This document contains information on a sample of the ILO's technical assistance projects in conflict-affected countries in different parts of the world. It has been compiled by Natalia Smith as an input to the ILO Action Programme on Skills and Entrepreneurship Training for Countries Emerging from Armed Conflict. This multidisciplinary and interdepartmental programme, under implementation during the 1996-97 biennium, includes preparing a framework for policy, guidelines for national and international capacity building, training materials, and a compendium of major initiatives, as well as setting up a data base.
This is part of an overview that may eventually appear on the Internet under ILO homepage. It will be updated on a regular basis.
The Programme is grateful to the various ILO field and Headquarters' units for providing data on their relevant activities which helped Ms. Natalia Smith, assisted by Ms. Sabine Lobner, to prepare this document for information dissemination.
Eugenia Date-Bah
Coordinator
Action Programme on Skills and
Entrepreneurship Training for
Countries Emerging from Armed Conflict
Training Policies and Systems Branch
Employment and Training Department
1. AFGHANISTAN
Vocational Training
Name of project and project number:
Umbrella project for occupational skills
training of Afghans,
PAK/90/01/OCA and
PAK/91/01/OCA
Starting and completion date:
February 1990-December 1991 and
January 1992-December 1994
Budget and sources of funding:
US$1,000,000.-
Japan, through the United Nations
Office of the Coordinator for
Afghanistan (UNOCA)
Background:
After full-scale war broke out in Afghanistan in 1979, 5 million Afghans moved into neighbouring countries. Pakistan provided refuge to approximately 3 million Afghans. Even when foreign forces evacuated Afghanistan between May 1988 and February 1989, the anti-government forces did not accept the government in power and the Jihad (holy war) continued. The Geneva Accord of 1988 did not result in the immediate return of the refugees to their homeland. By the end of 1993, only 870,000 people had repatriated.
The refugees in Pakistan were accommodated in 320 camp-like villages, which were mostly located near Pakistani towns. Well-developed bazaars existed in most of the refugee villages.
Due to the prevailing insecure and unsettled circumstances in Afghanistan, the project activities were based in Quetta, Pakistan, but extended over a wide area in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Continuing conflicts prevented any liaison with officials in Kabul, so the project could not work with a counterpart government ministry. The thrust of the project was to train the manpower required for reconstruction and rehabilitation in Afghanistan.
Development objectives:
The objectives of the occupational skills training project were: to explore the feasibility and viability of establishing training programmes within Afghanistan and to determine the long-term strategy of implementing a larger project in Afghanistan.
Immediate objectives:
Train 204 persons inside Afghanistan;
Train 408 persons in refugee camps;
Upgrade 28 instructors;
Train 40 instructors from other projects in instructional techniques;
Assist ten communities;
Instruct 1,278 trainees in vocational skills;
Establish seven new mobile training units (MTUs);
Provide training for 20 female trainees;
Train 50 persons in instructional techniques;
Train 18 staff in experimental courses;
Assist other agencies;
Train 200 participants in organizational techniques, with inter-agency linkages to ILO-UNESCO.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries are Afghan refugees in refugee camps in Pakistan and communities in Afghanistan, as well as local staff working for international or national NGOs.
Project strategy:
Because of the ongoing war and the political instability, the project was prevented from being placed in Afghanistan. For security reasons, many international agencies depended on national NGOs; therefore, the NGO staff was also trained. There were also links established with other organizations to provide trained human resources inputs for effective implementation of relief/aid activities. In addition to its community-based work, the project trained local staff working for international or national NGOs. The project established mutually beneficial contacts with the UNHCR, UNOCA, UNESCO, WHO, WFP, DEMINING, UNDP, the Swedish Aid Committee for Afghanistan, SWABAC (representing 30 Afghan NGOs in Baluchistan) and ACBAR (representing 50 Afghan NGOs in NWEP).
The activities for Afghanistan were based in Pakistan.
Outputs
246 persons trained inside Afghanistan;
430 persons trained in refugee villages;
24 instructors upgraded;
361 persons representing shuras and trades inside Afghanistan trained in instructional techniques and supervisory skills;
Six communities assisted;
491 trainers instructed in vocational skills (787 less than target);
Five MTUs established (one looted);
184 people trained in supervisory skills;
A tailoring course completed byten female trainees;
17 people trained in instructional techniques;
Eight courses in supervisory skills, administration and training techniques attended by 14 staff,
Two experimental courses held over a five-month period.
Lessons learned:
Experience gained through the project showed that it is possible to implement and manage a training programme in a conflict situation and to achieve outputs (human resources). It was evident that comprehensive staff development was fundamental for the project, as a funding agency noted that more was being lost through staff inefficiency than through corruption.
The Mobile Training Units (MTUs) proved to be an success.
There was a growing tendency amongst funding agencies to consider communities as more efficient vehicles than other bodies for implementing their own aid schemes. The community developed a sense of ownership of schemes and self-reliance which made the implementation of aid more successful.
Carefully planned activities could not always be carried out because of the security situation and political events.
Responsible ILO Office /Branch:
ILO Technical Cooperation Team in Employment and Training (COTEF)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799 6866
Fax:-41-22-799 8573
email: cotef@ilo.org
Source:
Umbrella project for occupational skills training of Afghans (PAK/90/01/OCA and PAK/91/01/OCA), Project document. ILO Geneva, 1995.
2. ANGOLA
Vocational Training and Micro-Enterprise
Name of project and project number:
Vocational training and micro-enterprise promotion for demobilized soldiers
ANG/95/B05
Starting and completion date:
August 1996 - February 1999
Budget and sources of funding:
US$9,561,612.-
UNDP, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden
Background:
There are 100,000 soldiers to be demobilized over the next two years; 30,000 of them are disabled and 3,000 are under 18 years of age. The demobilization and reintegration is constrained by great poverty, high unemployment, decreased agricultural output, and high numbers of internally displaced (1.25 million) and refugees (300,000). The highly unfavourable macro-economic environment, the lack of technical and business skills and the lack of finance render the successful reintegration of the community more difficult. To meet the expectations of the demobilized soldiers for training and self-employment, the project will tackle especially the fields of skills development and micro-enterprise promotion.
Development objective:
Contribution to the social and economic integration of demobilized soldiers and their families into civilian society and, thus, the stabilization of the social, economic and political environment in post-war Angola.
Immediate objectives:
The enhancement of demobilized soldiers or their family members to earn a livelihood and be integrated into civilian society through vocational skills training, micro business promotion and finance, and provision of tool kits;
Assuring that all activities under the reintegration programme in the areas of vocational training, micro-enterprise promotion and micro finance are implemented in accordance with a coherent and consistent policy based on the dual aims of high immediate impact and long-term sustainability;
Development and implementation of a strategy by which capacities created and ongoing successful activities in vocational training and micro enterprise and finance are transferred gradually to the community rehabilitation programme or become self-sustained.
Beneficiaries
The target beneficiaries will be demobilized soldiers, including war disabled or other main income-earners of their families. A limited number of disadvantaged members of communities will benefit directly, and the receiving communities indirectly, from village-based communities.
Project strategy:
The project will enhance the potential of the demobilized or their family members to earn an income by providing them with the vocational and/or micro business skills which they require to engage in productive economic activities in the communities in which they settle. It will give additional support to a limited number of demobilized who plan to start a micro plan, in the form of training on the development of a business plan, and pilot micro finance schemes.
Given the limited capacity in vocational training and the lack of experience in micro-enterprise promotion and financing, the project will have to engage in considerable programme and staff development activities. Sub-contractors with the required expertise and presence may play a role in capacity building activities as well as logistical support.
The project will generally follow a strategy of mainstreaming war disabled into its general programmes; they will be included in the programmes developed for the demobilized.
Outputs:
The project is currently being implemented. Since the project was launched, it has been successful in attracting additional funds targeted especially to the provision of kits, the rehabilitation of training centres, the launching of training activities, and the recruitment of the required technical staff.
Outputs planned are:
6,100 to 7,600 demobilized soldiers or their family members provided with vocational skills for wage employment or micro business, through the implementation of institution-based, village-based, and apprenticeship training;
3,200 to 4,300 demobilized soldiers or their family members provided with basic skills which will enable them to select viable opportunities for micro enterprises;
Up to 18,000 demobilized soldiers or their family members provided with tool kits in their chosen occupation, in wage employment or micro business;
An inter-organizational working group established on micro enterprise and finance with representatives of relevant government institutions, NGOs, the reintegration and the community rehabilitation programmes;
Capacities which have been created and ongoing successful activities in vocational training and micro enterprise and finance transferred gradually to the community rehabilitation programme or becoming self-sustained.
Lessons learned:
The demobilization process is still in its early phase. The project is already fully installed, but the demobilization of the soldiers has not progressed adequately, which means that the project cannot be fully optimized. Demobilization of the under-aged soldiers (below l8 years) has started, and the demobilization of other groups is expected to begin only in early 1997. In terms of institutional arrangements, there is still much to be achieved. The Ministry of Labour has left the project, which might pose a problem for its sustainability.
Capacity building is very low, institutional training is destroyed and there are very few local trainers (NGOs) available. It will be important to select specific criteria in order to create more focused training programmes to train trainers. Especially NGO groups and governmental institutions have to be trained to work with the ex-combatants, women, youth and the disabled (further results will be updated).
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Technical Cooperation Team in Employment and Training (COTEF)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva 22
Phone: -41-22-799 6866
Fax: -41-22-799 8375
E-mail: cotef@ilo.org
Source:
Vocational training and micro enterprise promotion for demobilized soldiers (ANG/95/B05), project document, February 1996.
