Evaluation of projects funded by Swiss Solidarity in Haiti

The Swiss Solidarity foundation and its ties with Haiti

Created in 1946, Swiss Solidarity (SwS) is a foundation that raises and distributes funds for humanitarian relief projects. It runs fund-raising campaigns which are relayed in the media then redistributes the funds collected to aid projects by around thirty registered associations (15% for emergency relief, 70% for reconstruction and rehabilitation and 15% for sustainable development). To maintain public confidence, the foundation monitors both the finances and the implementation of projects that it funds and regularly informs the general public about how the funds collected have been used.

As part of this monitoring activity, SwS asked Groupe URD to carry out monitoring and evaluation of its rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in Haiti. The amount of funds raised following the Haiti earthquake was the third biggest of the foundation’s history. The Swiss population has had strong ties with Haiti for many years. This was evident in the fact that 16 out of SWS’s 30 implementing partners were involved in the response and a large number of small organizations also offered to provide specific support. The majority of registered Swiss aid organizations were already present in Haiti and had themselves been affected by the disaster either directly or via their local partners.

The evaluation process

This iterative evaluation has been organized through field visits every 6 months in order to be able to submit recommendations in real time and monitor how they affect the development of programmes and contexts.

The evaluation focused on 5 or 6 large projects, which involved the reconstruction of permanent housing in rural areas and also, at a later stage, WASH, housing and infrastructure (re)construction and economic recovery activities.

A cross-sector analysis of the context and the progress made on the projects has been carried out (context, management, work completed, long-term potential for adaptation, etc.), so that the projects can be monitored more effectively, any necessary modifications can be identified and the resources of the Haiti earthquake fund can be used effectively and efficiently.

In parallel to providing SwS with support, this M&E exercise also aimed to create synergy between partners by encouraging shared learning.

View some videos realized in Haiti : https://vimeo.com/album/2542977, such as one made during the closing conference of the project: https://vimeo.com/83637036