Here in CARE International’s Evaluation e-Library we make all of CARE’s external evaluation reports available for public access in accordance with our Accountability Policy.
With these accumulated project evaluations CARE International hopes to share our collective knowledge not only internally but with a wider audience.
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Systems-Level Impact Findings in Bangladesh, Laos, Malawi, and Nepal
This summary examines five CARE examples that produced systems-level change in Laos and Nepal, and traces U.S. policy to improving people’s lives in Bangladesh and Malawi. Across five contexts, external consultants assessed CARE’s systems-level change contributions and impact using CARE’s Systems Level Impact (SLI) framework and its six pathways to impact at scale: supporting and advancing social norms change, service system strengthening and social accountability, supporting social movements, inclusive market-based approaches, and advocacy for policy change.
Some key patterns are evident especially in relation to policy, social norms transformation, accountability structures, and institutional adoption. Read More...
Some key patterns are evident especially in relation to policy, social norms transformation, accountability structures, and institutional adoption. Read More...
LÍNEA DE BASE DEL PROYECTO EMPRENDIMIENTOS RURALES DE MUJERES EN LA PROVINCIA DE AYABACA
The final consultancy report presents the baseline and diagnostic findings for the "Rural Women's Enterprises in Ayabaca Province, Piura" project, targeting five districts prioritized for their high poverty levels. Conducted between October and November 2023, the study utilized surveys, interviews, workshops, and focus groups, engaging primarily women involved in agro-production and crafts. Key findings reveal significant challenges, including low educational attainment, limited access to financial resources, inadequate basic services, and underrepresentation of women in leadership roles. Most women finance their ventures through personal savings, with minimal access to financial systems and markets, constraining their entrepreneurial growth. Despite these barriers, women play a vital role in the province’s agro-economic activities and crafts, yet face high rates of gender-based violence. The report emphasizes the urgent need to strengthen women’s participation in economic development, improve access to training and markets, and address systemic inequalities to enhance income generation and community resilience.
Total Page Count: 71 Read More...
Total Page Count: 71 Read More...
Assessment and mapping of existing systems, mechanisms and networks on conflict resolution and local peacebuilding in Wau and Pariang Counties
South Sudan is the world’s youngest country, having gained independence from Sudan on 9 July, 2011. The country entered into conflict in 2013 with the breakout of a civil war that has led to the displacement of millions, significant loss of human lives, and has impacted the livelihoods of the country’s population. Since the start of the civil war, both international and national actors have invested in numerous peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts to encourage the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and mitigate the disastrous effect of the protracted crisis in South Sudan. While the conflict disproportionately affects women and children, women themselves remain largely excluded from peace processes both at the local and national level. This is largely driven by the patriarchal nature of the South Sudanese society which dictates norms and attitudes limiting women’s empowerment. This acts to enhance their vulnerability to both conflict-induced impacts of violence, and cultural practices and barriers such as early marriage, low levels of education, and economic dependency. Similarly, youth have limited access to platforms through which to engage in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Read More...
Northeast Syria: Rapid Gender Analysis Brief Ar-Raqqa, Deir Ez Zor and Al-Hasakah Governorates
The military escalation between 26 November to 8 December led to the fall of the Assad regime, which has been in power for over five decades, leading to a historic transition period in the region with many unknowns.1 Northeast Syria (NES) has faced continued socio-economic instability and a multitude of compounding crises related to conflict and climate disasters, which has disproportionately affected women and girls of diverse identities (i.e. female-headed households, widows, older women, adolescents, and those living with disability). Prior to the transition, over 2.6 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in NES,2 and approximately 165,000 individuals lived in 253 IDP sites, of whom 57% were under the age of 18 and 56% were female.3 Since November 27th, an estimated 100,000 people (including 23,000 people fleeing violence in Lebanon4) have arrived in Ar-Raqqa and Al-Hasakah governorates seeking refuge from escalating hostilities across the region, with only 8% of assessed households knowing their intended destination.5
Access to services remains challenging due to various factors such as political unrest, roadblocks by armed groups, supply chain coordination difficulties, limited availability of frontline workers, heightened security threats and curfews, particularly in Al-Hasakah and Ar-Raqqa governorates.6 This civil unrest and population shifts will strain already limited humanitarian services and resources, putting vulnerable populations such as children, people with disabilities, older people, and pregnant and lactating women at greater risk. Emergency collective centers in Tabqa and Raqqa have already reached full capacity, and it is anticipated that more schools in Raqqa, Hasakah, Tabqa, Kobani, and Qamishli will be repurposed as shelters, further interrupting education across the region.7 Furthermore, increased hostilities and political uncertainty may impact women’s participation in political and leadership spaces.