3. AZERBAIJAN
Vocational Training and Employment - Pilot Project
Name of project and project number:
Training, employment and income generation-promotion in depressed areas
AZE/96/002
Starting and completion date:
January 1997 - December 1997
Budget and sources of funding:
US$187,200.-
UNDP
Background:
Azerbaijan is pursuing a national programme of transition to a socially-oriented market economy. The decline in socio-economic performance is a reflection of the negative impact of the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. The Government has estimated that there are currently some 890,000 internally displaced persons and refugees in the country (almost one-seventh of the total population).This fact is placing severe strains on the economy and the Government's ability to provide jobs, food and shelter. In order to facilitate the transition from emergency relief to longer-term development, much more emphasis has to be placed on creating an enabling environment and support to self-employment and income generation. A wide range of programmes and services, targeted specifically towards small income-generating business, is to be organized.
Development objectives:
Contribution to the creation of employment, including self-employment and income-generation opportunities, in mostly depressed areas and lending support to government poverty alleviation policies and programmes.
Immediate objectives:
Provision of policy feedback and institutional strengthening/support at national and districts level;
Provision of active labour measures at the local level, including self-employment and income-generating pilot projects for the most vulnerable groups.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be refugees, internally displaced persons, and redundant workers.
Project strategy:
The project will be nationally executed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and will be advised by the ILO through the Support of Technical Service (STS) arrangements with the UNDP. The ILO, as the cooperating agency, has thetechnical expertise and experience in advising and assisting in the development of a comprehensive training and employment approach, of which the main elements are programmes to promote self-employment, employment-intensive infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes and vocational training geared to identified income-earning opportunities.
Outputs (planned):
Project advisory/consulting council strengthened and in operation;
A working team in Salyan District strengthened and organized; similar teams, trained and operational in the Agdam District and Nakhichevan Republic;
Economic opportunities and training surveys conducted in the selected project sites of the pilot regions;
Five training courses held in each of the pilot regions.
Five training courses organized and implemented for 100-500 trainees in each of the regions;
Programme support services initiated and promoted.
Lessons learned:
Lessons learned will be added as the project advances.
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Technical Cooperation Team in Employment and Training (COTEF),
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva,
Phone:-41-22-799-6866
Fax:-41-22-799 8573
email: cotef@ilo.org
Source:
Training, employment and income generation-promotion in depressed areas (AZE/96/002), project document - pilot project, Geneva, November 1996.
4. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Bihac - Vocational Training
Name of project and project number:
Vocational training to support the national employment programme in Bihac
BIH/97/037/A01/11
Starting and completion date:
May 1997 (12 months)
Budget and sources of funding:
US$411,200.-
UNDP IPF
Background:
It is estimated that there are some 1,300,000 people who are either internally displaced or refugees; about 400,000 are demobilized soldiers who require some form of housing and/or employment within the entity. The Government intends to base future development efforts on a market economy approach. Without a concerted effort to provide employment, the political and economic situation may be threatened and the stability of the whole region may be jeopardized.
Development objectives:
Contribution to the peaceful and economic recovery of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina through the provision of employment and training to vulnerable groups in the country.
Immediate objectives:
Identification of the key courses to support the building construction training programme to be offered in each training centre;
Provision of access to skilled worker and short-course training for special target groups including, the disabled, widows, demobilized soldiers, returning refugees and the general unemployed population in accordance with catchment area requirements;
Establishment of an efficient, effective and relevant training programme for each training centre that will be self-sustained at the conclusion of the project.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be the refugees, displaced and demobilized soldiers, women, and the physically disabled persons.
Project strategy:
This project will collaborate with the Cantonal Government to establish linkages through existing government institutions, other development organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to identify the various target groups for training.
Outputs
Four existing courses at skilled worker level reviewed, revised if necessary and piloted;
A minimum of 10 per cent (32) of all trainees sourced from physically war disabled people, 40 per cent from refugees and/or demobilized soldiers, and a minimum of 10 per cent sourced from war widows and other women affected by war;
A minimum of eight technical instructors given skills upgrading, pedagogic and in-service training and all regular and special group courses supervized and accredited.
Lessons learned:
Lessons learned will be added as the project advances.
Responsible ILO Office /Branch:
Technical Cooperation Team in Employment and Training (COTEF)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799-6866
Fax:-41-22-799 8573
email: cotef@ilo.org
Source:
Vocational training to support the national employment programme in Bihac (BIH/97/037/A01/11), Geneva, January 1997.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Gorazde - Vocational Training
Name of project and project number:
Vocational training to support the national employment programme in Gorazde
BIH/97/041/A07/11
Starting and completion date:
June 1997 (12 months)
Budget and sources of funding:
US$2,000,000.-
Japan
US$465,400
UNDP IPF
Background:
It is estimated that there are some 1,300,000 people who are either internally displaced or refugees; about 400,000 are demobilized soldiers who require some form of housing and/or employment within the entity. The Government intends to base future development efforts on a market economy approach. Without a concerted effort to provide employment, the political and economic situation may be threatened and the stability of the whole region may be jeopardized.
Development objectives:
Contribution to the peaceful and economic recovery of the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina through the provision of employment and training to vulnerable groups in the country.
Immediate objectives:
Identification of the key courses to support the Gorazde Mechanical School (GMS) within the Higher Technical School (HTC) in Gorazde;
Provision of access to skilled-worker and short-course training for special target groups including the disabled, war widows, demobilized soldiers, returning refugees and the general unemployed population in accordance with catchment area requirements;
Establishment of an efficient, the effective and relevant training programme for each training centre that will be self-sustaining at the conclusion of the project.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be the refugees, displaced and demobilized soldiers, women, and physically disabled persons.
Project strategy:
The project will collaborate closely with other UNDP projects. The Employment and Training Foundation (ETF) of the World Bank (WB) project will also be kept abreast of project activities as will the various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing training and employment to their particular target groups. The ILO will ensure that all activities will be integrated into an efficient vocational training system.
Outputs (planned)
A minimum of five courses at skilled-worker level identified and prioritized;
A minimum of 20 per cent of all trainees sourced from physically war disabled people; a minimum of 30 per cent of all trainees sourced from refugees and demobilized soldiers; a minimum of 20 per cent of all trainees from war widows and other women affected by war;
A minimum of ten technical instructors given skills upgrading, pedagogic and in-service training.
Lessons learned:
Lessons learned will be added as the project advances.
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Technical Cooperation Team in Employment and Training (COTEF)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799-6866
Fax:-41-22-799 8573
email: cotef@ilo.org
Source:
Vocational training to support the national employment programme in Gorazde (BIH/97/041), project document.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Formulating a New Labour Code
Project number:
BIH/96/M02/ITA
Starting and completion date:
October 1996 - October 1997
Budget and sources of funding:
US$100,000.-
Italy
Background:
The Dayton Agreement, signed in Paris in April 1992, acknowledged the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina into two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska. It also established the institutional framework of the country. Under the new Constitution provided by the Agreement, the entity governments will each have exclusive responsibility within their territories for defence, internal affairs, economic and social sector policies, refugees and displaced persons, reconstruction programmes and justice, tax, customs administration and environmental policies.
With Italian Government funding, the ILO is carrying out a project providing technical assistance related to labour legislation and relations to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The project provides specific information on how different models have actually performed under varying circumstances in other countries. ILO assistance is also seeking to ensure that the new labour legislation is efficient in promoting the transition to a market economy and reflects international labour standards, particularly those related to freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation and the prohibition of discrimination, forced labour and child labour.
Outputs:
At the end of the project both entities will have prepared, with ILO technical assistance, national drafts of a labour code and proposals for labour relations policies.
Activities:
The main activities of the project are:
An ILO mission to Sarajevo and Banja Luka (December 1996) with a view to presenting the ILO's approach to labour law revision to the ministries, the chambers of economy and the trade unions in both entities;
Following up that mission, a study tour was organized from 27 January to 13 February 1997. It brought a tripartite delegation from both entities to ILO Headquarters, Italy and Belgium in order to benefit from national and comparative expertise on labour law and labour relations as well as from expertise on international labour standards and European labour law;
Comments on the draft Labour Law were also provided by the ILO to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Forthcoming activities include:
Additional advisory services to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the form of further comments on the draft labour law;
Comments on a draft law on jobcounselling and job placement;
Participation in technical discussions in Sarajevo.
The Republika Srpska is considering sending the labour code now in force to the ILO for comments in light of its forthcoming revision.
Lessons learned:
The setting-up of a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework in the country is closely linked to the redefinition of the role of the State and the transformation of the enterprise sector. Existing labour laws and regulations need to be revised in order to provide grounds for the development of sound labour relations which are vital to the challenges of national reconstruction. The new regulatory framework will clearly have to reflect democratization and the decentralization processes while at the same time taking into account specific local circumstances deriving from the post-war context, the labour relations tradition and the culture of the country as well as modern labour market demands.
The project is proving to be useful in promoting the dialogue between the communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is certainly important in light of the peace reconstruction process.
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Labour Law and Labour Relations Branch (LEG/REL)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799-6111
Fax:-41-22-798 8685
email: legrel@ilo.org
5. CAMBODIA
The Cambodian employment generation programme
Background
The effects of 20 years of war, economic isolation and central planning left Cambodia one of the poorest countries in the world. Particularly in the small towns and the rural areas where the infrastructure had been destroyed, as agricultural land could not be used due to land mines, only very limited economic activities existed. While it was recognized that agriculture provided the largest number of employment opportunities, it was also clear that many unemployed and underemployed members of vulnerable groups in Cambodia could not be absorbed by the agricultural sector alone. Employment and income generation were seen as key issues in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Cambodia.
