Endline Report
Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA) III Final Evaluation Report
Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA) III was the third phase of a five-year project funded by the European Union Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF). It was implemented between January and December 2022 with a three-month no-cost extension (NCE) to March 2023 at the time of evaluation. BORESHA's overall objective remained the same throughout the various phases: to promote economic development and greater resilience, particularly among vulnerable groups. The project activities, carried out in the Mandera Triangle (the area where Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia meet), are primarily a continuation and scaling of what was accomplished in BORESHA I and II, and take a community-driven approach to address the shared nature of the risks and opportunities facing vulnerable people and communities. Read More...
Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU) End of Project Report
The Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU) was a 38-month project implemented between January 2020 and February 2023, with an aim to improve food security, maternal and child nutrition, and household incomes for smallholder farmers in 11 districts of Kitgum, Katakwi, Kaabong, Karenga, Kotido, Moroto, Napak, Nabilatuk, Nakapiriprit, Amudat, and Abim. The project was implemented by a consortium led by CARE Denmark, alongside partners such as Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADC), Dynamic Agro-Pastoral Development Organization (DADO), and Soroti Rural Development Agency (SORUDA). The project had three major outcomes: increased production of diversified food by both men and women smallholder farmers, enhanced market accessibility for these farmers, and improved nutrition and Family Planning services through gender-responsive community-based approaches.
The Project employed an Inclusive Market Development-Based approach, emphasizing economic gender equality, women empowerment, youth engagement, and community-based nutrition, while also focusing on the value chain. This strategy involved multi-stakeholder engagement and synergizing with existing government and development partner initiatives like DADO, CRS, and SORUDA. By implementing this approach, the project provided smallholder farmers with opportunities to enhance their incomes through the cultivation of high-value crops, such as sesame, cotton, soybean, and iron-rich beans. Additionally, measures were taken to ensure sustainability, including integrating activities into the government's PDM approach, building capacity among extension staff, and linking VSLA/SILC/YSLA/PMGs groups to financial institutions and agro input service providers.
A crucial aspect of the project was empowering women and youth, often marginalized in agriculture and rural development. Women were trained in Climate-Smart Agriculture and offered access to markets and finance through VSLA/SILC groups. Furthermore, Role Model Men were involved in raising awareness on gender-responsive actions, family planning, and women empowerment within smallholder farmers' households, fostering attitudinal changes towards gender equality and encouraging women to play an active role in agricultural production.
To achieve success, the project effectively engaged both public and private extension workers, disseminating information on Climate-Smart Agriculture practices to smallholder farmers and boosting production and income. Additionally, collaboration with Tillage Service Providers promoted entrepreneurship among youth and reduced manual labor burdens for smallholder farmers.
Read More...
The Project employed an Inclusive Market Development-Based approach, emphasizing economic gender equality, women empowerment, youth engagement, and community-based nutrition, while also focusing on the value chain. This strategy involved multi-stakeholder engagement and synergizing with existing government and development partner initiatives like DADO, CRS, and SORUDA. By implementing this approach, the project provided smallholder farmers with opportunities to enhance their incomes through the cultivation of high-value crops, such as sesame, cotton, soybean, and iron-rich beans. Additionally, measures were taken to ensure sustainability, including integrating activities into the government's PDM approach, building capacity among extension staff, and linking VSLA/SILC/YSLA/PMGs groups to financial institutions and agro input service providers.
A crucial aspect of the project was empowering women and youth, often marginalized in agriculture and rural development. Women were trained in Climate-Smart Agriculture and offered access to markets and finance through VSLA/SILC groups. Furthermore, Role Model Men were involved in raising awareness on gender-responsive actions, family planning, and women empowerment within smallholder farmers' households, fostering attitudinal changes towards gender equality and encouraging women to play an active role in agricultural production.
To achieve success, the project effectively engaged both public and private extension workers, disseminating information on Climate-Smart Agriculture practices to smallholder farmers and boosting production and income. Additionally, collaboration with Tillage Service Providers promoted entrepreneurship among youth and reduced manual labor burdens for smallholder farmers.
