Intervention (Hidden)
From 2016 to 2020, FSRDC implemented a CDD program in six provinces of Eastern Congo: South Kivu, North Kivu and Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele, Ituri, and Tshopo. The FSRDC financed the construction and rehabilitation of community infrastructure of up to $100,000. Communities could select projects from the following categories: health, education, water and sanitation, trade (markets, storage of agricultural products), rural transport (small bridges), energy, and protection of the environment.
To enhance inclusive and participatory community involvement in the selection and management of the infrastructure, the following activities were organized: i) community sensitization; ii) organization and training of community members to prioritize and select community infrastructure needs, iii) training and assistance of the community after the disbursements of funds (e.g. to develop a structure for the maintenance of the infrastructure). These activities were undertaken with the active engagement of the FSDRC and a local NGO in order to ensure participation of the whole community, including the most vulnerable, such as women, internally displaced and youth at risk. Furthermore, each recipient community was expected to raise funds and co-contribute to finance 10% of the project cost, in cash or in kind (labor, material).
In contrast to many other CDD programs, this program did not create new community development structures. FSRDC, local NGOs and construction agencies worked together with Local Development Committees (LDCs) – already existing development committees that were created by the populations themselves. The LDCs had to take the lead in identifying the community’s needs, participate in the selection of the contractor, organize the community participation and collect contributions. In addition, LDCs had to monitor project implementation and set up a structure for project maintenance and the collection of user fees where possible. Moreover, the LDCs were responsible for the accounting and financial management of the project funds. Throughout all of these steps, the LDCs benefited from training and assistance from FSRDC and the NGO, as specified above.
To identify beneficiaries, FSRDC conducted a community sensitization campaign throughout the five provinces to share information about the program, and to organize and train communities to prioritize and select community infrastructure needs and develop a project proposal. In the months after this sensitization campaign, the FSRDC received these project proposals, and judged their quality. Only those that passed a set of predetermined criteria were eligible for the CDD project. To implement the CDD program the FSRDC recruited local NGOs and construction agencies that worked directly with the communities and their representatives.
Among those communities that received the CDD program, an additional set of communities received the conflict prevention and resolution add-on intervention seeking to address local conflict and violence. The Eastern DRC context – a context that mirrors many other conflict-affected societies – requires that risks of conflict at the local level be taken into consideration in the project design despite the urgent need of improving basic infrastructures. To implement this component the FSRDC contracted NGOs specialized in conflict prevention and management. Targeted activities were identified by these NGOs, but included: (i) In-depth and ongoing conflict-sensitivity analysis; (ii) Mediation and conflict resolution efforts to resolve disputes before escalation; and (iii) Conflict management training and support, involving the identification and training of key stakeholders in conflict assessment and management. These activities could operate at multiple levels if necessary. At first, instance conflict resolution mechanisms that already exist in villages and communities were used, to the extent that due diligence had demonstrated their legitimacy. If necessary, however, the conflict mediation process could evolve to higher levels if the conflict could not be resolved at the village level.