Projects

The project achieved significant progress in strengthening inclusive governance and empowering communities:

• 90 local political leaders (60 women and 30 men) actively influenced local governance processes and policy decisions.
• 400 leaders (300 women and 100 men) enhanced their skills in leadership, negotiation, participatory planning, and gender equality.
• All 9 local authorities institutionalised structured consultation processes with CSOs, improving participatory governance.
• Public accountability systems were established in all target local authorities, strengthening transparency in service delivery.
• 45 CSOs are actively engaged in planning and budgeting processes, with 24 successfully securing external funding for development projects.
• 45 village development plans were created with strong community participation, involving over 2,300 individuals.
• Community-led development initiatives benefited more than 76,000 people across 45 Grama Niladhari divisions.
• Women assumed over 50% of decision-making roles in CSOs, with 71% of development initiatives led by women.
• More than 85% of participants applied newly acquired skills in their community work, and over 64% contributed to changing harmful gender norms.

The project also demonstrated tangible community impact, including the successful resolution of a long-standing water issue through collective action, resource mobilisation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Data & Impact

Quantitative Results

• The project empowered 90 local political leaders (60 female and 30 male) to work with community centres and local authorities (LAs) to influence policies and practices within their respective authorities by taking an active leadership role on behalf of their communities.
• 300 female and 100 male leaders have increased their expertise and skills in gender equality, conflict prevention, participatory planning processes, negotiation, communication, team building, leadership, and decision-making.
• All 9 local authorities have established and are implementing structured consultation processes with CSOs for planning and budgeting.
• 9 LAs have adapted and institutionalised public accountability systems, strengthening transparency and accountability in service delivery.
• 45 CSOs are participating in planning and budgeting meetings within the authority. This indicates strong involvement in decision-making processes.
• 38 CSOs have applied for at least one development project from the various funding sources. 24 CSOs have successfully secured funding from various donors, ranging from SLR 0.1 million to 2 million for their development projects.  
• The project used 5 five key findings from the regional study on discriminatory gender-based social norms to guide interventions promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality. The study was incorporated into capacity building training for the community leaders, online social media activities, engagement with Community Influencers and Reference Groups, happy family program and CSO awareness programs, demonstrating the research’s direct influence on project activities.
• The project worked with 50 male leaders from civil society. Selected community influencers and reference groups to encourage men to change their behaviour and take a positive leadership role in the Community to challenge parochialistic thinking and discriminatory social norms promoted by men and create an enabling environment for women Leaders. Male leaders have taken initial steps to sensitise through training, meetings, and discussions to advocate for gender equality and women's rights.
• 92 awareness sessions were conducted aimed at addressing negative social norms, utilising a variety of platforms and community events. These included 45 Street drama performances, 8 TV and radio programs, and 39 community centre events.
• 3071 members are mobilised through 34 community mobilisation programs in all 45 CSOs.
• 45 CSOs out of 73 were selected from the 9 LAs through a competitive and transparent selection process and reformed with minimum structure.
• The 45 key government officials and 100 CSO leaders participated in the 3-day training program and increased their knowledge on the development of the village development plan.
• The 45 Village development plans have been developed in the field in the targeted communities. 668 males and 1719 females were involved in the village development planning process.
• 45 proposals were developed for the prioritised issues, and proposals have received funds of Rs. 1.5-1.8 million each from Chrysalis for development projects such as road renovation, road construction, culvert renovation, culvert construction, renovation of common building, and renovation of preschool, which are implemented by the CSOs with the Community's participation and contribution.  By implementing the community-based development project, 32,838 male and 43,750 female members are benefiting from 45 Grama Niladhari Divisions.
• One of the CSOs resolved a water problem through the project. Chrysalis secured Rs. 2 million from the UNDECE project, Rs. 1.6 million from the Women in Inclusive Governance project funded by BMZ, and an additional Rs. 1.5 million through a partnership with East Lanka Polysack, a private sector company. Notably, the CSO rallied the diasporic Community to contribute over Rs. 500,000, marking a crucial moment in the project's journey.
• The existing by-law has been revised to include introducing clear responsibilities, financial management protocols, and conflict resolution mechanisms, fostering a more transparent and equitable governance model incorporating gender and governance aspects. And 90% of the revision process were completed by the project.
• 100% of CSOs have successfully approached relevant government authorities to secure approvals for project proposals, estimates, bills of quantities (BOQs), and technical supervision reports.
• 9 citizen charters were verified with the participation of 42 male and 81 female CSO representatives and government officials. All the 26 services are documented as leaflet and shared the printed document with 45 CSOs and LAs and posted in all target communities. The document has been shared with the wider network of provincial councils and non-working LAs.

Quantitative Results

• Over 50% of the key decision-making positions in the 38 CSOs are held by women.
• 71 % of the development Measures are led by Women.
• 75% of women and men in CSO and government leadership positions have considered and responded to the specific needs of men and women.
• 85.5% (88.24 women | 90% men) applied the skills gained from the project in their work in the community center/community.85.7% (83.82% women | 82.5% men) are confident they can influence local decision making due to what they learnt from the project. 64.29% (72.06% women | 77.5% men) have changed harmful gender norms in their community.
• 41.18% were either satisfied (27.94% | 25% women | 32.1% men) or very satisfied (13.24% | 15% women | 10.7% men) with the service provided by the local authority. The low level of satisfaction may be attributed to service delays, limited accessibility, and unmet expectations regarding service quality.