final evaluation for “i love my country: promoting ... · final evaluation for “i love my...

2019

FinalEvaluationfor“ILoveMyCountry:PromotingLocalizedUnderstandingandPeacefulCoexistenceinSouthSudan”

“ILoveMyCountry”FinalEvaluation|©2019SearchforCommonGround.

ThisdocumentisconfidentialandproprietaryandisforSearchforCommonGrounduseonly.

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LegalNoticeandDisclaimerThis report is not a legally binding document. It is a collaborative informational and assessmentdocumentanddoesnotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsofanyofthecontributingpartnersorfundingagenciesinallofitscontents.Anyerrorsarethesoleresponsibilityoftheauthors.Copyright©2019–SearchforCommonGround



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TableofContentsAbbreviations 4ListofFigures 4Executivesummary 5

Methodology 5KeyFindings 6Recommendations 6Introduction 7ProjectOverview 8

TheoryofChange 8Beneficiaries 8ExpectedResultsandActivities 9

Methodology 9

Objectives 9Datacollection 10

QuantitativeResearch 10

SamplingStrategy 10Householdandrespondentselection 11

QualitativeResearch 12

FocusGroupDiscussions 12KeyInformantInterviews 12

Analysis 12

Deskreview 12DataAnalysis 13

Limitations 13

Researchfindings 14

Relevance 14Effectiveness 16Impact 20Sustainability 24LessonsLearned 26

IndicatorTable 28Conclusions 33Recommendations 34Appendices 36



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AbbreviationsARCSS AgreementfortheResolutionofConflictinSouthSudanCSO CivilSocietyOrganizationFGD FocusGroupDiscussionKII KeyInformantInterviewPOC ProtectionofCiviliansPSA PublicServiceAnnouncementPSOPS PeaceandStabilizationOperationsProgram

ListofFiguresFigure1:Discussionwithsomeonefromadifferentcommunitybylocation 17Figure2:SergeantEstherListeners 18Figure3:Mostrecentconflictbylocation 21Figure4:Kindsofconflictdisaggregatedbylocation 22

ListofTableTable1:Evaluationcollectionmethods 6Table2:Interviewclusterspercounty 11Table3:KIIspercounty 12Table4:Perceptionofconflictatthenationallevel 20Table5:Perceptionofconflictatthecommunitylevel 21Table6:Responsetorecentconflictbylocation 23



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ExecutivesummaryThepurposeofthisevaluationistoassesstherelevance,effectiveness,impactandsustainabilityofSearchforCommonGround’s“ILovemyCountry:PromotingLocalizedUnderstandingandPeacefulCoexistence in South Sudan.”With funding from the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program(PSOPS) of the Canadian Government, the project aimed to build greater understanding andapplicationofkeyconceptsandthemesembodiedwithintheARCSS(AgreementfortheResolutionofConflictinSouthSudan).Theoverallgoalwassupportedbytwoexpectedresults:

● Result1:Communitiesengageinconstructivedialogueandactionaroundkeypeacebuildingconceptsthatpromotelocalizedstrategiesforstabilization,reconciliation,andtrustbuilding.

● Result2:Mediaprogrammingwithanationalreachamplifiesandreinforcescommunity-levelpeace processes to build mutual trust, inspire community confidence, and promotereplication.

Theactivitiestargetedadiversityofleadersinconflict-affectedcommunitiesandempoweredthemtounderstand their differences, appreciate their commonalities and keypeacebuilding concepts, andcollaborate toactualize theseconceptsat the local level, inorder forcommunities toresolve theirconflictspeacefully.Theproject’sactivitiesaimedtopromotetheideasoftoleranceandrespectfordiversity,peaceandcoexistence,andreconciliationandconflictresolutionbyfacilitatingcommunityengagementandactionaroundthem.Searchusedtrainings,peace-orienteddialogue,participatorytheatreandmediaplatformstoengagecommunitiesinconstructivediscussionsaboutpeacetobuildtrustwithincommunities.TheprojectinitiallyplannedtolastfromDecember15,2016untilJune15,2018.However,basedonitssuccess,theprojectwasextendeduntilJanuary2019.ThisevaluationseekstoidentifylessonslearnedanddrawrecommendationsforfuturepeacebuildingprogramminginSouthSudanaimedtosupportabetterunderstandingandapplicationofideascentraltopeacebuildingandreconciliation.

MethodologyThe evaluation uses indicators derived from Search’s Performance Monitoring Framework. Theseindicators formed the basis for the evaluation questions designed to provide information on therelevance,effectiveness,impact,sustainabilityoftheproject,andidentifythelessonslearnedduringthe project implementation. The methodology used in this evaluation used a mixed-methodsapproach, mirroring the methodological framework used for the project baseline. The approachconsistedofadeskreviewofprojectdocumentationandrelevantliterature,aquantitativehouseholdsurvey, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). The qualitative andquantitativeresearchwasdone intwotarget locations,BorandJuba.Fieldworktookplace inbothlocationssimultaneouslyfromJanuary30th–February11th.Thecollectionmethodsareoutlinedinthefollowingtable.



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METHOD SOURCE QUANTITY

HOUSEHOLDSURVEY Targetlocationresidents 216(108Bor,108Juba)

FOCUSGROUPDISCUSSIONS(FGDS)SergeantEstherListeners 4(3Juba,1Bor)

24participantsJuba,8participantsBor

KEYINFORMANTINTERVIEWS(KIIS)

LocalAuthorityRepresentative,CommunityLeader,CivilSociety

Representative,implementingstaff

8(5Juba,3Bor)2communityleaders,3CSO

partners,2radiostaff,1listener’sclubchair

Table1:Evaluationcollectionmethods

KeyFindings● Theevaluationresultsindicatethattheprojecttargetedrelevantstakeholderstobuildgreater

understandingandapplicationofthekeyconceptsandthemesembodiedintheARCSS.● Thestrategyandcommunicationsclearlypromotedtoleranceandreconciliation.Theresults

also suggest the strategy and communications were perceived as credible, neutral andinclusive.

● The project achieved its first result to the extent that activity participants discussedpeacebuildingconcepts,andsomewereabletopracticethemthroughstructuredinter-groupdialogue.However, in thebroaderpublic therewereno indication residentsbecamemoreengagedinpeacebuilding.

● Theprojectachieveditssecondresulttotheextentthatitdistributedpeace-relatedmessagingandSergeantEstherepisodesdiscussingpeacethemesinthetargetlocationsandwhereradiopartnerscouldbroadcast.Theprogrammingwaswell-receivedandwasclearlyseenasatoolinpeacebuilding.Themedia-basedprogrammingwasgenerallyeffective.Someaccesstothemediaprogrammingwaslimitedbasedonlanguageandradiobroadcastinginfrastructure.

● TheprojectactivelycontributedtoachievingpeaceinSouthSudantotheextentthatitcreatedspacesandplatformsfordiscussionwithinandbetweengroups,andpromptedthoseinvolvedinactivities to thinkmoreaboutpeacebuildingconceptsand their implementation throughtrainingsandworkshops.

● Theprojectactivitiesraisedtopicsrelatedcontextuallyrelevanttopics,includinggender-basedchallengeswithintargetcommunities.

Recommendations● Theprojectactivitiesraisedtopicsrelatedcontextuallyrelevanttopics,includinggender-based

challengeswithintargetcommunities.Moreover,theprojectcontributedtoachievingpeaceinSouthSudantotheextentthat itcreatedspacesandplatformsfordiscussionwithinandbetweengroups,andpromptedthoseinvolvedinactivitiestothinkmoreaboutpeacebuildingconceptsandtheirimplementationthroughtrainingsandworkshops.However,theextentto



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whichthesechallengeswereaddressedisunclear.Infutureprogramming,Searchcouldadopta gender-relational approach to programdesign to ensure future programming reflect theinequalitieswithinaswellasbetweengroups,andtobetterincorporatethevoicesofthosewho are typically marginalized from peace processes and develop a more nuancedunderstandingoftherootcausesofgender-basedchallengesintargetcommunities.

● Themediaprogrammingwaswell-receivedandwasclearlyseenasatoolinpeacebuilding.Infuture programming, Search could create opportunities for local partners to continuesuccessful media strategies and shows like Sergeant Esther to gather more listeners andsupportthesustainabilityoftheproject’simpact.

