Implementing organisation(s) CAMFED International and CAMFED Project title Zimbabwe Girls’ Secondary Education Source of funding (i) UK Aid from the UK Government DFID and (ii) Centrally Managed Girls’ Education Challenge fund (GEC) Location Zimbabwe Grant agreement or contract Purchase Order Number: 40103253 ID DFID Component Code: 203292-103 Contact person Faith Nkala, National Director, CAMFED Zimbabwe Contact details 26 Campbell Avenue, Pomona Borrowdale, Main Line: +263-4-886676-8 www.CAMFED.org

Start date April 2012 End date March 2022 Budget £39,639,240

CAMFED’s core functions CAMFED’s Zimbabwe Girls’ Secondary Education (ZGSE) project is designed to support vulnerable girls and boys (where they are most marginalised), including children living with disabilities in rural areas of Zimbabwe to continue and succeed in secondary school. The project is being implemented in 29 rural districts where 1,056 partner secondary schools are working with CAMFED to improve access, retention and quality of education for the most marginalised learners, especially girls. To date, the project has provided 48,388 girls with bursaries and complementary support to address related barriers.

In 2012, DFID Zimbabwe provided an accountable grant of £12m to CAMFED Zimbabwe to halt the decline in girls’ participation in secondary education, over four years to 2016. This was mainly delivered in the form of bursaries, with complementary inputs ensuring and developing sustainable community engagement. CAMFED’s bursary programme incorporates a holistic approach to tackling the obstacles impeding girls’ education at all levels, with bursaries as one component of a broader, sustainable education programme. It thereby capitalises on existing community-level infrastructure for delivery, as well as complementing related activities that focus on improving the educational environment.

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CAMA, CAMFED’s post-school alumnae network, now numbering 57,960 members in Zimbabwe, are the project’s key agents of change, connecting girls who complete secondary school with skills training, tertiary education and employment opportunities to enable them to make the transition to a secure adulthood and livelihood supported by a network of peers in their local community.

The initial project time frame was April 2012 to March 2016, however, in December 2015 DFID approved a one-year costed extension, with additional funding of £3,549,077. This enabled CAMFED to continue its support to rural girls in school, as well as introduce new interventions to support children living with disabilities and the most vulnerable boys at secondary school. This project has also ensured girls are supported by CAMFED to complete school to transition to further education, and strengthen community initiatives to tackle early marriage and pregnancy. In 2016, DFID further increased the amount available to CAMFED by £10,647,231, bringing the grant total to £26,196,308, and extended the project to March 2020. The further cost extension will support a total of 24,384 marginalised children.

In July 2018, an Addendum providing an additional £1,442,932 for the project was approved by DFID. The Addendum is supporting CAMFED to pilot additional safeguarding measures for girls and boys supported under ZGSE. This cost extension is enabling specific resources to be put in place to safeguard learners in most disadvantaged communities where distance to school poses huge risks. These initiatives will include bicycles for pupils, improving existing low-cost boarding facilities in schools, and construction of new lost-cost boarding facilities hence supporting those learners to complete a full cycle of education.

In October 2019, DFID approved an additional £12 million for the project, as a two-year addendum from April 2020 to March 2022. The core components of the additional funding will be to enable 13,560 girls in Forms 1-4 to attend school; broaden the pilot programme of individualised support for children living with disabilities to receive bursary support including expanding into an additional district; support 1,000 girls and 100 boys to continue to A-Level study; scale up support to marginalised boys, and extend 2

the Learner Guide Programme to all 29 of CAMFED’s partner districts in Zimbabwe.

Reporting period July-December 2019 Date of report 31 January 2020 Author CAMFED

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Report Contents 1. Project Summary 2. Expected Results 3. Output Scoring 4. Progress and Results 5. Cost and Timescale 6. Value for Money 7. Evidence and Evaluation 8. Risk 9. Conditionality 10. Appendix 1 – DFID Annual Review Recommendations

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1. Project Summary CAMFED’s Zimbabwe Girls’ Secondary Education (ZGSE) project is designed to support vulnerable girls and boys, including children living with disabilities, in rural areas of Zimbabwe to continue and succeed in secondary school. This is in a context where Zimbabwe continues to face serious economic challenges with significant implications on the education system, including lack of teaching and learning resources, and inequity in quality of teaching between school locations. In 2012, DFID Zimbabwe provided an accountable grant of £12m to CAMFED Zimbabwe to halt the decline in girls’ participation in secondary education, over four years to 2016. This was mainly delivered in the form of bursaries, with complementary inputs ensuring and developing community engagement. CAMFED’s bursary programme incorporates a holistic approach to tackling the obstacles impeding girls’ education at all levels, with bursaries as one component of a broader, sustainable education programme. It thereby capitalises on existing community-level infrastructure for delivery, as well as complementing related activities that focus on improving the educational environment. CAMA, CAMFED’s post-school alumnae network, now numbering 57,960 members in Zimbabwe, are the project’s key agents of change, connecting girls who complete secondary school with skills training, tertiary education and employment opportunities to enable them to make the transition to a secure adulthood and livelihood supported by a network of peers in their local community. DFID’s funding is focused on helping Zimbabwe achieve gender parity in the secondary education cycle and ensuring girls’ retention in and completion of secondary school, with consequent wide-ranging social and economic benefits. The project is being implemented in 29 rural districts, where 1,056 partner secondary schools are working with CAMFED to improve access, retention and quality of education for the most marginalised learners, especially girls. To date, the project has provided 48,388 marginalised girls with bursaries and complementary support to address related barriers. The initial project time frame was April 2012 to March 2016. However, in December 2015 DFID approved a one-year costed extension, with additional funding of £3,549,077. This enabled CAMFED to continue its support to rural girls in school, as well as introduce new interventions to support children living with disabilities and the most vulnerable boys at secondary school. This project has also ensured CAMFED’s support for girls to complete school to progress to further education, and strengthen community initiatives to tackle early marriage and pregnancy. In 2016, DFID further increased the amount available to CAMFED by £10,647,231, bringing the grant total to £26,196,308, and extended the project to March 2020. The further cost extension will support a total of 24,384 children. The cost extension will capitalise on the lessons learnt under ZGSE to date, with CAMFED continuing its holistic bursary support to marginalised girls and scaling up its support package to vulnerable boys and learners living with disabilities. Mother Support Groups (MSGs) and Father Support Groups (FSGs) will continue to provide additional resources and counselling and Community Development Committees (CDCs) will engage local government in cost-effective delivery.

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Aligning with and complementing the ZGSE cost extension is the new phase of the Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) fund – the Transition Window – under which CAMFED was awarded funding of £27,818,554 in April 2017 (£14,545,166 in Zimbabwe). The project, The Ultimate Virtuous Cycle of Girls’ Education, launched in Zimbabwe, and Tanzania in September 2017 and running until December 2021, will enable a critical mass of 268,389 marginalised girls – the cohort supported under the first phase of the Girls’ Education Challenge – to transition to, progress through and succeed at secondary school, and support them to achieve secure and fulfilling livelihoods at the critical post-school transition. The project will replicate and scale up successful strategies implemented under GEC1, such as CAMA members volunteering in their local schools and communities as Learner Guides and using My Better World, a life- skills curriculum designed by CAMFED and CAMA members to boost children’s aptitude for learning and enhance their prospects after school; and continuing Step Up Fund (SUF) support to girls in secondary schools to provide a responsive mechanism of more tailored support for girls at high risk of dropping out of school. While ZGSE will concentrate on ensuring highly disadvantaged girls and boys are not left behind in access to secondary education, and provide opportunities to a new cohort of beneficiaries, the GEC-T project focus is on improved learning outcomes and supporting transition to productive livelihoods or further education for the continuing GEC cohort. Under the 2017-2020 extension for ZGSE, bursary support will gradually move towards a more targeted, responsive model to ensure that the most critical needs are met for beneficiaries. Community members and School Based Committees (SBCs) will continue to identify the most appropriate support package for each vulnerable student, in order to use available resources effectively. Where beneficiaries do have varying levels of support within the same school (which will continue to be the case in many of the schools with both GEC-T and ZGSE activities). CAMFED’s accountable and transparent community-led selection processes (as well as clear and communication with the school community), will ensure that the two projects can co-exist successfully. Ensuring complementarity and synergy between the ZGSE and GEC-T projects will be a key priority and many of the interventions of GEC-T will indirectly benefit the marginalised children being supported under ZGSE, such as the training of Teacher Mentors and My Better World sessions led by Learner Guides. In July 2018, an Addendum providing an additional £1,442,932 for the project was approved by DFID. The Addendum is supporting CAMFED to pilot additional safeguarding measures for girls and boys supported under ZGSE. This cost extension is enabling specific resources to be put in place to safeguard learners in most disadvantaged communities where distance to school poses huge risks. These initiatives include bicycles for pupils, improving existing low-cost boarding facilities in schools, and construction of new low- cost boarding facilities hence supporting those learners to complete a full cycle of education. Local stakeholders through the CDC visited each of the schools to ascertain the most cost-effective solutions for CAMFED-supported pupils being accommodated in unsafe or unsuitable conditions. Interventions were then tailored to meet the needs of individual pupils and schools. In October 2019, DFID approved an additional £12 million for the project, as a two-year addendum from April 2020 to March 2022. The core components of the additional funding will be to enable 13,560 girls in Forms 1-4 to attend school; broaden the pilot programme of individualised support for children living with 6

disabilities to receive bursary support including expanding into an additional district; support 1,000 girls and 100 boys to continue to A-Level study; scale up support to marginalised boys, and extend the Learner Guide Programme to the five partner districts not covered by GEC-T, including to support the ongoing implementation of sexual and reproductive health outreach by Learner Guides in all 29 of CAMFED’s partner districts in Zimbabwe.

CAMFED continues to build relationships with district, provincial and national level officials at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE). Lessons from the bursary programme are shared regularly with the Ministry at all levels, with the aim of integrating best practices into government systems in order to extend capacity for the delivery of bursaries and related programmes going forward. Over the past year, CAMFED has continued to share best practice and be influential in the key areas of safeguarding of learners, with a specific focus on low-cost boarding, learners in satellite schools, home grown school feeding initiatives, and inclusive education and disability mainstreaming.

2. Expected Results Based on the project’s target districts and schools, which were approved by the MoPSE, the logframe for this project was approved by DFID in April 2013, revised in December 2015 following DFID’s approval of a funding extension to the programme, and further amended in October 2016 following DFID’s approval to extend the project to 2020. Under the 2017-2020 cost extension, all existing indicators, at impact, outcome and output levels were extended by three years. The approval of the new cost extension focusing on safeguarding in July 2018 also entailed a further review of the logframe to introduce four new indicators to track the reach and impact of the additional resources. These indicators will track the number of students supported as follows:  With bicycles (Output Indicator 1.5)  With tailor-made packages (Output Indicator 1.6)  The attendance rates of students supported with bicycles (Output Indicator 2.6)  The number of grants provided to schools to construct or improve low-cost boarding facilities (Output Indicator 3.5).

Furthermore, per the 2018-2019 Annual Review Recommendations from DFID, CAMFED reviewed the planned milestones for the entire duration of the project, and shared the revised version of the logframe with DFID in November 2018.

Most recently, in line with the approval of the two-year addendum running from April 2020 to March 2022, CAMFED has extended all existing indicators by two years, and has also added two new output indicators (which are subject to DFID approval):  Output indicator 2.7, Number of young women trained as Learner Guides  Output indicator 2.8, Number of Parent Support Groups supported to conduct school feeding 7

Progress to date shows CAMFED is on track to achieve the following results:

Impact: Zimbabwe achieves gender parity in the secondary cycle, with consequent wide-ranging social and economic benefits. Impact is measured through improved gender parity and increasing pass rates. The project will contribute towards the following impact-level targets:

 Impact target 1: Gender Parity Index at secondary school, particularly Quintiles 1 and 2, to have stabilised at > 0.95 in secondary education.

