Food and Nutrition Security
McGovern-Dole Food Fore Education Program HATUTAN – Midline Evaluation
The HATUTAN program (Hahán ne’ebé Atu fó Tulun ho Nutrisaun no Edukasaun or Food to Support Nutrition and Education) is a five-year initiative to build a partnership between schools and communities in order to improve literacy, learning, healthy, and nutrition for children and adults in Timor-Leste. The program works in partnership with the Government of Timor-Leste and development stakeholders to address two strategic objectives: improved literacy of school-aged children and increased use of health, nutrition, and dietary practices. The HATUTAN program is funded by the U.S. government through the Foreign Agricultural Service of the United States Department of Agriculture under the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. The program is implemented by a consortium led by CARE International with Mercy Corps and WaterAid. The lead Timorese government partner is the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of State Administration, and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
To achieve these objectives, the program supports, among a variety of activities, the Government of Timor-Leste’s school feeding program (SFP) to fully operate in all basic education and preschools throughout the school year. Key project activities include strengthening and supplementing the government-sponsored SFP and building school capacity through trainings for teachers and administrators and provision of resource materials. Additionally, the HATUTAN program seeks to support farmers to boost the production of local produce to increase yields and help create sustainable sources of nutritious food for local schools. In addition to activities related to literacy and SFPs, HATUTAN seeks to conduct trainings related to nutrition, health, and other topics, and to promote gender equality and the reduction of gender-based violence.
This report presents the midline evaluation of the HATUTAN program, which began in early 2019. It is important to note that restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had a substantial impact on program activities and target outputs and outcomes. In March 2020, HATUTAN field activities were halted, field offices were temporarily closed, and staff began to work from home due to a State of Emergency issued by the Government of Timor-Leste. This State of Emergency remains in effect to date, with varying levels of restriction on school activities, movement, and group gatherings. As a result, the HATUTAN program is behind schedule in terms of some major deliverables due to COVID-19. Read More...
To achieve these objectives, the program supports, among a variety of activities, the Government of Timor-Leste’s school feeding program (SFP) to fully operate in all basic education and preschools throughout the school year. Key project activities include strengthening and supplementing the government-sponsored SFP and building school capacity through trainings for teachers and administrators and provision of resource materials. Additionally, the HATUTAN program seeks to support farmers to boost the production of local produce to increase yields and help create sustainable sources of nutritious food for local schools. In addition to activities related to literacy and SFPs, HATUTAN seeks to conduct trainings related to nutrition, health, and other topics, and to promote gender equality and the reduction of gender-based violence.
This report presents the midline evaluation of the HATUTAN program, which began in early 2019. It is important to note that restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had a substantial impact on program activities and target outputs and outcomes. In March 2020, HATUTAN field activities were halted, field offices were temporarily closed, and staff began to work from home due to a State of Emergency issued by the Government of Timor-Leste. This State of Emergency remains in effect to date, with varying levels of restriction on school activities, movement, and group gatherings. As a result, the HATUTAN program is behind schedule in terms of some major deliverables due to COVID-19. Read More...
Gender and food security in Fiji A community-based gender analysis in Macuata Province, Vanua Levu
This report presents the results of a community-based gender and food security analysis that was carried out by ADRA Fiji in partnership with CARE International with funding from the WPHF, administered and supported by UN Women. The main purpose of the gender analysis is to gain a better understanding of the varying gender dynamics and socio-cultural contexts that can positively and negatively impact household and community food security and resilience in the context of climate change and disasters.
The findings and recommendations of the analysis are intended to strengthen the gender equality impacts of ADRA Fiji’s Vakarau Wai 1 Pro-Resilience Project, as well as inform the agency’s other programming. As part of the wider project the intention is also to more broadly share and discuss the findings to strengthen awareness among food security and livelihood stakeholders that localised social and gender context analysis is critical to ensure effective and sustainable food security in Fiji’s ever-changing climate environment and to also ensure food security and livelihoods (FSL) initiatives, foster gender equality and support women’s meaningful participation in decision-making in homes and communities across Fiji.