Read More...
Chomoka Savings Group Member Insights
Results from rapid surveys with 269 Chomoka members who use the Chomoka savings app to manage their group savings and record keeping from the Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA). Some key results are:
* 35% said their quality of life was "very much improved"
* 30% spoke of investing in an existing business, and 16% investing in a new business.
* 36% said crop revenue very much increased, and 35% said crop production very much increased. Read More...
* 35% said their quality of life was "very much improved"
* 30% spoke of investing in an existing business, and 16% investing in a new business.
* 36% said crop revenue very much increased, and 35% said crop production very much increased. Read More...
Technologically Enhanced Agricultural Livelihoods (TEAL)
interviews, focus groups discussion with community women and men and relevant project stakeholders, and reflection with project team and partner. (2) Secondary sources included data from the desk review with the relevant project documents such as project reports, project MEL data, local reports, relevant policy and statistical data from the baseline study and MTR. The evaluation report is structured in three parts. Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Findings (Demographic characteristics of the survey sample are showed in Section 2.1. Section 2.2 demonstrates the project outreach. Sections 2.3 to 2.8 give the evaluation criteria. PwD participation is covered in
sections 2.9 and sections 2.10 discusses how the Project contributes to preventing gender-based violence (GBV)); and Chapter 3: Conclusion and recommendation. The findings in the final evaluation report (are presented in Chapter 2) are summarized here:
● Project Outreach: The TEAL project has realized the plan in reaching out to the intended beneficiaries, in terms of numbers. At the endline, the number of direct beneficiaries is significantly higher than the target. The same goes for the number of indirect beneficiaries.
● Relevance: (i) The TEAL project complies fully with the approaches of CARE's WEE Framework; (ii) The approaches of the TEAL Project are consistent with the long-term orientations of Son La and Dien Bien and are considered a leverage to achieve the provincial economic development objectives; (iii) The Project is suitable for the needs of ethnic minorities and the needs of people with disabilities in many respects; and (iv) The TEAL project has found every creative solution to meet the needs of people with disabilities in the project.
● Coherence is assessed high when the project's intervention is not overlapped/duplicated with other similar interventions that takes place in the same location, target the same beneficiaries and aims for the same impacts. Project coherence is also considered high when it is implemented as a complemented to other interventions in terms of resources and approaches
● Effectiveness: Almost indicators are achieved, even some of them have exceeded the plan. However, there are still a few limitations, such as: the design of VSLA has not significantly contributed to the achievement of expected outcome 3 - EM women in the Arabica coffee value chain are financially included
● Impacts: The changes in women's agency are generated by contribution from TEAL intervention. The project also builds women's relationships with other actors in the specialty arabica coffee value chain by supporting a lead processing actor who is committed to inclusive business. An unexpected positive impact of the Project is to build a culture of enjoying local specialty coffee among the coffee-growers community. Another unexpected positive effect was noted. The TEAL Project has contributed to building a sustainable relationship between processing groups and leading coffee experts in Vietnam.
● Sustainability: (i) Both male and female project beneficiaries are highly available and committed to continue project's activities; (ii) At the end of project evaluation, two women-led processing groups (Ara-Tay Cooperative and CFCE) were able to understand the concept of fixed asset depreciation and formulate a plan on using profits estimated from business operations to replace existing equipment by purchasing new machinery at the end of the depreciation period; (iii) The large investment of the Project for Ara-Tay Cooperative and CFCE while the number of their satellites remains low indicates a risk of distribution of the project benefits in the long run if these two processors are not proactive in extending links to new satellite farmers; and (iv) The project has done a good job when introducing processing solutions that have less impact on the environment .
● Engagement of PwD: The stories shared by the participants in the final evaluation strongly illustrate PwD's engagement in the TEAL Project.
