Ethiopia
Socio-Economic Status Analysis for Potential Job Creation Interventions Assessment Report
CARE Ethiopia is implementing a three-year project entitled “Water for Food Security, Women’s Empowerment and Environmental Protection (SWEEP)” in East and West Belesa Woredas of Central Gonder Zone, Amhara Regional State. The project focuses on marginalized rural women and girls, people with disabilities and unemployed youth. As one of the project activities, this “socio-economic status analysis of unemployment among youth (15-29) and other vulnerable target groups (female family heads and persons with disability) for potential job creation interventions” was conducted.
In this assessment, the sustainable livelihood analysis framework was used to understand the socio- economic context of the target group. Read More...
In this assessment, the sustainable livelihood analysis framework was used to understand the socio- economic context of the target group. Read More...
Mid-Term Strategic Review of the Livelihoods for Resilience Activity
CARE commissioned a Mid-Term Strategic Review (MTSR) of the Livelihoods for Resilience Activity to formulate recommendations for the remaining life of the project to increase effectiveness in achieving sustainable impact. The Livelihoods for Resilience Activity is being implemented in 27 Woredas in the three regions of Tigray, Amhara, and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples and is just over the midway point in its five-year life from December 5, 2016, through December 3, 2021. The purpose of the Livelihoods for Resilience Activity is to reduce food insecurity and increase resilience for 97,900 chronically food insecure households that are enrolled in the fourth cycle of the Government of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP4), enabling them to graduate with resilience from the PSNP4.
The MTSR for the Livelihoods for Resilience Activity was a formative evaluation exercise intended to provide guidance on ways to improve the effectiveness of the program in achieving intended impact.
Relative to the four global learning questions for the MTSR (see page 4), the MTSR found that the model that the Livelihoods for Resilience Activity is implementing is effective for achieving graduation with resilience, but because frontline delivery is constrained by the number of staff, their technical capacities and the degree of supervision and support that they receive, interventions are not always going deeply enough to ensure behavioral change. The program is empowering women both economically and socially through the VESA platform, but there are significant variations between regions; and outside of the VESA, there is some evidence to suggest that women’s empowerment has not yet been well incorporated, especially in value chain participation and MFI linkages. Progress is certainly being made in transferring ideas and knowledge to PSNP counterparts, but that has not yet translated into practice mainly because of resource constraints. Key approaches that need to be added or strengthened in the coming two years include expanding frontline delivery capacities, expanding efforts to ensure that strategies and approaches are well understood by implementation staff at all levels in all partners, ensuring that women’s empowerment is included in all approaches by all partners, and looking for new ways to facilitate access to jobs, either through self-employment or wage employment, for youth from PSNP households.
The Livelihoods for Resilience Activity is already doing some very nice work in starting to achieve sustainable impact. The project has strong potential to be recognized as a “great” project if it can make some adjustments.
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The MTSR for the Livelihoods for Resilience Activity was a formative evaluation exercise intended to provide guidance on ways to improve the effectiveness of the program in achieving intended impact.
Relative to the four global learning questions for the MTSR (see page 4), the MTSR found that the model that the Livelihoods for Resilience Activity is implementing is effective for achieving graduation with resilience, but because frontline delivery is constrained by the number of staff, their technical capacities and the degree of supervision and support that they receive, interventions are not always going deeply enough to ensure behavioral change. The program is empowering women both economically and socially through the VESA platform, but there are significant variations between regions; and outside of the VESA, there is some evidence to suggest that women’s empowerment has not yet been well incorporated, especially in value chain participation and MFI linkages. Progress is certainly being made in transferring ideas and knowledge to PSNP counterparts, but that has not yet translated into practice mainly because of resource constraints. Key approaches that need to be added or strengthened in the coming two years include expanding frontline delivery capacities, expanding efforts to ensure that strategies and approaches are well understood by implementation staff at all levels in all partners, ensuring that women’s empowerment is included in all approaches by all partners, and looking for new ways to facilitate access to jobs, either through self-employment or wage employment, for youth from PSNP households.
