Mid-term Review of Projects under the Norad Agreement (2016-2019) in Zambia

Background

Zambia Context: Zambia ranks 10th globally on incidences of child marriage as 31% of girls below 18 years are in marriage despite the constitutional age of marriage for being pegged at 21 years (ZDHS, 2013-14).

This is further worsened by the widespread acceptability of customary law, which does not impose any legal age of marriage (using puberty as a measure for readiness for marriage).

The Zambian education system is rated low in terms of education quality, including inclusiveness, thus threatening the long-term production and livelihoods. Despite being a signatory to CRC, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); among others, Zambia remains outside the 1960 UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education (UNESCO Zambia, 2016).

Low government spending in the education sector, which ranges from 2 to 2.5% of GDP, has contributed to education supply constraints, chiefly the inadequacy of classrooms, teachers and desks.  Despite existence of community level child protection structures, there is still inadequate involvement of other stakeholders in protection systems such as school and health centres.

Purpose/objective

The Mid-Term Review (MTR) assessed the degree to which planned outcomes around the four projects are on course to achieve the targeted results. The key objectives of the MTR was to assess the projects for the following: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, project management and sustainability. The MTR also assessed the project’s performance on cross cutting issues; gender equality, disability inclusion, unexpected results, added value and participation.

Methodology

The approach included both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The survey was administered to randomly selected project beneficiaries both in and out of school (in-school learners, girls aged between 18 and 24 years, and mothers) participating in the project. Field data collection was done in all the three provinces covered by the project.

Key data collections methods and approaches included Desk Review, FGDs, KII, Case Studies, Questionnaires/Surveys, and Observations through use of Checklists and Assessment Tools, Gender and disability inclusion. The evaluation addressed gender and disability issues by disaggregating data by sex and disability status to demonstrate how specific aspects of the programme affected male and female respondents as well as CWDs differently.

Key findings

On the whole at Mid Term, the project was generally on track to meeting the set project outcomes by project in 2019. Most Local Implementing Partners (LIPs) indicated that the Norad Agreement 2016-2019 was consistent with their organization’s strategic pillars.

This is important in ensuring ownership and continuity of the interventions beyond the project. The Monitoring and Evaluation of the project is fair with room for improvement. Plan has put in motion efforts for community based Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) teams on the projects.

The MTR notes that, overall, the LIPs had Good Absorptive Rates of annual budgets: None of the seven LIPs interviewed at national level (Lusaka) reported underutilization or overutilization of their yearly budget by a deviation exceeding 5% per year in 2017.

Unexpected Results: The Student Councils report on poor behaviour by teachers through the Score Card contributed to improved service delivery by teachers who reduced unprofessional behaviours. The Ministry of General Education through TESS, responding to Score Card information, banned the use of cell phones by teachers in classes.

The popularisation of toll free lines (116) by Childline in communities, led to increased reporting and response on CP cases. More stakeholders developed keen interest in ending child marriages, such as health departments and staff reporting on child pregnancies to Community Based Child Protection Committees to make follow-ups.

Gender: The projects components were to a greater extent gender transformative. By targeting girls the NORAD projects are realizing equality for girls and strengthening girls’ agency as in addition addressing root cases for inequality for girls. All the four projects were noted to continually emphasise on gender awareness during all awareness meetings with parents, teachers, children and local leaders.

Disability Inclusion

The Child Protection and Participation Project managed to provide a platform for people living with disabilities to access the services of Lifeline/Childline and participated in various activities.

The capacities of several stakeholders (teachers, parents, community leaders, communities & CP service providers) in disability inclusion was enhanced. Sustainability: Use of the Government structures in the delivery of the project was the greatest pillar for sustainability.

Other notable key elements for sustainability include; Building capacities in both schools and communities to address the development problem that the projects are addressing. Involvement of Traditional leaders as torch bearers to address problems of child marriages. Some chiefs were reported to be putting in place by-laws for prohibiting marrying off under age children.

Recommendations

1. Develop a robust exit strategy which will enable the project to draw from the good experiences (e.g. strengthened governance structures in schools, campaigns for increased access to education and the efforts to end child marriages) of the project for replication to other areas that are not currently part of the project.
2. Plan should continue strengthening the capacities of LIPs to effectively deliver the project at the subnational level. Areas for improved capacity could include M&E skills.
3. To address issues of inclusion, Plan International should consider establishing dialogue platforms between marginalised children (OVC & CWD) and duty bearers in order to increase their participation. Plan International should also consider advocacy and lobbying with relevant education ministries at national level for the integrating of disability inclusion skills in the teacher education curriculum. 
4. In order to contribute to scaling up good practices, the MTR recommends exchange visits by chiefs to those chiefdoms that have declared their areas child free zones.
5. There is need to consider empowerment activities in the Promotion of Girls Education Component of the framework for families whose children have been re-enrolled to be kept in school.

Comments from the organisation

Plan International appreciates the findings of the mid-term review and the recommendations given, some of which are already being considered (e.g. strengthening of disability inclusion in the project) to improving programming in the remaining project period.