAD’s efforts to bring CSOs and government authorities together to discuss youth employment issues. The ‘Citizenship Space’ project, which is managed by two of SANAD’s Grantees (Zalagh and Tahhadi), targets 34 organizations. Between 2011 and 2012, these organizations initiated two successful advocacy campaigns that focused on local issues. Although these initiatives were not directly supported by SANAD, advocacy is now on the agenda of this network of small organizations and the success of these campaigns is being replicated in other areas with SANAD’s support. 6.1.3 Participation of CSOs in local governance is limited by persisting structural constraints. In order to achieve the USAID/Morocco Assistance Objective of ’Increased Participation of Citizens, Especially Youth, in Governance’, SANAD’s Component 3 identified INDH as a key governance configuration. The Award states, ‘under component three, the civil society advocacy project will have strong links to USAID’s current and future efforts to strengthen local governance and will offer possibilities to demonstrate how related citizen participation and citizen advocacy efforts can be supported and promoted through coordination with local governance’. Component 4 also falls under the INDH governance configuration. This component is concerned with increasing the ‘capacity of CSOs (including community and youth organizations) to advocate on behalf of marginalized and disaffected youth and collaborate with local/national government in innovative youth programming’. 6.1.4 Building synergies and convergence to enhance public dialogue. SANAD has developed a subtle and sophisticated strategy to foster public dialogue between local government and CSOs in order to improve the participatory mechanism for setting agendas related to local development issues. This strategy consists of a two-track approach that a) builds internal and advocacy capacity of CSOs and b) encourages synergies between institutional stakeholders in order to achieve greater responsiveness and accountability. In Fes, SANAD’s main goals were to prioritize institutional partnerships to strengthen the capacities of civil society and to foster greater participation in local governance (mainly linked to the INDH). The PPOCR was established after negotiations between SANAD and multiple public funding agencies already engaged in strengthening CSO capacities at the local and national level. These agencies included:  The Provincial Directorate of Social Affairs (DAS), involved since 2005 in strengthening capabilities, especially in the multilateral program of the INDH; SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 16 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012  The Social Development Agency (ADS), a supporter of the Taqwia program on strengthening capabilities at the national level; and  The Ministry of Social Development, involved in a program to support CSOs to become qualifying associations at the national level since the launch of the INDH. SANAD has worked to bring these various agencies and programs together to coordinate activities and to improve relations between them and CSOs. It is important to note that local associations are largely structured according to their relationships with multiple government and political entities that act as funding agencies, occasionally in a politicized patron-client relationship14. As a direct result of SANAD’s work, the PPOCR has successfully targeted a very diverse range of CSOs, representing each stakeholder-supporting CSO, from the DAS and the ADS, the Entraide Nationale15, and the Mayor of the Fes CSO network. Building this partnership was laborious and required nine months of preparation before a program and funding agreement could be signed. Despite initial difficulties regarding the specificities of local organizations and the identification of a lead financial manager, the program agreement established a steering committee representing the four agencies responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring activities. SANAD is a unique and original channel for CSO capacity building. It has introduced the concept of ‘animation territoriale’ (community facilitation) as a basic function of CSOs, taking them beyond service delivery and enabling them to address development issues. Although time consuming, this process-oriented strategy has proved successful in fostering public dialogue. Outcomes remain impeded by structural limitations related to INDH management and CSO divisions. These challenges could be overcome if SANAD were granted two additional years. 6.1.5 INDH participatory assessment. As part of SANAD’s partnership agreement with the regional delegation of the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Fes and Rabat/Sale wilayas (districts)16, the project launched a capacity strengthening program to support INDH Local Committees for Human Development (CLDH) teams. These teams are responsible for conducting a participatory assessment of the district that will lead to the elaboration of INDH’s District Development Plan. In Fes, teams are composed of local civil workers. In Sale they are composed of both local civil workers and members of the CSOs. Two training modules were designed by SANAD and administered to 14 CLDH teams in Fes and eight in Sale. The modules are ’Technique for Carrying out Diagnosis’ and ‘Participatory Strategy Planning’. The evaluation team conducted two focus groups with the CLDH coordinators in Fes and in Sale. The focus groups reported that the training workshops were useful (although CLDH teams had been trained on similar topics since 2006), and that CLHD now have the skills required to carry out their duties. As a result, all the district assessments were completed in Fes and in Sale. For the first time, in Fes and Sale there are public documents that identify civil society needs and issues and collaboration has been established between community actors and CSO representatives at the grass roots level. The plans cover 75 per cent of the city of Fes and all of the district of Sale. 6.1.6 Barriers to participatory assessment. 14 Annex 1: Background 15 The Entraide Nationale is a national public social welfare agency.   16 Annex 7: SANAD Institutional Framework   SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 17 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Despite these gains, CLDH coordinators and local CSOs report that this participatory approach was not sufficient and could be improved. The CLDH teams lacked the skills needed to build relationships with public institutions. They had limited understanding of how sectoral government authorities (health, education, and youth) function17, or of their hierarchical and administrative frameworks that require multiple authorizations. This limits CLDH access to the information needed in order to carry out accurate assessments. The Fes CLDH teams, in their efforts to collect data, were not able to overcome divisions among local organizations, which prevented the full participation of some CSOs in the assessments. The evaluation team interviewed members of two of the tens of Focal Point Organizations that are involved with SANAD in designing local governance strategy. They also conducted two focus groups with representatives of 25 local CSOs that are members of the coalitions headed by these two Organizations. A coalition of CSOs called ‘Civil Space’ emerged in 2007. Its membership has grown from six organizations in 2007 to 23 at present. Interviewees from Civil Space reported to have been closely involved in the CLDH assessments and were quite satisfied with the process. Two key Anchor Organizations, Tahhadi and Zalagh, have formed a coalition of CSOs named Citizenship Space and have positioned themselves clearly against Civil Space as they view it as being too closely aligned with the DAS. When interviewed, members of this coalition were very critical about the assessment process. They reported that the CLDH teams did not solicit them for their views. This information was confirmed by CLDH team coordinators present at the focus groups. They reported that the CSOs interviewed as part of the assessments were primarily those that had a previous relationship and/or were favored by the Mayor and the DAS network. A participatory assessment should be used to identify the needs of the target populations in local communities, and therefore to identify the basis on which CPDHs should select activities to be funded. However, in this case, the CSO representatives interviewed either individually or through focus groups reported that they did not have access to the 31 district assessment documents put together by the CLDH teams at the time of their assessment. The situation is different in Sale, where the CLDH teams are composed of both officials and organizations. CSO representation in INDH management has been institutionalized in Sale, as a result of a prior development program conducted by Handicap International, AMSED, and Enda Maghreb between 2004 and 2008. According to the three Grantees and the ten CSOs in Sale that participated in focus groups, the system in place in Sale is designed to guarantee the participation of CSOs in INDH programming. However, the mechanism for CSO representation is still subject to political conflicts and divisions both within CSOs and between CSOs and local government. Interviewees highlighted the fact that although they were involved in 17 Cultures of institutional conflict: Administrative services are organized hierarchically and, despite the decentralization process, the decision making process remains highly centralized. The regional delegation of the Ministry of Social Affairs, under the authority of the Wali, is the body that should be able to bypass sectoral organizations, which gives it dominance over all other stakeholders.   The Social Development Agency relies on a centralized operation, in the same way that the decentralized services of the State at a local level also rely on a centralized operation. Maneuvering room for decision making is limited, since decisions are still made at a ministerial central level. The difficulty of defining the strategic top:  The “strategic top” is the level or the point at which one perceives the entire organization and from which one can know its identity and determine its maneuvering room. Whereas the town hall or the region is easily read through the municipal or regional council, and sometimes through the personality of the president, the District/Wilaya is much more shaped by internal agenda conflicts within the Ministry of Interior. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 18 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 the process of CLDH team assessment processes, the plans approved by the CPDH did not reflect their views and have been affected by trade-offs because of political allegiances. 6.1.7 The role of CSOs in INDH monitoring. The 31 district assessment documents put together by the CLDH teams in Fes should be approved by the local CLDHs that are then in charge of designing plans to be submitted to the CPDH. At the time of the evaluation, SANAD reported that 11 District Development Plans were designed in the city of Fes by the CPDH. Three of them had been drawn up and presented to the associations, administrations, elected representatives, and the local public. The three neighborhood development plans concerned the district of Janat el Ward, presented by Citizenship Space, the district of Marinin, presented by the Amjad Fes Association for Culture and Development (Association Amjad Fes pour la Culture et le Développement), and the district of Massira, presented by Association Badil. This is a very encouraging result and is evidence of the initiative’s success. It can also be considered a starting point for building space for more lasting dialogue. Contrary to Sale, where CSOs are formally represented in the INDH management system, no formal mechanism has been devised in Fes to enable associations to play their full role in monitoring INDH implementation. SANAD was able to mediate with DAS and in 2011 obtained seats at the CPDH for two associations, the Center for People’s Rights and Citizenship Space. However, this achievement remains fragile because, according to Citizenship Space, DAS has always refused to consider the associations as partners and their participation in the CPDH is limited to observer status. Citizenship Space found SANAD’s influence over DAS to be very positive but there are concerns that when the SANAD program ends DAS will exercise full control over the process. 6.1.8 CSO coalition building to advance advocacy and monitor public programming. Building the capacity of 13 Focal Point Organizations and 154 local CSOs aimed to create coalitions in Fes that would ease the burden on local authorities and INDH structures of monitoring the implementation of CLDH plans. It was also hoped that the coalitions would develop advocacy initiatives to advance community concerns in local government. However, according to the focus groups and interviews with members of the two coalitions (the Civil Space network and Citizenship Space), the organizations are currently unable to perform this function. Reasons for this include:  Coalition members gather on a district basis, not on the basis of common interests in specific issues. Both coalitions are small local neighborhood associations with diverse objectives and activities, including sport, art, culture, health, literacy, infancy, microcredit, female entrepreneurs, protection of women’s rights, and family planning. This diversity hinders the development of a common advocacy strategy.  Members’ organizational weakness and a lack of resources prevent the definition of a common goal or vision beyond that of obtaining funding, which remains the principal concern of the organizations interviewed.  The existence and dynamism of these coalitions is dependent on the Focal Point Association (APF) holding the data.  The principal legitimacy of the Focal Point Organizations depends on their ability to interrelate with government funding agencies and the Moroccan Civil Society Advocacy Program. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 19 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012  The various coalitions are also expected to prepare projects or initiatives for local dialogue with government authorities and local elected representatives. It is anticipated that this will be achieved during the extended period of SANAD. The evaluation team found that most of the activities implemented at the local level, especially in Fes, established the foundations of the project. However, the main outcomes are yet to be realized. In this sense, SANAD has been a process-oriented program. After three years, it is at a mid-point and requires more time to achieve its qualitative objectives. However, the option of extending the program for two years was denied, and SANAD ended in 2012 after three years of implementation. It should be noted that CSO coalition building is one of the most positive accomplishments of SANAD, and capacity strengthening in this area should be expanded for at least one more year. 6.1.9 Weak involvement of elected representatives. Within the INDH governance configuration, the CLDH is the governance level at which elected local officials theoretically have the most power. However, they do not have many extended prerogatives. Thus, parallel efforts towards inclusion and convergence with other local authorities, local communities, municipalities and regions, would have resulted in increased CSO capacity to play a role in preparing and monitoring local policies. As a result of the weak involvement of elected local officials, only one of the seven administrative district presidents who lead the CLDH in Fes is in contact with the local coordinator of SANAD, and he is unaware of the number and origin of CLDH team coordinators in his administrative district. The president of the administrative district in question stressed the difficulties he has in getting elected local representatives interested in the CLDH team’s activities, and reported that because no managerial staff are assigned to the administrative districts it is difficult to mobilize city officials. On the other hand, the Local Governance Program (LGP) funded by USAID shares a common objective with SANAD: to improve the capacity of local government. The Award clearly mentions that synergies should be built between SANAD and the LGP. The latter is implemented by Research Triangle International (RTI), whose objectives are ‘increased participatory local government decision making’, ’improved processes for integrated planning, budgeting, and economic development’, and ‘improved local government financial capacity and service delivery’. Both SANAD and the LGP targeted Fes as a common location of intervention. However, the LGP’s connections with SANAD were forged belatedly – not until mid-2012. This contributed to the creation of two distinct realms of governance, one in which the city of Fes operated, the other in which DAS operated. This exacerbated conflicts of agenda both between the Mayor and the Wali and between DAS and the General Directorate for Local Governments (DGCL) in the Ministry of Interior. It has to be noted that conditions in Fes were not favorable for building synergies between representative and administrative government since the Wali and the Mayor were already at odds in the first place. 6.1.10 Incompatibility between participation in INDH and advocacy actions. Advocacy Grantees and some of the Youth Grantees in Fes often avoid collaboration with local authorities and CSO networks. These CSOs are well integrated into local/national networks, but they are rarely supported by local funding agencies in conducting their campaigns. Instead, they are more often in direct conflict with the Mayor’s Office and/or with the Wilaya. Local authorities, criticize organizations that ’talk SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 20 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 about rights’ and accuse them of ’having become like political parties’ – they refer specifically to two major Youth and Advocacy Grantees whose members were interviewed in Fes (the Alternative Citizen Movement and the Crossroads Initiative on Communication, Information, and Documentation). As a result, these organizations have not become involved in the INDH or PPOCR programs. They have accepted being in direct contact with SANAD as Grantees, but do not work in partnership with district-level local government.. Only Tahhadi has been active on both levels: it has engaged in advocacy for greater access for handicapped youth in Fes; and it has participated in local governance as a Youth Grantee, where it focuses on mobilizing youth. Local authorities tend to understand advocacy as opposition and a challenge to order and hold a negative opinion of advocacy-promoting CSOs. Some organizations are therefore wary of ’getting burned’ by engaging in advocacy. Aiming to defuse and demobilize, the authorities’ strategy to counter advocacy actions is to convince the organization to settle problems amicably, without exhibiting public pressure. They thus favor cooperation at an interpersonal level. Consequently, local policy is not discussed at the institutional level at which decisions are made, but rather between individuals. Moreover, the financial and sometimes patron-client relationships between CSOs and local authorities mean that an autonomous advocacy approach is not always compatible with participation in local government. For those CSOs who agree to participate in local government, advocacy is not understood as something intended to change polices. For example, when interviewed, members of several organizations said that they were seeking funding under the INDH and the success or failure of their advocacy ’campaign’ would rely on whether or not they would receive that funding. Question 2: What activities should be modified, expanded or eliminated to improve project effectiveness? See Section 7: Recommendations. Question 3: To what degree (or in what specific ways) have the internal capacity and the advocacy capacity of targeted CSOs improved over the project period to date? 6.2.0 Progress affected by emphasis on breadth over depth. CSOs targeting methods Over the three years of the project, SANAD interventions reached a total of around 700 organizations, of which 450 organizations benefited from at least one capacity reinforcement activity. The number of beneficiaries is impressive and reflects the project design’s emphasis on reaching a large number of organizations. It is obvious that such an emphasis may reduce the program’s impact on each individual organization that is targeted, and this outcome is indeed reflected in the findings of the evaluation. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 21 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 One of the main challenges at the beginning of the project was to identify, from among a large number of beneficiaries, the ‘anchor organizations’ on which to base the cascading model. SANAD applied two main approaches in selecting these organizations, as outlined below:  Call for grant applications: SANAD released a statement of interest to solicit grant proposals from organizations working in targeted locations in Morocco. In addition to receiving the grant, recipients were offered a number of training workshops. Over three years, SANAD reached 18 Grantee organizations, of which six had advocacy initiatives, five were involved in educational activities, and seven supported youth issues. In the first year of the project SANAD also made more than 40 capital grants to MPTOs.  Building on existing models: As best practice, SANAD integrated its interventions with existing, local efforts to build the capacity of CSOs. In Fes, SANAD worked closely with the PPOCR, which is part of the national Takwiya program led by the Ministry of Social Development, the Social Development Agency, and the Governor of Fes. SANAD selected 154 organizations out of 240 that were identified by PPOCR to benefit from its training. 13 of these organizations were selected as Focal Point Organizations. First set of training The first circle of CSOs beneficiaries, composed of 18 Grantees, 13 Fes Focal Point Organizations, and 25 youth CSOs involved in national youth coalitions, participated in advocacy training activities. In addition, all (non-MPTO) CSO beneficiaries were given six training modules on organizational capacity building. The modules addressed:  Legal Status  Strategic Planning  Monitoring Techniques  Evaluation  Good Governance  Information and Communication Technology for Advocacy Responsibility for the provision of this training, as with the webinars, was assigned to the anchor organization AMSED. SANAD funded AMSED’s advocacy activities but amended the grant to include the provision of training workshops to other CSOs. The training modules were adapted from the training materials developed by AMSED over the last 20 years. Eight workshops were organized in Fes between April and October 2011, targeting all the PPOCR participants, along with one SANAD Grantee. There were also a number of similar modules made available through webinar workshops. The evaluation team found that interviewees appreciated the training. However, as with the advocacy training, 83 per cent of those interviewed reported that workshops and modules did not take into account the specific needs and skill levels of the diverse recipients. Individual interviews were conducted with members of 11 Grantees and three Focal Point Organizations in Fes. Three additional focus groups were carried out with 33 CSOs from the ‘third circle’ of organizations. From these interviews the evaluation team found that FFPOs have more advanced capacities than local CSOs and that they have generally received similar training in the past and therefore reported not learning much that was new to them. However, they were able to benefit from the training by sending new employees with SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 22 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 less experience. In general, the majority of FFPO members interviewed considered these training modules to be inappropriate for their skill level. Advocacy Grantees expected SANAD training to address their individual needs. Before starting the training plan – in keeping with best practices for capacity building – SANAD commissioned a consultant to develop a needs assessment tool to gauge the CSOs’ management and advocacy capabilities. The needs assessment employed a self-evaluation tool, by which the consultant worked closely with each organization to assess their capacity strengthening needs. This exercise raised organizations’ expectations that SANAD training would be tailored to their identified needs, but the training modules were not then customized. Therefore, 35 local organizations involved did not consider the standard training modules to be sufficiently responsive to their needs. However it should be noted that some of these organizations are quite small, and did not consider training a priority. Furthermore, interviewees reported that training workshops were organized at short notice, making it difficult for some to attend. Second set of training A second set of training workshops was designed and executed in Fes in early 2012 to build the capacities of a number of Grantees and Focal Point CSOs that had been classified as more mature. These CSOs were tasked with mobilizing and building the capacity of other CSOs. They completed five training workshops on the following topics:  Peer coaching and change management  Advocacy  Strategic planning to monitor other organizations  Designing projects supported by funding agencies  Internal and external communication among organizations These advanced training modules proved to be more useful and innovative than the other training sessions as they were ‘action-oriented’. All the participating CSO members interviewed in Fes felt that these training workshops helped to build an effective CSO coalition. In Sale, SANAD supported more than 35 CSOs, building on prior capacity building and local governance programs implemented by Handicap International and the French government-supported French-Moroccan Coordinated Program (PCM). SANAD designed and executed four training workshops, entitled ‘Métiers Jeunesse’ (‘Youth Trades’), which aimed to establish a youth council that could advance advocacy initiatives focusing on youth access to employment. This resulted in a yyouth council in which 24 organizations, representing each district of Sale, are involved. This is a clear positive outcome of CSOs coalition building. This process-oriented action has led to the creation of a coalition that integrates advocacy as part of its strategy, but needs further support. Particular challenges include internal divisions within the Youth Council and the translation of the key objectives its advocacy strategy is based on into operational activities. 6.2.1 Capacity reinforcement strategy toward Mother, Parent, and Tutor Organizations (MPTOs). SANAD organized and carried out 49 training workshops to benefit 153 MPTOs, as follows:  26 workshops were organized in Fes for 92 MPTOs. Half of them were conducted directly by SANAD and the other half by Education Grantees or PPOCR FPOs (the Fes Federation of MPTOs conducted seven, Biladi four, and Zalagh three). SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 23 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012  13 workshops were organized in Sale for 51 MPTOs – nine conducted by SANAD and four by the Moroccan Association for Educational Guidance and Support (AMOSE), an Education Grantee.  SANAD organized workshops in Al Jadida for ten MPTOs. Of the 49 workshops organized, nine were jointly carried out by SANAD and ITQANE (seven in Fes and two in Al Jadida). This demonstrates the two programs’ ability to build successful synergies. Another five workshops were conducted via webinars. Most of the training modules addressed the role of MPTOs, financial and administrative management, communication with parents, collaboration with CSOs, and project planning. According to the majority of interviewees, the training provided ‘top-level’ information and not in-depth or practical information. Nevertheless, participants from five MPTOs declared that they acquired and practiced new skills as a result of attending the training. These MPTOs have created a filing and management system and SANAD reports that they will receive INDH funding. This is a very encouraging result in view of the capacity building objective and an evidence of the initiative’s success. In addition to direct support to MPTOs, and in keeping with its cascade approach, SANAD also partnered with intermediary organizations to build MPTO capacity and mobilize families. The experience with the Federation of MPTOs in Fes generated encouraging outcomes in building the capacity of MPTOs. According to SANAD and the Federation of MPTOs, these outcomes include: improved parental mobilization around education issues; better communication between schools and parents; increased support programs for students in need; increased capacity to address key issues such as violence; and increased ability to mobilize external resources. Interviewees from two MPTOs reported that they intervened directly in cases of immediate social crises and that their actions were made possible by attending the training (particularly the webinars). Another positive outcome is that two anchor organizations, Zalagh and Biladi, have been able to develop common action with 12 MPTOs targeting families and children. This has in turn enabled the MPTOs to overcome one of their main challenges, their weak links to local families. Despite a large number of training workshops conducted by SANAD and anchor organizations, MPTOs’ organizational and advocacy capacities remain limited. The impacts of the activities were hampered by the operating environment, namely in terms of constraints and challenges that MPTOs still face in their governance and as a result of a lack of resources. 6.2.2 Factors limiting the impact of the capacity reinforcement activities. MPTOs are unique CSOs as they are considered an extension of the administrative bodies that work under the Ministry of Education, and do not exercise true independence. The main challenges MPTOs face are issues with their internal governance regulations, the overrepresentation of professors and public officials of the Ministry of Education on their boards, and the influence of the Director during election and their functionality. All of these challenges impede their capacity to represent families transparently and act as a channel through which families can have their voices heard. Interviews with members of 15 MPTOs and 11 School Directors revealed that the offices of the MPTOs are represented by persons from the Ministry of Education, retired or still in tenure. Among the 15 MPTOs SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 24 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 whose members were interviewed, four were headed by former teachers, two by former School Directors, four by active teachers (among which three are members of the National Union of Teachers), and three by civil servants from the regional delegation of the Ministry of Education. Only two MPTO presidents had no professional relation with the National Education system. The MPTO Federation is also headed by teachers or public workers from the Ministry of Education. The General Secretary is a school teacher. When questioned, the President of the MPTO Federation stated that the Federation supports more balanced MPTO boards, greater participation, greater independence, and increased female representation. However the evaluation team was unable to find evidence to back this claim, and data on board composition was not provided. The MPTOs are generally politicized, with strong ties to the various unions. More than 70 per cent declared affiliation with a political party or with a union. The MPTO Federation is troubled by political dissent, and a parallel Federation has emerged. There is also a National League of MPTOs that may transfer political conflicts within the Ministry of Education across to schools. The Director of each educational institution was and remains the dominant player in the educational context – he or she unilaterally decides on and resolves all matters relating to the school. To have meeting rooms or organize activities, the MPTOs must have the prior consent of the Director. This is also demonstrated by the fact that bylaws state that the school address must be stated as the seat of the organization. The fact that the Director cannot initiate expenditures on behalf of the school is seen to justify the persistence of the Director’s dominance over of MPTOs. The Director composes a list of needs for the school that is sent to the Ministry each year. Often there is no response from the Ministry, or the response takes too long so that the list is no longer suitable to address the school’s needs. Furthermore, the Ministry’s budget is primarily concentrated on wages, while education- and equipment-related expenses are decreasing. The MPTOs are therefore seen as a means for the Director to make expenditures more quickly, particularly at the infrastructure level. This can explain why Directors seek to control MPTO elections and elect boards that would offer no resistance to his decisions. It is difficult to imagine MPTOs playing a meaningful role as representatives of students’ parents within educational institutions. The MPTOs, in their current configuration, do not appear to have any real opportunity for advocacy. Question 4: How sustainable (both financially and programmatically) are the activities supported by the sub-grant mechanism of the project? Sustainability relates to the continuation of benefits from the intervention after major development assistance has been completed. Over the three years of the project, SANAD funded grants to 18 organizations. The advocacy activities of six Advocacy Grantees were supported, seven Youth Grantees were supported to mobilize youth and initiate advocacy activities, and five Education Grantees were funded as anchor organizations to implement capacity building activities to benefit MPTOs. Financial and programmatic sustainability are the goal of any grants program, though they are notoriously difficult to achieve. Sustainability can be assessed by considering the actions of the CSO beneficiaries on a time continuum. If activities after the end of the grants program can be related back to the experience of the CSO during the grants program, sustainability is more likely to have been achieved. In other words, activity SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 25 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 will have a sustainable impact if it is a first step in a longer process, which, on completion, solicits a second step. According to interviews conducted with members of 12 SANAD Grantees, sub-grant mechanisms supported organizations to launch initial activities and to formulate a longer-term strategy. Programmatically, the activities of the organizations financed by SANAD had durable effects. However, for some Advocacy Grantees operating at the national level with experience managing international funding, a single grant within a period of three years may not be sufficient to sustain first-step advocacy activities beyond the grant period. This has been the case for four CSOs: AMEJ Sale, Manarate, Tahhadi, and ALCI. The situation is different for the Education Grantees that were supported by SANAD to work closely with government Administrators. 6.3.0 Advocacy CSO targeting difficulties. SANAD’s Performance Monitoring Plan aimed to fund twelve CSO advocacy campaigns. Over the three years of the project, SANAD effectively supported the campaigns of seven Advocacy Grantees. Members of five of these were interviewed by the evaluation team – four in Rabat and one in Fes. In addition, members of two other organizations that responded to the call for applications, but were unsuccessful, were also interviewed. One of the first steps undertaken by SANAD in 2009 was to map all organizations conducting advocacy activities. This indicated that the majority of Moroccan organizations have little interest in building their capacity for advocacy. This was also demonstrated by the low number of applications received in response to the call for applications for the first round of grants. Subsequently, SANAD informally approached advocacy￾focused organizations and encouraged them to submit applications. It should also be emphasized that partnerships with Moroccan human rights and feminist organizations could not be established, although these two movements are the historic pioneers of advocacy activity to promote democratic reform in Morocco18. Organizations linked to these two movements tend to have leftist political sensibilities, and most of them are critical of American foreign policy, leading them to refuse American aid for development. This may also explain why SANAD could not meet its target of supporting twelve CSO advocacy campaigns. 6.3.1 Funding as the first step toward programming sustainability. Advocacy Grantees Advocacy grants were targeted at organizations with experience in advocacy activities. Selection criteria included the organization’s practical experience in advocacy over a number of years and inclusion of advocacy in the organization’s strategy prior to the launch of SANAD. The evaluation team interviewed members of five Grantee organizations, three of which are nation-wide organizations:  The Moroccan Social Solidarity Economy Network (REMESS), which focuses on the work of agricultural and handicraft cooperatives. Founded in 2006, REMESS promotes the social solidarity economy (ESS) and campaigns to secure special bylaws for cooperatives. While raising awareness across Africa, REMESS seized the opportunity to partner with SANAD to launch a new advocacy campaign targeting legislative reform. 18Annex 1: Background SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 26 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012  The Action Group of People living with a Handicap (AGPH), which was formed in 2004 as an alternative to the Moroccan Federation for Disabled People that King Hassan II established. It is a nation-wide network of over 300 organizations advocating against discrimination against the handicapped and promoting international agreements on disabilities ratified by the Moroccan government and effective under Moroccan law. From 2006 to 2010, AGPH drew up a proposition for a law that was submitted to the Secretariat of Government. The proposition was rejected, allegedly due to the reservations of the Ministry of Finance. AGPH worked under SANAD to launch a report-based campaign on the cost of the exclusion of handicapped people from the job market.  The Moroccan Association for Solidarity and Development (AMSED), formed in 1993, was one of the first development organizations in Morocco. It aims to strengthen the capabilities of CSOs. In 2006 it incorporated advocacy in its strategy, with the objective of campaigning for reform of the legal framework of organizations in Morocco. Through its SANAD grant, AMSED executed the first step of its activities – capacity building. The next step was the establishment of a civil society coalition. Grants were an average of 300,000 DH (approximately USD 34,000) for each organization. Agreements were signed between 2010 and 2011 for a grant period of 12 months. Many have been extended for 6 months with no additional cost until October 2012, and some until September 2012, with additional costs. Youth Grantees The funding mechanism set up by SANAD supported five organizations in Fes and three in Sale to help mobilize young people. The evaluation team interviewed members of four of these eight organizations: Alternative Citizen Movement (ALCI) and Tahhadi in Fes, and AMEJ and Manarat in Sale. Each organization received a grant from SANAD of 300,000 DH (USD 34,000). This seed funding was extremely useful for these organizations, enabling them to launch initial activities and formulate a longer-term strategy. ALCI and AMEJ are organizations with an activist profile, linked to the political currents of the Moroccan left. They are both well-known for providing services for young people at both the local and national level. In 2006 both organizations integrated a youth component into their social base activities to ensure youth inclusion in planning and designing projects. An initiative to develop youth Information and Communications Technology (ICT) activities was also launched to attract youth participation. In 2011, these two organizations benefited from SANAD’s grant to expand this first initiative. SANAD supported activities aimed to mobilize youth on employment issues and identify young people to undertake a needs assessment. This was done on a voluntary basis, thus demonstrating and strengthening these young people’s civic commitment. As a result of this experience, some organizations, such as ALCI, created a youth committee within their structure. The needs assessment was complemented by a similar assessment conducted by a SANAD consultant, which reinforced the results obtained by the youth. Therefore, not only did the organizations expand their social base by incorporating more young people, they also developed their capacity to produce knowledge based on an designing advocacy strategy that is currently being formulated. From a programmatic point of view, the activities of the organizations financed by SANAD had sustainable impacts. However, financial sustainability is subject to obtaining further funding. 