To overcome the devastating effects of the war, the ILO, with the support of the UNDP, formulated an emergency Employment Generation Programme (EGP), which aimed at creating non-agricultural employment and income opportunities for specific target groups. It was decided that the most effective strategy for creating non-agricultural income and employment generation opportunities would be to combine components with both short-term and long-term potential to generate employment opportunities. The labour-based infrastructure rehabilitation component catered for the short-term needs, while the other components such as vocational training and small enterprise development offered fewer, but more permanent, employment opportunities.
The three projects (small enterprise, vocational training and labour-based) began active collaborating through such measures as joint business opportunity surveys and training needs assessments, joint selection of trainees, and the establishment of a comprehensive follow-up programme. The projects shared one building as a common office. This was, and still is, an important presence for the ILO in Cambodia.
Cambodia had to cope with 370,000 refugees from camps in Thailand, 180,000 internally displaced persons and about 130,000 ex-combatants
CAMBODIA
Small Enterprise Development
Name of project and project number:
1st phase:
Small enterprise development in demobilisation and reintegration
CMB/92/010
2nd phase:
Alleviation of poverty through ACLEDA's financial services (APAFS)
CMB/95/010
Starting and completion date:
1st phase:
May 1992-May 1994
2nd phase:
October 1995-December 1999
Budget and sources of funding:
1st phase:
US$5,245,006.-
UNDP and Dutch Government
2nd phase:
US$1,323,416.-
UNDP
Development objective:
1st phase: Contribution to the long-term socio-economic development of Cambodia and the rising living standards through the promotion of small-scale, private sector economic activities.
2nd phase: Provision of a sustainable contribution to the eradication of rural and urban poverty in Cambodia, by addressing the needs among the poor for micro-finance services and supporting the development of a conducive policy and legislative framework for micro- and small-enterprise development.
Immediate objectives
1st phase:
An integrated small enterprise and informal sector promotion programme aimed at socially disadvantaged groups;
Establishment of strategies for the longer-term sustainability of the network of Local Economies of Development Agencies (LEDAs) created under the project; 3) development of effective linkages and integration with the activities of labour-based infrastructure rehabilitation and vocational training for employment generation to maximize the use of resources and to achieve a sustained impact on target beneficiaries.
2nd phase:
The realization of an effective non-governmental financial institution for economic activities of the poor, providing credit, savings deposit and related business development services;
Support for the Credit Committee for Rural Development (CCRD) in the formulation of policies which are conducive to institutions delivering sustainable financial services to the poor and unserved.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries are potential entrepreneurs and self-employed persons in the informal sector, with priority given to women in new small enterprises and in the informal sector programme, returning internally displaced persons, and demobilized soldiers.
Project strategy:
The small enterprise project established a network of Local Economic Development Agencies (LEDAs) with their own project staff (later formed into a national NGO called the Association of Cambodian Local Economic Development Agencies ACLEDA), providing small business training, credit and follow-up support. This project collaborated actively with the other two projects, especially with the vocational training project. Combined, they developed a unique Cambodian model of skill development linked to small business training with access to credit facilities.
Outputs:
1st phase:
Services in five local LEDAs as part of the Association of Cambodian Local Economic Development Agencies (ACLEDA) at the provincial level sucessfully established in business opportunity identification, business skills training, development of business plans, small and micro credit and business extension;
The sustainability of the ACLEDA as an autonomous indigenous NGO capable of delivering small business and self-employment promotion services strengthened;
Facilities and services (training, business advice, credit) made available to direct beneficiaries of the Labour-Based Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project and the Vocational Training for Employment Generation Project.
2nd phase:
Since April 1993 4,000 trainees have received small business training; 3,000 trainees (67 per cent women) have borrowed to start or expand a small business, 11,000 women in micro enterprise received credit;
Financial management systems appropriate to a financial institution completed and in use; services in savings deposits established for persons engaged in small economic activities; long-term partnership developed between ACLEDA and donor organizations with a commitment to an expertise in building financial services for the poor;
Policies and regulations on financial services for the poor promoted by ACLEDA on the Credit Committee for Rural Development.
Lessons learned:
The Small Enterprise and Informal Sector Promotion Project has been successful in establishing a demand-driven and well-integrated support programme for potential and existing entrepreneurs in the small-business and informal sector. The formation of ACLEDA as an indigenous NGO has contributed significantly to the potential long-term sustainability of the project.
The experience with ex-combatants in Cambodia is limited because the planned large-scale demobilization never took place, and a low-intensity civil war is still continuing. Therefore, only 4.5 per cent of the total number of people trained were ex-combatants. The project's main focus was then war-affected groups in the civilian population, particularly women.
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Entrepreneurship and Management Development Branch (ENT/MAN)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva 22
Phone:-41-22- 799-8427
Fax:-41-22-7997691
e-mail: entreprise@ilo.org
Sources:
Small enterprise development in demobilization and reintegration: The ILO experience in Cambodia, by Matthew Davis, with Roel Hakemulder and Peter Kooi, draft case study, 9 January 1995;
ILO concept paper towards an employment generation programme for Cambodia. Sub-Component Projects: CMB/92/010: Small Enterprise and Informal sector promotion, April 1994.
ILO experiences in reintegrating war-affected populations through skills training and employment initiatives, Geneva, October 1996.
Alleviation of poverty through ACLEDA's Financial Services (APAFS)(CMB/96/010), project document
CAMBODIA
Vocational Training
Name of project and project number:
1st phase:
Vocational training for employment generation
CMB/92/020
2nd phase:
Vocational training for the alleviation of poverty
CMB/96/002
Starting and completion date:
1st phase:
January 1993-June 1996
2nd phase:
July 1996-June 1998
Budget and sources of funding:
1st phase:
US$4,701,300.-
UNDP
2nd phase:
US$2,537,898.-
UNDP and Dutch Government
Development objective:
1st phase: Contribution to the long-term socio-economic and human resource development of Cambodia through the establishment of a flexible, demand-driven programme of vocational training suited to the needs of the local economy.
2nd phase: An important contribution to the alleviation of rural and urban poverty by improving the long-term socio-economic and human resource development in Cambodia through the establishment of a flexible, demand-driven technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system.
Immediate objectives:
1st phase:
Strengthening the capacity and capability of national and provincial institutions and agencies and accelerated needs-based vocational training for economically and socially disadvantaged groups;
Imparting income-generating and employable skills to at least 3,000 persons, especially from vulnerable groups;
Development of effective linkages and integration with the activities of the other action programmes.
2nd phase:
Strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MOEYS), enabling it to plan, design and conduct quality, demand-driven technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes within its own institutions, and to provide advisory services and training to other government ministries and TVET providers;
strengthening the capacity of the Provincial Offices of Education, Youth and Sport (POEYS) and the Provincial Training Centres (PTCs) to manage and implement both centre-based and mobile vocational training within their own institutions and to provide technical assistance and training support to other provincial government departments, NGOs and private sector providers of TVET.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries are:
1st and 2nd phases:
At the policy level, senior officials from relevant planning and functional ministries;
At the operational level, planners, technicians, instructors, administrators, contractors, supervisors;
Economically and socially disadvantaged populations in areas seriously ravaged by war;
Returning internally displaced persons; and
The war-affected local population, especially female heads of households and demobilized soldiers.
2nd Phase:
Vulnerable groups, including women, because of the disproportionate number of women (55-60 per cent).
Project strategy:
1st and 2nd phases:
The vocational training project was directed towards skills for wage employment. It established a ntional taining scretariat in Phnom Penh with the Ministry of Education and a decentralized network of seven Provincial Training Centres (PTCs) and outreach training units (on a mobile basis) providing skill development programmes linked to self-employment/small business opportunities.
Other strategic measures were:
A flexible and innovative approach to skill training; training and employment surveys to identify target zones (including the target group population);
Provision of feed-back on whether a programme is successful and provides data from which curricula can be revised;
Close coordination of the training programmes of "small enterprises and informal sector promotion" and "labour-based infrastructure rehabilitation", to avoid duplication.
2nd phase:
In the second phase,the structures and achievements put in place in the previous Vocational Training for Employment Generation (VTEG) project were built on and improved with a definite shift in focus to capacity building. The project strategy has three main elements, all related to capacity building within the Government, but including a transition component of direct support to the PTCs:
Building capacity in policy development, survey and analysis of employment opportunities and training needs assessments and the development of gender-sensitive training strategies, as well as strategies for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups;
Enhancing the capacity to design and develop high-quality, competency-based curricula related to the needs of the labour market and income-generating potential, together with supporting training material in the Khmer language and instructor training methodologies and programmes;
Strengthening the capacity to plan, implement and monitor employment, and income generating related skill training programmes suited to the needs and capacities of the target groups.
Outputs:
1st phase:
From December 1993 to July 1996, the Vocational Training for Employment Generation Project trained 5,193 persons in over 35 different skill areas. A total of 4,900 persons completed training, over 42 per cent women. Among the 577 trainees completing training during the period November 1995-April 1996, 73.3 per cent were women, compared to 63.6 per cent in the period September to October 1995. Follow-up studies indicate that approximately 77 per cent of persons trained are earning income from full/part-time or seasonal employment or self-employment; over 50 per cent of these are women.