The Livelihoods for Resilience Activity is already doing some very nice work in starting to achieve sustainable impact. The project has strong potential to be recognized as a “great” project if it can make some adjustments.
Read More...
Learning for Change (L4C): Strengthening Women’s Voices in East Africa (Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda)
CARE Austria, together with CARE Ethiopia, CARE Uganda and CARE Rwanda, has been implementing a three-year regional programme, “Learning for Change (L4C): Strengthening Women’s Voices in East Africa”, financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and CARE Austria. The programme started from 1st April 2016 to 31st March 2019. The core of this programme was organisational capacity development to support transforming gender norms.
The objective was: “268,622 women and girls are meaningfully participating in decision-making at household, community,
local and national levels”. The programme theory of change defined three expected results areas (ERs) to reach this objective:
ER 1: Improved organisational climate in partner organisations and CARE reflects transformative GED and psychosocial wellbeing.
ER 2: Programmes and knowledge systems reflect an integrated gender transformative approach in the design, implementation and reporting of CARE and partners.
ER 3: Women’s voices influence strategic forums concerning women, peace and security at national and international levels (contributing to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820). The L4C programme partners have included: CARE Austria; CARE Ethiopia with 5 government partners; CARE Uganda with 7 NGO partners; and CARE Rwanda with 6 NGO partners.
The main objective of the evaluation is to assess, measure and present the progress and success of the implementation of the L4C program (outputs and outcomes), draw out lessons learnt and provide recommendations based on these findings. The methodologies of the evaluation have included documents review; key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and self-completed most significant change (MSC) tools; reflection and review workshops; qualitative analysis; and presentation at a validation workshop. Read More...
The objective was: “268,622 women and girls are meaningfully participating in decision-making at household, community,
local and national levels”. The programme theory of change defined three expected results areas (ERs) to reach this objective:
ER 1: Improved organisational climate in partner organisations and CARE reflects transformative GED and psychosocial wellbeing.
ER 2: Programmes and knowledge systems reflect an integrated gender transformative approach in the design, implementation and reporting of CARE and partners.
ER 3: Women’s voices influence strategic forums concerning women, peace and security at national and international levels (contributing to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820). The L4C programme partners have included: CARE Austria; CARE Ethiopia with 5 government partners; CARE Uganda with 7 NGO partners; and CARE Rwanda with 6 NGO partners.
The main objective of the evaluation is to assess, measure and present the progress and success of the implementation of the L4C program (outputs and outcomes), draw out lessons learnt and provide recommendations based on these findings. The methodologies of the evaluation have included documents review; key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and self-completed most significant change (MSC) tools; reflection and review workshops; qualitative analysis; and presentation at a validation workshop. Read More...
Towards Economic and Sexual Reproductive Health Outcomes for Adolescent Girls (TESFA) Ex-Post Evaluation Report
TESFA project (Towards Improved Economic and Sexual Reproductive Health Outcomes for Adolescent Girls) was launched in 2010 which targeted ever-married adolescent girls’ economic status and reproductive health. The project envisioned to mitigate the effects of early marriage among ever-married adolescent girls in two woredas, Farta and Lay Gayint, of South Gondar zone in the Amhara regional state of Ethiopia. The project aimed to reach five thousand adolescent girls having marital history under the age of 19 in 25 kebeles in the two woredas, with the goal of achieving measurable positive change in their economic empowerment and sexual and reproductive health status. The project operated through four programmatic arms: Economic empowerment only (EE only), Sexual and reproductive health only (SRH-only), Economic empowerment with sexual and reproductive health (combined) and a delayed implementation arm (Delayed comparison).
