Endline Evaluation of Haushala Initiative of LEAD Program

Care Nepal has been implementing Haushala project which was designed to strengthen girls’ agency along with education outcomes, economic empowerment and adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) practices, hence helping to build sustainable change, including through creating a safer and more secure learning environment, facilitating social networks and gradually transforming traditional social norms with a negative impact on girls. The project also aimed to improve accountability and gender responsiveness of service providers for improved learning for girls.

During the evaluation both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using questionnaires, FGD and KII checklist for girls, parents, head teachers, cooperatives and school management committee. The data collection faced few limitations arising from COVID-19 which limited the logistical flexibility of the project along with created greater ethical consideration regarding health of the enumerators.

Girls reported that they perceived high parental support in their studies but this perception decreased with age. Parents and Girls both credit UALC and its program for aiding them and their children to attend formal schools. Parents were highly motivated by UALC and its stakeholders to help their daughter(s) to join formal education. However, it was also observed that the effort put by stakeholders such as schools and social mobilisers on influencing the parents who did not enroll their daughter(s) in formal school after UALC was not enough. But, as the transition was already very high and parents who did not send their daughter(s) for the first time were not that willing to re-enroll. Hence, the project can be deemed a success to certain point. [151 pages]