2nd phase:
Training needs assessment unit (TNA) established at the National Training Secretariat with appropriate expertise, methodologies and instruments to identify priority skill areas related to employment, income-generation and small business opportunities;
TVET advisory committees established in seven Provincial Offices of Education Youth and Sports to provide a forum for effective cooperation and coordination between the various TVET providers;
Strengthened Provincial Training Centres in seven provinces capable of providing technical assistance and training support to other provincial government departments;
3,000 persons from socially disadvantaged groups, more than half of them women, trained in employment-related skill development programmes, covering at least 25 vocational fields, through the PTCs in seven provinces and Phnom Penh.
Lessons learned
The main features of the vocational training project were the flexibility and the strong linkage between the training and income-generation/employment needs. Mobile training has proven to be very successful, because it is implemented in the trainees' own environment, and it reduces family dislocation and is of special advantage to women. When the employment programme was first designed, the main target group was supposed to be demobilized soldiers whose successful reintegration would be crucial to the peace process. As demobilization has not actually taken place, the focus shifted to other target groups.
In the 2nd phase, the strategy of providing skills training linked to employment proved to be successful. Also, the assignment of counterparts from the Provincial Offices of education Youth and Sport to manage the PTCs and implement training programmes has proved to be very successful. The UNDP mission to evaluate the (VTEG) project's impact on poverty (January-February 1997) reported that the VTAP project is providing cost-effective training linked to employment or self-employment opportunities for the target groups.
Vocational training for employment generation project (CMB/92/020), progress report May 1996.
ILO concept paper towards an employment generation programme for Cambodia, sub-component projects: CMB/92/020: Vocational training for employment generation, April 1994.
Progress report: Vocational training for the alleviation of poverty, Part I (CMB/96/002), July 1996-October 1996. Vocational training for employment generation, Part II (CMB/92/020), January 1993-June 1996.
Contribution to the short-term and long-term economic development of Cambodia through the establishment of a sustainable labour-based infrastructure development and maintenance capacity; improvement in water storage and expanded irrigation coverage; creation of short- and long-term employment opportunities and better access to social services.
Immediate objectives:
Design and implementation of an effective labour-based infrastructure rehabilitation programme providing short-term emergency employment for a maximum of 4,000 persons, particularly amongst the socially and economically disadvantaged groups;
Development of a strategy for long-term sustainability of rural and irrigation projects nation-wide and at Angkor using labour-based technology.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be the rural poor and the returnees, particularly women, benefiting from immediate employment opportunities through construction work, demobilized soldiers, internally displaced persons and other war-affected people as well as other people composed of the general population and farmers living in the project area.
Project strategy:
The project infrastructure works were carried out in the four northwestern provinces of Battambang, Bantaey Meanchey, Siem Reap and Pursat, and also on a smaller scale in the two eastern provinces of Takeo and Kandal. The project focused on roads, irrigation and the clearing and cleaning of the Angkor monuments. The project collaborated on several occasions with the WFP to use a combined food-for-work and cash-payment system. Due to the success of the project, its duration was extended from the original closing date of December 1993 to 30 June 1996. After the project was terminated, in its place, through an inter-agency letter of agreement between the UNOPS and the ILO within the CARERE project framework, the labour-based infrastructure work will continue at least until the end of 1997.
Outputs:
Over 2,100,000 work days of direct employment generation;
The training in labour-based construction techniques of 180 engineers, technicians and supervisors;
A system of maintenance for 565 km of rural roads;
The construction/rehabilitation of 450 km of rural roads to appropriate quality specifications;
The rehabilitation and maintenance to appropriate quality specifications of 96 km of secondary canals in the Barai and Bovel irrigation system;
Water user groups established throughout the above two irrigation systems;
The essential clearing and cleaning of the temples and environs of the Angkor monuments and the development of an annual workplan for this activity;
The adoption of labour-based appropriate technology as a national strategy for infrastructure rehabilitation by the Royal Government of Cambodia;
The establishment of an inter-ministerial technical advisory council on the use of labour- based appropriate technology by the Royal Government of Cambodia;
The preparation of labour-based appropriate technology curricula to be included in the training of engineers at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia.
Lessons learned
The Labour Based Appropriate technology proved to be very cost-effective, with the unit of labour-based appropriate technology methods of infrastructure rehabilitation considerably lower than those of heavy equipment methods.
This project has been chosen by the Government as the preferred method of rehabilitating the rural infrastructure. The labour-based appropriate technology showed to be an effective way to develop rural areas which are insecure. The project became especially popular with the provincial governments, which saw the advantages of creating employment and rehabilitating the infrastructure while maximizing the use of local resources in the rural areas.
Through an inter-agency letter of agreement between the UNOPS and the ILO, with funding originating from SIDA, the Dutch Government, and the UNDP, equipment and staff are transferred and the works will continue under a different project name and number, CARERE CMB/95/011.
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Mr. David Salter
Labour-Based Rural Infrastructure Rehabilitation
Phnom Penh, Cambodia,
Phone: (+ 855)-18-810270, 23-428210,
Fax: (+855)-23-427632,
e-mail: ILO@forum.igc.apc.org
Source:
Royal Government of Cambodia. United Nations Development Programme. Employment Generation Programme. Report of the evaluation mission. Part II: Labour-Based Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project (CMB/92/008). Laurent Guerin, Phnom Penh, May 1994.
6. ETHIOPIA
Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project
Name of project and project number:
Tigray and Wollo Road Rehabilitation Project
ETH/95/M01/ITA
Starting and completion date:
June 1997 (28 months)
Budget and sources of funding:
US$3,910,416.-
Italy
Background:
Ethiopia has approximately 23,800 km of classified all-weather roads comprising 13,400 km of main roads and 10,400 km of all-weather rural roads. This sparseness (compared to the area and the population) is not surprising, however, given the difficult terrain and climatic conditions prevalent in the highland areas of the country, where most of the population and agricultural activity are to be found. The result is that most rural communities in Ethiopia are not served by all-weather roads and are dependent on traditional means of transport (principally pack animals and themselves). This leads to difficulties with the distribution of agricultural inputs and the marketing of agricultural surpluses in good years, and with the delivery of relief food in bad years. The lack of reasonably priced, all-weather, motorized transport is probably the most serious obstacle to sustainable socio-economic development in rural areas.
Development objectives:
The Tigray and Wollo Road Rehabilitation project are components of the Italian Relief and Rehabilitation Programme in Ethiopia (IRRPE). This is a preparatory programme which is intended to lay the foundations for a longer-term intervention and to contribute towards creating a more stable socio-economic context for development.
The Italian Relief and Rehabilitation Programme has the following general objectives to which the road rehabilitation projects should contribute: Improved living standards for the rural population (in the programme areas) through raised incomes; improved health and nutrition status for the same target group; a contribution towards restoring the environmental equilibrium.
Immediate objectives:
Sustainable, all-weather access for motor vehicles benefiting selected rural communities in the Tigray region and South Wollo zone and complementing other IRRPE activities in the region;
The Rural Roads Authorities in the project regions able to undertake limited labour-based improvement of rural roads and to put improved roads under appropriate labour-based routine maintenance arrangements;
Labour-based improvement and maintenance of rural roads shown to be technically and economically viable under appropriate circumstances
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries of the project are the inhabitants of isolated rural communities in the areas served by the improved roads. These are mainly peasant farmers and landless agricultural workers and their families. The direct recipients are the Rural Road Authorities (RRAs) of the project regions.
Project strategy:
The project aims to introduce labour-based methods of improvement and maintenance of rural roads into new regions and to offer opportunities for on-the-job training and for demonstrating the technical and socio-economic feasibility of local resources-based, employment-intensive works (to politicians, planners and senior professionals from the region concerned and elsewhere);
The technical assistance provided under this project will be aimed at enabling the Rural Road Authorities (RRAs) concerned to implement the road improvements effectively and efficiently using labour-based methods and to put the improved roads under appropriate labour-based routine maintenance systems by local contractors.
Planned outputs:
Three roads improved to RR 30 standards (all-weather gravel roads for up to 30 vehicles/day);
Three operational labour-based construction units (LBCUs);
A final report covering actual duration and costs of road improvement; actual employment created; comparisons with estimated duration and cost of equipment-based implementation and associated employment opportunities; procedures and system developed; and problems encountered, lessons learned and recommendations for labour-based road works in future.
Lessons learned:
Lessons learned will be added as the project advances.
Responsible ILO Office /Branch:
Development Policy Branch (POL/DEV)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva 22
Phone:-41-22-799 6414
Fax: -41-22-799 6489
email: poldev@ilo.org
Source:
Ethiopia: Tigray and Wollo Road Rehabilitation Project, project document.
7. LEBANON
Rehabilitation and Development
Name of project and project number:
Rehabilitation and development of accelerated training programme in Lebanon
LEB/92/015
Starting and completion date:
October 1993 (Still under implementation
Budget and sources of funding:
US$675,000.-
UNDP
L£173,236,000.-
Lebanon Government
Background:
Lebanon's civil war resulted in massive migration of skilled workers and in tens of thousands of youth, many of whom "missed out" on formal education. The reconstruction of Lebanon requires a substantial skilled workforce, but rehabilitation of the country could not wait for formally schooled graduates. Accelerated vocational training seems to be the only viable solution.
Objectives:
Rehabilitation of the Dekwaneh Centre to offer an employment-oriented training programme in seven selected fields with an annual output of 288 skilled workers, including training of staff, development of training material, provision of training equipment and production of training material packages for dissemination to other training institutions in Lebanon.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be displaced and unemployed youth. In addition, the training staff in the Dekwaneh Centre and other institutions are benefiting from staff training and/or training material packages.
