VZCZCXRO7112
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAB #0557/01 1451642
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251642Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3018
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0556

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABIDJAN 000557 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W AND PRM/AFR/CACHANG 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
STATE PASS TO USAID/OFDA 
MONROVIA FOR SEIRIZ AND USAID/OFDA/RQUINBY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PHUM IV LI
SUBJECT: MONITORING AND EVALUATION REPORT FOR CCF LIBERIA: 
SPRMCO06CA145 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The Abidjan-based Refugee Coordinator 
(RefCoord) for West Africa conducted a monitoring and 
evaluation (M&E) assessment of the PRM-funded NGO, Christian 
Children's Fund (CCF) during a visit to Liberia from May 
4-11.  RefCoord visited their offices in Monrovia and Zorzor 
and a CCF project site in Fissebu, Lofa County.  CCF appears 
on target to meet their overall goal, "to promote the healthy 
development and community reintegration of war-affected girls 
and women in high-risk areas of western Liberia."  RefCoord 
recommends continued PRM funding to CCF as appropriate given 
the difficult and continuing challenges returning women and 
children face in post-crisis Liberia.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  The Abidjan-based Refugee Coordinator (RefCoord) for West 
Africa visited Liberia from May 3-11 to conduct a monitoring 
and assessment mission of PRM-funded NGOs.  This report 
covers the Christian Children's Fund (CCF) project, 
"Safeguarding the Future Effectively (SAFE) in Bong and Lofa 
Counties.  RefCoord also met with CCF staff in January and 
visited their offices in Monrovia and Zorzor and project site 
in Fissebu, Lofa County.  RefCoord met with CCF staff Richard 
Thwaites (Country Director), Mendy Marsh (Program 
Coordinator), and other CCF staff based in Zorzor.  RefCoord 
also discussed CCF's activities with UNHCR staff Raouf Mazou 
(Acting Representative) and Cesar Ortega (Head of Voinjama 
Field Office). 
 
OBJECTIVES AND INDICATORS 
------------------------- 
 
¶3.  OBJECTIVE 1:  To build resilience and reduce mental and 
physical health morbidities associated with gender-based 
violence (GBV) and the effects of war among 8,000 girls and 
women in five districts in Bong and Lofa Counties through 
psychosocial support, referral, and education. 
 
-  CCF has met indicators one and two; 
-  CCF has only organized one reconciliation ceremony.  CCF 
was in the process of organizing two more ceremonies in the 
coming weeks.  CCF reports slow progress due to issues of 
proper organization of such local ceremonies, explaining that 
these ceremonies often have the reverse intended effect on a 
community and decided to put more effort into careful 
planning of community ceremonies. 
 
¶4.  OBJECTIVE 2:  To reduce young women's dependency on 
transactional sex for financial gain by providing referrals 
for vocational skills training and disbursing 
educational/livelihood grants to 500 project beneficiaries at 
high risk for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). 
 
-  CCF has met the first indicator; 
-  CCF has not completed post testing of trainees under the 
second indicator, but has exceeded the number of targeted 
beneficiaries and will report on knowledge gain in final 
report.  CCF admitted to some problems in conducting pre and 
post-tests due to low literacy of targeted beneficiaries; 
-  CCF intends to start grant distributions in mid-May; 
-  Monitoring of grant distributions is only possible after 
all beneficiaries receive support.  This will not be possible 
by the end of the current project.  CCF reported that 
community workers have already received training for 
long-term monitoring and the CCF will be able to follow-up as 
part of a USAID funded project. 
 
¶5.  OBJECTIVE 3:  To improve the knowledge, attitudes, and 
practices of men, women, youth (among 70% of beneficiaries) 
and GBV response referral points in the health, legal and 
security sectors for GBV prevention and response through 
training and sensitization efforts using multiple media. 
 
