VZCZCXRO4879
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAB #0621/01 1650849
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140849Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3104
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0565

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ABIDJAN 000621 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W AND PRM/AFR/CACHANG 
STATE PASS TO USAID/OFDA/DDEBERNARDO 
MONROVIA FOR USAID/OFDA/RQUINBY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PHUM IV LI
SUBJECT: MONITORING AND EVALUATION REPORT FOR THE AMERICAN 
REFUGEE COMMITTEE (ARC) IN LIBERIA: SPRMCO06CA061 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The Abidjan-based Refugee Coordinator 
(RefCoord) for West Africa traveled to Liberia from May 1-11 
to conduct a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) assessment of 
the American Refugee Committee's (ARC) PRM-funded project, 
"Supporting Sustainable Return, Reintegration and 
Stabilization of Liberian Communities."  RefCoord met with 
ARC staff in Monrovia and visited project sites in Gbarnga, 
Foequelleh, Bellemu, Garmue, Gbarngasiaquelleh, Gbalatuah, 
Voinjama, Kolahun, and Foya.  ARC appears to be largely on 
target to meet their objectives for the current project 
cycle, although ARC needs to reduce the number of indicators 
in any follow-up project.  PRM should encourage ARC to 
strengthen its presence in Lofa County and improve security 
conditions for ARC employees operating in that region.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2.  The Abidjan-based Refugee Coordinator (RefCoord) for West 
Africa traveled to Liberia from May 1-11 to conduct a 
monitoring and evaluation (M&E) assessment of the American 
Refugee Committee's (ARC) PRM-funded project, "Supporting 
Sustainable Return, Reintegration and Stabilization of 
Liberian Communities."  RefCoord met with ARC staff in 
Monrovia and visited project sites in Gbarnga, Foequelleh, 
Bellemu, Garmue, Gbarngasiaquelleh, Gbalatuah, Voinjama, 
Kolahun, and Foya.  RefCoord met ARC staff Paula Nawrocki 
(Country Director), Dawn Dahlke (Program Liaison Officer), 
Saad Karim (Program Development Officer), Cherno Diallo (Head 
of Gbarnga Field Office), Marie Kalinke (ARC GBV Officer), 
Krishna Acharya (MED Program Coordinator, Gbarnga), Isaac 
Duaneh (LOSAC Project Coordinator, Gbarnga), Lansana Camara 
(Tailoring Project Leader, Gbarnga), and numerous other local 
staff working with ARC's field offices in Gbarnga and 
Voinjama. 
 
¶3.  RefCoord also discussed ARC's program activities with 
Raouf Mazou, UNHCR Acting Representative, David Karp (UNHCR 
Gbarnga), Cesar Ortega (UNHCR Voinjama), Gray Zuu (LRRRC Bong 
County - Government Refugee Office), as well as other 
officials with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working 
in collaboration with ARC. 
 
OBJECTIVES AND INDICATORS 
------------------------- 
 
¶4.  OBJECTIVE 1:  To support the sustainable return and 
reintegration of Liberian refugees and returnees and the 
stabilization of war affected communities through provision 
of business training, grants, loan and savings group 
facilitation, and loans that are designed to support the 
creation and growth of income-generating micro-enterprises. 
 
Business Training and Grants: 
 
-  ARC has disbursed grants to just over 2,000 persons, but 
is not able to indicate how many have increased assets by 50% 
or how many will receive the second part of the grant; 
-  ARC believes they will have information on the percentage 
of beneficiaries who manage an active business by the end of 
the project and will include in the final report; 
-  ARC is above target for the percent of beneficiaries who 
are women; 
-  ARC states they are above target for the percent of 
beneficiaries who are returning refugees. 
 
Loans and Savings Clubs (LOSACs): 
 
-  ARC is on target for the number of new and existing LOSACs 
created and managed; 
-  ARC will not meet indicators related to average group 
savings or disbursements.  Although ARC is reporting on a 
July-July project cycle, the LOSACs are managed on a 
January-December cycle and there is not sufficient time in 
the project to meet this indicator, although the LOSACs 
appear on target for the ARC cycle; 
-  RefCoord does not believe ARC can meet the indicator for 
group members passing post-curriculum literacy test. 
 