Project strategy:
A simultaneous effort is being made in two areas: (1) establishing a sound base for the training capacity in the Ministry of Labour in order to adequately meet its increased responsibilities; and (2) assisting in setting up a national coordination committee for skill training with representatives of all concerned bodies. Outputs:
Staff, trained;
Labour-market study carried out;
Training facility made operational;
Training and material available;
Youth trained in selected fields;
Training records and detailed plan for further development;
Expansion of the programme.
Lessons learned:
The post-conflict era witnessed a weak administration and frequent changes that negatively influenced the attainment of objectives.
In the reconstruction effort, human resources development is not always a priority and the influx of skilled migrant workers accepting low wages negatively influenced the nationals attitude towards training.
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Technical Cooperation Team
in Employment and Training (COTEF)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone: -41-22-799 6866
Fax: -41-22-799 8573
email: cotef@ilo.org
8. LIBERIA
Vocational Training
Name of project and project number:
Vocational training for employment and self-employment
LIR/95/005
Starting and completion date:
January 1996 - December 1998
Budget and sources of funding:
US1,217,900.-
UNDP
Background:
As a result of the conflict in the country, more than 60 per cent of the population is displaced. About 750,000 persons became refugees in neighbouring countries. Another 1 million persons are reported to be internally displaced, and about 60,000 ex-combatants are to be demobilized. There has been a major breakdown in the community structure and particularly in community cohesion. The conflict has seriously affected the traditional family and community support system. Despite the critical manpower and institutional capacity as a result of the conflict, there is a high degree of commitment to vocational training for self-employment.
Development objective:
Contribution to the consolidation of peace in the country by enhancing the skills and thereby facilitating employment and self-employment of ex-combatants and other war-affected persons;
Contribution to long-term development of vocational training.
Immediate objectives:
Creation of a national capacity for planning and designing short skill training programmes for self-employment;
Delivering training on a decentralized basis to about 10,000 ex-combatants and other conflict-affected persons in demand-oriented skills.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be ex-combatants and other conflict-affected persons who will receive training and trainers who will undergo an intensive training-for-trainers programme and officials responsible within the government ministries for skills training.
Project strategy:
The project will build on local institutional resources and manpower and seek an effective match of project components on the demand and supply side. For this purpose, it will design short-cycle training programmes combined with business training, provide vocational counselling, carry out demand assessments at the community level for self-employment, and undertake training of trainers.
Outputs (planned)
Approximately 100 persons trained as trainers to be able to teach skill training and business training for self-employment to adult trainees;
Approximately 10,000-12,000 persons trained during a two-year period. The project will be subject to evaluation 12 months after the start of full operations to assess its effectiveness and wider applicability.
Lessons learned:
The success of this project depends very much on the political situation of the country, which is very complicated at the moment. A positive element of the situation in Liberia is the rapid response from the society (the ex-combatants, NGOs and the local community) towards the project. This gives a clear signal that the war has not destroyed all the dynamic forces of the country, which are needed now to rebuild the country.
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Technical Cooperation Team in Employment and Training (COTEF)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone: -41-22-799 6866
Fax: -41-22-799 8573
email: cotef@ilo.org
Source:
Vocational training for employment and self-employment (LIR/95/005), project document.
9. MOZAMBIQUE
Reintegration Programme for Demobilized Combatants
Name of project and project number:
Reintegration of demobilized soldiers
MOZ/94/B01
Starting and completion date:
July 1994 - June 1997 (Originally 18 months, with two renewals
Budget and sources of funding:
US$3,880,612.-
Sweden, Netherlands and Italy. Administered by UNDP
Additional funds were provided by the World Bank (US$508,500.- for a parallel project activity
Background:
After the Peace Accord in October 1992, it was agreed to set up a Commission for the Reintegration of Demobilized Soldiers (CORE). Mozambique faced the enormous task of reintegrating 100,000 demobilized soldiers, 1,700,000 refugees from neighbouring countries and 4,000,000 internally displaced persons. After the 16 years of civil war, labour market conditions were very unfavourable, with urban unemployment close to 20 per cent. The urban and rural informal sector provides the largest number of employment opportunities. However, most demobilized soldiers lack the necessary resources, in term of skills, equipment and capital, to become self-employed. This project was undertaken by the Ministry of Labour with technical assistance from the ILO. The project provides vocational training, kit distribution and promotion for employment of ex-combatants throughout the country.
Development objective:
Contribution to the success of the peace process with its ultimate objective of the social and economic reintegration of war-affected populations, in particular demobilized soldiers.
Immediate objectives:
Effective coordination of the reintegration programme by a management unit which ensures that all programme components are mutually compatible;
Assistance to 4,000 demobilized soldiers by providing training in a specific skill, so as to increase their opportunities especially for self-employment;
Provision of kits to 9,000 demobilized soldiers, 4,000 of whom would have been beneficiaries of the training above;
Provision of nation-wide distribution of vocational kits to complement the skills already acquired prior to demobilization within the project;
Provision of business training to 500 demobilized, in particular former officers;
Increase in employment opportunities and the level of reintegration for demobilized soldiers through community-based activities such as labour-intensive schemes that contribute to national reconstruction.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be demobilized soldiers and disabled demobilized soldiers. Communities benefit indirectly from the presence of skilled demobilized soldiers providing productive services; some trainers and counsellors benefit from the orientation courses.
Project strategy:
Since the closure of CORE, the project has worked closely with the Ministry of Labour/INEFP and has working relations with other reintegration programmes through the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) and with NGOs and church groups, through more recent work in supporting self-employment and micro-enterprise initiatives. The project uses for the implementation of its activities, to the greatest extent possible, existing institutions, both governmental and non-governmental, to provide demobilized soldiers with the necessary kits and basic tools to find a job or become self-employed. The project subcontracted existing organizations and institutions for business and skills training and developed with them a package of tailor-made courses and programmes. Community links have recently been established through community-based working initiatives and through the work of the local employment animators.
Outputs: (February 1997)
A strengthened supporting institutional capacity at the provincial and district levels to assist demobilized soldiers;
9,675 trainees received vocational or business management training, of which 86,34 per cent are demobilized under the General Peace Agreement (1.85 per cent women and 2.92 per cent disabled);
6,621 of the beneficiaries (74.6 per cent) successfully graduated, 281 dropped out (3.2 per cent), 341 failed (3.9 per cent), 1,635 are concluding their training (18.4 per cent);
About 5,000 kits distributed;
More than 70 per cent of the trainees employed, referring those who found paid jobs or have established their self-employment or micro enterprise;
320 trainers in vocational training, as well as 120 employment functionaries trained;
320 micro enterprises created, which generated 1,903 jobs.
Lessons learned:
In spite of the limitations in the project context (pressure in terms of numbers and deadlines to meet, together with a great demand for training the demobilized; initial delays in the opening of the project; poor preparation of initial activities, as a result of the weak initial preparation of the project; destroyed training network; paucity of information on the labour market in Mozambique, etc.). The programme has successfully provided assistance to project participants to reintegrate into Mozambique's civil society. The project has indirectly proved beneficial to recipient communities through community-based initiatives such as on-the-job training for construction workers rehabilitating a school or other facilities. Finally, the project has significantly supported the institutional capacity building of government counterpart seminars and the preparation of manuals and training documents.
The key lessons are:
Donor coordination;
Capacity building of government institutions and other project partners (and aid to the national project staff;
Early planning of project activities to ease pressure for a quick impact;
Labour market assessment prior to implementation of project activities;
The intensive application of the traditional apprenticeship modality; provision of follow-up services to programme participants (access to credit, counselling, business training, etc.);
Close monitoring and evaluation of project impact;
To contribute to sustainability, it is recommended to develop links with traditional and community structures and to use existing institutions for project implementation. The intensive application of the traditional apprenticeship modality enabled the project to expand training, without additional investments;
The planning phase of the project is to start immediately after the peace negotiations. In the case of Mozambique, demobilization had already taken place before the project started, which put the project under great pressure for immediate training delivery.
Before starting the training, it is important that the trainees receive orientation about training and employment opportunities as well as guidance to define their own aptitudes;
It is important to ensure access to credit, as otherwise micro enterprises are impeded in their development.
To contribute to sustainability, it is recommended to develop links with traditional and community structures and to make sure that activities are directed through the government structure and staff.
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Enterprise and Cooperative Development Department (ENTERPRISE),
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799 8427
Fax:-41-22-799 7691
e-mail:entreprise@ilo.org
Sources:
UNDP, A Management Framework for Reintegrating Demobilized Soldiers with Emphasis on Business ans Skills Development, project document, August 1994.
Reintegration of Demobilized Soldiers, Maputo, February 1997, project document.
ILO Action Programme on Skills and Entrepreneurship Training for Countries Emerging from Armed Conflict. Training and employment programmes for war- affected populations. Lessons from experience in Mozambique, by Cecile A. Bryant, Geneva, March 1997.
MOZAMBIQUE
Labour-based Workd Project
Name of project and project number:
Feeder Road Programme (overall project title)
1st phase:
Management assistance to labour based feeder roads programme
MOZ/91/007
2nd phase:
Management assistance to feeder roads programme (extension)
MOZ/96/013
Starting and completion date:
1st phase:
January 1992-December 1996
2nd phase:
January 1997-December 1999
Budget and sources of funding:
1st phase:
US6,300,000.-
UNDP
2nd phase:
US$6,800,000.-
UNDP
Background:
The civil war in Mozambique, which erupted in the early 1980s, disrupted the economic and social fabric of the country as a whole. All the infrastructure was affected, and the rural economy declined. This complex situation of heightened insecurity and increasing poverty created both internal refugees (some 4 million) and external refugees (about 1.5 million) who sought shelter in neighbouring countries.
