Evaluation of NCA- Livelihoods and Trade Programme Final report

1.0 Background:
In Tanzania NCA works with poor communities and local partners (FBOs), resource partners and strategic partners in 41 districts of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. NCA started its Tanzania operations in  2006. Between 2011 and 2015 the NCA-Tanzania will be implementing a new country strategy. This strategy contributes towards achievement of the NCA’s national and NCA’s Global Program’s selected results for the same period.  During the next five years the NCA will selectively integrate most of the activities like PETS, social mitigation of HIV and AIDS, GBV and Climate change adaptation into the VICOBA groups. VICOBA groups will be viewed as vehicle for bringing about social transformation.  In order to effectively monitor and deliver results on this strategic plan, NCA has planned to under systematic evaluations of each of its program areas. It  was for this purpose that NCA  conducted an evaluation of its  Livelihoods and Trade program.

1.1 About the Trade and Livelihoods Program
The Trade and Livelihoods program is one of the key priority programs in NCA’s Accountable Governance and Economic Justice thematic area.  The aim of this program is to have communities and religious leaders are mobilised into groups for sustainable livelihood and reduced economic vulnerability. The outcome indicator we are tracking is the number of rights holders / community members organized in groups to actively improve their own livelihood.  The main activity contributing to this activity is the Village Community Bank (VICOBA) currently implemented by NCA-Tanzania. The right holders or target groups of this program are largely poor rural and peri urban communities, individuals and households. The majority of the right holders are women representing approximately 70% of the total members. The focus of this activity is mobilization of local savings which are borrowed by the members to invest in small micro businesses, agribusiness and value addition enterprises. From the mobilised savings and profits from the investments we have seen members acquire assets like land, construct houses, vehicles and small cottage industry machines (sewing machines, carpentry equipment) and solar energy panels for domestic and commercial use. Some activities around trade advocacy are also implemented by some partners.

2.0 Purpose/ Objective and Scope of the Evaluation:
The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the impact of the livelihoods and trade program to reduce poverty and economic vulnerability in line to LFA context.  Documentation of lessons learned and providing suggestions for improved future engagement is also an objective for this evaluation.  The scope of this evaluation covered the Accountable Governance thematic area with specific focus on the Trade and Livelihoods program. This entailed reviewing available narrative data, discussing with FBO partners, and visiting 15 out of 41 programme districts to meet with a number of IR-VICOBA group members, leaders, facilitators and religious leaders.   Documenting of success stories and underlying factors for the success was also part of evaluation scope.  In addition the team visited IR-VICOBA groups engaged in agricultural value addition initiatives.  

2.1 Objectives of the Evaluation
The objectives of the evaluation were to:
1. Assess impact of the Trade and Livelihoods program and how the successes registered so far could be replicated elsewhere.
2. Assess the nature of IR-VICOBA membership and activities implemented by the groups based on gender & geographical distribution profile.
3. Evaluate the value addition and how to improve.
4. Assess the extent to which IR-VICOBA are being used as a vehicle for development at community level and how these have contributed to improved livelihoods.
5. Assess the level of integration of other activities or programs like GBV, HIV/AIDs into the IR-VICOBA groups.
6. Assess the current IR-VICOBA operational strategy, current structures and propose ways of establishing strong networks of IR-VICOBA groups.
7. Assess potential for transforming the IR-VICOBA groups into a larger movement to promote broader good governance and accountability at local levels.
8. Clearly document what has worked and what have been the underlying processes for the success or failure thereof  and propose recommendations for  improvement  in  the future
9. Assess the current Trade and Justice Advocacy component of the Trade and Livelihood program and provide recommendations for improvement of this component in the future.