6.3.2 SANAD funding alone is insufficient. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 27 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Advocacy activities are not often funded by the Moroccan government. The main backers of local-level organizations usually target development activities, self-employment schemes (such as ADS and INDH), social, sporting or cultural activities (such as the Ministry of Youth and Sports), or community assistance (such as Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and National Mutual Aid). While many of the members of organizations interviewed view the INDH or ADS as potential backers, the nature of the activities they undertake do not encourage their promotion by these bodies. This affects the financial sustainability of their advocacy projects. 6.3.3 Access to international donors. The funding available for advocacy is instead provided by international donors (i.e. USAID, the European Union, and the United Nations). These organizations have exacting demands in terms of project planning and design. All the Advocacy Grantees have had other sources of international funding besides SANAD and are in a position to access more international funding. Concerning Youth Advocacy CSOs, four out of the seven organizations are in the same position. The other three organizations, working at district level, received their first international grant through SANAD, but still need to develop better management skills. For these organizations, other sources of financing could be more appropriate – such as non-state international donors that offer technical assistance as well as funding (foundations such as Friederich Ebert or other non￾governmental organizations). Other USAID programs still operating could take over the support to the Advocacy and Youth Grantees (for example to the National Endowment for Democracy, NED). 6.3.4 National Human Rights Council (CNDH). The recent creation of regional branches of the CNDH19could provide an opportunity for reinforcing both the programmatic and financial sustainability of the advocacy activities supported by SANAD. The CNDH’s regional strategy includes the provision of assistance to organizations to promote and protect human rights. The youth-related partnership between SANAD and the CNDH could facilitate subsequent activities. This potential is demonstrated by the promotion by Zalagh (an organization in Fes previously supported by SANAD) of a violence observatory project and citizenship clubs. 6.3.5 Financial Sustainability for Education Grantees. The financial sustainability situation is not uniformly bleak. SANAD funding made it possible to set up programs that will continue through other funding, particularly in education. This is the case for the MPTO Federation, AMOSE, and Zalagh. It is also the case for those MPTOs that have been encouraged to submit applications for INDH funding in Fes and Sale – SANAD reports that five MPTOs have secured INDH funding for another 12 months.20 While not involving advocacy projects, the new INDH funding to Education Grantees and FPOs can be pursued to strengthen MPTO’s organizational capacities. Two Education Grantees out of five will benefit from INDH grants next year as a result of SANAD activities. Question 5: How relevant is the original project design in the current situation of the Mission priority, women and youth? 19 www.ccdh.org.ma/spip.php?article6766&var_recherche=local 20 SANAD, ‘SANAD presentation to USAID: Education component March 2012’ SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 28 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 The SANAD project design aims to develop Moroccan CSO capacity in order to promote democratic reform and advocate on behalf of citizens and marginalized groups, particularly the young and the poor, at the national and local levels. It sought to:  ’Support the efforts of CSOs to facilitate the involvement of young people in political development and policy monitoring by building analytical and political participation skills’21  ’Support the creation and development of networks of youth advocacy CSOs at the national and local levels and strengthen their capacity to articulate the demands of youth who are marginalized and to represent them’; and  ’Support efforts by CSOs to work with youth in developing civic education content and delivering this content to marginalized and disaffected youth through creative mediums.’ Unlike youth, which is a key target group of the project, women are not emphasized as a target group in any project documents. Gender-related issues are not mentioned in either the project components or SANAD’s performance indicators. Instead, gender was considered a cross-cutting issue, i.e. ensuring non-discrimination while implementing all activities. 6.4.0 The effect of targeting only marginalized and disaffected youth. The original project was designed around the needs of marginalized youth, reflecting a typical paradigm of public policies and academic studies22. In the project design, attention was paid to INDH as the mechanism for reducing marginalization, as reflected in Component 3 and 4 (See Section 2). The current situation suggests; however, that marginalized youth are not the only section of Moroccan youth facing challenges. Youth in general suffer from underrepresentation and lack of energy and innovation among political leaders. Furthermore, the issue of marginalization does not pertain only to young people, but rather to a number of population groups. This means that articulating the interests of marginalized people in general – as a common cause, rather than on the basis of the issues facing s specific age group – could be much more effective. In addition, the current situation suggests that INDH is less effective at fighting poverty than it is at introducing executive decentralization23 The issues that provoked the protests in 2011 – suffering caused by social inequality, and a demand for dignity – are themselves very much at the heart of the National Initiative for Human Development. However, the INDH itself was not spared in the protesters’ expressions of discontent, as direct references were in fact made to it at the time. The original project design interpreted advocacy on youth issues as being activities designed to voice demands for political programs that deal with the needs of marginalized youth. However, youth advocacy does not 21 USAID/SANAD Award – MSI task order #263‐I‐02‐06‐00008‐00 22 Annex 1: Background 23 Annex 1: Background.  “Mohamed VI's era is characterized by a growing attention to ‘the local’ as the privileged scale of governance and intervention. Since 1999, the King invited his representatives at the local level, Governors and Walis, to work according to a ‘new concept of authority’ based on proximity, local planning, and accountability. In subsequent years several measures were introduced to make this request effective. The new Communal Charter adopted in 2002 introduced a new administrative sub‐division and increased the power of city council presidents.  In the same year, a royal letter conferred prerogatives on regional Walis in the domain of investments. The 2003 municipal elections renewed political representatives at the local level according to the new administrative configuration. The launch of the National Initiative for Human Development in 2005 can be considered as a further step in the setting of the new local governance architecture”. For more, see Martin, I., 2006. Morocco wakes up to human development. Mediterranean Politics, No. 11: 3, pp. 433‐44.  Berriane, Y., 2010, The Complexities of Inclusive Participatory Governance: The Case of Moroccan Associational Life in the Context of the INDH. Journal of Economic and Social Research, No. 12: 1, pp. 89‐111. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 29 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 target the problems of marginalized youth only, but rather questions of general interest to all Moroccans – such as corruption, the cash economy, constitutional reforms, and the promotion of individual freedoms. The original project design is not suited to supporting advocacy on these kinds of issues, nor is it adequate to give marginalized youth a channel through which to express their demands, which they continue to lack. 6.4.1 Importance of promoting national-local networking. The original project design is relevant to the Mission’s present focus on youth, especially with respect to national-local networking among young people. Since 2009, SANAD has attempted to coordinate activities among various networks of youth organizations and has been working with youth to set up a national platform. The first such attempt, in 2009 – 2010, entailed an eight-month process to facilitate a partnership between different agencies (including youth sections of political parties, youth organizations, and educational organizations), which resulted in the formation of a coalition called the Youth Platform. Several training workshops – including some on advocacy – were conducted, and SANAD assisted these organizations by offering advice and serving as an intermediary in the development of a common strategy. This influenced the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ establishment of a Youth Policy. However, this SANAD initiative was ultimately unsuccessful and the Youth Platform was disbanded by the end of 2010. SANAD then contacted some of the organizations that benefited from this training and assistance again, to work to form a national coalition of youth organizations. The SANAD team resumed close assistance to a much smaller group of eight organizations, in the form of arranging meetings, training, and workshops over a three-month period, to determine a strategy. This was very successful, and resulted in the establishment of a new coalition, the Civil Coalition of Youth for Reform (CCYR). A memorandum that addressed youth demands and outlined a vision for the new constitution was composed and submitted to the National Commission on Constitutional Reform. Of the 100 recommendations formulated by the CCYR, 38 were mentioned in the newly-elected government’s General Declaration. Through SANAD, and with the coordination and support of the French-Moroccan Coordinated Program (PCM), CCYR became involved in the work of other networks of organizations concerned with youth. The partnership between SANAD, PCM, and CNDH facilitated the organization of a national ‘youth caravan’, culminating in a national seminar at which youth coalitions developed a set of common demands to submit to the future Consultative Council on Youth and Associative Action (CCJAA), which was established after the declaration of the new constitution. SANAD’s was able to be part of this initiative due to its flexible financial instruments. SANAD contributed the equivalent of 25 per cent of the budget for the caravan by assuming direct expenses, while PCM contributed 50 per cent, and CNDH covered the remaining 25 per cent of the budget. Despite these positive achievements, the youth coalition supported by SANAD is somewhat fragile. The PCM helped to establish another network of youth organizations, the Moroccan Network for Youth and Consultation (REMAJEC). Unfortunately there are no permanent mechanisms that operate to connect these coalitions that once worked together. Moreover, the existence of other youth networks, such as the Youth for Youth Association (AJJ), which participated in the first SANAD platform, can disrupt unity. The AJJ has since withdrawn from PCM- and SANAD-supported projects to adopt a more autonomous approach vis-à-vis its financial backers. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 30 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 The evaluation team notes that the strategic thinking of many organizations was often the product of individuals who benefitted by receiving training through SANAD assistance. Strategies were often exactly aligned with the strategy developed by SANAD. The strategic documents of the SANAD youth coalition, which were shared with the evaluation team, demonstrate that the coalition’s member organizations were not initially concerned with advocacy and that their consideration of this concept essentially began with the SANAD intervention. Their focus on advocacy was then reinforced by the demands of the new political situation in Morocco. This indicates that this group still suffers from a lack of real autonomous ownership of the formulated strategy beyond its relationship with SANAD. The CCYR, which is made up of organizations that are fragile in terms of their social base and their recognition by other youth organizations, needs additional support to be guaranteed existence beyond the duration of the SANAD project. 6.4.2 The need to link education to youth issues. An additional component focusing on education was added to the SANAD project design after the first year. This educational component has been considered separate from the project’s youth strategy. However, youth and education are closely linked. Indeed, in the current public debate on the issue, education is seen as the main problem at the root of youth unemployment24. Discussion in the public arena has covered questions of youth employability and the need to rethink training, particularly professional training. The original project design, however, was not suited to fostering youth engagement in discussion of topics such as training needs, employability, employment opportunities, and self-employment. Question 6: How well do the project’s interventions respond to changing priorities and needs, especially in light of new political dynamics and the reform movement? SANAD has demonstrated the ability to adapt to the changes in the political context brought about with the new constitution, including the creation of a Consultative Council on Youth and Associative Action (CCJAA) to focus on youth issues. However, SANAD has been less responsive to changes in other matters such as in civil-society government relations and in CSO interaction with national reform commissions. SANAD has, for example, supported Transparency Maroc in its advocacy campaign on the question of the right to access information. This campaign was led by a CSO network and the Moroccan Network for the Right to Information (REMDI), which participates in the work of the Commission for the Reform of the Judiciary, in partnership with the National Human Rights Council (CNDH). While SANAD supports the government’s creation of the Consultative Council on Youth and Associative Action, it does not support CSO advocacy campaigns that target other institutions that have been constitutionalized. A number of bodies, including the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, the Authority for Equality and the Fight Against All Forms of Discrimination, the High Authority of Audiovisual 24 Annex 1: Background. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 31 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Communication, the National Forum for Integrity and Anti- Corruption, the Superior Council of Education, and the Advisory Board for the Family and Children, are currently seeking proposals from CSOs, and are paying close attention to the public debate. Furthermore, a broad coalition encompassing nearly 300 CSOs receiving public or international funding has been formed through the Call from Rabat (Appel de Rabat). The coalition demands accountability and transparency from its member organizations and aims to respond to the government’s attempt to control these partnerships. Several SANAD partners – such as Tanmiya and AMSED – are part of the coalition, but SANAD does not support this movement. In light of SANAD’s five components, its involvement with youth coalitions, and the short-term nature of the project, SANAD elected to concentrate efforts on consolidation of its current initiatives, instead of engaging with new national-level coalitions. Question 7: In what ways has/could the project strengthen the ability of the Mission to work directly with Moroccan CSOs, especially youth-serving organizations, in line with IPR Objective Two? The ability of the USAID Mission to work directly with Moroccan CSOs, especially youth-serving organizations, depends on the:  Capacity of CSOs to absorb USAID funding  Willingness of CSOs to work with USAID, depending on their satisfaction with the SANAD experience  Need for further support to CSOs advocacy initiatives undertaken with SANAD Some of the 18 Grantee CSOs and the 13 Fes PPOCR FPOs meet these criteria. Small CSOs and MPTOs do not meet the criteria to work with USAID directly, because of their lack of resources and weak internal financial and administrative capabilities. The evaluation team concluded that eight of the 13 SANAD-supported Advocacy and Youth Grantees whose members were interviewed were satisfied with their participation in the SANAD project and reported positive impacts on their strategy and evolution. The evaluation team also concluded that the first advocacy initiative supported by SANAD had successful outcomes and should be expanded. The situation of the FPOs that are coordinating local coalitions is quite different. Interviews were conducted with members of three of the 13 FPOs that were able to absorb direct USAID funding. While the foundations necessary for developing collective action have been put in place, no initiatives have been launched or funded to date (though it is expected that this will take place before the end of the SANAD project in November 2012). It should be mentioned that these organizations are working on the assumption that their collaboration with SANAD will continue beyond November 2012, and expect that it will take two more years for results to appear. These organizations’ projects should be evaluated (subject to ongoing funding) within 12 months to assess their capabilities in designing and implementing advocacy strategies. Question 8: Gender Considerations: Has the project developed sustainable measures to SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 32 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 ensure women’s participation in civic action? 38 CSOs responded to the questionnaire. Of the respondents, 24 per cent were women who were president of the organization responding. 33 per cent were women occupying the position of director, and 12 per cent were women who held an executive position within the organization. Women also compromise 35 per cent of the boards of directors of the CSOs SANAD supported. These figures compare positively with figures for women’s participation in the Moroccan context more broadly. Moroccan youth were the key target group for the project. There was no emphasis on women as a target group in any project documents or activities. Instead, gender was a cross-cutting issue, i.e. it was included across the board in terms of ensuring non-discrimination in project implementation Of the seven advocacy campaigns supported by SANAD, only one addressed gender-related issues. This was the campaign by the Initiative for the Protection of Women’s Rights (IPDF) in Fes to change the law on social assistance and shelters for women in crisis. SANAD did review a grant application from the Federation of the Democratic League for Women’s Rights (FLDDF) in 2010, but the organization did not respond to the Best and Final Offer (BAFO) questions sent to them. SANAD also reviewed a grant request from the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM) in 2012 but could not proceed because of the uncertainty of whether or not there would be an extra year or extension period for the project. The training modules did not include any sessions specifically dedicated to gender issues. The SANAD program did not explicitly require the equal representation of men and women among training participants. 7. RECOMMENDATIONS As previously mentioned, the evaluation team, upon conducting the research, identified Question 2 to be of a distinct nature pertinent to future USAID programming in Morocco. The responses to this question, ‘What activities should be modified, expanded or eliminated to improve project effectiveness?’ form part of the key recommendations for improving the project – as presented below. 7.1 Recommendations for improving CSO targeting. Prior to the project implementation phase, it was necessary to select the most appropriate CSO beneficiaries. A process of selecting CSOs to target should be based on a qualitative assessment that examines the needs, existing capacities, and internal strategies of CSOs. Targeting a large number of beneficiaries is time consuming (due to the resulting need to gather and analyze large amounts of data) and risks not capturing differences in CSO needs, which can therefore reduce program effectiveness. By contrast, focusing on a smaller number of CSOs may have a deeper and more lasting impact as the project can then tailor responses to the specific needs of each organization. It is recommended that in future an experimentation phase of working with fewer CSOs be trialed first. Then, if successful, the capacity building program could be extended to a larger number of CSOs or duplicated in other locations. In addition, the process of choosing beneficiaries of support for advocacy action should not involve public programs, as was the case in Fes with the PPOCR. Using government institutions to reach out to CSOs adversely affects the relationship between the project and these CSOs and limits their capacity for independent participation in local government and public dialogue. Interviewees from many CSOs expressed SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 33 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 their frustration that their work with SANAD was organized through the involvement of the district government and stated that they would have preferred a more direct relationship with SANAD. 7.2 Recommendations for capacity building program design. The capacity building program design should always be based on an integrated package of training, funding and technical assistance. The SANAD Grantees that benefited from such a package showed the greatest improvement in their organizational and advocacy capacities. This approach should be expanded to all SANAD beneficiaries. In addition, each component of the capacity building program should be tailored to suit each CSO’s individual needs, initial capacity, and internal strategy. Capacity building activities should take place in the framework of a partnership between CSOs and SANAD, rather than in the framework of a donor-recipient relationship. SANAD’s approach was one in which services were offered to beneficiaries that were not involved in the service design. A genuine partnership would guarantee more commitment from stakeholders and ensure that activities are appropriate and meet the organization’s expressed and objective needs. The training curricula for CSOs should include other themes developed by the CSOs themselves, as this process will also increase their level of expertise. As such, training sessions should not only be led by consultants specialized in CSO capacity building, but also by consultants experienced in other relevant sectors. Training programs should also be designed according to an annual plan in which sessions are organized logically into phases. Between each session, technical assistance and tailored support should be available to ensure that the knowledge acquired by CSOs is put into practice. When implementing activities, the SANAD team’s availability and presence in the field should be increased. Although SANAD has one regional coordinator in Fes, he does not have an office. CSO members interviewed in Fes complained about the high turnover of SANAD staff, which results in delays and in information being lost. Despite logistical constraints and increased costs, the project should consider creating local offices with staff dedicated to specific locations of the project in order to involve CSOs effectively in needs assessments, activity implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. SANAD’s ‘cascade model’ of CSO capacity building was designed to increase the number of beneficiary CSOs. This was an effective approach that should be continued. It can be improved by connecting CSOs around a common subject matter, as this may assist the development of CSO coalitions. For example, a local CSO coalition in Fes, coordinated by a Focal Point or Anchor Organization, can bring together CSOs working on the same issue. This coalition will better enable CSOs to participate in public dialogue, especially if they develop expertise on specific issues and/or become involved in nation-wide coalitions dedicated to addressing the same issues. 7.3 Recommendations for grant policy. Within the sub-grant mechanism, Grantees were only funded once during the three year project. The funding allowed Grantees to take initial steps towards building a longer-term strategy. It would be beneficial to add the possibility of a second grant to support this first phase. Criteria for receiving a second grant should be based on a thorough evaluation of the effectiveness and sustainability of the activities supported by the first grant. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 34 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 In the case of grants to support CSO coalition building, priority should be given to applications made on the basis of a collective strategy design process in which the roles of coalition members are clearly defined. In the current context, local CSO coalitions remain weak because smaller organizations suffer a lack of resources, which limits their active involvement in collective strategy building. Grants awarded to such coalitions should therefore take into account the specific needs of small organizations that lack resources. They should also include support for operational and management costs. The grant mechanism should also ensure that CSOs and coalitions have access to appropriate spaces for meetings and discussions. This is an important concern given particular challenges related to gender norms – namely that lack of access to formal public space can be an obstacle to women’s participation in meetings. 7.4 Recommendations for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The ICT technical assistance provided by SANAD should be more systematic. ICT assistance has been incorporated in SANAD’s activities as a cross-cutting component. This aspect of the SANAD program has been carried out in partnership with Morocco Trade and Development Services (MTDS). This partnership added significant value to the project and should be continued and strengthened to ensure that CSOs are able to make the best use of technologies that meet their needs. Except where they are hosted and managed by CSOs, as opposed to by government bodies, ICT support for databases should be eliminated. This is important to ensure CSO ownership of such technology, in accordance with the goals of the project. ICT assistance that reinforces CSO coalition building is central to the SANAD strategy. However, since coalition building in fact depends primarily on the development of common strategies, a process in which ICT plays a limited role, this aspect can be downsized. Training modules on e-advocacy and the SCREAM IT methodology were seen to increase youth participation in CSOs. However, these modules need to be combined with an action component to ensure that new technologies are put into active use and that they serve the internal strategy of the CSOs concerned. Although Webinars worked well as a tool to share information, they did not prove to be a valuable training tool and it is recommended that their use be reduced. 7.5 Recommendations for INDH local governance. The National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) remains a system through which SANAD can identify development projects for funding. However, it is not designed as a mechanism to elaborate on strategy and policy. SANAD’s strategy sought to bring together diverse stakeholders in local government, from administrations to CSOs. This approach was born of a legitimate concern to ensure the program’s sustainability and efficiency. However, the evaluation found that in this case sustainability came at the expense of effectiveness. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 35 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Furthermore, a program designed to build CSOs’ capacity to engage in advocacy activities should not directly support public institutions in charge of managing the INDH system. INDH was part of the local governance objective of SANAD, initially envisioned to be shared with the USAID/LGP, but SANAD could be more effective if Component 3 dedicated to INDH and local governance was integrated in the USAID program. Comparison of the configuration of the relationships between SANAD and CSOs with local governance institutions in Fes and Sale is revealing. Despite SANAD’s intervention in Sale beginning later than in Fes (the program began in Sale in 2011), it appears that better results were achieved there. This seems to be at least partly thanks to the existing institutionalized representation of CSOs in INDH structures in Sale, which enabled SANAD to target CSOs directly, to support the establishment of CSO coalitions, and to strengthen these organizations’ capacity to engage in advocacy activities. This success should inspire SANAD to implement similar mechanisms in Fes. Support for advocacy capacity building and for CSO coalitions should be expanded to enable CSOs to play a bigger role, as ‘watchdogs’. This is of particular importance for CSOs that do not expect to receive INDH funding. This kind of support should be based on CSOs’ advocacy capacity and coalition building activities and be disconnected from public programs. The latter point is important because a funding relationship between CSOs and government bodies would limit the scope for productive public dialogue and constrain CSO advocacy activities targeted at public institutions and policies. 7.6 Recommendations for the education sector. The evaluation team found that SANAD activities could have been more effective if Component 5, dedicated to education, had been integrated into the USAID/ITQUANE project that focuses on education and MPTOs. SANAD sought to contribute to a higher quality of education by mobilizing community and civil society organizations working in the education sector. MPTOs were identified as critical actors in this process. However, MPTOs are unlike other CSOs as they are considered an extension of the Ministry of Education’s administrative structures and consequently do not enjoy true independence. MPTOs are important stakeholders, but perhaps they formed too large a proportion of the group of CSOs targeted. Furthermore, ambitious targets in terms of the number of MPTOs that SANAD aimed to reach with its capacity building activities led to the failure to appreciate significant challenges and constraints faced by MPTOs, including a lack of governance and weak relations with families. The program could have had a greater impact had it targeted a smaller number of MPTOs and provided them with more support and assistance better tailored to their specific needs. Such a project could be implemented as a pilot, or an experimentation phase, to be evaluated and adjusted before then being extended to a larger number of MPTOs. SANAD also aimed to identify Anchor Organizations in the education sector that could act as intermediaries and provide sustainable capacity building support to MPTOs. Anchor Organizations were mostly public organizations working under the administrative apparatus of the Ministry of Education. Even though this approach contributed to an increase in the capacities of MPTOs, it did not help MPTOs gain autonomy from governing bodies, nor enable them to develop their own management and organizational strategies. Bridging the gap between CSOs and MPTOs should be geared toward fostering common action that would benefit SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 36 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 children and families. This was the case with some of the Education Grantees that were not part of the public system and this approach should be replicated. Another challenge MPTOs face is responding to the needs of the families they represent. SANAD should increase its focus on activities that bring MPTOs closer to families, including specific activities that target families only. This could be achieved by implementing a pilot or experimental project with a small number of MPTOs. 7.7 Recommendations for youth coalitions. As mentioned in the responses to Question 6, SANAD has adapted its activities to respond to the changing political context, as it relates to youth issues. Despite a first unsuccessful attempt to build a national youth coalition, SANAD did contribute to the establishment of another youth CSO coalition and provided training workshops and technical assistance. The partnership between SANAD and other key organizations working on youth issues enabled SANAD to support the Youth Coalition in its participation in a national campaign. CSO coalition building was one of the SANAD program’s most positive achievements. It is recommended that capacity strengthening activities be extended for at least one more year. A new youth strategy should be developed on the basis of a mapping exercise and specific needs assessment of Moroccan youth coalitions. Joint programs and sustainable partnerships with other organizations supporting Youth Coalition should be considered, in order to ensure advocacy activities are more focused and more effective. While SANAD contributed to Youth Coalition activities financially by assuming expenses directly, grant mechanisms should be introduced that support a long-term strategy. USAID/Morocco should support advocacy projects of youth CSOs and coalitions that focus on public policies and issues concerning Moroccan society as a whole, rather than solely supporting campaigns on issues that are assumed to be ‘youth-specific’. This would reinforce CSO advocacy coalitions on specific issues and strengthen the inclusion of youth as a key section of Moroccan society. ANNEX 1: BACKGROUND 1. Political agenda setting within the Moroccan monarchy. 1.1 CSOs and the construction of the political agenda. Political life in Morocco is accompanied by a vibrant public debate in which different voices are expressed in diverse formats and arenas.  Views on topics such as secular feminism, Islamic feminism, human rights, social and economic rights, employment, and housing show a degree of polarization in Moroccan society.  Many groups, including political parties, labor and business unions, intellectual and religious milieus, Associations, and Non‐Governmental Organizations are engaged in some form of advocacy on these issues. There is substantial literature on Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in Morocco.  Two types of Associations25 are defined in this literature: Advocacy Associations and Service Providing Associations.  The former 25 Tozy, M., La société civile, entre transition démocratique et consolidation autoritaire: le cas du Maroc, in Bozzo Anna and Luizard Pierre‐jean (eds.), Les sociétés civiles dans le monde musulman, La découverte, Paris, 2011.   SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 37 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 organizations are those that really represent Moroccan civil society, and these are the organizations that have a key role to play in advancing political change.  Service Providing Associations are the organizations that implement national development strategies. Historically, Advocacy Associations in Morocco have been human rights and feminist organizations.  Most were founded during the 1980s and were associated with leftist political organizations and currents.26  More recently, Advocacy Associations have broadened their scope and a new generation of rights‐based organizations, such as Transparency Maroc and Handicap Coalitions, has emerged.  Despite their leftist political philosophies, Moroccan Advocacy Associations tend to avoid political affiliations while campaigning for political change.   The monarchy plays a key role in the process of agenda setting in Morocco – a process whose mechanisms submit to the logic of the ’defused political realm’, as described by Mohamed Tozy.27  The King's initiatives influence public debate significantly, resulting in an ‘antipolitics of public policies’.28  Issues put on the agenda are disconnected from the public and are resolved with technical responses, with little community intervention.  For this reason, informal channels for addressing messages to the King – through his advisers and courtiers – are equally (or even more) important for creating change than public debate.  Indeed, in terms of influencing political agenda setting, these channels can be more effective than even the most important advocacy associations’ campaigns.   1.2 The democratic legitimacy of the Moroccan regime. The monarchy is a central and critical institution in Morocco’s political system.  However, there are several arguments that support the Moroccan regime’s democratic legitimacy: the existence of a constitution and constitutional institutions; the adoption of a multiparty political system; regular and fair elections; and the existence of a code of civil liberties.  These arguments were reinforced in the last decade of King Hassan II’s reign, during which there was increased attention to human rights, freedom of expression, and a denunciation of the repressive practices of the previous years.29  During that time, CSOs came to be celebrated in mainstream political discourse and some key civil society figures were promoted to public office, which resulted in a certain renewal of political elites.30  This process culminated in 1998 in the formation – for the first time – of an ‘alternation’ government, which brought the political opposition into government (though though the latter was unsuccessful in subsequent elections).31 The new King Mohamed VI, crowned in 1999, gave a ‘new look’ to the monarchic institution.  He was presented as the leader of a ‘peaceful democratic revolution’ in the political system.  Because of his young age, his zeal, and the various social initiatives he championed, King Mohamed VI gained legitimacy as the ‘King of the poor, entrepreneurs, youth, and women’ and became a symbol of moderate Islam.  After the bomb attacks of May 16, 2003, the King renewed investment in the political and religious arenas and began referring to a project to build a ‘democratic and modern society‘. 26 Roque, Maria‐Angels, La société civile au Maroc: L’émergence de nouveaux acteurs de développement, Editions Publisud, 2004. 27 Tozy, M., Monarchy and Policy in Morocco, Paris, Presses de Sciences‐Po, 1999. 28 Hibou Béatrice, Le mouvement du 20 février, le Makhzen et l’antipolitique, May 2011, www.ceri‐sciences‐po.org. 29 Ottaway Marina, From top‐down reform to democratic transition, Carnegie Papers, 2007. 30 Catusse Myriam, Le charme discret de la société civile. Ressorts politiques de la formation d’un groupe dans le Maroc "ajusté", Revue Internationale de Politique Comparée, n°2, Paris, 2002. 31 Vairel Frédéric and Catusse Myriam, Le Maroc de Mohammed VI: Mobilisations et action publique, Revue Politique Africaine, Paris, 2011. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 38 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 1.3 Political context challenged by recent political transformations. The monarchy’s influential role in political agenda setting was renewed in 2011 in the wake of the Arab Spring.  The ‘historic royal speech’ of March 9, 2011 came at a time when the community was calling for change and democratization.  In the speech he outlined a reform agenda that included a review of the constitution and called for early parliamentary elections.  The King determined a ‘road map’ for this political agenda, transposing the demands for political change into institutional change and thus confining public debate to issues surrounding the operational plans for constitutional reform.    2. Agenda setting in the Moroccan local governance configuration. 2.1 ‘Local’ as a crucial level for public authorities and civil society intervention. Mohamed VI's era is characterized by a growing attention to ‘the local’ as a privileged scale of governance and intervention.  Since 1999, the King has invited his representatives at the local level, Governors and Walis, to work according to a ’new concept of authority’32 based on proximity, local planning, and accountability.   