 Impact target 2: Examination pass rates at Form 4 to have increased from 19% to 30%. Progress towards targets for both impact level targets remains firmly on track. For Impact Indicator 1, CAMFED does not currently have access to 2019 EMIS data, however the EMIS data from 2018 showed a Gender Parity Index of 1.31. For Impact Indicator 2, the Form 4 examination results published in January 2020 show a pass rate of 33.9%, up from 32.8% in 2018. However these results will be confirmed in March/April 2020 when 2019 EMIS data is circulated. The MoPSE is in an ongoing process of reviewing the assessment framework for refinement and alignment to the updated competency-based curriculum, and this continues to be a priority area for the Ministry in 2020. This review will also be a key discussion point during the Joint Sector Review meeting due to be held from 10 to 12 February 2020. Outcome: Strengthened scope and quality of educational services enhances student access, retention and achievement in the secondary cycle, with special attention to disadvantaged girls. The outcome is measured through improved enrolment and completion rates across Forms 1-6 in 29 districts. By the end of the project:

 Outcome Indicator 1: Enrolment in Forms 1-6 in 29 districts (gender disaggregated) to have increased from 162,860 (82,867 for boys and 79,993 for girls) to 346,392 (173,214 for boys and 173,178 for girls).

 Outcome Indicator 2: Completion rate (Forms 1-4) in 29 districts (gender disaggregated) to have reached 90% for boys and 85% for girls.

 Outcome Indicator 3: Drop-out rate of girls in supported schools that can be attributed to pregnancy and/or early marriage, based on a 2018/2019 target of 1.9, to reach 1.7% by the end of the project. Performance against Outcome Indicator 1 has been strong to date, with the enrolment figures for the 2019/2020 period standing at 190,134 for boys and 193,134 for girls, against the 2019/2020 milestone of 173,214 for boys and 173,178 for girls. For Outcome Indicator 2, the completion figures for the 2019/2020 period against the milestones of 90% for boys and 85% for girls will be updated in March 2020. It was not possible to update the indicator for the January 2020 report submission and CAMFED will update this when 2019 enrolment and 2020 enrolment data for partner schools are collected during Term One monitoring. In terms of the previous 8

year’s performance against this indicator, the final data for 2018/2019 showed completion rates of 82% for boys (compared to 85% the previous year), and 74% for girls (compared to 82% the previous year). This fell short of the milestone for 2018/2019 of 90% for boys and 85% for girls. As outlined in the January- June 2019 biannual report, CAMFED considers the continuing macroeconomic challenges experienced across the country and extreme weather events to be the most significant factors in this decrease in completion rates. Drought conditions and the associated challenges of food insecurity and hunger also negatively impact upon school attendance, retention and completion rates, as hunger impedes students’ ability to focus on their education, and food insecurity can result in an increased burden of domestic responsibilities such as travelling longer distances to fetch water. CAMFED recognises that this downward trend, which is in alignment with the national trends as informed by 2018 EMIS data, is concerning. During the past six-month period, CAMFED has conducted additional qualitative and quantitative analysis to understand in more detail at what point during secondary school, and where, this issue becomes most prevalent in the most affected partner schools. This has been done through further disaggregation of data, including looking at the categories of students most affected/most likely to drop out, completion rates by district, progression between grades, and also at how our beneficiaries compare to the district level completion rate through EMIS. Furthermore, during the third term of 2019, CAMFED Zimbabwe staff and staff from MoPSE (specifically from the Centre for Education Research, Innovation and Development) conducted qualitative research (focus group discussions and interviews) in CAMFED partner schools to investigate issues relating to causes of drop-out, challenges faced by learners at satellite schools (which represent 34% of CAMFED Zimbabwe’s 1,056 partner schools), and causes of decreasing pass rates at O- Level. The data is currently being analysed, and a final report will be shared with DFID at the end of February 2020. Regarding performance against Outcome Indicator 3, data for the 2019/2020 period will similarly be available in March 2020, when collection of 2019 enrolment and 2020 enrolment data can take place as part of Term One monitoring. However, as shared in the last biannual report, final data for 2018/2019 shows 1.9% against the milestone of 1.9%. In line with the 2018/2019 Annual Review Recommendation for CAMFED to set up a more regular system of reporting and capturing drop-outs at district level (in collaboration with MoPSE/District Schools Inspectors), the CDC termly monitoring tool has been updated to capture drop-outs disaggregated by CAMFED-supported and non CAMFED-supported students, on a termly basis, and to also capture reasons for students’ drop-out. The updated tool was implemented from Term Three monitoring in 2018, and will continue to be used in all termly monitoring visits to provide greater insight into how CAMFED’s support can impact students’ retention and successful transition. This will also provide key data and insights to input into the wider Ministry Programmes, such as the Global Partnership for Education and Education Development Fund and the Education Sector Strategic Plan at large where similar indicators are being tracked. Furthermore, in line with 2019/2020 Annual Review recommendation #16, the CDC termly monitoring tool was further updated in September 2019 for use from Term Three 2019 onwards. The tool has incorporated changes to improve data collection on disability at the school level. CDC members are now collecting data on the prevalence of disabilities among the wider school population and not just CAMFED

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beneficiaries, and identifying the action taken by the school to address the students’ needs, including referral to the relevant ministry for further support. The monitoring form has also been expanded to include information on low-cost boarding facilities at the school and tailor-made packages received by learners in low-cost boarding, and also tracks bicycle provision. Finally, a section has been introduced on incidents of drop-out in school, requiring CDC members to collect data on the number of girls and boys who dropped out, and the reasons for their dropping out.

3. Output Scoring Progress towards the project’s outputs is described below.

Output 1: Disadvantaged girls and boys supported in Secondary and Further Education

Output 1 score: A+ Indicator(s) Target 2019/2020 Achieved 2019

Annual: 11,765 Annual: 11,678 1.1 Number of girls supported Cumulative: 47,813 Cumulative: 48,388

1.2 Number of Form 4 graduates Annual: 673 Annual: 637 supported with access to A-levels Cumulative: 1,711 Cumulative: 1,839

Annual: 1,186 Annual: 1,190 1.3 Number of boys supported Cumulative: 1,700 Cumulative: 1,736

1.4 Number of children living with Annual: 190 Annual: 407 disabilities supported Cumulative: 309 Cumulative: 5721

1.5 Number of children supported Annual: 0 Annual: 2,059 with bicycles Cumulative: 2,475 Cumulative: 3,188

1.6 Number of children supported Annual: 0 Annual: 0 with tailor-made packages Cumulative: 771 Cumulative: 1,100

Progress against expected results: The latest logframe data shows that the cumulative 2019/2020 milestones for all output 1 indicators have been exceeded. Under output 1.1, 48,388 girls have been supported to date under the ZGSE project, against the cumulative milestone of 47,813. For output 1.2, 1,839 girls have been supported to access A- Level study, widening their post-school pathways, surpassing the target of 1,711. Under output 1.3, the

1 As noted in the logframe submitted in July 2018, the introduction of the Washington Group tool to collect data on disability from all supported beneficiaries has enabled CAMFED to identify more supported children who are living with a disability. 10

number of boys being supported has exceeded the milestone of 1,700, with 1,736 having directly benefited from the project through the payment of school fees and provision of essential entitlements to support their learning such as uniforms and stationery. Under output 1.4, the project has supported 572 learners living with disabilities to date. In the 2019 academic year, 407 learners have been supported: these include 146 being supported under the specific disability component (of whom 55 are in Form 2, 39 are in Form 3 and 52 are in Form 4), and 261 beneficiaries under the main grant who are living with a disability (43 of whom are in Form 2, 117 in Form 3, 76 in Form 4, 14 in Form 5 and 11 in Form 6). The other 431 girls are those within the main bursary programme but identified as living with disabilities using the Washington Group tool. Under output 1.5, and as reported in the last report, 3,000 vulnerable learners walking between five and 15 kilometres to school have received bicycles under the project. The 3,000 bicycles were distributed during the two previous reporting periods, however in Term Three, a further 188 students received bicycles, passed on from Form 4 graduates. This brings the cumulative reach to 3,188, exceeding the target of 2,475. All bicycle recipients have now also received helmets, with the majority (1,846) distributed in the July to December 2019 period. As discussed in detail under the ‘Performance description’ section below, the helmets are greatly enhancing learners’ safety and confidence on their journeys to and from school. Under output 1.6, and as planned in the budget and workplan, no new tailor-made packages were distributed during the July to December 2019 period, however the cumulative milestone of 771 has been exceeded, with 1,100 children receiving packages. Performance description: During the academic year from January to December 2019, which includes the July to December reporting period, 13,651 beneficiaries were supported under the ZGSE programme, which included having their Term Three fees paid and necessary entitlements distributed. The breakdown for the beneficiaries supported during this period is shown below. Girls supported in Forms 2-4

Form 2 2,455

Form 3 5,191

Form 4 4,032

Total 11,678

Girls supported at A-Level

Form 5 338

Form 6 299

Total 637

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Boys supported in Forms 2-62

Form 2 205

Form 3 494

Form 4 448

Form 5 42

Form 6 1

Total 1,190

Children living with disabilities supported in Forms 2-4

Form 2 55

Form 3 39

Form 4 52

Total 146

Furthermore, a total of 3,181 learners (2,408 girls and 773 boys) are currently being accommodated in the low-cost boarding facilities in 29 districts. A full update on the status of low-cost boarding facilities for the July to December 2019 period is shared under Output 3 below. Support to children living with disabilities During the July to December 2019 period, 30 beneficiaries living with disability (seven in Lupane, 12 in Hurungwe and 11 in Nyaminyami) were supported through referrals to different specialists for tailored treatment and/or devices. The following graphs show the students supported by district and by type of disability.

2 The 43 boys studying at A-Level under ZGSE have been supported under the main Form 1-4 bursary line. 12

CAMFED’s ongoing responsive and adaptive support to children living with disabilities complements the Government’s efforts in attaining inclusivity for all learners, as provided for in the draft Inclusive Education Policy, which CAMFED has had a key role in developing over the reporting period. More information is provided on this under Output 4 below. At a more practical level, the support provided to learners living with disabilities is helping to address the key barriers preventing them from accessing and thriving in school.

Case studies of support to learners living with disability 13

Gerald, Form 4 beneficiary, Lupane district

Gerald is a Form 4 beneficiary at a partner secondary school in Lupane district. Gerald has a hearing impairment and also developed a growth on his chest and back. Gerald’s community selected him for support so that he could be given hearing aids and be able to sit for his Form 4 examinations in November 2019. In July 2019, Gerald went for a hearing assessment at the Ear Centre in where he was assessed, given medication and tailored hearing aids were recommended for him. Since having the hearing aids fitted, Teacher Mentors at his school have reported a marked improvement in his hearing. Before having hearing aids, Gerald resorted to lip reading in school in order to understand his teachers and fellow students, but now he testifies that he can hear properly. Gerald and his mother were given guidance on the use and storage of the hearing aids to maximise their lifespan. They were also given batteries which they will use with the hearing aids.

Form 4 student Gerald being shown how to wear his hearing aids at the Ear Centre in Bulawayo

In addition to being assisted for his disability, Gerald was supported by the CDC of Lupane district to obtain a birth certificate, which will improve his access to public goods and services including social welfare support. This is in line with the significant efforts and progress made by CAMFED in supporting child protection and safeguarding through mobilising Registrar’s Offices in the partner districts to support learners to obtain official identification documents such as birth certificates and national identity cards.

Nomatter, Form 3 beneficiary, Hurungwe district

Nomatter is a Form 3 beneficiary living in Hurungwe district who was identified for support under the disability programme in January 2019. Nomatter has a visual impairment, physical impairment and hearing impairment. Before receiving support from CAMFED, Nomatter had to sit at the front of the class 14

to hear and see her teachers. Nomatter underwent an initial assessment with the Council for the Blind in early 2019 when they visited Karoi with their mobile unit, and she was prescribed spectacles which have assisted her immensely at school and in her day-to-day life. With the aid of the spectacles she can sit where she pleases in the classroom and can see clearly from any distance. Nomatter has since undergone continuous ear assessments carried out by an Ear Nose and Throat specialist (ENT) based in Harare. It was determined that the cause of her hearing impairment was an infection in her ears. The last assessment took place in September 2019, where the specialist prescribed medication to treat her ear infection. The infections have now cleared, and Nomatter is able to hear with both ears clearly without the use of hearing aids.