This analysis highlights pre-existing and emerging vulnerabilities and risks within the Ar-Raqqa, Deir Ez Zor, and Al-Hasakah governorates with a focus on gender and age data to inform humanitarian programming in the early stages of the crisis. The Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) methodology is designed to be built progressively and adapted to the shorter time frames, rapidly changing contexts and insecure environments that often characterize humanitarian interventions. Thus, as more information becomes available and the security situation allows, further data will be incorporated into this analysis. Read More...
Access to services remains challenging due to various factors such as political unrest, roadblocks by armed groups, supply chain coordination difficulties, limited availability of frontline workers, heightened security threats and curfews, particularly in Al-Hasakah and Ar-Raqqa governorates.6 This civil unrest and population shifts will strain already limited humanitarian services and resources, putting vulnerable populations such as children, people with disabilities, older people, and pregnant and lactating women at greater risk. Emergency collective centers in Tabqa and Raqqa have already reached full capacity, and it is anticipated that more schools in Raqqa, Hasakah, Tabqa, Kobani, and Qamishli will be repurposed as shelters, further interrupting education across the region.7 Furthermore, increased hostilities and political uncertainty may impact women’s participation in political and leadership spaces.
This analysis highlights pre-existing and emerging vulnerabilities and risks within the Ar-Raqqa, Deir Ez Zor, and Al-Hasakah governorates with a focus on gender and age data to inform humanitarian programming in the early stages of the crisis. The Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) methodology is designed to be built progressively and adapted to the shorter time frames, rapidly changing contexts and insecure environments that often characterize humanitarian interventions. Thus, as more information becomes available and the security situation allows, further data will be incorporated into this analysis. Read More...
Baseline Study Report Adaptation in Ecologically Critical Areas in Bangladesh (AECAB)
The Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs) of Bangladesh, especially the Sundarbans and Hakaluki Haor natural resources and biodiversity are crucial for the ECA dependent communities. However, these ecosystems are experiencing many challenges due to human activities, economic pressure, poor governance and adverse effects of climate change. These factors disproportionately affect marginalised groups, including women, persons with disabilities, and ethnic communities in the two ECAs. In response to these challenges, the NABAPALLAB project, supported by the UK Government, aims to improve ecosystem-based protection and restoration and increase climate resilience of ECA dependent communities in the Sundarbans and Hakaluki Haor ECAs. During the inception period, the project has conducted three studies simultaneously: i) An Ecological Assessment and Detailed Scoping Study, ii) Political Economy Analysis, and iii) Baseline Study.
The baseline study serves to establish pre-project conditions, providing essential data for monitoring, evaluation, and learning. It aims to capture baseline data for outcome indicators, disaggregated by sex, disability, and geography, and validate assumptions mentioned in the project's Theory of Change (ToC).
The study scope encompasses:
•
Socio-economic conditions
•
Climate change perceptions
•
Awareness of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA)
•
Locally led adaptation (LLA)
•
Nature-based solutions (NbS)
•
The current status of project intervention areas.
Methodology
The study has applied a mixed approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches by incorporating household surveys (2622 household), Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) (2506 participants) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) (137 respondents). A multi-stage cluster sampling approach was applied to select the sampled households, while diverse community members and stakeholders were engaged through FGD and KII that provided comprehensive insights into local contexts, baseline situation and the needs of the communities in the six intervention areas of the project.
Key findings
1. There are high levels of poverty, landlessness, and climate vulnerability among target communities in both ECAs.
• Food is by far the highest expenditure for households - demonstrating a high proportion of expenditure is simply meeting basic needs.
