Don’t Be Afraid to Stop When It’s Not Working

We talk about sustainability all the time, and commit to guaranteeing it in almost every development program. But is it really working? CARE launched a series of post-project studies to find out what lasts and what doesn't after a project closes. Caitlin Shannon and Maria Tobin talk about what they learned doesn't work. A few tips they saw across all 9 research studies:

• No matter how good it is, training alone is not enough for sustained impact.
• If you can't figure out how people will get paid in the long term, it probably won't last.
• You have to design differently. Participants who will have to live with systems in the long term should be at the heart of decisions about sustainability.

There are lots of things that worked too. Check out all of the studies to learn more.