Polish aid

Evaluation in 2020

In 2020, the evaluation study of Polish development cooperation activities focused on the Polish Aid Volunteering Programme and global education activities. The study was based on the objectives and priorities of the Multiannual Development Cooperation Programme for 2016-2020, while taking into account measures implemented within the framework of the Multiannual Development Cooperation Programme for 2012-2015, as well as the initial assumptions of the new multiannual document for 2021-2030. The study covered approximately 200 projects and assessed, among other things, the effectiveness and cohesion of conducted actions.

As part of the Volunteering programme, the MFA supports Polish citizens’ direct involvement in assisting inhabitants of the Global South countries. In 2012-2019, volunteering initiatives were implemented in 28 countries. On the other hand, the main task of global education is to explain global interdependencies in the modern world. It explains the source and nature of problems currently facing various countries and communities (e.g. pollution of the environment, conflicts, famine and poverty). Global education builds the sense of shared responsibility for the world and its inhabitants, in line with the principle of solidarity. It also teaches how our lifestyle and everyday choices (e.g. consumer decisions) can have either a positive or negative impact on the quality of human life and the environment in our immediate or more distant surroundings. Global education prepares the public for life in a modern, globalised and dynamically changing environment. Thus, it contributes to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Target 4.7 which reads: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development. By adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the UN General Assembly, Poland has pledged to implement these goals. Polish aid volunteers are among participants that are directly involved in global education activities.

The study covered the objectives, priorities, and tasks implemented, among other things, under calls for proposals and dedicated actions, with special regard to ongoing changes and their effects. The evaluators analysed key documents developed by the MFA as well as actions implemented in Poland and abroad on the basis of these documents.

The conclusions drawn from this evaluation study will be used in the implementation of the Multiannual Development Cooperation Programme for 2021-2030 and as additional assistance in the development of the Polish Aid system.

Results

The evaluation proved that global education and volunteering are important areas of Polish development cooperation. Projects conducted under the Global Education call for proposals significantly improve the quality of educational initiatives and raise awareness among the general public as to global interdependencies. However, for global education to have a widespread impact, it is necessary to include it in the core curriculum of formal education.

The Polish Aid Volunteering Programme is an important source of funding for initiatives undertaken by Polish non-governmental organisations in countries of the Global South. Despite restrictions related to the amount of funding available under calls for proposals, which translates into a relatively small number of supported projects, funds available for individual projects are sufficient to implement them in a comprehensive manner. The vast majority of undertaken initiatives are related to two thematic priorities of Polish development policy — supporting actions aimed at improving the quality of healthcare and raising the level of education and professional qualifications of the target population.

The study also showed that the potential of global education and volunteering can be mutually reinforcing. It is particularly important to prepare volunteers to understand global interdependencies before they depart for countries of the Global South, and to develop solutions that enable volunteers to share their experiences on return.

Main recommendations formulated by the evaluators

Global education

• Global education is not properly anchored in the Polish education system. This also applies to pedagogical studies. If inserted in the core curriculum, global education will be better promoted and disseminated and teachers will be encouraged to research global education and include this topic in their lesson plans.
• Lack of access to complete knowledge about global education projects co-financed by the MFA is not conducive to promoting good practices. It is recommended that an information base be created on all implemented global education projects. This would allow the promotion of good practices in global education as well as efficient networking of future cooperation between project promoters, partners, and experts.
• Networking is one of intangible deliverables of project implementation. It considerably strengthens the sustainability of effects and fosters multiplication. It is worth supporting projects that create new networks, but also initiatives that use the existing networks.
• Combining volunteering and global education into one project can bring additional benefits, but sometimes such policy is viewed with scepticism. This is a good direction for the development of calls for proposals, however, as one of available options, not as a change that applies to all initiatives. Volunteers’ participation in global education actions should be well planned.
• It is not enough to reflect on the directions of development and the best ways to conduct global education. It is necessary to draw conclusions from experiences and the evaluation and to update or redefine the objectives and forms of global education in a cross-sectoral discussion and cooperation.
• Project promoters’ experiences show a potential direction of developing global education in Poland, but it is necessary to create conditions to make use of them. Global education should be conducted on a permanent basis. These are primarily long-term actions that promote its durability, effectiveness, and universality.
• It is not possible to obtain aggregated data that would enable collective monitoring of global education projects and illustrate the scale of conducted activities as well as project results.
   It is recommended that an electronic system, managed by the MFA, be created to collect such data and enable an ongoing analysis of progress in achieving targeted indicators as well as determining the effectiveness of goal achievement and the efficiency of undertaken actions.

Volunteering

• Due to the small scale and financial value of the Polish Aid Volunteering Programme, its results are limited and volunteers’ potential is not exploited. Efforts should be made to fully use available funds earmarked for the programme, and, in the longer run, to increase the funding. It is appropriate to extend the list of countries covered by the programme.
• The decision to cease supporting short-term volunteering trips has limited the implementation of projects that involve volunteers with specialist competencies. As part of the volunteering programme, a “specialist path” should be introduced to support short-term trips (lasting approximately 4-6 weeks) for volunteers (experts) with special knowledge or professional experience.
• To fully exploit the potential of Polish non-governmental organisations and volunteers, it is necessary to create a framework that would make it possible to plan projects over several years. It is necessary to inform potential project promoters in advance about the geographical and thematic priorities. Planning should take place in cooperation with sending entities that know the needs and opportunities for implementing specific initiatives.
• In 2012-2019, volunteer trips to the Eastern Partnership countries were organised sporadically. These countries are very important for Polish development cooperation and should not be excluded from the Polish Aid Volunteering Programme. It is necessary to resume supporting volunteers’ trips to the Eastern Partnership countries.
• Due to the procedure of calls for proposals, the Polish Aid Volunteering Programme is almost entirely implemented in line with the assumptions of Polish non-governmental organisations. The MFA’s participation is limited to identifying target countries and priorities. As a result, projects are dispersed and often one-off initiatives. It is recommended that the MFA be more involved in work to define conditions for volunteers’ trips.

The evaluation study, including all its conclusions and recommendations, is available at http://www.polskapomoc.gov.pl/.