For this study data was collected and analysed from two communities, an iTaukei village and a settlement largely comprised of Fijians of Indian descent in Macuata Province, Vanua Levu. The aim was to identify gender specific needs, vulnerabilities and capacities, particularly among high risk and marginalised groups, and how these dimensions affect food security and household and community resilience and women’s empowerment. A total of 71 people (35 female and 36 males) ranging in age from 20 – 83 years old contributed their views for this study, including six people with impairments (four with difficulty walking and two with varying levels of visual impairment), as well as four widows and two widowers. Data was collected in relation to four core areas of inquiry namely: access to and control over resources, gender roles and divisions of labour, household decision-making, and participation in public decision-making, using focus group discussions and key informant interviews, along with several transect walks. Read More...
The findings and recommendations of the analysis are intended to strengthen the gender equality impacts of ADRA Fiji’s Vakarau Wai 1 Pro-Resilience Project, as well as inform the agency’s other programming. As part of the wider project the intention is also to more broadly share and discuss the findings to strengthen awareness among food security and livelihood stakeholders that localised social and gender context analysis is critical to ensure effective and sustainable food security in Fiji’s ever-changing climate environment and to also ensure food security and livelihoods (FSL) initiatives, foster gender equality and support women’s meaningful participation in decision-making in homes and communities across Fiji.
For this study data was collected and analysed from two communities, an iTaukei village and a settlement largely comprised of Fijians of Indian descent in Macuata Province, Vanua Levu. The aim was to identify gender specific needs, vulnerabilities and capacities, particularly among high risk and marginalised groups, and how these dimensions affect food security and household and community resilience and women’s empowerment. A total of 71 people (35 female and 36 males) ranging in age from 20 – 83 years old contributed their views for this study, including six people with impairments (four with difficulty walking and two with varying levels of visual impairment), as well as four widows and two widowers. Data was collected in relation to four core areas of inquiry namely: access to and control over resources, gender roles and divisions of labour, household decision-making, and participation in public decision-making, using focus group discussions and key informant interviews, along with several transect walks. Read More...
‘IF WE DON’ T WORK, WE DON’ T EAT’ Syrian Women Face Mounting Food Insecurity a Decade into the Conflict
Ten years ago, the lives of many Syrians changed profoundly as anti-government demonstrations escalated into violent conflict between forces allied to the Government of Syria and armed opposition groups. The resulting humanitarian crisis is one of the worst of our time – 6.7 million Syrians remain internally displaced; an estimated 13 million people are in need1 and 12.4 million live with food insecurity.
In recent months, the situation has deteriorated even further as the COVID-19 pandemic, mass displacements, natural
disaster, economic collapse and ongoing hostilities have combined to create a situation wherein households are
finding it increasingly difficult to meet their basic needs, including for food.
Average food prices in Syria increased by 236% in 2020 – and food prices are more than 29 times higher than the five year pre-crisis average, causing many families to resort to negative coping strategies. This includes eating fewer
or smaller meals to get by. Furthermore, due to the loss or reduced capacity of male heads of household to death, injury, disappearance or emigration in search of work, many Syrian women are now the sole or primary breadwinners for their families, bearing the full burden of providing for their families with limited livelihood opportunities. About 22% of Syrian households are now headed by women; this is up from only 4% prior to the conflict. Even in households where the male head of household is working in some capacity, dire economic circumstances have pushed women to find some source of income to help with household expenses. In both cases, women are thrust into the ‘provider’ role in a way that most had not previously experienced. Read More...
In recent months, the situation has deteriorated even further as the COVID-19 pandemic, mass displacements, natural
disaster, economic collapse and ongoing hostilities have combined to create a situation wherein households are
finding it increasingly difficult to meet their basic needs, including for food.
Average food prices in Syria increased by 236% in 2020 – and food prices are more than 29 times higher than the five year pre-crisis average, causing many families to resort to negative coping strategies. This includes eating fewer
or smaller meals to get by. Furthermore, due to the loss or reduced capacity of male heads of household to death, injury, disappearance or emigration in search of work, many Syrian women are now the sole or primary breadwinners for their families, bearing the full burden of providing for their families with limited livelihood opportunities. About 22% of Syrian households are now headed by women; this is up from only 4% prior to the conflict. Even in households where the male head of household is working in some capacity, dire economic circumstances have pushed women to find some source of income to help with household expenses. In both cases, women are thrust into the ‘provider’ role in a way that most had not previously experienced. Read More...
