Impact Report
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.”
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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...
SELAM 1 Early Recovery and Socio-Economic Stability in Tigray: FPI MONITORING REPORT
In June 2023, Altai Consulting, the Third-Party Monitor (TPM) for the EU FPI, was tasked by the Nairobi Regional Team (RT) to research and
communicate the progress and impact on the ground of the project NDICI CRISIS FPI/2021/427-921 – “SELAM 1 Early Recovery and Socio-Economic Stability in Tigray”, implemented by CARE and REST.
The project is implemented in Tigray as part of a cluster of projects alongside CST and MdM projects also montiroed by Altai during this visit. These interventions focus on responding to Tigray’s post-war challenges, mostly related to livelihoods support, access to health services, and trauma healing.
The monitoring team looked to capture progress towards the project’s intended objectives at the mid-stage of its implementation. During an earlier monitoring conducted in December 2022, the Altai team found that progress had stalled due to security challenges on the ground but that the projects were gaining momentum due to the peace agreement signed in November 2022. Read More...
communicate the progress and impact on the ground of the project NDICI CRISIS FPI/2021/427-921 – “SELAM 1 Early Recovery and Socio-Economic Stability in Tigray”, implemented by CARE and REST.
The project is implemented in Tigray as part of a cluster of projects alongside CST and MdM projects also montiroed by Altai during this visit. These interventions focus on responding to Tigray’s post-war challenges, mostly related to livelihoods support, access to health services, and trauma healing.
The monitoring team looked to capture progress towards the project’s intended objectives at the mid-stage of its implementation. During an earlier monitoring conducted in December 2022, the Altai team found that progress had stalled due to security challenges on the ground but that the projects were gaining momentum due to the peace agreement signed in November 2022. Read More...
Expanding Access to Education and Life Opportunities (Excel)
Expanding Access to Education and Life Opportunities (EXCEL) is an education initiative implemented in Pratappur, Sarawal and Palhinandan Rural Municipalities of Nawalparasi (west) district of Lumbini province. The project aimed to provide access to basic education for marginalized adolescent girls for better life opportunities through a year-long accelerated learning program known as “UDAAN”. Read More...
Evaluation d’impact Genre de la réponse de CARE à la crise du Bassin du Lac Tchad au Cameroun, Niger et Tchad
La crise du BLT, née du conflit armé au Nord Nigéria qui s’est étendu au Cameroun, Niger et Tchad a créé une crise humanitaire qui a entrainé le déplacement de 4.025.486 personnes au niveau de ces quatre pays (OIM DTM, Avril 2018). Cette crise révèle une dimension protection sans précèdent avec notamment des violences multiformes à l’encontre des femmes et de filles (kidnapping, violences et abus sexuelles, transformées en kamikaze), des violences physiques à l’encontre des hommes et jeunes garçons (décapités ou enrôlés de force dans les combats) ; la dislocation des milliers de familles a laissé aux femmes et aux enfants la responsabilité de se prendre en charge leurs familles.
CARE répond à la crise du bassin du Lac Tchad (BLT) depuis 2014 au Niger et 2015 au Tchad et au Cameroun. Conformément à son focus et engagement sur le genre, CARE a déployé des efforts pour intégrer le genre à toutes les étapes de la mise en œuvre de la réponse. Cet effort est soutenu par plusieurs bailleurs dont le Global Affairs Canada (GAC) qui finance pour la première fois des projets d’urgence sur deux ans consécutifs au Cameroun, au Niger et au Tchad. C’est grâce à ce financement que cette évaluation a été commanditée pour apprécier l’efficacité de l’approche d’intégration du genre utilisée et son impact sur la vie des hommes, des femmes, des filles et des garçons affectés par la crise du BLT et formuler des recommandations d’amélioration. [33 pages]
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CARE répond à la crise du bassin du Lac Tchad (BLT) depuis 2014 au Niger et 2015 au Tchad et au Cameroun. Conformément à son focus et engagement sur le genre, CARE a déployé des efforts pour intégrer le genre à toutes les étapes de la mise en œuvre de la réponse. Cet effort est soutenu par plusieurs bailleurs dont le Global Affairs Canada (GAC) qui finance pour la première fois des projets d’urgence sur deux ans consécutifs au Cameroun, au Niger et au Tchad. C’est grâce à ce financement que cette évaluation a été commanditée pour apprécier l’efficacité de l’approche d’intégration du genre utilisée et son impact sur la vie des hommes, des femmes, des filles et des garçons affectés par la crise du BLT et formuler des recommandations d’amélioration. [33 pages]
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What Is the Effect of the Reform ‘Implementation of the Social Accountability Framework’ in the Cambodian Highlander Villages?