● Gender-based Violence: In recent times, it has been observed that the number of quarrels between husband and wife has been a lot decreased. Men are more aware that forbidding their wives to engage in social activities is also a type of violence. The Pearson's Chi-squared test shows that the correlation between participation in discussions about gender and gender inequality held by the TEAL Project and the change in social norm about domestic violence was statistically significant. Read More...
sections 2.9 and sections 2.10 discusses how the Project contributes to preventing gender-based violence (GBV)); and Chapter 3: Conclusion and recommendation. The findings in the final evaluation report (are presented in Chapter 2) are summarized here:
● Project Outreach: The TEAL project has realized the plan in reaching out to the intended beneficiaries, in terms of numbers. At the endline, the number of direct beneficiaries is significantly higher than the target. The same goes for the number of indirect beneficiaries.
● Relevance: (i) The TEAL project complies fully with the approaches of CARE's WEE Framework; (ii) The approaches of the TEAL Project are consistent with the long-term orientations of Son La and Dien Bien and are considered a leverage to achieve the provincial economic development objectives; (iii) The Project is suitable for the needs of ethnic minorities and the needs of people with disabilities in many respects; and (iv) The TEAL project has found every creative solution to meet the needs of people with disabilities in the project.
● Coherence is assessed high when the project's intervention is not overlapped/duplicated with other similar interventions that takes place in the same location, target the same beneficiaries and aims for the same impacts. Project coherence is also considered high when it is implemented as a complemented to other interventions in terms of resources and approaches
● Effectiveness: Almost indicators are achieved, even some of them have exceeded the plan. However, there are still a few limitations, such as: the design of VSLA has not significantly contributed to the achievement of expected outcome 3 - EM women in the Arabica coffee value chain are financially included
● Impacts: The changes in women's agency are generated by contribution from TEAL intervention. The project also builds women's relationships with other actors in the specialty arabica coffee value chain by supporting a lead processing actor who is committed to inclusive business. An unexpected positive impact of the Project is to build a culture of enjoying local specialty coffee among the coffee-growers community. Another unexpected positive effect was noted. The TEAL Project has contributed to building a sustainable relationship between processing groups and leading coffee experts in Vietnam.
● Sustainability: (i) Both male and female project beneficiaries are highly available and committed to continue project's activities; (ii) At the end of project evaluation, two women-led processing groups (Ara-Tay Cooperative and CFCE) were able to understand the concept of fixed asset depreciation and formulate a plan on using profits estimated from business operations to replace existing equipment by purchasing new machinery at the end of the depreciation period; (iii) The large investment of the Project for Ara-Tay Cooperative and CFCE while the number of their satellites remains low indicates a risk of distribution of the project benefits in the long run if these two processors are not proactive in extending links to new satellite farmers; and (iv) The project has done a good job when introducing processing solutions that have less impact on the environment .
● Engagement of PwD: The stories shared by the participants in the final evaluation strongly illustrate PwD's engagement in the TEAL Project.
● Gender-based Violence: In recent times, it has been observed that the number of quarrels between husband and wife has been a lot decreased. Men are more aware that forbidding their wives to engage in social activities is also a type of violence. The Pearson's Chi-squared test shows that the correlation between participation in discussions about gender and gender inequality held by the TEAL Project and the change in social norm about domestic violence was statistically significant. Read More...
Strategic Evaluation Report Education for Ethnic Minorities Program: Cambodia
Since 2002, CARE1 has worked in partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and other stakeholders such as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to develop and implement a multi-lingual education (MLE) model within the Education for Ethnic Minorities (EEM) program. The total amount of funding contributed to this Program since 2002 is AUD17.5million by 24 donors, not including donations from the Australian public.
