Sudan; Evaluation
In August 2009, a formal evaluation took place. The most important outcomes and recommendations:
War Child should continue its community protection work
There is a critical need for an organization such as War Child to monitor vulnerable children 
and arrange a dialogue between the government and communities to bring children’s issues to the government’s attention and work together to find solutions. War Child has formed a policy networking group consisting of government officials and community members, to ensure that the government takes responsibility on child welfare and protection. This group will advocate on child rights to relevant government authorities. War Child is one of the very few organizations at community level and empowers communities to take responsibility and accountability for the protection of their children.
The awareness raising workshops on corporal punishment has resulted in reducing the incidences of beating by teachers. Similar workshops will be done in 12 primary schools in 2010. The mobile libraries have helped needy children to continue their education, War Child will support 6 mobile libraries to cover 12 primary schools in 2010.
War Child should continue working with youth groups and promote awareness raising Youth Groups offer a way for young people to join in team games, such as football. War Child successfully brought groups together for advocacy purposes. Children and youth raised awareness on child rights issues through discussions, messages, banners and marches.
War Child should strengthen parental and community support networks for children without family protection.
War Child formed 15 Child Welfare Committees (CWC) to take care of children without family protection (street children, orphanage and children in the prison). Committees developed an action plan for children in prison or on the street. War Child trained CWC members and social workers.
War Child should follow up with advocacy initiatives across the four project areas.
In Yei, War Child explores the possibility of a new community radio broadcasting office, to use radio to promote child rights and protection. This is an opportunity for War Child to promote its work as well as further advocacy for protection.
Other highlights
Education
War Child worked with 7 out-of-school-centres, which provide basic classes for approximately 
30 children who are not in school. In Yei, War Child organized focus group discussions with children, parents and teachers, to identify the barriers of going to school, like lack of school materials, corporal punishment, limited toilets or no toilets specially for girls and dangers of travelling to schools.
Child Rights Promotion and Protection (CRPP)
Children and teachers have been raising awareness on Child Rights violations, based on focus group discussions they have had around the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Teachers and children developed songs about discrimination, child labour, corporal punishment, early marriage and child recruitment. These were demonstrated during the international events by young girls and boys at the school.
Community Awareness
War Child increased the awareness of child and youth psychosocial and protection needs with the children and youth themselves and amongst communities and government authorities. In November the 20th year of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was celebrated. The message “Our Rights … Our Responsibility!!” was spread through speeches, songs, drama radio coverage in order to promote the rights of Sudanese children, to focus more on children. Communities were stimulated to protect children and young people as well as creating safe spaces for them to study, play and to form children’s associations. Other international events celebrated in Sudan were African Child Day, International Youth day, International Peace Day and World HIV/Aids day. Each event was participated by more then 1000 children and 500 Adults.
Lessons learned
The major challenge for the Sudan programme is to make sure communities are more self sufficient. Projects that focus on child development, welfare and protection should have more ownership by the communities involved. War Child stimulates this by investing in training of parent teacher associations and government workers and by advocating with the Sudan government for policy change on issues affecting children.
War Child experienced problems with some of the new partners. Asra struggled to organise an active staff team to implement project activities, causing delays in the project implementation and reporting. War Child was forced to discontinue work with the organization, as the local authority has also cancelled the organisations operations permit.