Government commitments towards disability mainstreaming As was explored and discussed at length during MoPSE’s strategic planning meeting in November 2019, to which CAMFED was invited as a contributing partner (see Output 4 for more details) the Government of Zimbabwe is embarking on a number of positive initiatives for disability mainstreaming, which CAMFED will look to support, complement and advocate for into 2020 and beyond. The Government has spearheaded an initiative to provide training for personnel at district and school level in all of the 29 partner districts to conduct screening for hearing and sight. Ministry officials identified and trained to lead this screening are district remedial tutors from the learner welfare department, however the MoPSE has also identified capable teachers who will be able to receive this training and cascade it to other teachers in their school. CAMFED is encouraged that trained Teacher Mentors – 95% (i.e. 1,000 out of 1,051) of whom have now been integrated in Guidance and Counselling teams – could be a key stakeholder in this cascade approach. From the new academic year 2020, this screening will be carried out for all new learners joining ECD A. CAMFED has lobbied and continues to lobby the government to widen screening to benefit learners who are already in the education pipeline. There is much opportunity to collaborate with partners to extend the standardised screening to students in higher forms. CAMFED will also seek opportunities to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to support on these efforts to mainstream the identification and diagnosis of disabilities in all primary and secondary schools. Looking ahead to the 2020/2021 project year, and further to the approval of the two-year addendum 2020-2022, CAMFED is excited to extend its disability support under ZGSE to . This will bring the number of districts in which targeted disability-specific support is being implemented to four (Hurungwe, Lupane, Nyaminyami and Umguza). This expansion was informed and led by data collected using the Washington Group Questions (WGQ). In line with this expansion, training for Teacher Mentors, CDC members will be conducted, and assistive devices will be provided to learners as guided by specialist assessments. CAMFED will apply the rich lessons learnt from the initial pilot to inform and optimise support to learners under the expansion. One of the key lessons learnt, as emphasised in previous biannual reports, is that learners living with disabilities need continuous support and monitoring. Devices that learners receive can stop working or learners can outgrow them. Therefore, going forward more emphasis will be placed on how families (e.g. parents/guardians) and communities (e.g. CAMA members)

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can take on joint responsibility, care and ownership of assistive devices, so that there is oversight of the devices and responsive communication and action when an issue arises. A further key area in which CAMFED will consolidate its action and expertise under the 2020-2022 addendum is to support school readiness to mainstream learners living with disabilities. The selection of learners living with disabilities needs to be aligned with the readiness and willingness of schools to invest in those children, and this inclusive culture will be contingent on every stakeholder being aware of the needs of learners living with disabilities and being ready to accept them. At the system level, this will also hinge on the MoPSE embracing WGQ as a standard system going forward. Into 2020, CAMFED will work closely with District Schools Inspectors (DSIs) who chair the CDCs, to spearhead this culture of embracing all learners living with disabilities in districts, beyond CAMFED disability clients. We will also advocate for the Ministry to incorporate the WGQs in the MoPSE’s EMIS statistics ED46 form. Ongoing integration of Teacher Mentors into Guidance and Counselling core teams Over the reporting period, there have been significant developments in pursuing the incorporation of Teacher Mentors in the Guidance and Counselling teams at schools. This is in line with recommendations and concerns from the MoPSE on Teacher Mentors constituting a parallel structure to the existing ministry post of Guidance and Counselling teacher. In Province, for example, Teacher Mentors have been designated by the MoPSE as Head of Departments of the Guidance and Counselling teams in partner schools. This is an encouraging recognition of the skills and experience gained by Teacher Mentors, and will be instrumental in ensuring that the most pressing issues such as early marriage and pregnancy are kept front and centre in schools’ priorities. In other districts, CAMFED is engaging with government stakeholders to ensure the integration of Teacher Mentors. This will continue to be a key area for policy development and reform in 2020. Since the last report, there has been a 4% increase in the number of Teacher Mentors incorporated in Guidance and Counselling teams (91% to 95%) with 1,000 out of 1,051 TMs now part of these core teams. Bicycle support Distribution of helmets As outlined above, a total of 3,000 helmets have now been distributed in 29 districts. During the July to December 2019 reporting period, 1,846 helmets were distributed in 26 districts. The helmets feature both CAMFED and UKaid logos, in line with UK funding branding requirements. The distribution of helmets by district is shown in the table below. District Distribution month Number of helmets July and August 126 Gokwe South July 36 Mt Darwin August and September 149 Nyaminyami August 60

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Bikita July and September 126 August 274 Chiredzi July and August 36 Hurungwe August 96 Muzarabani July 94 Mwenezi July 187 Nyanga August and September 165 Wedza July and August 57 Chikomba East July 36 Chikomba West July 37 Guruve July and August 78 Mbire July and August 114 Mudzi August 78 Rushinga July 77 July 20 Total 1,846

CAMFED beneficiaries pose with their teacher in Chipinge (left) and Mt Darwin (right) after receiving their helmets The distribution of the helmets provided an invaluable opportunity to qualitatively assess the impact of the bicycle component, as well as any challenges being faced by schools and communities in their use. The key challenges that were shared in relation to the use of bicycles across the districts, as well as solutions devised (and advised) to address them, were as follows: 17

 Seasonal weather patterns and extreme weather events: in , Cyclone Idai destroyed some roads, making it too difficult for the students to use their bicycles on the roads. Alternative routes have been identified to enable students to reach school, and students have been encouraged to begin their journeys earlier in response to the longer distances travelled. During the winter season (June to August) some students reported that they were too cold to ride to school, however it has been recommended that jerseys can help to reduce the impact of the cold weather. Although jerseys are not part of the standard bursary package, CAMFED supplies these to learners in boarding facilities or in very cold regions where the need is identified by the CDC.  Insufficient training on bicycle use: Some students reported that they had not received sufficient training on the use of the bicycles to feel comfortable using them. To address this training gap, Transition and Learner Guides have delivered additional training to students during lunch breaks, and in some districts the police have lent support through delivering trainings on highway safety. In addition, trained CAMA mechanics have supported students’ skill development through delivering training that is integrated into sports and other extracurricular activities. Students who have received such training are then able to cascade the knowledge to their wider network of peers.  Insufficient bicycle locking facilities at schools: Generally schools were observed to be keeping bicycles in a safe location. Where possible, schools have identified locations for bicycle storage close to central spaces such as Head of Schools’ offices or next to classrooms, and in some cases School Development Committees have supported on the construction of purpose-built parking bays or shelters where bicycles can be stored securely. It has been identified that certain schools have no safe spaces for bicycle parking, however all bicycles were delivered equipped with locks which adds a degree of security. Distribution of groceries to learners in low-cost boarding In the difficult socio-economic environment in the country, hunger continues to be a key barrier to learners in low-cost boarding, as their guardians are no longer able to feed them regularly, and inflationary pressures mean that students are struggling to buy food. During the reporting period, Term Three monitoring visits and the distribution of helmets provided opportunities to distribute groceries to students living in low-cost boarding facilities. For example, learners in Bikita each received a term’s supply of basic foodstuffs including mealie meal, tea leaves, cooking oil and soya chunks; products for personal hygiene such as laundry detergent, toothpaste and soap; and other practical items such as matches. Sufficient quantities of items were given to support the learners for the whole of Term Three. One of the girls who received groceries at Fashu High School, Bikita, highlights the relief brought with the receipt of such essential day-to-day items: “We were now struggling, eating sadza with vegetables without oil. Thank you so much I am no longer stressed and I am sure that I will pass my exams next term.”

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Learners in Bikita district receiving groceries to support them during Term Three

Tailored support to boys As shown in the table on page 8 above, 1,190 boys are currently being supported under the ZGSE project. The marginalised boys that CAMFED is supporting come from the same communities as supported girls, so they share many of the same socio-economic barriers to education, including hunger, long distance to and from school, and vulnerability to climatic shocks such as drought. Like girls, boys need support not just through direct financial support (e.g. in the form of school fees and uniforms) but also guidance and counselling so that they can become empowered and productive citizens. Boys are particularly vulnerable at the point of completing Form 4, as many boys at this age or stage of life feel pressure to start heading and providing for their families, and such responsibilities conflict with their desire to further their education. Under the two-year addendum, in addition to supporting 204 continuing and 600 new boys in Forms 1-4, CAMFED will support 100 boys to undertake A-Level studies. This will greatly bolster the boys’ chances of achieving gainful employment or self-employment as entrepreneurs and to become economically independent, enabling them to take care of themselves and their siblings. CAMFED’s support to boys also continues to shed light on gender issues. The patriarchal culture that is prevalent in the partner districts expects boys to be strong and self-sufficient and it can therefore be difficult for them to them to ask for support. Upon completing their O-Levels, boys can feel pressure to find work or self-fund their further study owing to the strain on family resources. In terms of post-school livelihoods, CAMFED has observed that boys are drawn towards practical disciplines such as agriculture, building and woodwork, which can support them to acquire vocational skills from which to make a livelihood. The scaled-up support to be provided under the addendum – and crucially, the design-based research due to be carried out in 2020 – will enable further insights into these gender dynamics and better inform CAMFED on the needs that boys have to feel able to contribute to society after school. It will also enable CAMFED to build its understanding and evidence base of the barriers facing boys at each stage of 19

their education and the impact on boys’ outcomes in being able to continue with CAMFED support beyond O-Level. Term Three monitoring visits which took place in September and October 2019 provided an opportunity to gather anecdotal evidence of the impact of CAMFED’s support to boys under the ZGSE project. Case studies were gathered in six partner secondary schools in Lupane district, which shed light on the practical and psycho-social barriers facing boys that had been addressed through the tailored support. Mlamuli Secondary School, for example, reported improvements in supported boys’ attendance to school, their motivation to learn, and their confidence. The boys at the school who received bicycles are now punctual and their attendance has dramatically risen: the school gives the example of one boy who attended school 38 days out of 67 in Term One, 2019, but after receiving a bicycle this rose to 62 days out of 67 in Term Two, 2019. Receiving text books has boosted the boys’ eagerness to learn and feeling of ownership over their study, and has been linked to better academic performance. The school highlights the case of one supported boy who was struggling with school work prior to receiving support but went on to obtain 7 O- Levels in 2017. Further, various examples are provided of an increase to boys’ confidence and self-esteem after receiving school uniforms. Looking smart at school, and more importantly, looking as smart as their less-marginalised peers and therefore better assimilated and accepted, has had a positive impact on boys’ self-belief and has led to their academic progression and appointment to student leadership positions. Another partner school in Lupane, Gwayi River Secondary, reports that the psycho-social support provided to boys by two Teacher Mentors in the school, as well as the positive impact of the My Better World sessions led by Learner Guides, have led to a significant reduction in bullying and relationships between students in school. The latter are discouraged by the MoPSE, teachers and parents over concerns that they can distract students from their work and lead to early sexual debut. Moreover, boys receiving this guidance and counselling are now in a position to cascade or share this with other learners: “Boys at school can now handle any situation coming their way. [Supported boys] are now in a position to provide guidance to the other learners at school.” This anecdotal account suggests a positive ripple effect that is now taking place in schools owing to learners feeling more supported and informed in their day-to-day lives. Pupu Secondary School reports that the enrolment of boys in the school has improved from 83% to 88% between the last two academic years, and that the drop-out rate of CAMFED beneficiaries has been maintained at 0%. Two boys at the school also received tailored support for their disabilities – one received sunscreen to help with his albinism and the other was given a hearing aid to address his hearing impairment.

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CAMFED beneficiary and his grandmother during the visit to the ear testing centre in Bulawayo

Impact weighting: 40%

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Output 2: Disadvantaged children complete four years of secondary schooling (Forms 1-4)

Output 2 score: A Indicator(s) Target 2019/2020 Achieved 2019

94% (girls) 97% (boys) 90% (girls) 2.1 Progression of children supported Provisional figures, to be 92% (boys) revised in March 2020 once the progression process is finalised

94% (girls - based on 94% return) 94% (boys - based on 99% return) These figures are based on 2.2 Attendance rate of children 93% (girls) attendance data for Term supported 93% (boys) 1 and Term 2 2019. Data for Term 3 is still being collected. This indicator will be updated in July 2020 to include Term 3 attendance data.