Historically, Mozambique's transport system was designed to serve the country's three main ports (Maputo, Beira and Nacala) with railway systems linking these ports to Swaziland and the Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi respectively. About 82 per cent of the country's road network are classified as secondary and tertiary roads. These roads have not received the required road maintenance inputs for more than a decade. The majority of these roads suffer from major pavement deficiencies and are impassable. The degradation of the road network has been such that accessibility has seriously declined in most parts of the country. The main reasons for the neglect of the road network are the general lack of human and material resources; the unstable security situation in major parts of the country; and a heavy reliance on foreign resources for road construction and maintenance.
The Government of Mozambique has launched a major Roads and Coastal Shipping Project (ROCS). This project embodies the Government's policies in these sectors and outlines overall strategies for rehabilitation, manpower development and maintenance. The ILO is the executing agency of the project and the National Directorate of Roads and Bridges, Ministry of Construction and Water is the implementing agency.
Development objectives:
1st phase:
Contribution to the removal of the principal constraints to agricultural and rural rehabilitation in Mozambique by assisting in the implementation of a nation-wide feeder road programme.
2nd phase:
Strengthening the capacity of the road sector by continuing the regulatory reforms and institution building under the 1st phase of the project, to ensure effective planning and monitoring by the Government and the development of the private sector contractors and operators to a large extent through on-the-job activities.
Immediate objectives:
1st phase:
Development of the capacity of the National Directorate of Roads and Bridges (DNEP) to effectively plan, programme, guide, control and coordinate a nation-wide labour-based feeder road programme;
Increasing the capacity of the Provincial Enterprise for Construction and Maintenance of Roads and Bridges (ECMEP) to effectively plan, execute and control labour-based feeder roads rehabilitation and maintenance works at provincial and district level.
2nd phase:
Strengthen the institutional capacity of the National Directorate of Roads and Bridges (DNEP);
Strengthen the capacity of the Provincial Enterprise for Constructions and Maintenance of Roads and Bridges (ECMEP) and Diviseos de Estradas Tercearias (DET) to carry out labour-based works;
Creation of a pool of relevant marketable skills in rural areas, which will be available for subsequent employment in road maintenance and construction work;
Concentration of direct benefits to the rural disadvantaged by means of direct employment.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be, individually, the underprivileged and unemployed, refugees, agricultural producers and traders and the rural population and, institutionally, the National Directorate of Roads and Bridges.
Project strategy:
The project aims at a coordinated programme approach standardizing policies, procedures and monitoring, technical assistance (TA) inputs, programme budgeting, work methods and organization; building the institutional capacity in the national Directorate of Roads and bridges (DNEP) at the central level and the Provincial Enterprise for Construction and Maintenance of Roads and Bridges (ECMEPs) at the provincial level to manage tertiary road rehabilitation and maintenance; coordinating externally-funded inputs into the programme; supporting DNEP and ECMEP/DET human resource development policy in relation to management of the tertiary road network by means of increased regard to technology transfer and on-the-job training; and supporting the execution of maintenance works by the ECMEP and by development of local contractors.
Outputs:
Both phases:
Since 1992, some 1,935 km of feeder roads have been rehabilitated, which represents 81 per cent of the target of 2,400 for the period 1992-96. This includes both full gravelling and spot improvement;
There are currently 29 brigades operational with five mobilizing. Support is secured for a further four contract development brigades, and proposals for a further nine brigades are under consideration;
The current brigades sizes are about 170 person and 180 persons compared with a target of 250 persons. In 1996 over 600,000 persons days of employment were generated while rehabilitating 470 km of road. The total labour force is currently in excess of 4,500 persons. The percentage of women workers continues well below the target of 25 per cent, at around 14 per cent. The continued failure to attract a greater percentage of women workers has been the subject of a study financed by the UNDP and presented in 1996. Action is being taken to implement the recommendation of the study, (further outputs will be added).
Lessons learned:
It has been proved that labour-based technology is cost-effective and highly applicable and the only realistic method in a country like Mozambique, which suffers from lack of employment opportunities, and where resources requiring foreign exchange, such as importation of capital equipment, spares and employment of international contractors are limited;
The programme approach to coordinate all donors involved in labour-based road works has been successful and has facilitated one organization to be responsible for the tertiary road network with standardized procedures and work methods;
There is ample evidence that the reopening and rehabilitation of rural roads is quickly followed by resettlement and clearing of land for agriculture. However, access to better roads is not enough to stimulate economic and social development. Without involvement of other factors such as credit systems for rural traders, means of transport for the farmers to search for alternative markets, etc., economic development will not be realized;
The benefit of road rehabilitation will last only a limited period if maintenance is neglected. Even though all rehabilitated roads have been prepared for maintenance by a length-person system set up by a feeder road programme and handed over to the provincial authorities, the standard of maintenance actually achieved can be generally stated as of insufficient quality to prevent premature deterioration of the roads. From 1997 onwards, maintenance of tertiary roads will be the responsibility of the feeder road programme;
The programme has experienced difficulties in reaching the target of 25 per cent women workers. To change this, the programme will have to take special action in the recruitment procedures, create an environment and conditions which make it possible for women to apply for a job, and also create an understanding of the issues at provincial and district level. A gender/socio-economic adviser will be engaged within the new project.
Responsible ILO Office /Branch:
Development Policy Branch (POL/DEV)
4, route de Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799 6461
Fax:-41-22-799 6489
email: poldev@ilo.org
Sources:
Management Assistance to Labour-based Feeder Roads Rehabilitation and Maintenance Programme (MOZ/01/007/A/01/11);
Management Assistance to labour-based Tertiary Roads Programme (MOZ/96/013).
10. NAMIBIA
Vocational Rehabilitation
Name of project and project number:
1st phase:
Vocational rehabilitation of war victims and other disabled
ILO/NOR/81/NAM
2nd phase:
Vocational skill training and employment creation for disabled Namibians
NAM/87/M01/NOR
Starting and completion date:
1st phase:
August 1982-September 1987
2nd phase:
October 1987-1991
Budget and sources of funding:
1st phase:
639,970.-
Norway Government/ILO
US$48,000.-
UNHCR
US$18,000.-
Diakonisches Werk der EKD
2nd phase:
US$515,000.-
Norway Government
Background:
In 1981 the ILO, in response to a request from the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) and the Council of Namibia, designed a project providing vocational rehabilitation and vocational skill training to prepare war victims and other disabled Namibians to participate productively in the economic life of their communities. The need for help was urgent, due to the fact that most disabled war victims were left depressed and idle without hope for betterment in the refugee camps in Angola.
The 2nd phase of the project was originally designed to continue the work begun through the 1st phase. Both projects aimed at reducing the handicapping effects of disabilities for all categories of disabled Namibians, in particular war-disabled persons, to assure their vocational and social integration into society. The second project was designed to exceed the first in the number of people served and the scope and intensity of activities. During the life of this project, dramatic political-social changes took place in the region, culminating in the repatriation of Namibian refugees, elections and independence. This made it necessary to revise and extend the activities originally planned. In both projects, the ILO was appointed executing agency.
Development objective:
1st phase:
The reduction of the handicapping effects of disability for all categories of disabled Namibians, in particular war-disabled persons, and assuring their vocational and social integration or reintegration into society;
2nd phase:
Productive employment and self-reliance of disabled war victims and other disabled Namibians in an independent Namibia.
Immediate objectives:
1st phase:
Meeting the basic needs of disabled Namibians in refugee camps (relief measures);
Preparing the disabled for return to normalcy and full participation in the social and economic activities of their families and communities (rehabilitation measures);
Providing a nucleus of vocational and other related services available to carry out the above task;
Training a number of Namibian staff at all levels of rehabilitation work;
Providing opportunities for economic activities enabling the trained disabled to become self-reliant in their community;
2nd phase:
Achievement of vocational skills for the disabled Namibian war victims and utilizing those skills either in productive work or in instructing others;
SWAPO having the technical competence to organize and operate vocational rehabilitation services, both in its camps and in an independent Namibia.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be physically disabled war victims and other disabled Namibians between the ages of 20 and 35, both male and female, and trainers.
Project strategy:
1st phase:
Negotiations took place between SWAPO and the Zambian Government (Ministry of Labour and Social Services) in August 1982 to shift the project temporarily to Zambia in order to make use of the existing training capacity there. It was followed by further training and employment in SWAPO camps in Angola. Liaison took place between several Zambian institutions and foreign donor agencies to deal with the social and academic needs.
2nd phase:
The arrangement originally made in May 1982 between the Government of Zambia (Ministry of Labour, Social Services and Culture) and the ILO Area Office in Lusaka was renewed. Under this agreement, the project was granted permission to use Zambian institutions and facilities for training disabled Namibians participating in the project.
Outputs:
1st phase:
Requirements for social and vocational rehabilitation were provided. These included:
Corrective surgery on eight trainees, prosthetic devices fitted, refitted or repaired for 31 trainees, physical therapy administered to ten trainees, and artificial eyes fitted on nine trainees;
Basic education and English tuition and upgrading prior to skill training received by 135 disabled Namibians;
130 trained in 14 skills at seven institutions in Zambia;
In-service and post-skill training fellowships and attachments granted to 25 trainees.
2nd phase:
Training courses in the English language, basic mathematics and vocational skills completed by more than 40 disabled Namibians;
Instructors' courses of advanced training in Zambia completed by six disabled trainees;
Job placements found for 45 graduating trainees and for 112 former trainees from the previous project;
Two production workshops established in Zambia for the training and employment of 20 trainees;
A comprehensive reintegration plan designed by SWAPO for disabled ex-combatants in Namibia. The plan included vocational rehabilitation services;
Four officials trained in vocational rehabilitation.