•It is also the case that a relatively high proportion of expenditure is used on the servicing of debt, again demonstrating the impacts for poor households on having to use debt as a coping mechanism.
• Borrowing money and cutting expenditure are by far the most used coping strategies, with reliance on savings and migration also prevalent.
28% of households in the ECA are landless, while 72% possess land, averaging 5.58 decimals.1 In the Sundarbans ECA, the average landholding is 6.85 decimals, and in Hakaluki ECA, it is 4.18 decimals. This land is used for various purposes, including housing, agriculture, homestead gardening, cattle raising, and fish culture.
2.
Climate-induced disasters severely impact livelihoods and natural resources, with limited awareness of EbA, LLA, and NbS approaches.
• Household surveys reveal that around 91% of respondents were affected by climate hazards and disasters like floods, drought and cyclones in the last 5 years. FGDs participants also highlighted that the vulnerability of the communities is high due to the location of their settlement in a fragile area, with poor infrastructure, climate sensitive livelihoods and lack of access to government Social Safety Net (SSN) services and support.
• Among the households, 32% have incurred loss of income and 23% loss of livelihoods. Over 17% of the respondents mentioned that climate change has increased health risks and medical expenditures in recent years.
• In contrast to relatively high levels of negative coping mechanisms (e.g. borrowing money, or cutting expenditure), few households engaged in planned adaptation i.e. changing livelihood options, diversification of crops, changing types of crops.
• The survey results revealed that 94% of the ECAs respondents do not know about LLA and NbS, suggesting considerable scope to work with communities to increase their understanding of these key issues.
3. Access to climate information has been inadequate and there has been a low degree of anticipatory action.
• The survey revealed a low level of information on climate change and a lack of access to important climate information. The survey reveals that overall, 66% of the respondents do not know about the Early Warning System (EWS), around 23% have not received any early warning on floods, and only 11% got some early warning during the floods in the last five years
• When asked if they take measures to strengthen their household infrastructure before local climatic hazards, approximately 57% of respondents in the ECAs reported that they do not take such measures.
4. Access to clean and renewable energy, safe drinking water, and sanitation is inadequate, particularly among vulnerable groups including poor women and ethnic minority communities.
• 97% of surveyed households have access to grid electricity in the ECAs, with 5.3% using solar energy and 0.2% relying on biogas. However, the grid electricity supply is unreliable, with about 63% of these households experiencing load shedding for more than 4 hours daily.
• There is also a significant reliance on traditional fuels (i.e. wood, twigs, cow dung, kerosine etc.) which is likely to have an impact on the broader sustainability of ECAs.
• 41% of respondents collect drinking water from tube wells, followed by Rainwater Harvesting System (RWHS) (22%), pond and dug wells (17%).
• Around 67% of the respondents use pit latrines with ring slabs (a type of improved sanitary latrine), whereas 20% use pit latrines without slabs.
5. Despite some positive trends in joint economic decision-making, women were not systematically included in decision-making around agricultural production.
In key measures women appeared to have moderate levels of inclusion in household decisions. Participation in decision-making on household purchases the surveys demonstrated that on average, across both regions, 68.1% reported having moderate or high levels of participation in these decisions.
•
Nearly three-quarters of the female respondents lacked the right to participate in decision-making in agricultural decision-making. Most female respondents in both regions (around 70.6% - 79.1%) did not share decision-making with their husbands about agricultural land use.
6.
There is little engagement of LGIs in conservation of natural resources, promoting resilient livelihoods. Participation of the community in formal and informal institutions is low.
• Around 93% of ECAs respondents reported that they have no membership and affiliation with the local conservation committees and groups such as Community Patrol Groups (CPG) or Village Conservation Forums (VCF). About 96% of the ECAs respondents have no participation in the decision-making of the Local Government Institutions (LGIs). Participation of vulnerable groups in decision-making is higher (10%) in the Sundarbans ECA than that of Hakaluki Haor (0.2% only).
