The Girls’ Education Challenge Quarterly Project Report (QPR) Template Please note, the ‘QPR’ comprises of: This document, Milestone Tracker/Management Information (Excel) and Risk Register (either included in this document or attached separately). 1. Background information

Name of Lead Organisation Camfed International GEC Project Title A new ‘equilibrium’ for girls GEC Reference Number 5101 Key partner organisation(s) Pearson Highlight any changes to your key partner organisation(s) here Reporting period From: 1/01/16 To: 31/03/16 (dd/mm/yyyy) Date report produced 29/04/16 (dd/mm/yyyy) Reporting Quarter Q12 Name/position of primary Name: Angeline Murimirwa Position: Regional Executive Director (RED) person who compiled this report Name/position of contact Name: Lucy Lake Position: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) point for correspondence relating to this project Email:

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2. Executive summary

Please provide an overview of progress this quarter (max two pages).

‘A new ‘equilibrium’ for girls’ remains on track as the new academic year began in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe this quarter. Key activities include: the selection of beneficiaries and distribution of their entitlements, monitoring visits to schools, the consolidation of successful community initiatives, the production of the Midline Evaluation Report, Core Trainer review meetings and meetings with National Advisory Committees (NACs) and Government personnel. In terms of wider context, on 4th February 2016, the Zimbabwean President declared a state of disaster in rural areas hit by a severe drought, with 30% of the rural population facing food shortages.1 In Tanzania, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) continued to implement the new policy intended to make secondary education free for all and increase awareness within communities around this strategy. Output 1: Increased retention and progression of marginalised girls through secondary school School-going costs for 2,954 marginalised girls in Tanzania were administered this quarter, in response to the individual needs identified by each girl. With the recently introduced ‘free education’ policy in Tanzania, girls do not have to pay for school fees. However, marginalised girls still face significant barriers to attending school. The long distances girls have to travel to class every day are foremost amongst these, and so Camfed has seen a shift in the nature of support with more emphasis on hostel/lodging fees and support for transport to school. Camfed will continue to monitor closely how it can complement the needs of girls now being offset by the Government. In Zimbabwe, an additional 1,000 at risk girls were identified to receive support, following a rigorous selection process spearheaded by School-Based Selection Committees. The meeting minutes shared with Camfed show the broad range of stakeholders engaged in the process, ranging from student and parent representatives to CAMA members, school administrators and local civic leaders. This allows for transparency and accountability to girls and their wider communities. The newly selected girls were from 176 partner secondary schools across 24 districts. Amongst the girls selected for support was Ntombiyokulunga, whose circumstances reflect the interconnected challenges which girls face. The School Based Committee explained her situation in their report as follows: “She is a single orphan who stays with her old grandmother and her mother who is seriously ill. Two of her siblings did not finish school due to financial constraints…She has not paid anything as school fees. She does not have books or a uniform.” In the current Zimbabwean context of severe drought and a struggling economy, formal social safety nets have been largely been eroded, increasing the number of children needing support and compounding the challenges they face. A press release issued by the Office of the United Nations Resident

