Assessment of the impact of beneficiaries' participation in Project success in Rwanda. Case study of developing entrepreneurship and adult literacy project (DEAL)

Abstract

The study was entitled the Assessment of the Impacts of Beneficiaries Participation in Project Success in Rwanda. Case Study of Developing Entrepreneurship and Adult Literacy Project (DEAL). The study was conducted in Gisagara district Developing Entrepreneurship and Adult Literacy Project (DEAL). The process of beneficiaries participation involves regularly involving beneficiaries in different DEAL project activities such as in initiation, planning, monitoring and evaluation, more precisely in project decision-making. The objectives of this study were to identify the level of beneficiaries involvement in DEAL project at Gisagara District; to determine the relationship between beneficiary’s participation and the DEAL project success at Gisagara District; and to assess the level of beneficiary involvement in the DEAL project success at Gisagara District. The study consulted different researches conducted by different researchers, the conceptual frameworks and some definitions that helped readers to know more about the beneficiaries participation, as well as research gaps. Researcher used both primary and secondary data, the focus were on qualitative and quantitative approaches. The researcher used questionnaires and interviews as the tools for data collection. The data were presented in gender, ages, educational level, the experience of respondents in DEAL project. The study used a descriptive research approach with 132 participants, including DEAL employees and beneficiaries, Local Leaders and other Key stakeholders. A total of 97 respondents were chosen for the sample size using cluster sampling and purposive sampling. Data collected were analyzed in SPSS using both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The findings revealed that project beneficiaries participation strategies such as involving them is decision-making, involving them in daily project activites, in budgets costs and quality assessment and involving the beneficiaries in project plan have effectively lead to the success of the project. The information got from this research was used to remove all ambiguities and help to reset tactics and techniques of project implementation which lead to project success. The findings showed that DEAL uses beneficiaries consultation during project implementation implemena not only limited to the whole project cycle in DEAL, this leads to the success of the project. Information gathering, and skilled labors that was achieved through beneficiaries involvement in all project that contributed to the achievement of project goals on time and costs.