Sri Lanka

Final Review of the Project ‘Empowering Communities to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in Mannar’

This report presents the findings of the final review of the project ‘Empowering Communities to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls’ (VAWG) implemented by UN Women, UNICEF, and UNFPA in Mannar, Sri Lanka (From September 2020 to February 2023). This project used a combination of social norms and behavioural change, and livelihoods-strengthening interventions to prevent and respond to VAWG. The review objectives were:

1. To assess the extent to which the programme has achieved its output-level results.
2. To examine the relevance and effectiveness of the project’s implementation strategy and
efforts in jointly implementing the programme.
3. To identify good practices, lessons learnt and recommendations from the programme, and how the programme has met the expectations of project teams and the beneficiaries.

Evaluation Questions
This review intended to answer the following overarching evaluation questions:
1. Relevance: To what extent has the project addressed the needs identified in its design?
2. Effectiveness To what extent has the project implemented its outputs to target beneficiaries?
3. Efficiency: How efficiently was the project implemented and delivered quality outputs against
what was planned (including official amendments)?
4. Sustainability: How likely would the project's benefits continue after donor funding has been
withdrawn?
5. Human Rights-based and Gender-responsive Approach: To what extent has the project
applied a human rights-based and gender-responsive approach and identified and engaged the most marginalised groups?

Review Methodology
This review adopted qualitative and quantitative research approaches. It used a quantitative survey which interviewed 30 beneficiaries randomly selected from all divisional secretariat (DS) divisions where the project was implemented. This involved using a structured survey questionnaire based on the evaluation questions and sub-questions. The qualitative research component used a case study method where the ‘whole of project system’ in a selected divisional secretariat (Mannar Town DS division) was examined to provide an in-depth picture of the intervention. A total of 186 UN Agency staff, government stakeholders, implementation partners, and beneficiaries (purposely selected based on their demographic features, roles, and types of involvement) were interviewed through semi-structured Focus Group Discussions and in-depth interviews. It also involved a comprehensive review of programme documents. Read More...

FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION CRISIS IN SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka is struggling to pay import bills for food, fuel, gas, and other essential goods necessary for the daily life of its citizens, and prices keep increasing (the food inflation rate is ~94%). Read More...

Empowering Sri Lanka’s Tea Plantation Communities Final Evaluation

In May 2017 Chrysalis in partnership with CARE International UK began implementing the Empowering Sri Lanka’s Tea Plantation Communities Project funded by Twinning’s adopting Community Development Forums (CDFs) pioneered by CARE International Sri Lanka. These platforms seek to enhance worker-management relationships so to achieve social and commercial benefits in 7 tea estates in Sri Lanka by May 2019. Since inception the project has reached over 3,500 tea estate workers living in estates operated by three plantation companies with the help of the CDFs, while indirectly providing benefits to over 16,000 worker family members. At its core CDFs seek to transform relationships between management and estate workers, while also providing the estate community with a platform through which to directly influence and shape their development priorities and solutions. Further it serves to help link the community with a host of service providers and socioeconomic opportunities. Undertaken in July and August 2019 the overall objective of the end of project evaluation was to assess the degree to which the project had achieved its intermediate and the final goal and to develop key lessons so to enhance future programming in the sector. The evaluation used a contribution analysis, and a mixed method approach to collect data (e.g. household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant and structured interviews). Data was collected from 7 participating estates operated by 3 companies: Bogawanthalawa Plantations (Bogawana Estate, Kotiyagala Estate, Lethenty Estate and Fetteresso Estate), Malwatte Valley Plantations (Uva Highlands) and Agarapathana (Nayabedde Estate and Dambetenna Estate). Using the proportionate random sampling technique 241 respondents were selected for household surveys, 12 managers were interviewed using structured interviews and 7 focus group discussions were held consisting of 86 representatives from the 7 CDFs. A total of 16 key informants were also consulted [73 pages]. Read More...

Broadening gender: Why masculinities matter Attitudes, practices and gender-based violence in four districts in Sri Lanka

This study brings out key risk factors in relation to violence against women, childhood trauma and men’s own experience of violence. The study also highlights key findings, which have implications for organizations working in child protection, sexual and reproductive health, men’s health and in youth programming.

This study highlights the need for more focused and scaled up approaches to engage men in the discourse of violence against women, as well as the need to transform women’s own attitudes about violence in diverse forms. CARE is committed to working in partnership with women, communities, civil society, governments, donors and the private sector to implement these recommendations. Read More...

Network Engage Transform Project

Chrysalis an affiliate of CARE International and implements the NET (Network, Engage, Transform) project under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), which is a is a thematic funding instrument for EU external action aiming to support projects in human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy. The objective of the project is to promote women’s voice and meaningful political representation to prevent and address sexual and gender based violence in 6 Divisional Secretary Divisions (DSDs) in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts in the North of Sri Lanka.
The project targeted 420 women leaders from 60 Women’s Rural Development Societies and Women’s Affairs Societies (WRDS/WAS), 6 Gender-based Violence Forums and other networks, including 60 State officials working for the benefit of 60,000 women spread over 6 Divisional Secretariat Division (DSDs) in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi. Chrysalis partnered with the Women’s Action Network for Transformation (WANT) and the Community Development Organization (CDO) to implement the action. Read More...