The launch of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) in 2005 was another step in establishing the new architecture of local governance.33  Governors were permitted extra resources for development initiatives implemented at the local level, provided that they adopted a participatory approach that involved locally‐elected representatives, CSOs, and civil servants.  The result was an increase in the number of CSOs working at the local level.    At around this time, the INDH was engaged in raising awareness of the problem of poverty and was allocated funding to do so – along with other social public institutions such as Mutual Aid, the Mohamed V Foundation, and the Social Development Agency.  As a consequence, numerous Associations were established to act as a channel to access funding to develop social service delivery.  The role of civil society was officially recognized in mainstream public discourse and even promoted to support development initiatives.34 2.2 The ‘local’ remains an arena for executive action, not decision making. These developments in the architecture of local governance did not succeed in bringing about actual or meaningful decentralization to the extent that political agenda setting became a local process.  Governors and Walis aside, delegates of different ministries were asked to play a role in local development, but their limited – and unchanged – prerogatives prevented them from building meaningful partnerships. Competing agendas of different administrative bodies and tensions between elected and administrative governance structures resulted in a persisting lack of convergence.  The local level of government thus remains more an arena for executive action than a level at which any major decision‐making takes place.   Since both the decentralization and human development projects were issued as royal initiatives, local political agendas related to them were not subject to public debate.  In the absence of local arenas for public debate, participatory mechanisms were introduced for local planning processes. 32 Bono Irene, Pauvreté, exception, participation. Mobilisation et démobilisation 'dans le cadre de l'INDH', in M. Catusse, B. Destremau, E. Verdier (eds.), L'Etat face aux débordements du social au Maghreb. Formation, travail et protection sociale, Paris, Karthala, 2010. 33 Ibid. 34 Bono, Irene, Le phénomène participatif au Maroc à travers ses styles d’action et ses normes, Les Etudes du CERI, 166, June 2010. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 39 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 In this configuration, Associations have become an important channel for revitalizing social development.   Although Service Providing Associations are usually thought of as being non‐political and focused solely on people’s needs, they are in fact grounded in a politicized environment with important ties to various administrative and political actors.  Their broker position in resource redistribution serves to renew and reinforce the logics of local patronage systems.   2.3 Disconnection between the local and national levels. The 2011 political transformations unveiled the difference in public debate on issues at the central level and those at the local level.  While the February 20, 2011 movement in the main cities succeeded in coordinating demonstrations focused on a shared set of demands, at the local level the uprisings took the form of public disorder riots, far beyond the framework proposed by Associations and intermediary corps.  Instead of articulating demands for institutional change, local riots focused on social and economic issues, such as the high cost of living, the lack of basic social services, and high rates of chronic unemployment.  When instigators of the February 20, 2011 movement tried to frame the riots in peripheral areas, locally‐elected authorities engaged in a counteroffensive, using coercive methods to repress public demonstrations – an action enabled by the lack of freedom to associate.   3. Youth at the top of the political agenda, but marginalized in public debate. 3.1 Youth participation in public debate. According to 2012 figures from the World Bank,35 youth (aged 15 to 29) make up 30 per cent of Morocco‘s total population and 44 per cent of the working age population (aged 15 to 64).  The demographic significance of the youth population has not translated into equally significant youth participation in public debate.  Youth participation has traditionally been very limited in conventional arenas of public debate, but young people have become a key player  in contentious politics.    Contentious forms of political participation have traditionally been associated with youth in Morocco, from the nationalist chabiba, to the urban youth of the uprisings in the 1980s and 1990s, and on February 20, 2011.  In parallel, several studies have emphasized the negative attitudes of youth toward political parties and CSOs.36  The participation of young men and women in political parties is very limited and, although the minimum age to vote has been lowered from 20 to 18 years, the rate of electoral participation of young Moroccans is also very low.37  In addition, Associations involved in youth cultural and sporting activities have long been the only youth Associations institutionally recognized as partners in the public policy making process. 3.2 Youth in the political agenda.   Youth‐related concerns are at the top of the political agenda.  However, in the absence of adequate mechanisms to support young people’s participation in public debate, the youth population continues to be seen as a structurally problematic section of society – a perspective that hides the significant problems facing the Moroccan political, social and economic systems.  For example, the increased number of jobseekers is 35World Bank, Kingdom of Morocco: Promoting youth opportunities and participation, Middle East and North Africa Region, Sustainable Development Department, May 2012. 36 Civil Society Index, Espace Associatif and Civicus, 2011. 37 Bennani‐Chraïbi, M., Catusse, M. et, J.‐C. Santucci, dir, Scènes et coulisses de l’élection au Maroc. Les Législatives 2002, Paris, Iremam‐Karthala, 2004. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 40 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 often considered to be a more important cause of unemployment than the limits in the economic system’s ability to create jobs.  In the same way, drug use, illegal migration, and political radicalism are considered stereotypical ‘youth problems’.   ‘The youth’ are often conceived of as a monolithic category, not subject to any political, social, or economic stratification, and belonging to this category is considered a stronger basis of identity than any other territorial, political, or social affiliation.  In fact, increasing unemployment, persistent illiteracy, rapid urbanization, and rapidly changing family patterns can be seen as the main factors that explain social exclusion38. Public policy, however, focuses more on the issue of ‘marginalized youth’ as an isolated category, instead of targeting the structural causes of the problems perceived by policy makers.   3.3 In 2011, youth were in the front line of the national scene. Various different manifestations of youth dissent were seen in 2011. This highlights the rejection by young people of conventional forms of expression in public debate and the search for new forms of participation. While demanding economic and social inclusion and a generational renewal in the political class, ‘the youth’ began to be seen not as a monolithic category but as diverse political, social, and economic players.39  The question of political participation was then recognized for the first time as a ‘youth problem’ at the top of the political agenda, alongside the traditional issues (unemployment, marginalization) associated with youth.   The steps recently introduced to begin to address this problem have been taken in an ad hoc manner – there is no precedent or protocol to follow.  First, the new constitution provided for the creation of the Consultative Council on Youth and Associative Action.  In addition, a youth quota was instituted for the first time in the November 25 elections in order to improve youth participation in the electoral corps.  These extraordinary measures brought about a window of opportunity to integrate youth policy.  Despite these advances, however, youth‐related issues continue to elicit only conventional responses in public policy and strategy. 4. Education: A domain of royal initiative and intervention. 4.1 Education in the public debate. Since the nationalist movement, access to education and its importance as a channel for citizenship has been at the core of public debate.  At the same time, educational institutions such as schools and universities have traditionally been important arenas of debate.  Many reform and political movements have been born in educational institutions and many of the issues they raise have been related to the education system.   4.2 A domain of royal intervention. The political agenda on education has traditionally been a domain of royal intervention.  In 1999, the National Education and Training Charter (CNEF) created by King Hassan II built the foundations for strategies, policies, and programs to develop the education system from 2000‐2009.  In 2009 the Emergency National Education Program was launched, covering the period from 2009 to 2012.  Its purpose was to accelerate the implementation of CNEF reforms, consolidate gains already made, and to make necessary adjustments.   38 Boudarbat Ibrahim and Ajbilou Aziz, Youth exclusion in Morocco: Context, consequences and policy, middle east youth initiative working paper #5, Wolfensohn Center for Development and Dubaï School of Government, September 2007. 39 Bono Irene, Jeunesse nouvelle classe sociale?, in Mouvements sociaux: Refus de l’économisme et retour du politique, Revue Economicus n°19, Paris, 2012. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 41 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Expanding access to education and increasing enrolment rates have been the most important goals of Morocco’s education policy, and the country has made considerable progress. USAID has been a key partner to several education programs, such as Millennium Education Goal (MEG) and Advancing Learning and Employability for a Better Future (ALEF).   The primary enrolment rate reached 94 per cent in 2007, approaching the objective of universal primary education.  Secondary education enrolment has increased by 40 per cent over the last seven years to reach 1,404,175 students enrolled in secondary education in 2007.  The availability of education has been accompanied by a substantial reduction in the disparity in primary education enrolment rates between urban and rural areas, as well as between the sexes.  In 2006/2007, the net rate of primary school enrolment for girls was 91.6 per cent, compared to the national average of 94 per cent.40 Although education policy is designed through public debate and consultation, CSOs are heavily involved in its implementation.  Associations engaged in alphabetization initiatives, in rural schooling and through Mother, Parent, and Tutor Organizations (MPTOs) have started to take part in the management of educational institutions.  In this context, USAID expanded the Improving Training for Quality Advancement in National Education (ITQANE) program, which is dedicated to supporting the ‘Emergency Plan’, and supported SANAD to mobilize communities and civil society to improve the quality of education.   4.3 The 2011 change process and education. Recent political events and transformations have further demonstrated the marginalization of the issue of education and related interest groups in public debate.  Unlike in the past, the presence of students, parents, and education professionals as interest groups has been weak, both in the protests and in the reform process.   The promise of hiring graduates in public administration has weakened the participation of unemployed graduates in the February 20, 2011 movement, and resulted in several splits between protesters and their demands at the national and local levels.  Although the relationship between education and employment has been placed high on the political agenda, deeper reflection on the mission and orientation of education in Morocco is lacking in the reform process. 40 African Development Bank – National Education Emergency Support Program – Appraisal 2006. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 42 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 ANNEX 2: THE EVALUATION TEAM The team is composed of four subject experts and two research associates, who worked under the supervision and management of a team leader.   Pierre Tainturier, Team Leader, is a consultant and he has a PhD in sociology.  He has a strong track record in project management and monitoring and evaluation with several international NGOs.  He specializes in CSOs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Irene Bono, Sector Analyst, is a political sociologist.  She is a lecturer at the University of Turin, Italy, and a researcher at the University of Casablanca.  Her main field of research is the phenomenon of participation in local governance in Morocco. Her particular focus is on the Human Development National Initiative (INDH) and the education sector.  She has participated in several studies on CSOs and youth movements in Morocco. Mohamad Bouja, Sector Analyst, is a consultant with a long track record in project management and evaluation in Morocco.  He has led several social and economic studies and evaluated programs related to literacy and education in Morocco for government bodies and international organizations.   Mohamed Wazif, Sector Analyst, he has a PhD in political science at the University of Casablanca.  He has participated in several studies on youth participation, especially on the February 20, 2011 movement and on perceptions of the INDH. Joanne Wedum, Gender Analyst, has participated on a virtual basis to ensure gender issues are covered throughout the evaluation.  She has more than fifteen years’ experience in international development and in ‘gender mainstreaming’ in development programs.  She has extensive knowledge of international standards on women’s rights and related instruments, with specific experience in Morocco.   This team is assisted by two Research Associates, Fatima Behali and Mustapha al Mnasfi.  They are both post graduate students in political science who have strong field research experience. In terms of language skills, Mohamed Wazif, Mohamed Bouja and Mustapha al Mnasfi are native speakers of Arabic and are fluent in French.  Pierre Tainturier is a native speaker of French, is fluent in English, and speaks Arabic.  Irene Bono is fluent in English and French and also has fair Arabic language skills.  Fatima Behali is a native Arabic speaker, and is fluent in French and English.   SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 43 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 ANNEX 3: EVALUATION PLAN 1. Overview of SANAD. The evaluation team’s understanding of the Project is based on an analysis of documents and interviews with the Chief of Party and the coordinators of USAID’s implementing partner, Management Systems International (MSI).  SANAD is managed by a consortium of three implementing partners, led by MSI.  International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) and Morocco Trade and Development Services (MTDS) were originally intended to support the Project by providing SANAD with technical assistance on information and communication technologies and education matters.  However at the time of the evaluation, an agreement had been signed with MTDS but there was no partnership with IREX. SANAD focused on the following five components (C):  C1: Strengthening civil society institutional capacity and advocacy.    C2: Encouraging synergies between the national and local levels of civil society.  C3: Developing the capacity of local associations to play a strategic role in the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) process.  C4: Increasing the capacity of CSOs, including community and youth organizations, to advocate on behalf of marginalized and disaffected youth and to collaborate with local and national government in innovative youth programs.  C5: Enhancing the capacity of local level organizations to use civil society mobilization and advocacy to improve education quality at the community level. Initially, the Project was based on the first four components.  Component 5 relating to education was added several months after the SANAD Project commenced.  Education has been one of the main sectors of USAID’s strategy in Morocco, which has included several programs in the last decade, such as Millennium Education Goal (MEG) and ALEF.  At the same time that SANAD was launched in 2009, USAID started another education project called Improving Training for Quality Advancement in National Education (ITQANE) with the objective of supporting the ‘Projet d’Etablissement’.  SANAD’s Component 5 aimed to build synergies between the education sector‐based project, ITQANE, and the civil society support project, SANAD. The five components are interrelated, the common thread being the aim of strengthening the capacity of CSOs to engage in advocacy and to participate in governance.  Component 1 presents the overarching objective of the Project, whereas the other four specify the different areas of focus – either target groups, such as youth (Component 4), the sector of intervention, such as education (Component 5), or the level of intervention, such as local (Components 3, 4 and 5) or national (Components 2 and 3).  As a consequence, any given activity can fall within several components.  Organizational and advocacy capacity building activities related to component 1 can be reported against all the components.  Component 2 and 3 activities can also focus on youth issues (Component 4) as well as on education (Component 5).   The interrelationship between components is demonstrated by the systematic implementation of activities aimed at CSO capacity building.  These activities can be classified into three broad groups:  Organizational and advocacy training.  Sub‐grant mechanism.  Methodological and technical assistance. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 44 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Recipients of these activities are CSOs that can be classified into the following groups of different ‘types’:  Nationwide CSOs with advocacy experience.  Anchor Organizations involved in the development sector whose mission is to build the capacity of other organizations at the national and local levels.  Nationwide CSO networks acting as an umbrella and/or representative for local organizations.  Metropolitan and neighborhood CSOs that work as service providers in all kinds of sectors, such as health, education, and social support.  Youth organizations, formed by youth to address their needs and claims, established at the local or national levels.  Mother, Parent, and Tutor Organizations involved in local school governance. The initial Project documentation determines that a minimum of 100 beneficiary CSOs are to be targeted.   The evaluation team found that 739 CSOs have been supported by the Project over three years.  Of these 739 CSOs, approximately 450 received significant support from the Project. CSOs are the main beneficiary of SANAD activities and support, but the Project also involves public stakeholders such as INDH, the Social Development Agency, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Youth and Sport.  Partnerships were established with these stakeholders to assist with implementing activities and to leverage existing public programs and initiatives.  Different partnerships and strategies were established by SANAD according to the local configuration of programs and the level of cooperation between administrative bodies.   SANAD targets three main geographic areas.  These locations were selected on the basis of a civil society mapping and assessment exercise, the first activity conducted by MSI after the Memorandum of Understanding was signed with USAID.  The criteria defined by MSI were the presence of an active civil society, combined with youth at risk.  MSI identified suburban areas on the outskirts of big cities subject to rural‐urban migration as relevant areas for intervention.  