-  CCF is meeting its target of weekly sensitization 
activities but reports reluctance from interagency partners 
to hold bi-monthly district level training sessions.  CCF 
stated most partners will not participate in activities if 
there are no sitting fees or food provided; 
-  CCF reported it will meet the indicator on formation of 50 
CPC with the appropriate protection systems in place; 
-  CCF has met its indicator for training 100 healthcare 
providers (20 per district); 
-  CCF had difficulties meeting the indicator on the number 
of dialogues per month/per district (total of 20) in the 
first half of the project.  However, CCF managed to get 
support from its offices early in 2007 and was able to 
organize 18 dialogues in April; 
 
ABIDJAN 00000557  002 OF 003 
 
 
-  CCF has met their target on training of female/male peer 
advocates; 
-  CCF has achieved a good working relationship with one 
lawyer working with the Association of Female Liberian 
Lawyers (AFELL).  Given the difficulties most NGOs have 
getting cooperation with AFELL, this is a positive result; 
-  CCF has met its target for training of security personnel. 
 
PROGRAM ISSUES 
-------------- 
 
¶6.  Cross-cutting Goals:  CCF's activities specifically 
target vulnerable women and children and aim to involve the 
larger community and public officials in supporting these 
efforts. 
 
¶7.  Coordination:  CCF has strong links with many NGOs and 
international organization partners in all activities.  CCF 
also works closely with governmental partners, particularly 
the Ministry of Gender and Development via the National 
Gender-based Violence Task Force. 
 
¶8.  Effective Use of Funds:  GBV remains one of the leading 
concerns in Liberia and NGOs and other organizations report 
there has been much progress over the last couple of years in 
Liberia.  They report greater involvement from the 
government, a series of successful national sensibilization 
campaigns, and major legal reform, such as the anti-rape law. 
 CCF has played an active role alongside other NGOs pushing 
this issue forward and continued progress in this area is 
possible and needed.  CCF's office in Zorzor enables it to 
reach target populations in a region of the country where 
significant refugee returns continue and where the majority 
of IDP returns have occurred. 
 
¶9.  Financial and Personnel Systems:  CCF Country Director, 
Richard Thwaites, told RefCoord that fraud is endemic in 
working in Liberia but said they had successfully identified 
a problem with a previous financial manager who was fired for 
financial wrongdoing.  CCF appears to have adequate oversight 
and monitoring of its financial system and personnel policies 
are well established in Liberia. 
 
¶10.  HQs Oversight:  CCF staff reported no visits from CCF 
Headquarters during the past year and only a few technical 
visits from their regional office in Banjul. 
 
¶11.  Coordination with PRM:  CCF staff work very closely and 
openly with PRM staff in Abidjan and Washington. 
 
¶12.  Security:  CCF's office in Zorzor was broken into 
earlier in the spring.  Apparently, UNDP parked some vehicles 
in their compound during a road rehabilitation project.  The 
road passes by CCF's Zorzor office and leads directly to the 
Guinea border.  Intruders stole one or two of the UNDP 
vehicles and some material that Thwaites described as mostly 
"junk."  The thieves attempted to cross the border to Guinea 
and engaged in a shoot out with Nigerian UNMIL officers.  One 
of the dead intruders was found with a bag that belonged to 
an ARC staff member who had been robbed just weeks before in 
Voinjama.  No other major incidents were reported. 
 
¶13.  Problems:  Thwaites said that most development funding 
and agencies were not yet in Liberia to ensure a smooth 
transition from relief to development.  He mentioned there 
seemed a general frustration as well at the national level 
with NGOs, and that there was discussion to eliminate their 
tax free status on fuel and expat salaries.  Thwaites said 
such changes would significantly drive up expenses for the 
NGO community should they occur. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶14.  CCF continues to be a strong partner in Liberia. 
Although there are some gaps in meeting its project 
indicators, this is not fully representative of the 
importance of CCF's contribution to child and female 
protection issues in the country and CCF appears on target to 
meet its overall project objective.  Despite impressive 
progress throughout Liberia in a number of sectors, women and 
children still face particular difficulties in a country 
where good jobs are scarce, food resource stocks are 
recovering, and important sectors such as health care and the 
rule-of-law depend on external support to keep them 
 
ABIDJAN 00000557  003 OF 003 
 
 
functioning.  The PRM-funded SAFE project, combined with 
CCF's other activities in Liberia, is playing a key role to 
ensure these issues are addressed nationally and that some 
response and protection mechanism remains in place to support 
victims.  RefCoord strongly recommends continued PRM funding 
to CCF as appropriate. 
HOOKS