This sustainability assessment (Ex-Post Evaluation) was conducted in the areas where TESFA project was implemented for three years to improve economic (EE-only), and sexual and reproductive health (SRH-only) outcomes for ever‐married adolescent girls (10 - 19 years old). The Ex-post evaluation is conducted four years after the completion of TESFA project to assess the sustainability and auto-replication of original girls groups formed by TESFA project. Qualitative approach with purposive sampling method was employed in this sustainability study. Ever married girls groups from the former TESFA project SRH and EE arms, SAA group members (Adult male and female community members) in the SRH Arm, and different level government officials such as Kebele Officials, Health Extension Workers (HEW) and experts from different government offices were participants in the study. Detail information about the group was pulled from archived documents at field office and mapping exercise was done by identifying the girl groups with the help of CARE field office and SAA members in each kebele prior to the focus groups and key-informant interviews. Read More...
This sustainability assessment (Ex-Post Evaluation) was conducted in the areas where TESFA project was implemented for three years to improve economic (EE-only), and sexual and reproductive health (SRH-only) outcomes for ever‐married adolescent girls (10 - 19 years old). The Ex-post evaluation is conducted four years after the completion of TESFA project to assess the sustainability and auto-replication of original girls groups formed by TESFA project. Qualitative approach with purposive sampling method was employed in this sustainability study. Ever married girls groups from the former TESFA project SRH and EE arms, SAA group members (Adult male and female community members) in the SRH Arm, and different level government officials such as Kebele Officials, Health Extension Workers (HEW) and experts from different government offices were participants in the study. Detail information about the group was pulled from archived documents at field office and mapping exercise was done by identifying the girl groups with the help of CARE field office and SAA members in each kebele prior to the focus groups and key-informant interviews. Read More...
Learning for Change: Strengthening Women’s Voices in East Africa
Learning for Change (L4C) Strengthening Women’s Voices in East Africa is a 3-year regional programme ending in March 2019. L4C has the aim of promoting the meaningful participation of women in decision-making processes at household, community, local and national levels in Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda. The programme is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA)1, implemented by CARE Austria in cooperation with CARE Country Offices in Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda. It includes capacity development, and advocacy relating to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Austria, at European Union level and in the Great Lakes Region. The programme directly contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially on Gender Equality (SDG5) and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325). Read More...
Dutch Relief Alliance Horn of Africa Joint Response in Ethiopia and Somalia/Somaliland
This evaluation assesses the impact of the Dutch Relief Alliance’s (DRA) multi-sectoral Horn of Africa (HoA) joint response implemented in Somaliland and Ethiopia from April to December 2018. The five project components, i.e. Food security and livelihood (FSL); Livestock and agriculture; Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); Health; and Nutrition, were assessed against a set of key evaluation criteria including relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, impact, localization, accountability, gender mainstreaming, and coordination.
In addition to an in-depth desk review of the DRA HoA joint response documentation to examine quantifiable targets and progress, the evaluation was conducted through qualitative and quantitative data collection in four different project locations in four different regions. In order to provide variety of geography, context, implementing partners, and project components, Bulale (Jarar), Kabri Dahar (Korahe), Ainabo (Sool), and Lughaya (Awdal) were selected. A total of 29 key informant interviews and eight focus group discussions targeting 72 beneficiaries were conducted. A quantitative
household survey collected data from 428 beneficiaries across all four locations.
Based on findings in this report, the DRA’s greatest strength lies in its coordination and flexibility between implementing partners and ability to adapt to changing local contexts. This was seen across multiple project locations when dealing with insecurity in the Somali region of Ethiopia and Sanaag region of Somaliland or changing project activities in Awdal region after the cyclone in May severely impacted the local situation. Partners also felt the CARE focal point was extremely communicative and responsive and that decisions could be approved at higher levels within a few hours, which was particularly relevant for an emergency response program when response time is crucial. The DRA was
effective in incorporating localization measures into their program designs as well. While many of the partners have had established field offices in the target locations for many years, in some cases program activities were implemented through local NGOs who have an in-depth understand of the local context and well-established relationship with the communities they work in.