1 UNOCHA (2016), Humanitarian Needs Overview – Zimbabwe 2016

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Coordinator on 23rd March 2016 called for the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to address the immediate needs of 2.8 million drought-affected people. The range of community structures Camfed works with can help children to manage these issues and get various forms of support for each specific need, such as counselling from Teacher Mentors, or provision of school feeding through Parent Support Groups. The myriad ways in which community members are stepping up to support children was observed during district-led monitoring visits undertaken in all 24 project districts in Zimbabwe throughout February and March. During the visits, stakeholders checked on girls’ progress, commended girls for staying in school and encouraged them to continue striving to improve their academic performance. In light of the mounting socio-economic challenges the girls face, stakeholders also reminded them of the value of talking to Teacher Mentors or Learner Guides to get support. Communities are rallying around vulnerable girls to help them attend school. The monitoring visit reports highlight particular achievement of communities in this regard, such as:  Returning children who had dropped out to school (e.g. in Kwekwe, 14 girls were returned to school through the joint efforts of Teacher Mentors, Head Teachers, Learner Guides and Ward Development Officers, who provided counselling, food, stationery or uniforms as required).  Collective efforts by Mother Support Groups (MSGs) to support school meal schemes despite the national food shortages (e.g. MSGs in Guruve District donated two tonnes of maize to Camfed Zimbabwe to be distributed to MSGs in the districts worst-affected by the drought – see further detail under the ‘Lessons learned this quarter’ section)  Increased pass rates in some schools (e.g. Gohole High School in Matobo District recorded an 8.5% increase in pass rates at O Level, where no pupils had passed in the previous year) The evidence of the drought was visible in the districts; scorched crops and large stretches of dry land were a regular occurrence. Stakeholders have also noted that because of this context, fewer children are progressing from primary school to secondary level. Camfed will support stakeholders associated with secondary schools to strengthen their links with their peers in primary schools, to identify vulnerable children likely to be in this situation, in order that their transition to secondary education can be closely monitored and support can be secured for them to begin classes without dropping out. Output 2: Improved learning outcomes for girls – both academic and 21st Century skills Following the conclusion of the Midline Evaluation Report, resources were developed with the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA) to provide an overview of the Midline Survey Maths and English results to share in Q13 with local communities and stakeholders in the six intervention districts where the survey took place. The resources developed contain an overview of students’ performance. Recommendations were offered as to how teachers could further support students, such as through providing more Maths practice exercises and feedback to students and encouraging students to take part in debating clubs to expand their vocabulary. The report will be presented by District Education Officers, in partnership with NECTA officials, to subject teachers and Head Teachers from Handeni, Pangani, Iringa, Morogoro, Kilombero and Rufiji, and shared in hard copy with participating schools next quarter. Findings from the rest of the Midline Evaluation Report will also be shared with stakeholders through the Planning for School Excellence approach in order that communities can use the data to inform their decision-making and carry out targeted interventions with students at local schools. In Zimbabwe, a similar process is also underway in partnership with the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC). In Zimbabwe, a spot check of the availability and usage of Study Guides in 172 secondary schools was conducted across nine districts (Gokwe North, Matobo, Kwekwe, Mudzi, Muzarabani, Mbire, Lupane, Umguza and Umzingwane). The aims of the spot check were to establish how many of the books

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received from Camfed were still available for students and teachers to use, and to understand the frequency of and reasons for using the books. Responses from both teachers and students indicate that the Study Guides have been extremely useful in nurturing a culture of reading and improving access to books at home. One of the respondents said of the My Better World workbook: “It provides life skills information… [raise our] self-esteem and build [our] self-confidence; [it] contains inspiring stories like that of Bridget and helps in shaping our goals.” Another student had this to say about the Maths Study Guide: “It provides detailed worked examples on equations, [which] are easy to understand and all topics are covered.” Output 3: An established para-educator (Learner Guide) programme through which young people reinvest into the local education system A review meeting was conducted with 7 Core Trainers between 4th and 6th March at Kilangalanga Secondary School in Kibaha, Tanzania which included new Learner Guide recruitment processes. The Learner Guide programme was designed as a pathway for secondary school graduates in a context in which there is a dearth of opportunities for young people in rural areas. The Core Trainer review meeting was a chance to recruit new Learner Guides, in line with the new ‘Learner Guide Recruitment Strategy’ launched in January and used by stakeholders to shortlist applicants in advance of the meeting. Schools with no Learner Guides currently in place were prioritised, and young women who met the requirements and live close to the schools in question were chosen to fill the vacancies. CAMA Leaders, Teacher Mentors and Head Teachers worked together to select new Learner Guides, thus creating shared ownership and accountability for Learner Guides’ development and delivery of the programme from the outset. This intensive stakeholder engagement builds on the experience of recruiting the first cohort of Learner Guides, when involving at an early stage the relevant school authorities on the choice of their Learner Guides was found to be useful. A similar exercise was conducted in Zimbabwe, resulting in the identification and recruitment of 385 new Learner Guides across all partner districts. An initial induction of the new Learner Guides was done at district level, so the women could understand and begin interacting with the school and community structures they will be supporting; they will undergo full training on their role and the learning materials to be used next quarter. In addition, 282 Core Trainers participated in a review meeting in Shurugwi from 25th to 29th January, with the theme ‘Unleashing Change-Makers!’ Three Camfed staff members and four Community Development Committee (CDC) members led the meeting, which focused on key actions for 2016, reviewing the delivery of the My Better World Programme, reporting, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Participants commended each other on their increasing recognition by CDCs as contributing to improved student performance in partner schools in the last academic year. During the Core Trainer review meeting in each country, Camfed also shared data on Kiva loans with 7 Core Trainers in Tanzania and 28 Core Trainers in Zimbabwe as well as the respective National CAMA Committees to inform their discussions of recommendations to improve the loan scheme. The Kiva Joint Monitoring Report shared contained emerging best practices, common challenges and areas needing more attention or different approaches in future. Participants discussed how the report findings would influence and change their roles going forward, particularly with regards to the support

