Mid Term Review of Shonglap Education Project Bangladesh- Operation Day’s Work (ODW)

Project Description and Background to Evaluation: 
Practices of deep rooted pervasive gender discrimination remain at large in Bangladesh. Females born into most families are still regarded as financial burdens and as a result receive lesser investment in their health care and education. In this context Strømme Foundation with its Partner Organizations and in collaboration with the community has developed the education programme called Shonglap. ODW became the main financier of Shonglap from 2009. The project aimed at reaching approximately 100,000 girls (later revised to 80,400 adolescent girls, plus a pilot exercise aiming at 5,000 adolescent boys, for a total of 85,400) at a cost of NOK 25 mn over 5 years. An additional fund for interest free loans to Shonglap girls for Income Generating Activities (IGA) supported by the Mosvold family in Norway, that donated NOK 700,000 in memory of Mr. Jan Erik Hosslemo, nicknamed “Goddi”. Shonglap is a 12 month programme, that basically includes 9 months with literacy, basic education and life skills training, and then 3 months of training in IGAs for unmarried school drop out adolescent (11- 19 years old) girls. Shonglap means “dialogue” in the Bangla language and this education programme is inspired by Freire’s  Problem Posing and Critical Analytical approach. Shonglap program to capacitate the adolescent girls and boys  that will empower them to recognize their rights and  to become resourceful citizens.
The Evaluation of Shonglap program became inevitable  running on its 2.5 years for contributing in further improvement in implementation, coordination and sustainability emphasising differences between the partners – challenges as well as best practices. The data in the baseline and the existing indicators will be used as a starting point for this evaluation.  
 
2. Purpose/objective: 
To assess the strengths and weaknesses, and provide recommendation to adjust the current operation and future programming of the Shonglap program in Bangladesh. This is primarily a formative evaluation and it shall contribute to learning.

3. Methodology: 
Methodology has been applied consisting of three main elements:
Review of relevant documents, including full sets of progress reports, background analysis, monitoring data and external reviews and reports. The Shonglap methodology and principles are quite well documented. Interviews with key stakeholders, including staff at Strømme Dhaka & Kristiansand, management of 6 of the partner NGOs, external experts, MIDAS management and the Norwegian Embassy. A structured field visit to 4 NGOs, that in each location included individual interviews with about 20 girls, additional Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with 2-3 groups of girls, and FDGs with stakeholders, Shonglap Support Teams and community groups and interview with Animators and Supervisors.

4. Key findings:
Shonglap is a very justified program as the country’s discrimination has severe consequences for the individual as well as for society as a whole. Progress of the program is considered as satisfactory and broadly in the line of set plans though it got off to a slow start due to approval from NGO affairs bureau was delayed.
Regarding impact of the Shonglap Program, graduated girls are benefitted with knowledge, practices and economic status through IGAs. There is a positive change visible in family level attitude and behaviour patterns. A more distinct literacy component is crucial for improvements in the functional education, so required to develop functional teaching materials and proper training and education for animators for effectiveness. MTR considers establishing follow up groups for Shonglap Graduates important for safeguarding the lessons and skills learnt. MTR also prefers starting with Animators and SST  for putting effort to improve effectiveness. 
There is challenge for SF in balancing ambitions with resources as extensive and ambitious monitoring structure. Combining impact and effectiveness Shonglap is considered “value for money”. It is a sign of success of the Shonglap program that , many of the most debated issues now concern extensions and additions to the initial program. To facilitate the strategic thinking, it might thus be useful to split Shonglap in two components- core program and add ons.

5. Recommendations:

The following points are briefly noted from the final MTR report

Sequential training programs for animators can be developed considering improved teaching methods, better classroom management and detailed understanding of the lessons imparted. Education materials used in Shonglap program should be reviewed to develop better design materials and to create synergy in literacy building and life skill education. The program should focus typical family activities those benefit most of the girls as IGA skill and that should be better standardized, across the NGOs. National level advocacy and networking should be an ingrained component of Shonglap program. Establishment of follow up forums should be included in the basic methodology. In the considered opinion of the MTR, more resources are necessary to effectively administer the many programs of SF in Bangladesh, including Shonglap. SF should assess the use of CBOs, and introduce a clearer set of operational routines to manage their inclusion in Shonglap. 

6. Comments from the organisation, if any: (this section to be filled by the staff responsible in SF’s Regional Office)
The report is a valuable document and has given a lot of insight for SF and the partners.  The report has been shared with the partners and Strømme Foundation has already made an action plan to implement the recommendations made by the Evaluation. A management response is being prepared indicating the plan of actions by SF and the Partners with timeline.