This initially resulted in the selection of two governorates:  Fès‐Boulemane and Rabat‐Salé‐Zemmour‐Zaër.  At a later date, through discussion with USAID, Doukkala‐Abda governorates and the city of Al Jadida were also included in the Project. 2. Evaluation scope of work. This evaluation serves two main purposes as a key component for USAID’s future programming:  To provide the Mission with concrete evidence regarding the extent to which the Project has achieved its goals at all levels of the results framework; and  To inform the design of the new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and new civil society activities. A set of questions were formulated in the scope of the work to guide the evaluation. They are listed here order of importance: 1. How effectively did the Project’s training activities targeting advocacy contribute to achieving the assistance objective?   2. What activities should be modified, expanded or eliminated to improve Project effectiveness? 3. To what degree (or in what specific ways) have the internal capacity and the advocacy capacity of targeted CSOs improved over the Project period to date? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 45 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 4. How sustainable (both financially and programmatically) are the activities supported by the sub‐grant mechanism of the Project? 5. How relevant is the original Project design in the current situation of the Mission priority, women and youth?    6. How well do the Project’s interventions respond to changing priorities and needs, especially in light of new political dynamics and the reform movement? 7. In what ways has/could the Project strengthen the ability of the Mission to work directly with Moroccan CSOs, especially youth‐serving organizations, in line with IPR Objective Two? 8. Gender Considerations: Has the Project developed sustainable measures to ensure women’s participation in civic engagement? The above evaluation questions can be merged into three framing questions:   1. Effectiveness (question 1, 2, 3): relates to the extent to which the intervention's objectives were achieved, where priority is given to assessing the effect of the activities rather than the process of their implementation. 2. Relevance (5, 6): concerns the extent to which the objectives of the intervention are consistent with beneficiaries' requirements, needs, and stakeholder policies. 3. Sustainability (4): relates to the continuation of benefits from the intervention after major development assistance has been completed. In order to measure Project Effectiveness, the team evaluated whether the three main groups of activities (training, sub grant mechanism support to CSOs, and technical assistance) resulted in an increased number of:  CSOs and coalitions engaging in advocacy.    Advocacy campaigns.  Public policies influenced by the CSOs.   These performance indicators relate to the Project’s goal as defined in the Performance Monitoring Plan and the database designed for this purpose. When examining Project Relevance, the evaluation team determined whether the activities and implementation strategy reflected the intention of USAID – which was to address the lack of capacity that prevents Moroccan CSOs from advocating for citizens’ concerns or promoting democratic reform.  The institutional environment and its continuous evolution also determine opportunities and constraints that impact the capacity of CSOs to develop and execute advocacy strategies.  The evaluation team sought to understand to what extent Project outcomes can be attributed to internal or external factors and in what way the SANAD Project adjusted to the evolving environment.  Correlation between the needs expressed by the beneficiary CSOs and the activities implemented by SANAD is also a crucial factor for determining Project relevance. The evaluation of the Sustainability of the Project’s activities derived from the Effectiveness and Relevance analyses.  It was also complemented by an examination of the financial viability and organizational capacity of beneficiary CSOs. Two evaluation questions (5 and 8) also explicitly address gender considerations.  Women are not emphasized in any Project documents as a target group, nor are gender‐related issues mentioned in the Project components or performance indicators.  As a consequence, gender considerations are taken into account as a cross‐cutting issue and are included within the methodological tools of the evaluation.    SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 46 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 3. Methodology.   The main deliverables from the evaluation team are an analysis of the impact of the SANAD program and recommendations for adjusting the current program and/or future programming options.   It should be noted that the scope of work, the length of the assessment and the available modalities of the evaluation – most notably the lack of a control group – preclude a true impact evaluation.  The evaluation strives to account for the effects of the activities, identifying what changes can be attributed to internal strategic and operating decisions and what changes are likely due to external factors such as the evolution of the context and the position of stakeholders. The main focus of the evaluation is to measure the capacity of CSOs to advocate and participate in governance.  The evaluation relies on a combination of quantitative and qualitative research performed on a sample of beneficiary CSOs and public stakeholders.  External informants were also targeted to allow the researchers to benefit from external perspectives.   Qualitative data collection includes a combination of individual and collective interviews (focus groups) whose protocols have been tailored by the evaluation team to be applied to a range of sub‐categories (clusters) within the sample of beneficiary CSOs. A survey was also be carried out by administering a questionnaire to the sample of CSOs, corresponding to a critical mass that allowed for statistical analysis. The methodology developed was based on a desktop review that was carried out during the first ten days of the evaluation. The evaluation team focused on:  Gathering information on Moroccan civil society, democratic reform, and local governance issues.  Collating the policies implemented by government bodies supported by bilateral and multilateral donors.  An initial analysis of the SANAD Project that allowed several assumptions to be drawn, which was subsequently tested with data collected through fieldwork.  Reviewing materials for methodology planning. 3.1. Sampling strategy. Field data collection methodology was based on a representative sample of beneficiary CSOs.   The sample takes into account the geographical location and scope of SANAD‐supported CSOs.  CSOs at the local level are those based in the three regions and cities of intervention: Fes, Sale and Al Jadida.  Those operating at the national level are network‐based CSOs located in Rabat and Casablanca.  Of the 739 beneficiary CSOs identified by MSI, 54 per cent are in Fes, 33 per cent in Sale, two per cent in Al Jadida, and 11 per cent work at the national level.   Clusters of beneficiary CSOs were set up in order to proceed with a randomized selection.  They are:     Cluster 1: CSOs conducting advocacy initiatives at the local or national level.    Cluster 2: Youth coalitions and associations operating at the national level.  Cluster 3: Local teams set up and involved in the INDH process to conduct field assessments in order to design development plans. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 47 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012  Cluster 4: CSOs and coalitions that address youth issues at the local level.  Cluster 5: Parent Teacher Associations and other CSOs specifically involved in the education sector. The evaluation team targeted a total of 131 CSOs; 23 in Rabat/Casablanca, 54 in Fes, 49 in Sale, and 5 in Al Jadida.  These organizations are some of the 450 CSOs that have received significant support from the Project. The evaluation team also took into account SANAD’s cascading model of CSO capacity building, wherein MSI partnered with large Anchor Organizations to provide smaller, local CSOs with capacity building support.  This created two discernible groups of beneficiary CSOs:    Anchor Organizations – those that benefit from SANAD capacity building activities/training and go on to share their knowledge with, and support, smaller CSOs.  Recipient CSOs – CSOs that receive training and assistance from the Anchor Organizations.      A sample of non‐CSO institutions was also drawn, as follows:  Ministry of Social Affairs and the Directorate of Fes and Sale.  Ministry of Youth and Sports.  Ministry of Education and the Directorate of Fes, Sale and Al Jadida.  Regional Academy of Education in Fes, Sale and Al Jadida.  The Social Development Agency and the Departments of Fes and Sale. 3.2. Survey as the main quantitative data collection tool. A survey was carried out through the administration of a questionnaire to the entire sample of 131 beneficiary CSOs.  The survey was sent to the relevant project manager or chairman of the organization. The questionnaire covered the organizations’ profile and structure, as well as their organizational and advocacy capacity.  It was designed using the baseline of CSOs developed by MSI and supported by SANAD. The survey was tested and adjusted before being administered to the whole sample. Survey questionnaire data were entered and analyzed using SPSS. 3.3. Field qualitative data collection and analysis. Field qualitative data collection was based on a mixed approach of focus groups, semi‐structured individual interviews, and observation with beneficiary CSOs, public stakeholders, and key informants. Interviews and focus groups with beneficiary CSOs took place after the questionnaire was administered.  They aimed to explore the answers collected in the survey and provide further insights on advocacy capacity, strategy, and participation in governance.  The relevance and effectiveness of the projects developed by CSOs and their connection to SANAD’s strategy and activities were also discussed. The individual interviews prioritized Anchor Organizations.  Focus groups were conducted with the smaller beneficiary CSOs as this enabled the evaluation team to hear feedback from multiple organizations at the same time. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 48 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Interviews took place in the CSOs’ offices.  An observation checklist was designed to reinforce data collection by checking verbal information. 3.3.1. Individual interviews. A total of 27 individual interviews were conducted with:  14 randomly‐selected organizations from Cluster 1.  3 Anchor CSOs from Cluster 2.  6 randomly‐selected Anchor CSOs from Cluster 4.  4 Anchor CSOs from Cluster 5 and randomly‐selected PTAs. A tailored protocol was designed for each cluster. 3.3.2. Focus groups. Focus groups are considered a qualitative method that complemented the questionnaires completed by CSO project managers or chairmen.   The evaluation team led guided and interactive discussions for groups of eight individuals.  A total of 15 focus groups were conducted to explore the evolution of the CSOs’ organizational and advocacy capacity and the effect of the institutional environment on their capacity and activities.   Specific protocols were designed to adapt the focus groups to participants from different clusters.   3.3.3. Key informant interviews. Semi‐structured individual interviews were conducted with key informants at the local and national levels.   Key informants are the executive members of the Project stakeholders, such as SANAD’s public partners. Between five and six interviews were conducted in Fes, Sale, Rabat, and Al Jadida.  Key external informants, such as individuals involved in the local governance process, were also interviewed.    At the national level, interviews were conducted with five individuals targeted by CSO advocacy campaigns as part of their lobbying activities, in order to evaluate CSOs’ influence on political reform.    4. Work plan. The evaluation team strove to meet the schedule presented in the scope of work and complete the evaluation within 6 weeks – as shown below.  French and Arabic were the main languages used by the team.   The final evaluation report and associated annexes have been translated into English. Task Roles Weeks   1 2 3 4 5 6 Desktop review of literature Team Leader and the three experts SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 49 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Individual meetings with MSI Chief of Party and coordinators Team Leader and the three experts Logistics preparation Team Leader and the Research Assistant with the support of the MSI team Develop evaluation plan and methodological tools Entire team Submit work plan with detailed methodology for USAID approval   Team Leader   Quantitative and qualitative field data collection in Fes Experts with support of Research Assistants and Team Leader supervision Quantitative and qualitative field data collection in Al Jadida, Sale, and Rabat/Casablanca Experts with support of Research Assistants and Team Leader supervision Key informant interviews Team Leader and experts Tabulate data Research Assistants Data analysis in French Experts under the supervision of Team Leader Translation of analysis RPCD/Cairo Prepare PPT presentations and one‐ pagers for dissemination of results.   Submit to USAID for approval Team Leader with the support of experts Presentation of draft report Team Leader   Insert feedback from Mission in Report and finalize.    Team Leader         The final report will be submitted at the end of week 7.  It should not exceed 30 pages, excluding annexes. 5. Limitations. The main risks identified that could impede the evaluation related to logistics.  They included:  The ability to arrange meetings quickly with the entire sample, as this depended on the willingness and availability of selected organizations.    Several activities that involve SANAD partners and beneficiaries were due to take place during the evaluation period, which risked creating scheduling conflicts.  MSI had commenced its own internal evaluation that could have interfered with this external evaluation commissioned by USAID.  CSOs and stakeholders could have been reluctant to become involved in a second similar process if they had already been interviewed by MSI.  The evaluation took place in June and July.  These are critical months for those involved in the education sectors due to exams. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 50 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 The team made every effort to avoid or overcome these obstacles and informed and consulted USAID as early as possible in the case of delays that occurred. SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 51 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 ANNEX 4: METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS   Interview Checklist No. 1 – SANAD Grantee Associations This interview checklist was used only for Grantee Associations – i.e. Associations that have been funded by the SANAD Project to set up an advocacy project. Individual interviews cover the consistency, relevance and effectiveness of these activities in strengthening CSOs’ advocacy and governance capabilities.  The checklist was intended to collect data on the development of the CSO and situational information, as well as recommendations on how the activities and/or Project could be improved. This checklist complements the questionnaires previously sent to all beneficiary CSOs, but allowed the evaluation team to explore responses and issues more deeply. Structure of the interview  Presentation  Filling out questionnaire  Interview (approx. 90 mins) Objectives of the interview: Objective 1: To understand SANAD’s relevance and impact with respect to the Association’s organizational capabilities (15 minutes). Objective 2: To understand SANAD’s relevance and impact with respect to the Association’s advocacy activity (15 minutes). Objective 3: To understand SANAD’s relevance and results with respect to the Association’s participation in the governance configuration to which it is related (15 minutes). Objective 4: To understand the interviewee’s development.    Objective 5: To gather significant situational information to prepare for the activity (15 minutes). Objective 6: To gather information for evaluation and recommendations (15 minutes). List of possible questions for Objective 1:  History of SANAD in relation to the Association concerned: since when, how did it begin, roughly what does the support consist of? Prior experience with USAID projects?  An important element of SANAD’s program is to strengthen the CSO’s organizational capabilities: SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 52 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 o Description of Organization: How is your organization structured? (Official body, departments, sections.) Have there been changes in your organization in recent years and why? Number of terms served by the last chairman, treasurer and general secretary? How often does the board of directors meet? Has there been a change? Why? o Description of working method: Is there a formal organizational plan? Is there an organizational chart by function and contact available to all members/employees? If so, how long has it existed and how has it changed? If none, do you intend to make an organizational chart? o Description of Administrative Management: Administrative, funding, and HR system management: is there a differentiation of duties between the financial manager and executive management? Purchasing procedure? Recruitment procedure? Activity reporting procedure? Weekly or monthly team meetings? Association financial management tool (overall budget by funding and project backer)? If so, for how long? Have there been changes? If not, do you intend to set up such a tool?  Training activities:   o What capability‐strengthening training have you received? What was your previous experience with training? o How is training relevant to the characteristics of your Association? o What continuities and what differences are there with respect to other capability‐strengthening initiatives from which you have benefited?  Results of SANAD initiatives in which you have participated: o How have you used the initiatives? What benefits and what limitations were there? o How have you applied or disseminated them internally (e.g. feedback meeting, creating an internal study committee with a proposal report).    o Have you undertaken new projects to change your way of organizing the Association and your work as a result of such training?   (Remark: Check existing documents, files, shelves and staff present on site). List of possible questions for Objective 2:  SANAD seeks to strengthen the Association’s advocacy activity: o What is advocacy? What does it mean to strengthen your advocacy activity? What is the priority of advocacy among all your activities? What advocacy activities have you conducted in the past two years? What is your analysis of the problems to be addressed by your advocacy activity? o What share of your time budget is devoted to advocacy? What are your other activities? Do you articulate these activities in terms of advocacy?    What can be done to strengthen the Association’s advocacy activities: o What kind of SANAD assistance benefits have you received (tools, advice, contacts)? What relevant assistance have you received with respect to the characteristics of your organization? o How did other prior projects seek to support this aspect of your activity? How do other projects do so currently? What did they consist of and how were they different from SANAD’s support? o Have you worked in partnership with other funding backers? Name them. What has been most useful/beneficial and why? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 53 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 o Based on the response associated with the location of the beneficiaries, what are the mechanisms and methods you used to enable the beneficiaries to prepare their strategies?    