2 A second Core Trainer has been recruited and trained for Hurungwe District in the last quarter given the number of Learner Guides operating there, so they can be better supported, bringing the total number of Core Trainers working in Zimbabwe to 28.

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provided to borrowers and management of loan repayments. Kiva’s Senior Brand Marketing Manager and Community Manager also visited Zimbabwe in February to collect inspiring borrower stories to feature on the Kiva website and sharing with their supporters. Following their visit, the team published an article about a CAMA member they met on their visit, reaching about 900,000 Kiva lenders as part of their promotions in the run up to International Women's Day. See this link for the full article: https://medium.com/@Kiva/she-s-22-from-rural-zimbabwe-and-a-mogul-in-the-making-d14ec5c88724#.b7vc99fmo The National CAMA Committees in both countries also joined the Core Trainer review meetings and discussed the recently launched philanthropy tool, designed to measure the new resources Camfed’s work in communities is unlocking (in line with our Strategic Plan). Through this tool, information and evidence will be collected to help report in more detail on the number of children supported to go to school by CAMA and community members, and the monetary value of the resources contributed towards children’s education. The CAMA leaders welcomed this development as it could increase recognition of CAMA members’ philanthropy. Other matters discussed at the meeting included ways of engaging CAMA members who are no longer based in the partner districts or countries. Output 4: Robust, engaged local capacity and collaboration in support of marginalised children's education During February, the Whole School Approach was rolled out in an additional 35 schools in Tanzania across eight districts (Handeni, Iringa, Kilolo, Kilosa, Gairo, Bagamoyo, Morogoro and Kilombero). This brings the number of schools participating in this initiative (also known as Planning for School Excellence in Tanzania) under this project to date to 206, 90% of Camfed’s partner secondary schools. This innovative approach continues to be celebrated by stakeholders for engaging the wider community in improving educational outcomes and the learning environment for students locally. It allows communities to participate in data-driven discussions about school performance, enrolment, child protection, attendance and facilities and come up with agreed strategies to tackle concerns. An average of 28 participants per school (comprising Ward Councillors, Ward Executive Officers, teachers, CAMA members, students and parents) met and devised plans for improving school infrastructure. This quarter is the first time Whole School Approach activities have taken place since the announcement of the free secondary education policy in Tanzania and stakeholders state it is more useful and relevant now than ever, as it allowed them to consider as a group the challenges remaining to vulnerable children attending school regularly, and how these can be addressed. Plans proposed by schools included: providing lunches at school, hiring part-time Science teachers, building girls’ hostels, advocating for child protection policies to be acted upon, providing awards for students who perform well in their national examinations and also to teachers whose students have passed the subjects they teach. In Zimbabwe a team of Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education officials travelled to 67 schools to support trained Mother/Father Support Groups (MSGs/FSGs) with their activities. In Mudzi District, 37.5% of the groups visited included fathers as active members; significant progress in a context where the care of children is traditionally left to mothers. Shortages of water and declining food reserves are posing a significant challenge to the groups. The members are committed to continuing the meals schemes where they can and have been thinking creatively about sources of food and income, such as using resources from group lending schemes and individual contributions from members towards the programme. The Ministry officials used the opportunity both to encourage the interventions by parents and to emphasise the duty of every Head Teacher to foster progressive school- community collaborations. This is critical in building parents’ confidence and legitimacy in engaging the school administration to come up with joint

