Summary of main findings

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Miranda Welch
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1 IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT NUSAF2 - Northern Uganda Social Action Fund Project in Moroto Municipality and Nadunget Sub-County Karamoja, Uganda

2 Summary of main findings There is a reduction from % to 27% of households that live on one meal pr. day 74.5% of households have not experienced starvation in the past 12 months, while 7.4% have Staple food and green vegetables are the main types of food consumed in households 47.3% of respondents rate their income situation as good or very good at the time of impact assessment 41.4% says that their ability to meet basic needs has improved in the past 12 months 3.1% of beneficiaries allocate less than half of their monthly expenditures on food The proportion of households that make savings has increased from 41% to 51% 5% of households would be able to cope with an economic shock 64.1% find that their access to a market has been highly improved 76.9% of beneficiaries are satisfied with the available choices between types of Household Income Support Projects Both NUSAF2 beneficiaries and community members are positive about the quality of the public works projects carried out 93.9% of beneficiaries express that they were not given a clear idea about what to expect from the project before the activities started 62.5% of beneficiaries says that DRC-DDG has lived up to commitments to a high extent or completely 2

3 Table of contents Executive summary 1. Introduction a. DRC-DDG Program in Uganda b. Description of project and working context 2. Methodology a. Data collection methods b. Sampling and characteristics of respondents c. Data handling and analysis d. MitHISPtion of methodological challenges 3. Findings a. Indicator I: Food Security b. Indicator II: Income and economic resilience c. Indictator III: Market access 4. Quality assessment: Project relevance and accountability in delivery 5. Conclusion 3

4 1. Introduction Description of project and work context DRC-DDG has been an implementing partner to the WFP-funded Northern Uganda Social Action Fund 2 program in Karamoja from March 12. DDG has been responsible for Public Works projects and Household Income Support Projects (HISP) in Moroto and Nadunget, and has administered the distribution of cash and food for work. The overall objective for DRC-DDG s work has been: To support livelihoods of poverty-stricken households in Nadunget Subcounty and Moroto Municipality. DRC-DDG has sought to contribute to this overall objective, by pursuing the immediate objective: Improved access to income earning opportunities and basic social services of food insecure households in Nadunget Subcounty and Moroto Municipality The project has targeted a total of 6,492 households with an estimated 38,9 direct and indirect individual beneficiaries. 1 The beneficiaries have been organized into 135 clustered, each carrying out one Public Works project, and one HISP. In total, the following activities have been carried out under NUSAF 2 in the period March 12 to March Public works projects: Community Access Road 48 Cattle Crush 7 Tree Planting Household Income Support Projects: Vegetable garden 45 Grinding mill 16 Cereal banking 4 Field crop cultivation 3 Bee keeping 1 Mushroom growing 8 Orchards 5 Tree nursery 1 Groundnuts grinding mill 6 Poultry 1 In addition, beneficiaries have been encouraged to establish Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA), and the clusters who took interest have been given training in VSLA and saving-boxes with record books. 1 A direct beneficiary is defined as a household member who actively takes part in public works and HISP. An indirect beneficiary is a household member of a direct beneficiary. Number of indirect beneficiaries is estimated based on an average household size of 6 persons. 4

5 2. Methodology Data collection methods This impact assessment aims to explore impact of the NUSAF2 implementation phase that started in March 12. It is based on a mixed methodology comprising a quantitative household survey and qualitative focus group discussions. The household survey has been carried out in August 13, six months after the completion of the implementation phase, and the qualitative data in October 13 with the purpose of leaving enough time for project outcomes and impact to materialize. A second phase has continued after March 13, whereby this assessment also serves as a mid-term assessment for the twoyear program phase. Data has been collected by a team of external enumerators under the management of DRC-DDGs M&E Unit. Enumerators have undergone a one-day training prior to data collection, and the tools have been pilot-tested prior to usage. All data collection tools have been translated into Ngakarimojong, and respondents have been interviewed in their mother tongue. Sampling and characteristics of respondents The household survey is based on responses from 599 randomly sampled NUSAF2 beneficiaries in all locations and clusters of the project. Sampling has been made proportional to number of cluster members to ensure that all clusters have relatively equal representation in the sample, and gender and age has been made to reflect the distribution among the beneficiary population. In consequence, 62.5% of respondents are female and 37.5% are male, while the age distribution is as follows: Age distribution of survey respondents 25 years and below years 46 years and above Mitigation of methodological challenges Prior to data collection in 13, the data collection tools have been revised and specified with a further level of detail than the baseline data collection in 12. The end-line data thus introduces additional measurements that were not included in the baseline, and to enable tracking of change in the implementation period, such new questions have been accompanied by a question assessing respondent s perception of change in comparison with one year earlier. Therefore, this impact assessment comprise a combination of direct comparisons between respondents answers to questions in 12 and 13 respectively, and perception-based assessments of change. This will be clearly indicated with a label of when data was collected (12 or 13) in all tables in the report. 5