● Someaccesstothemediaprogrammingwaslimitedbasedonlanguageandradiobroadcastinginfrastructure. In future programming, Search can ensure languages used in mediaprogrammingareconsistentwiththetargetlocationandconsiderincorporatingothermeanstodelivercontenttoovercomechallengesposedbylimitedinfrastructure.

● TheprojectactivelycontributedtoachievingpeaceinSouthSudan.Infutureprogramming,Searchcouldconsiderhowprovidingadditionalsupporttargetedatnutrition,educationandtheeconomycouldstrengthenthesustainabilityandsuccessofpeacebuildingmeasures.

BackgroundinformationIntroductionSearch forCommonGround (Search) isan internationalnon-governmentalorganizationwithmorethan30yearsofexperienceworkingtopreventviolentconflictbefore,duringandafteracrisis.Searchhasapresencein35countriesacrossAfrica,AsiaandtheMiddleEastworkingforsustainablepeacebybringingconflict stakeholders together to findachievablesolutions.Searchhasbeenworking inSouthSudansince2014,wheretheorganizationusesarangeoftoolstosupportpeace.In2011,theRepublicofSouthSudanachievedindependenceafteryearsofconflictwhichultimatelyculminated in a referendum and the population voting overwhelmingly to secede. However, theoptimism around the world’s youngest nation was short-lived. In December 2013, a politicaldisagreement between President Salva Kiir and former Vice President RiekMachar escalated intorenewedcivilconflict,whichlasteduntilafragileceasefirewassignedin2015.WhentheVicePresidentreturnedtoJubain2016,conflictre-emergedsettingbackprogresstowardspeace.Attheendof2018anewpeaceagreementwasreached.However,sinceconflictinitiallybrokeoutinthenewnation,anumber of smaller armed groups have emerged, resulting in a fragmented political and securitylandscape. The politicization of conflict in the post-independence era has relied heavily on socialcleavages,takingadvantageofidentitydisputesandinter-communaltensions.



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It is within this context that Search conducted its “I Love my Country: Promoting LocalizedUnderstandingandPeacefulCoexistenceinSouthSudan”project.WithfundingfromthePeaceandStabilizationOperationsProgram(PSOPS)oftheCanadiangovernment,theprojectaimedtosupportamorecomprehensiveandactionableunderstandingofactionablepeacebuildingandreconciliationconcepts.TheprojecttookplacefromDecember2016untilJanuary2018.

ProjectOverviewTheprojectactivitiesaimedtopromotethe ideasoftoleranceandrespectfordiversity,peaceandcoexistence, and reconciliation and conflict resolution by facilitating community engagement andactionaroundthem.Theactivitiesaimedtosupportcapacitiesforpeacebuildingwithincommunities.Withtheassistanceof implementingpartners,themessagesandsuccesseswereamplifiedthroughthe radio to encouragenon-targeted areas topromoteunderstanding actionable core concepts inpeaceandreconciliation.

TheoryofChangeTheprojecttargetedadiversityofleadersinconflict-affectedcommunitiesandempoweredthemtounderstand their differences, appreciate their commonalities and keypeacebuilding concepts, andthen collaborate tooperationalize these concepts at the local level, so that communities chose toresolve their conflicts peacefully. The project developed strategic links between key people (localleaders)andthegeneralpopulace(theatreandradioaudience)byusingoutreachandmediaactivities.Thisstrategyreliesonatheoryofchangeknownas“CooperationandMutualInterest”thatcanbestatedas:

BeneficiariesDirect targetbeneficiaries includedvulnerablecommunities inviolence-affectedareasandUNPOCsites,focusedinBor,MingkamanandJuba.Additionalbeneficiarieswouldbereachedthroughmediaprogramming in Yei and Juba,Central Equatoria State;MagwiCounty andTorit, EasternEquatoriaState;Rumbek,LakeState;Tonj,WarrapState;andWau,WesternBahr-el-GhazalState.Searchaimedtoincludewomenleadersandsupportthemtodesignandleadpeaceinitiativesintheircommunities.Theprojectalsoplannedtoengageleadersandgroupsinvolvedinthefirstphaseoftheprojectforprojectandengagementsustainability.

“Ifgroupsfromsimilarsectorsofconflictingsocietiesworktogetheronissuesofmutualinterest,thentheywilllearntocooperate,andcross-cuttingnetworkswillbecreatedacrossthedivide.This,inturn,willleadtoincreasedtrustandpositiveattitudesandrelations,andparticipants

willultimatelypreferandbeabletoresolveconflictspeacefully.”



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ExpectedResultsandActivitiesResult 1: Communities, and especially women and young men and young women, engage inconstructivedialogueandactionaroundkeypeacebuildingconceptsthatpromotelocalizedstrategiesforstabilization,reconciliation,andtrustbuilding.

Act.1.1:KeyStakeholderMeetingsAct. 1.2: Participatory Theatre Performances: Search and local theatre actors trained inparticipatory theatre and conflict transformation implemented a participatory theatrecampaigninBor,MingkamanandJuba.Thecampaignaimedtoorganize27performancesandbringtogether8100participantsandspectators.Act.1.3:CivilSocietyEngagement:Searchengagedcivilsociety,youngpeople,women,andreligiousleaderstocatalysetheirincreasedparticipationaspeaceactorsintheircommunities.SearchcontinuedtoworkwithlocaltheatreactorstrainedinparticipatorytheatreandconflicttransformationtoimplementaparticipatorytheatrecampaigninBor,MingkamanandJuba.SearchaimedtobreakthecommunicationbarriersbetweenwomenleadersinandoutsideofthePOCsites,usingparticipatorytheatreandchurchconnectionstofillcommunicationgapsorovercomedivisions.Act.1.4:Small-scalePeaceInitiatives:Searchaimedtoprovidesmall-scalefundingforgrantsfor local leadersandgroupsintargetcommunitiestosupporttheirpeacebuildingeffortsasdevelopedinActivity1.3.

Result2:Mediaprogrammingwithanationalreachamplifiesandreinforcescommunity-levelpeaceprocessestobuildmutualtrust,inspirecommunityconfidence,andpromotereplication.

Act.2.1:RadioDramaProductionandBroadcast:Search,incollaborationwithlocalpartners,producedandbroadcastitsradiodramaSergeantEsther.Storylinesfortheseepisodeswereadaptedtothecurrentcontextandfocusedonhighlightingthevalueandcelebratingwomen’sparticipationindecisionmakingandpeacebuilding.Act.2.2:Women’sandGirls’ListenerClubs:Searchestablishedawomen’sandgirls’listenerclubineachtargetlocation.Theclubs,dedicatedtowomenandgirls,willprovidethemwithasafespacefordialogueandengagement.

MethodologyObjectivesTheobjectiveofthisfinalevaluationistoassesstherelevance,effectiveness,impactandsustainabilityoftheproject.Throughthisassessment,theevaluationwillextractcriticallessonslearnedanddrawrecommendationstoinformfuturepeacebuildingprogramminginSouthSudan.



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DatacollectionThetargetlocationsforthestudywereBorandJuba.Thesearethelocationsthatwerecoveredbythebaselinesurvey.Forcomparability,itwasproposedthatthelocationsbemaintainedasinthebaseline.AllquantitativeandqualitativetoolswerecreatedunderthedirectionofForcier’sRegionalResearchManager,usingavailableprojectdocuments,relevantsecondaryliterature,andprovisionalindicatorsfortheresearchproject.Sixdifferenttoolswereused,oneforthequantitativehouseholdsurvey,fourforthevariousKIIsandoneFGDguide.Priortothestartofdatacollection,Forcierincorporatedallcomments fromSearch.Fieldwork tookplace inboth locations simultaneously from January30th–February11th.

QuantitativeResearchForthequantitativecomponentofthisfinalevaluation,tworesearcherswereassignedtosupervisequantitative data collection concurrently in Juba and Bor. Each researcher recruited six localenumeratorsfromarosterofpreviouslyvettedindividualswithexperienceinquantitativeresearch.Inthesetworesearch locations,ForcierhasworkedpreviouslywithanumberofenumeratorswhohaveextensiveexperiencewiththedevicesandODKsoftwareusedforquantitativedatacollection.Before traveling to Bor, the researchers, together with the Juba enumerator team, attended acomprehensivetwo-daytrainingtolearnthespecificnatureoftheassignment,researchethics,thesurvey, sampling methodology, respondent selection, and review smartphone data collectiontechniques.ThetrainingwasfacilitatedbytheResearchOfficerassignedtothisresearchproject.Aspartofthetraining,theresearchers,alongwiththeenumerators,alsoreviewedthesurveycontentand agreed on standard translations into local languages. Following the training, the enumeratorteamspilotedthesurveytoidentifyandrectifyanycomplicationssuchasthewordingortranslationof questions. It isworthmentioning that, inBor, the researcher also conducted similar training topreparetheenumeratorsfordatacollection.

