Baseline
CARE Rwanda, Digital CARE Package Project Baseline Report
CARE has designed an end-to-end Digital CARE Package that combines a suite of proven and high-potential interventions with the economies of scale represented by VSLAs to elevate women’s digital inclusion. The VSLA Digital CARE Package (DCP) will deliver pre-loaded smartphones to Voluntary Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) alongside digital skills building and interventions that engage men and boys to shift restrictive gender norms. The approach will be adapted based on group characteristics and needs. In Rwanda, the program started implementation in May 2022.
The baseline survey employed quantitative survey approach using individual questionnaire. The study sample was 300 VSLA members selected from of 50 VSLAs of which 20 VSLAs from those using Chomoka and 30 from VSLA supported by Gender and Women Economic Empowermnt Program (GEWEP III) and DEAL projects in 3 districts of Nyanza, Huye and Ruhango, all in the southern province of Rwanda. Both purposive and random sampling techniques were used to allow each VSLA member to have the same probability of being chosen at any stage during the sampling process but also have women and members in management committee represented. In total, 291 respondents were interviewed (74% female and 26% male) Read More...
The baseline survey employed quantitative survey approach using individual questionnaire. The study sample was 300 VSLA members selected from of 50 VSLAs of which 20 VSLAs from those using Chomoka and 30 from VSLA supported by Gender and Women Economic Empowermnt Program (GEWEP III) and DEAL projects in 3 districts of Nyanza, Huye and Ruhango, all in the southern province of Rwanda. Both purposive and random sampling techniques were used to allow each VSLA member to have the same probability of being chosen at any stage during the sampling process but also have women and members in management committee represented. In total, 291 respondents were interviewed (74% female and 26% male) Read More...
Somali Girls Education Promotion Project Transition (SOMGEP-T) Baseline
CARE International launched SOMGEP and, following its successful completion, continued its programming through Somali Girls’ Education Promotion Project – Transition (SOMGEP-T). The project, which began on May 1 2017 and is expected to close on October 31 2021, builds on evidence from SOMGEP and seeks to further address barriers and challenges Somali girls face related to attendance and learning outcomes. At proposal stage, the project was expected to reach a total of 27,146 marginalised girls; calculations based on up to date enrolment data indicate that the project is estimated to reach 27,722 in-school girls across 148 primary schools and 53 secondary schools in Somaliland, Puntland, and Galmudug, as well as 5,140 out-of-school girls in the same locations.
SOMGEP-T aims to bring about sustainable improvements to the learning and transition outcomes of marginalised Somali girls. To address barriers and the causes of marginalisation, the SOMGEP-T Theory of Change (ToC) focuses on four key outputs: (1) Improved access to post-primary options, (2) Supportive school practices and conditions for marginalised girls, (3) Positive shifts on gender and social norms at community and individual girl level, and (4) Enhanced MoEs’ capacity to deliver quality and relevant formal and informal education. Outputs are expected to contribute to the achievement of the project’s four intermediate outcomes of attendance, retention, improved quality of teaching, and life skills development, which will in turn contribute to the long-term goals of improving learning outcomes, boosting transition rates, and ensuring the sustainability of changes brought about by the project.
The SOMGEP-T evaluation uses a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design, involving a longitudinal panel of girls with a non-randomly assigned comparison group. The baseline sample comprises 76 schools, with 38 intervention schools and 38 comparison schools. The primary findings from the evaluation are summarised below. Read More...
SOMGEP-T aims to bring about sustainable improvements to the learning and transition outcomes of marginalised Somali girls. To address barriers and the causes of marginalisation, the SOMGEP-T Theory of Change (ToC) focuses on four key outputs: (1) Improved access to post-primary options, (2) Supportive school practices and conditions for marginalised girls, (3) Positive shifts on gender and social norms at community and individual girl level, and (4) Enhanced MoEs’ capacity to deliver quality and relevant formal and informal education. Outputs are expected to contribute to the achievement of the project’s four intermediate outcomes of attendance, retention, improved quality of teaching, and life skills development, which will in turn contribute to the long-term goals of improving learning outcomes, boosting transition rates, and ensuring the sustainability of changes brought about by the project.