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School Development Plans that are effective and responsive to the context. This makes school planning and implementation of such plans a shared responsibility for parents and the school administration. Output 5: Uptake and use of a mobile technology platform that supports education planning and extends learning and networking in rural communities The review of Social Education Network (SEN) usage and value facilitated by 7 Core Trainers in Tanzania and 28 in Zimbabwe was conducted during their review meetings. Participants unanimously agreed on the value of mobile phones in increasing CAMA members’ access to information and to each other. Having phones also made mobile banking easier for Learner Guides running businesses. Accessing SEN through phones was still reported as a challenge in rural areas with poor network availability; SEN usage therefore peaks during periods when Core Trainers or Learner Guides are in better connected growth points. Currently, Learner Guides and Core Trainers often use WhatsApp for some of their day to day communications. Phone refresher training was also conducted from 26th to 27th February 2016 in Zimbabwe. 72 participants, including District Operations Secretariats, Core Trainers and CAMA members from 24 partner districts attended. The training focused on reviewing monitoring tools used in the districts and how the use of technology was becoming embedded in monitoring processes. Participants also underwent technical training on the precise tools to be used, as well as Excel, to enable them to capture data and share it with Camfed more easily. Camfed Tanzania is also continuing to build capacity amongst stakeholders at various levels around general IT skills and using mobile phones for data collection and submission. For example, concerted efforts are being made to orientate District Education Officers on emails and support them to set up email accounts on their mobile phones to enhance communication with Camfed and schools. Teacher Mentors and CDC members have reported that mobile phones have increased the quality and efficiency of their work, and as a result they are feeling more motivated within their roles. Teacher Mentors are using phones to update Camfed on activities conducted at the school level, report on students’ background, attendance, academic performance and child protection issues. One Teacher Mentor from Iringa District said, “the mobile phone has simplified my work as I have been able to provide speedy and real time student data to Camfed. Data has been used to inform various training gaps for Teacher Mentors and also inform interventions to address attendance issues.” Output 6: Adoption of key components into national policy and programmes The National Advisory Committee in Tanzania met to review project priorities as set out in the Annual General Meeting on 8th April in Bagamoyo.3 In attendance were the Executive Secretary of NECTA, the Retired Assistant Commissioner Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Principal Curriculum Developer – Tanzania Institute of Education, as well as three Camfed staff members. NAC members reviewed the priorities laid out at the AGM in December, as well as activities implemented between January to March, which included administration of school-going costs, provision of Kiva loans and the introduction of the philanthropic tool. NAC members were impressed by the amount Camfed and its community partners accomplished in the last three months and emphasised the need for thorough programme monitoring to ensure schools demonstrate the

3 This meeting fell slightly outside the quarter due to a lack of availability of NAC members in March as a result of recent changes to Government ministry structures and staffing.