As expected, each enumerator conducted six surveys per day. Subsequently, quantitative datacollectioninBorlastedforthreedays,whileitlastedforfivedaysinJubawherethreeenumeratorseventually collected data. The researchers were responsible for providing on-the-ground qualityassurancechecksandoversightthroughoutdatacollection.AssurveyswereconductedonForcier’stabletsusingmobiledatacollectiontechnology,researcherswereabletouploaddatadailyfromthefieldtooursecureserver.Thisallowedtheresearchofficertoprovideasecondarylevelofdataqualityassuranceandfieldworksupervisionremotelyandinnear-realtime.

SamplingStrategyAtotalof216interviewswereconductedinJubaandBor,witheachlocationallocated108interviews.Adetailedexplanationonthesamplingisprovidedinaseparatefileasanappendixtothisreport.Thebelowtableshowsnumberofclustersandinterviewsperbomainthetwolocations:



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COUNTY PAYAM BOMA #OFCLUSTERS #OFINTERVIEWS

JUBA

Kator Lologo 3 18Munuki MunukiBlockA 2 12Munuki MunukiBlockB 4 24

Munuki MunukiBlockC 4 24NorthernBari Luri 3 18

Rejaf Gumbo 1 6Rejaf LogoEast 1 6

BOR

Bor Bor-Town 8 48

Bor Langbar 3 18

Bor Panapet 1 6

Bor Gaak-Yuom 1 6

Kolnyang Chuei-Keer 1 6

Kolnyang Kolnyang 1 6

Kolnyang Pariak 1 6

Kolnyang Gak 1 6

Kolnyang Konbek 1 6

Table2:Interviewclusterspercounty

HouseholdandrespondentselectionForthefinalevaluation,thesamehouseholdandrespondentselectionprocedureswereusedasinthebaseline.Withintheboma,thedatacollectionteamusedthefollowingproceduretorandomlyselectastartingpoint.Thesupervisoridentifiedthecentreofthebomaasthestartingpoint.Forbomasthathavemultipleclusters,thesupervisorsegmentedthebomaintoquadrantstochoosemultiplestartingpoints. From the starting point, the supervisor spun a bottle or other object to randomly selectdirections.Theenumeratorsproceededintherandomlyselecteddirection,interviewingeverythirdhouseholdontheenumerators’right.Atjunctions,theenumeratorsonlymaderightturns,buttheydidnotturnontoroadsthattheyhadalreadytravelled(i.e.goinginafullcircle).Intheeventthattheenumeratorsreachedadead-end,theyproceededbackalongtheroadorpaththattheyhadalreadytravelled (not interviewinghouseholds thatwerepreviouslyontheir left)until theyreachedanewroad,wheretheyresumedinterviewing.For the respondent selection process, after having selected the households, respondents wereselected using a Kish grid which was programmed into ODK software. The Kish grid allowed theenumerators to enter the names, ages and gender of up to 10 eligible individuals within a givenhousehold.Oncetherelevantinformationforeligibleindividualswasentered,theKishgridselectedrespondentsrandomlyfromamongthoseeligibleindividuals.UsingaKishgridforrandomrespondentselectionhasthebenefitofallowingthereconstructionoftherespondent-selectionprocess(forthepurposeofqualitycontrol)andprovidingabroaderpictureofahouseholddemographicsastheyrelate



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tothedemographicprofileoftheachievedsample.Consistentwiththebaseline,onlyindividuals15yearsandolderwereeligibleforsurveys.

QualitativeResearchFocusGroupDiscussionsThetargetpopulation forFocusGroupDiscussions (FGDs)weremostlyparticipantsormembersofwomen listener clubs formed by Search as part of the project. In Juba County, three FGDs wereconducted in Luri,GudeleandGumbo respectively. FGDparticipants in Luri andGudelewereonlywomen. In Gumbo participants were mixed men, as agreed during the inception phase of theevaluation.ForBorCounty,asplanned,onlyoneFGDwasconductedwithmembersofalistenerclubwhoarealsomembersoftheJongleiWomenAssociation.TheparticipantsinBorwereidentifiedwithsupportfromthechairpersonoftheassociation.Intotal,fourFGDswereconductedinbothresearchlocationsasexplainedabove.Eachfocusgroupcomprisedofsixtoeightparticipants.TheProgramparticipantssharedtheirfirst-handexperienceswiththeproject.

KeyInformantInterviewsForcieridentifiedrespondentsincollaborationwithSearchtoconducttheKey-InformantInterviews(KIIs)inordertoensurevarietyinperspectiveandrelevantinsighttotheevaluationobjectives.Theseinterviews capture the perspective of influential people that would not be apparent throughquantitative data collection. Documenting hard-to-reach voices and detailed experiences throughopen-endedquestionsprovidesimportantcontextandinsighttotheresultsofqualitativedataresultsintheanalysis.ContactsofkeyinformantsforthisprojectwereprovidedbySearch.ThetablebelowshowsrespondentsfortheKIIsinBorandJubaCounties:

INTERVIEWSUBJECT BOR JUBA TOTAL

COMMUNITYLEADER 1 1 2CSOPARTNER 1 2 3EYERADIO 0 1 1

RADIOJONGLEI 1 0 1LISTENERSCLUBCHAIRLEADER 0 1 1

TOTAL 3 5 8Table3:KIIspercounty

AnalysisDeskreviewAcomprehensiveliteraturereviewwasconductedtounderstandtheprojectandlocaldynamics,andtoprovideabasiccontextandfoundationfordatacollectionandsampledesign.Revieweddocumentsincludedproject-specific information, suchas theprojectproposal, activity anddonor reports, thebaselinestudy,andtheM&Eplan.Moreover,theliteraturereviewincludedrelevantsecondaryreportsand studies pertaining to peacebuilding interventions implemented in the targeted locations. The



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results of the desk review contributed to the analysis and creation of the final deliverables andidentificationofkeystakeholdersforthequalitativeinterviewing.

DataAnalysisData integrity isof theutmost importanceatForcier.Forcierensures thatdatacansustain furtherreliability and verification checksduringdataprocessing.As thequestionnaireswere administeredusing ODK Collect, the open source mobile data collection software, skip patterns and responseconstraintswereprogrammedaspartofthequestionnaire.ThesurveyobservationsweresenttotheONAserverwheredataiscompiledandcodeduponexportandreviewedfor internal logicandconsistencychecks. Identifiedanomalieswereflagged,checkedandmanuallyenteredasnecessary.Alldata, from initial rawdata tocleanedandcodeddata,wasbackeduptotheForciercloudandtheONAserver,assuringconstantdataintegrity.Following data cleaning and quality control, quantitative and qualitative data were sent to theDepartmentofAnalyticsforanalysis.Notably,quantitativedatawasanalysedusingSTATAstatisticalsoftware,withcross-countycomparisonsaswellasweightedaggregateanalysis(includinggender,ageandidentity).Wherenoted,statisticalsignificanceismeasuredthe95%confidencelevel.Thefindingsobservedduringtheanalysisareoutlinedinthisreport.

LimitationsThroughoutthefinalevaluation,therewerefewlimitationsandchallenges:

● All FGDs were planned to be conducted with members of listener clubs in Juba and Bor.However,duringfieldwork,theteamfoundoutthattherewasonlyonelistenerclubinLuriCounty.Asaresult,theevaluationteamconductedtheremainingtwoFGDswithindividualswholistentoSergeantEstherradiobutarenotnecessarilymembersof listenerclubs.WithsupportfromchiefsandyouthleadersinGudeleandGumbo,participantsforthesetwoFGDsweremobilized.

● In Juba, the teamfaceddifficulty findingpeople in theirhouseholdsduring the timeof thesurvey.Thiswasmainlybecausesomepeoplewereeitheratworkorschool.Theenumeratorsattempted to revisit empty households before deciding to reschedule or replace thehousehold.Insomesituations,somepeoplewerenotinterestedtobeinterviewed.

