Usaid / Sierra Leone Women Empowered for Leadership and Development (Weld) Project Performance Evaluation
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USAID / SIERRA LEONE WOMEN EMPOWERED FOR LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT (WELD) PROJECT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION MAY 2019 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by NORC at the University of Chicago. Author views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government USAID / SIERRA LEONE WOMEN EMPOWERED FOR LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT (WELD) PROJECT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION MAY 2019 Prepared under Contract No. GS-10F-0033M/7200AA18M00016 Submitted to: Brandy Witthoft, COR Submitted by: Kenly Fenio (Senior Evaluation Expert) Fredline M’Cormack-Hale (Senior Evaluation Expert) Elizabeth McGuinness (Senior Evaluation Expert) Eileen Hanciles (Research Analyst) Audra K. Grant (Senior Evaluation Expert and Team Lead) Contractor: NORC at the University of Chicago Attention: Renee Hendley, Project Manager Bethesda, MD 20814 Tel: 301-634-9489: Email: [email protected] DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. CONTRACT No. GS-10F-0033M / 7200AA18M00016 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................................. i ACRONYMS ..................................................................................................................................................... iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................. 1 Evaluation Methods and Limitations ................................................................................................... 1 Key Findings ............................................................................................................................................ 3 EVALUATION PURPOSE AND EVALUATION QUESTIONS ........................................................... 7 Evaluation Purpose ................................................................................................................................. 7 Evaluation Questions ............................................................................................................................. 7 PROJECT BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................... 8 Project Context ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Project Obectives ................................................................................................................................... 9 EVALUATION METHODS AND LIMITATIONS ...................................................................................10 Key Informant Interviews ...................................................................................................................10 Focus Group Discussions ...................................................................................................................12 Case Studies ...........................................................................................................................................14 Quantitative Surveys ............................................................................................................................14 Limitations ..............................................................................................................................................15 FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................17 Evaluation Question 1 .........................................................................................................................17 Evaluation Question 2 .........................................................................................................................30 Evaluation Question 3 .........................................................................................................................53 Evaluation Question 4 .........................................................................................................................55 Evaluation Question 5 .........................................................................................................................62 SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE PROGRAMMING .................................................................................67 Evaluation Question 1 .........................................................................................................................67 Evaluation Question 2 .........................................................................................................................68 Evaluation Question 4 .........................................................................................................................68 Evaluation Question 5 .........................................................................................................................69 ANNEXES ........................................................................................................................................................71 Annex A: Evaluation Statement of Work .......................................................................................71 DRG-LER II TASKING N006 USAID/SIERRA LEONE WOMEN EMPOWERED FOR LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT (WELD) PROJECT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION | i CONTRACT No. GS-10F-0033M / 7200AA18M00016 Annex B: Data Collection Instruments ...........................................................................................74 Annex C: Variable and Data Analysis Description ..................................................................... 112 Annex D: 2016 KAP Data Analysis Tables .................................................................................. 115 Annex E: Information Sources ........................................................................................................ 123 Annex F: No Conflict of Interest Statement ............................................................................... 125 DRG-LER II TASKING N006 USAID/SIERRA LEONE WOMEN EMPOWERED FOR LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT (WELD) PROJECT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION | ii CONTRACT No. GS-10F-0033M / 7200AA18M00016 ACRONYMS AAISL Action Aid International Sierra Leone AMNeT Advocacy Movement Network APC All People’s Congress BCC Behavioral Change Communication CoP Chief of Party CSO Civil society organization DQA Data quality assurance DRG-LER Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Learning, Evaluation, and Research Activity EMB Election Management Body FGD Focus group discussion GBV Gender-based violence IGR Institute of Governance Reform KAP Knowledge, attitudes, and practice KII Key informant interview IEC Information, Education and Communication Strategy M&E Monitoring and evaluation MOU Memorandum of Understanding MP Member of Parliament MSWGCA Ministry for Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs NGO Non-governmental organization NBI NestBuilders International NEC National Election Commission NMJD Network Movement for Justice and Development DRG-LER II TASKING N006 USAID/SIERRA LEONE WOMEN EMPOWERED FOR LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT (WELD) PROJECT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION | iii CONTRACT No. GS-10F-0033M / 7200AA18M00016 NORC National Opinion Research Center PPRC Political Party Registration Committee S4T Savings for Transformation SBGV Sexual gender-based violence SG Savings group SLL Sierra Leonean Leone (currency) SLPP Sierra Leone People’s Party SOW Statement of work UN United Nations USAID United States Agency for International Development USG United States Government VSLA Village savings and loan associations WELD Women Empowered for Development WV World Vision DRG-LER II TASKING N006 USAID/SIERRA LEONE WOMEN EMPOWERED FOR LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT (WELD) PROJECT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION | iv CONTRACT No. GS-10F-0033M / 7200AA18M00016 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Poverty is widespread in Sierra Leone, as over 60 percent of the population reside below the poverty line and subsist on $1.25 per day or less.1 As poor as most Sierra Leoneans are, women are poorer still, with women and girls even more marginalized by poverty than men.2 Traditional structures, both patrilineal and shaped by entrenched patriarchy, perpetuate customs and norms that hinder economic and, indeed, political opportunities in ways that ultimately exclude Sierra Leonean women and girls from critical political and economic processes and venues of influence. Such barriers exist not just within the wider milieu, but also at the level of community and household. Connections through lineage and marriage, for instance, determine a women’s status in Sierra Leone, and thus can be a source of vulnerability and insecurity. According to the United Nations (UN), Sierra Leone ranks high on the Gender Inequality Index, placing 150th out of 189 countries. Though Sierra Leone’s National Election Commission (NEC) reported 52 percent of all registered voters in the 2018 elections were female, women represent only about 13 percent of parliamentarians. Such figures are sobering, against the backdrop of patterns of female participation that have been traditionally low. Power, moral authority, social privileges, and