32,473 (girls) 916 (boys) 2.3 Number of children supported 32,628 (girls) Provisional figures, to be completing Form 4 898 (boys) revised in March 2020 once the progression process is finalised

2.4 Number of children reached with a new curriculum on sexual and 66,700 124,885 reproductive health by Learner Guides (annual)

2.5 Engagement of community Stakeholders in districts During October and stakeholders in tackling early pregnancy identified as having a November, the and marriage (qualitative indicator) particularly high International Day of the

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prevalence of early Girl Child was pregnancy and marriage commemorated by lead the community stakeholders implementation of in multiple districts. activities to reduce early pregnancy and For example, in Lupane, marriage. the Ministry of Women On at least one high Affairs, Community, Small profile day, such as 'Day and Medium Enterprises of the Girl Child', Development and CAMFED will support its CAMFED held a joint community commemoration by stakeholders to carry launching a strategy on out activities to reduce ending child marriages in early pregnancy and Daluka ward on 18 marriage. October 2019; and Binga commemorated the day on 6 November at Manjolo Secondary School. The theme was raising awareness of early child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Presentations were made by CAMA, CDC members, local leaders, the Social Welfare department and Police Victim Friendly Unit.

94% (girls - based on 93% return) 92% (boys - based on 99% return) These figures are based on 2.6 Attendance rate of children 92% (girls) attendance data for Term supported with a bicycle 92% (boys) 1 and Term 2 2019. Data for Term 3 is still being collected. This indicator will be updated in July 2020 to include Term 3 attendance data.

Progress against expected results:

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Good progress has been made under Output 2 during the reporting period, with the majority of milestones met or exceeded. The 2019/2020 milestones for Output Indicators 2.1 (progression of children supported) and 2.2 (attendance rate of children supported) have been exceeded for both boys and girls. Under 2.1, data received and analysed to date shows a progression rate of 94% for girls against the target of 90% and a progression rate of 97% for boys, vastly exceeding the target of 92%. CAMFED is encouraged by this high performance given the intrinsic link between learners’ regular attendance in school, their successful transition between one grade to the next, and their learning outcomes. It should be noted that these indicators will be updated further when more Term Three 2019 attendance data is gathered during Term One 2020 monitoring. Under indicator 2.3, number of children supported completing Form 4, the 2019/2020 milestone for boys (898) has been exceeded, with 916 boys completing. Performance for girls is slightly under-target, with 32,473 girls completing against the milestone of 32,628. CAMFED suspects that the main reason for this is girls dropping out of school to provide food for their families through piece work or employment as maids in cities and sending their earnings home to sustain their families, predominantly due to the increasingly challenging macroeconomic environment. Under indicator 2.4, 124,885 children have been reached with the SRH curriculum delivered by Learner Guides during the project year, vastly exceeding the 2019/2020 milestone of 66,700. Against indicator 2.5, in October and November various districts led celebrations to honour the International Day of the Girl Child, officially commemorated on 11 October each year (see highlights below). The events have also been instrumental in engaging with girls who have dropped out of school, as illustrated by the case study of Fiona below. Finally, under output indicator 2.6 (attendance rate of children supported with a bicycle), the 2019/2020 milestones for girls and boys have been exceeded and met respectively: girls’ attendance rate was 94% compared with the target of 92% and boys’ attendance was 92% compared with the target of 92%. Performance Description: District-led celebrations of the International Day of the Girl Child In October and November 2019, communities across various partner districts in Zimbabwe gathered to commemorate the International Day of The Girl Child, with celebrations around the theme of ‘Girl Force’. A range of stakeholders congregated at the events, including both stakeholders from Government and local authorities, such as representatives from the Zimbabwe Republic Police force, the Ministries of Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprise and Education and Members of Parliament) and community members, including CAMA members, Teacher Mentors, community leaders, CDC members and local parents and children. Activities were centred on emphasising the power of girls as agents of change, the importance of education for maximising their potential, and raising awareness around the issues of early marriage and teenage pregnancy. In , for example, representatives from the police force and the Ministries of Education and Women Affairs delivered speeches about the issues of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, which were also the central topic for the town procession. Similarly, in Lupane the Head of the Department for Women Affairs delivered a speech on child marriage, complemented by a series of motivational speeches delivered by CAMA members. These motivational speeches were delivered by a female helicopter pilot and a young woman studying for a doctorate, and emphasised both the CAMA members’ achievements 24

and the obstacles that they had overcome to reach them. This served to demonstrate the way in which education can unlock girls’ potential, and therefore aimed to encourage parents and community members to support girls to go to school.

Children in Wedza gather to listen to speeches regarding child marriage (left) and CAMA members in Lupane stand together to offer motivation and inspiration to girls attending the celebrations. An especially powerful feature of these commemorations was the active role of community leaders and local boys in championing the importance of girls’ education. In Umguza district, the local Chief delivered a speech encouraging girls to stay in school, offering them examples of great women throughout history and telling them that “the sky is the limit”. Local boys participated actively, including composing a song about the importance of girls’ education. The children thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to exercise their leadership skills by taking the lead on providing entertainment through music selection and taking on DJ roles.

In Umguza district community members marched singing through the town (left) and boys shared songs and dance to encourage girls to stay in school (right) Through engaging community structures in a positive and enjoyable manner and emphasising the importance of girls’ education, communities were encouraged to support girls to stay in school and to support the re-entry of girls who had dropped out. Moreover, such commemorations served to inspire

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the girls themselves to value their right to education, especially due to observing the transformative role that education played in shaping CAMA members’ lives. One example of the powerful impact of community events such as these on supporting girls’ re-entry to school can be observed through the case study of Fiona from Mt Darwin. After becoming pregnant in 2013, Fiona dropped out of school during Form 3 and remained out of school for four years until an awareness event took place in her local community in 2017. This event emphasised the importance of girls’ education and encouraged those who had dropped out of school to return. The event inspired Fiona so much that she sought the support of a Teacher Mentor who was instrumental in helping her to re-enter school despite strong familial pressure to stay home. Local community leaders who had also benefited from awareness campaigns came forward in support of Fiona’s wishes, granting her formal permission to realise her right to education and complete her schooling. Fiona is now in her final year of A-Level studies, and looks forward to a bright future and the opportunity to act as a role model to girls in her community. Without the community level awareness campaign that sparked her re-entry to school, Fiona may never have completed her education or received the invaluable support from the Teacher Mentor and local leaders which enabled her to stay in school.

Learner Guides’ delivery of SRH curriculum Under GEC-T funding, district-level refresher and review training sessions were held in September and October for existing Learner Guides operating in the 24 overlapping GEC-T and DFID partner districts. The residential training was held over ten days, and was attended by a wide range of stakeholders, including Learner Guides, CAMA Resource Team Members, CAMFED staff, Teacher Mentors and Heads of Schools, along with representatives from the Victim-Friendly Unit of the police force and the Ministries of Primary and Secondary Education, Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises and Health and Child Care. The refresher training focused on facilitation and session delivery skills, in which Learner Guides were given the opportunity to delivery practise sessions and to receive direct feedback on how they might continue to improve. The key contents of the My Better World programme and Sexual and Reproductive Health component were reviewed, in order to ensure that Learner Guides had a clear grasp on the topics, and they were also given top-up training on the CAMFED Child Protection procedures and their report writing duties. Further, the benefits of the Learner Guide programme were reiterated, complemented by entrepreneurship training to equip the young women with the skills to establish successful businesses. The incorporation of expert knowledge from representatives from the ministries of Small and Medium Enterprises and Health and Child Care helped to ensure that the content of the entrepreneurship and SRH training sessions, respectively, was up-to-date, context-specific and of maximum value to the young women and the learners in school that they reach through their sessions.

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Learner Guide Refresher Training taking place in Binga (left) and Chikomba (right)

The inclusion of an extensive group of stakeholders also supported better integration of the Learner Guide programme at the school level, as illustrated by a Head of School in Wedza district who joined the training: “Our attendance has helped us to get a full insight into the programs run by CAMFED, especially those including Learner Guides. Our duties for ensuring the success of the programme have now been clearly stated”. This is key to the long term sustainability of CAMFED’s programmes, whereby responsibility and ownership of mechanisms to improve students’ learning outcomes and wellbeing is gradually devolved to local structures and stakeholders.

Stakeholders pose for a photo at the Wedza Learner Guide Refresher Training

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The training allowed Learner Guides to address any areas of uncertainty, and seek support for any areas where they felt would benefit from increased guidance of advice. It was also an opportunity to emphasise elements of the programme that Learner Guides could expand upon, including further encouraging learners to form and strengthen study groups, in line with DFID Annual Review Recommendations. One attendee to the refresher training in Ugmuza District was Nkosilomusa. Since becoming a Learner Guide, Nkosilomusa has been actively delivering MBW and SRH sessions, and forming study groups with learners in order to help them to study for their examinations. Nkosilomusa states that joining the Learner Guide programme has changed her life, as she has learned to think critically, overcome challenges and has been able to establish her own business. Nkosilomusa was supported under the GEC-T programme to study O- Levels and A-Levels, achieving 12 points at A-Level in commercial subjects. Nkosilomusa aspires to progress to tertiary level study in accounting and finance or banking investment and management.

“CAMA means changing the lives of young women in rural communities through the use of our education to benefit others and work together to turn the tide of poverty.” Nkosilomusa, Learner Guide in Umguza district Nkosilomusa, Learner Guide, Umguza district

Impact weighting: 30%

Output 3: Strengthened capacity to manage bursary schemes at school level and at district level

Output 3 score: A

Indicator(s) Target 2019/2020 Achieved 2019

3.1 Number of School Based Committees (SBCs) adhering to guidelines for managing bursaries 1,024 1,0473 efficiently and transparently

3.2 Number of district-level structures with broad representation of government ministries overseeing 29 29 resources for vulnerable children

3 To date, there are 1,056 partner schools under the ZGSE project, but 1,047 refers to the current number of schools with CAMFED beneficiaries. 28

3.3 Additional vulnerable children supported with To be updated in 200,815 locally generated resources. April 2020

For children with For children with 3.4 Number of Teacher Mentors selected and special educational special educational trained to provide support to children with special needs and needs and educational needs and disabilities as well as disabilities: 137 disabilities: 137 vulnerable boys. For vulnerable boys: For vulnerable 120 boys: 120

3.5 Number of grants to schools for the rehabilitation of accommodation facilities or to Annual: 111 Annual: 0 complete the construction of new low-cost boarding Cumulative: 264 facilities

Progress against expected results: In terms of progress against output indicators 3.1 and 3.2, 29 district-level structures (Community Development Committees) now implement the ZGSE programme across 1,047 partner schools, exceeding and meeting the respective targets of 1,024 and 29. At each of the 1,047 schools, school based committees, who are trained by CAMFED, are responsible for selecting beneficiaries and ensuring adherence to bursary guidelines including overseeing learner welfare. The CDC district-level structure promotes community ownership and project sustainability as all the project interventions are deliberately embedded into existing structures, leveraging and developing the involvement and skills of key stakeholders. Under output indicator 3.3, the number of additional children supported through locally generated resources will be reported on in April 2020, once CAMFED’s key performance indicators are finalised for the 2019 year. In terms of performance under output indicator 3.4, to date, 137 Teacher Mentors have been trained to support children living with disabilities, and 120 Teacher Mentors have been trained to support vulnerable boys, exactly meeting the respective milestones. Under indicator 3.5, during 2019, 111 grants were made to schools for the renovation of low- cost boarding facilities using cost savings from exchange rates between the US dollar and the Zimbabwe dollar. This means that the cumulative number of grants stands at 264. Performance Description: Financial literacy training and grants for Mother Support Groups During August and September 2019, 157 Mother Support Groups in 10 districts (Bikita, Chipinge, Chiredzi, Buhera, , Gokwe North, Mbire, Nkayi, , and Shurugwi) received financial literacy training and a grant of USD 250 (ZWL 2,200). The objective of the training and grants was two-fold: to capacitate the MSGs to administer funds for school feeding programmes, and to support them to start viable income-generating projects that would help sustain school feeding programmes, thereby

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intensifying support to vulnerable learners, during Term Three and beyond. The various participants at the training, by district, are shown in the table below.

