VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAB #0566/01 1501007
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301007Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
INFO RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0559

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000566 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W AND PRM/AFR/CACHANG 
STATE PASS TO USAID/OFDA/DDEBERNARDO 
MONROVIA FOR SEIRIZ AND USAID/OFDA/RQUINBY 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PHUM IV LI
SUBJECT: MONITORING AND EVALUATION REPORT FOR SEARCH FOR 
COMMON GROUND (SFCG) LIBERIA: SPRMCO06CA146 
 
 
ABIDJAN 00000566  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The Abidjan-based Refugee Coordinator 
(RefCoord) conducted a monitoring and evaluation assessment 
of the PRM-funded Search For Common Ground (SFCG) project, 
"Mass Information in Support of Liberian Refugee Repatriation 
and Reintegration."  SFCG's activities seem well conceived 
and form an integral part of the information resources 
available to Liberian refugees in countries of asylum. 
Although most Liberian refugees will decide whether or not to 
return to Liberia before the June 30 deadline on the basis of 
their own personal knowledge, SFCG's information activities 
have provided refugees with an additional source of 
information against which refugees can judge the accuracy and 
credibility of other actors encouraging Liberians to return 
at this time.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  The Abidjan-based Refugee Coordinator (RefCoord) 
conducted a monitoring and evaluation assessment of the 
PRM-funded Search For Common Ground (SFCG) project, "Mass 
Information in Support of Liberian Refugee Repatriation and 
Reintegration."  RefCoord held discussions with SFCG staff, 
refugees, and partner agencies in Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire on 
several different occasions.  RefCoord met SFCG staff, 
Rebecca Besant (Country Director) and Oscar Bloh (Head of 
Programming) from their Liberia office, and Evariste Sadie 
(SFCG Cote d'Ivoire) during a mission to Tabou, Cote 
d'Ivoire.  RefCoord also discussed SFCG's programming with 
UNHCR personnel in Monrovia, Nzerekore, Guiglo, and Tabou. 
 
OBJECTIVES AND INDICATORS 
------------------------- 
 
¶3.  OBJECTIVE 1:  Provide information to refugee populations 
in order to enable them to make informed decisions about 
return. 
 
-  SFCG has prepared 24 "Situation Report" programs and 
expects to produce a further 12 by the end of the project. 
This is below the target of 54 such programs; 
-  SFCG expects to meet their target of 5 video products by 
the end of the project; 
-  SFCG has conducted two of the three drama tours in Cote 
d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Sierra Leone; 
-  SFCG has exceeded their target of 52 segments featuring 
repatriation and reintegration of refugees; 
-  SFCG will report on the increase in the number of persons 
able to discern between correct and incorrect information on 
return in their final report. 
 
¶4.  OBJECTIVE 2:  Facilitate dialogue between refugee 
populations and UNHCR and between refugee populations and 
their home countries. 
 
-  SFCG has established 25 of the targeted 50 listener groups 
in Guinea and Sierra Leone.  With the rapid reduction in 
refugee camp populations, it is unlikely SFCG will meet this 
target.  It is also possible that so many groups are no 
longer necessary given the smaller camp population numbers; 
-  SFCG will determine the remaining indicators during their 
final survey to be conducted during the third quarter. 
Results of this survey will be reported in the final report. 
 
PROGRAM ISSUES 
-------------- 
 
¶5.  Cross-cutting Goals:  SFCG's activities target all 
Liberian refugee groups and aim to provide key information to 
returnees in all sectors, such as education and health, 
important in the decision making process to return or remain 
in countries of asylum.  The project does not have a capacity 
building component nor does it seek sustainability of 
activities. 
 
¶6.  Coordination:  SFCG works closely with a variety of 
actors, particularly UNHCR.  SFCG has a sub-agreement with 
UNHCR Cote d'Ivoire and completed its work under a 
sub-agreement with UNHCR in Sierra Leone at the end of 2006. 
SFCG programs are regularly broadcast through different 
public radio stations that have a strong audience among the 
refugee populations outside Liberia. 
 
¶7.  Admin/Financial Oversight:  SFCG staff have all signed a 
Code of Conduct as part of their employment.  SFCG staff 
reported adequate administrative and financial oversight, but 
RefCoord did not have the opportunity to discuss these issues 
in depth with SFCG officials. 
 
ABIDJAN 00000566  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶8.  Security:  SFCG reported that some of their staff had 
been stopped by gunmen while driving through Danane in Cote 
d'Ivoire and had to pay bribes at checkpoints along the road 
in Cote d'Ivoire.  In one incident, one of the SFCG female 
drivers was arrested and they had to pay the officer the 
equivalent of twenty U.S. dollars for her release.  SFCG had 
to pay approximately ten to fifteen U.S. dollars at each of 
eight to ten different checkpoints. 
 
¶9.  Problems:  SFCG reported difficulties early on in the 
project in getting access to Liberian refugees in the 
Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana.  RefCoord was told that 
these problems were resolved during the project and that 
UNHCR later broadcast their programming to refugee groups in 
the camp.  Although SFCG is to conduct a final survey during 
the third quarter on the effectiveness of their information 
program, SFCG staff RefCoord spoke to did not have a clear 
plan as to how they would gather the necessary information 
from refugees that have already returned and with whom SFCG 
is no longer in contact. 
 
¶10.  HQs Oversight:  SFCG Monrovia staff reported they had 
not received any visits from their Washington office but were 
in regular phone contact with their HQs. 
 
¶11.  Cooperation with PRM:  SFCG has submitted all quarterly 
reports and has shared copies of their thorough base-line 
survey conducted at the beginning of the project.  Although 
RefCoord has not had trouble setting up meetings with SFCG 
staff when requested, SFCG has not taken the initiative to 
inform RefCoord when drama tours and other programming was 
being broadcast to enable monitoring of these field-based 
exercises. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶12.  SFCG's activities seem well conceived and form an 
integral part of the information resources available to 
Liberian refugees considering whether or not to return to 
Liberia.  RefCoord verified in most locations that refugees 
recalled specific information and details of SFCG's visits to 
their communities to discuss the situation in Liberia.  SFCG 
also utilizes former refugees from many of the same camps who 
are able to provide refugees with first-hand experience about 
conditions in Liberia.  This can also have a downside.  For 
example, one SFCG staff RefCoord spoke to explained that she 
told refugees in Guinea that health care in Liberia was not 
completely free as the government was announcing and 
explained how much she pays at a public clinic in central 
Monrovia for treatment.  RefCoord noted that most of the 
refugees she was speaking to at this particular camp come 
from upper-Lofa County and asked if she had discussed the 
situation in upper-Lofa or only with that particular clinic 
in Monrovia. 
 
¶13.  These details, however, probably play a minor role in 
whether or not Liberians are deciding to return or remain in 
their countries of asylum.  In that regard, SFCG's activities 
add one more actor to the number of players providing 
information on changes in Liberia.  In many cases, refugees 
do not trust other sources of information, such as UNHCR, 
under the belief that they are trying to paint a positive 
picture of the situation in Liberia just to convince them to 
return.  In this regard, SFCG's activities have played an 
important role in disseminating details of the return and 
repatriation process to a wide audience in several countries 
of asylum. 
HOOKS