1. OVERVIEW

The Center for Research on Community Development Initiatives (RIC) in collaboration with relevant parties implemented the project “Strengthening cooperation between state agencies, non-state organizations and communities to ensure the rights of women and girls in Hoa Binh province” . The project is funded by the Justice Initiative Promotion Fund (JIFF), a component of the ODA project “Enhancing the Law and Justice in Vietnam” (EU JULE) funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Justice as the partner agency of Vietnam. The project was implemented in 10 poor villages of 5 communes of Yen Phu, Yen Nghiep, Tan My, An Nghia and Thuong Coc, Lac Son district, Hoa Binh province from June 2019 to December 2020, implemented by the Center for Research on Community Development Initiatives (RIC) in coordination with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Hoa Binh province.
To assess the effectiveness and impact of the project, a final evaluation was conducted in December 2020, to assess the results achieved against the established plan; to assess the quality, relevance, effectiveness, impact, sustainability and lessons learned from the project to make recommendations for other similar projects. The evaluation process along with the results achieved—the findings, are presented in the sections below.

1.1 Objectives of the assessment

The assessment aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. Project effectiveness: analysis of the extent to which project objectives and results were achieved, and analysis of the reasons for achieving the results.
2. Analysis of project suitability from the perspective of meeting beneficiary needs and implementation methods;
3. Project impact: analysis of the impacts on the beneficiary groups that the project brings;
4. Project performance: analysis of the use of resources to achieve project results;
5. Describe and analyze the sustainability of project results;

1.2 Evaluation method

The assessment was conducted following standard research procedures, applying both quantitative and qualitative research methods, analyzing information from secondary data (project reports) and collecting primary data from the project area, using participatory methods of information providers.

1.2.1 Scope of the assessment

The objectives of the assessment are achieved by answering the following questions:

• To what extent did the project achieve its objectives and results?
• What factors influence the achievement of project results?
• Do the project results reflect the needs of the target groups?
• To what extent were communities and stakeholders involved in planning and implementing project interventions?
• What changes has the project created in society (both positive and negative, expected and unexpected)?
• Are project activities and outcomes consistent with intended impacts?
• Are resources (financial, human, and material) used appropriately and effectively during the project period?
• To what extent are project results sustained after funding ends?

1.2.2 Information sources and tools

Qualitative sources of information include project reports and information collected directly from beneficiaries and stakeholders. The data collection tools used include Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), In-depth Interviews (IDIs), and Case Study Analysis . Discussions were conducted with the following groups: 1) Provincial Action Groups; 2) Community Groups (and beneficiaries) —a total of 11 discussion groups. Interviews were conducted with: 1) Project Officers, 2) Chairmen of Women’s Unions of project communes, 3) Case Study Individuals.
To collect quantitative data for calculating project indicators and comparing with baseline data, structured interviews (questionnaires) were used with 253 individuals, both women and men (beneficiaries). This sample size was determined based on a total of 3,340 men and women converted from a total of 1,550 households in the project villages, to ensure a confidence level of 95% and a statistical error of ±6%. With this sample size, the findings/interpretations from the collected data can be generalized to the entire project area with a confidence level of 95% and a statistical error of ±6%. Simple random sampling method was used to select a reliable sample size for interviews. The informants and instruments are listed below.
Table 1. Information providing tools and objects

Tools and information groups	Number
FGD – Action Group	5
FGD – Community Group (10 groups)	37
Typical personal interview	3
Interview with representative of Commune Women's Union	3
Interview with commune leaders	1
Beneficiary Interview	253
TOTAL	302

 

1.3 Limitations of the assessment

The evaluation has some limitations in assessing the legal knowledge of beneficiaries and the capacity of community groups and stakeholders to implement project activities.
First, the assessment of legal knowledge acquired by beneficiaries from new project activities was conducted by having beneficiaries self-assess their level of understanding of the laws, rather than using other more objective methods (such as legal knowledge tests). This limitation was overcome by exploiting information from multiple aspects of understanding and applying specific legal information, and the analysis was reinforced by information from discussion groups, with open-ended questions for project beneficiary groups.
Second, the assessment of the capacity of the new community groups was conducted through information from project activity reports and discussions with the groups. The training reports did not provide specific information on the extent to which the training objectives – improving the capacity of participants (what they can do) were achieved. The effectiveness of the communication carried out by the community groups in the project area was not assessed using more effective methods such as verifying the legal knowledge and application ability of project beneficiaries obtained from the project’s legal dissemination/propaganda activities. The consultant overcame this challenge by exploring the capacity of the community group members in detail in the group discussions.
Third, the capacity of project stakeholders has not been fully assessed against the elements of the capacity framework required for project activities. Training reports for these audiences also do not include analysis of the quality of the training—the capacity of the implementing partners, for example, to retrain community groups. This limitation was addressed by exploring detailed information from beneficiaries of the capacity building activities (trainings) implemented by the partners.