Lessons learned:
1st phase:
In general, the training in Zambia was proceeding well, and the students had made substantial progress, despite a generally poor educational background and the short length of the course. It was concluded that the project language (English) was inadequate for subsequent training requirements. The length of current training programmes was not adequate in some, if not all, cases due to the technical requirements of certain courses and the poor educational background of most Namibians.
2nd phase:
It has been shown that an effective programme of skill training cannot be offered without a programme in basic education for trainees who lack an academic background. It is also necessary to create a stable social environment and a stimulating atmosphere for education and training in order to effectively rehabilitate disabled adult Namibians.
Vocational rehabilitation of war victims and other disabled Namibians (ILO/NOR/81/NAM), project findings and recommendations, Geneva 1988.
Vocational skill training and employment creation for disabled Namibians (NAM/87/M01/NOR), project findings and recommendations, Geneva 1992
NAMIBIA
Vocational Training I
Name of project and project number:
Assistance to the United Nations Vocational Training Centre for Namibia
NAM/86/005
Starting and completion date:
May 1987 - June 1991
Budget and sources of funding:
US$2,730,760.-
UNDP
Background:
The project activities were considered as phase II of project I "Assistance to Establish a Pilot Vocational Training Centre" (NAM/78/008). Its immediate objective had been to assist SWAPO to train skilled manpower to independently undertake economic activities in various trades. As towards the end of the project some tasks remained incomplete, a phase II was required (NAM/86/005). The project was of a special nature, in that it was designed to provide assistance to a country which was in the midst of the struggle for its independence and for which the United Nations had assumed direct responsibility. The purpose of establishing the United Nations Vocational Training Centre for Namibia (UNVTCN) was to open opportunities for training and related skills development to those for whom such access and possibilities were denied in Namibia. The ILO was the executing agency.
Development objectives:
To give support to developing among SWAPO personnel in countries of asylum the technical and managerial capacity and achievement of self-reliance in undertaking different occupational activities necessary for the effective development and maintenance of SWAPO communities in countries of asylum and in Namibia, when conditions are right for them to return there.
Immediate objectives:
Strengthening an appropriate vocational training programme for producing skilled personnel in the following trades: automotive mechanics, bricklaying and masonry, carpentry and joinery, electrical installation, machinery fitting and plumbing and pipe-fitting, and providing the technical personnel and other inputs needed to consolidate and strengthen courses already under way;
The completion of training for approximately 340 people in these trades; further staff development of some 57 administrative and instructional personnel by fellowship and in-service training, with a view to developing by the end of the project a self-reliant capacity for competently pursuing the technical mandate of the Centre under sound management.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries are SWAPO personnel and SWAPO communities in countries of asylum ( 44 per cent women).
Project strategy:
The project also provided basic skills training as a component of its instructional programme in a manner which was appropriate for adults and directly related to the occupational activities for which training was to be given. The activities necessary to achieve the project's objectives were carried out jointly by the national and international staff assigned to it.
Outputs:
272 trainees successfully completed their training. Especially noteworthy was the high percentage of women (44 per cent);
72 Namibians (41 technical and 31 non-technical staff) were employed by the project;
There was comprehensive performance-based learning for each of the six designed trades prepared. In addition to 638 learning elements obtained from the ILO, 462 elements were developed by UNVTCN staff;
Maintenance procedures for all Centre facilities were established and maintenance staff trained accordingly; nine staff houses and a recreation centre through self-help construction schemes were built.
Lessons learned:
Despite being situated in a war zone, the project was able to produce the prescribed outputs and at its conclusion the project status can be described as very satisfactory.
It was noted that experts recruited within the region can better persevere in extremely difficult conditions than those from outside. In-house training activities were more effective than fellowships abroad for the Namibian staff, due to the immediate application.
Responsible ILO Office /Branch:
Technical Cooperation Team in Employment and Training (COTEF)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva 22
Phone: -41-22-799 6256
Fax:-41-22-799 8375
e-mail: cotef@ilo.org
Sources:
Namibia. Assistance to the United Nations Vocational Training Centre for Namibia (NAM/86/005), Geneva, October 1992.
NAMIBIA
Vocational Training II
Name of project and project number:
Establishment of a national vocational training system
NAM/90/009
Starting and completion date:
September 1991 - August 1993
Budget and sources of funding:
US$650,300.-
UNDP
Background:
At independence from the apartheid system, Namibia inherited a stagnating economy with an estimated unemployment rate of 30 per cent. At the same time, there was a significant shortage of skilled workers as well as an emerging demand for trained personnel in managerial, administrative, professional, technical and skilled occupations for the needs of an independent nation. The Namibian economy had been geared to the needs of a small white minority, and almost 95 per cent of the population was excluded from mainstream economic and social development.
It was evident that human resource development should be one of the central concerns of the Government. The Ministry of Labour and Manpower Development was assigned as the government implementing agency, with the ILO as the executing agency of the project.
Development objectives:
The establishment of the necessary administrative capacity at the national level to formulate vocational training policies and programmes which could eventually contribute to supplying the national economy with a sufficient number of trained persons to meet job requirements in the formal and informal sectors and in both urban and rural areas.
Immediate objective:
The development within the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Development of an effective modern vocational training organization with the capacity to plan, coordinate and implement all elements of a national training system.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries are people who had suffered under the apartheid regime and were excluded from skill training, especially women and youth and agricultural and domestic persons.
Project strategy:
The project has prepared the legislative and organizational framework for both the vocational training system and a vocational training division in the Ministry for this purpose. The activities necessary to produce the indicated objectives were carried out jointly by the international and national professional staff.
Outputs:
Given the difficult circumstances, considerable progress was made in developing an effective modern vocational training organization. The Interim Vocational Training Board had started functioning along with its four trade advisory committees. By the end of the project, a number of component elements of a vocational training organization and vocational training system were either in place or were in the process of finalization. Among these were:
The national vocational training policy, the Vocational Training Act (1992);
The National Vocational Training Testing and Certification System;
20 occupational standards;
16 training curricula, and a trade testing mechanism.
Lessons learned:
The duration and financial resources of the project were not sufficient, and longer inputs of international staff would have been needed for the project to have the desired level of impact. More time and resources are required for establishing the sustainable national capacity for vocational training planning and coordination. Since the national counterparts could not be assigned to specific project activities, staff training and the transfer of skills suffered. Delays in obtaining legislative approval for the Vocational Training Act and in administrative approval for the reorganization of the Directorate of Manpower Development were important constraints. It is therefore necessary to foresee and plan for time lags in a realistic manner.
Responsible ILO Office /Branch:
Technical Cooperation Team in Employment and Training (COTEF)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799 6866,
Fax:-41-22-799 8573
email: cotef@ilo.org
Source:
Establishment of a National Vocational Training System. Project Finding and recommendations, Geneva 1994.
11. PALESTINE
Small Enterprise Development
Name of project and project number:
Integrated small enterprise development at the Palestinian Chambers of Commerce
PAL/95/M04/ITA
Starting and completion date:
May/June 1997 (two years, with a possible second phase
Budget and sources of funding:
US$1,552,789.-
Italy
Background:
The project will, on a pilot basis, assist in the establishment of four Small Enterprise Development Units (SEDUs) in the Chambers of Commerce located in Gaza, Hebron, Nablus and Bethlehem. The project has recognizedthe important role which the small-scale enterprise sector can and should play in terms of generating the much-needed productive and sustainable employment opportunities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS).
The years of conflict and instability have created an unfavourable climate for productive investments. Due to limitations and problems in the movement of people and goods, the already small local market is fragmented and difficult to access effectively by local businesses. Consequently, the private sector in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is a very significant part of the economy, accounting for about 85% of the GDP.
Development Objective
The project will contribute to the development of employment opportunities for the Palestinian people by supporting the small-scale private sector in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Immediate Objectives:
Strengthen the non-financial support services to artisans and small entrepreneurs, particularly in the subsector of marble and stone, shoes, and garments and textiles, through the establishment in four selected Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Small Enterprise Development Units (SEDUs) which can provide a range of highly practical, demand-driven services to small-scale enterprise clients on a sustainable basis;
Provide highly practical training programmes to introduce basic business concepts in areas such as business planning, marketing, product costing and accounting;
Strengthen the local sectoral groups by facilitating of linkages between them and overseas sectoral associations and other associations in the field of small and medium enterprises and artisans;
Carry out local business surveys in the respective areas of each SEDU;
Facilitate access to small-scale credit to allow small-enterprise clients to implement small-scale investments identified during consultancy assignments.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be the Federation and its member Chambers in the four pilot areas which will be supported through the establishment of the SEDUs. But also entrepreneurs not holding membership in the Chambers will be potential beneficiaries of the project services. Targets will be set for women's participation in training programmes and their implementation of plans.
Project strategy:
The project will liaise closely with existing coordinating mechanisms in the WBGS, such as the Sectoral Working Group for Private Sector Development. Within the national framework of private sector development, the main direct counterpart for the project is the Federation and its associated Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture. Since the project also aims at providing direct technical assistance to enterprises, linkages will be established with sectoral and subsectoral enterprise associations. In some cases, such on association could be appointed by relevant Chambers of Commerce to act as the direct counterpart.
Outputs
Four selected Chambers of Commerce strengthened and Small Enterprise Development Units (SEDUs) established within each to provide a range of specialized, highly practical and demand-driven services to small-scale artisans and enterprises, particularly in the subsector of marble and stone, shoes, and textiles and garments;
SEDU capacity in formulating, organizing and implementing training courses for artisans and small-scale entrepreneurs established;
Federation and sectoral associations established and/or strengthened;
Consultancy services on product innovation made available, particularly in selected priority sectors;
Linkages between artisans and small-scale entrepreneurs and overseas markets and technology sources facilitated;
Capacity for facilitating contacts between client enterprises and financial intermediaries and other small enterprise programmes established.