The MLE model aims to increase ethnolinguistic minority children’s access to, and the quality of, primary and secondary education. Ethnolinguistic minorities (hereafter referred to as ethnic minorities) are groups of people who share a culture and/or ethnicity and/or language that distinguishes them from other groups of people and are either fewer in terms of number or less prestigious in terms of power than the dominant groups in the state. In Cambodia, ethnic minority groups are generally located in the five highland provinces of north-eastern Cambodia – Kratie, Mondul Kiri, Preah Vihear, Ratanak Kiri, and Stung Treng. There are 20 ethnic minority spoken languages across these five provinces. Brao, Bunong, Kavet, Kreung and Tampeun2 are used as the L1 of the MLE program in the relevant provinces, with Jarai and Kuy in the process of being adopted (Ball and Smith, 2018).
CARE’s mother tongue MLE model using ethnic minority languages and Khmer was piloted in Ratanak Kiri beginning in 2003 after a year’s preparations and has been expanded to four additional north-eastern provinces (Mondul Kiri, Stung Treng, Kratie, and Preah Vihear) under the government’s Multilingual Education National Action Plan (MENAP 2015-2018). In recent years, CARE shifted from its original role as direct implementer to that of a technical advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia. The program is unprecedented internationally as having gone from a successful community-based initiative run by community school management committees and using community-selected teachers, to being institutionalized as part of government policy for improving access to and quality of education for ethnic minority learners. Read More...
The MLE model aims to increase ethnolinguistic minority children’s access to, and the quality of, primary and secondary education. Ethnolinguistic minorities (hereafter referred to as ethnic minorities) are groups of people who share a culture and/or ethnicity and/or language that distinguishes them from other groups of people and are either fewer in terms of number or less prestigious in terms of power than the dominant groups in the state. In Cambodia, ethnic minority groups are generally located in the five highland provinces of north-eastern Cambodia – Kratie, Mondul Kiri, Preah Vihear, Ratanak Kiri, and Stung Treng. There are 20 ethnic minority spoken languages across these five provinces. Brao, Bunong, Kavet, Kreung and Tampeun2 are used as the L1 of the MLE program in the relevant provinces, with Jarai and Kuy in the process of being adopted (Ball and Smith, 2018).
CARE’s mother tongue MLE model using ethnic minority languages and Khmer was piloted in Ratanak Kiri beginning in 2003 after a year’s preparations and has been expanded to four additional north-eastern provinces (Mondul Kiri, Stung Treng, Kratie, and Preah Vihear) under the government’s Multilingual Education National Action Plan (MENAP 2015-2018). In recent years, CARE shifted from its original role as direct implementer to that of a technical advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia. The program is unprecedented internationally as having gone from a successful community-based initiative run by community school management committees and using community-selected teachers, to being institutionalized as part of government policy for improving access to and quality of education for ethnic minority learners. Read More...
HAMORIS Project (Hamenus Mortalidade no Risku ba Inan Sira)
This report is an end-stage evaluation of CARE International Timor-Leste’s HAMORIS project. The HAMORIS project aims at contributing to lasting reductions in maternal mortality and morbidity by increasing the number of women accessing quality Sexual Reproductive and Maternal Health Services (SRMHS).
There are four sets of conclusions drawn from the findings:
• There is increased access and utilization of improved quality SRMHS by women and men in the targeted communities of the HAMORIS project
• Normative changes towards acceptance of Gender Equality and less tolerance for GBV, have been produced as a consequence of the project
• There are unintended consequences for marginalised voices, including PWD
• Many of the recommendations of the MTR were followed but further time, resources needed to implement them all. Read More...
There are four sets of conclusions drawn from the findings:
• There is increased access and utilization of improved quality SRMHS by women and men in the targeted communities of the HAMORIS project
• Normative changes towards acceptance of Gender Equality and less tolerance for GBV, have been produced as a consequence of the project
• There are unintended consequences for marginalised voices, including PWD
• Many of the recommendations of the MTR were followed but further time, resources needed to implement them all. Read More...