2. PROJECT OVERVIEW

2.1 Project Background

Vietnam is one of the countries with a high rate of violence against women. The 2019 National Survey on Violence Against Women in Vietnam shows that nearly 63% of women have experienced at least one form of physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence and controlling behaviour by their husbands in their lifetime (nearly 2 in 3 women) and nearly 32% of women have experienced violence within the 12 months prior to the survey date.[1]
Violence against women is not limited to the family, but is widespread in society and takes many different forms. Child marriage remains common in mountainous areas and among ethnic minorities—16.9% of Muong women and 48% of Mong women are married before the age of 18.[2]
Women and girls are at high risk of being trafficked, abused and sexually assaulted in environments outside the home. During the period from 2005-2009, nearly 6,000 women and children were identified as victims of human trafficking in Vietnam. According to a report by the Ministry of Public Security in 5 years (2012-2017), there were approximately more than 3,000 victims of trafficking and suspected trafficking, of which 90% of victims were trafficked to China, women and children accounted for over 90% and more than 80% of victims were from ethnic minorities concentrated in remote rural and mountainous areas with difficult economic circumstances. [3]Women were tricked into being sold abroad, forced to marry indigenous people, sexually exploited, and forced into labor.
According to the Supreme People's Procuracy, from January 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019, the country discovered, criminally and administratively handled 8,442 cases of child abuse with 8,709 abused children (an average of 7 children abused each day), not to mention undetected cases. The situation of sexual abuse and violence against children, especially girls, is at an increasing risk.
In Hoa Binh province, violence against women also has all the characteristics of violence against women in Vietnam. In the years 2015-2017, in Hoa Binh there were 1,361 cases of child marriage, 798 cases of domestic violence with 96% of the victims being women, and child abuse cases are increasing—in the 3 years 2014-2016 there were 32 cases, while in the 2 years 2017-2018 there were 45 cases. In Lac Son - the poorest district of Hoa Binh province, the situation of gender inequality, domestic violence, and child abuse is more pressing than in other districts. In the years 2015-2017, in Lac Son there were 122 cases of child marriage, with women making up the majority; 110 out of 617 divorce cases were caused by domestic violence. This situation has seriously affected the material life, physical and mental health of women and children in the area.[4]
Based on the analysis of the causes of limited capacity of information agencies - legal advice and legal aid (TVPL & TGPL), ineffective coordination between the parties; along with the analysis of the current situation of the community lacking information on the right to legal aid due to limited access to information and TVPL & TGPL agencies, RIC has implemented the project "Strengthening cooperation between state agencies, non-state organizations and the community to ensure the rights of women and girls in Hoa Binh province". The project is designed with the following structure.

2.2 Project structure

The project promotes cooperation between State agencies, non-state organizations, and the community through developing and operating cooperation mechanisms to communicate, provide legal advice and legal aid on the Law on Gender Equality, Law on Domestic Violence Prevention, Law on Marriage & Family , and the Law on Children for poor ethnic minorities; developing a network of self-governing community groups, helping each other improve legal knowledge, supporting dialogue, connecting people with relevant agencies and legal aid units at all levels.

Project Objectives

Ethnic minority women and children are provided with improved legal knowledge and legal aid in an effective and sustainable manner through enhanced cooperation between state agencies, non-state organizations, and the community.
Result 1— A cooperation mechanism between state agencies, non-state organizations, and the community is established, ensuring consistency, regularity, and timeliness in legal communication-advice and legal aid.
Outcome 2— 25 government officials and 50 members of 10 community groups have knowledge and skills to support effective legal communication-advice and legal aid.
Result 3— 1,025 ethnic minority people have improved their knowledge of the Law on Gender Equality, Domestic Violence Prevention, Marriage and Family, and Children's Law, and at least 70% of victims and risk groups have received legal aid on child marriage, domestic violence, and child abuse.
Result 4— The self-governing community model in legal communication and consultancy is replicated in at least one State program in the province.

Activities

The project is designed with the following groups of activities:
Activity 1 — Project introduction conference and formation of Action Group. Experience sharing workshops between community groups and TVPL and TGPL experts. Closing conference. Project monitoring and evaluation.
Activity 1.2 — Review existing coordination among stakeholders .
Activity 1.3 — Develop a joint action plan between government agencies, non-government organizations, and the community.
Activity 2.1 — TOT training on key essential contents of laws; communication skills, consulting/promoting for Action Groups, staff of the Legal Aid Center; representatives of district staff and project communes . Training for Community Groups on laws, communication skills, legal consulting.
Activity 2.2 — Form Community Groups; Develop and agree on an action plan.
Activity 2.3 — Community groups conduct surveys on people's awareness and understanding of the above Laws, identify the need for legal advice and make a list of victims and groups at high risk of child marriage, domestic violence, and child abuse. Develop a communication plan and provide legal advice according to community needs.
Activity 3.1 — Community Groups Implement community communication plans, with the support of Action Group members .
Activity 3.2 — Publish leaflets summarizing the content of relevant laws/documents and distribute them to beneficiaries. Broadcast, report on TV/local newspapers/websites/facebook of relevant parties.
Activity 3.3 — Community groups provide legal advice to people at risk of having their rights violated; support victims and high-risk groups to connect with organizations/individuals providing legal advice and legal aid services.
Activity 4.1 — Document typical stories in the process of legal advice and legal aid.
Activity 4.1 — Organize a meeting with the Ethnic Committee, stakeholders and the community… to develop an action plan to apply the “Model” in the existing state program in HB province.
Activity 4.1 — Meet with stakeholders to approve the plan and agree on its actual implementation.