6 Percent 3. Findings Indicator 1: Food Security Description of the indicator: This indicator seeks to map food beneficiaries food security by assessing number of meals pr. day, level of food sufficiency and diversity of food intake. Impact assessment: In 12, % of beneficiary households stated to rely on one meal pr. day. In 13, this proportion is reduced to 27%, while 55.6% of respondents in 13 live on two meals pr. day and 16.2% on three meals pr. day. In the end-line survey, respondents have in addition been asked whether they in comparison to the time before the project have experienced any change in the amount of food available in the household. To this, 45.3% have indicated that there has been an increase in amount of food available in the household, while 3.7% says the amount has remained the same and 9.6% that the amount has decreased. Number of meals pr. day Number of meals pr. day When this is coupled whether beneficiary households have experienced starvation in the past 12 months, it is found that a fairly small fraction of 7.4% says this has been the case, and 74.5% says that their household has not suffered from starvation in the past 12 months. In the qualitative data, it is a frequent statement that they are now able to feed the family, and respondents have stated that their main usage of additional income from NUSAF 2- related activities goes into food, medical treatment and school fees. Respondents to the household questionnaire have, however, indicated that there are issues of food insufficiency in relation to having food for all household members in the meals served. Less than 1% of respondents says that there always or most often are food for all household members, while 48.5% indicate this to be the case sometimes. As much as 25.5% says that there is rarely food for all household members in the meals in the home. 6

7 Number of days in month Percent 1 Have you in the past 12 months experienced starvation in the household? Yes No No answer In a focus group discussion in Motoro town, a lady of a group that had a grinding mill as their HISP, responded to a question on food diversity. She stated those days [before joining the NUSAF project] the only thing me and my children were eating was the residuals from brewing. Now, we eat posho. In the household questionnaire, it has been assessed whether this statement reflects a general trend. 34.8% of respondents indicate that they today consume more varied types of food than one year ago, which indicates a positive trend for food diversity. At the same time, 31% of beneficiaries says that the diversity of their food consumption is at the same level as one year ago, and 21.2% says that they eat less varied food. It thereby appears, that there are different trends of food security among different groups of beneficiaries. Overall, the distribution of frequency of consuming various food items indicates that the main sources of food today comprises carbohydrate-based staple foods (referred to by beneficiaries as bread ) and green vegetables. Frequency of consuming various food items in a month Food item 7

8 Percent Percent Indicator 2: Income and economic resilience Description of the indicator: In this section, beneficiaries level of income, savings and assets in the form of livestock is assessed to explore trends in self-reliance and ability to cope with economic shocks. Impact assessment: Respondents in the household survey have made a subjective rating of their income situation. In the baseline survey, the rating is made numerically on a scale from 1 to 5, and in the end-line the scale has had five categories from very bad to very good. Due to difference in the scales across the two surveys, they cannot be directly compared, but the findings presented in the table below do indicate that there has been a positive trend in the period from 12 to 13. In the end-line assessment, 47.3% of respondents have rated their income situation as good or very good. 5 How do you perceive the income situation for your household? Very bad Bad Fair Good Very good Don't know Due to the difference in the scales, this measurement is in the end-line survey triangulated with a question regarding beneficiaries perception of change in their ability to meet basic needs. In these answers there is a similarity with the self-assessments of change in food security above as answers are spread across the answer categories in a manner that indicates that there has been varied impact among different groups of beneficiaries. The most significant trend among the answers is, however, that 41.4% find that their ability to meet basic needs has been improved in the past 12 months. Endline: Do you think there in the past 12 months has been any change in your ability to meet basic needs? Worsened Same Improved Change in ability to meet basic needs 8

Additionally, respondents have answered an open-ended question about whether they think that being part of the project has been of any benefit to their daily life, and if so in which way.

