Influence of managers’ strategies on sustainability of donor-funded community-based girl child support projects in Kenya – a case of girl child support CBO projects in Kilifi county, Ganze sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess influence of Managers’ strategies on the sustainability of donor funded CBO projects in Ganze Sub-County. Sustainability of donor funded Community Based Organization (CBO) projects has become a growing concern around the world. In Kenya, most CBO Projects both in rural setup and urban informal settlement do not implement projects beyond donor funding period. The study’s objectives were; to determine the extent at which resource mobilization strategy by CBO managers affects sustainability, to establish the extent to which building the capacity of CBO managers in management dimensions affects sustainability of CBO projects and finally to assess the extent to which beneficiary involvement strategy by CBO managers in project management stages affects sustainability of CBO projects in Ganze Sub-County. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The target population was 170 comprising of 65 CBO projects’ managers, 12 Donor agency representatives and 93 CBO project beneficiaries. The 156 participants were randomly sampled; 58 CBO project managers in the categories of top tier, middle tier and lower tier, 8 donor agency representatives and 90 CBO projects beneficiaries. The researcher used a questionnaire and an interview guide. Quantitative data was sorted, keyed in the Statistical package for social science (SPSS) and analyzed to calculate the means, and percentages and thematic content analysis was used for qualitative data. The study found out that sustainability of donor funded CBOs projects depended on the managers’ resource mobilizing strategy. The results show that managers adopted several resource mobilization strategies, however, CBO projects can be sustainable with funds mobilized locally even though they depended on international donor funding strategy. This study also found out that building the capacity of managers in project management positively enhanced projects’ sustainability. Additionally, the sustainability of donor funded CBO projects is enhanced by the involvement of beneficiaries in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In conclusion, indeed managers’ mobilization of funds, capacity building and involvement of beneficiaries ensure the sustainability of donor funded CBO projects. The study recommends that community members need to be involved more in project planning and development to increase the sustainability of the donor-funded community based projects in the sub-county. Besides, the researcher recommends that community members need to be targeted for training so as to maintain the donor funded community based projects performance after completion. The researcher suggests a study on the managers’ strategies in sustainability of donor funded CBO projects in other regions and urban set-up.