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In addition to an in-depth desk review of the DRA HoA joint response documentation to examine quantifiable targets and progress, the evaluation was conducted through qualitative and quantitative data collection in four different project locations in four different regions. In order to provide variety of geography, context, implementing partners, and project components, Bulale (Jarar), Kabri Dahar (Korahe), Ainabo (Sool), and Lughaya (Awdal) were selected. A total of 29 key informant interviews and eight focus group discussions targeting 72 beneficiaries were conducted. A quantitative
household survey collected data from 428 beneficiaries across all four locations.
Based on findings in this report, the DRA’s greatest strength lies in its coordination and flexibility between implementing partners and ability to adapt to changing local contexts. This was seen across multiple project locations when dealing with insecurity in the Somali region of Ethiopia and Sanaag region of Somaliland or changing project activities in Awdal region after the cyclone in May severely impacted the local situation. Partners also felt the CARE focal point was extremely communicative and responsive and that decisions could be approved at higher levels within a few hours, which was particularly relevant for an emergency response program when response time is crucial. The DRA was
effective in incorporating localization measures into their program designs as well. While many of the partners have had established field offices in the target locations for many years, in some cases program activities were implemented through local NGOs who have an in-depth understand of the local context and well-established relationship with the communities they work in.
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Promoting Resilient Livelihoods in Borana (RESET II) – Midterm
RESET II project, which began in October 2016, has been implemented for 42 months with a total budget Euro 6,586,291 and is financed by European Commission through European Union Trust Fund (EUTF). Implemented through a multi stakeholders consortium which included CARE Ethiopia, Oromo Self Help Organization (OSHO) and Action Against Hunger (AAH), the project was designed to address root causes of displacement and irregular migration in Arero, Miyo, Dire, Moyale, Dillo and Dhas Woredas within the Borena Zone, Oromia region. With the overall aim of enhancing the resilience of over 100,000 PSNP and other vulnerable communities, of which over 70,000 are women covering 21,000 households in total, the project results framework consists of five outcomes i.e. improved access and coverage of health and nutrition, diversified and increased livelihood opportunities and incomes, improved Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) capacity, enhanced research and knowledge management systems and reduced barriers to women empowerment. In order to achieve the above aim, the project partners employed CARE’s Pastoralist Resilience Casual Model (PRCM) using proven CARE’S Village Saving and Loan Association (VSLA), Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (CVCA), Social Analysis and Action (SAA), Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) and AAH’s as well as Assisting Behavior change (ABC) methods and approaches throughout the project implementation.
The main purpose of this evaluation is to assess the progress, achievements, constraints and lessons learnt from the implementation of the project and to produce sufficient evidence that would help achieve the project overall objective. With that in mind, while the primary audiences for the evaluation are the consortium partners and the European Union, the secondary audience could also include relevant sector government offices and other Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) implementing similar projects as lessons learned here may guide similar programming. Read More...
The main purpose of this evaluation is to assess the progress, achievements, constraints and lessons learnt from the implementation of the project and to produce sufficient evidence that would help achieve the project overall objective. With that in mind, while the primary audiences for the evaluation are the consortium partners and the European Union, the secondary audience could also include relevant sector government offices and other Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) implementing similar projects as lessons learned here may guide similar programming. Read More...
Summative Evaluation for Food Sufficiency for Farmers
The evaluation primarily focused on assessing the overall performance of the project, ultimate and intermediate outcomes and the way in which they individually and collectively contribute to ultimate outcomes of the project in particular and overall goal of PSNP in general. In addition, this evaluation seeks to capture the project lessons learned at different levels including drawing out the rationale of why and how the project results were achieved. The evaluation covers, West Hararghe, East Hararghe, and South Gondar zones that are intervention areas of the project results from 2013-14 and 2017-18.
