A health centre in Malawi, a school for Kenyan street children and a fish farming project in Uganda were among 16 projects awarded Overseas Development Assistance funds yesterday.
The €188,130 funding will finance development projects deemed compatible with Malta’s overseas development policy, which will be reassessed during a national development conference this summer.
According to Foreign Affairs Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, projects were selected “in the most transparent manner possible” with three external assessors – human rights activists Neil Falzon, Gabi Calleja and University lecturer Anna Khakee – on the selection board.
When challenged about the lack of clear selection criteria, ministry director general Jonathan Galea said more needed to be done.
“We’re improving every year. This year’s selection board had specific criteria to gauge projects by,” he said.
When pressed to specify criteria, he said applicants had to ensure their projects were set to the development policy objectives (see box), sustainably linked with local partners and proved they could positively impact the beneficiary community.
Development sector insiders have long complained about ODA application procedures, saying no explanation is given of how project applications are scored and highlighting niggles such as the lack of a standardised application template.
Detractors also say the ministry never shares any evaluations it makes of finished ODA projects, raising questions as to whether all ODA-funded initiatives fulfil their original remit.
Mr Galea argued that project evaluations cost money.
“We’d need to send someone to project countries to assess. We’d rather spend the funds we have on financing projects,” he said.
He added that evaluations were generally done on an ad hoc basis, although all projects were required to provide final documentation and internally assessed.
Progress is, however, being registered, with funds allocated this year for a project evaluator to fly to Kenya, where six of this year’s projects are based.
The ministry is also exploring the possibility of enlisting international organisations with a presence in project countries to help the Government with the evaluations.
Dr Zammit Dimech said: “Evaluation is important but we have great faith in civil society applicants.”
The minister also said his ministry would be happy to provide any further information on its ODA-related activities.
This year’s successful applicants came from a variety of backgrounds, from development specialists such as Kopin, to youth organisation YMCA and missionary groups like the Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus.
Funding amounts also varied, although each project received at least €5,000.
The largest single sum – €25,000 – was given to the Mission Fund, which is building dormitories for a girls’ school in Bananja, Kenya.
The development policy
Introduced in 2006, Malta’s development plan seeks to further foreign policy by promoting solidarity and human dignity through humanitarian work.
It takes its cues from the UN Millennium Development Goals and lists 10 areas of focus: ICT, democratisation, migration and asylum, education, health and HIV and AIDS, gender equality, children, climate change, trade and water.
Available online, the policy sets itself three areas of geographical focus: African States with asylum ties to Malta, small island states and the Mediterranean region.