The SOMGEP-T evaluation uses a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design, involving a longitudinal panel of girls with a non-randomly assigned comparison group. The baseline sample comprises 76 schools, with 38 intervention schools and 38 comparison schools. The primary findings from the evaluation are summarised below. Read More...
BASELINE EVALUATION FOR THE KENYA RESILIENT ARID LANDS PARTNERSHIP FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLUS (RAPID+) PROGRAM
The baseline evaluation was conducted in the five Counties of Isiolo, Turkana (Turkana West Sub-County only), Wajir, Garissa, and Marsabit, in the month of April 2022. A mixed-method study approach was used entailing: a desk review of secondary literature; quantitative household interviews of 1970 household heads; Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) of 40 County Governments staff and private sector stakeholders from the water, livestock, and rangelands resources
development sectors; and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with community members and leaders as managers and users of water and rangelands resources Read More...
development sectors; and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with community members and leaders as managers and users of water and rangelands resources Read More...
ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATUS AND NEEDS FOR IMPROVING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY OF FEMALE GARMENT WORKERS
This study aimed to identify difficulties that female garment workers were facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their need to improve professional knowledge and skills, to further understand their work and their job-changing desires. This information will lay the basis for the implementation of training programs and job matching platforms targeting female garment workers in the southern cities/provinces such as Dong Nai, Hau Giang provinces, and HCMC. Read More...
Sierra Leone: Smallholder farmers and the global food crisis
The war between Russia and Ukraine has led to unprecedented price shocks in food, energy, and fertilizer globally due to the centrality of both countries in the functionality of these markets. Like in most countries in the world, Sierra Leone is severely affected by these shocks. Prices of food and non-food commodities have also increased exponentially.
Poor smallholder farmers—who already struggled to produce enough food—are facing severe impacts because they can no longer afford inputs and related services. Food security, especially among the rural population who depend largely on farming as a primary source of livelihood, is therefore of grave concern. Farmers are reporting that they are only planting half the field size, the price of seeds and fertilizer has more than doubled, and "low production levels of food crops is inevitable."
To understand the current impact of the global food crisis on smallholder farmers and their (farmers) resilience in the local context, CARE engaged participants of its Solar Harnessed Entrepreneurs project in two communities in the north of the country. The aim is to obtain first-hand information on affordability of inputs, impact of these shocks especially on women farmers and farmers’ coping mechanisms in the wake of the current global crisis.
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Poor smallholder farmers—who already struggled to produce enough food—are facing severe impacts because they can no longer afford inputs and related services. Food security, especially among the rural population who depend largely on farming as a primary source of livelihood, is therefore of grave concern. Farmers are reporting that they are only planting half the field size, the price of seeds and fertilizer has more than doubled, and "low production levels of food crops is inevitable."
To understand the current impact of the global food crisis on smallholder farmers and their (farmers) resilience in the local context, CARE engaged participants of its Solar Harnessed Entrepreneurs project in two communities in the north of the country. The aim is to obtain first-hand information on affordability of inputs, impact of these shocks especially on women farmers and farmers’ coping mechanisms in the wake of the current global crisis.
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ETUDE DE BASE : Projet Walindé
L’Extrême Nord du Cameroun est confronté depuis plusieurs années à des problématiques structurelles. La vulnérabilité des ménages à l’insécurité alimentaire, au réchauffement climatique ou encore aux épidémies, a été exacerbée par la crise sécuritaire autour du Lac Tchad, ayant causé un déplacement important de population.
Elle est la région la plus pauvre du Cameroun, avec 74% de la population vivant sous le seuil de pauvreté (mois d’1,125€/jour) contre 37,5% au niveau national (INS : 2014). De plus, l’incidence de la pauvreté est plus élevée en milieu rural (66%) qu’en milieu urbain (7%).
