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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...
VSLA By the Numbers: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Impact and ROI of VSLAs
Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) have been a foundational programmatic approach at CARE since 1991. Since then, CARE has helped over 13.7 million people join savings groups. The savings group model has been adopted and adapted by a variety of organizations globally. Through this report, we will examine the social and financial effects and returns of savings groups as well as how groups affected members’ resilience to COVID-19. The results gave an overview of the financial return on investment (ROI), group economic outcomes, savings groups costs, and individual and household effects for savings groups both inside and outside of CARE.
In order to calculate a return on investment, the financial benefit for a typical participant over three years was considered as well as the financial benefits for a replicated VSLA for two years related to the cost that the donor/implementer spends to set up and oversee the VSLA for its first cycle. Using internal CARE data such as budgets, evaluation, and impact reports, the average ROI of costs to establish a saving group was between 7:1 and 20:1. For every $1 invested by CARE, there is evidence for the savings of a typical VSLA participant to increase between $7 and $20. For the average VSLA participant, median income increased by $9.35 (+/- $0.55 USD) within the first year of joining the group for each $1 USD invested. Additionally, average income increased by $18.85 (+/-$1.15 USD) within five years of each $1 USD invested. Using industry data and internal CARE data, this analysis showed that for every $250 USD invested three net new children attended school.
The financial effect of a VSLA appears to outlast the formal lifecycle of the group. Evaluation of VSLAs as they phased out found that the return on savings (ROS) was 50% (+/-10%) during the supported formal lifecycle of the group and decreased to around 35% (+/-19%) after the VSLA is phased out. However, the positive outcomes and impact of participating in VSLAs continue even after project phase out. Members continue saving and getting benefits. Share value even increase for 57% (+/-13%) of groups in the available data.
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In order to calculate a return on investment, the financial benefit for a typical participant over three years was considered as well as the financial benefits for a replicated VSLA for two years related to the cost that the donor/implementer spends to set up and oversee the VSLA for its first cycle. Using internal CARE data such as budgets, evaluation, and impact reports, the average ROI of costs to establish a saving group was between 7:1 and 20:1. For every $1 invested by CARE, there is evidence for the savings of a typical VSLA participant to increase between $7 and $20. For the average VSLA participant, median income increased by $9.35 (+/- $0.55 USD) within the first year of joining the group for each $1 USD invested. Additionally, average income increased by $18.85 (+/-$1.15 USD) within five years of each $1 USD invested. Using industry data and internal CARE data, this analysis showed that for every $250 USD invested three net new children attended school.
The financial effect of a VSLA appears to outlast the formal lifecycle of the group. Evaluation of VSLAs as they phased out found that the return on savings (ROS) was 50% (+/-10%) during the supported formal lifecycle of the group and decreased to around 35% (+/-19%) after the VSLA is phased out. However, the positive outcomes and impact of participating in VSLAs continue even after project phase out. Members continue saving and getting benefits. Share value even increase for 57% (+/-13%) of groups in the available data.
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The Impact of Integrating Cash Assistance into Gender-Based Violence Response in Northwest Syria
Traditionally, refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) have received aid in the form of in-kind assistance. Increasingly, however, cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is being used in humanitarian response to meet the diverse needs of those displaced by crisis and conflict. Preliminary findings by the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) indicate that CVA supports gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response activities, yet humanitarian GBV programming does not comprehensively or consistently consider using CVA. This is a critical gap, as a refugee, internally displaced, and migrant women and girls face multiple risks and incidents of GBV before, during, and after crises. Read More...
Integrated Cash and Gender-Based Violence Programming for IPV Survivors in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Migrant and refugee women and girls are vulnerable to a range of risks before, during, and after humanitarian crises. Intimate partner violence (IPV), a type of gender-based violence (GBV), is among the many protection-specific risks
they face. Traditionally, refugees and internally displaced persons have received aid in the form of in-kind assistance, such as food and blankets. Increasingly, cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is being used in humanitarian response to meet the diverse needs of those displaced by crisis and conflict, enhancing recipients’ autonomy over what they use the funds for. Read More...
they face. Traditionally, refugees and internally displaced persons have received aid in the form of in-kind assistance, such as food and blankets. Increasingly, cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is being used in humanitarian response to meet the diverse needs of those displaced by crisis and conflict, enhancing recipients’ autonomy over what they use the funds for. Read More...
