EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is a final evaluation report on Response to Emergencies and Transitions to Recovery in Volatile Environments (RETREIVE) 2016-2018 implemented by DRC Somalia. DRC started implementing The Response to Emergency and Transition to Recovery in volatile Environment (RETRIEVE) in August 2016. The goal of the project was to improve food security and improve access to food and basic service, protect livelihoods, build resilience of the poor household and provide protective environment to vulnerable persons in Somalia.
Initially, the project was expected to run for 12 months up to September 2017 but received a one year cost extension from August, 2017 to October 2018 with additional budget and targets. Mid 2018, the project got a further two-month no cost extension to implement the emergency response activities in Beletwyene and Lughaya and will end in December 2018. A project baseline was conducted in October 2016 followed by a Midterm Assessment in early 2018 that focused on the performance of the initial phase of the project.
The project covered five sectors including agriculture, food security, economic recovery and market systems (ERMS), water sanitation and hygiene wash, protection and risk management policy and practice. It targeted 128,786 individuals, 21,391 households and is implemented in all the regions of Somalia, namely Somaliland, Puntland and South Central. These sectors are; Agriculture, Food Security WASH, Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction. The study sampled each activity independently as different beneficiaries accessed different activities across the targeted areas in Somalia. A total of 400 HHs were interviewed in respect of the sample for each activity to be undertaken under this project countrywide. Consultant was contracted to lead the evaluation and the fieldwork was undertaken between 1st and 15th December, 2018.
The programme design envisaged an integrated approach that combines and promotes emergency, development and practical elements of advocacy to deliver a comprehensive communities’ support package. DRC applied both hardware and software intervention approaches to achieve the desired objectives. The hardware interventions which involved development of water supply, agriculture and income generating activities are carefully tied together such that they benefit and draw synergies from the soft-ware components which include hygiene and sanitation awareness, protection and risk management. DRC’s strategies are grounded on the principles of do-no-harm / Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and aspects of rights based approach in the course of the programme implementation.
A final evaluation of the program was necessary to assess if the project met its objectives of providing the disaster-affected populations with immediate life-saving services in a timely
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and dignified manner, providing adequate protection to vulnerable and at-risk groups and improve emergency preparedness as well as strengthen resilience to shocks in Somalia by analyzing questions of relevance/appropriateness, efficient, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the project interventions. The evaluation would also provide recommendations that would shape future projects.
The evaluation applied participatory methods for collecting relevant information which included: literature review, Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). In order to include quantitative aspects of the evaluation, semi structured questionnaires were administered to different beneficiaries who benefited from the project. Other methods used included field observation/direct observations and validation; and photography. The field information was analyzed and used in the development of this report.
The key findings of this evaluation are consolidated and presented according to the thematic areas of interventions. Findings generally indicate an improvement in almost all indicators at baseline. End -line findings clearly shows improvement in all sectors studied Agriculture / food security, WASH, Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction. This shows that the project has achieved its intended objectives.
Overall the final evaluation study revealed that there is an increase in average monthly income compared to base-line and mid-line evaluation which connotes improvement economically. The End-line results records improved monthly income with a mean of $193, and a maximum of $850. This cuts across all the districts.
In the end-line evaluation, a lesser number of people recorded food shortages. More than half of households interviewed (64%) said that they did not lack food in the past one month. This can be attributed to farming especially in agricultural areas such as Jowhar and Gabiley district.
The final evaluation reports increased number of trainings in hairdressing, electric works, tailoring and computer skills. When asked, all respondents cite that they received this training from DRC. Furthermore, all respondents agree to have received some form of training in the last one year. The intervention to train beneficiaries on these skills has impacted them positively and has many success stories because it has changed the livelihoods of these beneficiaries as well as created jobs and hope for them.
The end-line evaluation show a surge in some specific water sources namely; borehole water (28%), piped water into yard (29%), protected dug well (33%), piped water into dwelling (25%), and other sources (32%). This is an indication that the project its objective in ensuring access to clean water through rehabilitation of water sources was achieved.
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Washing hands after visiting the toilet has increased from mid-line evaluation and is now at 99% in the end-line evaluation. Interesting to note also is the increase of hygiene practices around handling of children. More than half wash their hands before feeding a baby 58%, after cleaning a baby 51% and after playing with a baby 22%.
During mid-line however, a significant number have now adopted other means of relieving themselves which confirms that the provision of sanitation facilities after baseline is having a positive impact among the beneficiaries. End-line results further confirm a greater impact on DRC’s intervention on the beneficiaries where now almost everyone use community latrines 96%, and a few have household latrines 24%.
Recommendations
While there is a decrease in the number of respondents who experienced food shortages, this sector could have been optimized to secure more food had there not been some floods challenges in some areas like Jowhar. Mechanisms to alert farmers on time before such disasters strike would ensure efficiencies in inputs advanced and make the project more successful. Interventions to better alert the farmers on time and accurately will go a long way in improving this.
The intervention to train beneficiaries on Vocational skills Training (VST) has impacted them positively and has many success stories because it has changed the livelihoods of these beneficiaries as well as created jobs and hope for them. We would recommend more of such trainings, start-up capital and more equipment to the beneficiaries. Also, some beneficiaries are still asking for business management skills to help them get well established.
There is need for support for victims of GBV perhaps through counselling and other psychological help. Many feel that there is a gap in that sense which needs to be filled. In one of the FGDs, it was observed that the main cause of GBV is actually the problem of drug abuse. In light of this, perhaps the DRC program could investigate this claim and assess the need to pursue this as an area of intervention.