3. REALISTIC ASSESSMENT

This section presents the findings of the evaluation of the project's effectiveness, relevance, impact, efficiency, and sustainability . Effectiveness describes the extent to which the project's results are achieved in accordance with the project design. Relevance describes and analyzes the extent to which the project meets the needs of the community. Efficiency examines the consistency of specific activities and results as necessary to achieve the project's objectives; and the use of project resources. Impact describes the changes the project makes to the community. Sustainability describes the conditions in place to ensure that the project's results continue to be maintained after the project phase ends.

3.1 Project effectiveness

The project objective — Ethnic minority women and children are provided with effective and sustainable legal knowledge and legal aid through enhanced cooperation between state agencies, non-state organizations, and the community — has been achieved, as demonstrated by the achievement of project outcomes – the conditions for achieving the objective; and as demonstrated by indicators on (a) the proportion of people with improved legal knowledge, and (b) the proportion of victims and risk groups (related to early marriage, domestic violence, child abuse) receiving legal aid.

3.1.1 Cooperation mechanism between stakeholders

An Action Group to ensure the rights of women and children was established at the beginning of the project implementation. [5]The Action Group has 12 members representing the following stakeholders: Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Department of Justice, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Department of Education and Training, Ethnic Minorities Committee, Provincial Women's Union, Provincial Youth Union, Provincial Red Cross, Legal Aid Center, Lawyers Association, Bar Association, Provincial Bar Office, Legal Advice and Legal Aid Center for the Poor and Ethnic Minorities in the Province, and district-level agencies.
The action group has established a coordination mechanism between stakeholders in communicating legal advice and legal aid, to ensure the rights of women and children in Hoa Binh province. The process of coordinating support, intervention, and handling of cases of children suffering from violence, abuse, and sexual abuse in Hoa Binh province has been approved by the Provincial People's Committee through the "Decision on promulgating regulations on coordinating support, intervention, and handling of cases of children suffering from violence, abuse, and sexual abuse in Hoa Binh province".[6]
In order to develop a coordination mechanism between stakeholders, the Action Group coordinated the draft and consulted with stakeholders before submitting it to the Provincial People's Committee for approval. The Group overcame difficulties in the process of developing this mechanism/process, which was the lack of a solid foundation from the review of the current state of cooperation between state agencies in Hoa Binh. The review report showed that the review had not specifically analyzed the current state of cooperation between state agencies in Hoa Binh province as a basis for developing an action plan. Due to the lack of detailed and specific analysis, the recommendations in the report did not really guide the development of a common action plan.

3.1.2 Capacity of staff participating in the project

The staff participating in the project implementation (called TOT group, including members of the action group) were trained on 4 basic laws to disseminate to the people (the law on gender equality - LBGD, the law on domestic violence prevention - LPCBLGĐ, the law on marriage and family - LHN&GĐ, and the law on children - LTE) integrated with skills to disseminate laws and provide legal support in the community. Through 3 training courses, 23 to 24 staff were trained, and some staff (at least 7) conducted re-training for members of 10 community groups on the 4 basic laws along with skills to disseminate these laws, as well as skills to provide legal support in the community. The capacity of the TOT staff group has basically met the requirements of project activities, demonstrated by the fact that community groups have been enhanced in capacity and have been able to conduct communication sessions for people about the laws, as well as provide legal aid to a number of households in the community.
The capacity of the TOT staff (and thus the community group) could be further improved if the training on communication skills and methods was conducted separately and by trainers with expertise in training and communication methods, instead of being integrated into the training activities to disseminate knowledge about the law. Integrating training on communication skills about the law into the training activities to disseminate knowledge about the law did not equip the TOT team and then the community group with core knowledge about communication methods and skills that need to be practiced in interactive communication. The training materials (which were only PowerPoint slides to illustrate the presentation) and through sharing about how to conduct communication sessions to disseminate the law in the community, showed that the trainees (TOT group and community group) were not fully equipped with the methods and skills to conduct an interactive communication session according to an effective communication structure . In reality, the methods of law dissemination communication sessions implemented by community groups were not consistent - some groups only gave presentations, some groups tried to create short plays (an effective communication method if the process was implemented sufficiently), but through the sharing of community group members implementing this method, it was shown that the process of the method was not clear, and the way of interacting with the media audience did not really promote the full effectiveness of communication.
Community groups directly disseminate the law at village forums. Some groups do it very well, some do it just for the sake of it, due to poor preparation. There are 3-4 groups that are weaker than the others - commented a member of the action group.

3.1.3 Community group capacity

Ten community groups were established with 50 members, 52% of whom were women, to undertake communication and legal aid activities in the community. Community group members were trained to improve their capacity: they were provided with knowledge of basic laws, communication methods and skills. Community groups, together with commune Women's Union officials, developed 10 community legal advice communication plans, in which a list and information about subjects whose rights were violated or who were at risk of needing legal advice were identified. The plans specified the time, method of implementation, and responsible person. In addition, community groups also developed detailed programs for implementing village forums to communicate the law.
During the process of directly conducting activities to survey the current situation of need for assistance and to carry out communication in the community, the capacity of community group members has been improved. Community groups have been able to design communication sessions in the community to disseminate the 4 laws with certain connections to life. Some groups have applied communication methods using art such as role-playing to attract the participation of the audience and have certain interactions with the media audience (people).
Improved community group capacity has contributed to effective dissemination of the law. When asked, 131 out of 232 people (56.5%) said they were very satisfied with the village forums, 41.4% said they were “quite satisfied” – with a total of 97.8% (227 out of 232) satisfied with the village forums – see Table 8 .
Table 8. Satisfaction level with village forum (n=232)

