Special Evaluation/Report
Renewing a Long-Term Strategic Partnership: Lessons learned from 20 years of collaboration in global health and development between CARE and Emory University
Over more than 20 years, CARE USA (CARE) and Emory University (EU) – principally within the Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) – have collaborated across global health and development sectors, including water and sanitation (WASH), maternal and child nutrition, food security, HIV/AIDS, and women’s empowerment. This collaboration has included joint research projects, training for CARE field staff, student employment and training, guest lectures by CARE staff at Emory, and employment opportunities at CARE for former Emory students following graduation.
Several high-profile joint research projects have included SWASH+ (Kenya: 2006-2019) and the Tipping Point Project (Nepal: 2019-pres). School Water, Sanitation and Hygiene plus Community Impact (SWASH+) was a 13- year project that is an exemplar of the impact of CARE and Emory collaborations. It has resulted in over 20 publications from both institutions, including policy papers that have contributed significantly to increasing the scale, impact, and sustainability of school WASH interventions in Kenya. The Tipping Point project aims to empower adolescent girls and their communities to delay marriage and to promote girls’ rights in Nepal and
Bangladesh.
RSPH researchers commenced a four-year partnership with CARE to strengthen the rigor and visibility of the impacts of this program. These projects have resulted in co-funded grants, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and conference presentations (see Appendix A for a complete list). [21 pages] Read More...
Several high-profile joint research projects have included SWASH+ (Kenya: 2006-2019) and the Tipping Point Project (Nepal: 2019-pres). School Water, Sanitation and Hygiene plus Community Impact (SWASH+) was a 13- year project that is an exemplar of the impact of CARE and Emory collaborations. It has resulted in over 20 publications from both institutions, including policy papers that have contributed significantly to increasing the scale, impact, and sustainability of school WASH interventions in Kenya. The Tipping Point project aims to empower adolescent girls and their communities to delay marriage and to promote girls’ rights in Nepal and
Bangladesh.
RSPH researchers commenced a four-year partnership with CARE to strengthen the rigor and visibility of the impacts of this program. These projects have resulted in co-funded grants, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and conference presentations (see Appendix A for a complete list). [21 pages] Read More...
Women’s Economic Empowerment in Protracted Crisis: Syrian Refugee Women in Southeastern Turkey
As Syrian refugee crisis entered its ninth year, the protracted nature of the crisis has become more prominent, with the need of better integration of humanitarian response and development goals. Livelihoods activities with their long-term focus play an important role in humanitarian development nexus. This research is conducted to review and discuss best practices and potential risks for women’s economic empowerment (WEE) projects in protracted crisis in general, and in southeastern Turkey context in particular. The following report should be of interest to any humanitarian organization that conducts livelihoods projects for Syrian refugees in SET region, and that shares the commitment to achieve a more gender-equal society.
In general, women face additional social obstacles to reach economic resources, which span from unpaid care work to gender norms regarding women’s being provider. Majority of Syrian women in Turkey are not actively seeking employment because of their childcare responsibilities, not getting permission to work from either their husband or extended family, care of disable and elderly in the household, and housework. Designing a livelihoods program without considering these additional obstacles women face means that the program is not equally approachable for all genders. Hence, women are the ones left behind as they are the less employable. This research clearly shows that the only way to have a sustainable impact on WEE is to ensure not only women’s economic advancement but also women’s empowerment and gender equality. Read More...
In general, women face additional social obstacles to reach economic resources, which span from unpaid care work to gender norms regarding women’s being provider. Majority of Syrian women in Turkey are not actively seeking employment because of their childcare responsibilities, not getting permission to work from either their husband or extended family, care of disable and elderly in the household, and housework. Designing a livelihoods program without considering these additional obstacles women face means that the program is not equally approachable for all genders. Hence, women are the ones left behind as they are the less employable. This research clearly shows that the only way to have a sustainable impact on WEE is to ensure not only women’s economic advancement but also women’s empowerment and gender equality. Read More...
Nigeria VSLA COVID-19 Survey September 2020
CARE is working with women in savings groups to better understand their needs in COVID-19 and how they are already leading and adapting to cope with the crisis. This is the first of 3 planned rounds of data collection to better understand how women's needs are evolving during the crisis. The findings in this survey are informing CARE's programming for VSLAs in Nigeria and globally. Read More...
Malawi VSLA Survey for COVID-19 September 2020
CARE is working with women in savings groups to better understand their needs in COVID-19 and how they are already leading and adapting to cope with the crisis. This is the first of 3 planned rounds of data collection to better understand how women's needs are evolving during the crisis. The findings in this survey are informing CARE's programming for VSLAs in Malawi and globally. Read More...