● Therewasnoqualitativeorquantitativedatacollectioninoneoftheprojecttargetlocations:Mingkaman.Basedonthelimitationsintheevaluation’stermsofreference,ForcierproposedanevaluationinJubaandeitherBororMingkaman.SearchandForciercollaborativelydecidedtheevaluationwouldconsiderBorandJuba.



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ResearchfindingsRelevanceSearch and its partners supportedunderstanding and applicationof the key concepts and themesembodied within ARCSS through participatory theatre, radio programs, workshops, training andsupporting small-scale civil society peace initiatives. The activities targeted different, butcomplementarypopulations.Activitieswerebothlearningandaction-oriented,andtheprogramwasdesignedwithflexibilitytoensureneedsandopportunitieswouldbemetastheyarose.Thesmall-scalepeaceinitiativesspecificallyallowedtheprogramtomeetneedsthatwerecommunity-specificandimplementaresponsetailoredtothecontextandissue.The key informants interviewed for this evaluation all indicated the project targeted the relevantpopulation to achieve its goal. Specifically, the interviewees indicated the project meaningfullyincorporatedcommunityleaders,womenandyouth.ArespondentinBornotedthattheincorporationofyouthandtheauthoritieswasparticularlyimportant.Therespondentsaid:

“Theyaretheverypeoplewhobringtheseconflictsinthecommunity.Mostespeciallytheyouthandthelocalauthoritiesshouldknowthatourprimeobjectiveispeacesothattheycanactingoodfaithtobringuspeaceandrespectforhuman

rights.”

During the focus group discussions, themajority of the groups thought the program targeted therelevantpopulation,specificallyfemalecommunityleaders,andgavethemaspacetolearnaboutanddiscusskeypeacebuildingconcepts.However,somerespondentsnotedtheprogramming(specificallythelistener’sgroups)wouldbemoreeffectiveiftheyalsoreachedouttocommunityleadersandmenfrom the community. The activity reports suggest the participatory theatre performances activelyinvolvedthecommunityasawholeintodiscussionaboutchallengesfacedbywomen.Therewerealsoactivitiestoactivelyinvolveyoungpeopleinprogramming,includinginter-generationaldialoguesandrepresentativesofyouthgroupsatworkshopsandtrainingsessions.Theprogramdesignalsocreatedspacetoinvolvethosewhohadbeeninternallydisplaced(IDPs).SomeoftheactivitiestookplaceatProtectionofCivilian(POC)sitesor includedrepresentativeswhoweredisplaced.It isnotcleartheactivities designed to include IDPs also included and addressed the specific barriers they face orprovidedaplatformfortheseissuestobediscussed.It was clear that the communications, messages and strategy were promoting tolerance andreconciliation.Theresultsalsosuggestthestrategyandcommunicationswereperceivedascredible,neutralandinclusive.Keyinformantsindicatedtheprojectactivitiesdidadapttothechangingcontextandremainedrelevant.Manynotedthediscussion-basedstructureofworkshopsandactivities.Thisallowed participants to pick up and discuss themes that were particularly relevant to theircommunities.Similarly,theactivityreportsfromtheparticipatorytheatreperformancesindicatethe



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flexibilityoftheprogrammingalloweddifferentcommunitiestousetheperformancesasaplatformtodigintocommunity-specificissues.ThesamekindofflexibilitywasnotaffordedintheSergeantEstherepisodesbecausetheywerepre-recorded.However,thefindingsfromthefocusgroupdiscussionswiththelistener’sgroupssuggestthecontentoftheSergeantEstherwascurrent.Thetopicsraisedintheepisodesmirroredissuesthatmanyofthewomenreportedfacingrecentlyintheirowncommunities.Moreover,thetimeallottedattheendoftheprogramforlistenerstocallin,createdasmallbutusefulspaceforfurtherdiscussionon context-specific themes.Members of a listener’s group in Jubamentioned episodeswere onlyrecordedinArabicandEnglish,whichlimitedtheinclusivityoftheprogram.Theyalsomentionedareaswithoutaccesstoradiowouldhavebenefitedfromtheshowandsuggesteddistributinghardcopiesintheseareas.Theresultsfromthehouseholdsurveyshow95.2%ofthosewhoreportedlisteningtoSergeantEstherthoughttheprogramwasneutral,1and76.2%thoughttheprogramwastrue.2Some respondentswere critical of thegenderdivide in activities andmentioned that someof the“women’s”programswouldhavebeenmoresuccessfulhadmenbeeninvolved.Forexample,InBor,anintervieweesaid:“Searchshouldhaveinvolvedmenaswellbecausewithoutthemtheactivitiescannotbeimplemented

wellasplanned.Forexample,whenawomantalksaboutgender-basedviolenceamanwillnotunderstandandwillthinkthatthewomanjustwantstodefendherselfbutiftheyarealsoinvolvedin

theworkshopstheywouldclearlyunderstand.”Theprogram,particularlyintheextensionphase,emphasizedtheinvolvementofwomen.However,the way women were incorporated was not the most effective to address gender-based issues.Discussionsaboutgender-basedissuesshouldinvolveboththosefacingbarriersaswellasthosewhoperpetuatethem,inthisspecificcasethevictimsandperpetratorsofgender-basedviolence.Moreover,programmingoftenreferredtowomenasahomogeneouscategorywithoutrecognizingthedifferencesthatexistwithingendercategories.Withoutanintersectionalframework,itisnotclearthatallwomenhadtheequalchancetoparticipate,especiallythosewhoaremoremarginalized.Thisisparticularlypertinenttothisprogram’sobjectiveofinclusivity,particularlyoftheinternallydisplacedor others who are unable to participate in peace processes.Without a nuanced view of gender,programmingrisksreinforcingthesocialstructuresthatcanperpetuategender-basedsocialbarriers.3

1Nonotabledifferencebylocationorgender25%ofrespondentsthoughttheprogramwasuntrue(onerespondentinJuba).Mostwhodidnotagreetheprogramwastruegaveaneutralresponse.3El-Bushra,J.(2017).Whydoesarmedconflictrecur,andwhathasgendergottodowithit?LSEWomen,PeaceandSecurity.



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EffectivenessThe first project result, “communities engage in constructive dialogue and action around keypeacebuilding concepts that promote localized strategies for stabilization, reconciliation, and trustbuilding”,wasmetthroughworkshops,dialogues,CSOtraining,participatorytheatreandsmall-scalepeaceinitiatives.Theintendedresultshavebeenachievedtotheextentthatthosewhoparticipatedintheactivitiesparticipatedindialoguearoundpeacebuildingconceptsanddiscussedcontextspecificissues.Somestrategieswereimplementedthroughmoretargetedactivities,suchintergenerationaldialoguesorsomeofthesmall-scalepeaceprojectwhichweremoreactionthanlearning-oriented.Thequalitative responses suggest residents in the target locations increasingly engagedwith eachotheroverthecourseoftheproject.FGDrespondentsinbothBorandJubaperceivedchangesintheircommunities, includingmore intercommunal interactions and feelings of solidarity.4 However, thequantitative results found the levels of intercommunal engagement relatively unchanged. In thebaseline40%percentofrespondentsreportedtheyhadapeaceorconflictrelateddiscussionwithsomeone from a different community. This increased to 43.5% in the end line. Compared to thebaseline, rates of peace or conflict related discussion with someone from another communityimprovedinBoranddeclinedinJuba.5Ofthosewhoengagedinconstructivedialoguesinthelastyear,62.3%weremenand57.5%werewomen,similartothefindingsinthebaseline.Thefollowingfigureshowswhenthereporteddiscussionstookplace.Intotal,morerespondentsinBor indicated they engaged in dialogue outside their community than in Juba. However, morerespondentsinJubaengagedindialoguewithinthepastyearthaninBor.6

4AnFGDrespondentinJubasaid“Ihavenoticedlittlechangesinthewaypeopleincommunityrelatetoeachotherandoutsidecommunities,theycannowinteractandsharethingsfreelycomparetolastyear.”InBor,arespondentobserved “there has been several changes for instance people of the community have learnt to live peacefullytogether.”5Thebaselineresultsshowed46%ofrespondentsinBorand43%inJubawhoindicatedtheyhadapeace-relateddiscussionwithsomeonefromanothercommunity6 In Juba, 91.2% of respondents who said they discussed peace related topics with someone from anothercommunitysaidthediscussiontookplacewithinthepastyearcomparedto41.4%inBor.



