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Governance: Of the four sample projects used to assess achievement of results in governance, the Social Institutions Development Project (SIDP) was found to be exemplary. Implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation (Canada and Pakistan), the SIDP is designed to strengthen the institutional capacity of independent social organizations and institutions in Pakistan.
SIDP provided significant support in human resource and financial management at a critical time to what is now the best-performing micro-finance lender to women in Pakistan. This relatively small but well targeted investment has yielded major returns in the improved performance of the organization to the benefit of thousands of poor women.
SIDP is considered a leading-edge approach for strengthening civil society organizations within the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The model is being promoted in Pakistan and the 36 countries where AKDN works, including Afghanistan.
The Social Institutions Development Project
- Supported 17 intermediary or large independent social organizations (ISOs) and institutions
- Improved organizational performance of key ISOs as measured by efficiency, effectiveness and relevance
- Improved policy environment and human and knowledge resource base in education for NGOs
- Established ISO-Canadian institutional linkages contributing to improved capacity
- Influenced changes in Sindh government policy in early childhood education
- Garnered increased funding for partner ISOs from other donor
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The Institutional Development for Poverty Reduction (IDPR) Project is a follow-on to several phases of the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP); together they span 20 years. AKRSP – Phase IV (1998 to 2004) was designed to enhance the capacity of communities to plan and manage their own development through institutional development and social organization, and human resource development with a focus on women.
IDPR Project focuses on developing larger institutions in the form of Local Support Organizations to govern and support Village Organizations and Women’s Organizations, adds a component linking these to local government agencies, and strengthens the gender dimension of the Program.
A 2001 World Bank evaluation of AKRSP is glowing: “AKRSP has achieved remarkable results over both the life of the program and over the last five years. While weaknesses have appeared in some project components, they are matched by strengths rarely found in rural development interventions.” CIDA records note that AKRSP’s interventions met or exceeded targets. Further, the model has been replicated, in that at least eight major projects in Pakistan have drawn substantially from AKRSP experience and the GOP has indicated a willingness to provide funding for the model as implemented by AKRSP. The benefits of the Project have reached far beyond its boundaries, enhancing its value in development terms relative to CIDA’s investment. CIDA’s consistent and sustained support to AKRSP and now the IDPR Project over two decades has no doubt contributed to its success.
Institutional Development for Poverty Reduction Project Aga Khan Rural Support Program
- Improved delivery of and access to community services
- Enhanced women’s participation in, and benefits from, the development process
- Created and strengthened new Village and Women’s Organizations (85 and 192 respectively under AKRSP-IV)
- Trained 250 women to manage Women’s Organizations
- Established a network of local service delivery outlets (adult education, continued education and vocational centres) for women
- From 1997 to 2001, incomes of targeted households increased from 8,900 rupees to 13,796 rupees per year
- From 1997 to 2001, infant mortality decreased from 130 per 1,000 live births to 100
- Increased role for women
- Provided political training to women and was key in securing 33% quota for women representation in all political bodies in Northern Areas
- Increased women’s literacy and entrepreneurial opportunities
- Completed construction schemes (roads and irrigation channels)
- Increased recognition by government that community organizations are legitimate development partners
- Achieved an estimated economic rate of return of 25% to 30%
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The recipient organizations supported under the Social Institutions Development Project show strong evidence of sustainable impact. Newly strengthened organizations have found ways of attracting other donors and will continue to work on local development initiatives long after SIDP ends. SIDP has also helped the Aga Khan Foundation Pakistan to develop its model for building social capital – a model now promoted throughout Pakistan and in the 36 countries where AKDN works.
The sustainability of AKRSP interventions is well documented, not least in a series of World Bank evaluations. The multi-sector approach, local empowerment and ownership, and capacity building of community-based organizations, in partnership with government counterparts, all lead to sustainable impact.
Ismailimail 