2002年-世界发展银行全球_The_Eritrea_Community_Development_Fund_Project_4页_339kb

Eritrea Community Development Fund (ECDF) Project Summary

Core Content

The Eritrea Community Development Fund (ECDF) Project was a World Bank initiative aimed at improving the social and economic conditions of poor communities, particularly in rural and war-affected areas of Eritrea. The project focused on enhancing local development through sustainable assets and basic services, with an emphasis on community participation and capacity building. It was operational from 1996 to 2001 and benefited approximately 1,150,000 individuals, with 50% being women.

Main Objectives

• Provide sustainable assets and basic services to improve the social and economic standards of poor communities.
• Strengthen local communities' ability to identify and prioritize their development needs.
• Promote community management and implementation of development projects.
• Enhance the capacity of regional and local governments in public procurement and community development.
• Support the decentralization process by building local governance structures.

Key Interventions and Outcomes

Education

• Improved access to schools for 375,000 children, with 48% being girls.
• Constructed or rehabilitated school facilities, leading to a 191% increase in primary school attendance and a 69% increase in junior secondary school attendance.
• Reduced travel time to schools by 50-60%.
• Provided makeshift classrooms for 20,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
• Offered skills training to 200 women.

Health

• Enhanced access to health facilities for 180,000 individuals, with over 50% being women.
• Health services were provided and expanded in surveyed facilities.
• Decline in disease episodes (e.g., diarrhea, malaria) by 15% in households.
• Reduced travel and waiting times to health facilities.

Rural Water Supply

• Increased access to safe water for 210,000 individuals.
• Women benefited from reduced travel time and physical effort.
• Lowered water costs and increased community revenue from water sales.
• Created employment for 42 community members per sub-project, with an average income of Nakfa 49,500 (US$3,700).

Feeder Roads

• Improved access to rural communities, markets, and social services.
• Positive impacts included increased travel, fertilizer use, mechanization, and reduced loss of perishable goods.
• Enhanced access to a wider range of commodities and reduced transportation costs.
• Increased employment opportunities and stimulated agricultural production.
• Improved health outcomes, especially for pregnant women.

Natural Resource Management (NRM)

• Supported community-based environmental initiatives.
• Terracing reduced soil erosion and improved water retention.
• Tree planting generated both short and long-term economic benefits.
• Promoted community organization and sustainability of NRM subprojects.

Savings and Micro Credit Pilot (SMCP)

• Provided microfinance services to 11,800 individuals, including 36% women.
• Increased household income by 20% and monthly expenditures by 24%.
• Improved cash holdings and promoted self-confidence and economic independence.
• Strengthened village administrations' capacity to manage savings and microcredit programs.
• Achieved a repayment rate of 97% and an operating self-sufficiency of 173%.
• SMCP is being developed into a national government program.

Markets

• Constructed marketplaces that improved access for both rural and urban populations.
• Created employment for 325 traders, with most being women.
• Lowered operating costs for traders through subsidized rent and shared utility bills.
• Marketplaces are clean and hygienic, promoting better health practices.

Veterinary Clinics

• Increased access to veterinary services for livestock owners.
• Improved livestock health, production capacity, and income.
• Reduced animal mortality and disease-related losses.
• Benefited women through proximity to clinics.

Main Lessons Learned

• Institutional Strengthening: Building on existing structures should be accompanied by community mobilization, information dissemination, and targeted capacity building to ensure inclusivity and effectiveness.
• Integrated Design: Development impact is maximized when interventions are designed in an integrated manner, with complementary "software" inputs.
• Local Governance: Community-based projects can support national efforts to decentralize public services and promote local governance.
• Sustainability: Rigorous and continuous implementation of capacity building measures is essential for long-term service sustainability.
• Microfinance: The village banking model fosters community cohesiveness and micro-finance development through collective action and accountability.
• Conflict Response: Social funds are effective in delivering urgent services during conflict and post-conflict periods, especially when aligned with national goals and local institutions.

Conclusion

The ECDF Project demonstrated the importance of community-led development in improving basic services, promoting economic growth, and supporting institutional development. Its success highlighted the potential of social funds in fostering local governance, sustainability, and poverty reduction, especially in post-conflict settings.