	#	%
Very satisfied	131	56.5
Quite satisfied	96	41.4
Acceptable	4	1.7
Don't know	1	0.4

Of the 232 respondents, 114 (49.1%) said that the dissemination of the law at village forums was “very easy to understand”, while 110 (47.4%) said it was “quite easy to understand” – with a total of 96.6% of respondents stating that the dissemination of the law was easy to understand (see Table 9 ).
Table 9. Ability to disseminate laws at village forums (n=232)

	#	%
Very easy to understand	114	49.1
Pretty easy to understand	110	47.4
Acceptable	7	3.0
Don't know	1	0.4

The capacity of the community group is also reflected in the effectiveness of legal advice/aid provided at village forums and at household level. Of the respondents, 66 people received direct legal advice/aid, accounting for 26.1%. [7]Of these, 65 people (98.5%) confirmed that their difficulties were resolved through direct assistance/advice. See Table 10 .
Table 10. Effectiveness of legal advice/aid (n=253)

	#	%
Get direct advice	66	26.1
No direct consultation	187	73.9
Problem solved	65	98.5
Difficulties not resolved	1	1.5

Community group members, especially women, from lacking legal knowledge and being shy and hesitant in front of crowds, have become confident in carrying out communication activities and providing advice to households with problems of domestic violence.
Before, I did not understand the laws and was not confident in front of a crowd, but now I am confident in speaking in front of a crowd, understand some laws to propagate to people - shared by a female member of the community group in Xom Coi.
Before, I didn't dare to speak in front of a crowd, but now that I have the knowledge and confidence, we can now assign 5 people in the community group, each person speaking on a different topic - shared by a female community group member at Xom Coi.
We provide consultation anytime , anywhere, even if we meet on the street. There are many cases where we cannot speak directly but have to ask slowly - shared by a female member of the community group at Trang Doi .
Previously, I did not know how to propagate, did not know the right and wrong contents according to the law . After being trained, I know how to incorporate propaganda into year-end summary meetings. I feel more confident when propagating - shared by a male member of the community group in Xom Mac .
I joined the last group. Before, [I] was very confused about the laws, but after attending the training courses, I understood a lot more. I am confident in presenting , and can explain the issues to the people - shared by a male member of the community group in Xom Oc .
There is a problem with the capacity of community group members, which is the uneven capacity among members. In community groups of 5 people, there are usually 2-3 people who play a key role in disseminating the law in village forums, the rest are less direct in propaganda. For example, in community groups in Mac, Nach, Ram Co, Ho 1, and Oc villages, there are community group members who are only responsible for logistical support, some have “never presented before”; in Ho 1 hamlet, there are members who said that their “ability to absorb and communicate is limited”, “having difficulty communicating to people”. At least one community group member also answered incorrectly about the legal age of marriage.

3.1.4 People's legal knowledge

To disseminate legal knowledge to the people, 40 village forums were organized for the people in 10 project villages, disseminating 4 basic laws. The data reported over 3 quarters showed that there were 551, 513, 481 participants respectively, of which 393 and 250 new participants in the forums in the following two quarters, bringing the total number of participants in the village forums to 1,194 people. With the ability of these people to share legal information with their relatives, the number of people receiving legal knowledge/information is even higher than this number (the project plan is 700 people).
Most of the people gained legal knowledge/information from the project activities. Through quantitative data from interviews with people in the project area, it was shown that 232 out of 253 respondents (91.7%) confirmed participating in the project, and 90.5% (229 people) participated in village forums on law dissemination. 208 out of 253 respondents (82.2%) said that they “gained legal knowledge” from the project activities – Table 2 .
Table 2. Project beneficiaries (n=253)

	Number	Ratio
Join the project	232	91.7
Join the village forum	229	90.5
Understanding the law	208	82.2

Most people mentioned the laws that were disseminated during the project activities. 215 out of 253 people interviewed (85%) said that they were disseminated about LPCBLGĐ, 83% of people talked about LHN&GĐ, 77.5% of people talked about LTE, and 70% of people talked about LBĐG - Table 3 .
Table 3. Percentage of people naming popular laws (n=253)

	Number	Ratio
Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence	215	85.0
Law on marriage and family	210	83.0
Children's Law	196	77.5
Gender Equality Law	177	70.0
Don't know	9	3.6

 
Most people have a basic understanding of the disseminated laws. The proportion of respondents who affirmed that they “could explain most of the articles” (the highest level) of the disseminated laws ranged from 11.9% (LHN&GĐ) to 14.9% (LPCBLGĐ); the proportion of respondents who affirmed that they “could basically explain the law” ranged from 10.7% (LTE) to 16.4% (LBĐG); and the proportion of respondents who affirmed that they “could state the important articles” ranged from 5.6% (LBĐG) to 12.9% (LHN&GĐ). The proportion of respondents who understood at the level of “could state the important articles” or higher about LBĐG was 35%, about LPCBLGĐ was 37.2%, about LTE was 35.2%, and about LHN&GĐ was 40.5%. See Table 4 .
 