Results of assistance received through SANAD: o What change would you like to promote with your activity? What change have you achieved through your activity with respect to your beneficiary‐related issue (youth and women)? Give examples. Which of your requests have been taken into account by the authorities and which have not? What other proposals would you like to make and what strategy will you implement to have these proposals taken into account? o How was SANAD helpful in formulating your strategy? Has the advocacy training been helpful? How have you put it into practice? How has the assistance you received been helpful? Is it sufficient? What is lacking? Do you feel you will need it again or has it been sufficient? What type of support will you require in the future? Training (what kind?), funding, other assistance?   o What was the media coverage of your activity (article, reporting, or interview)? Did you find it difficult to work with newspaper, radio and TV media? Why?   o Have you been contacted and visited since you set up your project on social networks (has traffic increased)?   (Remark: Ask to see the written strategy based on the response to the questionnaire). List of possible questions for Objective 3:  SANAD also seeks to strengthen CSOs’ participation in governing bodies: o Who are the players involved in the governance of your area of activity? What are their methods of participation? Why these players (and these methods) and not others? What does it mean to strengthen your participation?   o How much interest is there in participating in governance of the area at the core of your activities and what is your role in this configuration? How are you structured to ensure coordination and monitoring of the body’s activities? How is your participation related to your Association’s other activities? Specifically, how is it related to your advocacy activity? How is it related to networking with other Association players?    o How would you describe your relationship with targeted authorities? Have they been listening or putting up obstacles? How would you explain what would be necessary to improve the situation? Have you tried to take steps to improve your partnerships with authorities?    What could be done to strengthen the Associations’ participation in governance: o What sort of support have you received from SANAD to strengthen your role in governance? How relevant has the support you received been with respect to the characteristics of your Association and the governance configuration? o How did other projects try to support this aspect of your activity in the past? How do other projects currently do so? What elements of continuity and what differences are there with SANAD?  Results of support received through SANAD: o What is the relationship between the Associations that participate in governance and those that do not? What is your relationship with people from the general public who do not participate in the CSOs? What is your relationship with elected local officials and political staff?   SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 54 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 o How has the body in question changed? How has the network/coalition of Associations changed? Have there been difficulties? Has the coalition’s work contributed to achieving results? Why and what were the results? Are they sufficient? What needs to be changed within the coalitions to make them more effective? How can this be done or what is preventing this?   o Generally speaking, has your advocacy activity put you in a pressured situation? Have you had negative reactions from any player: the general public, the media, the authorities, other Associations? List of possible questions for Objective 4: Possible questions for understanding the interviewee’s development, specifically his/her Association experience, connection to politics, and socio‐economic status.  When and how were you drawn to Association action? What was the area of your first Association experience? Was there an episode that drew you to it or did someone introduce you to it? What or who was it?  What are the competencies necessary for Association action? And where did you learn them?  What percentage of your time do you devote to Association activity and how frequently do you meet with the other members of the Association?  Have you ever visited the youth center? Have you ever supported a political movement?  Have you ever voted or been an electoral candidate? Did you participate as a voter or as a candidate in the last local election?  Did you vote in the last national election? Did you vote in the last constitutional referendum?  What do you do to keep up‐to‐date? How often do you read a newspaper? Where do you read one? Do you have a favorite newspaper? How often do you listen to TV/radio news? List of possible questions for Objective 5:  Situation of your advocacy activity: o In your opinion, how much interest is there in advocating for the issue at the core of your activities? What are the possibilities for doing so in the context within which you undertake your activity? What are the obstacles? o What is your analysis of the problems targeted by your advocacy activity? o What gap is there with public policy? What change would you like to see in public policy? o What objectives of participating in governance do you seek through your activity? What results have there been with respect to your public‐related issue (youth and women)? Give examples. o How has the support you have received been useful with respect to these objectives? Was it sufficient? What is lacking? What would be necessary to attain your objectives?  Youth: SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 55 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 o Are there more specific problems affecting youth that are related to this issue? If so, have you taken them into account in your activities, and how? o Why are the youth problematic in this respect? Which categories of youth are? What relationship do they have with other marginalized groups? o Which are the CSOs that work with youth? Why them and not others? What do their activities consist of? How relevant are they to perceived issues? o Who, apart from Association players, works with youth? How can someone who does not participate in Associations expect to ‘complain’ or raise a youth‐related issue? o What relevant activities are political parties, elected representatives, or religious institutions conducting?  Women: o Are there more specific problems affecting women that are related to this issue? If so, have you taken them into account in your activities, and how? o Why are women an issue? What is their relationship with other marginalized groups? o What CSOs work with women? Why them and not others? What do their activities consist of? How relevant are they to other perceived issues? o Who, apart from Association players, works with women? How can someone who does not participate in Associations expect to ‘complain’ or raise women’s issues?   o What are the political parties, elected representatives, or religious institutions doing? List of possible questions for Objective 6:  Relevance: o Among its objectives of strengthening capabilities, advocacy, and participation in local governance, what is needed to strengthen civil society? Why? Are there other goals we should pursue? What are they, and why? o Are the issues and campaigns that have been emphasized (describe, according to the situation) in line with the most keenly‐felt challenges? Are there other issues? What are they? Why? o Do their targeted groups (youth, women, marginalized groups, stakeholders in education) represent the most significant groups for strengthening civil society? Why? Are there others? What are they? Why?    SANAD’s strengths and weaknesses: o In terms of its implementation tools o In terms of resources and materials made available o In terms of its timing o In terms of its anchoring to the configuration of governance o What have the difficulties been with SANAD? If it is necessary to improve its approach, what do you recommend?     In relation to the changing situation: o How were the events of February 20, 2011 and the expressions of discontent seen virtually everywhere reflected at the local level?   o How have they renewed the themes or activities undertaken by the local Civil Society? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 56 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 o What effect have they had on understanding the advocacy and role of Civil Society in local governance? o How have Civil Society players been repositioned? Have new players emerged? Who are they? o How has ongoing institutional change (a new constitution, a new government, upcoming local elections) been felt at the local level?   o What repositioning has there been by local authorities, elected officials, or religious institutions? o How have the ongoing transformations renewed local understanding of issues at the core of SANAD? CSOs commitment to each other? o Given the current situation in Morocco, does it seem advisable to engage in advocacy? Are conditions more favorable than before? To what extent? Has the protest movement of 2011 changed your perception of advocacy? Has it changed your strategy? What were the protest experiences in your area? Did the Association undertake specific activities at that time? Were you called upon by groups of people (population) to take action? Define and choose issue to be advocated. Interview Checklist No. 2 – Fes and Sale Collective Association Focus Group  Major Issues:   o Organization o Why a coalition? o Oriented toward common interests or outside influence (other players or specific situation)?    o How = operation? o Formal or informal level?  SANAD Support: o What? What kind of support was received through SANAD?   o List actions undertaken (in order of importance) o How was it useful? How was this support helpful to you? (Satisfaction) o Relevance and sustainability of SANAD action?  Participation in Local Governance: o With respect to the action issue, what are the problems and priorities in the district? o Ability to formulate a common vision of the problems? o Mismatch or overlap with other institutions or Associations? o Have you been able to make proposals to different institutions? In what way? o Ability to implement an advocacy activity? o Level of participation in the local governance configuration?  Action: o What do you want to do together? How? o What do you need? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 57 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Interview Checklist No. 3 – National Youth Focus Group Structure of the Focus Group  Presentation  Filling out questionnaire (30 mins)  Interview (approx. 3 hours) Objectives of Interview: To understand issues relating to the four key themes below: Objective 1: Understand Organization structure and operations:  Endogenous/Exogenous: oriented toward common interests/common cause or outside influence (other players or specific situation)?     How = operation?  Formal or informal level? Objective 2: Impact of SANAD support:  What? What type of support was received through SANAD?  List actions undertaken (in order of importance).  How was it useful? How was this support helpful to you? (Satisfaction)    Relevance and sustainability of the SANAD action? Objective 3: Participation in National Governance and the Process of Change:  With respect to the area of action, what are the problems and priorities?  Ability to formulate a common vision of the problems?  Mismatch or overlap with government institutions or other Associations?  Have you been able to make proposals to different institutions? In what way?  Ability to carry out advocacy activities?  Level of participation in the national governance configuration and in the process of change? Objective 4: Define shared actions:  What do you want to do together? How?  What do you need? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 58 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Interview Checklist No. 4 – SANAD Institutions This checklist was used when interviewing the Associations involved in promoting policies in partnership or in coordination with SANAD.  Three national‐level Associations and twelve local‐level Associations in Fes and Sale were interviewed. The interviews were intended to provide an understanding of the relevance and impact of the SANAD project with respect to the various national and local Associations concerned, their involvement in its implementation, and their willingness to consider advocacy activity in their political agenda.   In addition, the interviews sought to gather situational information, assess potential and actual overlap with other implemented activities, and elicit recommendations in the context of the changing Moroccan society. Structure of the Interviews  Presentation  Interview (approx. 60 mins) Objectives of the interview: Objective 1: To understand SANAD’s presence at the local level (15 minutes). Objective 2: To understand the level of Involvement of local Associations in the implementation of SANAD activities (20 minutes). Objective 3: To understand the willingness of local authorities to accept advocacy activities, and the CSOs more generally (20 minutes). Objective 4: To gather situational information (20 minutes). Objective 5: To understand the potential/actual overlap between SANAD and other local initiatives aimed at strengthening CSO capacities (15 minutes). Objective 6: To gather information for evaluation and recommendations (15 minutes). List of possible questions for Objective 1:  What is the history of SANAD at the local level, from when and how did it begin?  SANAD seeks to strengthen the local Civil Society, specifically through training activities for the benefit of CSOs:   o What is a CSO capable of? What are the objectives of strengthening a CSO’s capabilities? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 59 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 o How exactly has SANAD implemented activities in order to achieve these objectives? And how was it done before SANAD? o How is it relevant in relation to the characteristics of the local CSOs?    SANAD specifically seeks to strengthen advocacy by the local Civil Society: o What is advocacy? What does it mean to strengthen it? o Specifically, how has SANAD implemented activities in order to achieve this objective?  And how was it implemented before SANAD? o What is the relevance of activities undertaken in relation to the characteristics of local CSOs?  SANAD seeks to strengthen Civil Society participation in local governance: o What is participation? What does one participate in? Why does one participate and what does it mean to strengthen participation? o How exactly has SANAD implemented activities in order to achieve this objective? And how was it done prior to SANAD? o What is the relevance of activities undertaken in relation to the configuration of local governance? List of possible questions for Objective 2:  How is your Association involved in the implementation of the SANAD Project? o Since when and how did it begin? Roughly, what does it consist of? o Prior experience with USAID Projects? o Sharing tasks within the Association in relation to SANAD: Is there a contact person? Are the CSOs directed to you to contact SANAD? Does SANAD direct you to contact the CSOs?  What is your role in capability‐strengthening activities? o Are you up‐to‐date on organized training sessions? o Choosing a training program and trainers? o Selecting beneficiary CSOs? o Organizing the calendar? o Making rooms available? o Participation of Association officials or Government officials?  What is your role in the set‐up, selection, or monitoring of funded projects? o Are you up‐to‐date on funding provided?   o Set‐up of projects (called for by CSO/SANAD)? o Selection of beneficiary CSOs?   o Monitoring funded projects?  What is your role in the design, promotion, management, and monitoring of ways to include CSOs in local governance? o Ideas for arenas of local governance and modes of operation? o CSO selection? o Methods of organizing the agenda? o Organizing the calendar? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 60 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 o Making rooms available? List of possible questions for Objective 3:  SANAD seeks to strengthen advocacy by local CSOs: o What specific activities does that entail at the local level? o What are the themes most often raised by local civil society? Why these themes and not others? o Who are the players engaged in advocacy? Why these players and not others? o What is the response of members of the public who do not participate in CSOs? o What is the response of elected officials? o What is the response of local government authorities?  SANAD also seeks to strengthen CSOs’ participation in local governance: o What are the most frequent methods for participating in local civil society? Why these methods and not others? o Who are the players engaged in participation in local governance? Why these players and not others? o What is the response of members of the public who do not participate in CSOs? o What is the response of elected officials? o What is the response of local government authorities? List of possible questions for Objective 4:  What are the issues most felt by young people at the local level? Specifically: o Why are young people a problematic group? Which young people? What is their relationship with other marginalized groups? o Which are the CSOs that deal with young people? Why them and not others? What activities do they undertake? Are they relevant to the perceived issues? o Who, apart from the Association players, works with young people at the local level? How can someone who does not participate in Associations expect to ‘complain’ or raise issues related to young people? o What relevant activities are the political parties, elected representatives, or religious institutions engaging in?  What women’s issues are the most felt at the local level? Specifically: o Why are women a problematic group? Which women? What is their relationship with other marginalized groups? o What CSOs work with women? Why them and not others? What activities are they engaged in? Are they relevant to other perceived issues? o Who, apart from the Association players, work with women? How can someone who does not participate in Associations expect to ‘complain’ or raise issues about women?   o What relevant activities are the political parties, elected representatives, or religious institutions engaging in?  What are the issues associated with education and with the connection between training and employment at the local level? Specifically: SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 61 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 o Why are education and the connection between training and employment problematic? What kinds of education and what social groups are affected by these issues? o Which are the CSOs working in education? Why them and not others? What activities are they doing? Is it relevant to problems experienced? o Who, apart from the Association players, deals with education? How can someone who does not participate in Associations expect to ‘complain’ or raise an issue related to education?   o What relevant activities are the political parties, elected representatives, or religious institutions engaging in? List of possible questions for Objective 5:  SANAD seeks in particular to strengthen advocacy, specifically providing training activities for local CSOs: o What ongoing and what specific activities supporting advocacy, or, more generally, strengthening capabilities, have already been implemented at the local level? (Which activities? Conducted by whom?) o Specifically, what methods are being used to coordinate these activities? Particularly methods related to the timing of various initiatives, differences between objectives, and differences in leadership? o What incidents of obstruction, what conflicts, and what misunderstandings are there?  SANAD also aims to strengthen the role of CSOs in local governance: o What ongoing and what specific activities to support the role of CSOs in governance have already been implemented at the local level? (Which activities? Conducted by whom?) o Specifically, what methods are being used to coordinate these activities? Particularly methods related to the timing of various initiatives, differences between objectives, and differences in leadership? o What incidents of obstruction, what conflicts, and what misunderstandings are there?  