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impact of the initiatives introduced. One of the NAC members stated that Camfed is setting an example for the Tanzanian Government: “We are confident that, if our students can afford better to speak and write English fluently, the Government will emulate the Camfed examples and finally lead all schools nationwide to follow Camfed models.” Earlier in the quarter, a NAC member also supported Camfed’s introductory meetings with newly elected Government officials. One such meeting was with the Acting Executive Secretary for the National Council for Technical Education (NACTE), who expressed an interest in exploring a drive to recruit CAMA members into NACTE-run institutions to increase the post-school opportunities available for marginalised rural girls. The Acting Executive Secretary also mentioned that affirmative action could be considered to open up such opportunities to these young women, in order to be responsive to the lived realities of CAMA members. Building such partnerships is critical as Camfed scales up its support for young women to secure a livelihood and step up as activists in their communities after graduating from school. In January, at a NAC member’s request, Camfed Tanzania received an invitation from the newly appointed Permanent Secretary of the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) to discuss Camfed’s programmes and strengthen our working relationship. The Permanent Secretary appreciated Camfed’s support and urged Camfed to continue supporting the Government in building community awareness of their responsibilities in ensuring access to education to all children in light of the new ‘free education’ policy. Finally, Camfed Tanzania also participated and shared its experiences in a high level workshop aimed at formulating priorities for the Education Sector Development Plan (ESDP). UNESCO and MOEST have partnered to review the current ESDP (2008-2017), and develop another to align with the Government’s Five Year Development Plan, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of May 2016. In Zimbabwe, the National Advisory Committee met on 18th March to review project priorities as set out in the Annual General Meeting. Five NAC members and two Camfed staff members attended the meeting. The members received updates on overall programme progress and in particular discussed how the MSG/FSG school meals programme could be used to influence the Government’s intention to build community resilience in terms of food security. The NAC members applauded the role played by the Learner Guides in improving partner schools’ national exams pass rate through the My Better World programme and study groups. The NAC member from the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development indicated his Ministry could further support the Learner Guides and MSG/FSG initiatives through linking them with markets. Professor Rosemary Moyana, NAC member and former Dean of Education at the University of Zimbabwe, this quarter produced a report on her visit to school meals projects in Zimbabwe and Tanzania, giving her observations and recommendations. Copies of this report are currently being shared with various ministries and other key stakeholders in both countries. As a well-respected academic, Professor Moyana’s report and endorsement is a significant contribution to Camfed’s strategic aim to share replicable components of its model with Government partners and other agencies. Finally, the Director of Secondary Education and the Deputy Director of Learner Welfare from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MOPSE) conducted a joint visit with Camfed to Matobo and Umguza Districts between 21st and 24th March. The visit focused on the officials experiencing the Camfed programme first-hand as well as exploring the work that could be done to support students with special needs. The school meals programme run by MSGs/FSGs with Camfed’s support was thought to be a successful model which is highly relevant to ongoing discussions around the National Feeding

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Scheme due to be rolled out in May. Camfed will continue to work closely with the MOPSE as it introduces the National Feeding Scheme to ensure communities’ expertise and structures already in place can be recognised and utilised. These joint monitoring visits will also continue on a regular basis to enable mutual learning on the ground. It is very encouraging that the practices emerging from the GEC project are being acknowledged as pertinent in addressing perennial problems in the Zimbabwean education system and are providing policy-makers with innovative solutions for consideration and adoption.

3. Progress towards project logframe and lessons learned

In this section, please provide information if anything significant or noteworthy has changed over the past quarter (i.e external events, staff changes, context) that means your progress against logframe indicators has changed compared to the last quarter.

Is the project on track to meet the end of year targets? If not, please provide more detail.

Please note that we do not expect commentary on all indicators.

 A: Provide a progress assessment of how activities towards the indicator are going (this should be linked to the RAG rating). Please indicate whether this is on track, catch-up activities needed or if there are concerns about achieving this indicator.  B: Provide any Analysis/lessons learned/Conclusions from activities towards this Output indicator during the reporting period.  C: For each Output only please provide an updated overall RAG rating.

B: Analysis/lessons A: Changes this quarter – please comment learned/Conclusions (e.g. implications Output Output Indicators on any notable changes to your output C: RAG for your project on Theory of change, indicator this quarter. logframe etc.) Output 1: Increased retention and progression of marginalised girls through secondary school Number of marginalised girls identified by In Tanzania, 19,175 girls were supported in We are on track against the targets for their communities and in receipt of support 2015. This is up from 11,841 reported last the number of marginalised girls (per year) quarter. In Zimbabwe, 28,375 girls were receiving support. In Tanzania, the

1.1 supported in 2015. This is the same as was target of 6,300 was exceeded. In G reported in the last quarter Zimbabwe, the target of 28,192 was also exceeded though by a smaller margin.