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Figure1:Discussionwithsomeonefromadifferentcommunitybylocation

The second project result, “Media programming with a national reach amplifies and reinforcescommunity-levelpeaceprocessestobuildmutualtrust,inspirescommunityconfidence,andpromotereplication”, was realized through Sergeant Esther episodes and peace-related Public ServiceAnnouncements(PSAs).ThereachofthesemessageswaslimitedbythelimitsofradiodistributioninSouth Sudan anddid not reach theparts of the countrywithout access to radio. Additionally, theprogrammingwasbroadcastinselectlanguageswhichalsolimitedtheextenttowhichthemediahada“nationalreach”andtosomeextentlimitedthereachinthetargetlocations.7AddingprogramminginDinkawouldhaveimprovedthereachconsiderably inthetarget locations.Nonetheless,throughpartnershipswithdifferent radio stations themessageswere spread throughmanyparts of SouthSudantoawideaudienceandspreadclearmessagesaboutkeypeacebuildingconcepts.In the household survey, 81.0% of Sergeant Esther listeners thought it promoted tolerance andreconciliation.8 Additionally, 90.5% of listeners thought the program helped promote peace. OneSergeantEstherlistenerinJubasaidduringanFGD:

7 The household survey showed only 16.2% of respondents indicated English or Juba Arabic was their primarylanguage,comparedto50.5%whoprimarilyspokeDinka(nearlyallofwhomlivedinBor,where99.1%ofrespondentslistedDinkaastheirprimarylanguage).“Primarylanguage”definedasthelanguagerespondentsspokeathome.NoteonlyJubaandBorareincludedinquantitativeresults.8Nonotabledifferencewasfoundwhentheresultsweredisaggregatedbygender.



18

“ThebadattitudeIwashavingtowardothertribeshaschanged,SergeantEstherreallytaughtmehowtoletthingsgo.BeforeIstartedfollowingthisprogram,Ihated

sometribessomuch.”

Additionally,85.7%ofSergeantEstherlistenersreportedawarenessofpositivemodelsforpeaceintheircommunities.Thisisnotasignificantchangefromthebaselineresults(82%),andtheprogramdid not achieve the targeted 10% increase. However, the results show a higher awareness ofpeacebuildingmodelsamongSergeantEstherlistenersthannon-listeners(80.0%).Searchusedtheradioasthedistributionformediamessaging.OfmediatheplatformsinSouthSudan,radio is themostpopularandmost inclusive resource forpeace-related information.9However, itshouldbenoted therewasadifference in radioaccess. Significantlymore respondents inBorhadaccesstoaradiothaninJuba.10Thesurveyresultsdidnotshowasignificantdifferenceinaccessbasedongender.Theproject’smediastrategyincludedtheproductionanddistributionofSergeantEstherand Public PSAs to spread peace messages. The PSAs highlighted the importance of dialogue,embracing diversity, community peaceful coexistence, peaceful coexistence, forgiveness andreconciliation.Theywererecordedinfourlanguages:Arabic,Bari,DinkaandEnglish.Intotal,12.9%ofrespondentsacrossBorandJubawhohadaccesstoaradioreportedlisteningtoSergeantEsther.Mostoftheprogram’slisteners(90.5%)werebetweentheagesof15-39,withthemostlistenersbetween25-29.

9TheresultsshowradioisthemostpopularsourceofpeacerelatedinformationinbothJubaandBor.FollowedinJubabyfriendsandrelatives,megaphoneannouncements,religiousleader,TVandNewspapers.FollowedinBorbycommunityleader,religiousleader,TVandFriendsandrelatives.1088.9%ofrespondentsinBoreitherhadaradioorhadaccesstoaradio,comparedto62.0%inJuba.



19

Figure2:SergeantEstherListeners

Thefigureaboveshowsthedisaggregationoftherespondentswhoreportedlisteningtotheprogram.It shows the largest groupwaswomen in Juba, followedbymen inBor,menand Jubaand finallywomeninBor.During theKIIs, thepartners from the radio stations inBorand Jubamentioned that theSergeantEsther programming was relevant and well-received overall. In both locations, listeners wouldreportedly call in after the show to discuss the themes brought up in each episode. In Bor, onerespondentmentionedthatthereweresomenegativeresponsesfrompeoplewhomhedescribedas“rigid”becausetheydidnotagreewiththeprogram.11Listener’sgroupmembersdescribedtheshow’scontents as very relevant to their own lives, and a good premise to discuss community specificgrievances.Onelistenersaid:

“Manywomenarenowcomfortableattheirworkingplacesbecausetheyknowtheirrights.Ifsomeonetriestoharassthem,theyknowthecourtproceduresalready.Thismakestheinteraction

betweenemployersandemployeeveryeasy.”SomelistenersmentionedthedistributionoftheprograminonlyJubaArabicandEnglishlimitedthenumberofaudiences.Thoughthehouseholdsurveyresultssuggesttheprogramdidnotreachasmany

11KIIJongleiFMpresenter



20

people as intended, thosewho it did reach indicated it raised the intended themes and generallyrespondedpositivelyandactivelytothecontent.Another issue raised related to thecompositionofSergeantEstherListener’sgroups.Respondentsfromalistener’sclubinBorsaid:“Youthleaders,chiefs,religiousleadersandmenshouldbeincludedsothattheyshouldhearvoice

andsufferingofwomen.”Thoughthelistener’sgroupsdidsucceedinidentifyingtherelevantpopulationswhorelatedtotheissuesraisedintheSergeantEstherepisodes,theywerenotnecessarilythesamepeoplewhocouldmosteffectivelyaddresstheissues.Inthissense,theSergeantEstherListenersgroupsdidtargettherelevantpopulationtoachievetheprojectgoalofbuildinggreaterunderstandingandapplicationofkeyconceptsandthethemesembodiedwiththeARCSS.However,withoutincorporatingthosewhocurrently hold power in communities, the space for women to implement these valuesmight belimited.

ImpactVarious changes were observed in the target communities since the project baseline. Overall theperceptionofpeaceatbothnationalandcommunitylevelsimproved.However,fewerrespondentsreportedusingpeacefulmeanstosolvetheirlastconflictandthelevelsoftrustbetweenpeoplefromdifferentcommunitiesdidnotchange.

JUBA BOR TOTAL BASELINE DIFFERENCE

WAR 17.6% 37.0% 27.3% 55% -27.7%

PEACE 21.3% 22.2% 21.8% 13% +8.8%

BETWEENWAR/PEACE 56.5% 39.8% 48.1% 32% +16.1%

DON'TKNOW 3.7% 0.9% 2.3% 0% +2.3%REFUSEDTOANSWER 0.0% 0.0% 0.5% 0% +0.5%

Table4:Perceptionofconflictatthenationallevel

AsseeninTable4whenaskedthequestion“doyouthinkthatSouthSudan,asacountry,iscurrentlyat war or peace?” most respondents replied “somewhere between war and peace”. In Bor,respondentstendedtoseeSouthSudanasinastateofwar,whereasrespondentsinJubasawSouthSudanasclosertopeace.Comparedtothebaseline,theportionofthosewhosawthecountryatwarhasdecreased,whileboththecategory“somewherebetweenwarandpeace”and“peace”increased.Genderwasnotastrongpredictorofwhatresponsestheparticipantschose.



21

Thefollowingtableshowsthatcomparedtothebaseline,theperceptionofpeaceatthecommunitylevel also improved.Whenasked “do you think your community is atwaror at peace?” themostpopularanswerwas“peace.”

JUBA BOR TOTAL BASELINE DIFFERENCEWAR 6.5% 7.4% 6.9% 23% -16.1%PEACE 46.3% 46.3% 46.3% 44% +2.3%BETWEENWAR/PEACE 47.2% 45.4% 46.3% 32% +14.3%DON'TKNOW 0.0% 0.9% 0.5% 0% +0.5%

Table5:Perceptionofconflictatthecommunitylevel

Correspondingly,mostrespondentsthoughttheircommunitieshadgotten“abitmorepeaceful” inthelastyear(75.9%inBorand54.6%inJuba).InJuba,respondentswerebothmorelikelytofindtheircommunitiesas“muchmorepeaceful”or“unchanged”thantheircounterpartsinBor.Mentendedtothinktherehadbeenmoreimprovementsincommunitypeacethanwomen.InbothJubaandBor,respondentsthoughttheirowncommunitiesresembledpeacemorethantheydidwar.Thisisalsoanimprovementcomparedtothebaseline.As in thebaseline results, respondents in Juba reported theyhadbeen involved inaconflictmorerecentlythanrespondentsinBor.Theresultsareshowninthefigurebelow.Genderwasapredictorfortheoverallresults.However,therewasnotasignificantdifferenceforresultswithinthepastyear.