DESARROLLO ECONÓMICO, SOCIAL Y RURAL INTEGRAL EN COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS DE LA PROVINCIA DE NAPO
El objeto a evaluar es el proyecto “Desarrollo económico, social y rural integral en comunidades indígenas de la provincia de Napo” (Para los fines de esta evaluación se resumirá de la siguiente manera el nombre del proyecto: “DESRICI de la Provincia de Napo”). El Proyecto es llevado a cabo por Maquita Cushunchic y financiado a través del Ministerio Federal de Cooperación Económica y Desarrollo de Alemania (BMZ) y CARE Alemania. Su localización geográfica es la Provincia de Napo en el cantón Tena y las parroquias de Ahuano y Chontapunta. Se evalúa el periodo completo de ejecución entre el 2017 y 2020 y corresponde a la evaluación final sobre cómo el diseño, proceso y ejecución han contribuido al logro de los tres resultados propuestos en la formulación de la intervención Read More...
SUAAHARA II GOOD NUTRITION PROGRAM Annual Survey Year 3
Nepal’s reductions in maternal and child undernutrition since the mid-1990s have been remarkable, but the high burden persists. Among children under five years, 36% are stunted, 10% are wasted, and 27% are underweight. Additionally, 17% of women of reproductive age (WRA, 15-49 years) are underweight while 41% are anemic (Nepal DHS Survey, 2016). The Government of Nepal (GoN) is rolling out the second phase of their national Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan (MSNP), with support of external development partners (EDPs). Suaahara II (SII) is a USAID-funded multisectoral nutrition program, aligned with Nepal’s MSNP, and is being implemented in all communities of 42 of Nepal’s 77 districts from April 2016 to March 2021. SII’s overall aim is to reduce the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight among children under five years of age and to reduce the prevalence of anemia among WRA and children 6-59 months of age. SII works across thematic areas including nutrition, health and family planning (FP), water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), agricultural/homestead food production (HFP), and governance, using a gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) approach for all interventions.
SII has a large, rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and research system. Annual monitoring surveys, a key component of SII’s monitoring system, primarily serve to monitor progress over time related to key SII inputs, outputs, and outcomes in intervention areas. The first SII annual monitoring survey was conducted between June to September 2017 among a representative sample of households with a child under five years by New ERA, a local survey firm. At the household level, mothers were the primary survey respondents. A primary male (or female, if male unavailable) household decision maker, the youngest child’s grandmother, and an adolescent girl (10-19 years), if residing in the same household, were also interviewed. Data was also collected from Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) and 1 key informant from each health facility in the sampled areas. The household surveys included questions related to exposure, knowledge and practices for each of the thematic areas mentioned above. Anthropometric status was assessed for all female respondents and children. FCHV and health facility surveys collected information on exposure to training, motivation, supervision, and work-related activities. In 2017, the final survey sample included 3,642 households. Read More...
SII has a large, rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and research system. Annual monitoring surveys, a key component of SII’s monitoring system, primarily serve to monitor progress over time related to key SII inputs, outputs, and outcomes in intervention areas. The first SII annual monitoring survey was conducted between June to September 2017 among a representative sample of households with a child under five years by New ERA, a local survey firm. At the household level, mothers were the primary survey respondents. A primary male (or female, if male unavailable) household decision maker, the youngest child’s grandmother, and an adolescent girl (10-19 years), if residing in the same household, were also interviewed. Data was also collected from Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) and 1 key informant from each health facility in the sampled areas. The household surveys included questions related to exposure, knowledge and practices for each of the thematic areas mentioned above. Anthropometric status was assessed for all female respondents and children. FCHV and health facility surveys collected information on exposure to training, motivation, supervision, and work-related activities. In 2017, the final survey sample included 3,642 households. Read More...
Women’s involvement in coffee agroforestry value- chains Financial training, village savings and loans associations, and decision power in Northwest Vietnam
Colleagues in Vietnam and at CCAFS and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) carried out some research on our work in the coffee value chain (TEAL).
This study assessed VSLA impacts and related training on gender equality and women’s access to coffee markets in an ongoing coffee- project in northwest Vietnam.
Applying the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), women rated perceptions of their decision-making over a range of 18 tasks related to household and agricultural responsibilities and use of income and social activities (over 18 months). There were improvements in decision-making power in categories with previously low participation and increased sharing of domestic responsibilities (biggest gains were decision-making over large purchases and use of income). Also found that husbands to women in the study embraced more equal sharing of responsibility and decision-making with their wives.
This report is 40 pages long. Read More...
This study assessed VSLA impacts and related training on gender equality and women’s access to coffee markets in an ongoing coffee- project in northwest Vietnam.