L’Extrême Nord dispose d’une faible couverture en services de base, notamment en matière d’eau et d’assainissement. D’après l’UNICEF, le taux d’accès à l’eau potable dans le Nord du Cameroun est de 53% contre 73% dans le Centre du pays (UNICEF : 2017). En 2017, seuls 16% des écoles dans le Mayo Tsanga et 24% dans le Mayo Kani – les deux départements d’intervention – disposent d’un accès à l’eau. Le ratio latrine par élève est compris entre 249 pour le Mayo Kani et 352 pour le Mayo Tsanga, soit 5 à 6 fois plus que les standards fixés par l’UNICEF. Le nombre restreint d’infrastructures adaptées, telles que les latrines sexospécifiques, constitue un frein à la scolarisation des enfants notamment des jeunes filles.1 L’absence d’intimité pour changer ou nettoyer les protections menstruelles, de matériel hygiénique, ainsi que les tabous autour des menstruations poussent de nombreuses filles à quitter l’école lors de leurs règles.
Dans les zones rurales, la présence de dispositifs de lavage de mains (DLM) fonctionnels au sein des écoles reste rare, ce qui limite fortement le lavage des mains des élèves et des enseignants ainsi que la mise en pratique des mesures de prévention contre la COVID-19. Faute de moyens, d’infrastructures et de formations, les enseignements relatifs à l’eau, l’hygiène et l’assainissement ne se traduisent pas systématiquement par le changement des comportements.
Pour répondre à cette situation, le projet de CARE Cameroun envisage de mettre en oeuvre le projet intitulé « aider les autres », ou « Walindé » en langue Fulfuldé, dont l’objectif global est de renforcer l'accès aux services de bases en matière d'eau, d'hygiène et d'assainissement (EHA) et aux services informels d'épargne et de crédit dans la région de l'Extrême Nord du Cameroun. De manière spécifique, cet objectif se traduit à travers l’amélioration la couverture en eau potable et l’accès aux services d'épargne et de crédit pour les femmes et les jeunes dans les communes de Mokolo, Hina, Yagoua, Kaélé.
CARE est intervenu dans les communes de Mokolo et Hina (Mayo Tsanga), Yagoua et Kaélé (Mayo Danay), respectivement dans le cadre des projets RESILIANT (2017-2020), COOPERER I et II (2016-2017 / 2019-2020). La continuité de ces programmes est actuellement assurée par les projets PEREN (Mokolo et Hina) et COOPERER III (Yagoua et Kaélé), qui visent respectivement (1) au renforcement de la résilience des populations vulnérables face aux crises alimentaires, (2) à l’amélioration de l’accès aux services sociaux de bases et aux opportunités économiques. Read More...
Elle est la région la plus pauvre du Cameroun, avec 74% de la population vivant sous le seuil de pauvreté (mois d’1,125€/jour) contre 37,5% au niveau national (INS : 2014). De plus, l’incidence de la pauvreté est plus élevée en milieu rural (66%) qu’en milieu urbain (7%).
L’Extrême Nord dispose d’une faible couverture en services de base, notamment en matière d’eau et d’assainissement. D’après l’UNICEF, le taux d’accès à l’eau potable dans le Nord du Cameroun est de 53% contre 73% dans le Centre du pays (UNICEF : 2017). En 2017, seuls 16% des écoles dans le Mayo Tsanga et 24% dans le Mayo Kani – les deux départements d’intervention – disposent d’un accès à l’eau. Le ratio latrine par élève est compris entre 249 pour le Mayo Kani et 352 pour le Mayo Tsanga, soit 5 à 6 fois plus que les standards fixés par l’UNICEF. Le nombre restreint d’infrastructures adaptées, telles que les latrines sexospécifiques, constitue un frein à la scolarisation des enfants notamment des jeunes filles.1 L’absence d’intimité pour changer ou nettoyer les protections menstruelles, de matériel hygiénique, ainsi que les tabous autour des menstruations poussent de nombreuses filles à quitter l’école lors de leurs règles.
