Evaluation of Hogaan Iyo Nabad: The Governance and Peace- Building Program in Somalia

Hogaan iyo Nabaad, also known as the Governance and Peace- building Programme in Somalia (GPC), aimed to strengthen governance and conflict management at the village level. It was implemented by a Consortium of three international organizations (Danish Refugee Council, CARE International, and the IRC) in 60 villages in Somaliland and Puntland. Hogaan iyo Nabaad used community driven and participatory methods, block grants and a broad range of trainings to enhance local governance. This mixed methods evaluation had two core objectives: 1) To unpack some of the concepts and assumptions underlying community based approaches using qualitative methods; and 2) To measure if the project has led to the intended outcomes using survey methods that will measure progress against baseline. The outcomes of interest included a) changes in citizen participation, b) attribution of roles and responsibilities to the village council, and c) village council capacities in service delivery and conflict management.

The evaluation team conducted household surveys and surveys for leaders in 57 of the 60 Hogaan Iyo Nabaad implementation sites and in 13 non-implementation villages for a total of 1,604 survey respondents at the household level and 347 community leaders. In addition, the team conducted qualitative data collection in 12 villages, including rapid ethnographic assessments, 79 Key Informant Interviews, and 47 focus group discussions in 21 villages. The evaluation results were mixed. While the village councils supported more participation of citizens in village decision-making (by increasing their interactions with citizens and taking the citizens viewpoints into consideration), there was no actual significant increase in the citizens’ participation in village planning. Citizens increased their level of trust in the village councils and attributed more roles and responsibilities to the councils, including social services, security, resource management, and the provision of clean water. Citizens were more likely to see the village council as protecting the rights to equality, education, and health.