District MSGs Teacher Mentors CDC members CAMFED staff

Chipinge 30 15 5 1

Beitbridge 10 10 7 1

Umzingwane 10 10 1 1

Gokwe North 10 10 3 1

Mbire 20 10 4 2

Buhera 10 10 6 2

Chiredzi 16 15 8 2

Nkayi 11 10 3 2

Shurugwi 20 10 4 1

Bikita 20 10 4 2

Total 157 110 45 15

The capacity building for MSGs was initially focused on supporting learners in Term Three which is typically the most difficult term of the year for learners given that it is the lean/planting season and food is more scarce. In the past year this has been exacerbated by extreme weather, including drought and flooding. The objective of boosting the MSGs’ knowledge and confidence in financial literacy was to better equip them to administer and oversee funds for school feeding programmes at their schools. The MSGs are supporting all learners but focused particularly on examination classes. The financial literacy training programme was both theoretical and practical and covered the following core areas:

 Ways of earning money and financing projects, including how to design income-generating activities (IGAs) and examples of IGAs that can be carried out  Marketing, including developing a marketing mix and SMART goals for IGAs  Operationalising and practicalising the home grown school feeding policy, including resources and implements required for school feeding, menu guidelines, coordination and monitoring and evaluation processes  Practical requirements for IGAs including income and expenditure, costing, stock control and cash book entries

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 Accounting and report writing for grants received.

Participants at the MSG training in financial literacy in Bikita district

Reports received from the districts on the progress of the MSGs’ income-generating projects and school feeding programmes since the training show a breadth of activities that have been undertaken, benefiting high numbers of students in schools. Frequency of school feeding depends on the numbers of learners targeted to benefit, but the average is twice a week with some MSGs carrying out school feeding four times a week. The main meals prepared for learners during the period included sadza and beans, vegetables, soya chunks, beef and also maheu or drink and bread. For example, MSGs at a partner secondary school in Bikita district used their grant to buy mealie meal (to prepare sadza) and vegetables, and are also providing maheu to learners. They are feeding approximately 180 learners, twice a week. Students sitting examinations were given a hot meal every day during the exam period, supporting their performance and well-being at such a crucial time in their academic career.

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MSG members preparing maheu for learners at a partner secondary school in Bikita district

The School Head at a partner school in Bikita district sits with learners eating cooked food prepared by MSGs

In another example of feeding initiatives led during the period, the MSGs at Mukanganwi secondary school provided meals for students in different forms once a week but fed the exam classes on a daily basis. During the reporting period, they fed 120-150 learners each week providing sadza, vegetables, soya chunks and mutakura (a maize and beans dish). The MSGs also used the grant to establish a broiler income-generating project as a way of sustaining the school feeding at the school beyond the life of the initial grant. 32

Mother Support Groups are not only supporting learners through school feeding activities; they are also using profits from their income-generating activities to support girls’ school-going costs. For example, Kutenderana MSG in Bikita district uses funds generated through their gardening and vegetable business to pay the school fees for three learners in their community – two orphaned secondary school girls, and a primary school girl whose mother is living with a disability. They grow a range of produce in their garden including cucumber and maize which they sell at Nyika growth point. The photo on the right shows the MSG members with the girls that they are supporting and some of their garden produce. The MSG has pledged to continue to support these girls throughout their years at school, and hope to expand their business in order to support more girls in the future: “Even our families are well catered for from this garden and we will continue to work hard to support more girls”. One of the girls benefiting from the support of the MSG, who is an orphan, stated: “I am so grateful for the support I am getting from our mothers. They have become my parents”. Such school feeding initiatives spearheaded by MSGs in partner districts helps to complement and operationalise the MoPSE’s Home Grown School Feeding policy, which states that students must receive at least one hot, balanced meal at school every day and promotes sustainable school feeding through income-generating activities. However the policy is ambitious in its targets and also sets high standards in terms of hygiene which are difficult to attain in the most rural schools where food is particularly scarce and the school environment under-resourced e.g. in terms of clean water and WASH facilities. Under the 2020-2022 addendum, CAMFED will continue to work hand-in-hand with MSGs to translate the requirements of the policy into practical and context-appropriate action on the ground.

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Case study of community stakeholders driving child protection in

Ms Mubaiwa (Case Care Worker) and her colleagues Ms Mumba (Village Health Worker) and Mrs Makoshori (Mother Support Group member), pictured on the right, are key stakeholders partnering at Magaya Secondary School, Guruve district, to advance child protection initiatives.

The three women started volunteering with CAMFED in 2007, offering child protection sessions to learners at school assemblies. During these sessions they shared tips and advice to learners focusing on forms of abuse, referral systems and how to seek medical help in the event of sickness. They are also part of the philanthropic team at the school where they pool together resources such as ballpoint pens, stationery and uniforms to help orphans and vulnerable children and other needy learners. They have also taken orphaned children into their home. They have also made safeguarding a reality as Ms. Mubaiwa is now accommodating two boys (who were abandoned by their mother) at her home. Mrs. Makoshori (MSG) is also accommodating four female children who had also sought safety with her at her home near Matsvisti High.

These stakeholders assisted in the formulation of child protection committees and policy at Magaya Secondary School. They also participate in school feeding programmes, providing warm and nutritious meals to learners so that they can improve their concentration in class.

Renovation of low-cost boarding facilities and improvement of living conditions

As formalised under the 2018 addendum on enhanced safeguarding initiatives, CAMFED is continuing to deliver a range of interventions focused on addressing safeguarding concerns for ZGSE-supported students, including through the provision of bicycles and activities to renovate or construct secure low-cost boarding facilities. Findings from the Term Three monitoring reports in Tsholotsho support the benefits of low-cost boarding facilities such as these, stating; “The availability of beds has given dignity to the learners and boosted their self-confidence. This has also improved their health, as now they do not inhale a lot of dust as they used to when they were sleeping on the floor”. The construction and renovation of these facilities are being approached in a collaborative manner to ensure engagement with local stakeholders. Beneficiaries’ well-being and safety are kept are the fore,

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prioritising addressing potential risks beneficiaries may face in order to help them to safely access education.

Low-cost boarding facilities (left) and bicycles (right) for learners in

During the July to December 2019 period, the key focus for CAMFED was to support 76 schools to finalise the renovation and upgrading of their facilities, after dramatic price increases in late 2018 prevented them from doing so. Grants for the low-cost boarding facilities for the 76 schools were processed in July, August and October 2019. By the end of the July to December 2019 reporting period, 43 out of the 76 schools had successfully completed their renovations. The completed facilities will accommodate learners with challenges of great distance to school starting in Term One, 2020. The renovations and upgrading of the facilities carried out include painting, plastering, roofing, repairing of windows and doors, construction of toilets, bathing rooms and kitchens. Once the breakdown of beneficiaries supported in the 43 completed low-cost boarding facilities is finalised in January 2020, the allocation of fully vetted matrons to the facilities will also be conducted.

Although 33 of the 76 schools did not complete their renovation work by December 2019, they were able to procure the required materials to support the completion of the facilities, which will now be carried out in 2020. Lupane recorded the highest number of schools which benefited from grants to renovate facilities, and a case study of the impressive facility at Msewele Secondary School is shared on page 38.

Overall, the 153 schools which have been supported with low-cost boarding grants for renovations starting in 2018 accommodated 3,181 learners in 2019, 2,408 girls and 773 boys. Province is that which had the highest number of learners (both boys and girls) accommodated in the low-cost facilities in Term Three 2019. The number of learners by province is shown in the graph below.

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Case study of completed low-cost boarding facility: Msewele Secondary School

One example of the renovation of low-cost boarding facilities took place at Msewele Secondary School in Lupane District, where 150 learners are enrolled, including nine CAMFED beneficiaries. A grant worth $4,000 was given to the school in 2018 for the renovation of boarding facilities to create an accessible and safe boarding house for girls.

The accessible boarding house for girls at Msewele Secondary School (Lupane District)

The structure of the facility has been carefully designed to be sturdy and secure. It features a drainage apron to reduce the risk of flooding, and the roof is a robust parapet-style, which offers more protection and resilience against severe weather events than the traditional gable roof style. This is particularly welcome in the face of an increase in extreme weather events in Zimbabwe including strong winds and flooding. The facility also benefits from a solar-powered water pump and lighting system, as a sustainable solution to providing suitable WASH facilities and lighting for learners’ 36

evening study. This too is an especially valuable addition as Zimbabwe is currently facing significant challenges regarding access to electricity, with regular power outages due to load-shedding. The facility is also equipped with a wheelchair ramp to ensure that the facility is fully accessible to disabled learners, promoting principles of inclusivity in the school. Furthermore, the facility benefits from a nutrition garden in order to grow crops to support sustainable access to food for learners.

In addition to these structural elements, the facility houses a matron who is tasked with taking care of the learners, therefore reducing the risk of strangers accessing the facility who might pose a danger to the girls or attempt to steal from the property. This risk is further mitigated by the installation of burglar bars on the windows. In order to place emphasis on the importance of boarders’ safety and well-being, the Child Protection Policy is painted openly on the wall, which allows girls and staff no uncertainties about girls’ rights and how concerns may be reported. In total there are eight bedrooms, each equipped with two beds, a chair and a table for studying, and the rooms are monitored during termly CDC monitoring to ensure that the facilities are safe and fully equipped. Under the addendum, CAMFED will also carry out more intensive monitoring visits to the low-cost boarding facilities, which will be led both by CDCs and staff from the CAMFED Zimbabwe national office.

This exemplary facility at Msewele Secondary School was officially opened on 28 November 2019, in a ceremony that was attended by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs Tumisang Thabela, and the National Director of CAMFED Zimbabwe Faith Nkala, along with the Provincial Education Director, the District Schools Inspector (as Chair of Lupane CDC), the Chair of the School Development Committee and members of the school’s Mother Support Group. This ceremony was a valuable opportunity to engage with these stakeholders in order to encourage their continued participation in and prioritisation of safeguarding activities. Furthermore, during the event, CAMFED Form 3 beneficiary Nozihlobo, who is the Head Girl at the school, had the opportunity to explain to the Permanent Secretary how the school’s nutrition garden is cultivated and maintained.

The Permanent Secretary of the MoPSE cutting the ribbon to officially open Msewele low-cost boarding facility

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Term three monitoring

Term three monitoring was undertaken at district level in September and October. The objectives of the Term Three monitoring activities included verifying delivery of entitlements to beneficiaries such as fees, uniform and stationery, collecting data on disability and following up on local CAMA activities to understand the CAMA members’ progress and identify any challenges they may be facing. The monitoring also allowed CDC members to inspect school records in order to confirm which students are attending school, and in parallel, follow up with those who have dropped out in order to direct support and guidance towards them. The collaborative nature of the monitoring process ensures that girls’ feedback can be delivered directly back into the education system, building its capacity to respond to their needs. Finally, the monitoring also covered investigation into how schools had spent grants for low-cost boarding facilities, and checked the state of those facilities and bicycles provided to students. Data for this monitoring was gathered through travelling to the schools via minibus in order to perform sport-checks on school records and undertake interviews with beneficiaries and members of the school community.

