Social and economic empowerment of vulnerable groups of population
Evidence CA’s research team conducted the mid-term and final evaluation of the project “Socio-Economic Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan”. The project was implemented by the PF Fair and Sustainable Development Solutions (FSDS) with financial support from Bread for the World. The project builds on the experience of the previous FSDS CAM-2 project program implemented in 2016-2018. The main objective of the projects were the following topics:
1. Improve personal development, employment opportunities and local entrepreneurial capacity of vulnerable groups in target communities of KR and RT.
2. Increase access to services that contribute to the economic resilience of vulnerable groups by strengthening the public and private sectors.
3. Develop empowerment and leadership skills of vulnerable groups so that they have access to public services and enjoy social rights at the community level.
The mid-term evaluation was conducted between November 25 and December 31, 2021. The final evaluation, according to the awarded contract and statement of work, was conducted between July 22 and August 22, 2022. The research team in the mid-term evaluation used a number of tools to collect qualitative and quantitative data. As a result of the evaluation, 16 focus group discussions with project beneficiaries (students, teachers, vulnerable women, trainers, youth) and interviews with direct project beneficiaries were conducted – 624 questionnaires collected directly. Only in-depth interviews were conducted in the final evaluation. A total of 181 representatives of target groups (beneficiaries) and 19 representatives of the partner, involved specialists and representatives of LSGs, including 103 women and 68 men aged from 12 to 80 years took part in in-depth interviews.
The main methodological constraint for project evaluation was the time frame, which required rapid implementation of project evaluations. However, the team was able to meet the customer’s requirement and deliver the research product on time.
A thorough review of all relevant project documents and final products was conducted by the Evidence CA team. Based on the results of the study, data were collected and analyzed according to the project indicators established in the monitoring and evaluation plan and the key evaluation questions specified in the terms of reference, and classified according to the CEB criteria: relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. The evaluation report also includes an analysis of lessons learned and recommendations for FSDS.