Desk review to conduct assessment of ‘value for money’ provided through CARE International’s programmes to vulnerable and marginalised populations in Asia

This case study has been prepared as part of a study commissioned by CARE International (CI) to assess its long-term impact achieved in the Asia Pacific region between 2005 and 2010. As part of this process CI explored the extent to which socio-economic cost benefit analysis could be applied on a sample of CI projects, using an adapted form of the Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology1.
The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of CI’s ability to deliver added benefit and value to participating communities and their societies, given invested resources, whilst testing the feasibility of applying an adapted form of SROI to projects. The study is also expected to contribute to a wider discussion on the usefulness, and applicability, of demonstrating value for money within the contexts CI works.
Given CI’s focus on empowerment, and especially of marginalised and vulnerable women, this case study presents the analysis and findings of four projects: Plantation Community Empowerment Project (PCEP), Sri Lanka Social & Economic Transformation of the Ultra Poor (SETU), Bangladesh Integrated Rural Development and Disaster Mitigation (IRDM), Cambodia Poverty Alleviation in Remote Upland Areas (PARUA), Laos
It is important to note that the projects selected for analysis were initiatives within wider programmes and, as such, were not intended to be illustrative of the overall programme’s magnitude or effectiveness. The SROI methodology is a good fit for CI’s projects due to its participatory nature and valuation of things that matter to stakeholders. However, due to the desk-based nature of this study, these findings should be seen as purely indicative as field research would be required to build a definitive and an accurate picture of impact. Read More...

Final Evaluation of the Strengthening Policy and Action through Citizen’s Engagement

Chrysalis is a Company Limited by Guarantee and an affiliate of CARE International in Sri Lanka. The organisation works with local communities, private sector, government, and local and international civil society organisations (CSOs) to promote gender equality, promote the voice of women and youth and ensure economic empowerment. Chrysalis implemented the SPACE (Strengthening Policy and Action through Citizen’s Engagement) project to promote meaningful community governance by engaging citizens in activities of local government institutions. The SPACE project was funded by OAK Foundation and implemented by Chrysalis with the support of CARE USA. The project was implemented in Central, Uva, Northern and Eastern Provinces covering 5 Districts: 1) Kandy, 2) Nuwara Eliya, 3) Badulla,
4) Batticaloa and 5) Mullaitivu.
The objectives of the project were to 1) Facilitate and replicate a community governance model; 2) Enhance the capacities of local government officials; 3) Develop standard operating procedures manuals and technical resources; and 4) Facilitate the development of a local government policy framework for Sri Lanka. The project area is home to several marginalized groups including plantation communities (Central and Uva Provinces) and those affected by the war (Northern and Eastern Provinces). Read More...

Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E) Training Impact Assessment

In 2017 Chrysalis conducted the P.A.C.E training programme, originally designed and funded by GAP Inc., in 21 selected tea estates. This impact assessment employed a mixed method approach to delineate the changes witnessed during the post-training period both in the personal and work lives of the people who underwent the training and those who associate with them in their day to day lives. [31 pages] Read More...

PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT AND CAREER ENHANCEMENT (P.A.C.E.) TRAINING: IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT

In December 2016, CARE International closed its operations in Sri Lanka and existing projects were transferred to Chrysalis, which was founded by CARE International to continue its work in the country. Chrysalis, having completed the remaining training sessions, analyzed the impact of the P.A.C.E. training program of Phase 1. The impact assessment was carried out by primary and secondary data collection. Primary data collection was by questionnaire surveys, key informant discussions and focus group discussions. Secondary data collection included reviewing of project proposals, progress reports and project data base. [27 pages] Read More...

Empowering Men to Engage and Redefine Gender Equality (EMERGE) Final Evaluation

CARE International Sri Lanka’s ‘Empowering Men to Engage and Redefine Gender Equality’ (EMERGE) project was implemented across 30 villages and 5 plantations in the districts of Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa, Nuwara Eliya (2010-2014) and Hambantota and Moneragala (2010-2013). The project attempted to address persistent issues of gender inequality and GBV through the engagement of men and from a perspective that challenged hegemonic masculinities. The emphasis of this project was on transforming attitudes, perceptions and practice of gender inequality in various forms, working with men, boys and women to this end. The project worked at multiple levels - household, community, divisional, district and at national level where it engaged in advocacy efforts around the issues of gender equality and GBV. For CARE Sri Lanka, engaging men has been acknowledged as an important component of gender programming, as it is seen as widening the scope of its work to address GBV, by working with both men and women to challenge dominant masculinities. [42 pages] Read More...

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