Table 4. Level of understanding of popularized laws

	Gender Equality n=177		Law on Gender Equality n=215		Children's Law n=196		Law on Marriage and Family n=210
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Explains most things	23	13.0	32	14.9	28	14.3	25	11.9
Explain the law basically	29	16.4	25	11.6	21	10.7	33	15.7
State the important points	10	5.6	23	10.7	20	10.2	27	12.9
State some things	72	40.7	82	38.1	78	39.8	77	36.7
Name the law	43	24.3	53	24.7	49	25.0	48	22.9
State the important points or more	62	35.0	80	37.2	69	35.2	85	40.5

Assessing the benefits of popularized laws for life, the majority of people affirmed the usefulness of the laws they learned. When asked “How has understanding the law on gender equality helped you in your life?”, 71.2% of people affirmed that “it can be applied to you and your family”, 23.7% affirmed that “I know it so I don’t violate it”. With a similar question for the law on domestic violence prevention, 67.4% of people affirmed that “it can be applied to you and your family”, 27.4% affirmed that “I know it so I don’t violate it”. Similarly, for the law on children, 70.9% of people affirmed that “it can be applied to you and your family”, 25% affirmed that “I know it so I don’t violate it”; and for the Law on Marriage and Family, 65.7% of people affirmed that “it can be applied to you and your family”, 26.2% affirmed that “I know it so I don’t violate it” – see Table 5 .
Table 5. Applicability of popular laws

	Law of Gender Equality n=177		Law on Gender Equality n=215		Children's Law n=196		Law on Marriage and Family n=210
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Applicable for you and your family	126	71.2	145	67.4	139	70.9	138	65.7
Know to not violate	42	23.7	59	27.4	49	25.0	55	26.2
Know when to use it	9	5.1	10	4.7	7	3.6	16	7.6
Other	177	100.0	1	0.5	1	0.5	1	0.5

Compared with the initial data before the project started, with 10% of respondents knowing about the popularized laws [8], it can be concluded that people have really improved their knowledge of the law, followed the law, did not violate prohibitions, contributing to solving social problems existing in the project area.
To achieve the above results, at village forums, people are informed about basic concepts and practical connections, and discuss issues related to the popularized laws. Regarding the law on gender equality, people are informed about the concepts of gender equality; discuss issues of gender inequality and domestic violence occurring in the village. Regarding the law on gender equality, people are informed about basic concepts of domestic violence, acts of domestic violence, regulations on penalties for people who commit acts of violence in the family; discuss situations and solutions when domestic violence occurs in the village. Regarding the law on marriage and family, people are informed about basic concepts of marriage, age of marriage, conditions for marriage and prohibition of marriage, obligations of husband and wife, regulations on inheritance of property in the family, regulations on penalties for people who violate the law on marriage and family; discuss situations that occur in the family and solutions. Regarding child law, people are informed about the concepts of children's rights, how to prevent child abuse, and how to teach children to protect themselves from strangers.
In addition, people also received answers to questions and advice from members of the Action Group and Community Group on issues related to domestic violence and solutions to protect the rights of women and children, issues related to marriage and family, children's rights and reliable addresses to support victims of abuse to protect the rights of women and children.

3.1.5 Legal aid for people

Legal aid for people is provided in two forms: legal advice at households or at village forums, and connection to lawyers and legal advice centers.
Legal advice at households or at village forums for families with domestic violence problems is provided by the Community Group and members of the Legal Advice Action Group. By the time of assessment, 221 households/cases had received legal advice. In addition, 59 cases were connected to the network and directly consulted by lawyers from the Bar Association, Lawyers Association, and the Center for Legal Aid and Legal Aid for the Poor and Ethnic Minorities in Hoa Binh Province.
These legal aid activities, together with propaganda activities, have brought many positive results to households and the whole community. The phenomena of domestic violence and violence against women and children have decreased significantly. When asked about the phenomena of domestic violence in the village, 179 out of 253 people (70.8%) said that the phenomenon of “husband and wife cursing each other” has decreased significantly, 19.4% said “less but still exists”, and 8.7% said “that phenomenon no longer exists”. Regarding the phenomenon of husband and wife fighting, 70.4% of people said “much less”, 7.5% said “less but still exists”, and 20.6% affirmed that “that phenomenon no longer exists”. Regarding harmful acts against women and children, 150 out of 253 people (59.3%) said “no longer occurs”, 32.4% said “much less”, and 5.1% affirmed “less but still exists”. See Table 6 .
Now the phenomenon of swearing and fighting has decreased a lot, gradually it has become stable, people's awareness is higher than before - shared by a member of the Xom Coi community group.
There are men here who get drunk less and scold their wives less, not that they don't drink, but they drink less, and they don't scold their wives and children like before - shared by a member of the Xom Coi community group.
In the past, there were households where husbands chased and beat their wives all over the neighborhood, but now that we know about it, it has decreased, or there are fewer cases than before, rarely seeing people chasing and beating each other in the street - shared a member of the White Hill Community Group.
 