Youth, women and education are among SANAD’s priority target groups/sectors: o What ongoing and what specific activities targeting youth, women, and education have already been implemented at the local level? (Which activities? Conducted by whom?) o Specifically, what methods are being used to coordinate these activities? Particularly methods related to the timing of various initiatives, differences between objectives, and differences in leadership? o What incidents of obstruction, what conflicts, and what misunderstandings are there? List of possible questions for Objective 6:  Relevance: o In order to achieve the objectives of strengthening capabilities, advocacy, and participation in local governance, what is needed to strengthen civil society at the local level? Why? Are there other objectives we should pursue? What are they, and why? o Are the issues and the campaigns that have been emphasized by SANAD (describe, depending on the situation) in line with the challenges felt most keenly at the local level? Are there other issues? What are they? Why? SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 62 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 o Are our targets (youth, women, marginalized groups, and stakeholders in education) the most significant groups for strengthening civil society at the local level? Why? Are there others? What are they? Why?    SANAD’s strengths and weaknesses: o In terms of implementation tools o In terms of resources and materials provided o In terms of its timing o In terms of anchoring to the configuration of local governance  In relation to the changing situation: o How were the events of February 20, 2011 and the expressions of discontent seen virtually everywhere reflected at the local level?   o How have they influenced the themes or activities undertaken by the local Civil Society? o What effect have they had on understanding of advocacy and Civil Society’s role in local governance? o How have Civil Society players been repositioned? Have new players emerged? Who are they? o How has ongoing institutional change (a new constitution, a new government, upcoming local elections) been felt at the local level?   o How have local authorities, elected officials, or religious institutions been repositioned? o How have ongoing transformations influenced local understanding of issues at the core of SANAD’s activities? Their commitment to each other?    SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 63 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 ASSOCIATION SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Respondent’s Number:   …………………………………………………. 2. Interviewer Code:   …………………………………………………. 3. Interview Date:     ……………………….…………………………. 4. Interview Location:     ………………………….………………………   5. City:         Sale            Fes          Al Jadida       Rabat 6. Interview Start Time:  …………………………………………………. 7. Respondent’s Title:          Chairman Treasurer   Director   General Secretary          Other (Describe) ……………………………………………………….. 8. Respondent’s Sex:     Male Female 9. Respondent’s Age:   10. Marital Status:   Married   Single   Widow(er) 11. Education:     Illiterate Primary   Secondary        Higher 12. Work Sector:   Civil Service Independent Private Sector         Private Sector Employee         Informal   Association    Unemployed ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐  PART A:  QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION    A1. Full Name of Association ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. A2. Location where organized:   Disadvantaged Average     Residential A3. Date Organized:   SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 64 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 A4. Level of Activity:   Local (District)    City     Region   National A5.  What is the main mission of the Association? (Mark 1 option below – whichever is closest to the Association’s mission)    1. Local Development 2. Youth 3. Culture and/or Sports 4. Law (Education, Children, Women, etc.) 5. Income‐Generating Activities 6. Benevolence and Charity    7. Association for Education (e.g. Student Parents’ Association, School Board) 8. Health‐Related/Social Service Association   9. Sports Association Only   10. Organized Youth Association or Group 11. Organized Women’s Association or Group    12. NGO/Civic Group/Human Rights Defense Organization   13. Environmental Protection Organization   14. Leisure‐Related Organization   15. Other (Describe) ………………………….. A6.  Member Distribution (mark and circle): Number Women Members? Youth Members? Total Number of Members     Yes/No Yes/No Number of Officers   Yes/No Yes/No Number of Members with Past Experience in other CSOs Yes/No Yes/No Number of Members Active in other CSOs Yes/No Yes/No Number of Elected Officials on CSO Board Yes/No Yes/No Number of Civil Servants on CSO Board   Yes/No Yes/No A7. Salaried Employees (mark and circle): Number Women? Youth? Number of Full‐Time   Yes/No Yes/No SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 65 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Salaried Employees Number of Part‐Time Employees Yes/No Yes/No Number of Active Volunteers (for the last activity conducted) Yes/No Yes/No A8. Who makes the key decisions in your Association? (Check only one answer):   Chairman     Chairman and one Director   Entire Office Board General Meeting   Other A9. Does your Association have the option of using (check): Yes, regularly Yes, sporadically No Independent   Headquarters or Office      Computer       Telephone       Internet       Printer       A10. Does your Association have a member list?     Yes      No A11. Is it updated annually?         Yes      No A12. Do the members have a membership card (or equivalent document) recognizing their membership status?                Yes      No A13. What are the statutory meetings (stipulated in the bylaws) of the Association? (Check the appropriate response): A14. How frequently are elected bodies re‐elected? Reelection Frequency (in Months) Date of Last Reelection Check if applicable Frequency in weeks Number held last year (2011) General Meeting       Executive Board Meeting       National Board (or equivalent body) Meeting     Committee Meeting     Other (Describe) ……………………………………………       SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 66 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 General Election Meeting     Executive Board     National Board (or equivalent body)   Other (Describe) ………………………………..     A15. Are statutory documents (minutes, chairman’s reports, financial reports, etc.) on file and accessible to members and to the public? (check): A16. When and from whom has your Association received funding? (check only, no figures required) A17.  Resources and expenses of your Association related to your commitment in the current process (SANAD, INDH, etc.) (check only, no figures required):   Income Expenses Increased                                    Remained steady                            Decreased                                         ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ PART B: ACTIVITIES OF THE ASSOCIATION   B1. What have been the major activities of your Association in the past three years? (List activity only) Main Activity Number of Beneficiaries Women (%) Youth (%) 2009         Yes No Don’t know On File   Accessible to Members      Accessible to Public       2009 2010 2011 Government and local communities          Local private sector         Foreign donors         NGOs/International Partners       International Organizations (UN and others)        Private Donations       Membership Fees       Revenue from Services/Sales       Other (Describe) ……………………………….       SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 67 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 2010         2011 B2. What training have your members received?   Training Number of Beneficiaries in the Association 2009     2010 2011 B3. What were the main themes of training in the last three years?     Location Number of Days Organizer Strengthening Internal Governance       Conducting Projects       Advocacy       Communication       Partnerships       Other (Describe) ……………………………………………….         B4. What was the result of training? (Check yes or no and degree) Yes Partial Planned No Preparing Projects         Studies         Assessments         Advocacy Project        Communication Campaign         Coalition Training         Work Group Training         Better Internal Governance         Other (Describe) ………………..….         B5. Number of projects submitted for funding?   2011 2010 2009 In Partnership? (Y /N) # Projects         Funded         Amount of the Largest Funding         Largest Backer         SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 68 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 B6. In the last three years, have you used outside expertise to set up projects or provide in‐house training?          Yes      No B7. Have you ever written or sent memoranda or petitions? Yes      No If yes, on what subject?         …………………………………… B8. Have you been given advocacy training?       Yes      No What does advocacy mean to you? (Write your response). ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………… B9. What campaigns have you initiated or participated in? (Mark using code below table) Campaign Role* 2009     2010 2011 *1. Petition Signing   2. Participation in a meeting   3. Demonstration   4. Media Interview   5. Participation in a Study/Project   6. Other B10. Does your Association have a strategic plan?     Yes      No If yes: Yes No Is it in writing?     Is it shared?   Is it operational?     B11. What support have you received from the SANAD Project?   Funding   Follow‐up by a dedicated person Training Supply of tools   Covering expenses Technical support for new technologies   Other ……………… B12. What was the purpose of your last advocacy campaign or campaign in preparation?   ………………………………………………………………………………………….. Who chose it?     Association        Network         Institution Others With whom was the choice made? Funding Entity Other Associations     Institution It was elected SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 69 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 B13. Have you considered the opinion of the public concerned?    Yes      No If yes, how? Consultation at large Meetings         Petition Other B14. How long have you been working on the subject? (In months)      ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐  PART C: RELATIONSHIPS WITH STAKEHOLDERS   C1. Who are the preferred spokespersons of your Association? General Classification (1 is the most preferred) Issue to be Advocated Ministry     Wali and authorities     Mayor     District  Head     Ministerial Department     Other (Describe)…………………………..     C2. In which entities have you participated? (Mark using code) Occasion As: 1. Member 2. Executive 3. Observer How many players? Date started: Was the role related to a project or mission?   How were you approached?* CPDH          CLDH           Coordinating Committee          Street Neighborhood Youth Council         Local Coalition (Name)          Federation (Name) *1. Ran for a position   2. Chosen by others   3. Invited by other Associations   4. Invited by the authorities  5. Invited by a national backer   6. Invited by an international funding entity   7. Other C3. What are the main activities of the committees on which you serve? (Skip, or check relevant activities) Information Sharing Relationship/ Networking Project Approval Decision on Joint Action Joint Promotion of Activities Was this useful for your Association? (Rate 1‐5 from SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 70 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 useful to not very useful) CPDH             CLDH             Coordinating Committee            Street Neighborhood Youth Council             Local Coalition (Name)            Federation (Name) C4. What is the level of agreement or conflict among the players in entities? (Skip, or check relevant) Agreement* Conflict** CPDH     CLDH     Coordinating Committee     Street Neighborhood       Youth Council   Local Coalition (Name)     Federation (Name)     *Rate 1‐5 from no agreement to full agreement.  **Rate 1‐5 from no conflicts to many conflicts. C5. Have you played a formal role previously (before 2009) with: Yes Reason for Leaving CPDH     CLDH     Coordinating Committee     Street Neighborhood     Youth Council     Local Coalition (Name)     Federation (Name)     ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐  PART D: ASSOCIATION’S NETWORKS AND MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS D1. Does your Association officially participate in a network, an inter‐association group or a federation/confederation?               Yes      No D2. If ‘Yes’ can you provide a list of networks, inter‐Association groups or federations, etc., in which your organization participates?  (List 1‐4 from most important to least important) SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 71 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Network Number of Associations As Part of Advocacy? Yes / Partially / No Since when? 1        2 3 4 D3. In the last three months, have you had meetings (work sessions, conference calls, etc.) with other Associations working on Common Missions or Advocacy Issues? (Skip, or check relevant) Number of Meetings Number of Associations or Players Common Missions     Advocacy Issues     Other (Describe)…………………     D4. In the last three months, have you exchanged information (e.g., documents, reports, data) with another Association?                   Yes      No If ‘Yes’, how many times? (Indicate order of magnitude)    ………….. …………………………..……… D5.  What kind of relationship do you mostly have with the network/sector? (Skip or mark relevant*) Study Trip     Mobilization and Advocacy     Joint Project     Training       Other (Describe) ………………………………………………. *1. Regularly 2. Occasionally 3. Never     ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐  PART E: MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS E1. Which media are you in contact with? Frequency During 2011 Number of Press Releases Sent National Radio     Local Radio     Television     National Press     Local Press     Social Networks     SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 72 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 E2. Does your Association have a: Since when? Last update Website     Facebook Account     Twitter Account     Mailing List     ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐  PART F: Other Questions   F1. What are the obstacles to the development of civil society in your city? (Mark the main three obstacles in order of importance from 1, most important, to 3, least important) Funding (National / International)   Internal Funding   Laws governing a civil society   Citizen participation and commitment   Relations with governmental authorities      Lack of competent human resources   Lack of full‐time human resources   Non‐specialized human resources      Other (Describe) …………………………………………………………   F2. What are the risks affecting the operation of a civil society in your city? (Mark in order of importance from 1, most important, to 3, least important) Citizen engagement   Values   Instrumentalization     Other (Describe) ………………………………………………………..   F3. Is your organization involved in the INDH Projects?         Yes      No If yes, why? ……………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………… If yes, what level?   Committee     Project   Coordination   Other F4. What is your assessment of the implementation of the INDH? (Write your response). Before SANAD After SANAD Operation    Usefulness / Responsiveness to Needs of the Public    SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 73 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Effectiveness in Fighting Poverty    Participation of Civil Society    Youth Participation Inclusion of Youth    Participation of Women    Inclusion of Women    F5. What are the main problems hindering the attainment of INDH objectives?         Before SANAD After SANAD Governance    Guidance    Nature of Projects      Preparation of Projects    Other (Describe)…………………..    Thank you! SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 74 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 ANNEX 5: CATEGORIES OF SANAD BENEFICIARY CSOs Type of beneficiary CSO Location   Total number Number individually interviewed Focus group Advocacy Grantees National (Rabat) 4 3      Fes 2 1 Youth Grantees Fes 4 2      Sale 3 2 Education Grantees Sale 1 1      Fes 4 2 Focal Points Organizations   Fes 13 3   Local CSOs Fes 141 0 25    Sale 25 0 10 CCYR (Civil Coalition of Youth for Reform)   National (Rabat) 12 3   Mother, Parent, and Tutor Organizations   Fes 82 6      Sale 51 5      Al Jadida 8 4   Resource organizations Fes 0 1      National (Rabat and Casablanca) 0 5   Total    350 73 Al Jadida     8 4 Fes     246 40 Sale   80 18 National     16 11 SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 75 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012    SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 76 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 ANNEX 6: LIST OF INTERVIEWEES AMDH, Fes AMEJ Sale Association, Marocaine AMPTE Collège 6 Novembre, Fes AMPTE Collège Abdelkader el Fassi, Fes AMPTE Collège Abdelkébir Khatibi, Sale AMPTE Collège Abdellah Ibn Yassine, Fes AMPTE Collège Ahmed El Naciri, Sale AMPTE Collège Al Khawarizmi, Sale AMPTE Collège Al Manar, Al Jadida AMPTE Collège Annassim, Fes AMPTE Collège Cadi Ayad, Al Jadida AMPTE Collège Ibn Rochd, Sale AMPTE College Laayoune, Sale AMPTE Collège Lalla Meryem, Al Jadida AMPTE Collège Maghreb Arabe, Fes AMPTE Collège Zouhour, Fes AMPTE Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Al Jadida Association Marocaine de Solidarité et de Développement (AMSED) ANAPEC, Sale Association  Marocaine pour la Solidarité sans Frontière Association Citoyen des Rues pour la protection de la femme et de l'enfance Association Afak Développement et Solidarité Association Al Majd Riyadi Association Amjad Fes pour la culture et le développement Association Angham culture et arts Association arc en ciel Association Attanmia pour la formation culturelle et scientifique Association Attawassoul pour le développement et la solidarité Association Biladi Pour le Développement durable et la moralisation de la vie publique Association Boudour al Kheir pour le soutien de la femme Association chantier jeunes Association d'action sociale et culturelle, section Fes Wilaya Association des créateurs de succès et de particularisation   SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 77 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Association des jeunes Ar‐aid pour le développement Association espace de communication Association espace de développement et de solidarité Association Foutouh Association Jeunes Salam, Fes Association Jeunesse pour le développement Association Karam de protection des orphelins Association l'action sociale et culturelle Association Maison des jeunes   Association Marocaine d'orientation et de soutien scolaire (AMOSE) Association Nida pour la Culture et l'Art Association Nour pour le développement Association pour le dé culturel et scientifique Association Régionale pour l'accompagnement des malades mentaux (ARAMM) Association régionale pour l'accompagnement des malades psychiques Association Tahadi Association Zalagh pour l'action culturelle et l'environnement Carrefour d'initiatives de la communication d'information et de documentation (CICID) Centre EL IRFANE  des Jeunes Étudiants Chercheurs (CEJEC) Centre Régional de Développement et d'Alphabétisation (CRDA) Centre régional pour le développement et la lutte contre l'analphabétisme Collectif des personnes en situation de handicap Delegation of National Education, Sale Delegation of Social Affairs, Fes Delegation of Social Affairs, Sale District and CLDH President, Fes District and CLDH President, Sale Esapce Associatif Espace solidarité et development Fédération AMPTE, Fès Fes CLDH Team FMAS Forum Vérité Justice Manarat SANAD Evaluation – Morocco 78 Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 Ministry of Social Development Mouvement Alternatives Citoyenne (ALCI) Mouvement Tofola Châbiaa, Fès MTC Nasr Sportif Fassi National Mutual Aid, Fes Observatoire Média des Jeunes (OMJ) Organisation sans frontières humanitaire polyvalente Organization Scout Marocain Programme Concerté Maroc Réseau Espace Civil de Fès Réseau Marocain de l'économie sociale et solidaire Sale CLDH Team Social Development Agency, Fes Social Development Agency, Rabat Solidarité Développement et Education sur la citoyenneté Transparency Maroc SANAD Evaluation – Morocco Regional Partnership on Culture and Development July 2012 ANNEX 7: SANAD INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK