Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in Sierra Leone, known as SFCG-Talking Drum Studio (TDS), has been working in Sierra Leone since 2000 to strengthen the capacity of communities to participate in building a tolerant, inclusive society for sustainable peace. One of the activities implemented was a 25-month strategy designed to reduce fear and mistrust and minimise the potential for violence in the 2007 presidential and parliamentary election process and subsequent local elections in 2008. This 37-page evaluation report presents findings of the election strategy evaluation conducted in December 2007, with a view of learning from the first phase and informing the second phase of the strategy, which covered the local elections planned for the third quarter of 2008.

SFCG worked with various coalitions of local civil society organisations such as National Election Watch (NEW), The Independent Radio Network (IRN) (of which it is a founding member), and the Honouring Women's Initiative (HWI) to encourage free and fair elections. This included working with IRN to produce radio programmes, supporting information campaigns, and raising the profile of NEW observers.

The evaluation produced the following key findings:

• Coverage and Reach of the Strategy Tools - The overwhelming majority of respondents to the evaluation listened to the IRN across the study areas. Some participants sang the jingle of IRN to study team members and one interviewee said that it became a sort of "household song". Another participant mentioned the poems aired on IRN and said that some verses are used, even after the elections, as metaphors for cooperation. In addition, NEW observers were seen in the polling stations and their roles were clearly understood. On the other hand, the television serial drama "Insai di Saloon" reached only a section of the intended population, but those who did watch it understood it and appreciated it.
• Effectiveness and Impact of the Strategy Tools - According to the evaluation, IRN had an impact in that it effectively provided the appropriate information on the electoral process before the election. More importantly, IRN provided election results from all areas of the country on election day, a deterrent for any violent flare-ups and a contribution to election transparency.
• Coordination of Strategic Partners - The findings, based on discussions with strategy actors at national, regional, and local levels, showed that overall coordination was very good and was key in helping the partners reach their goal of contributing to making the elections free from violence. Areas for improvement of the strategy were identified by strategy partners during discussions, and will be taken into account in preparations for phase two.
• Complementarity of and Coherence between Strategic Partners - Discussions with various partners of the strategy showed that all shared the same vision of a peaceful and transparent election, and the approach of each component of the strategy was not only complementary to the others, but also necessary for the success of the other.
• Credibility of Strategic Partners - The evaluation suggests that a lack of credibility of any of the actors would have jeopardised the whole strategy. Participants showed that they trusted the NEW observers and thought the information provided on IRN radio stations was true. SFCG-TDS is constantly assessing its credibility among the population. The responses to questions about preferred radio programmes were considered proof of respect and acceptance of TDS productions.

The evaluation concluded that the election strategy not only helped Sierra Leoneans to make informed choices on voting day, but also made them witnesses to transparent elections by providing them with continuous information as the election unfolded. Apart from achieving its intended goal, the strategy also achieved unintended goals such as strengthening the capacity of radio stations to produce quality programmes and conduct live reporting. The evaluation also concludes that in spite of some technical obstacles, IRN achieved its goal and that more local radios should be invited to join the network to reach more remote areas, to reinforce the sustainability of IRN, and to increase the capacity of reporters and producers of community radio. Though the television show did not reach a wide audience and few episodes were shown, the show remains relevant for upcoming elections, and SFCG and its partners should identify ways of bringing it to a wider audience. Overall, the evaluation found that this election strategy has presented the Sierra Leonean society with a new model for the media, civil society, and the public to participate in the governance of their nation.

Email from Rebecca Besant to Soul Beat Africa on August 28 2008; and Search for Common Ground website on September 19 2008.