Evaluation of Uzima centre, Pentecostal Foreign Mission of Norway, Kenya

Background

The Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya Embakasi church was initiated in 1993, located in a rented site within the Kware slum area. In 1995 the ministry of street children outreach was initiated by the current Director who has since been instrumental in spear heading the rehabilitation, vocational and prevention programs at Uzima Center.
The current project phase 2003-07 preceded an initial funding phase by NORAD and PYM in 1998-2002. The 1998 phase could be termed as the entry and construction phase, which was characterized by project infrastructure development, community entry process and relation building activities by the project. The next 4 years (2003-2007) were for rehabilitation of the street children.

Purpose/objective

The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the efficiency and operational concerns in relation to technical, financial and administrative functions of the project.
The evaluation also made inquiries also on effectiveness of the project by assessing the level of outputs realized in relation to set goals and objectives. This being an end of project evaluation, impact and change realized within the lives of beneficiaries was assessed for the various interventions carried out by the project over the four year period.
The process further sought to determine the degree of sustainability and the possibility of the local church taking over following the withdrawal of PYM donor funding by December 2007.

Methodology

The evaluation used a participatory approach that engaged staff, stakeholders, volunteers and the Steering Committee through structured methods. The methods that were thought to be most useful were: Desk study of Project Documents, visits to communities and families, interview with beneficiaries, Focus Group Discussions

Key findings

The evaluation team analyzed the effectiveness and relevance of Uzima project and concluded that about 74% of planned targets for the prevention and 40 % for the vocational were achieved. The stakeholders very much identified the project as relevant in its response programs within the highly disadvantaged slum communities living in Kware, Kwa Rueben, Njenga and the other neighboring clusters in Nairobi.
This being an end of project evaluation, specific inquiry into impact and sustainability issues was undertaken, which pointed out positive change in behavior, practice and activity involvement among most beneficiaries. There were 43% of project's beneficiaries indicating positive behavior change as a result of their involvement, which include wider communities and families. However 15% of boys and girls supported by Uzima demonstrated great change in lifestyle and character.
Sustainability however remains a challenge. There have been fruitful efforts in local fund raising, relation building, lobbying and the recent church contribution towards project funding as steps towards self reliance.

Recommendations

Project operations and efficiency findings calls for some moderation and controls in particular on children expenses which take about 38% of the project income as indicated over the last three years.
There is need for the project leadership to hire a manager fully responsible in spearheading social development and in particular support the rehabilitation of the boys and girls.
The voluntary work scheme was evaluated and found compatible with children and youth issues in terms of mentoring, training on literacy courses, arts, drama and sports that have greatly opened up and empowered the boys and girls interviewed. The volunteer scheme however, needs to be structured through an approved curriculum and syllabus to guide those involved.
It is recommended that current staff be served with contracts, as management seeks means to increase the salaries and other benefits that have for a long time begged for standardization.
There remains a pressing need for various interventions within the target communities such as income generation, drug abuse, immorality, and crime escalation which as identified by the evaluation continue to drive the boys and girls to the streets. The need for education and training by most households interviewed require immediate response by partners involved.
Sustainability assessment of the Project shows a challenge based on various intrinsic and external factors the project needs to address. The PSC, church board and national FPFK office all face this challenge to seek broader marketing and fund raising opportunities. This should be initiated both locally through existing establishments such as the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), cooperate organizations among others who are involved in supporting social development.
In the meantime the project is urged to facilitate local ownership and sustainability through deliberate involvement of local stakeholders particularly the Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Faith Based Organization (FBOs) and other social consortiums operational within the target area. The government provincial administration need to be engaged further on specific social matters vested within their power as outlined by this evaluation.