In , good progress has been observed in community-level child protection advocacy, following from child protection awareness campaigns undertaken in the district. CAMFED will encourage the continuation and expansion of this best practice to other districts: CDCs have identified an opportunity to strengthen links between Student Council Committees and teachers to support this. The termly monitoring identified that there are cases where boys’ needs are not being fully met, including instances where boys lack adequate access to materials and appropriate shoes. Activities to strengthen and capacitate PSGs under the addendum are expected to be a valuable step towards addressing this. However, one positive finding of the monitoring is that there is an uplift in boys’ motivation as a result of the direct support they are receiving from CAMFED. Again, CAMFED looks forward to exploring this in greater detail as part of the design-based research to be carried out in 2020 under the addendum, in order to build a robust evidence base around the importance of boys’ support. Impact weighting: 15%

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Output 4: Adoption of best practice in the Ministry at district and national level

Output 4 score: A

Indicator(s) Target 2019/2020 Achieved 2019

4.1 Number of meetings held between MoPSE and Annual: 80 Annual: 68 CAMFED to coordinate information-sharing at Cumulative: 387 Cumulative: 481 district and national level

4.2 Number of MoPSE national policies and procedures for which CAMFED makes a substantial Annual: 1 Annual: 0 contribution towards developing or strengthening Cumulative: 6 Cumulative: 7 (annual and cumulative)

Progress against expected results: Under indicator 4.1, CAMFED has exceeded the cumulative milestone for number of meetings held with the MoPSE under indicator 4.1, with 481 meetings having taken place against the target of 387. The calculation of this indicator has been revised to no longer include pre- and post-monitoring visits: this takes into account feedback from DFID on the correlation and causality between output 4.1 and 4.2. Because of this change, the number reached for 2019 has been revised down to 68 against the target of 80, and we will apply this change going forward. Output indicator 4.2 captures CAMFED’s contributions to and influence over policy dialogue, development and reform, through our involvement in technical working groups and taskforces. Over the reporting period, CAMFED has continued and consolidated its influence in the existing policy areas of low-cost boarding, inclusive education, home-grown school feeding and school health and community development. During 2019, CAMFED continued to work with MoPSE on the implementation and operationalisation of existing and recently introduced policies, with a cumulative total of seven in the project logframe. Performance description: CAMFED attended and hosted a number of pivotal meetings during the July to December reporting period which provided a platform to showcase its interventions and emphasise how these are informing, complementing and adding value to ministry policy. In maintaining its role as a key partner in bodies such as the ECG, CAMFED also contributed to an enabling environment for inclusive stakeholder involvement in the planning, implementation and review of programmes. Joint planning workshop with MoPSE LEPSE On 11 September, CAMFED held a meeting with MoPSE officials and the Learner Welfare and Special Needs Education (LEPSE) Department, with the objective of sharing workable emerging solutions to key issues in education policy and practice including low-cost boarding, supporting children living with disabilities, and Guidance and Counselling. A total of 98 participants attended the meeting comprising a broad range of stakeholders, including CAMFED national office staff, MoPSE Head Office Staff, LEPSE Staff, Provincial Education Directors, Provincial Educational Psychologists, District Schools Inspectors

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and District Remedial Tutors. This was a collaborative meeting in which participants were tasked with jointly assessing the strengths, gaps and opportunities in programmes and materials used by different stakeholders; map out areas of operation to minimise overlap and duplication of efforts; and jointly develop materials and programmes for coordinated implementation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation of psycho-social support programmes in schools. During the meeting CAMFED presented a comprehensive overview of the ZGSE-funded interventions that are contributing to the MoPSE’s Education Sector Strategic Plan 2016-2020, including support to children living with disabilities, learner safeguarding, implementation of the re-entry policy, and home-grown school feeding.

The Principal Director of MoPSE, Ms. KRL Nyanungo, addressing participants at the joint planning workshop with MoPSE LEPSE in September 2019

Principal Director Ms. KRL Nyanungo recognised and highlighted CAMFED as a key partner to the ministry in supporting the improvement of district-level reporting on developments that are contributing to the Education Sector Strategic Plan, as required under the Transitional Stabilisation Programme.

Group discussions focused on children walking long distances to schools, ECD centres, low-cost boarding facilities, implementation of the guidance and counselling curriculum, re-entry policy and substance abuse in schools. Participants discussed and then presented on the key challenges and opportunities for workable solutions in each area. Substance abuse was one topic explored in depth. The most commonly cited substances included glue, marijuana and methylated spirits. It was agreed that the main solutions for preventing and addressing this issue, which was widely observed to be affecting learning outcomes, included the dissemination of more information and raising awareness on the dangers of drug abuse, and identifying and cutting supply lines. Substance abuse is an area on

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which the MoPSE does not have a formal policy, and CAMFED will continue to engage more with MoPSE on this, in order to incorporate the issue into training programmes and materials. We will plan to include substance abuse in the training for Learner Guides in the five new districts supported under the addendum, which is taking place in 2020.

“I am happy to have been part of this process,” Principal Director Ms. KRL Nyanungo at the joint planning workshop with MoPSE LEPSE

CAMFED Annual Review and Planning Meeting CAMFED’s National Annual Review and Planning meeting was held on 21 and 22 November 2019 at the Bulawayo Holiday Inn Hotel with the attendance of 120 members including CAMFED national office staff. Among the key delegates attending the meeting were all the eight Provincial Education Directors, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Mrs Thabela, the CAMFED Executive Director Africa Angeline Murimirwa, the Programme Manager from DFID Salome Munyuki and at least three delegates from each of CAMFED’s 29 partner districts. Discussions focused on specific themes on child protection and safeguarding, long distances travelled by learners, early marriages and pregnancies, birth registration, hunger, children with disabilities, life skills and school financing among others. The annual review and planning meeting is a crucial gathering for the organisation as it offers an opportunity to reflect on achievements, lessons learnt and an opportunity to look back at the challenges. It is also an opportunity to plan ahead for the coming year and to shape the desired future. The lessons learnt from practical experiences on the ground are shared to all the members. A key highlight from the 2019 meeting was the signing ceremony of the renewal of the MoU between CAMFED and Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for the next five years.

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CAMFED Zimbabwe signing a new five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the MoPSE at the National AGM

National Girls’ Education Forum On 18 October, CAMFED attended the National Girls’ Education Form (Girls’ Symposium) in Harare, where more than 300 stakeholders were in attendance, including from the MoPSE, ECOZI, the Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) and CSOs including Plan International. The meeting intended to celebrate the achievements of girls and identify remaining gaps and barriers to be addressed, and to give girls themselves the opportunity to interact with policy makers and authorities, and share first-hand the issues they are facing in their schooling. Participants engaged in group discussions to explore and unpack issues in the areas of inclusivity; SRH; early marriage; health and safety in schools; non-formal education and emergency response. Some of the prevailing barriers cited during these discussions, and the responses provided by the MoPSE and other partners, are outlined below: 1. Inclusivity: lack of qualified sign language teachers and braille on infrastructure and materials and physical barriers in schools such as lack of ramps and widened doors. The ministry reiterated that they have a mandate to provide ramps and widen doors for new structures, and that existing infrastructure needs to retrofit these. They also acknowledged the particular issue with hearing impairments and that the government was working with the Ministry of Higher and Technical Education to train basic sign language, and that schools had been given sign language dictionaries. Joint monitoring carried out by the MoPSE (including DSIs at district level) and partners would specifically monitor this going forward. 2. SRH: the government was urged to take stronger action against churches that deny children access to health facilities, and to establish more police stations/posts to monitor this. The issue of children being sold antiretroviral drugs – rather than being given them for free at 42

clinics – as well as contraceptives being sold on the street, was also raised. The ministry responded that such incidents should be reported to the police. 3. Emergencies: the government was urged to establish a formal emergency budget given the increasing prevalence of natural disasters. It was argued that children and girls in particular were disproportionately affected by recent disasters, losing parents, official documentation, acquiring diseases such as cholera and becoming victims of abuse. The lack of documentation e.g. birth certificates is a particular barrier as some schools will not permit children to enrol without them. The ministry responded that it is looking to establish safe places for survivors of GBV in all provinces, and that ministries offer psycho-social support and shelter for those affected by emergencies. 4. School health and WASH: partners bemoaned period poverty as a ubiquitous problem that is compounded by lack of WASH facilities at schools where girls can manage their periods and clean themselves e.g. if their sanitary wear leaks. Incinerators and more training for the safe and hygienic disposal of sanitary wear was also requested to reduce environmental degradation. Ministry responded that advocacy for free sanitary wear and training for disposal would be a key priority in 2020. Education Coordination Group meeting CAMFED Zimbabwe’s Head of Operations was one of 32 participants at the Education Coordination Group meeting held on 7 August, which brought together representatives from the MoPSE, DFID, UNESCO, World Bank, ECOZI, and CSOs such as Higher Life, among others. The meeting was chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the MoPSE, Mrs Thabela, and aimed to review recent activities of ECG members and plans for the coming year. Key Education Sector priorities have continued to be deliberated on under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Education Development Fund (EDF). A major focus has been on review of the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP), drafting and finalisation of key policies including the school feeding policy and the school health policy, and recruitment of teachers and continuous professional development for teachers. Home Grown School Feeding Commemoration 2019 A meeting to commemorate Africa Day of Home Grown School Feeding was held on 11 October at a primary school in Wedza district. CAMFED was in attendance alongside MoPSE representatives including the Former Minister Professor Mavhima, Hannah Maisiri, Director of the LEPSE department, as well as other education sector representatives from ECOZI and Education Coalition Zimbabwe, and the World Food Programme. CAMFED had the opportunity at the meeting to showcase its support to vulnerable learners across the 29 partner districts, and how CAMFED is complementing and supporting the MoPSE’s central strategies under the school feeding programme by working with community structures including MSGs and CAMA members to deliver feeding programmes in primary and secondary schools for vulnerable learners.

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Former Minister of Education Professor Mavima poses for a photograph with Sinikiwe Makove, Head of Programmes, CAMFED Zimbabwe at the Home Grown School Feeding commemoration

Child Protection Working Group meeting On 28 November CAMFED attended the first meeting convened for a newly-established child protection technical working group chaired by the Ministry of Public Services, Labour and Social Welfare. Other participants to the meeting included representatives from CSOs such as Catholic Relief Services, Africaid and Childline. UNICEF and Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) were also in attendance. CAMFED’s inclusion in this new working group reflects the high regard in which the CAMFED model is held by the government. As it was the first meeting of the working group, the key focus was on reviewing the draft terms of reference for the group, and agreeing the frequency and chairing of meetings (which will be done by UNICEF and the Ministry of Public Services, Labour and Social Welfare). The meeting did however give partners an opportunity to provide updates on child protection and safeguarding issues that they are facing in their interventions and programming, and discussing solutions and a way forward to address such issues. The meeting had a particular focus on disaster preparedness, with partners urging the government to put in place strategies to build community capacity and effective contingency measures to prepare for and respond to and pending disasters. Partners including CAMFED and Childline shared their responses to the recent emergencies such as cyclone Idai and what their future plans were; for example adaptations at activity level had taken place to accommodate more training for staff to provide counselling and helplines for those affected.

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Joint monitoring visit Together with MoPSE HQ officials, UNICEF, Higher Life Foundation and ZIMTA, CAMFED took part in Term Three Joint Monitoring visits in Bulilima and Magwe districts (Matebeleland South province), from 29 to 30 October 2019. The focus of the monitoring was on school functionality, issues emerging from access and quality learning. Key issues identified included hunger, distance to school, lack of qualified teachers in ECD, and lack of key learning resources in the poorest schools. CAMFED takes every opportunity to join collaborative planning meetings such as this to ensure that our priorities remain aligned to the wider MoPSE strategies. Given that the two districts visited are non-partner districts, CAMFED shared its experiences of how communities and other stakeholders are being engaged to alleviate the identified challenges. An example was how CAMFED works with Parent Support Groups to rally behind the home grown school feeding programme to ensure its sustainability. Strategic planning workshop for MoPSE CAMFED continues to be a valued strategic partner for the MoPSE; this is reflected in having been invited to participate in and lend its expertise and influence to MoPSE’s strategic planning meeting, which took place in Bulawayo from 25-27 November. The meeting provided an opportunity for MoPSE departments and provinces, as well as all participating partners, to share their 2019 achievements, and their plans for 2020. CAMFED presented on the coverage, scope and focus of its programmes in the 2020 year, with a particular emphasis on the interventions being funded under the 2020-2022 addendum. Key priorities articulated included CAMFED’s contribution to policy development and operationalisation, for example relating to home grown school, and quality and inclusivity in education (e.g. capacity building of Guidance and Counselling teachers and distributing learning materials). CAMFED also shone a spotlight on the potential and power of the CAMA network in supporting the education of the next generation. This echoes feedback from MoPSE in the above-mentioned LEPSE workshop that “CAMFED has hidden capacity in the alumnae, CAMA. Let’s see how they can help us with the community engagement for teaching and learning results.” CAMFED further shared its plans for contributing to research, development and advocacy in 2020, particularly through ongoing collaboration with CERID and the dissemination of GEC-T midline findings.

