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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...
Pakistan Multi-sector Integrated Emergency Response – Phase 2
Care Pakistan, Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP) and Fast Rural Development Programme (FRDP) jointly implemented DEC funded project titled, “Multi-Sector Integrated Emergency Response project to support the recovery of flood-affected people in Districts Dadu and Badin, Sindh province. The primary goal of the project was to deliver a comprehensive range of services to recover the needs of individuals affected by the floods. This initiative aimed to enhance the affected population's resilience and aid in their recovery from the aftermath of the floods. The following five project outcomes were designed to deliver an integrated response to the needs generated by the damages caused by the floods in terms of 1) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), 2) Education, 3) Protection, 4) Livelihood and 5) MPCA:
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Increased access to clean drinking water for flood affected communities in target areas and provide better facilities for vulnerable groups.
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Improved learning environment for children enrolled in schools in flood affected target area
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Increased protection services to communities
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Increased livelihood support to communities
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Awareness raising and capacity building regarding the DRR.
CARE Pakistan intended to conduct endline evaluation of the project and contracted a consultancy firm, CDMSD to assess performance of the project on Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Development Assistance Committee (DAC) OECD-DAC criteria (Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact and Sustainability) and document its achievements, challenges, best practices, and the learning aspects for all stakeholders, with the aim of informing future similar programming. Further to assess the project strategies and interventions on and their quality criteria with specific focus on DNH, participation, inclusion and accountability strategies of the project.
The consultant employed a mixed approach comprised of qualitative and quantitative data to collect primary data and desk review for secondary data collection. 404 households were interviewed through sample beneficiary survey beside 10 FGDs with men and women and 16 Key Informant Interview conducted with project staff and relevant stakeholders. Appropriate quality control measures were put in place to ensure completeness and accuracy of the collected data. Read More...
•
Increased access to clean drinking water for flood affected communities in target areas and provide better facilities for vulnerable groups.
•
Improved learning environment for children enrolled in schools in flood affected target area
•
Increased protection services to communities
•
Increased livelihood support to communities
•
Awareness raising and capacity building regarding the DRR.
CARE Pakistan intended to conduct endline evaluation of the project and contracted a consultancy firm, CDMSD to assess performance of the project on Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Development Assistance Committee (DAC) OECD-DAC criteria (Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact and Sustainability) and document its achievements, challenges, best practices, and the learning aspects for all stakeholders, with the aim of informing future similar programming. Further to assess the project strategies and interventions on and their quality criteria with specific focus on DNH, participation, inclusion and accountability strategies of the project.
The consultant employed a mixed approach comprised of qualitative and quantitative data to collect primary data and desk review for secondary data collection. 404 households were interviewed through sample beneficiary survey beside 10 FGDs with men and women and 16 Key Informant Interview conducted with project staff and relevant stakeholders. Appropriate quality control measures were put in place to ensure completeness and accuracy of the collected data. Read More...
Curiosity Collective : Evidence of Social Changes for Women in Savings Groups
CARE has been working with Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) since it first launched the model in Niger in 1991. Over the years, VSLAs have reached more 7.6 MILLION members to form 357,000 groups in 51 countries. 81% of these members are women.
The economic impacts of the groups are well documented. Women and men in VSLA groups save between an estimated $400 and $700 million each year. In West Africa, 3.2 million women participate in VSLA. The savings and credit can be transformational, helping women start businesses, pay school fees, and access emergency loans when they have a crisis in the family. A randomized controlled trial of VSLAs conducted by Innovations for Poverty Action showed that VSLAs substantially increased women’s access to financial services, income, and ability to start businesses.
Perhaps more important, but less formally documented, is the impact that VSLAs have on women themselves, and the social fabric of their communities. Anecdotally, women themselves often point to increases in self-confidence, independence, and a greater belief in their own ability to change things in their lives, as the VSLA impacts that are most important to them. For example, one woman in Niger says, “[VSLA]1 has opened my eyes
and now I do not hide anymore and I speak a lot.”
Read More...
