Children in Governance Project End of Term Evaluation

Background   
The Children in Governance Project was implemented over 24 months between 2009 and 2011 as part of Save the Children Zimbabwe’s Children Rights Governance (CRG) Program to accelerate progress in children’s participation in governance processes that affect their lives and community realization of children’s rights.  Its specific objectives were:
i. To strengthen the capacity of civil society, child led groups, national and local governing bodies to implement, monitor and report on national compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and;
ii. To promote child participation in national and local governance processes and structures.

Purpose/objective (including evaluation questions)   
1.  To undertake an end of project evaluation for EU funded Children in governance project to assess the appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the project.
2. Identify and document lessons learnt as well as challenges and provide recommendations for future interventions.
Questions

How did the execution of activities and allocation of resources reflect the priorities and needs of project beneficiaries?

Are activities and outputs as reflected in the project proposal consistent with the overall goal and objectives?  How effective were project activities in achieving objectives?
Did the project reach the expected number of beneficiaries?
What are the major factors (internal and external) influencing the achievement or non achievement of the objectives?
Were the beneficiaries satisfied with the quality and delivery of services?  If not, in what way did the services not meet with beneficiary expectations and why? 
Judging by the way the project was designed and implemented, did it achieve its purpose and/or make a meaningful impact on children's lives?

Methodology    
 The evaluation was carried out within the qualitative research design, although some quantitative data was gathered from secondary sources to strengthen the descriptive dimension of the report. 

Review of project documentation

Interviews with beneficiaries, and stake holders ( NPA, Department of Social Services, Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, etc) 

Field visits

KAP survey as used in the baseline

Use of the HEA methodology in assessing impact in some of the project indicators

Key findings   
The project successfully established 10 new child–led groups and strengthened 40 existing ones through additional training, administrative backstopping and logistical support.  These child–led groups had successfully taken to mobilizing local communities to support children’s cause in fulfillment of child rights, albeit against resistance in some areas such as Mvurwi.  Holding weekly planning meetings, child–led groups resolved to run income–generating projects the proceeds of which they directed towards the educational expenses of needy orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) at their schools and community charity work that benefited the aged, institutionalized children and children with disabilities. 

The project was successful in engaging the IMC on Human Rights and International Humanitarian law, the NPA for children, Child Welfare Council, NANGO and the media in pursuit of improved child participation in local and national governance.  In Kadoma, Mvurwi and Marondera junior councilors’ action plans were recognized in the town planning processes, as the relevant town councils funded part of the children’s budgets.  This illustrates the impact of the project–supported child–led movement on governance decisions.

The project produced and distributed publicity materials in the form of 300 T-shirts, 600 posters, booklets on child rights laws (2,000 copies), on child abduction (1,500) and on child trafficking (2,000) as well as 1,500 IMC brochures for publicity.  This contributed to the raising of awareness of children’s rights and responsibilities.  Visibility of children’s movement for child rights was further enhanced through the project’s use of the electronic media, where 50 children participated in the popular Mai Chisamba Talk Show discussing various contentious issues including corporal punishment in schools, bullying, the effects on the quality of education of the mushrooming of private colleges and schools and children’s responsibilities.  This enabled the project to indirectly reach approximately 150,000 children according to the project’s reports.
Through NANGO the project facilitated platforms for children to interface with budget and policy planners to lobby for a child–friendly national budget through a series of pre–budget consultations.  Subsequently, the raising of national budget allocations to the ministries of Education Sport Arts and Culture as well as Health and Child Welfare from USD276,753,600 and USD156,473,600 in 2010 to USD469,367,000 and USD256,198,000 in 2011 respectively cannot be explained without mention of the project’s contribution, though this cannot be entirely attributed to its efforts.

Recommendations   
Exchange programs between child–led groups should continue but involving more members of child–led groups than just the leaders.  As much as this invites budgetary implications, this move is worth serious consideration. 

Income–generating projects should be made a universal feature of child–led groups across Zimbabwe through exchange learning programs or the recommended manual on how to start and manage a successful child–led group.

The project should consider widening its strategic partnerships to include the private or business sector as well as representative organisations for children with disabilities such as Zimbabwe Association of  persons with Disabilities.  The private sector can be strategic as a source of resources to sustain the project at the grassroots.

Follow up (with reference to Action Plan)