In the absence of relevant knowledge, how are citizens going to enjoy their right to public service delivery? It is argued that decentralization of power, such as making local official politics more open and transparent together with an effort to streamline political decisions with citizens’ preferences, is an efficient way to fight poverty (Raffinot, 2015:199). This works only if it is associated with the reinforcement of citizen’s control over the power1. (Raffinot, 2015:199). To alleviate poverty through the reinforcement of citizen’s control must start with their enhancement of relevant knowledge.
The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of an information campaign on Cambodian citizens’ rights and standards in commune councils, primary schools, and health centers. The study is a quasi-experiment that is designed in accordance with the implementation of the reform I-SAF. The information campaign consists of public posters and meetings held that shall disperse the Cambodian citizens’ rights and standards in commune councils, primary schools, and health centers. [38 pages] Read More...
The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of an information campaign on Cambodian citizens’ rights and standards in commune councils, primary schools, and health centers. The study is a quasi-experiment that is designed in accordance with the implementation of the reform I-SAF. The information campaign consists of public posters and meetings held that shall disperse the Cambodian citizens’ rights and standards in commune councils, primary schools, and health centers. [38 pages] Read More...
Impact Evaluation of CARE’s Financial Inclusion Interventions in Rwanda’s Southern Province
The Promoting Opportunities for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Rural Africa (POWER Africa) initiative, funded by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented by CARE Canada, aims to improve financial inclusion in Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and Rwanda by linking VSLAs with formal financial institutions. Promoting opportunities for Financial Inclusion in Rwanda (PROFIR), as the project is called in Rwanda, aims to facilitate the access of 180 000 people to formal financial services through linkages to various Financial Service Providers. The PROFIR project began in November 2013 and continued till December 2017. [38 pages] Read More...
Impact Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation for Resilient Small Scale Tea Production Project
The objective of the proposed study is to assess the impact of the climate change adaptation for resilient small scale tea production project with respect to set indicators for improved tea production and make recommendations.
The study had covered 30 percent of the impact population covered under the project for data collection. 150 tribal tea farming households out of 500 tea farmers and 33 hamlets out of 76 hamlets were covered. The desk review of project reports, documents, IEC materials and in depth interview with project staff involved in project development and implementation, physical verification of farms for adoption of best practices using a check list and taking photographs, in-Depth interview with key stakeholders like UPASI, Tea board members and other government line departments involved in the project, structured Interview with the tribal farmer, household members who are members of VLG, received trainings, participated in the programs like demonstration plots, adopted best practices, focused group discussion with VLG male and female members separately to identify challenges faced in adopting the best practices were done as part of the study. [49 pages]
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The study had covered 30 percent of the impact population covered under the project for data collection. 150 tribal tea farming households out of 500 tea farmers and 33 hamlets out of 76 hamlets were covered. The desk review of project reports, documents, IEC materials and in depth interview with project staff involved in project development and implementation, physical verification of farms for adoption of best practices using a check list and taking photographs, in-Depth interview with key stakeholders like UPASI, Tea board members and other government line departments involved in the project, structured Interview with the tribal farmer, household members who are members of VLG, received trainings, participated in the programs like demonstration plots, adopted best practices, focused group discussion with VLG male and female members separately to identify challenges faced in adopting the best practices were done as part of the study. [49 pages]
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Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E) Training Impact Assessment
In 2017 Chrysalis conducted the P.A.C.E training programme, originally designed and funded by GAP Inc., in 21 selected tea estates. This impact assessment employed a mixed method approach to delineate the changes witnessed during the post-training period both in the personal and work lives of the people who underwent the training and those who associate with them in their day to day lives. [31 pages] Read More...
