Evaluation Learnings Search

Learning Description

Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN) collaboration with AHK to conduct dual education system training leveraged German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHK’s) dual education training capacity and resources.

Learning Description

Updating and adjusting the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system to reflect Lessoned learned helped keep the M&E system, as well as the Theory of Change (TOC), relevant.

Learning Description

Deep involvement and participation of key stakeholders creates ownership that contributes to sustainability. This includes involving key stakeholders in developing policies and action plans, providing training, developing tools, and participating in community events such as trainings, townhall meetings, and durbars. Key stakeholders in both Ghana and the Philippines believe they own project outputs and outcomes. As discussed in the sustainability section, research shows that ownership helps ensure that those outputs and outcomes are sustained.

Learning Description

Creating horizonal linkages between key national stakeholders and vertical linkages between national and local stakeholders on Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) increases effectiveness and efficiency. The project effectively created horizonal and vertical linkages. These linkages created collaboration and promoted partnerships between key government and non-government actors involved in the ASGM sector. Collaboration and partnerships, on the other hand, encouraged effectiveness and efficiency by focusing scare resources and avoiding duplication of efforts.

Learning Description

It is appropriate to use the Code of Risk-mitigation for ASM Engaging in Formal Trade (CRAFT) code as a continuous improvement process to achieve formalization for the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector. As described in Section 3.3, the mine formalization requirements in Ghana and the Philippines for Small-Scale Miners (SSM) are very difficult to meet. The CRAFT’s emphasis of progressively addressing environmental and social problems is appropriate for the ASGM sector since many SSM lack resources required to achieve full formalization. The challenge, however, is convincing governments to allow SSM to operate legally if they are involved in implementing the CRAFT code. One way to address this challenge is to provide provisional “legal” operating status to SSMs who participate in Craft. To maintain the provisional status, SSMs would be required to demonstrate progress in achieving environmental and social benchmarks in the Craft process. This could be done as part of the implementation the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.

Learning Description

Behavior change related to mine Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) requires access to viable and acceptable options. The project provided mine OSH training that increased awareness but may not have resulted in behavior change such as the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the adoption of mercury-free methods. Miners believe if they were provided feasible options to mercury or financial help to purchase comfortable PPE, they would make these behavior changes. The lesson is that to bring about behavior change that reduces workplace risk such as the use of mercury-free methods or the use of PPE, miners require Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM)-functional, accessible and affordable options in order to adopt new and safer behaviors. Even the elimination or substitution of mine-related risk factors or the introduction of engineering and administrative controls might not be feasible in many ASGM operations.

Learning Description

Future projects implemented or funded by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and United States Department of Labor (USDOL) might consider what viable and acceptable options exist for the desired behavior change. For example, the project could conduct a barrier analysis -- a rapid assessment approach to identify the determinants of behavior. The findings could be used to inform more effective behavior change communication messages, strategies, and supporting activities that respond to the skills and knowledge, ideational, or environmental factors that influence mine Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) practices. The project could also consider a human centered approach, such as design thinking or Positive Deviance, whereby the specific experience and needs of Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) workers would be used to identify or develop tailored solutions to their specific needs.

Learning Description

Implementing partners should have a dedicated Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and finance officers to facilitate reporting. Several of the project’s implementing partners in Ghana and the Philippines experienced problems meeting International Labor Organization (ILO) quality and deadline requirements for technical and financial reporting. One explanation is that the partners did not have qualified and dedicated M&E and finance officers to ensure accurate and timely reporting. Having qualified and dedicated M&E and finance officers should help implementing partners meet quality and deadline requirements while freeing up project managers and field coordinators to focus on implementation rather than on reporting. Based on this experience, future ILO and United States Departmnet of Labor (USDOL) projects that rely on local implementing organizations to implement activities might consider requiring that a dedicated M&E officer be key personnel who are essential to support timely and quality technical reporting. In addition, the M&E officer should receive periodic training on project monitoring, reporting, and monitoring tools.

Learning Description

For regional or global projects like CARING Gold Mining, it is important to locate the project office, including the project director and key technical and administrative support staff, in an operating environment where it receives effective administrative and financial support. The CARING Gold Mining project was located in Ghana, which is an International Labor Organization (ILO) project office that relies on the ILO country office in Abuja, Nigeria for supervisory, administrative, and financial support as well as approvals. The lack of strong administrative and financial support infrastructure in the Ghana project office created inefficiencies including lag times for decision-making and other delays. The preferred option would have been to locate the project office in the ILO country office in the Philippines that has a country director and strong program, administrative, and financial support as well as a reliable communication infrastructure. In future regional or global projects that rely on a centralized project office to management the project, the ILO and United States Departmet of Labor (USDOL) should ensure that the project office is place in a location where it receives effective and efficient administrative and financial backstopping.

Learning Description

Building on existing structures. The project, to the extent possible, built on existing structures rather than create new ones. For example, rather than establishing new community committees to address child labor in Ghana, the project used the Community Child Protection Committees, Ghana (CCPCs), which are required by National Plan of Action for the Elimination of of the Worst Forms of Child Labor, Phsase II, Ghana (NPA 2). In the Philippines, the project used the Community Based Monitoring System, Philippines (CBMS) to incorporate child labor rider questions and built the Child Labor Local Registry (CLLR) into the Strategic Helpdesk for Information, Education, Livelihood and other Developmental Interventions (SHIELD) against Child Labor initiative. The extent to which the International Labor Organization (ILO) and other United States Department of Labor (USDOL) implementing organization can build interventions into existing and funded structures, their likelihood of sustainability will be increased. Interventions that depend on project support and funding are less sustainable and should be avoided if possible.