Final Evaluation Report of Tuinuane Project

Background

For the last 12 years, FPFK has implemented Tuinuane Project ,which seeks to uplift and empower rural Kenyan women. The project has so far evolved from addressing literacy needs of women at the inception stage to lifting the socio-economic status of women in rural and urban areas through savings and credit groups.

Over years, the Tuinuane groups have had their money pooled together, issue loans to members with minimal interest to enhance their economic activities mainly in initiating and expanding their business ventures.

The groups have been self-operating and with no external funding, but received technical support and oversight through a network of Field Agents and Tuinuane Project Staff team at the FPFK national office. The project has so far been implemented in three phases; two of them of five years each; 2005-2009, and 2010 -2015 and phase 3 in 2016 -2017.

Purpose/objective

This evaluation was commissioned by FPFK to reflect on the learning and evaluation the performance of Tuinuane Project Phase 3, and the impact of Tuinuane project in the lives of the project participants since its inception. 

Methodology

The consultant used participatory, gender and human rights sensitive approaches, environmental and participatory rural appraisal methods to conduct the evaluation of this project.

The consultant was keen to ensure adequate consultation through interactive sessions allowing learning that involved direct project participants The consultant reviewed several project documents, the FPFK constitution, relevant documents including those related to the Ministry of Cooperatives in Kenya, the Kenya’s Vision 2030 now aligned with the implementation of the Sustainable Development and more.

Data collection tools included structured and semi structured questionnaires and guide to focus group discussion which enabled collection of qualitative and quantitative data on key indicators of performance of the project. The evaluation exercise included field visits.

Key findings

Tuinuane Project has economically transformed the lives of rural and urban low-income women and their families, positively improving their income by at least 50%; through improved access to savings and credit facilities used to establish and expand their businesses.

Tuinuane project has therefore, catalysed its participants’ financial ability to address their personal and family needs including access to food security and nutrition, health and better housing condition, education for their children, enhanced their social status, participation in decision making and made them live a life of dignity compared to what they had before.     

• FPFK has successfully integrated Tuinuane Project in its structures and systems; and recognizes it as a Gender Responsive Economic Empowerment Programme within FPFK. This follows the successful registration of Tuinuane SACCO, allowing the transition of Tuinuane project from Accumulated Savings and Credit Association (ASCA1) model to a formal Savings and Credit arrangement, with over 1000 members registered by end of the evaluation exercise in December 2017.  
• Despite successful integration of Tuinuane within the FPFK, the evaluation finds that Tuinuane Phase 3 project implementation had put in place limited contingency plan including anticipated financial needs during the transitional processes to a full operational SACCO upon project conclusion in December 2017. Filling this gap remain critical need to ensure the SACCO is fully up and running.  Failure to secure resources to bridge this gap may adversely affect the operations of the SACCO, particularly in mobilizing and facilitating transition of Tuinuane groups to the SACCO.  
• There was minimal interaction and sensitization of Tuinuane Group members on the importance and procedures for registration and membership in Tuinuane SACCO, which led to speculation on its objectives and low transition among Tuinuane group members to the new SACCO. Despite this challenge, engagement with Tuinuane group members during this evaluation process shows great potential for high transition to the new SACCO with more sensitization, access to information and support from the Field Agents to raise members trust.  
• The strength of Tuinuane SACCO and its success is in its massive number of members across the country. Overall, the Tuinuane Groups have remained intact, with increase in number in membership joining the groups with greater level of autonomy in their operations. 
• The evaluation established that the overall number of Tuinuane members through record evaluation and by comparison with numbers shared by the group leaders during field visits in the specific regions to currently stand at a total of 40, 249 (39,183 female and 1,066 male). The total number fell short of the numbers recorded by the evaluation of 2015 by 1000 members, which then found Tuinuane to have mobilized 41,234 members with 97% women and 3% men. This change is attributed to some members leaving the groups and some of the groups becoming inactive as

Recommendations

FPFK leadership should move with speed to strengthen institutional structures that will ensure support for full operationalization of the SACCO, guided by a clear transitional plan including clear targets; with possible resources that will sustain its operation for at least 6-12 months to oversee group members’ transition to Tuinuane SACCO management and ensure the SACCO is self-sustaining. 

• Tuinuane SACCO needs to streamline its operation to go beyond the centralised system of operation to dispel the group members’ perception that the SACCO is too far from them, by exploring ways to decentralise its operation to regional levels to ensure efficiency in delivery of services to its members.  
• The Field Agents continue to be a big support to decentralisation of the SACCO activities and achieving its objectives, hence their contribution to the SACCO be considered and facilitated.    
• Continue the use of technology including mobile banking for members’ financial transactions as may be applicable to reduce financial risks at members’ level, SACCO transactional costs and increase efficiency in financial management.  
• Undertake massive sensitization and education of Tuinuane groups for more information about Tuinuane SACCO, accompanying their smooth transitional process as individuals or groups to the new SACCO.   
• Engage and involve the FPFK church leadership at national, regional and local level including Pastors, Women and Youth Ministries to rally support for more members to join the SACCO and influence ownership of the SACCO by the church members at its primary constituency.