Applying the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), women rated perceptions of their decision-making over a range of 18 tasks related to household and agricultural responsibilities and use of income and social activities (over 18 months). There were improvements in decision-making power in categories with previously low participation and increased sharing of domestic responsibilities (biggest gains were decision-making over large purchases and use of income). Also found that husbands to women in the study embraced more equal sharing of responsibility and decision-making with their wives.
This report is 40 pages long. Read More...
Growing Nutrition for Mothers and Children (GROW) Project in Ethiopia – End Line Household Survey Report
CARE has implemented the Growing Nutrition for Mothers and Children (GROW) Project in Ethiopia between 2017 and 2019. The goal of GROW was to improve the nutritional status of women of reproductive age and boys and girls under 5 years. This endline study was conducted to establish values for outcome level indicators for the project and assess change and impact of the project by comparing data from baseline to end line values. This evaluation employed a cross-sectional study design. The study includes a household survey and anthropometric measurements of women and children to assess their nutritional status. The study covered 39 project intervention Kebeles in 14 Woredas of East and West Hararghe and Afar. A total of 1291 women, 974 men, and 1291 children were included in the study. Read More...
A Win-Win for Gender and Nutrition: Testing A Gender-Transformative Approach From Asia In Africa
Since 2016, CARE Burundi has partnered with Great Lakes Inkingi Development (GLID), RBU2000, and the University of Burundi/Agronomy department and the Africa Center for Gender, Social Research and Impact Assessment to implement and test the EKATA approach – Empowerment through Knowledge And Transformative Action – integrated into an agriculture program to test its effectiveness against a typical gender mainstreaming approach (Gender Light) and a Control (with agriculture interventions only) in a modified randomized control trial, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Win-Win project randomly assigned collines to EKATA, Gender Light and Control groups. Baseline data was collected in 2016 – Midterm was conducted in 2018, and end-line data was collected in 2020 from a random sample of 1,315 households and 1,849 individuals (1,059 female heads of household, and 790 male heads of household). Additionally, the project conducted 36 individual in-depth interviews, disaggregated by sex and age – and male- or female-headed households – at baseline, midline and end-line. This data was complimented with focus group discussions (FGDs). The evaluation looked at the impact of EKATA compared with Gender
Light and Control on several areas, including rice production (which was the main focus crop), income and wealth, gender equality and women’s empowerment. The cost-effectiveness of these approaches also was analyzed. The evaluation used the project level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (Pro-WEAI) to measure changes in gender equality and women’s empowerment. Read More...
The Win-Win project randomly assigned collines to EKATA, Gender Light and Control groups. Baseline data was collected in 2016 – Midterm was conducted in 2018, and end-line data was collected in 2020 from a random sample of 1,315 households and 1,849 individuals (1,059 female heads of household, and 790 male heads of household). Additionally, the project conducted 36 individual in-depth interviews, disaggregated by sex and age – and male- or female-headed households – at baseline, midline and end-line. This data was complimented with focus group discussions (FGDs). The evaluation looked at the impact of EKATA compared with Gender
Light and Control on several areas, including rice production (which was the main focus crop), income and wealth, gender equality and women’s empowerment. The cost-effectiveness of these approaches also was analyzed. The evaluation used the project level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (Pro-WEAI) to measure changes in gender equality and women’s empowerment. Read More...
Programme Sante USAID/Kenya Ciwara Rappor D’Analyse de L’Enquete D’Evaluation Finale
The program is part of Strategic Objective 6 (SO 6) which aims to increase the use of high impact services and improve health behaviors / practices. These services relate to the survival of the child (vaccination, malaria, diarrheal diseases, acute respiratory infections, nutrition and vitamin A). The final evaluation takes place two years after the mid-term evaluation and four years after the baseline evaluation. The report is 55 pages long. Read More...
Evaluation Finale du Project USAID/Nutrition WASH
The Mission of the United States Agency for International Development in Mali (USAID / Mali) through the NGO Care Internationale entrusted Kurugan Fuga Consulting with the final evaluation of the USAID / Nutrition and Hygiene project in the regions of Koulikoro, Ségou and Mopti in Mali. At the end of this program, which spanned a 5-year implementation period from October 2014 to September 2018 extended in 2019, its final evaluation was required. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the IRP's integrated nutritional strategy combining nutrition, agriculture, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to improve the nutritional status of pregnant and breastfeeding women and children of less than 2 years. The report is 80 pages long. Read More...