• The participation of the study population in formal (government-led) and informal (civil society-led, private sector-led) climate-relevant decision-making spaces is also very low in the ECAs. About 6% of the households’ members participated in the decision-making spaces where 98% were male. The project must put more emphasis on the empowerment of people living in poverty and women for their effective participation in local decision processes that may benefit people living in poverty and women for adaptation and resilience building.
• Whilst community members felt that local authorities and committees had an important role to play in supporting farmers and forest-dependent communities, this support is currently inadequate due to constraints like insufficient human resources and capacity. Read More...
The baseline study serves to establish pre-project conditions, providing essential data for monitoring, evaluation, and learning. It aims to capture baseline data for outcome indicators, disaggregated by sex, disability, and geography, and validate assumptions mentioned in the project's Theory of Change (ToC).
The study scope encompasses:
•
Socio-economic conditions
•
Climate change perceptions
•
Awareness of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA)
•
Locally led adaptation (LLA)
•
Nature-based solutions (NbS)
•
The current status of project intervention areas.
Methodology
The study has applied a mixed approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches by incorporating household surveys (2622 household), Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) (2506 participants) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) (137 respondents). A multi-stage cluster sampling approach was applied to select the sampled households, while diverse community members and stakeholders were engaged through FGD and KII that provided comprehensive insights into local contexts, baseline situation and the needs of the communities in the six intervention areas of the project.
Key findings
1. There are high levels of poverty, landlessness, and climate vulnerability among target communities in both ECAs.
• Food is by far the highest expenditure for households - demonstrating a high proportion of expenditure is simply meeting basic needs.
•It is also the case that a relatively high proportion of expenditure is used on the servicing of debt, again demonstrating the impacts for poor households on having to use debt as a coping mechanism.
• Borrowing money and cutting expenditure are by far the most used coping strategies, with reliance on savings and migration also prevalent.
28% of households in the ECA are landless, while 72% possess land, averaging 5.58 decimals.1 In the Sundarbans ECA, the average landholding is 6.85 decimals, and in Hakaluki ECA, it is 4.18 decimals. This land is used for various purposes, including housing, agriculture, homestead gardening, cattle raising, and fish culture.
2.
Climate-induced disasters severely impact livelihoods and natural resources, with limited awareness of EbA, LLA, and NbS approaches.
• Household surveys reveal that around 91% of respondents were affected by climate hazards and disasters like floods, drought and cyclones in the last 5 years. FGDs participants also highlighted that the vulnerability of the communities is high due to the location of their settlement in a fragile area, with poor infrastructure, climate sensitive livelihoods and lack of access to government Social Safety Net (SSN) services and support.
• Among the households, 32% have incurred loss of income and 23% loss of livelihoods. Over 17% of the respondents mentioned that climate change has increased health risks and medical expenditures in recent years.
• In contrast to relatively high levels of negative coping mechanisms (e.g. borrowing money, or cutting expenditure), few households engaged in planned adaptation i.e. changing livelihood options, diversification of crops, changing types of crops.
• The survey results revealed that 94% of the ECAs respondents do not know about LLA and NbS, suggesting considerable scope to work with communities to increase their understanding of these key issues.
3. Access to climate information has been inadequate and there has been a low degree of anticipatory action.
• The survey revealed a low level of information on climate change and a lack of access to important climate information. The survey reveals that overall, 66% of the respondents do not know about the Early Warning System (EWS), around 23% have not received any early warning on floods, and only 11% got some early warning during the floods in the last five years
• When asked if they take measures to strengthen their household infrastructure before local climatic hazards, approximately 57% of respondents in the ECAs reported that they do not take such measures.
4. Access to clean and renewable energy, safe drinking water, and sanitation is inadequate, particularly among vulnerable groups including poor women and ethnic minority communities.
• 97% of surveyed households have access to grid electricity in the ECAs, with 5.3% using solar energy and 0.2% relying on biogas. However, the grid electricity supply is unreliable, with about 63% of these households experiencing load shedding for more than 4 hours daily.
• There is also a significant reliance on traditional fuels (i.e. wood, twigs, cow dung, kerosine etc.) which is likely to have an impact on the broader sustainability of ECAs.