Figure3:Mostrecentconflictbylocation



22

The following table shows the most common kinds of conflict occurring in each location. Thedistributionofresultshasnotchangedsignificantlyfromthebaselineresults.InJuba,themostpopularanswerwas“other”.Ofthe“other”responsesrecorded,argumentswithneighboursorpeerswerethemost frequently cited conflict type.Of theoptions listed “attack by themilitarywas themostcommoninJuba.InBor,themostcommonkindofconflictwascattleraidingfollowedbylanddisputes.

Figure4:Kindsofconflictdisaggregatedbylocation

InbothJubaandBor,respondentsweremostlikelytoconsultcommunityeldersorleadersinthecaseofconflictwithanothercommunity(41.7%and64.0%respectively).Thesecondmosttrustedgroupto resolveconflict inBorweregovernmentofficials (17.6%of respondents)and in Juba, thepolice(16.7%ofrespondents).Comparedtothebaselineresults,trustingovernmentofficialshasdecreasedinthetargetlocations.12InbothJubaandBor,respondentsreportednearlyequalsocialpreferencesbetweenmembersoftheirowntribeandmembersofanothertribe.However,overallrespondentsinJubashowedmoresignsofopen-mindedness to people from other tribes, where 97.3% agreed that their community wouldacceptaneighbourfromanothertribe.13Thishasnotchangedsignificantlyfromthebaselineresults.

12 Thebaseline recorded52%of respondentswhowould reportedly consult a government official in the case ofconflict.Itshouldbenotedthatrespondentscouldgivemultipleresponsestothisquestion.13Oftheserespondents,70.4%agreedstrongly.InBor,91.7%alsoagreedwiththestatement.However,only3.7%agreedstrongly.



23

In Juba95.4% respondentsalso indicated their communityacceptedmarriagesbetweenpeopleofdifferent tribes. InBoronly 57.4%agreed.14Whenaskedabout intercommunal violence, 96.3%ofrespondents in Juba indicated their communities would not accept the use of violence againstsomeone from a different tribe. Of these respondents, 70.4% disagreed strongly with the use ofviolenceagainstapersonfromanothertribe. InBorasmallermajority(64.8%)disagreed.Oftheserespondents from Bor, 31.5% disagreed strongly. The indications of intertribal trust based onacceptanceof intertribalmarriageshasdecreased (11.6%) compared to thebaseline.Whenaskedabout intercommunal trust directly, in both Bor and Juba fewer respondents indicated theircommunities trustedmembersofother tribes. In Juba, 50.0%agreedwith the statementbutonly11.1%strongly.InBor,43.5%agreedwith0.9%agreeingstrongly.Compared to the baseline, there was a decrease in the number of respondents reportedly usingpeacefulmeans to solve theirmost recent conflict. The following table showshow respondents indifferentlocationsrespondedtotheirmostrecentconflict.RESPONSE JUBA BOR TOTAL

FIGHT 7.7% 52.4% 33.3%YELLATTHEM 3.8% 0% 1.6%DON'TRESPOND 35.9% 3.8% 17.5%GOTOPOLICE 12.8% 5.7% 8.7%GOTOMILITARY 0% 4.8% 2.7%SOLVETHROUGHDISCUSSION 11.5% 26.7% 20.2%OTHER 26.9% 1.9% 12.6%DON'TKNOW 0% 2.9% 1.6%REFUSED 1.3% 1.9% 1.6%

Table6:Responsetorecentconflictbylocation

In Juba, most respondents claimed they did not respond to the conflict. In Bor, the majority ofrespondentssaidtheyrespondedbyfightingintheirmostrecentconflict.TheportionofrespondentsinBorwhorespondedtotheirmostrecentconflictwithviolenceincreasedby18.4percentagepointsfromthebaselinemeasurementwhileinJubatheproportionremainedthesameat11.5%.15InJubatherateofrespondentswhodidnotrespond,increasedsignificantlyfromthebaseline(6percentagepoints). Someof these changes could reflect thedifference inquestiondelivery. In thisevaluationrespondentsweregivenmore responsechoices than in thebaseline.16However, this likelydidnotinfluencetheincreaseinresponsesindicatingaviolentresponse.Therewasnotanotabledifferencewhentheresultsweredisaggregatedbygender.Inaddition,surveyrespondentswhoeitherlistened

14InBoronly2.8%agreedstronglyand7.4%disagreedstrongly.15Forconsistencywiththebaseline,herea“violentresponse”toaconflictiseitheryellingorfighting.16Thebaselinegavetheresponses:FightorYell,NoResponse,SeekConstructiveSolution.



24

to Sergeant Esther or attended a participatory theatre eventwere just as likely to respond to theconflictthroughviolentmeansasthosewhohadnot.17TheprojectactivelycontributedtoachievingpeaceinSouthSudantotheextentthatitcreatedspacesandplatformsfordiscussionwithinandbetweengroups,andpromptedthoseinvolvedinactivitiestothinkmoreaboutpeacebuildingconceptsandtheirimplementationthroughtrainingsandworkshops.Interactive community activities elicited constructive community dialogue around peacebuildingthemes.Intheparticipatorytheatreperformancescommunitymemberscouldparticipateanddiscusscommunity-specificissuesandovercomethem.Small-scalepeaceinitiativessupportedsmallerCSOsto carry out community-specific peacebuilding initiatives. Trainings and workshops provided anopportunity for key community members to discuss key peacebuilding concepts. The trainingstargetedkeyleadersandwereinclusiveofwomen’sgroups,youthgroupsandtraditionalleaders.Theprojectactivitiesraisedtopicsrelatedtogender-basedchallengeswithintargetcommunities.Theparticipatory theatre performances discussed domestic violence, early and forced marriage, earlypregnancy,elopement, landownershipanddowries.Thisbroughtsomegender-basedissuestotheforefrontfordiscussion.SergeantEstheralsodealtwithmanygender-basedthemes,includingsexualharassment in the workplace, childmarriage and gender-based violence. Some of the small-scalepeace initiatives also dealt with gender-based challenges. One examplewas aWoman-to-Womanpeacebuildinginitiative.Itbrought90womenfrom9differenttribestogetherinJubatodiscussandovercome the issue of water-point conflict in their community in Jebel. Another example is theworkshopsinJubaandBorwhichdiscussedopeninga“WomenFriendlySpace.”Theseinitiativesalladdress indicators of gender-based inequalities and social barriers. However, it is unclear towhatextent any of these initiatives were able to successfully address the root causes of gender-basedbarriersthatunderpinthesesocialchallenges.

SustainabilityTheKIIandFGDrespondentsgavemixedresponseswhenaskedabouttheexpectedsustainabilityoftheprojectachievements.Someindicatedtheactivitieshadadequatelyprovidedthemwiththetoolsneededtocontinueworkingtowardsbuildingpeaceintheircommunities.18OtherswereconcernedthatwithoutSearch,theymightnothavetheresourcestheyneedtokeepmovingforward.19Themostsignificantenablerofthesustainabilityofthisproject’sresultsisthefocusonsoft-skillsandcapacity building. Activities opened up discussion within and between communities and providedsomewithusefultrainingtofosterdiscussionsabouttoleranceandreconciliation.Thefindingsfrom

17Onlyreportedresponsestoaconflictthattookplacewithinthelastsixmonthswereconsidered18KIIRadiopresentersinJubaandBoronSergeantEsther,KIIBorCSO,KIIJubaCSO.19KIIBorCommunityleader,FGDBorListener’sclub,KIIJubaCommunityleader,KIIJubaCSO.



25

the interviewsandactivity reportssuggest thatsomeof those involved in theprojectactivitiesareenthusiastictocontinueaddressingbarrierstopeacewithinandbetweencommunities. IntheFGDwithalistener’sclubinJuba,onerespondentsaid:

“Informationispower.Throughthelessonslearnedinthelistener’sclub,womenandgirlswillbeabletodisseminatetheinformationwithinthecommunity.The

listener’sclubhaveputinplacestrategiestopreparetheminlifeafterSearchleaves.”