9 Additionally, respondents have answered an open-ended question about whether they think that being part of the project has been of any benefit to their daily life, and if so in which way. The responses have been mapped into a visual overview, with the size of the text indicating the frequency by which something is mentioned: The responses point at that the main benefits experienced by beneficiaries relate to improved access to food and ability to feed the family, better possibilities of paying school fees and providing scholastic materials to children, improved ability to buy subsidiary food, better and more balanced diet and improved medical care and health. During focus group discussions, a number of beneficiaries highlighted that they had found the project to motivate them to work, and that they had learnt how to engage in productive activities that had otherwise been outside reach. This relates both to practical skills, but also to the attitude to work. A man in Nadunget expressed the latter in the following way: Let me say this like we pastoralists do. If you want a cow to give milk, you first have to make the effort and take her grazing. What we have learnt is that it is the same for earning money, you first have to work. In the household survey in 13, household s economic situation has been explored. There does not exist equivalently detailed information in the baseline study, but these figures can be used for future reference, and can be compared to other livelihoods studies among the target group in Karamoja.The figures will be reported firstly in averages for the entire group of respondents followed by a detailed break-down that describes the variance among beneficiaries. In 13, NUSAF2 beneficiaries in Moroto and Nadunget reportedly had the following average economic details: Household monthly income Household monthly expenditures Monthly spending on food Estimation of value of household savings 49, UGX 81,3 UGX 47,9 UGX 15,7 UGX 9

10 Percent Percent households This indicates that beneficiaries on average spend almost all earnings on food, and that they are faced with expenditures that exceed their income. When the numbers are broken further down, it is found that there is a significant degree of variance across beneficiaries behind these average findings. In relation to the distribution of the proportion of expenditure allocated to food, it is found that 3.1% spend less than half of their monthly earnings on food, and that the remaining 69.9% of beneficiaries are spread between spending between the ranges of 5% to 1% of their expenditures. 1 Endline: Distribution of proportion of expenditure spent on food % 26-5% 51-75% 76-1% Percentage of expenditure spent on food 13 As a measurement of economic resilience, respondents have been asked about their saving habits and ability to cope with an economic shock. Regarding savings, there has from 12 to 13 been an increase from 41% to 51% of beneficiaries who state to make savings in the household. In 13, respondents have additionally been asked whether they make savings in a group, which 57.6% state to do. 1 Proportion of households making savings in household 13 - in a group 1

11 Percent Among the beneficiaries who make savings, the value of household savings has been broken down in categories: Endline: Distribution of value of savings among households who make savings Amount saved Here it is found that a greater percentage of 39.6% of respondents have less than 5, UGX saved, and thus a quite limited liquidity available for crisis situations. 5.2% of beneficiaries have between 5, and, UGX, and 1.3 % have more than, UGX. Respondents have in addition been asked directly whether they, in the event that member of the household urgently needed. UGX for medical care, would be able to raise the money. To this, 5% of respondents have said yes divided between 29.2% who claimed to be able to get the money from household funds and.8% who claims they would be able to borrow the money. It thus appears that there is a social economic resilience among the beneficiaries that enables a larger fraction than the ones who have liquidity at hand to cope with an economic shock. During focus group discussions, it has frequently been mentioned that beneficiaries seek to multiply income that has been earned under NUSAF2, and that many beneficiaries succeed in setting up small businesses. When inquiring about the types of business vested in, a common answer is brewing of local brew. While this is a rational choice in a setting where there is a market for it, it may be considered if this is the most constructive outcome of NUSAF activities taken the challenges with alcohol addiction and violence related to alcohol-intake into account. One more measurement regarding the household s economic situation has been made in relation to number of livestock lost and gained in the previous 12 months. These findings indicate that 1% of households have increased the number of livestock with 1 head, and 4% with 2 heads or more. 14.9% state to have the same number as earlier, and 11% that they have lost livestock in the period. These figures are at a background of a significant number of beneficiaries indicating that they neither at the time of baseline nor end-line were in possession of livestock. 11

12 Percent Indicator 3: Market Access Description of indicator: The measurements under this indicator are made with the purpose of exploring whether there is any change in beneficiaries access to market places and thereby improved access to economic activities. Impact assessment: In order to establish information about changes in beneficiaries access to markets, a direct and an indirect question has been included in the survey. In 13, respondents have directly been asked, whether their access to a market place has improved in the past 12 months. In this matter, there is a very clear trend that beneficiaries do experience to have improved market access, as indicated in the following table Has your access to a market place been improved in the past 12 months? Level of change in access to market place Also, respondents have been asked where they buy items to cover their daily basic needs, e.g. food and other essentials. In both baseline and end-line, it is by far the majority of respondents who indicate that they get this from a town or trading centre. The table above should thus be interpreted in the way that the access to these trading centers is perceived to be improved in the period. At the same time, there is a change in the proportion of respondents who indicate to purchase essential items in the village itself. At the time of baseline it was as few as 1.7% of respondents that stated this as the main avenue for household purchases, while it by the time of the end-line is 5.3%. This could reflect an emerging level of economic activities in the villages, while still at a very modest level. 12

