Results and Recommendations from the South Africa Umbrella Grants Management (UGM) End-of-Project Partner EvaluationNokuzola Mamabolo, Senior M&E AdvisorFHI 360 South Africa Umbrella Grants Management ProgramMarch 19, 2013

UGM Project Background

• USAID-funded; Oct. 2007 – Nov. 2013• Customized capacity strengthening support

to 14 partners, over life of project, focused on OVC and HIV prevention in South Africa

• Core technical areas: grants and financial management, organisational capacity strengthening, and monitoring, evaluation and reporting (MER)

End-of-Project Evaluations

• 7 partners’ programs evaluated (6 OVC, 1 GBV) to assess:— Extent to which target population needs

were met— Most significant changes for beneficiaries— Key enablers and barriers

• Methodologies: desk review, FGD, in-depth interviews, most significant change

End-of-Project Evaluations – learning and benefits• Evaluation process became a capacity

building exercise• Strengthened basis for partners to review

and refine program logic and design• Highlighted importance of planning with

evaluation in mind• Promoted evaluation culture among

partners

Outcomes – Individual Level – essentially about people and social systems• Three outcomes identified as significant

changes for OVC:– Improved psychosocial well-being– Improved school performance– Improved food security

• For GBV survivors, outcomes were system improvements at police station, courts, hospitals, and the community

Outcomes – Household and Community Level – essentially about the environment• Household-level changes: interventions

were seen as valuable where implemented, but it was recommended that these interventions be significantly strengthened.

• Community-level changes:– Increased community awareness– Strengthening of community-based forums– Increased capacity of CBOs

Recommendations and Lessons Learned

• Formally determine what kind of results count as outcomes at design stage

• Plan for collection of baseline data for comparative purposes

• Emphasize sustainability in program design and implementation

• Include household- level interventions

Recommendations and Lessons Learned

• Support partners in developing relationships with government and community stakeholders

• Determine priority - capacity strengthening or service provision?

• Measurement of Prevention interventions would strengthen learning for further design and programming