AradiostationemployeeinBordiscussedhowthelistener’sclubequippeditsmemberstocontinueputtingthelessonsintoaction:

“Iamcertain[themessagesofSergeantEsther]willbeputintopractice.Itcontainedverypowerfulandpositiveinformationthat[thelisteners]canneverforget.Theyalreadyhavetheknowledgeandwillalwayshavereferencesfrom

SergeantEsther.”

AcommunityleaderinJubacommentedonthesustainabilityoftrainings,andsaid:

“Allthepeacebuildingworkshopsbeengiventothecommunitiescan’tberubbedaway.Knowledgeoncegivencanbeusedaslongasitwastaughtproperly,[and

willbeused]intheircommunity.”

Otherswereapprehensiveabouttheirabilitytocarryonaftertheprojectclose.Themostcommonconcernwasfindingtheresourcesandplanningthelogisticstocontinueactivities.InBor,amemberfromtheJongleiWomen’sAssociationmentionedthatmostofitsmembersdidnothaveanysourcesofincomeandwouldhaveahardtimeaffordingcontinuedparticipation.Otherconcernsrelatedtothe legalprocessesof continuedactivities.Amemberof the listener’s club in Jubawasconcernedbecausetheclubhadneverbeenlegallyregistered,andthiscouldimpedetheirabilitytogotodifferentcommunitiestodiscusswhattheylearnedfromtheprogram.Thereweresomeopportunitiestolinkmediaprogrammingwithreal-worldengagement,specificallytheSergeantEstherListener’sclubs.Theclubsmettolistentotheprogramanddiscussthethemes.Oneof theListener’sClubs includedmembers fromaCSO, JongleiWomen’sAssociation.Usinganexistinggroupasthebasisformembershipofgroupsthatwillcontinuetopromotepeaceseemstosupportitssustainability.Thesemembersindicatedahigherlevelofenthusiasmtocontinueworkingtospread themessagesofSergeantEsther’smessagesafterprojectclose than theother listener’sgroups.Additionally,theissuementionedaboveaboutmissinglegalregistrationcouldbeovercomeifmembers of existing and legally registered CSOs were used as the basis for listener’s clubs. Forexample,ifthelistener’sclubbecameanactivityforexistingCSOswithlegalregistration,ratherthanthe basis of entirely new groups, organizations would be more likely to continue project-relatedactivitiesaftertheendoftheprogram.Noneoftheparticipantsorstationemployeesmentionedany



26

specificconnectionorengagementbetweentheclubsandtheradiostation.Thelinkbetweenreal-worldengagementandmediaprogrammingcouldhavebeenstrengthenedifthelistener’sclubshadtheopportunitytoengagewiththebroadcasting.20

LessonsLearnedDuringtheKII,intervieweeswereaskedwhatlessonsfromthisprojectcouldbeintegratedintofutureprogramming.Someofthesuggestionswerementionedbymorethanoneparticipant,theseinclude:

● Substantial populations were not reached due to linguistic differences and limited radiolistenership.Giventheselimitations,programmingcanbetranslatedandperformedinmorelanguages,andshowrecordingscanbedistributedtoareaswithlimitedradioaccess.

● TheListener’sClubsweremadeupofnearlyallwomen,despitenearlyequallistenershipofSergeantEstherbetweenwomenandmen.Extendingtheopportunitytoactivelyengagewiththeshow’scontenttomembersofdifferentidentitygroupswouldbetterintroducethethemesandideasfromtheshowintothetargetaudiences.

● Manyoftheparticipantsexpressedconcernoverthesustainabilityofprogrammingduetolackoftheirownfundsor legalregistration.Registrationprocessesforgrass-rootsorganizationscanbeincorporatedintoearlierstagesoftheprogrammingalongwithtrainingoneconomicinitiativesthatcansupporttheorganizationsafterprogramclose.

● Theprogrammingwasfocusedmoreonchallengeswithincommunitiesratherthanbetweenthem.Futureprogrammingcouldbutastrongerfocusonfacilitatingdialoguebetweengroups,andputtingastrongeremphasison incorporating IDPsandPOCresidents inamannerthatreflectsandaccommodatestheirspecificcircumstances.

● Theprogramshowedflexibilitytoensureneedsandopportunitieswouldbemetastheyarosethroughsemi-structuredanddialogue-basedactivities.

Inadditiontothesesuggestionsforfutureprograms,respondentswereaskedaboutpossiblewaysforSearch to leverage its intervention and achieve enduring change in South Sudan or to linkpeacebuilding with other needs. Respondents in both Juba and Bor said that improvements ineducation, protection and nutrition would all positively support activities aimed at building moreenduringpeace.A civil societyorganization leader in Jubacommentedon themutually supportivenatureofpeaceandhumanitarianprograms.Heobservedthatpeaceactivitiesaremoredifficultwhentheyarenotaccompaniedbyadditionalactivitiestosupporteducation,theeconomyandnutrition.Hesaid:“Youcannottalktopeopleaboutpeacewhiletheyarehungryortalktoyouthandyoungboysandgirlsaboutpeacewhileyoudon’topenupschoolstothem.Toattainsuccessfulpeacebuilding,you

needtoincludelivelihood,educationandhealth,andinterlinkthem.”

20Forexample,listener’sclubparticipantscouldhavecalledintothestationaftertheprogramtoopenthediscussionthemeswithinthegroupswithalllistenersandradiostaff.



27

Overall,alloftherespondentsindicatedthatrelevantkeywomen’speacebuildersweretargetedandinvolvedbySearch.InJuba,respondentscommendedtheinvolvementofJubekStateWomen’sUnionintheprojectandmentionedtheirinvolvementinworkshopswhichsupportedtherepresentationofkeyfemaleleaders.InBor,arespondentmentioneditwouldhavebeenusefultoalsotargetwomenpeacebuildersoutsideofBorcountyfromotherpartsofJongleiandinvolvetheminactivitiestoexpandtheprogram’sreachandsupportinter-communitysolidaritybetweenwomenleaders.



28

IndicatorTableThefollowingtablesummarizestheproject’soutcomeindicatorsthatweremeasuredandrecordedthroughoutthelifeoftheproject.

Indicator Baseline Target Endline

Percentofpopulationsurveyedwhoreporttheyusedpeacefulmeanstoresolvetheirlastconflict

77%reportedusingpeacefulmeanstoresolvelastconflict.(Significantdifferencesnotedbylocation,butnotbygender.)89%ofrespondentsinJubaresolvedconflictpeacefully,incontrastwith66%ofrespondentsinBor

Expectedglobal=85%

Increaseof3%forJuba,14%forBorand8%forMingkaman

Global=65.1%Bor=47.6%Juba=88.5%Male=63.6%Female=66.4%

Percentofprojectparticipantswhoreportengaginginconstructivedialogueonatopicrelatedtopeacebuildingwithan“out-group”memberinthelastyear.

40%reportedengaginginconstructivepeacebuildingdialoguewithout-group(disaggregated:47%male,35%female;43%Juba,46%Bor,31%Mingkaman)

Expectedglobal=65%

Increaseof6%formen,and12%forwomen

Global=59.6%Juba=91.2%Bor=41.4%Male=62.3%Female=57.5%

Percentoftrainedandcoachedwomenwhoreportbeingmoreengagedinlocalpeacebuildingprocessesbytheendoftheproject.

0 Atleast60%

53%

PercentofthepopulationinthetargetareaswhohavelistenedtoSergeantEsther(disaggregatedbylocationandsex)

0 25%

Global=13%Juba=17.9%Bor=9.4%Male=13.0%Female=12.8%



29

PercentofthosewhohavelistenedtoSergeantEstherwhoreportthattheprograminspired take actionforpeace

0 15%

21.9%ofFGDparticipants

Percentofleaderssupportedwhocannameoneconcretepeacebuildingactiontheyhavetakenasaresultofthesupportreceivedthroughtheproject(disaggregatedbylocationandsex).

0 50%

Global=50%Juba=75%Bor=25%Male=50%Female=50%

Percentofpeopleintargetedcommunitieswhoreporthavinghadatleastoneopportunityinthelastyeartoengageinconstructivedialogueand/orapeaceinitiativewithintheircommunity.

54%reportedengaginginconstructivedialoguewithincommunity.Juba=64%Bor=35%Mingkaman=62%(Significantdifferencesnotedbylocation,butnotbygender)

Increaseofatleast8%formen,and10%forwomen

43.5%ofrespondentsinlastyearJuba=45.4%Bor=41.7%Male=53.2%Female=36.1%

MeannumberofpeacebuildingvaluesthatrespondentswholistentoSearch’sradioprogramcanlist.

