Evaluation Learnings Search

Learning Description

Collaboration with other United States Department of Labor (USDOL) projects. Identifying opportunities for collaboration with other USDOL-funded project strengthens efficiency and effectiveness and promotes exchange of good practices and Lessoned learned.

Learning Description

Collaboration with public and private sector. Establishing a project technical steering committee with both public- and private-sector stakeholders helped create a horizontal, open, and continuous working relationship that increased stakeholder buy-in and ownership, which increases the likelihood that outcomes will be sustained.

Learning Description

Participation of local academic institutions. Involving a university from the targeted region to develop and execute capacity-building activities increased the credibility of information provided in workshops and helped position the topic of child labor (CL) and acceptable working conditions (ACW) on the university’s agenda.

Learning Description

Finding common ground. Identifying specific areas of interest or concern that resonate among a wide range of public and private-sector stakeholders may increase commitment to the prevention of child labor (CL) and promotion of acceptable working conditions (ACW). For example, coffee business associations may find relevance as part of their social responsibility program; for coffee cooperatives, the connection may be the verification they require for coffee certification; for youth, the common-ground concern may be advocating for children’s rights or preserving the coffee culture of Colombia; and for coffee growers, the focus may be to better understand what is and what is not considered CL in coffee production.

Learning Description

The analysis of risks and critical assumptions needs to thoroughly consider alternative strategies out of the best-case scenario. The design and preparatory phases have served to accurately identify the constraints faced by targeted institutions. However, the analysis of alternatives that follows most likely underestimated the severity of those constraints, as well as the likelihood of the risk factors that could happen. Mitigation measures usually assume that they can be easily overcome by advocating and being persuasive, but this is not necessarily the case when a project operates in a highly politicized environment and the institutional dynamics are complex and very fragile. The project should consider options out of the best-case scenario, while being realistic about the existing limitations. It should also further consider what can be done in an environment that is not necessarily conducive to change.

Learning Description

The bottom–up approach (i.e. the generation of change from the grassroots level) might be a realistic option to introduce new procedures and practices when building consensus at the policy level seems unlikely to achieve the project’s objectives. Regional/grassroots level institutions can be more pragmatic and willing to improve procedures than the national institutions that are constrained by their political agendas and bureaucratic procedures.

Learning Description

The Results Framework should anticipate and avoid bottleneck situations where one of the Outcomes/Outputs is placed in such a critical position that its fulfilment virtually becomes indispensable and essential to continuing the sequence of intervention. Although the complementarity between outcomes represents a key feature of logic systems, it seems advisable to maintain some degree of autonomy between components or some pre identified alternatives to operate, in case the key outcome is not fulfilled. This seems to be the case that occurred regarding Outcome 1 in the results framework (RF). The design and approval of the monitoring system for forced labor (FL) indicators by the National Commission for the Fight Against Forced Labor (NCFALF) represents a milestone that conditioned the subsequent delivery of many outputs under Outcomes 2 and 3. Many of the Outputs under these two outcomes have been conceived and formulated in such a way that they can only be delivered if the monitoring system has been approved. In practice, Capital Humano y Social Alternativo (CHS) has looked for alternatives for this constraint by expanding and placing more emphasis in the regional level despite the difficulties found with the NCFALF and its members at the central level. The issue that emerges in this case is that this alternative is not necessarily the itinerary reflected in the RF.

Learning Description

The use of existing networks and structures at community levels to disseminate the message and improve the monitoring and surveillance capacity against Forced Labor. Even if those structures do not necessarily represent the justice operators, they can still play a very important role in preventing cases of forced labor (FL) and protecting victims. Examples of these practices have been found in both Departments of Cusco and Loreto with the training and awareness raising of 283 Peace Court judges (Cusco) and the Social Action teams of 53 district governments (Loreto). Some of the operators also refer to contacts and liaisons with forestry auditors.

Learning Description

The capacity building of the justice operators by using real case studies instead of theoretical and abstract modules in academic style. The regional stakeholders have expressed very positive views about the training methodologies that were based in the discussion and resolution of practical cases. This approach helped the trainees better understand and visualize the applicability of the training to their own daily practice.

Learning Description

The comprehensive support provided to the justice operators and other stakeholders at the regional/local level. Local stakeholders highlighted the fact that the project did not limit its support by providing only lectures or theoretical advice, but also follow-up on cases and brought attention to the victims. This practice has been described as very useful in portraying the whole cycle of intervention against forced labor.