Key achievements towards access and quality education During the 2019/2020 period, CAMFED did not influence new policies, but rather continued to strengthen the implementation and operationalisation of existing policies. The milestone of seven policies was reached in the 2018/2019 period. The key areas in which CAMFED has had a particular influence with the government at national policy level, as well as more operationally, during the July to December 2019 period, are outlined below. Child protection and safeguarding Over the reporting period, CAMFED continued to lead a multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary approach in responding to child protection issues. CDCs in partner districts continue to diligently follow up on cases identified during termly monitoring and engaging with various stakeholders to ensure robust support to and protection of learners. For example, during the reporting period the 45

Chikomba West CDC was instrumental in bringing to justice the abusive uncle of a Form three beneficiary, after the police had failed to investigate his conduct and institute legal proceedings. The girl has since been placed in a children’s home and she is continuing with her studies. Also during the reporting period, through a project funded by a partner foundation, CAMFED continued its work to strengthen child protection and safeguarding across 100 partner schools in the five districts of Guruve, Mbire, Muzarabani, Mt Darwin and Rushinga. Through the project, which concluded in December 2019, CAMFED sought to improve school child protection policies and the capacity of school-based stakeholders to enforce safeguarding. By the end of the project, 94% of the 100 partner schools had a Child Protection Policy and Action Plans in place, compared with 75% at baseline. Each Child Protection Policy drawn up by the school sets out a vision and objectives, followed by sections detailing individuals rights and responsibilities, definitions of abuse and procedures for responding to abuse at both school and community level. The Action Plans detail the most common child protection and safeguarding issues identified through the consultations, and the actions the school will take in responding to those. The positive developments from this project will complement the efforts being made in partner schools supported under ZGSE. Collaborative efforts in supporting learners walking long distances to and from school CAMFED continued to make strides in supporting schools to respond to pressing challenges for their most vulnerable learners. Grants provided to 264 secondary schools have supported with renovations, refurbishments and the provision of items such as beds, blankets and trunks to learners has greatly assisted with improving living conditions. The 3,000 bicycles and 3,000 helmets distributed during the course of the year are being fully used by learners, with increasing evidence (both qualitative and quantitative) of the impact of these interventions on learners. Over the coming period, CAMFED will continue its work in this area, with a particular focus on the following:  Advocate for the finalisation of the policy guidance (e.g. update to the 1999 Circular to clarify the Ministry’s position on this) on low-cost boarding facilities to ensure consistency in operationalisation  Supporting the transition of low-cost boarding facilities to formal boarding facilities to prevent the exclusion of the most marginalised students (e.g. through high cost of fees)  Advocate for optimum standards of low-cost boarding facilities through ownership and supervision by districts and provinces, and adherence to Inspector Planning guidance  As demand increases for low-cost boarding facilities, ensure adult supervision and provision of food to learners to support sustainability through joint accountability and cost-share. Tackling child marriage and early pregnancy CAMFED continued to make good progress in supporting schools to practicalise the re-entry policy. Qualitative research carried out by CAMFED and CERID has shed light on why students drop out, particularly the factors that can lead to early marriage and pregnancy, and findings will be presented in a report that will be finalised at the end of February 2020. As we continue working on this over the coming period, there will be particular emphasis on ensuring total engagement of communities and involvement of all key players in addressing the causes behind drop-out, and at the system level,

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advocating for the operationalisation of the School Health Policy (which was launched in late 2018) and a clear community engagement strategy from the MoPSE. Supporting learners during examination periods, particularly at satellite schools Qualitative research findings by CERID and CAMFED have shed light on the particular safeguarding and child protection risks learners face during examination periods. Focus Group Discussions with Form Four graduates who attended satellite schools and wrote their O-Level examinations at mother schools reveal the barriers they face in reaching this milestone in their education, and also pointed to a number of solutions to tackling the problem. Satellite schools, unlike ‘mother’ schools are not registered with or owned by the government, and fall under the responsibility of the respective rural district councils. National examinations are not held in satellite schools and therefore students must make their way to mother schools to sit exams. This poses safeguarding risks (e.g. insecure/unsupervised accommodation and threat from wild animals). ZIMSEC has requested a meeting with CAMFED to explore and discuss these challenges in more detail. In , to counter these issues, MSGs worked with school administration and parents/guardians to accompany learners during the most recent examination period, including supervising them at night and increasing school feeding for them. In response to the various issues associated with satellite schools, during the coming period, CAMFED will focus on advocating for the registration of satellite schools and for the appointment of permanent heads of schools (as opposed to teachers-in-charge) to support the development of satellite schools. At a more practical level, CAMFED will also advocate for alternative strategies to ensure children’s safety during the examination period; for example use of the nearest registered primary school to sit the examinations or bringing examination papers to satellite schools instead of learners making the often risky journey to mother schools to sit their examinations. Another key area of support for examination classes, implemented over the past six months, was capacitation of MSGs to increase school feeding for examination classes. This is described in detail under Output 3 above. The additional feeding has been instrumental in pushing up attendance and learning outcomes and is made more sustainable through the engagement of communities. A range of initiatives have also been put in place to support school financing – particularly income-generating activities for school functionality and sustainability. As part of the research conducted with CERID, Focus Group Discussions were carried out during Term Three 2019 focusing on O-Level performance, causes of drop-out and satellite schools. The report capturing the findings will be finalised end-February 2020.

Collaborative efforts in ensuring students have birth registration documents During the reporting period, significant strides were made in supporting child protection and safeguarding through mobilising Registrar’s Offices in the partner districts to take ownership of the issue of many learners not having official identification documents. For example, the CDC of mobilised the Registrar’s Office to support hundreds of community members, including CAMFED beneficiaries and members of the CAMA Association to obtain their birth certificates and/or

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national identity cards. Given the long distance to the Kotwa district offices and prohibitive cost of transport, the Registrar’s Office facilitated mobile registrations – a break-through development for the poorest and hardest to reach communities. Inclusive education By supporting the inclusion of hundreds of children living with disabilities in schools, CAMFED has championed a model of acceptance and inclusivity which extends beyond the school grounds and contributing to shifting attitudes and mind-sets in partner communities, evidenced in increased enrolment and greater fulfilment of the potential of children living with disabilities, in terms of both academic performance and non-academic areas such as sport. CAMFED will continue to work with its community partners to support schools’ willingness and preparedness to embrace children living with disabilities, in terms of infrastructure, teacher capacity and learning materials. Over the reporting period, CAMFED has been instrumental in reviewing and developing the draft Inclusive Education Policy, leveraging our role and remit as Chair of the Gender and Disability Committee to stimulate discussions on contributions to the Policy from civil society organisations. Impact weighting: 15%

4. Progress and Results Overall output score Over the reporting period, CAMFED has achieved good progress against all outputs and objectives, with the majority of project targets for 2019/2020 expected to be met or exceeded (this scoring will be finalised once the remaining indicators have been updated in April 2020). Based on the 2018/2019 Annual Review, the overall score for the project is A+, with CAMFED meeting or exceeding 17 of the 19 output indicators. Summary of overall progress During the July to December 2019 period, activities have focused on monitoring, building the capacity of communities (e.g. through grants and training to MSGs) in the face of severe macroeconomic and climatic challenges, reviewing and celebrating achievements (including through the joint workshop with MoPSE LEPSE and the CAMFED National AGM) and consolidating best practice and learning to date as we move into the period of the 2020-2022 addendum. CAMFED continues to have a good working relationship with the MoPSE and has been involved in significant and strategic meetings in the past six months, and planning for 2020 has been constructive. The provision of bursaries to girls and boys, including children living with disabilities, under the ZGSE, continues to be responsive and is positioned to be both rigorous in terms of governance processes for delivery at scale, and flexible in terms of meeting the needs of each individual among the thousands of learners supported. Direct feedback from beneficiaries Cathrine, Form 3 bicycle recipient, Mt Darwin district 48

Cathrine is a 17-year-old Form 3 CAMFED bursary student at a partner secondary school in Mt Darwin district. Cathrine’s home is 18 km from her school, but her mother started renting for her on a farm which is 8 km from the school. The distance was reduced, but Cathrine still had a significant distance to walk, with 16km covered to and from school each day. Cathrine’s school records show that she frequently missed school due to fatigue. Cathrine received a bicycle from CAMFED through DFID funding in early 2019, and her journey has been reduced to 30 minutes each way, enabling her to attend school every day. Speaking about the positive impact of the bicycle on her studies and her wellbeing, Cathrine says, “I was always sick and tired of walking long distance hence my absenteeism. Now I spend less time travelling to school hence having more time to study and play with my friends.” Cathrine looks forward to continuing in school and becoming a doctor.

Mavis, Form 2 beneficiary, Muzarabani district

Mavis is a 17-year-old student from Muzarabani district. Mavis was raised by her maternal grandparents after her father abandoned her mother when she became pregnant with Mavis. Her grandparents were farm workers, and her grandfather took care of Mavis’s upkeep and education costs until he sadly passed away in 2011. This was a devastating blow for Mavis and her grandmother, and spelled the end of Mavis’s education as her grandmother alone could not afford her school-going costs. Mavis dropped out of school for more than one year, until her grandmother went to negotiate with the Head of the local primary school for assistance. Fortunately, assistance came through BEAM which then supported Mavis in school from Grade 3 up to the completion of primary level in 2017.

Mavis did very well in her Grade Seven examinations, achieving 10 units, however the cost of fees at secondary level were prohibitive for her grandmother. Her grandmother and mother had all but lost hope in her education, but Mavis was determined to pursue her education, despite the financial barriers faced by her family, and seek help on her own: “I heard of CAMFED when I was chatting with my friends, that is when I stood up and took a step I went to see a local young woman who was once a beneficiary at the local high school. She then took me to CAMFED office who then referred me to the school Teacher Mentor for further assistance. I was successfully selected as a beneficiary into the CAMFED programme in 2018 and this was an opportunity for me to continue with my education.”

Mavis’s case demonstrates the transformative impact of CAMA outreach and activism in her community. Her guardians were overwhelmed with the support from CAMFED as it brought them great relief and gave Mavis another opportunity to reach her full potential.

Mavis is currently in Form Two at school and is resolute to complete her studies. She is very grateful for the support and entitlements she is receiving and is focusing on her studies so as to turn the tide of poverty and bring joy to those that have supported her in life. She says: “It has been a special favour to be selected which I am still grateful for. Right now, I am working hard to pursue my dreams which will satisfy people who are assisting me. Uniforms, stationery and sanitary wear as well as school fees that I am getting makes me a grateful person who has nothing to worry about. Thank you CAMFED for your help.”

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Joseph, Form 2 beneficiary, Lupane district Joseph is a 15-year-old Form 2 student at a partner secondary school in Lupane district. He lives with his grandmother who does not work. His grandmother struggles to pay the school-going costs of Joseph and his other siblings. At school, Joseph’s favourite subjects are mathematics, combined science and geography, and he also enjoys playing football and volleyball. Since receiving support from CAMFED, Joseph has been motivated to study harder, and his school reports indicate that his academic performance has greatly improved as he now attends all lessons since he was provided with a bicycle. Moreover, the improved confidence that he has to study harder has had an impact on his classmates, who are said to be emulating his good behaviour and has led to a sense of competition in the class to do well in school.