46% 66%

Mean=2.14peacebuildingvalues95.2%oflistenerscannameatleastone,42.9%cancame3+



30

Percentofpeoplewhohavelistenedwhoreportbeingawareofpositivemodelsforcommunitypeacebuilding(disaggregatedbygender,locationandage)

Juba=82%

Male=82%Female=83%

Increaseof10%

Global=85.7%21

Numberofstakeholderparticipants,disaggregatedbylocation,sex,ageandaffiliations

0

30

Global=40Juba=20Bor=20(5oftheseattendeescamefromMingkamantoparticipate)Male=27Female=13(religiousleaders,traditionalleaders,membersofcivilsocietyandfaith-basedgroups,oneIDP)

Performancesdisaggregatedbylocation

0

15(original)+12added

Global=32

Numberofparticipants/spectators,disaggregatedbysex

0

8,100(Original+CE)

Total=9,118

Participate 0

5perperformance

Achieved

21Notenoughobservationstoprovideameaningfuldisaggregation.



31

Numberofperformancesfocusedonissuesspecificallyrelevantforwomenandgirls

0

15(original+CE)

32performances

Numberofleadersparticipatingincommunityactivitiesonpeacebuilding

0

30

31

Numberoflocalleaders,includingwomenleaders,sharingideasandexamplesoftheireffortsoncommunitypeace-building.

0 Qualitativeperspective;seekingparticipationfromatleasthalfofparticipants,halfofthembeingwomen.

15

Numberofinitiativessupported

0

6(Original)

6(CE)ledbylocalmenandwomen’sgroups

6(Original)6(CE-GRADO,NWERO,NYDP/NURTRUE,YouthEmpowerment,CADE,JongleiWomenAssociation)

Mediaclips

0

20 25mediaclips

SergeantEsther

0

45 45episodesproducedandbroadcast

Listeningclubs

0

3locations,with10participantsateach

3locationswith47totalparticipantsJuba=15Bor=14Mingkaman=19



32



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ConclusionsOverall,theevaluationresultsindicatedthattheprojecttargetedrelevantstakeholders,builtgreaterunderstanding,andappliedthekeyconceptsandthemesembodiedintheARCSS.Thestrategyandcommunicationsoftheprojectclearlypromotedtoleranceandreconciliation.ActivitiescontributedtoachievingpeaceinSouthSudantotheextentthatitcreatedspacesandplatformsfordiscussionwithin and between groups, and prompted those involved in activities to think more aboutpeacebuilding concepts and their implementation through trainings and workshops. The projectactivities raised contextually relevant topics, including gender-based challenges within targetcommunities.Theprojectachieveditsfirstresultstotheextentthatparticipantsdiscussedpeacebuildingconcepts.Someparticipantswereabletopracticethemthroughstructuredinter-groupdialogue.Theactivitiesalso gave members of the public in target locations the opportunity to learn about and practicepeacebuilding through participatory theatre performances. These were well-attended and well-receivedparticularly forgivingcommunitymembersaplatformtodiscusssomeof the issues theircommunitiesarefacingandhowtheycanbeovercome.However,inthebroaderpublictherewerenoindicationsthatresidentsbecamemoreengaged inpeacebuilding.Theactivitiesgavebothwomenandmentheopportunitytodiscusspeacebuildingandputsomeoftheconceptsintoaction.Thosewhowereinvolvedintheprojectreportedtheyweremoreinvolvedinpeacebuildingbytheendoftheproject.Theprojectachieveditssecondresulttotheextentthatitdistributedpeace-relatedmessagingandSergeantEstherepisodesdiscussingpeacethemesinthetargetlocationsandwhereradiopartnerscouldbroadcast.Theprogrammingwaswell-receivedandwasclearlyseenasatoolinpeacebuilding.Thelistenershipwasnotaswideastargeted.Thiscouldhavebeenbecausetheaudiencewaslimitedbythelanguageofdistribution.However,thosewholistenedtotheradioprogramSergeantEstherindicatedtheepisodesclearlybroughtupthemesrelatedtopeacebuilding.Thecontentservedasagoodpremisetodiscusscommunityspecificissuesinlistener’sgroupsinthetargetlocationsorwithradiohostsbycallingin.Theresultsalsosuggestthestrategyandcommunicationswereperceivedascredible,neutralandinclusive.



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Recommendations1) Adoptagender-relationalapproachtoprogramdesigntoensurefutureprogrammingreflectthe

inequalitieswithinaswellasbetweengroups,andtobetterincorporatethevoicesofthosewhoaretypicallymarginalizedfrompeaceprocessesanddevelopamorenuancedunderstandingoftherootcausesofgender-basedchallengesintargetcommunities

Attheendofthisprogram,someoftheparticipantsfelttheprocesscouldhavebeenmoreinclusive.Tobetteraddressgender-basedchallenges,programmingneedstogobeyondastaticandbinaryviewof gender. Social barriers are a product of inequalities that exist within gender groups as well asbetweenthem.Thoughtheprogramclearlyinvolvedwomen,itdidnotreflectanacknowledgementof the intersectionality of identity.Often, “women”wasused as a homogenous category. Such anapproachcanreinforcestructuralinequalitybetweenwomenandunderminetheoveralleffectivenessofpeacebuildingeffortsbyperpetuatingsocialmarginalization.Tomitigatethisinfutureprogramming,gendercanbeincorporatedthrougharelationallens,whichfocusesonthedifferencesbetweenandwithingenderidentities,ratherthanthroughthebinarylensofmenandwomen.Suchanapproachoffersamorenuancedwaytomitigatebarriersdifferentgroups,maleandfemale,faceandavoidreinforcinginequalities.Italsooffersaplatformtomoremeaningfullyidentify and meet the needs of other marginalized groups, including people who are internallydisplaced.2) Create opportunities for local partners to continue successful media strategies and shows like

SergeantEsthertogathermorelistenersandsupportthesustainabilityoftheproject’simpactRadioandtheatreprovedtobereliableplatformsfordiverse,constructiveandnon-violentdialogue.SergeantEsther listenersweremotivatedby themessagesof the showand reportedhavingmorepositive feelings towards others and increased awareness of social issues and their options toovercomethemthroughtheepisodes.However,someoftheproject’ssustainabilitymightbeaffectedbythelimitedengagementoftheseprograms.Infutureprograms,planscouldbedevelopedforradiostationstotakeoverproductionofortocontinuedistributingpeace-relatedprogramslikeSergeantEsthertocontinueusingtheplatformandexpandingreachaftertheprogramclose.Similarly,intargetlocations a strategy to continue participatory theatre-like activities as a platform to continuecommunity discussion or record the original performances to air on the radio, to support thesustainabilityandcontinuationofresults.3) Ensurelanguagesusedinmediaprogrammingareconsistentwiththetargetlocationandconsider

incorporating other means to deliver content to overcome challenges posed by limitedinfrastructure

Ensuringthecontenthasbeenrecordedintherelevantlanguages,oratleastthedominantlanguage,for the target locationswill promote reach. In this case, thediscrepancybetweenSergeantEsther



35

listenersinBorandJubacouldhavebeenbecausetheprogramwasonlyplayedinJubaArabicandEnglish.Whenchoosinglanguagesforprogramproduction,thelinguisticdemographicsoftargetareasshouldcomeintomoremeaningfulconsideration.Dinkaismorewidelyspokenthanbothlanguageschosenfortheprogramintwoofthethreetargetlocations.Additionally,addingalternativemeansofdistributioninareaswithlowradioaccess(suchashardcopy)couldimprovereach.4) Considerhowprovidingadditionalsupporttargetedatnutrition,educationandeconomicresilience

couldstrengthenthesustainabilityandsuccessofpeacebuildingmeasuresThere are many factors beyond peacebuilding activities themselves that can influence theireffectivenessandsustainability.Inthisprojectspecifically,participantsmentionedsustainabilitywouldbelimitedduetolackofresources.Includingwaystoaddressoracknowledgethesecanleadtomoresustainablepeace.



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AppendicesAppendixA-HouseholdSurveyAppendixB-FGDGuideAppendixC-KIIGuideAppendixD-ListofIntervieweesAppendixE-TermsofReferenceAppendixF-Evaluator(s)BriefBiographyAppendixG-ExtendedMethodology

final evaluation for “i love my country: promoting ... · final evaluation for “i love my...

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