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The proportion of marginalised girls who Based on the midline survey, 95% of These findings sourced from the midline feel the support they receive is appropriate marginalised girls in Tanzania and 96% of survey confirm previous survey findings to meet their needs to stay in school marginalised girls in Zimbabwe felt the that the Camfed support is appropriate

support they receive is appropriate to meet to the needs of the girls who receive it. their needs to stay in school. This is significant in light of the 1.2 evaluation question set out in the M&E Framework which asked if the lower unit cost of the Step Up Fund mechanism would achieve the same levels of retention and performance as the full package of support.

Proportion of Teacher Mentors trained who In Tanzania, this proportion was 88% for are actively providing information on the 2015, as was reported last quarter. In 1.3 welfare of marginalised girls (annual) Zimbabwe, the proportion was 97% for 2015,

up from 90% reported last quarter.

Number of initiatives set up by Parent No change to report (122 in Tanzania and 394 Support Groups to support marginalised 1.4 in Zimbabwe) as there were no new initiatives children (cumulative) set up this quarter in either country.

Output 2: Female students demonstrate improved learning outcomes Achievement scores on life skills assessment The assessment scores from the midline All four sub-scales showed increases for tests, by gender survey are as follows: students from the baseline to the midline, but the rate of change for Tanzania: Intervention students was no different Aspirations: Females 576, Males 554; (statistically) from Comparison students 2.1 Self-Efficacy: Females 583, Males 591; and so the targets, which were set at 0.3 G Self-Awareness: Females 552, Males 566; SD above the increase measured in the Motivation: Females 550, Males 546. comparison group, were not met.

Zimbabwe: This finding does not align with findings Aspirations: Females 544, Males 532; from another questionnaire also

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Self-Efficacy: Females 553, Males 552; administered in the midline survey, Self-Awareness: Females 551, Males 541; where almost all the students were Motivation: Females 545, Males 539. positive about the My Better World sessions in terms of enjoyment and relevance, as well as the impact on their life skills, wellbeing, attendance and academic studies.

Putting these together, it is inconclusive whether the My Better World programme had an impact on the wellbeing of the students who participated.

One possibility is that the Wellbeing assessment tool is not measuring the correct outcomes for the My Better World programme and that a different tool would detect an impact. We will be exploring this further.

Proportion of cohort members (by gender) Based on the midline survey in Tanzania, 97% The findings from the midline survey using the learning materials who report that of females and males reported that the confirm previous survey findings about they are useful for helping them to pass Revision Guides were useful for helping them the learning materials; that the large their examinations, by type of learning to pass their examinations. Similarly, 97% of majority of students are using them and material females and 96% of males reported that the finding them helpful in their How to Learn in English Guides were useful. preparations for examinations. In a 2.2 These percentages are in line with surveys context with limited reading and study carried out with students in 2014, but a little materials, children having their own higher than those reported last quarter based reference copies has been observed on findings from a survey with Form 1 anecdotally to have had a remarkable students carried out in December 2015 (range effect on students’ sense of control and 90%-93%). ownership over their study patterns and

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In Zimbabwe, 97% of females and 94% of techniques. The value of them being males who participated in the midline survey exposed to such materials should not be reported that the Revision Guides were underestimated; indeed it is believed helpful. that these made a contribution towards the sizeable learning improvements In both countries, this level of endorsement is observed in the cohort as reported in substantially above the target set of 70% the midline report Proportion of cohort members (by gender) Based on the midline survey, in Tanzania the As stated under indicator 2.1, questions using the life skills learning materials who proportion was 97% for females and 94% for asking students directly about the value report that they have led to a behavioural males. In Zimbabwe, the proportion was 91% and enjoyment of the life skills (My change (in terms of, for example, self- and 92% for females and males, respectively. Better World) programme shows a high directed learning, an improved culture of These levels exceed the targets set of 70% in level of endorsement. This is supported reading, improved school attendance) Tanzania and 90% in Zimbabwe. by feedback received from Head Teachers and teachers who participated

2.3 in the midline survey, as well as the Learner Guides, Core Trainers and Camfed staff who have observed the classes. Set against the findings derived from the wellbeing assessment tool, this reinforces the need to explore alternative appropriate tools.