Lessons learned:
Lessons learned will be added as the project advances.
Responsible ILO Office /Branch:
Entrepreneurship and Management Development Branch (ENT/MAN)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799 8427
Fax:-41-22-799 7691
email: entreprise@ilo.org
Source:
Integrated Small Enterprise Development at the Palestinian Chambers of Commerce, ( PAL/95/M04/ITA).
12. SUDAN
Labour-based Works
Name of project and project number:
Nyala - Idd El Fursan Track Improvement
SUD/95/C01
Starting and completion date:
July 1997 (three years)
Budget and sources of funding:
US$3,590,935.-
UNCDF
US$671,980.-
UNDP
Background:
Sudan, with a total land area of 2.5 million km2, is the largest country in Africa, sharing borders with nine countries. With a population of about 28.4 million in 1993 at 2.8 per cent p.a. average density is low, at 10.2 persons per km2. However, much of the land area is uninhabited, with the result that half the population is in fact concentrated on only 15 per cent of the land. The growth of agriculture and indeed of the economy in general is constrained by an erratic rainfall, environmental degradation and low productivity. It is also constrained by an inadequate transport infrastructure, particularly taking into account the size of the country.
The economy is in a critical state, the situation of the population with respect to basic needs is poor. Child mortality rates are high (77 per 1,000), and life expectancy is relatively low (about 55 years). No radical improvement can be expected in the short term, since government expenditures on health and education are minimal, due to the financial difficulties of the country as a result of its massive indebtedness and a costly civil war, which in turn have led to the disengagement of major donors, further worsening development prospects.
The project aims at the construction of a road of 86 km in South Darfur State, more specifically linking the capitals of the Provinces of Idd El Fursan and Nyala. The proposed road plays a significant role in local marketing patterns, as well as providing access to the social services located in Nyala.
Development objective:
Assisting the Government of the Sudan in its objective of ensuring sustainable improvements to rural accessibility through the implementation of a road rehabilitation and maintenance strategy jointly managed by communities in partnership with local and State governments with works executed under contract by the private sector.
Immediate objectives:
Improvement of the accessibility of the population in the zone of influence to markets and social services and contribution to greater mobility within the project area;
Strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Engineering Affairs to plan, manage and implement road rehabilitation and maintenance projects;
Establishment of local private sector capacity to execute road projects;
Structuring and training local community organizations to plan, manage and finance feeder roads;
Establishment of a fund for financing road maintenance;
Increasing the capacity of local engineering firms to design and supervise road projects.
Beneficiaries:
The road will benefit directly the traders and vehicle operators who buy cereals, groundnuts and vegetables in the numerous and large weekly markets for ultimate sale in Nyala in the zone of influence of the road. The construction and maintenance of the road will generate much local employment, due to the use of labour-based technology. At the same time, the works will provide a training ground where small contractors, an engineering firm, and the State Ministry of Engineering Affairs and the Roads Committee will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to execute and manage road rehabilitation and maintenance.
Project strategy:
The project consists of the construction of the 86 km road to good travel standards, using labour-intensive methods. It will be executed by small firms, with technical supervision by a consulting firm on behalf of the State Ministry of Engineering Affairs. Maintenance will be mainly financed by road users, and the various levels (routine, recurrent and periodic) will be also executed by the private sector and managed jointly by the Roads Committee and the Ministry of Engineering Affairs.
The project design is intended to maximize sustainability by using labour-based construction and maintenance methods which can be mastered locally and which make the best use of resources available. The project reinforces the government policy which aims to transfer responsibility for financing, planning and managing the building and maintaining of the rural infrastructure to state governments and the communities benefiting from it. It also allows the involvement of small local firms and facilitates the disengagement of the Government from direct execution.
Outputs (planned)
An all-weather road between Idd El Fursan and Nyala constructed to gravel standard appropriate for the forecast traffic;
Technical staff of the Ministry of Engineering Affairs in labour-based construction technology, through on-the-job experience, applicable to future expansion of the roads infrastructure, construction and maintenance;
Five small-scale construction enterprises trained in labour-based road construction technology to be capable of undertaking future contracts on a competitive basis;
A road committee structured and trained to supervise maintenance and to identify and promote network extension;
A community-based routine maintenance organization established along the newly constructed road and appropriately equipped;
Local private sector consultants trained in the design, planning, supervision and management of labour-based road construction.
Lessons learned:
Lessons learned will be added as the project advances.
Responsible ILO Office/Branch:
Development Policy Branch (POL/DEV)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799 6461
Fax:-41-22-799 6489
email: poldev@ilo.org
Source:
Nyala - Idd El Fursal Track Improvement. Final Draft: Project SUD/95/C01
13. UGANDA
Labour-based Public Works
Name of project and project number:
Rehabilitation project in Semuto, Sub-country, Luwero district
UGA/86/006
Starting and completion date:
January 1988 - February 1990
Budget and sources of funding:
US$2,912,506.-
UNDP, USD
Background:
This project was an emergency relief programme implemented in Semuto sub-county, one of the most war-affected areas in the Luwero Triangle and the stronghold of the NRA which took over power in January 1986. It was a quick intervention project designed to help people resettle in their homes. It involved construction of schools, cooperative stores and roads, protection of water points, and promotion of agro-forestry funded by the UNDP. An other important element promoted in this project was banking of man days in exchange for building materials and opening up of agricultural fields.
Immediate Objectives:
The basic social and productive infrastructures in the project area, which were restored by December 1988, operating at least at levels attained before the civil strife in 1981;
Government staff at the national and district level capable of planning, supervising and evaluating, and therefore replicating similar labour-intensive-based works programmes, with a minimum of technical assistance;
Creating the capacity at local level to initiate, implement and maintain community-based construction works.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be government staff receiving training and technical assistance; workers gaining access to temporary employment; and villagers having the social and economic infrastructure rehabilitated.
Project strategy:
The strategy is to have ILO implementation, with one expatriate CTA and a part-time expert in procurement and numerous local project staff government counterparts.
Outputs:
65 km of feeder roads rehabilitated, against a target of 100 km;
Classrooms, teachers' houses, clinics and other community buildings rehabilitated;
2,100 acres of farmland opened through the ploughing scheme;
Brickmaking centres established in 27 villages, against a target of 41 villages;
100 artisans trained and equipped with tools;
Nine tree nurseries established and 180,000 seedlings planted;
Central and local government staff trained;
Village management committees, school committees trained;
Survey carried out on potential women's activities.
Lessons learned:
The project implementation was hampered by a general shortage of counterpart staff. This was a major reason for a shortage in delivery of some outputs, and the training of government staff was consequently not successful. The ploughing scheme was very popular with the workers, and the target was by and large achieved. Altogether the project achieved considerable benefits to the area, under very difficult conditions.
Responsible ILO Office /Branch:
Development Policy Branch (POL/DEV)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva
Phone:-41-22-799 6461
Fax:-41-22-799 64889
email: poldev@ilo.org
UGANDA
Reconstruction and Development Project
Name of project and project number:
Masulita Reconstruction and Development Project
UGA/89/M08
Starting and completion date:
September 1993 - June 1997
Budget and sources of funding:
Approx. US$1,000,000.-
DANIDA, via ILO
Background:
This project was implemented in Masulita sub-county, one of the most war-affected areas in the Luwero Triangle and the stronghold of the NRA which took over power in January 1986. Being initially conceived as rather similar to the earlier Semuto project (UGA/86/006), the focus was on reconstruction of the infrastructure. On the other hand, there were a variety of other obvious needs in the area which could only be addressed if a more comprehensive and integrated approach were to be applied.
Immediate Objectives:
Establishment of a local community-based institution (the Masulita Development Foundation - MDF) which is able to formulate, implement and manage rural development projects, as well as promote small business opportunities in the sub-county;
Improvement of the infrastructure related to health, social and market services and access to the rehabilitated;
Development of modalities for a sustainable (revolving) development fund to promote small (mostly agriculture-related) enterprises and testing them as a model for replication.
Beneficiaries:
The target beneficiaries will be members of the Masulita Development Foundation benefiting from credit, training and technical assistance; workers obtaining access to temporary employment; villagers having the social and economic infrastructure rehabilitated, notably roads and water supply.
Project strategy:
The project is conceived as a tool to develop a model for integrated area development through the mobilization of local resources which will assist in the improvement of their agricultural and agriculture-related economic activities. Credit is made available and people receive training and technical assistance when wanting to take up new ventures. A special credit and savings scheme for women is run by a local NGO. Schools and clinics will be rehabilitated, with supporting structures in health and hygiene education. Clean water will be supplied through the protection of springs. Isolated villages are being assisted in obtaining access to the major roads, and the area in general is opened to the outside through road rehabilitation.
Outputs:
40 km of feeder roads rehabilitated;
40 protected water sources established;
15 public latrines installed;
Approximately 100,000 work days of paid employment provided;
A credit scheme functioning;
A local development organization established.
Lessons learned:
Basically implemented by local staff and the inhabitants of Masulita, local ownership was high;
A capacity to implement development activities by local resources was achieved through training. Labour-based technologies were successfully applied, to the surprise of many who were unfamiliar with them. The achievements in local resource management were probably only possible because the project was implemented several years after hostilities ceased in the area.
Updated by JB. Approved by PA. Last update: 5 May 2000.
