Service delivery in a difficult environment: the child-friendly community initiative in Sudan

This report, published by the Department for International Development (DFID), sets out the main findings and conclusions of a study of the UNICEF-sponsored Child-Friendly Community Initiative (CFCI) in Sudan. It examines the effectiveness of an integrated, multi-sectoral and community-driven approach for the delivery of basic services to poor and vulnerable people in a conflict-affected country. The report argues that the approach was based on a thorough understanding of the context and was relatively successful in building capacity at community and regional government levels, which lead to increased demand for service delivery. It also established partnerships with lower levels of government, which may be more pro-poor than the central government.

The report discusses the implications for donor programming in a difficult environment – both in pro-poor service delivery and longer-term institutional development. The CFCI showed that where public institutions exist, these can be tapped into to provide service delivery, and this can be done without NGOs. The policy of strengthening areas where reform was already taking place, or where it was clear that government was open to reform, also had advantages. However, donors need to be realistic about the extent to which a small and targeted programme like CFCI can act as a catalyst for wider change at government level.wider change at government level.