Learning from Failure 2020
Part of striving for the deepest and most sustainable impact at the biggest scale possible is understanding what doesn’t work. CARE’s commitment not only to the highest quality programming, but also to continual improvement, drives us to celebrate our successes and to examine our failures. In 2019, CARE published our first Learning From Failure report, where we looked at what project evaluations told us was going wrong, and areas where we can strengthen our programming to improve our impact. By analyzing broader trends across several projects CARE can get a broader sense of systemic weaknesses that lead to failures in specific cases. We pair this with our podcast with individual case studies where we look at specific examples of failures and how to address them so we can illustrate trends with illustrative examples. That gives us the space to make bigger strategic changes to address underlying causes of failure and support teams to improve work at all levels. One example of this is targeting CARE’s investments in Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) systems and capacity building to address common failures we found. In 2020, we repeated the analysis to see where we are improving, and where we still need work. Read More...
Adaptación al cambio climático y reducción de riesgos de desastres por el retroceso de los glaciares en la Cordillera de los Andes (GLACIARES)
La evaluación final y perfil sociodemográfico y económico.
Documento 1: El proyecto “Glaciares 513: Adaptación al cambio climático y reducción de riesgos de desastres por el retroceso de los glaciares en la Cordillera de los Andes (2011 – 2015)” tiene como finalidad contribuir a mejorar la capacidad de adaptación integral y de reducción de riesgos por desastres frente al fenómeno de retroceso de glaciares en el Perú, particularmente en las regiones de Ancash y Cusco; siendo su implementación liderada por un consorcio integrado por CARE Perú y la Universidad de Zurich.El proyecto busca fortalecer las capacidades para el monitoreo e investigación de glaciares en el Perú, así como las capacidades técnico-operativas para traducir el conocimiento científico y brindarle a las comunidades aledañas a los glaciares información necesaria para su adaptación y la reducción de vulnerabilidades, todo ello contando con condiciones institucionales que garanticen la sostenibilidad de dichas acciones en el marco de la adaptación al cambio climático en el país, particularmente en las regiones de Ancash y Cusco. Esta propuesta implica que la intervención debe considerar la interacción entre ciencia y práctica, contando para ello con la participación de actores nacionales, regionales y locales, representantes del sector público, privado o sociedad civil; además del acompañamiento científico proporcionado por la universidad de Zurich.
El objetivo de la evaluación externa fue medir el avance de los resultados alcanzados y las perspectivas de desarrollar una segunda fase del mismo, para lo cual un grupo conformado por tres expertos (dos nacionales y uno internacional) analizaron la documentación relacionada al proyecto, efectuaron entrevistas individuales y grupales, además de participar en talleres de sistematización y evaluación.
Documento 2: This is a diagnosis about the social demographic and economic profile of three regions taken in 2018. This study provide information about characteristics of populations, geographic areas, etc. Read More...
Documento 1: El proyecto “Glaciares 513: Adaptación al cambio climático y reducción de riesgos de desastres por el retroceso de los glaciares en la Cordillera de los Andes (2011 – 2015)” tiene como finalidad contribuir a mejorar la capacidad de adaptación integral y de reducción de riesgos por desastres frente al fenómeno de retroceso de glaciares en el Perú, particularmente en las regiones de Ancash y Cusco; siendo su implementación liderada por un consorcio integrado por CARE Perú y la Universidad de Zurich.El proyecto busca fortalecer las capacidades para el monitoreo e investigación de glaciares en el Perú, así como las capacidades técnico-operativas para traducir el conocimiento científico y brindarle a las comunidades aledañas a los glaciares información necesaria para su adaptación y la reducción de vulnerabilidades, todo ello contando con condiciones institucionales que garanticen la sostenibilidad de dichas acciones en el marco de la adaptación al cambio climático en el país, particularmente en las regiones de Ancash y Cusco. Esta propuesta implica que la intervención debe considerar la interacción entre ciencia y práctica, contando para ello con la participación de actores nacionales, regionales y locales, representantes del sector público, privado o sociedad civil; además del acompañamiento científico proporcionado por la universidad de Zurich.
El objetivo de la evaluación externa fue medir el avance de los resultados alcanzados y las perspectivas de desarrollar una segunda fase del mismo, para lo cual un grupo conformado por tres expertos (dos nacionales y uno internacional) analizaron la documentación relacionada al proyecto, efectuaron entrevistas individuales y grupales, además de participar en talleres de sistematización y evaluación.
Documento 2: This is a diagnosis about the social demographic and economic profile of three regions taken in 2018. This study provide information about characteristics of populations, geographic areas, etc. Read More...
