Final Evaluation of Safer Environment for Girls Project

Background  
Save the Children has partnered with TOLI since 2000 mainly in the area of child protection with special emphasis on protection from sexual abuse and violence against children, and particularly girls. As the partnership with TOLI has been phased out effective from January 2012, Save the Children commissioned the final external evaluation in order to assess achievements of the project, effectiveness and overall impact as well as the sustainability measures put in place so that any learning and lessons can be utilized elsewhere as well.   
Purpose/objective  
Major objectives of the evaluation were to assess the project's relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. It also aimed at assessing to what extent children's participation has been ensured in the project. Documenting major lessons learned was also an objective of the evaluation.    
 
Methodology  
The evaluation was mostly qualitative involving participatory tools such as Focus Group Discussions and interactive sessions with stakeholders including children. Wherever possible, quantitative data was collected from secondary sources to complement the analysis and reinforce conclusions. Four program schools from two districts were selected capturing diversity in terms of geographical locations, socio-cultural settings, etc. 12 FGDs were conducted with schools, children, teachers and parents from the program area and 12 interactive meetings were organized with district authorities including DCWB, DDC, DEO, WCO, etc. Altogether 117 individuals were met by the evaluator.    

Key findings  
The project is highly demanded by all stakeholders and has been found to be effective in protecting children from sexual abuse, violence and exploitation. TOLI has built the capacity of children's clubs and their district networks, Child Protection Committees, families and teachers, among others, to prevent and respond to child abuse and exploitation. This not only makes the project effective but also contributes to making the results sustainable in the long run. Save the Children is a major funder of TOLI- almost 90% of the total funding is from Save the Children. The program vs admin budget ratio was found to be around 74% and 26% respectively. Impacts of awareness raising activities were felt quite strongly in the program area. Children were found to be aware about violence and possible abuse that can affect them and were successfully mobilized to prevent such bad incidences. They had knowledge and skills about how to protect themselves from abuses and from where to get help, if required. Children's participation in the entire process has been taken positively and welcomed by all stakeholders. The child clubs were found to be transferring the knowledge and skills they have learned to their new colleagues, which is one of the ways to sustain the results over a period of time. The Local Development Officer of Kaski mentioned that VDCs and DDCs can allocate 10% of their funds to children's sector. Financial sustainability of the program, however, is still doubtful. Although most of the district authorities expressed willingness and commitment to protecting children from abuses, no concrete actions or decisions had been taken to this effect.  
  
Recommendations  
•Save the Children should work with central and district based child protection authorities to ensure that they fulfill their responsibilities to protect children from abuse, violence and exploitation. 
•Village Child Protection Committees should be facilitated and strengthened to monitor and report the cases of sexual abuse and exploitation.
•Save the Children should facilitate the establishment of clear referral mechanism for legal cases as well as to provide support to survivors of abuses and rights violations
•Save the Children should continue strengthening DCWBs in order to help them better coordinate child protection issues and referrals.
•Save the Children should lobby the Department of Education to ensure that the latter's 'Education Management Information System (EMIS)' includes a section to monitor and report incidences of child marriage and survivors' information.
•TOLI should conduct regular monitoring of the implementation and impact of school code of conducts, including the utilization of complaint boxes set up in schools.
•Save the Children and partners should emphasize on the communication and coordination with district stakeholders from the very beginning of the project in order to increase their ownership as well as to access local level resources
•Save the Children and partners should advocate and work more towards establishing community support systems at the local level to ensure that survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation receive appropriate emotional and social support which ultimately increases reporting and decreases any stigma attached to it.
 
Comments and follow-up from the organisation, if any