What Have We Learnt? Evaluation and Learning exercise of Magu District Livelihood Support Programme (MDLSP) and Missungwi Income and Food Security Programme (MIFOSE)

Background

Livelihood security had declined in the lake region of Mwanza for many years making households increasingly vulnerable to any shocks to their livelihood systems. Following a Rapid Food and Livelihood Security Assessment identifying four principal causes of food insecurity ((i) unreliable rainfall, (ii) limited acreage under cultivation, declining soil fertility and inaccessible land; (iii) high prices and lack of access to agricultural inputs and (iv) lack of access to credit and extension services,) the Magu District Livelihood Security Project (MDLSP) was started in Mwanza region, January 1997. MDLSP Phase 1 ran for five years, 1997-2001, and was succeeded by a second phase in Magu District, and a parallel project running in neighbouring Missungwi District (Missungwi District Income and Food Security Project - MIFOSE). The projects were designed to enhance the livelihood security of 16,000 vulnerable households in 10 wards of Missungwi District and 15,000 vulnerable households in 15 wards of Magu District, and particularly targeted female-headed households.

The sub-objectives of the projects were to:
1. Increase acquisition and use of appropriate agricultural approaches, technologies and inputs by the targeted households.
2. Increase the number of households engaged in on-farm and off-farm income generating activities, largely based on savings mobilisation.
3. Establish Community Based Institutions (CBIs) that could effectively support income and food security initiatives of the targeted households
The programmes were implemented over the period January 2001- December 2005 with funding from NORAD through CARE Norway.

Purpose/objective

As the second phase of MDLSP and the MIFOSE projects were about to end, it was decided to conduct an evaluation and learning exercise, with the purpose of:

• Qualitatively evaluate and assess the impact of the two programmes
• Extract key lessons that could be taken forward in the design and implementation of the new Women and Girls Empowerment Programme (WAGE).

Methodology

Participation of both beneficiaries and staff were central to the methodology in order to create ownership, not only with regards to the results of the study, but also to the design of the new programme. Twenty villages were visited, in which approximately 1200 beneficiaries participated in focus groups and interviews. Throughout the process the Project Managers, all Field Officers of both projects and representatives from partner-organisations were involved in the evaluation's design and analysis and helped conduct the focus groups and interviews.

Key findings

Overall, the projects have impacted positively on participant households. Livelihood- and food security have improved with a wider range of coping mechanisms available and household living standards have improved as a result of increased income. The institutions established by the projects have worked effectively and contributed to develop the local economies. The constraints on the projects' impacts have largely been external and relate to few and weak markets, poor infrastructure by which to access markets, and climatic conditions. The main challenges for the future of the projects are the extent to which the positive impacts will be sustained and how to achieve greater impact above household or agency level.

MDLSP and MIFOSE were designed as livelihood and food security projects drawing on the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and Household Livelihoods Strategy to which CARE International and CARE Tanzania subscribed at that time. However, the past decade has seen changes in developmental thinking and it is now recognised that for sustainable development and poverty reduction to occur it is necessary to bring about change at the structural, macro-policy reform level. This has been reflected in change and development of CARE Tanzania's programming principles, which now include i) pursuit of good governance, ii) active citizenship, iii) policy analysis and advocacy, and iv) re-alignment of its internal organization and processes to bring about the previous three SDs. The principles underlying WAGE reflect these Strategic Directions, as it has an empowerment agenda, supports advocacy initiatives and mobilizes women and girls to pursue their rights in relation to health, education and economic opportunities.

Recommendations

Much of the success of the MDLSP and the MIFOSE were attached to the ownership the beneficiaries and local government leaders felt to the projects. Some of the specific recommendations made with regards to the new WAGE project were:
- WAGE should build on the success of the Household Income and Savings Associations (HISAs) and use them as a way to introduce broader issues relating to women/girls and health and education. In new communities, the programme should begin by introducing and establishing HISAs before raising awareness on other issues. However, it is necessary to think about who the HISA methodology may leave out, as some of the `most vulnerable´ were found to be non-participant groups.
- In order to link implementation of local services to national policies, WAGE should be driven by community needs and use these to leverage broader awareness issues.
- As the new programme is more centred on women empowerment than the implementation of livelihood programmes, it is necessary to expand the range of skills and capacities of the programme teams and bring in existing and new partners with the needed skills.
- Many girls have aspirations that are not being met, largely due to their inability to complete their education as a result of the workload in the household. In order to enable girls to realise their aspirations it is necessary to raise gender awareness in the whole community, including teachers, schools committees, local leaders, politicians, fathers, husbands and boys.

Comments from the organisation

Evaluations are principal instruments in the follow-up of a project, and CARE Norway is devoted to continuous learning and critical assessments of our results. The recommendations of this evaluation have been carried forward to the current five-year WAGE programme, started in January 2006, also funded by NORAD through Care Norway. As this is an evaluation undertaken for CARE Norway, we urge any reader to contact us before applying this information.