Women and Girls Safe Spaces in Rohingya Camps
As the Rohingya Response of Bangladesh nears the two-year mark, the response has evolved from immediate emergency life-saving provisions to other supports (protection, health, nutrition etc). One aspect of this crisis is that majority are women and children (52% women & girls, 55% children under 18)(Rohingya Response Gender Analysis, Lulia, Mita et al, 2018) . Thus, responses specific to needs of women and girls are of crucial importance. At the heart of this are Women and Girls’ Safe Space (WGSS) locally called shantikhana (Center of Peace). As UNFPA defines:
“A safe space is a formal or informal place where women and girls feel physically and emotionally safe. The term ‘safe,’ in the present context, refers to the absence of trauma, excessive stress, violence (or fear of violence), or abuse. It is a space where women and girls, being the intended beneficiaries, feel comfortable and enjoy the freedom to express themselves without the fear of judgment or harm.”
CARE Bangladesh conducted an inter-agency study that analyzes collective experience of organizations serving survivors of GBV and other Rohingya women visiting WGSS to understand key successes, good practice, challenges and way-forward. Read More...
“A safe space is a formal or informal place where women and girls feel physically and emotionally safe. The term ‘safe,’ in the present context, refers to the absence of trauma, excessive stress, violence (or fear of violence), or abuse. It is a space where women and girls, being the intended beneficiaries, feel comfortable and enjoy the freedom to express themselves without the fear of judgment or harm.”
CARE Bangladesh conducted an inter-agency study that analyzes collective experience of organizations serving survivors of GBV and other Rohingya women visiting WGSS to understand key successes, good practice, challenges and way-forward. Read More...
Applying Behavioral Science to Humanitarian Cash & Voucher Assistance for Better Outcomes for Women in MENA
Ideas42 and CARE International conducted research in three of CARE’s countries of presence—Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey—to develop a thorough understanding of the contexts in which women recipients in these settings receive, make decisions on, and use CVA to support themselves and their households. In the pages that follow, we aim to share behavioral insights that shed new light on the many challenges facing women when using CVA in humanitarian settings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In summary, some of the key design principles that can increase the impact of CVA for women include minimizing the mental burdens placed on women throughout the transfer process, priming women to affirm positive identities at key times, making the full range of what CVA can be used for visible, and framing CVA in ways that encourages planning and careful consideration of spending priorities.
Though the guidance is best used during project assessment and design, it can be adapted to different phases in the project cycle. Users are encouraged to ensure that a wider range of specialists participate in discussions seeking to incorporate the guidance—including CVA Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) teams, and sector specialists or technical leads. It can also be used as a point of reflection for evaluation or after-action reviews. In addition, the involvement of program support staff and senior management will be valuable to ensure that the points are actionable and properly resourced. Overall, we hope that this guidance at the least starts a wider conversation on applied behavioral science in the humanitarian space and encourages humanitarian organizations to work to implement behaviorally-informed programs with CVA. Read More...
Though the guidance is best used during project assessment and design, it can be adapted to different phases in the project cycle. Users are encouraged to ensure that a wider range of specialists participate in discussions seeking to incorporate the guidance—including CVA Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) teams, and sector specialists or technical leads. It can also be used as a point of reflection for evaluation or after-action reviews. In addition, the involvement of program support staff and senior management will be valuable to ensure that the points are actionable and properly resourced. Overall, we hope that this guidance at the least starts a wider conversation on applied behavioral science in the humanitarian space and encourages humanitarian organizations to work to implement behaviorally-informed programs with CVA. Read More...
Les rêves des jeunes nigérien (nes) entre précarité, incertitude et Espoir
Au Niger, la Cellule d’Analyse des Politiques publiques et d’Évaluation de l’action Gouvernementale (CAPEG), a publié les résultats d’une étude d’envergure nationale pilotée par l’Unité Études et Recherche de la CAPEG. Cette étude sur les aspirations des jeunes a fait ressortir des points saillants qu’il faut nécessairement prendre au sérieux. Titre illustratif, il ressort clairement que les attentes des jeunes d’aujourd’hui ne sont pas les mêmes que celles des jeunes d’antan. L’étude a fait ressortir des connaissances capitales sur les dynamiques de jeunesses au Niger. Les résultats de l’étude interpellent toutes les institutions en charge des questions de jeunesse donc dont CARE pour la mise en œuvre des recommandations clef. C’est pour marquer cette volonté et prouver avec Evidence que l’avenir de la jeunesse est un axe stratégique important pour CARE International qu’une collecte de données plus qualitative dont les cibles sont les jeunes a été lancée dans l’ensemble des pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Les résultats des données et histoires recueillies confirme davantage plusieurs conclusions de l’étude conduite par le CAPEG notamment celle où il faut investir sur les jeunes. Pour paraphraser M. KOFI Annan, ancien Secrétaire général des Nations Unies qui disait : ‘’Personne ne nait bon citoyen ; aucune nation ne nait démocratique. Mais pour tous deux, il s’agit plutôt de processus en constante évolution. Les jeunes doivent être inclus dès leur naissance. Une société qui se coupe de sa jeunesse se coupe de sa source de vie et se condamne à mort’.’ Read More...