• 41% of respondents collect drinking water from tube wells, followed by Rainwater Harvesting System (RWHS) (22%), pond and dug wells (17%).
• Around 67% of the respondents use pit latrines with ring slabs (a type of improved sanitary latrine), whereas 20% use pit latrines without slabs.
5. Despite some positive trends in joint economic decision-making, women were not systematically included in decision-making around agricultural production.
In key measures women appeared to have moderate levels of inclusion in household decisions. Participation in decision-making on household purchases the surveys demonstrated that on average, across both regions, 68.1% reported having moderate or high levels of participation in these decisions.
•
Nearly three-quarters of the female respondents lacked the right to participate in decision-making in agricultural decision-making. Most female respondents in both regions (around 70.6% - 79.1%) did not share decision-making with their husbands about agricultural land use.
6.
There is little engagement of LGIs in conservation of natural resources, promoting resilient livelihoods. Participation of the community in formal and informal institutions is low.
• Around 93% of ECAs respondents reported that they have no membership and affiliation with the local conservation committees and groups such as Community Patrol Groups (CPG) or Village Conservation Forums (VCF). About 96% of the ECAs respondents have no participation in the decision-making of the Local Government Institutions (LGIs). Participation of vulnerable groups in decision-making is higher (10%) in the Sundarbans ECA than that of Hakaluki Haor (0.2% only).
• The participation of the study population in formal (government-led) and informal (civil society-led, private sector-led) climate-relevant decision-making spaces is also very low in the ECAs. About 6% of the households’ members participated in the decision-making spaces where 98% were male. The project must put more emphasis on the empowerment of people living in poverty and women for their effective participation in local decision processes that may benefit people living in poverty and women for adaptation and resilience building.
• Whilst community members felt that local authorities and committees had an important role to play in supporting farmers and forest-dependent communities, this support is currently inadequate due to constraints like insufficient human resources and capacity. Read More...
Fill the Nutrition Gap (FNGAP) Impact Assessment Report Kyaka II, Kyegegwa District
This document is an impact assessment report for the Fill the Nutrition Gap (FNGAP 1) project, which was implemented in the Kyaka II refugee settlement in Uganda. The project, carried out by CARE and JESE from January 2023 to June 2024, aimed to improve nutrition, resilience, and income generation among vulnerable households, particularly focusing on women and children. The report evaluates the project’s effectiveness through mixed-methods data collection, including household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The findings highlight significant improvements in food security, child feeding practices, and household income, with notable shifts in gender dynamics. However, the report also identifies ongoing challenges, such as crop diseases and water scarcity, and offers recommendations for strengthening the project’s impact, including enhanced agricultural support, financial empowerment, and community engagement. The document provides valuable lessons for future nutrition and food security interventions in similar contexts. Read More...
Scaling Up Farmer Field and Business Schools in Coffee Communities: Uganda Baseline Report Summary
This report presents the key findings of a benchmarking assessment of the Scaling Up Farmer Field and Business Schools in Coffee Communities (SUFFBS-C) project, which aims to promote gender-equitable economic empowerment for 4,000 women farmers and their households in the coffee-growing communities of the Rwenzori subregion. The project is structured around four expected outcomes: (1) increased access and control of women and girls over productive resources; (2) enhanced positive gender and social norms; (3) alternative livelihood options and inclusive markets; and (4) strengthened leadership capacities of women farmers and women’s organizations to advocate for gender-equitable agricultural productivity. The baseline study surveyed 389 respondents (79% female, average age 45), with a strong participation rate (95%). Key findings include improved access to resources, with 78% of women having access to financial services and 74% securing land use rights, although significant challenges remain, particularly in credit access and digital financial services. The study also highlighted barriers to the adoption of new agricultural practices and limitations in leadership training, underscoring ongoing gender-based disparities that hinder women's economic empowerment. These challenges are compounded by deeply rooted social norms, particularly concerning land ownership and decision-making, with married women facing additional restrictions. This evaluation reveals crucial insights into the barriers that need to be addressed for enhancing women's economic potential in these communities. Read More...
