E VA LUAT ION R E P OR T

Executive summary
Bolivia
Access to quality information: Journalisticorganizations providing high quality and independent
reporting in Bolivia

dw-akademie.com

Background
Even before the recent governmental
crises, Bolivia has struggled with social
divisions and numerous divides: between
rich and poor, urban and rural, between
the indigenous and non-indigenous population, between socialist demands andthe extensive extraction of raw materials
without the consent of the local population. This division is also reflected in Bolivia’s media landscape. The media is often
subject to the demands of various economic or political interests, and there is alack of balanced, independent reporting
capable of adequately addressing and informing the relevant target groups to enable them to form well-founded opinions.
On behalf of the German Federal Ministry
for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), DW Akademie implementsa three-year project (2020-2022) to assist media organizations in promoting
high-quality and varied informational offerings in Bolivia.
The project supports two partner organizations with complementary approaches: one,
Fundación para el Periodismo (FPP) whichis engaged in supporting a more practicaldesign for journalistic education and training; and two, the Centro de Producción Radiofónica (CEPRA), which promotes training
for community journalists through a digitallearning platform. In addition, both partners
are being strengthened institutionally: theFPP is expanding to become the first com-petency center in the field of journalism in
Bolivia, and CEPRA staff are increasing theirprofessionalization through participatory
methods. Both partners are also improving
their existing educational and training programs. In addition, together with politicaland civil society actors (such as women'sorganizations, trade unions, and voluntary
associations), media professionals are experimenting with new formats and narrative
styles in order to bridge social divides andmake informational offers more attractive
and relatable to the wider public.
The present evaluation analyzes the connections between the project activities
and the observable changes that haveoccurred, by considering the conception,implementation and results of the project and evaluating them on the basis of
OECD/DAC criteria (relevance, coherence,effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability), with a particular focus on efficiency and collaboration. Data was collected between January and February 2022
using a mix of methods, from interviews
based on key questions, focus groups anda document analysis. The analysis seeks
to provide the opportunity to integratelessons learned into the future activitiesof the implementing organization andamong the local partners.

Project evaluation results
Relevance: The project strengthens two
media organizations within the framework of a plural, sophisticated democratic discourse and formulates answers tothe central challenges faced by the media
in this context. It does so with a target
group-specific approach implemented
by two partners who work in a complementary manner. The criterion relevanceis thus “comprehensively fulfilled.”­­Coherence: There is potential for improvement in how the project is coordinated,planned and implemented in dialogue withother actors in the sector and in how theresults and experiences of the project arecommunicated to an external audience.
These processes have been made particularly difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project’s coherence is therefore assessed as “overall fulfilled.”
Effectiveness: As the project is still being
implementing, no conclusive assessment
can be made as of yet. In addition, the tense
political situation and the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic havecaused delays in the implementation. Nev
ertheless, significant progress has been
made and the project is likely to fulfill all
expected indicators (with the exception ofthe target indicator ‘practical guide for a

DW Akademie

is Deutsche Welle’s center forinternational media development,journalism training and knowledgetransfer. Our projects strengthen thehuman right to freedom of expression
and unhindered access to information.
DW Akademie empowers people
worldwide to make independent
decisions based on reliable facts andconstructive dialogue. DW Akademie isa strategic partner of the German
Federal Ministry for Economic
Coopera­tion and Development. We
also receive funding from the Federal
Foreign Office and the European Union
and are active in approximately 60
developing countries and emerging
economies.

CONTAC TDr. Laura Moore
Head Research and Evaluation
laura.moore@dw.com
Berlin, Germany
DWAkademie@dw_akademie
DWAkademie
dw.com/newsletter-registration
dw.com/mediadev

pluralistic and participatory journalism’).
The project’s effectiveness is thus rated as“overall fulfilled.”
Efficiency: The project’s use of resources
is appropriate for achieving the intended goals. Technical and administrative
processes were designed efficiently andhave been adapted flexibly and as needed to address the changed framework
conditions. The project reacted promptly and creatively to the challenges of theCOVID-19 pandemic and was thus able toimplement planned activities with somemodifications. The project’s efficiency istherefore assessed as “comprehensivelyfulfilled.”

Sustainability: It is to be expected thatmost of the project’s positive effects will
be permanent. Some processes require
further support in order to be institutionalized in the long term. The project adequately takes into account possible risk
factors that could affect the sustainabilityof the project’s impact. The project’s sustainability is therefore considered to be“overall fulfilled.”

Impact: Based on the results of the evaluation, it is expected that the project will contribute to achieving long-term effects andmaking a broad impact. The participants inthe various training workshop confirm thatthey have been able to translate what theyhave learned into their work, which should
be visible in the quality of media productions in the medium term. The project’s
impact is thus “comprehensively fulfilled.”

The objective of the external evaluation is to provide a constructive assessment of the project results. It does not necessarily align with theperspective and planning of DW Akademie. Nevertheless, all findings were discussed in order to allow lessons learned to be incorporated into
the development of future strategies.