Relief Support for Flood and Cyclone Affected Population in Need in South-East Bangladesh (RESPONSE) Project
Heavy rainfall befell Bangladesh in the last week of June 2015, causing landslides and flash flooding. 29 Upazilas (sub-districts) of the South-Eastern districts of Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban and Chittagong were the worst affected areas as identified by the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) - a Joint Needs Assessment revealed that a total of over 1.8 million people were adversely impacted.
Incessant rainfalls in turn resulted in a depression in the North Bay of Bengal and transformed in to a Cyclonic Storm ‘Komen’ on 30 July 2015, affecting 15 districts situated in the low-lying areas of the coastal belt, offshore islands, and chars. ‘Komen’ led to further heavy to very heavy rainfall across the entire country, and caused inundation in many areas of Southeast Bangladesh, including those which were affected by the initial phase of heavy rainfall. Consequently the lives and livelihoods of a large cross section of people from these areas were severely impacted – JNA and a post-cyclone rapid impact assessment conducted in the most affected districts revealed that the total number of people affected by flash floods and ‘Komen’ stood at 2.6 million in Southern Bangladesh!
The assessments identified Food Security/Supply, Livelihoods, WASH, and Shelter as the immediate needs of the affected people. Humanitarian actors came together to incorporate these needs in to a Joint Response Plan (JRP) aimed at addressing the immediate and emerging adversities facing the most vulnerable and affected communities. The response plan was also endorsed by the key stakeholders including government and donor organizations.
Based on the JRP the National Alliance for Risk Reduction and Response Initiatives (NARRI) consortium undertook a response project in the most affected areas. NARRI responded to the immediate needs of affected communities by providing unconditional cash grants as assistance. CARE Bangladesh led the consortium with Oxfam, Concern Worldwide (CWW), Concern Universal (CU) and Plan International as consortium members, while Handicap International served as technical partner. [4 pages] Read More...
Incessant rainfalls in turn resulted in a depression in the North Bay of Bengal and transformed in to a Cyclonic Storm ‘Komen’ on 30 July 2015, affecting 15 districts situated in the low-lying areas of the coastal belt, offshore islands, and chars. ‘Komen’ led to further heavy to very heavy rainfall across the entire country, and caused inundation in many areas of Southeast Bangladesh, including those which were affected by the initial phase of heavy rainfall. Consequently the lives and livelihoods of a large cross section of people from these areas were severely impacted – JNA and a post-cyclone rapid impact assessment conducted in the most affected districts revealed that the total number of people affected by flash floods and ‘Komen’ stood at 2.6 million in Southern Bangladesh!
The assessments identified Food Security/Supply, Livelihoods, WASH, and Shelter as the immediate needs of the affected people. Humanitarian actors came together to incorporate these needs in to a Joint Response Plan (JRP) aimed at addressing the immediate and emerging adversities facing the most vulnerable and affected communities. The response plan was also endorsed by the key stakeholders including government and donor organizations.
Based on the JRP the National Alliance for Risk Reduction and Response Initiatives (NARRI) consortium undertook a response project in the most affected areas. NARRI responded to the immediate needs of affected communities by providing unconditional cash grants as assistance. CARE Bangladesh led the consortium with Oxfam, Concern Worldwide (CWW), Concern Universal (CU) and Plan International as consortium members, while Handicap International served as technical partner. [4 pages] Read More...