The economic impacts of the groups are well documented. Women and men in VSLA groups save between an estimated $400 and $700 million each year. In West Africa, 3.2 million women participate in VSLA. The savings and credit can be transformational, helping women start businesses, pay school fees, and access emergency loans when they have a crisis in the family. A randomized controlled trial of VSLAs conducted by Innovations for Poverty Action showed that VSLAs substantially increased women’s access to financial services, income, and ability to start businesses.
Perhaps more important, but less formally documented, is the impact that VSLAs have on women themselves, and the social fabric of their communities. Anecdotally, women themselves often point to increases in self-confidence, independence, and a greater belief in their own ability to change things in their lives, as the VSLA impacts that are most important to them. For example, one woman in Niger says, “[VSLA]1 has opened my eyes
and now I do not hide anymore and I speak a lot.”
Read More...
Aid obstruction in Gaza
Aid agencies working in Gaza are demanding the international community take action to address the Israeli government’s continuing and increasing obstruction of aid. While Israeli military attacks on Gaza intensify, lifesaving food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and tents have been systematically blocked from entering.
New data backed up by recent footage reveals the scale of aid obstruction, which is driving a humanitarian disaster, leaving the entire population of Gaza facing hunger and disease, and almost half a million at risk of starvation. Read More...
New data backed up by recent footage reveals the scale of aid obstruction, which is driving a humanitarian disaster, leaving the entire population of Gaza facing hunger and disease, and almost half a million at risk of starvation. Read More...
Ukraine Rapid Gender Analysis 2024
This Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) applies a gender lens to better understand specific needs, priorities, and barriers to services and life-saving assistance available to war-affected people in Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, CARE has conducted several gender analyses1 in the country to highlight the compounding vulnerabilities of internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees, and non-displaced people across diversity categories such as women, adolescents, female-headed households (FHHs), Roma communities, LGBTQI+ people, people with a disability, and older people. This RGA builds upon that foundation to better understand how pre-existing vulnerabilities are changing over time as the war evolves, while centring the essential role of women’s rights organisations (WROs) in the humanitarian response.
A mixed methods approach was used to collect, consolidate, and analyse qualitative and quantitative data for this RGA. While being triangulated with secondary sources, primary data was collected during the months
of March and April 2024 in Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Kharkivska, Khersonska, Mykolaivska, Odeska, and Zaporizka oblasts. These locations were selected based on the population size of people in need of assistance,
with the addition of three oblasts (Donetska, Khersonska and Zaporizka) since the 2023 RGA.
The RGA primary data comprised: a household survey (HHS) with 2,027 respondents; 17 focus group discussions (FGDs) with displaced and resident people of different genders and ages, both in rural and urban areas; and 23 key informant interviews (KIIs). The KIIs were with sector-specific and cross-cutting theme leads and gender focal points within the humanitarian response, and representatives of the Government of Ukraine (GoU) authorities and international and national non-governmental organisations (INGOs and NNGOs), including WROs and organisations representing the Roma and LGBTQI+ communities.
Building upon the findings of the 2023 RGA, the summary below highlights trends and sector-specific findings to support the development of more inclusive humanitarian programming and inter-agency coordination in Ukraine. Read More...
A mixed methods approach was used to collect, consolidate, and analyse qualitative and quantitative data for this RGA. While being triangulated with secondary sources, primary data was collected during the months
of March and April 2024 in Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Kharkivska, Khersonska, Mykolaivska, Odeska, and Zaporizka oblasts. These locations were selected based on the population size of people in need of assistance,
with the addition of three oblasts (Donetska, Khersonska and Zaporizka) since the 2023 RGA.
The RGA primary data comprised: a household survey (HHS) with 2,027 respondents; 17 focus group discussions (FGDs) with displaced and resident people of different genders and ages, both in rural and urban areas; and 23 key informant interviews (KIIs). The KIIs were with sector-specific and cross-cutting theme leads and gender focal points within the humanitarian response, and representatives of the Government of Ukraine (GoU) authorities and international and national non-governmental organisations (INGOs and NNGOs), including WROs and organisations representing the Roma and LGBTQI+ communities.
Building upon the findings of the 2023 RGA, the summary below highlights trends and sector-specific findings to support the development of more inclusive humanitarian programming and inter-agency coordination in Ukraine. Read More...