Supported and funded by the GAC, the five-year FSF project has been implemented by CARE Canada and CARE Ethiopia in close partnership with relevant government intuitions and private sector partners from 2013-14 and 2017-18. With a budget of CAD$13,052,440, of which CAD$ 12,000,000 was contributed by GAC and CAD$ 1,052,440 by CARE, the project was implemented in a total of 11 woredas within Oromia and Amhara Regions. In the Oromia Region, the project was active in two zones, West Hararghe (in Odabultum, Doba, Messela and Tullo woredas) and in East Hararghe (Kurfa-Chelle, Haromaya, Meta and Deder woredas). In the Amhara region, South Gondar Zone, the project was implemented in Simada, Ebinat and Tach-Gayant woredas. The overall objective of the project is to increase the beneficiary household’s income to equal CAD$ 400 over the life of the project and to ensure beneficiaries are food secure. The project’s total primary beneficiaries’ number is 42,887 PSNP households and out of these, 34,310, including 5,000 Female Headed Households (FHH), are expected to achieve sustained graduation from food aid. [222 pages] Read More...
Supported and funded by the GAC, the five-year FSF project has been implemented by CARE Canada and CARE Ethiopia in close partnership with relevant government intuitions and private sector partners from 2013-14 and 2017-18. With a budget of CAD$13,052,440, of which CAD$ 12,000,000 was contributed by GAC and CAD$ 1,052,440 by CARE, the project was implemented in a total of 11 woredas within Oromia and Amhara Regions. In the Oromia Region, the project was active in two zones, West Hararghe (in Odabultum, Doba, Messela and Tullo woredas) and in East Hararghe (Kurfa-Chelle, Haromaya, Meta and Deder woredas). In the Amhara region, South Gondar Zone, the project was implemented in Simada, Ebinat and Tach-Gayant woredas. The overall objective of the project is to increase the beneficiary household’s income to equal CAD$ 400 over the life of the project and to ensure beneficiaries are food secure. The project’s total primary beneficiaries’ number is 42,887 PSNP households and out of these, 34,310, including 5,000 Female Headed Households (FHH), are expected to achieve sustained graduation from food aid. [222 pages] Read More...
EU-Recovery Midterm Evaluation Workshop Summary
The project aims to enhance the social and economic stability in the drought affected areas through supporting the recovery of livelihoods of the affected population and building their resiliency in the target 18 Woredas/Districts of the Oromia, Amhara and Tigray national regional states.
The project contract with the donor EU was signed in March 2016 while the project implementation was started retroactively in January 2016, with budget of Euro 18 million for 18 months duration up to July 2017. The project is being implemented jointly by CARE UK/Ethiopia (leading NGO) and SCI, ORDA and REST in 18 Woredas/Districts of the Oromia, Amhara and Tigray national regional states. [8 pages] Read More...
The project contract with the donor EU was signed in March 2016 while the project implementation was started retroactively in January 2016, with budget of Euro 18 million for 18 months duration up to July 2017. The project is being implemented jointly by CARE UK/Ethiopia (leading NGO) and SCI, ORDA and REST in 18 Woredas/Districts of the Oromia, Amhara and Tigray national regional states. [8 pages] Read More...
Graduation with Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Development (GRAD): Midterm
The Feinstein International Center for Tufts University commissioned a Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) of the USAID-funded Feed the Future project entitled Graduation with Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Development (GRAD). The project is being implemented by a consortium of seven partners1 under the leadership of CARE in sixteen Woredas in four regions across Ethiopia (Tigray, Amhara, Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region). Under a Strategic Objective to graduate 50,000 chronically food insecure households from the government's Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) and increase each household’s income by $365 per year, the project has three components, to (1) increase economic options for targeted households through value chain development and access to capital from micro-finance institutions and village-based savings and credit groups, (2) strengthen household and community resilience through interventions targeting women's empowerment, nutritional status, climate change adaptation and household aspirations, and (3) strengthen the enabling environmental to facilitate sustaining and replicating the impact of the project. The total project cost at approval was US$ 23,400,000 for a period of five years from 5 December 2011 through 4 December 2016. [55 pages]
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