An Operational Learning Brief on Integrating Cash Assistance into Gender-Based Violence Programming in Ocaña, Colombia
With the deterioration of the economic and political situation in Venezuela, a humanitarian crisis has spilled into 16 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, including Colombia. Colombia hosts 2.4 million Venezuelans as at
2021. Internal displacement and confinement escalated in 2019, due to a variety of armed non-state actors competing for income from narcotrafficking, human trafficking, and illegal mining.2 Despite being increasingly overshadowed by the Venezuelan migration crisis, the preexisting internal conflict in Colombia has ensured that the country has the second-largest number of internally displaced persons in the world (after Afghanistan), with an estimated 9.2 million people experiencing protracted displacement. Read More...
2021. Internal displacement and confinement escalated in 2019, due to a variety of armed non-state actors competing for income from narcotrafficking, human trafficking, and illegal mining.2 Despite being increasingly overshadowed by the Venezuelan migration crisis, the preexisting internal conflict in Colombia has ensured that the country has the second-largest number of internally displaced persons in the world (after Afghanistan), with an estimated 9.2 million people experiencing protracted displacement. Read More...
The Effectiveness of Cash Assistance Integrated into Gender-Based Violence Case Management for Forced Migrants, Refugees, and Host Nationals in Norte de Santander, Colombia: A Quasi-Experimental Mixed-Methods Evaluation
As a complement to core aspects of GBV case management, preliminary evidence finds that cash and voucher assistance (CVA) may strengthen survivors’ capacities to recover from GBV and enable access to services. For example, CVA can help a GBV survivor to pay the costs associated with fleeing an abusive relationship, such as temporary accommodation and transportation, and to access legal assistance. There may also be indirect pathways in which CVA could be used by survivors and individuals at risk to reduce their exposure to GBV, such as decreasing their financial dependence on abusive partners or family members and shifting power dynamics in intimate relationships. Read More...
Women’s Voice and Leadership Program Formative Evaluation
The formative evaluation of the Women’s Voice Leadership (WVL) Program covered the period from its announcement in June 2017 to March 2021. The evaluation had three objectives: to determine if and to what extent Global Affairs Canada was “fit for purpose” to support WVL as a feminist program; to determine if WVL’s design features and implementation modalities were relevant and appropriate to address the needs of women’s rights organizations (WROs), and to determine WVL’s progress toward results. Read More...
Ghana: Bringing the inputs one step closer to the farmers
Worldwide, the Ukraine conflict is leading to unparallel price hikes in food, fuel, and fertilizer. Like most countries in the world, Ghana is being impacted by these shocks. In simple words, Ghana is already on the path to growing less food this year. Farmers are not producing enough food crops, which affects their households’ livelihoods, and impacts women and children. To understand more about the current impact of the global food crisis on smallholder farmers and their coping mechanisms in the local context, CARE engaged with farmers in Ghana. Read More...
Rapid Assessment on Inclusion Environment of Persons with Disabilities in Selected Garment Factories in Cambodia
Persons with disabilities are among the most vulnerable in Cambodia and have been particularly disadvantaged by the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 and the response to the pandemic. As part of the GIZ funded project “Strengthening the Economic Resilience of Garment Workers with disabilities during COVID19 and beyond”, implemented by CARE International in Cambodia in partnership with ADD International Cambodia, a rapid assessment was conducted from March to May 2022. The purpose of the assessment was to assess garment factories’ current practice related to Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion and to identify supportive aspects as well as access and inclusion issues related to employment situation of garment factory workers with disabilities. The assessment used participatory multi-stakeholder rights-based approaches to gather qualitative information from 30 different stakeholders, including 16 garment workers with disabilities, 5 garment factory human resource managers as well as 9 representatives from government institutions, NGOs/CSOs, UN agencies and the private sector, supplemented by a literature review and dissemination workshop. Read More...
Strengthening the Economic Resilience of Female Garment Workers during COVID-19 – Phase 2
This is the End of Project Evaluation Report for the Strengthening the Economic Resilience of Female Garment Workers during COVID19 – Phase 2 (SER) Project which was implemented in Phnom Penh, Kandal and Kampong Speu provinces. The Project commenced in July 2021 and concluded in February 2022. The goal of the project was to strengthen the economic resilience of female garment workers who are socially and economically marginalized in Cambodia to cope with the negative impacts of COVID-19. In order to conduct the evaluation, data was collected through a comprehensive literature review and fieldwork. The literature review was conducted reviewing reports and documents from the SER Project and also other relevant external publications. The evaluation interviewed 400 people and was conducted in January 2022. Read More...