 
Table 6. Changes in violent behaviors against women (n=253)

	Husband and wife swear at each other		Husband and wife fight		Harmful to women and children
	#	%	#	%	#	%
Much less	179	70.8	178	70.4	82	32.4
Less, but still there	49	19.4	19	7.5	13	5.1
No more of that phenomenon.	22	8.7	52	20.6	150	59.3
Don't know	2	0.8	3	1.2	6	2.4
More	1	0.4	1	0.4	1	0.4

Cases of child abuse and neglect have decreased. 126 of 253 respondents (49.8%) reported no child abuse, 13 (5.1%) reported “much less than before.” 160 of 253 respondents (63.2%) reported no child abuse, 28.9% reported “much less than before,” and 5.5% reported “much less but still present.” See Table 7 .
Table 7. Changes in violent behaviors toward children (n=253)

	Child abuse		Child abuse
	#	%	#	%
Much less	13	5.1	73	28.9
Less, but still there	-	-	14	5.5
No more of that phenomenon.	126	49.8	160	63.2
Before and now there is no	109	43.1	-	-
More	-	-	1	0.4
Don't know	5	2.0	4	1.6

3.1.6 Replication of self-governing community model

The replication of the self-governing community model as designed by the project is a long-term outcome and has not yet been realized in the short project period and the progress has been delayed by the pandemic.

3.2 Project suitability

The project is highly relevant, as demonstrated by meeting the needs of beneficiaries, planned activities, and implementation strategies—by engaging communities and stakeholders in the implementation process.
The project beneficiaries, who live in 10 villages of 5 communes in Lac Son district, lack knowledge of the laws related to their lives, specifically the laws on gender equality, domestic violence prevention, marriage and family law, and children's law - laws directly related to protecting women and girls from violence and abuse. Up to 90% of people in the project area do not know about the above laws. Lack of knowledge of the law, coupled with low education, has led to violence against women and girls in the community.
The project has addressed the above-mentioned difficulties of the community through comprehensive and mutually supportive interventions to achieve the best results. Project activities from establishing and enhancing the capacity of community groups playing a core role in disseminating and providing legal assistance , along with the support of legal experts to provide direct advice or connect to the legal advice network for cases requiring experts... have met the needs of the community, especially women and vulnerable groups.
The project has adopted a strategy of capacity building for the core team, mobilizing the participation of beneficiaries and stakeholders, and lobbying the government and relevant agencies to participate – to achieve project results. This approach ensures the participation of stakeholders, ensures the ownership of beneficiaries, the core team plays a long-term role, and the support of authorities at all levels and agencies – increasing the likelihood of success and sustaining project results.
It can be affirmed that the project is highly relevant in meeting the needs of the community, designed with full range of activities to achieve the goals, and with a strategy to mobilize the participation of the community and stakeholders in implementation.

3.3 Project Impact

The project has created positive impacts on community life, reflected in the following aspects: a) improving women's capacity - confidently speaking up for themselves; b) changing behaviour, creating a non-violent family and community environment, c) changes in sectors towards focusing on protecting women and children; and d) children are cared for more carefully.
Women in the project area were previously shy and afraid of crowded places, but through the village forum activities, they gradually became more confident. The previous behavior of people (mainly women) was to hide the violence in their families. Women did not know where to seek help when they encountered violence, but after participating in the project, they boldly spoke up, reported, and informed the authorities in the commune and district.
People in the community have changed their behavior in the family. Men have reduced their alcohol consumption, helping to reduce the factors that trigger domestic violence; women have become more tactful in their behavior, helping to limit domestic violence. In addition, women used to be less involved in community activities partly because “men did not want to”, but now this is no longer the case and women have participated more in collective and community activities.
In the past, many men came to see what their wives were doing in the neighborhood activities. Before, they would hold their wives’ hands to dance and perform. Now it’s fine – shared a member of the Mu Ma community group.
The biggest change is that in the past 6 months, I haven't had to deal with any incidents. Before, I often had to deal with drunken fights at night - shared a member of the Oc hamlet community group.
Organizations such as the Farmers' Association, Veterans' Association, Youth Union, etc. used to only discuss the content of their organizations in village activities, but now they all mention child protection and domestic violence.
Parents who previously did not pay enough attention to their children have now become more concerned about their children's safety, such as taking them to and from school; and paying attention to their children's education and learning.

3.4 Project performance

Performance in development projects has not been standardized financially, and therefore, financial indicators for measuring performance have not been widely used. In this assessment, project performance is considered from the perspectives of: the consistency of specific activities and results as a prerequisite for achieving project objectives and impacts, the way in which the project uses resources to produce expected results, and the mobilization of external resources. The project is assessed as achieving high performance in these three aspects.
Through the analysis of activities and corresponding results, it is shown that the activities and results of the project are consistent with the results and impacts of the project. Training activities are carried out in conjunction with practices and application of the knowledge acquired in training to serve the project activities - community groups are empowered, and apply that capacity to carry out legal communication activities for the community. The change in legal awareness and therefore change in behavior to positive behaviors (no more violence) is evidence of the knowledge of the law that people receive and the legal aid activities that community groups carry out. Training activities for community groups are sufficient to enhance their capacity in the project's intervention areas; and activities to mobilize the participation of experts, connection to the legal aid network, the project's advocacy of departments and authorities - all aim to achieve the project's objectives.
Project resources (financial, human, and material) were used effectively and efficiently throughout the project period. Internal resources of the project were used for the right purposes and according to the prescribed norms. RIC staff directly implemented project activities, and only hired outside experts in areas beyond their current expertise/capacity. In terms of finance, budget lines were approved and used reasonably and effectively for project activities; and created specific results - the conditions for achieving the project's objectives. It can be said that the project used resources very effectively.