3.0 Evaluation Approach and Methodology:
3.1 Overall Approach
• The consultants used NCA’s Framework of Results and Success Factors as the evaluation framework, which focused on the following issues:
A. Development Results
1. Achievement of Results
2. Effectiveness of Results
3. Relevance of Results
4. Sustainability of Results

B. Quality of Partnership (based on the NCA partners engagement and IR-VICOBA  Mandate and capacity for engagement)
1. Local Ownership of the Livelihoods and Trade Program, Harmonization and Alignment
2. Shared Accountability for Results

C. Success Factors
1. Appropriateness of Design
2. Appropriateness of Resource Utilization
3. Success stories from IR-VICOBA beneficiaries
4. Monitoring and Risk management

D.  Partners’ capacity to carry on the Trade and Livelihood Agenda
1. Resources availability (Human and Physical resources)
2. Capacity
a. Programme Planning and implementation efficiency
b. Programme linkages (internal harmonization with other organization planned activities, joint efforts with other like mind partners)
c. Reporting and best practices replication
d. Monitoring and risk Management

• The consultants also combined both conventional and participatory evaluation methods (individual interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), Observations through visiting IR-VICOBA beneficiaries’ activities).   

• Furthermore the consultants linked the Livelihood and Trade Program Logframe analysis with the actual achievements in the field.  The analysis was presented in Results Based Management (RBM) format as indicated in the findings.

3.2 Sampling Procedure
Basing on random and purposeful sampling procedures, a representative sample of 15 out of 41 programme districts was selected and visited. The  sample size was 490 respondents.  The actual performance was at 95 percent (466 respondents; 270 (58 percent females) and 196 (42 percent males). 

4.0 Key Findings:
1. On overall results indicates that Livelihood and Trade programme has achieved on interpreting NCA-Tanzania theory of change by adopting a unique approach, IR-VICOBA as a vehicle towards development, where people are mobilized, trained to save their own resources into an accumulated common pool, from which they can borrow, at their own terms and invest mainly in small micro businesses as well as agribusiness for improving their livelihoods.  The indication to this achievement is seen in a systematic broad expansion of IR-VICOBA groups in Tanzania. 

2. IR-VICOBA approach is effective and relevant on the fact that it touches the poor right holders who are rural and peri-urban based communities. These right holders majority are women representing approximately 58 percent of the total members visited during the evaluation process.  This entails that the programme through IR-VICOBA approach has achieved to reach and economically empower a segment that represents the population which is largely poor in Tanzania.   This is a significant results because it is believed that; “Empowering women economically is empowering families as well and nation in general”.  On the other hand there is also an improvement on mobilizing men to join IR-VICOBA groups. Slowly men are motivated to engage in economic activities through IR-VICOBA interventions.  This is a positive achievement where men are informed and makes sense of IR-VICOBA framework for their development process.   However, much effort is needed for mobilizing youth’s engagement in IR-VICOBA groups because their participation was observed to be very insignificant in visited 15 districts for evaluation.

3. In districts where NCA and partners operate, IR-VICOBA groups are self mobilized and organized to manage their own local savings rather than relying on donations.   However the value addition enterprises are still premature. Here NCA and partners need to put more efforts on supporting communities engage in products value addition to improve their market opportunities.  Nonetheless, IR-VICOBA members achievement have been observed through communities acquiring assets like land, houses, vehicles and small cottage industry machines from investment profits. The trainings provided by NCA and partners have been one of the factors for these achievements.  Furthermore innovations have been growing among IR-VICOBA groups.  Currently there is a move of individual IR-VICOBA groups to establish their local networks focusing on joint efforts and resources on addressing poverty and economic vulnerability. Kiteto, Geita and Kilimanjaro have started piloting for activities interventions based on network initiatives. This experience is worthy to be further researched to learn its applicability and replication to other IR-VICOBA members. 

4. The engagement of religious leaders as part of duty bearers in the implementation of Livelihood and Trade programme through Interfaith Committees system has been a unique approach which has allowed NCA achieve its vision and mission.  The religious leaders under the interfaith committees have been agents for change through mobilising citizens and communities to solicit resources, invest and trade amongst themselves. Religious leaders are also articulating good governance practices within IR-VICOBA group members and empower members to hold the government accountable through PETs interventions.  The counseling role through paralegal framework has been another important role of religious leaders to improve peace and harmony among IR-VICOBA groups and families. 