Dans les zones rurales, la présence de dispositifs de lavage de mains (DLM) fonctionnels au sein des écoles reste rare, ce qui limite fortement le lavage des mains des élèves et des enseignants ainsi que la mise en pratique des mesures de prévention contre la COVID-19. Faute de moyens, d’infrastructures et de formations, les enseignements relatifs à l’eau, l’hygiène et l’assainissement ne se traduisent pas systématiquement par le changement des comportements.
Pour répondre à cette situation, le projet de CARE Cameroun envisage de mettre en oeuvre le projet intitulé « aider les autres », ou « Walindé » en langue Fulfuldé, dont l’objectif global est de renforcer l'accès aux services de bases en matière d'eau, d'hygiène et d'assainissement (EHA) et aux services informels d'épargne et de crédit dans la région de l'Extrême Nord du Cameroun. De manière spécifique, cet objectif se traduit à travers l’amélioration la couverture en eau potable et l’accès aux services d'épargne et de crédit pour les femmes et les jeunes dans les communes de Mokolo, Hina, Yagoua, Kaélé.
CARE est intervenu dans les communes de Mokolo et Hina (Mayo Tsanga), Yagoua et Kaélé (Mayo Danay), respectivement dans le cadre des projets RESILIANT (2017-2020), COOPERER I et II (2016-2017 / 2019-2020). La continuité de ces programmes est actuellement assurée par les projets PEREN (Mokolo et Hina) et COOPERER III (Yagoua et Kaélé), qui visent respectivement (1) au renforcement de la résilience des populations vulnérables face aux crises alimentaires, (2) à l’amélioration de l’accès aux services sociaux de bases et aux opportunités économiques. Read More...
Building Livelihoods and Resilience within Climate Change (BLRCC) Project in Kalomo District of Southern Province
The baseline was conducted to establish baseline values on agriculture, nutrition, and climate change-related topics. Specific objectives included: examining knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and practices related to agriculture, nutrition, gender, and livelihoods of small-scale farmers in the district and identifying programmatic priorities and approaches through in-depth interviews with key stakeholders such as government staff, and community leaders, and project beneficiaries. Read More...
Baseline Study of the Resilience Food Security Activities (RFSAs) in Niger
This report is a baseline study of three Resilience Food Security Activities (RFSAs) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (legacy Office of Food for Peace [FFP] in Niger. Part of the Resilience in the Sahel-Enhanced (RISE) initiative, the RFSAs in Niger are: Girma in the Zinder region, implemented by Catholic Relief Services; Hamzari in the Maradi region, implemented by CARE; and Wadata in the Zinder region, implemented by Save the Children. The RFSAs aim to address critical challenges in food security, nutrition, and poverty, and to improve the resilience of households and communities. The baseline study included a representative population-based survey (PBS) of 2,325 households (775 households per RFSA area). Data collection was scheduled for May–April 2020 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic fieldwork was suspended until local regulations and conditions indicated that face-to-face interviewing could safely resume with COVID-19 mitigation procedures in place. The survey was conducted in September 2020 and ended at the start of the harvest period in October 2020. The sample was selected using a multi-stage clustered sampling design to provide a statistically representative sample of the three RFSA areas. The questionnaire was streamlined from the standard FFP questionnaire for a non-permissive environment. Estimates of impact-level indicators pertaining to poverty and anthropometry were expected to be derived from the RISE II baseline survey, scheduled to take place a few months after the RFSA baseline survey. Read More...