3.5 Project sustainability

There are basic conditions to ensure that the results of the project will continue to be maintained in the long term, after the funding source for project activities from the sponsor ends, in terms of: the willingness of community groups to maintain communication activities, and the support of authorities at all levels and sectors.
Members of community groups expressed that they will continue to disseminate the law to the people, integrating it into village meetings , party cell meetings, youth meetings, and activities of the Women's Union . Most of the members of community groups are elected from prestigious people, village officials (secretaries, hamlet chiefs, women's union heads, farmers' union heads ) who are passionate about community work. They will maintain legal communication and assistance, when the project has created a foundation for learning legal information.
The group has planned to incorporate a small section about the law into regular meetings of organizations (veterans, youth, women, the elderly, etc.) next year (2021) - a member of the White Hill community group said.
The community group has been trained by the project and understands the laws. If we are still supported, that is good. If not, we will still resolve and reconcile village affairs - the Xom Coi community group affirmed.
When there is no funding, it is still incorporated into village/hamlet meetings to maintain activities - a member of the Xom Coi community group.
One community group expressed its willingness to disseminate legal information to other villages [in coordination with government dissemination activities], if the commune government has a policy to do so (Xom Ho 1). Another community group expressed its willingness to cooperate with other village mass organizations to disseminate the law (Mu Ma); right before the assessment, the Mu Ma community group integrated the dissemination of gender equality law into the annual summary meeting of the Women's Union.
In addition, there are also groups that have not shown their readiness to continue propaganda. “Difficulty in maintaining due to lack of funding”, or “Not much time, no income if I quit my job to do something like this project” – are the difficulties mentioned. There are also members of this community group who mentioned “integrating propaganda into village meetings”.
Overall, if the conditions are well prepared before the end of the project, the project results – in terms of community group capacity, people's knowledge of the law, and habits of learning and following the law – will be sustainable.

3.6 Project management

Project management is assessed in terms of coordination of implementation, and monitoring during implementation.

3.6.1 Project implementation coordination

The project was implemented with detailed plans. The coordination of resources to implement the plan was done efficiently and economically. The project team members had the capacity to complete the tasks—as demonstrated by the activities being completed on schedule and achieving results, except for those activities that were delayed due to the government's Covid prevention regulations. Management ensured the full participation of stakeholders, helping the project achieve the expected results.

3.6.2 Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring was carried out during the implementation of activities – monitoring the implementation of activities. RIC staff of the implementing unit were always present in the field to organize and monitor the project activities. Quarterly reports were carried out on schedule and prepared according to the donor's format. Periodic monitoring reports described the activities, described the quantity (participants, activities, results) and had a certain level of analysis on the quality of the results.
Monitoring activities are being carried out at the level of direct results of activities without analyzing the quality. The project has not yet fully developed a set of indicators for monitoring (the project proposal may have been prepared according to the donor's template and did not mention the set of indicators), accordingly the project has not used the set of indicators as a tool for monitoring and supervising the project, to be able to measure the results indicators according to progress. Monitoring has not been carried out with the expected results at a higher level - the level of overall project management. Specifically, periodic reports have not yet shown the monitoring of the progress of achieving the project's objectives and results through monitoring periods, and have not shown the analysis of impacts on community life as well as external impacts on project implementation.

3.6.3 Project structure

Basically, the project has a complete structure, with the necessary conditions to achieve the project's objectives, and the objectives contribute to the achievement of the project's long-term objectives. The components in the project structure satisfy the purpose-means relationship of the chain Long-term objectives - Specific objectives - Results - Activities . The project's objectives and the intervention process with available resources are reasonable and have a mutually supportive role.
According to the project design principle, the results are the necessary conditions to achieve the objectives (in essence, the project objectives are the expected results at a higher level than the results ). The project results 1 and 2 are the conditions to help achieve the project objectives , while result 3 (“the number of people with improved knowledge of the law…”) is not yet a condition to achieve the objectives, but an indicator of the objectives – 700 people is the target set for the objective). This result has served as an indicator when the project has not yet built a set of indicators for monitoring and supervision. If result 3 is placed in the right place, and is an indicator, it will help to monitor the level of project objectives better.

3.6.4 Technical aspects of the project

The project’s legal dissemination communication activities are essentially behavioral change communication – people have knowledge of the law and change to positive, correct behavior (no violence, protection of women and children, etc.). The project has basically met the conditions for changing and maintaining new behavior (disseminating knowledge, legal aid, legal advice, etc.). It would be more effective if the project comprehensively implemented the conditions to support knowledge retention with concise messages on communication materials (leaflets, posters, etc.). The activities of developing and distributing leaflets were designed, but the leaflets (with messages about the law, etc.) were not distributed to people at the time of law dissemination. This has limited the effectiveness of communication activities.