Evaluation of the CASCADE Programme in Uganda
This paper introduces and evaluates the CASCADE programme, a joint initiative by GAIN and CARE, supported by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at improving food security and reducing malnutrition for women of reproductive age (WRA) and children in six Sub-Saharan African countries. Running from June 2022 to December 2026, the programme seeks to enhance access to and consumption of healthy diets while increasing resilience to nutritional shocks, particularly for vulnerable populations in Uganda. The baseline report outlines the programme’s objectives, theory of change, research methodology, and initial findings, focusing on community and household-level interventions in domains 3 (community structures) and 4 (women's empowerment in nutrition and climate-resilient practices). It highlights the critical challenges of malnutrition, food insecurity, and the socio-economic and environmental factors influencing dietary outcomes, providing a foundation to guide implementation and measure impact.
Page Count: 110 Read More...
Page Count: 110 Read More...
End Of Project Evaluation Report For Emergency Food Assistance in Nakivale Project, Isingiro District
The Emergency Food Assistance in Nakivale (EFAN) project aimed to address the food security needs of vulnerable refugees in Nakivale settlement, Uganda, through a food voucher system. This project, running from November 2023 to October 2024, focused on groups such as pregnant and lactating women, children under two years, and child-headed households. The evaluation assessed the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. Results showed significant improvements in food security, nutrition, and economic well-being, with 97.1% of beneficiaries reporting better meal frequency. However, challenges such as inadequate support for larger households and exclusion of older refugees were identified. The evaluation concluded with recommendations for expanding targeting criteria, extending project timelines, and integrating additional support to enhance long-term sustainability and resilience for refugees and host communities. Read More...
Baseline Report Evaluation of the CASCADE Programme in Uganda
The Global Alliance for Advanced Nutrition (GAIN) and CARE, with support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, developed the CAtalyzing Strengthened policy aCtion for heAlthy Diets and resilience (CASCADE) programme application. The overarching goal of CASCADE is to improve food security and reduce malnutrition for at least 5 million women of reproductive age (WRA) and children in Benin, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia,
and Mozambique between June 2022 and December 2026. AIR® partnered with GAIN and CARE to design and conduct rigorous mixed methods impact evaluations of the CASCADE programme in the six target countries. The evaluations will answer questions about CASCADE’s causal impact, strengths, and challenges. The impact evaluation focuses on those aspects of the programme that are implemented at the beneficiary level. The evaluation team will also conduct, in 2027, a process evaluation to assess policy and systems-level change as well as implementation fidelity with support from local country teams.
The primary purpose of this baseline report is to document and describe the study sample in Uganda prior to the start of the programme, and to test for equivalence at baseline between the treatment and comparison groups. This report first explains the context, details, and motivation behind the CASCADE programme. Subsequently, it explains the theory of change (ToC), research questions, study design, baseline data collection, sample description, baseline measures of key indicators and domains, and baseline equivalence between the treatment and comparison groups. Lastly, the report provides insights about the nutritional status at baseline of the target population and identifies key areas to guide activities by the programme implementation team. Read More...
and Mozambique between June 2022 and December 2026. AIR® partnered with GAIN and CARE to design and conduct rigorous mixed methods impact evaluations of the CASCADE programme in the six target countries. The evaluations will answer questions about CASCADE’s causal impact, strengths, and challenges. The impact evaluation focuses on those aspects of the programme that are implemented at the beneficiary level. The evaluation team will also conduct, in 2027, a process evaluation to assess policy and systems-level change as well as implementation fidelity with support from local country teams.
The primary purpose of this baseline report is to document and describe the study sample in Uganda prior to the start of the programme, and to test for equivalence at baseline between the treatment and comparison groups. This report first explains the context, details, and motivation behind the CASCADE programme. Subsequently, it explains the theory of change (ToC), research questions, study design, baseline data collection, sample description, baseline measures of key indicators and domains, and baseline equivalence between the treatment and comparison groups. Lastly, the report provides insights about the nutritional status at baseline of the target population and identifies key areas to guide activities by the programme implementation team. Read More...
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