5. NCA partnership entry point through faith-based organizations and institutions have up-scaled the achievement of programme implementation in the fact that the operations of these organizations and institutions also cover rural and peri-urban areas where majority of poor population is based.  Therefore these organizations and institutions also motivate communities to engage in IR-VICOBA groups irrespective of their religious denominations and ethnicity.

6. Incorporation of national development priorities in the programme implementation has been a strength to Livelihood and Trade programme design.  In this regards NCA is supporting the translation of Tanzania government mainland and Zanzibar policy frameworks by implementing the programme activities around the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP) MKUKUTA in Kiswahili acronym and the Zanzibar Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (ZNSGRP) MKUZA in Kiswahili acronym.  By observing these development policies, there has been a rapid growth of local investment and material acquirement through IR-VICOBA.  In turn this has helped to reduce the percent of poor population that do not have access to formal banking system.  At this point it was observed that Local Government Authorities (LGAs) appreciates Livelihood and Trade programme to be very instrumental for addressing the Growth and Reduction of Income Poverty, articulated good governance and national unity and Improvement of Quality of Life and Social Wellbeing among communities covered by the programme in Tanzania.  Therefore NCA through its partners is perceived to be a partner in the development process at districts level.

5.0 Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

1. Since NCA is now a well established and credible organization, the time has come for NCA to focus on strengthening partners working skills capacity.  The strategies may include having clear working linkages between the programme managers at the national level and the coordinators at district levels.   It is also important develop clear vertical and horizontal communication systems to broaden governance practice on information sharing at different levels. 

2. Since successful implementation of livelihood and trade programme depends on strengthened interfaith leaders’ relationship, it is important for NCA to develop guidelines to unpack unclear concepts as well as put clear interfaith committee operations.

3. It would be more programmatically productive and meaningful for NCA to think of supporting partners transform IR-VICOBA individual groups into networks starting with village district networks up to the national network in phases.  This initiative will strengthen efficiency in utilization of scarce resources and stimulate common voice on advocating for changes of injustice trade.  NCA may learn from the already networks piloting initiatives in Kiteto, Kilimanjaro and Geita.  The experiences can be replicated in other parts of the country.

4. IR-VICOBA implementation has untold success stories which can be revealed through quarterly newsletters developed in simple language.

5. NCA jointly with partners need to develop risk management strategy so as to address issues of fraud and other contingencies encountered by some IR-VICOBA members.

6. Partners improve their coordination roles by close supervision and follow-up especially for the newly formed IR-VICOBA that need much support at the early stages. NCA through partners to continue with efforts of supporting transport facilities to coordinators for them to improve monitoring and evaluation follow-up.  Partners also  identify workable local strategy for motivating the district and village coordinators as well animators.

7. Partners to improve innovations that can support member’s business diversification rather than depending on one investment entirely.  This can be through encouraging communities to develop IR-VICOBA that consider local comparative advantages to maximize profits.  For example communities may be encouraged to establish IR-VICOBA for food processing in districts like Kilindi, Lushoto, Kibondo and Mbulu to absorb agricultural products.  Likewise districts like Hai and Babati can capitalize on processing products from livestock (milk products) etc.

8. Partners need to have a strategy for regular trainings to IR-VICOBA members so as to improve their business skills systematically especially on products value addition. It could be more cost effective if partners can develop local TOT teams and strengthen animators’ capacities to support communities timely.

9. Partners need to develop cost effective internal field visits for experience sharing. Quarterly and annual field visits may also be established jointly with NCA or other likeminded partners. Partners also need to open up for a participatory reporting framework by engaging IR- VICOBA leaders in order to tape activities implementation reality.

10. It is important now for partners to develop a clear participatory monitoring and evaluation plan that could be shared across among members.

11. The partners to carry out the mapping exercise for understanding who are the like -minded partners in their respective districts to join their efforts on improving the programme implementation under IR- VICOBA framework.

12.  It is important for partners to team up and develop joint strategy on improving local market opportunities where IR-VICOBA members may share information concerning products prices as well opening up for business exchange among IR-VICOBA members across the country.

Comments from Norwegian Church Aid (if any):