3.7 Advantages and difficulties in project implementation

During the project implementation, there were advantages that helped achieve results. On the other hand, there were difficulties that affected the progress and quality of project activities.
Favorable
There are fundamental advantages to support the implementation of the project. Firstly, the project is aimed at aligning with the policies of the state, specifically the People's Committee of Hoa Binh province on child protection and care, gender equality, and prevention of domestic violence, so it receives the consensus and support of the government and relevant parties. Secondly, the departments participating in the project have functions and tasks within the project's field; the staff of the parties participating in the project are enthusiastic about supporting the poor and ethnic minorities - the legal aid units have the principle of operating for the poor and ethnic minorities. Thirdly, the members of the community group are all from organizations and are enthusiastic about community activities. In addition, RIC staff are trained to improve their capacity (organized by the JIFF Fund Secretariat) on: Project management guidelines and project financial management; Knowledge and practical communication skills; Legal support skills—help RIC center staff understand the regulations and procedures for managing, implementing and monitoring project activities such as monitoring indicators, monitoring software, regulations on planning, reporting project progress and project financial regulations; gain knowledge and methods of effective communication with project beneficiaries and steps to develop a communication plan in the project. RIC staff are also equipped with knowledge of the state's policy and legal system related to the rights of project beneficiaries, types of legal support activities and legal support services available at the grassroots level.
Challenge
The project was delayed due to the prolonged approval process, so the project could only start in September 2019. During the implementation, some activities had to be postponed due to government regulations on Covid prevention: Developing a common action plan, Training for TOT members. These activities were later carried out with results.
The challenges were overcome during the project implementation, but need to be taken into account in subsequent phases or similar projects.

4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 Conclusion

Overall, the project has achieved its goals on schedule as designed.
The project objectives were completed on schedule through achieving the following results: a) improving the capacity of community groups to disseminate legal information to people in the community and providing legal aid to households with violence and other legal problems; and b) people's knowledge of basic laws directly related to their lives (Law on gender equality, domestic violence prevention, marriage and family, children's law ) , and the number of victims and risk groups receiving legal aid on child marriage, domestic violence, and child abuse.
The project is highly relevant in meeting community needs, designed with a full range of activities to achieve its objectives, and with a strategy to engage the community and stakeholders in its implementation.
The project has created positive impacts on community life, in terms of women's capacity - confidence to speak up; positive changes in the behavior of both men and women - creating a non-violent family and community environment; changes in sectors towards focusing on protecting women and children; and changes in people's interest in caring for and protecting children better.
The project is assessed as achieving high performance in three aspects of consistency of activities and specific results as a necessary condition for achieving the project's objectives and impacts - activities are designed to achieve the project's objectives at the highest level; the project uses resources for the right purposes and according to prescribed norms to create expected results.
There are basic conditions to ensure that the results of the project will continue to be maintained in the long term, after the funding source for project activities from the sponsor ends, in terms of: the willingness of community groups to maintain communication activities, and the support of authorities at all levels and sectors.
Project management is basically well implemented from the project development, implementation and monitoring and evaluation steps. The project has a structure with sufficient components, with the necessary conditions to achieve the project's objectives. The components of the project structure satisfy the purpose-means relationship of the impact chain Long-term objectives - Specific objectives - Results - Activities. The project's objectives and the intervention process with available resources are reasonable and have a mutual role.
The project has been monitored during the implementation of activities, such as training/communication activities with records of numbers. The project needs to conduct full results-based monitoring, from the perspective of overall project management, with analysis of the causes of successes or shortcomings in the implementation process.
The project has advantages from a policy perspective—the project's intervention areas are consistent with provincial-level policies on gender equality, child protection, and domestic violence prevention, so they are supported. The partners/stakeholders participating in the project have the same operating principles and functions in the project's intervention areas, so implementation is convenient.
There are some technical aspects of the project that if addressed would be more effective, such as capacity building for community groups to conduct communication activities in the community; development of communication materials to serve the behavior change process; and memorization of legal information.

4.2 Recommendations

Below are recommendations for project implementation in new phases, similar initiatives, and for other types of projects with similar components.

1. Currently, community group activities on legal dissemination and propaganda are being implemented within the framework of the project. Community groups and communities should continue to be supported to promote existing premises, to be enhanced in capacity to be able to play a more proactive role in activities related to legal information and legal aid, and in other community issues.
2. Project monitoring should be further improved, focusing on results-based monitoring. It would be better if the project could be monitored at a higher level - the overall project management level. Specifically, it is necessary to monitor the progress of achieving project objectives and results through monitoring periods and updates to be shown in periodic reports, and to analyze in detail the impacts on community life as well as external impacts on project implementation. Analyzing the causes of successes or shortcomings during the implementation process will help to better orient the activities of the next period. It is necessary to agree with the staff directly implementing project activities on how to monitor and evaluate, develop and use standardized information collection tools, and update knowledge and skills for the team of staff doing monitoring work.
3. To ensure the capacity to conduct communication for community groups, the core staff group (TOT) and members of community groups need to be fully equipped with the methods and skills to conduct an interactive communication session according to an effective communication structure. Training activities for TOT groups and community groups on communication skills and methods should be conducted separately and by trainers with expertise in training and communication methods , instead of being integrated into legal knowledge dissemination training.
4. Take care to equip community group members with adequate legal knowledge, to ensure that they convey the correct legal knowledge to the people.
5. It is necessary to design and print leaflets summarizing the core laws and the penalties prescribed by the laws to distribute to people right at the communication session at the village forum. This will help people remember the core regulations of the laws, especially to deter [violent] subjects. If banners or posters with concise messages about what should or should not be done according to the laws are provided, and hung in public places (main roads in the village, village cultural houses), the communication effectiveness will be increased.