Supporting meaningful civic engagement for improved accountability by leveraging digital technologies
The baseline assessment for the “Supporting meaningful civic engagement for improved accountability by leveraging digital technologies” project was conducted to develop values for baseline indicators and provide evidence with regards to the degree of satisfaction and level of dialogue target beneficiary groups have with public service providers. Data from this baseline assessment will enable comparisons between the start, during the course of the project, and at the end of the project. Baseline respondents were chosen from key project beneficiaries: citizens, youth (aged 15 to 30 years old), local authorities/services providers (commune and district levels, healthcare centers, and primary schools), and Community Accountability Facilitators (CAFs). A total of 906 respondents were interviewed for the baseline. Read More...
My Forest, My Livelihood, My Family program (FUTURES) Baseline report
The FUTURES—My Forest, My Livelihood, My Family program (FUTURES) serves communities in the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve (YCFBR) located in Southwestern Ethiopia, in Oromia Regional State. The YCFBR encompasses the Hurumu, Yayo, Bilo Nopa, Alge-Sachi, and Doreni woredas of Illu-Abba Bora zone and Chora woreda of Buno Bedele zone and includes protected forest area as well as designated areas for economic activities like coffee and spice production, commercial forest plantations and eco-tourism, and areas where many traditional and modern agricultural practices take place.
Households in the area depend on a combination of small-scale agricultural and forest management systems dominated by traditional agronomic practices and characterized by a lack of crop diversity and low productivity. Deforestation, degradation, and increased loss of biodiversity are major concerns for sustainable agricultural and livelihood practice in the region. Social, gender, and cultural barriers have historically limited women’s and youth’s engagement in agricultural and economic sectors. High rates of early and forced marriage, and limited availability of reproductive health and family planning services, especially youth-friendly services, may further limit women and youth from participating meaningfully in agricultural practice and livelihood generation. Government services and local civil society organizations in the area operate at a limited capacity, and their offices are male-dominated and do not meaningfully incorporate a gendered approach to their work (Gebrehanna and Seyoum, 2020).
The three-year FUTURES project was launched in April 2021 to address many of the health, environment, and livelihood concerns of the YCFBR region. The project is implemented by CARE Ethiopia and its three local partners, Oromia Development Association (ODA), Environment and Coffee Forest Forum (ECFF), and Kulich Youth Reproductive Health and Development Organization (KYRHDO). The FUTURES project evaluation, funded by USAID, and led by Data for Impact (D4I), aims to understand the impact of the FUTURES project on key health, agricultural, and livelihood and conservation behavioral outcomes, and to contribute to knowledge about the implementation of cross-sectoral programs, including monitoring, evaluations, and learning (MEL) of such programs. Read More...
Households in the area depend on a combination of small-scale agricultural and forest management systems dominated by traditional agronomic practices and characterized by a lack of crop diversity and low productivity. Deforestation, degradation, and increased loss of biodiversity are major concerns for sustainable agricultural and livelihood practice in the region. Social, gender, and cultural barriers have historically limited women’s and youth’s engagement in agricultural and economic sectors. High rates of early and forced marriage, and limited availability of reproductive health and family planning services, especially youth-friendly services, may further limit women and youth from participating meaningfully in agricultural practice and livelihood generation. Government services and local civil society organizations in the area operate at a limited capacity, and their offices are male-dominated and do not meaningfully incorporate a gendered approach to their work (Gebrehanna and Seyoum, 2020).
The three-year FUTURES project was launched in April 2021 to address many of the health, environment, and livelihood concerns of the YCFBR region. The project is implemented by CARE Ethiopia and its three local partners, Oromia Development Association (ODA), Environment and Coffee Forest Forum (ECFF), and Kulich Youth Reproductive Health and Development Organization (KYRHDO). The FUTURES project evaluation, funded by USAID, and led by Data for Impact (D4I), aims to understand the impact of the FUTURES project on key health, agricultural, and livelihood and conservation behavioral outcomes, and to contribute to knowledge about the implementation of cross-sectoral programs, including monitoring, evaluations, and learning (MEL) of such programs. Read More...