KUKUA NI KUJIFUNZA (GROWING IS LEARNING) PROJECT
the knowledge and skills acquired by participating women farmers brought positive changes in their lives. About 72.5% and 61.87% of the female and male respondents respectively reported that the trainings were useful in their day to day lives while 27.5% and 37.35% respectively reported that the trainings were very useful. However, 0.78% of female respondents reported that the trainings were not useful. Enabling gender equality and empowering vulnerable and rural small-scale women farmers was an important aspect in the KnK project. Consequently, rural small-scale women farmers were the most targeted in the KnK project. Out of 341 respondents from 15 villages, 260 (76.2%) were female, and 81 (23.8%) were male. People with disabilities were 101 (2.6%) out of the 3,825 direct participants of the KnK project.
Participants in the KnK project were given an opportunity to engage in soya production as one of the strategies to eradicate malnutrition. During the endline evaluation process, it was revealed that a high proportion of the KnK participants (99.2%) engaged in soya beans production. Before the KnK project, soya was not ranked as a food crop implying that farmers did not know its nutrition value, and that the crop was not considered as a reliable source of household income. The endline evaluation revealed that farmers realized the value of soya crop production, in terms of nutrition value and source of income. The mode of operandi of the KnK project laid a solid foundation that could make it sustain for years to come. The legacy of the project in terms of knowledge and skills acquired by participants, as well as the positive changes in their lives, may encourage them to sustain
activities implemented during the project. In fact, there is cause for participants to continue to engage in economic and social activities implemented by the KnK project. The KnK project had good institutional arrangements in place, and this made it easier to coordinate the project activities. Strong partnership with other stakeholders contributed significantly to overall performance of the project. Read More...
Participants in the KnK project were given an opportunity to engage in soya production as one of the strategies to eradicate malnutrition. During the endline evaluation process, it was revealed that a high proportion of the KnK participants (99.2%) engaged in soya beans production. Before the KnK project, soya was not ranked as a food crop implying that farmers did not know its nutrition value, and that the crop was not considered as a reliable source of household income. The endline evaluation revealed that farmers realized the value of soya crop production, in terms of nutrition value and source of income. The mode of operandi of the KnK project laid a solid foundation that could make it sustain for years to come. The legacy of the project in terms of knowledge and skills acquired by participants, as well as the positive changes in their lives, may encourage them to sustain
activities implemented during the project. In fact, there is cause for participants to continue to engage in economic and social activities implemented by the KnK project. The KnK project had good institutional arrangements in place, and this made it easier to coordinate the project activities. Strong partnership with other stakeholders contributed significantly to overall performance of the project. Read More...
Young Men’s Initiative (YMI) Impact Study Research
Since 2006, a coalition of local, regional, and international organizations has been promoting positive masculine identities under the banner of the Young Men Initiative (YMI). YMI is a regional program built upon CARE’s comprehensive and programmatic effort to fight interpersonal and gender based violence (GBV), as well as improve gender equality in the region and address preventative measures related to youth extremism and violence. The program is being implemented in municipalities and high schools in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Croatia, Kosovo*1, and Serbia. The heart of YMI is “Program Y” (youth), which focuses on transforming the school environment into one that promotes gender equality and a culture of non-violence. The core of Program Y’s intervention is a series of group educational workshops accompanied by social norms campaigns that promote a
critical and personal reflection on gender, masculinities, and health, with a strong focus on violence prevention. The objective of the impact study is to discover the changes that occurred in implementation sites in terms of the
perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of young people in the period from 2014 until 2020 in key program areas: (1) gender attitudes; (2) violence prevention; (3) sexual and reproductive health; (4) alcohol and drug abuse; and (5) the prevention of sexual violence, as a result of the direct engagement of CARE and its partners. The study also aims to identify which methods and approaches Read More...
critical and personal reflection on gender, masculinities, and health, with a strong focus on violence prevention. The objective of the impact study is to discover the changes that occurred in implementation sites in terms of the
perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of young people in the period from 2014 until 2020 in key program areas: (1) gender attitudes; (2) violence prevention; (3) sexual and reproductive health; (4) alcohol and drug abuse; and (5) the prevention of sexual violence, as a result of the direct engagement of CARE and its partners. The study also aims to identify which methods and approaches Read More...