Microfinance: 
 
-  ARC has decided not to provide micro-finance loans to 400 
beneficiaries in Ganta.  ARC reported their loan partner was 
not able to establish a functioning office in Ganta as had 
originally been planned.  ARC Country Director told RefCoord 
on May 7 that they had identified a property and planned to 
set up the office by the end of July; 
-  ARC is on target to meet the indicator on repayment of 
 
ABIDJAN 00000621  002 OF 004 
 
 
monetary loans, although the 400 loans planned for Ganta are 
not included in this figure; 
-  ARC is on target to meet the indicator on female 
beneficiaries in their overall Microfinance activities, minus 
Ganta; 
-  ARC will not meet their indicator for the percent of 
beneficiaries who are returning refugees.  This is mainly due 
to the decision not to provide MED loans in Ganta. 
 
Coordination with Other MED Programs: 
 
-  ARC reports a 26 percent participation rate (above target) 
of former ARC clients from the refugee camps; 
-  ARC reports they are working with two local NGOs (target: 
3), although ARC is also working with Liberty Finance for 
their loan activities, which would be a third local NGO 
partner. 
 
¶5.  OBJECTIVE 2:  To promote peaceful reintegration of 
refugees into communities by raising awareness about 
gender-based violence (GBV), building capacity of GBV 
response service providers, and developing sustainable 
community-based strategies to prevent and respond to GBV in 
target areas. 
 
Health: 
 
-  ARC reports they have met or will meet both indicators in 
the health sector. 
 
Case Management and Protection: 
 
-  ARC is on target to meet their indicator on percent of 
Community Peers who pass post training tests in GBV 
prevention and response; 
-  ARC reports they will meet the indicator to provide 
ongoing holistic case management services; 
-  ARC reports they will meet the indicator on percent of ARC 
social workers who pass GBV response and refresher training 
in Month 1; 
-  ARC is not sure if they will meet the indicator on percent 
of service providers that pass GBV response and 
post-refresher training; 
-  ARC will meet their indicator on ARC staff and partner 
staff to pass SEA and ARC Code of Conduct training; 
-  ARC has only assisted 34 GBV survivors with safe house 
assistance (target 72) and only 38 survivors with material 
assistance to meet basic needs (target: 300).  ARC was not 
sure why numbers were so low. 
 
Legal/Justice: 
 
-  ARC reports they will meet the indicator on number of 
trainees the three counties who meet the goal of at least 80 
percent improvement on post-test scores; 
-  ARC expects to meet the indicator on BCC materials 
produced and distributed.  However, ARC reports to have done 
92 posters against the indicator of 3.  ARC staff explained 
they intended to do 3 themes, but the 92 posters appear to be 
for one theme.  RefCoord requested ARC to be more explicit in 
their final report on this indicator; 
-  ARC expects to complete the assessments on increased human 
rights awareness in July; 
-  ARC has met their indicator on paralegal support to GBV 
survivors in all counties; 
-  ARC has or will meet the final two indicators in this 
heading by the end of the project. 
 
Community Awareness: 
 
-  ARC's numbers on mass sensitization campaigns are 
extremely high compared to their second quarter report. 
RefCoord requested ARC to provide more detailed information 
on this indicator before the end of the project; 
-  ARC has exceeded the target for development of community 
support networks; 
-  ARC expects to meet their indicator on refresher training 
with community leaders; 
-  ARC expects to meet their indicator on community video 
teams and films produced. 
 
Empowerment: 
 
-  RefCoord has asked ARC for further clarification of their 
indicator on building/identifying community centers; 
-  ARC will meet their indicator on the number of persons who 
 
ABIDJAN 00000621  003 OF 004 
 
 
will graduate from their 3-month Reproductive Health Literacy 
courses; 
-  ARC will meet their target on number of vulnerable school 
age GBV-survivors assisted. 
 
PROGRAM ISSUES 
-------------- 
 
¶6.  Cross-cutting Goals:  ARC's activities target communities 
and vulnerable women.  RefCoord visited many of the LOSAC 
members and MED grant beneficiaries in Bong and Lofa County 
and noted the high percentage of female beneficiaries.  ARC 
includes a capacity building component throughout its project 
activities, both with governmental partners and with the 
beneficiary communities. 
 
¶7.  Coordination:  ARC works well with their other NGO 
partners, UNHCR, and their government counterparts, although 
UNHCR did voice complaints on their level of coordination in 
Nimba County.  However, ARC did not implement their planned 
MED loan activities in Nimba as expected.  This, and their 
rather narrow focus on working in Ganta might have played a 
factor in their level of coordination with the UNHCR office 
in Saclepea.  UNHCR Gbarnga reported good coordination with 
ARC and works with ARC in a number of activities.  ARC plans 
to expand their presence in Nimba County in the coming year. 
RefCoord encouraged ARC's Country Director to work with UNHCR 
to ensure coordination when identifying target communities of 
high return for their LOSAC and MED activities. 
 