13 Percent Percent 4. Quality Assessment: Project relevance and accountability in delivery As a result of DRC-DDG s commitment to Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), an assessment of beneficiaries rating of project relevance, delivery on commitments and rating of how accessible it is for beneficiaries to raise complaints. In relation to project relevance, beneficiaries have rated the choices available to them for different types of HISPs. A significantly positive trend is found here, with 76.7% saying satisfied or very satisfied, and less than 6% expressing dissatisfaction with the available types of HISPs How satisfied have you been with the choices available to your group between different types of IGAs? Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither dissatisfied nor satisfied 13.9 Satisfied 62.8 Very satisfied 12.8 No answer 13 Subsequently, beneficiaries and a sample of other community members have been asked how satisfied they are with the quality of the public works project that has been carried out in their area. There appears to be a high level of satisfaction with the results of public works, and community members who has not taken part in the public works process are slightly more positive than sampled NUSAF2 beneficiaries. How satisfied are you with the quality of the public works project that has been implemented under NUSAF2 in your parish? NUSAF2 5 Beneficiaries Not at all Low extent Some extent High extent Comletely Level of satisfaction with quality 12.8 No answer Other community members 13

14 Percent Percent On the matter of level of information to beneficiaries and clarity about project details prior to implementation, the findings are much less positive. In fact, 93.9% of respondents state that they did not get a clear idea about what to expect from the project before activities started in 11. This could point at that there have been weaknesses in the community liaison and community entry process during project inception Did NUSAF staff give you a clear idea of what to expect from the project before activities started? No 6.1 Yes In the end-line assessment, beneficiaries have been asked to rate the quality of DRC-DDG s service delivery, by answering to what extent DRC-DDG has lived up to commitments. Findings are generally positive with 69.7% of respondents stating either to a high extent or completely, while 6% say to a low extent or not at all. To what extent has DRC-DDG lived up to commitments? Not at all 5.6 Low extent 11.2 Some extent High extent Comletely 13 No answer 13 2 DRC-DDG became an implementing partner for NUSAF2 in 12 14

15 Percent Lastly, as assessment of the access to DRC-DDG s beneficiary complaints mechanisms has been made, by asking beneficiaries to rate implementing staff s approachability in case a beneficiary wants to express dissatisfaction. Here it is found that 62.5% of beneficiaries find that implementing staff are approachable either to a high extent or completely, and that 17.1% finds that this is the case to a low extent or not at all. 5 To what extent do you think DRC-DDG staff are approachable if you want to express dissatisfaction? Not at all Low extent Some extent High extent Comletely No answer 15

16 5. Conclusion In relation to food security, a reduction has been found in the number of people who live on one meal pr. day. Only a very limited number of households have been faced with starvation in the past 12 months, and the amount of food available in the households has increased. There has been found increased dietary diversity and beneficiaries have indicated to experience improved nutrition and health among their family members. There are, however, still a significant portion of beneficiaries who point at challenges in ensuring food for all members of the household in the number of meals prepared pr. day. In relation to household income and economic resilience, there has been found a positive trend in beneficiaries self-assessment of their income situation. In 13, 47.3% of beneficiaries rate their income situation as good or very good There is also a trend towards improved ability to meet basic needs, as it has been found that 41.4% of beneficiaries state a positive development in this regard. In focus group discussions, beneficiaries have emphasized that the households are able to access medical care, school enrollment and purchase of subsidiary food which had been out of reach before. There has been an increase in the number of persons making savings, and 5% of respondents indicate to be able to cope with an economic shock for the household. There has been a significant improvement in market access, and beneficiaries are found to utilize earnings from Household Income Support Projects (HISP) for investments in small scale business. Beneficiaries express a high level of satisfaction with the available choices of HISPs, and the quality of the public works projects has been rated highly by NUSAF2 beneficiaries as well as by other community members. There have been identified weaknesses in the information provided to beneficiaries prior to launching of the project, which DRC-DDG will take into account in the event of leading a community entry process in the future. Lastly, the majority of beneficiaries find that DRC-DDG has lived out to its commitments in service delivery in the implementation period. 16

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