Key challenges Fiscal and monetary austerity measures: Austerity measures have compounded the ongoing economic crisis, plunging many families into further poverty. The cost of goods and services pegged against the bank rate, including fuel, has led to general increases in the prices of goods. Many young women entrepreneurs in the CAMA network leading businesses are finding it difficult to buy and sell as most of the goods are beyond the reach of many. This has hindered the young women’s philanthropic activities. In order to provide alternative support to the entrepreneurs, over the reporting period CAMFED has provided intensive technical support to the young women to help them to diversify their business, in collaboration with the Ministries of Affairs, Community Development and Small and Medium Enterprises Development. Inflationary pressure and school functionality: The high cost of goods and services render these beyond the reach of the majority. School levies, examination fees and tuition fees are expected to increase in 2020. The fee structure for schools has not yet been confirmed for 2020, so schools are invoicing based on the Term Three 2019 fees structure. In many cases, due to depreciation of the Zimbabwe dollar, the costs are not sufficient to enable the schools to function adequately. Schools are expected to adhere to the policy of not sending home and excluding learners for non-payment of fees, however the policy is not implemented consistently across schools. The MoPSE has indicated that it is arranging for a toll-free number for reporting any such incidents as a measure to enhance adherence to the policy. The flip side of this measure is that a poor collection of funds by schools impacts on the resources and supplies available to meet the needs of learners. In the current context, CAMFED continues to prioritise meeting school fees and levies for beneficiaries in a timely manner, as this enables schools to acquire the most urgent requirements for teaching and learning. Ongoing close engagement with community stakeholders, notably PSGs and CAMA members, is also vital to ensure continued support to schools. CAMFED builds the capacity of these stakeholders to carry out school feeding and provision of essential school-going items such as stationery for the most affected learners. Increasing poverty levels: Hunger is affecting most families across the partner districts, and is having an impact on learners’ attendance at school. As a result there is a higher risk of negative coping mechanisms including the possibility of transactional relationships and sex among CAMFED

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beneficiaries and the wider school population. Mbire and Buhera are perennial drought-stricken areas where hunger levels are particularly high. CAMFED Zimbabwe will continue to support Mother Support Groups in order to increase their school feeding activities. Drought conditions: Zimbabwe is facing an increasing threat of drought, with hunger likely to affect growing numbers of learners’ school attendance and performance. Worryingly, the drought conditions are also leading to a water shortage. Some boreholes and wells in partner districts (e.g. Mudzi) are drying up, and people having to travel further to collect drinking water. During the pre- AGM monitoring visits in Tsholotsho district, CAMFED was also advised that water was a critical problem in the Kapane Secondary School community. The school has however had a donation of a borehole which has alleviated the challenge. As mentioned above, CAMFED is actively working to support Mother Support Groups in order to increase their school feeding activities, and will continue to closely monitor the situation in partner districts as part of termly monitoring.

5. Cost and Timescale Statement of Expenditure

Details Amount

Year 6 Forecast 3,233,574

Funds received (01/01/19 to 31/12/19) 3,095,066

Spend by 31/12/19 2,950,875

Summary of Expenditure

Details Amount (GBP)

Project activities

Secondary school bursaries for girls 1,656,501

Learner Guides training -

Secondary school support for boys 162,275

Support to girls' post-school transition 138,265

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Support for children with disabilities 72,920

Extend life skills and sexual reproductive health 78,282

Expansion of programme to -

Support visits by CDC to informal boarding sites -

Bicycle purchase including delivery to 29 districts 3,285

Grants to schools (Upgrading of facilities)

Grants to schools (Construction of five hostels) 264,905

CAMFED supported girls tailor-made packages -

Stakeholders meeting at National Level -

Students council activities at district and national level 12,288

Monitoring

CAMFED Zimbabwe Annual Monitoring 198,518

Special monitoring on informal boarding -

Baseline Survey -

Staff costs 271,662

Overhead costs 91,974

TOTAL EXPENDITURE 2,950,875

Key Cost Drivers 52

During the reporting period, the bursary package for girls accounted for £1,656,501 of expenditure. An additional £162,275 was spent on bursary entitlements for the most vulnerable boys, £72,920 for specific bursary support targeting children living with disabilities, £138,265 was spent on A-level support to girls. Together, these are equivalent to 69% of project expenditure for the period. Another major cost driver for the period was the grants provided to school for the rehabilitation of accommodation facilities or to complete the construction of new low-cost boarding facilities, totalling £264,905, which accounted for 9% of project expenditure for the period. Monitoring costs in this reporting period represent 7% of funds spent and staff costs represent 9% of total expenditure.

6. Value for Money CAMFED continues to meet or exceed the majority of project targets within budget and achieve value for money through bulk procurement of items (including sanitary wear and shoes from large manufacturers Onsdale and Bata respectively) and incentivising economies of scale. These measures enable CAMFED to get very competitive prices.

Over the 2019/2020 period, CAMFED realised savings from the interbank exchange rate where we initially budgeted for our fees in US dollars, but locally it was paid in Zimbabwe dollars.

Summary of savings

Item Budgeted cost Actual cost Savings Bursaries £ 2,550,779 £ 1,957,041 £ 593,738

As detailed in the last biannual report, with the agreement of DFID Zimbabwe, the following activities were budgeted from the balance accumulated by the end of June 2019:

 Provision of assistive devices for the 30 children living with disabilities who have dropped out or are at risk of doing so, including those who require repairs and reassessment for new devices.  Supply of shoes to 860 girls, prioritising A-Level students and those girls attending high schools where the rest of the learners have such.  As safeguarding priorities:  Support to the 76 schools to finalise renovations and upgrading of low-cost boarding facilities, after price increases in November 2018 prevented them from doing so.  Provision of beds and mattresses to the 30 low-cost boarding facilities who were able to complete renovations but could not secure these following the change in economic context.

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 Provision of 456 blankets, 635 beds and 557 lockable trunks to girls in low-cost boarding facilities.  Collaborative meeting with MoPSE officials and LEPSE department to share workable emerging solutions including low-cost boarding, supporting children with disabilities and teacher mentoring.

As agreed with DFID, the remaining savings of £282,699 are to be carried forward and utilised under the 2020-2022 addendum.

Economy

Securing savings on bursary items through careful procurement processes and bulk buying from suppliers with which CAMFED has strong relationships remains a priority, and to assess performance in this area CAMFED tracks seven indicators: overall bursary cost per girl supported; uniform unit cost; stationery unit cost; sanitary pads/protection unit cost; cost per teacher trained; examination fees unit cost and administration costs.

As specified above, additional cost savings made in the July to December period from the interbank exchange rate, will be carried forward to the 2020-2022 addendum.

Efficiency

CAMFED tracks four efficiency indicators: timely completion of procurement processes and delivery of entitlements; timely receipt of school bursaries; net enrolment across partner districts and pupil attendance rate. As verified by Term One and Term Two monitoring visits, procurement processes and disbursement of marginalised children’s entitlements have continued in a timely manner, allowing schools to forward plan. Monitoring costs in this reporting period represent 7% of funds spent and staff costs represent 9% of total expenditure. Effectiveness

CAMFED is on track to meet or exceed the vast majority of its 2019/2020 milestones in supporting vulnerable girls, boys and children living with disabilities. Over the reporting period, CAMFED’s monitoring systems have continued to collect data on a large scale, while also allowing for individual checks and follow ups; financial management systems have secured savings through bulk procurement and maintained records of every termly school fee payment. This approach makes it possible for CAMFED, working with its vast and multi-disciplinary network of stakeholders, to respond to potential drop-out on a case-by-case basis even at scale, and also to spread the value of successful interventions by sharing examples of good practice across its whole programme.

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Equity

CAMFED tracks three equity indicators: fair and transparent selection of beneficiaries; selection of the poorest and most marginalised children; and tailoring and adaptation of programme activities to meet the different needs of learners to mitigate barriers to learning. The ZGSE project is designed to address the needs of marginalised girls (and boys in specific districts) to access secondary education. The project seeks to ensure that gender needs are mainstreamed in all education policies and programmes, as well as providing specific targeting in the areas of equitable access for the most disadvantaged, including those with disabilities. Over the reporting period, CAMFED has continued to maintain its focus on safeguarding of the most vulnerable learners, including those who were previously walking very long distances to school. 3,000 bicycles and 3,000 helmets have now been distributed to those learners in the 29 districts who needed them most (with a secondary reach of 188 for bicycles). As attested by anecdotal evidence from termly monitoring, this has had a transformative impact on improving learner performance, attendance and motivation at school. Moreover, the completion of renovated low-cost boarding facilities such as that at Msewele Secondary School, which have promoted inclusivity by installing a ramp for wheelchair users, has helped to ensure that learners living with disabilities are on an even footing with their non- disabled peers.

7. Evidence and Evaluation

GEC Transitions Midline Survey

Analysis of the data collected during the fieldwork for the GEC Transitions Midline Survey (both school- based and household-based) has been analysed, and the midline report is being finalised. A revised report will be submitted to the Fund Manager in January 2020.

Qualitative research conducted in partnership with MoPSE

During Term Three 2019 CAMFED Zimbabwe staff and staff from MoPSE (specifically from the Centre for Education Research, Innovation and Development) conducted qualitative research in CAMFED partner schools to investigate the following issues:

 Causes of drop out, and strategies for mitigation  Challenges faced by learners based at satellite schools  Causes of low O-Level pass rates, and strategies for mitigation

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Focus groups were held in 21 schools across three districts (Nyaminyami, Mbire and Rushinga4). Focus group discussions were held with 190 CAMFED-supported students and CAMA members. The head teachers and a CAMFED Teacher Mentor at every school were also interviewed (21 head teachers and 21 Teacher Mentors). The data is currently being analysed and a final report will be available at the end of February 2020.

Summary of monitoring activities since July 2019

Since July 2019, monitoring visits have been carried out in all 29 partner districts to collect Term Three monitoring data. CDC members monitored CAMFED’s beneficiaries being supported in all partner schools. The primary purpose of these visits was to collect routine monitoring data about the beneficiaries, for example attendance rates for Term Three 2019. CDC members also checked that students had received their entitlements.

CDC members (including CAMA representatives) and CAMFED staff also monitored the activities carried out by the MSGs, Teacher Mentors and Learner Guides in CAMFED’s partner schools.

8. Risk The economic context and outlook in Zimbabwe continue to be challenging, primarily due to the predicted deepening economic crisis, including currency issues resulting mainly in hyperinflation and high prices. CAMFED has longstanding mitigation measures in place leveraged through 27 years’ continuous work in Zimbabwe (including through periods where the majority of NGOs withdrew or suspended operations). CAMFED’s robust, ground-up, community infrastructure and its apolitical stance and relationships, which give us a critical mass of key champions, allow us to continue to deliver projects and ensure the safety of staff and volunteers. The overall risk rating of the ZGSE project remains ‘moderate’, and a summary is provided below of the predominant risks faced by the project in the 2019/2020 period.

 Drought conditions and hunger: Zimbabwe is facing an increasing threat of drought, with hunger likely to affect growing numbers of learners’ school attendance and performance. This especially poses a challenge for girls accommodated in low-cost boarding facilities as food shortages can prevent them from receiving food provisions. This may increase the likelihood of girls engaging in negative coping strategies in order to secure food. CAMFED Zimbabwe is actively working to support Mother Support Groups in order to increase their school feeding activities.  Currency: in Zimbabwe, currency issues continue to pose a risk (resulting mainly in hyperinflation and high prices) exacerbating vulnerability and poverty levels across the country. RTGS and mobile money are used to support activities at district level.

4 Six schools were visited in Nyaminyami, nine schools were visited in Rushinga and six schools were visited in Mbire. 56

 Load shedding and electricity shortages: Extreme electricity shortages and load shedding are now in their seventh month in Zimbabwe, with daily 17-hour power cuts. Electricity shortages have led to an impact on functionality of district resource centres; the project has responded by providing IT support visits to all centres. CAMFED recognises this as a growing issue across our programmes and we are taking steps organisationally to move towards solar power installations to reduce reliance on generators.  Teacher motivation and engagement: There is an increased risk of teacher absenteeism in Zimbabwe, as the national economic difficulties render teachers’ earnings insufficient to cover their costs and to provide adequate incentive to ensure consistent presence in the classroom. Whilst primary responsibility for mitigating this risk lies with the government, funding under the 2020-2022 addendum will focus on activities to train and incentivise teacher mentors, alongside continual close monitoring of teacher absenteeism through its decentralised community structures to provide insights into the status of the problem to the government.  School functionality as a result of regulated school fees and levies: Proposed increases to schools fees have not yet been confirmed by the government, meaning that at present school fees are being paid based on the 2019 Term Three fee structure. These amounts are insufficient to allow schools to function effectively and purchase necessary supplies. It also poses a challenge as CAMFED cannot accurately plan for future fee delivery until the new rates are confirmed.

9. Conditionality This grant has no specific conditions.

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