¶8.  Effective Use of Funds:  RefCoord's main complaint with 
ARC has been its slow arrival in areas of high refugee 
return, particularly Lofa County.  The areas around Monrovia 
are well served by a number of non-governmental and 
international agencies.  Although return numbers to Nimba 
County are moderate, there is still a reasonable expectation 
that refugees still residing in Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire will 
return to this area.  ARC should be encouraged to focus 
PRM-funded activities further away from Monrovia and further 
into areas of high refugee return/need, particularly in 
upper-Lofa County. 
 
¶9.  Sphere Standards:  ARC does not apply Sphere standards in 
its GBV and MED activities. 
 
¶10.  Financial and Personnel Systems:  ARC maintains strong 
financial and personnel systems.  ARC reported a specific 
problem with tracking fuel consumption with some of their 
vehicles, but was able to uncover the problem through their 
record keeping and fired the concerned staff members.  Staff 
are subjected to regular personnel appraisals and start with 
a three-month probation period.  ARC also has a ten day 
no-show policy.  ARC staff reported some turnover in the 
LOSAC program, some staff gaps in the micro-finance project, 
and the departure of several other field level staff that 
negatively impacted overall implementation (PRM and non-PRM 
activities) over the past year. 
 
¶11.  HQs Oversight:  ARC reported frequent visits and strong 
oversight from their HQs. 
 
¶12.  Coordination with PRM:  ARC coordinates well with PRM. 
However, that coordination tends to weaken at the mid-point 
of their projects, when ARC decides to change an important 
aspect of their program.  For example, in the previous 
PRM-funded project ARC decided to switch suddenly the focus 
of their MED activities to a different county.  In the 
current project, ARC decided not to pursue the MED loan 
activities in Nimba County at a similar stage and requested 
to withdraw from Vahun District for logistical reasons.  The 
PRM visit in January was able to reverse this request and ARC 
has shown positive results in Vahun as a consequence. 
RefCoord suggests more frequent formal monitoring of ARC's 
projects to avoid late notice of unnecessary changes. 
 
¶13.  Security:  ARC's Voinjama office was broken into in 
February and several items, including an ARC vehicle, were 
stolen.  This was the second incident they experienced in 
Voinjama.  The ARC office in Voinjama doubles as their staff 
residence and the perpetrators apparently followed the staff 
back to the office at night in order to gain access to ARC's 
facilities.  RefCoord visited the office and noted additional 
concertina wire had been added to the perimeter and interior 
wall, as well as perimeter lighting.  However, the structure 
itself still remains in the middle of Nzerekore town whereas 
most NGOs have located their offices and residences slightly 
 
ABIDJAN 00000621  004 OF 004 
 
 
outside the center of Voinjama.  ARC's Country Director said 
they are considering renting a second location to house their 
staff closer to other NGOs and away from their office space. 
RefCoord recommends that PRM support ARC's efforts to 
separate their office and residential space and should 
encourage ARC to ensure staff work/live in reasonably safe 
conditions. 
 
¶14.  Problems:  ARC did not report any significant problems, 
although UNHCR complained their administrative fees for their 
MED program are high when compared to a similar program run 
by UNDP.  This is true, although UNDP enjoys slightly 
different economies of scale with regard to covering 
administrative expenses for its projects.  UNHCR Monrovia 
also reported that ARC was given a "poor" rating for their 
2006 activities during an internal audit.  UNHCR Gbarnga is 
working closely with ARC in several project areas and their 
Head of Office stated he was doing so only because he knew 
the ARC officer working with them personally and that he had 
a reputation for keeping very detailed records.  RefCoord 
noted several areas of high personnel turnover in the last 
year bt was impressed with some of the recently hired ARC 
staff.  RefCoord discussed the need for closer mnitoring of 
project activities with ARC's Countr Director and suggested 
they try to reduce the nmber of indicators. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶15.  AC appears to be largely on target to meet its 
objctives for the current project cycle, although ARCneeds 
to reduce the number of indicators in any ollow-up project. 
As UNHCR's assisted repatriatin deadline draws near, NGOs 
working in Liberia wll need to focus their efforts to ensure 
basic leels of self-sufficiency in high return areas.  ARC 
provides returnees and local communities with ecnomic-based 
activities that offer alternatives t other forms of 
employment that often lead to exloitation and/or 
discrimination.  At the same time, ARC needs to improve its 
own project monitorin and stabilize their staffing situation 
to ensur solid performance.  Finally, although their GBVactivities in and around Monrovia are generally wel 
perceived, PRM should encourage ARC to strengthen its 
presence in Lofa County and improve securiy conditions for 
ARC employees operating in thatregion. 
VALLE