Pass rate in public exams at Form 4 in This was 13.3% for females, 20.0% for males, These results are positive in the sense partner cohort schools, by gender and 16.4% overall. This represents a slight that they continue a trend of improving (Zimbabwe only) increase from the previous year (11.8% for attainment levels in the partner schools. females and 17.1% for males), and also However, in an absolute sense, these 2.4 surpasses the target of 10.1% for females and are still low pass rates and serve as a 18.4% for males. reminder of the need for continued support for these schools.

Pass rate in public exams at Forms 2 and 4 In Tanzania, the average cohort partner The Form 2 pass rates are particularly 2.5 in partner cohort schools as a proportion of school Form 2 pass rates were 85% for encouraging as they indicate that, on the national pass rate, by gender (Tanzania females, 86% for males, and 85% overall. The average, the partner schools are

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only) national Form 2 pass rates in 2015 were 89% performing close to the national average for females, males, and overall. Thus, as a – a considerable improvement over the

proportion of the national pass rate, the Form baseline level of 62% against the 2 pass rates in partner cohort schools were national benchmark. 95% for females, 96% for males, and 95% The Form 4 pass rates are not quite so overall. Compared to the previous year (87% strong, suggesting that there is a slight for females and 89% for males), this decline against the national average in represents a substantial increase, and the attainment levels of students surpasses the overall target of 64%. enrolled in these schools between Form The average cohort partner school Form 4 2 and Form 4. Nonetheless, they too pass rates were 52% for females, 59% for represent a sizeable improvement over males, and 55% overall. The national Form 4 the baseline levels. pass rates in 2015 were 65% for females, 71% Like Zimbabwe, these results emphasise for males, and 68% overall. Thus, as a the continued need for support for proportion of the national pass rate, the Form these schools. 4 pass rates in partner cohort schools were 80% for females, 83% for males, and 82% overall. This surpasses the targets of 46% for females and 55% for males.

Output 3: Secondary graduates empowered to reinvest in local education system Number of young women who sign up to There has been no change in Tanzania (387). the commitment to be a Learner Guide There has been an increase in Zimbabwe to (cumulative) 2,823 this quarter. 385 Learner Guides were 3.1 recruited in the last quarter, 88 of whom were captured last quarter when numbers G were calculated in January.

Proportion of young women trained There has been no change in Tanzania (87%). While the result for Tanzania is a little continuing their commitment to below the target of 90%, it is important 3.2 There has been a decrease in Zimbabwe from volunteering in a school in their community to note that there has been no attrition 81% last quarter to 67% this quarter. This

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as a Learner Guide (per year) decrease is partly to do with cleaning up our among the Learner Guides in the past records which has taken place in the past year. In other words, the reason why quarter. the target has not been hit in Tanzania is down to the number of Learner Guides who left the programme in the initial months.

In Zimbabwe, greater than anticipated numbers of Learner Guides have moved on from the role. For many, this was a positive move into employment or on to further education. For some, the drought may have also influenced their circumstances. Proportion of young women trained who There has been an increase in Tanzania from As has been reported previously, the complete the 18-month commitment to be 85% last quarter to 88% this quarter. proportion in Tanzania is above the a Learner Guide target of 80%, but below the target in In Zimbabwe, there has been a decrease from Zimbabwe. The turnover of Learner 70% last quarter to 50% this quarter. Guides has been higher than first However, there are 751 Active Learner Guides anticipated (often due to positive for whom 18 months have not yet elapsed progression from the programme into 3.3 since they joined the Learner Guide teaching and nursing posts etc.), but the programme. As above, this reduction is partly inclusion of additional young women in because of cleaning up our records which has the initial training for Learner Guides happened in the past quarter. has meant that replacement Learner Guides can be appointed to minimise disruption for the programme.

Proportion of students (by gender) in the In 2015, this was 83% for females and 81% for While the target of 90% has not been target classes who participate in life skills males in Tanzania, and 84% for females and achieved, the figures show that there is 3.4 training assisted by a Learner Guide. 82% for males in Zimbabwe. These a good level of participation by the percentages are the same as those reported targeted students in the life skills training. Moreover, the consistency of

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last quarter. the participation rates over the project period suggest that there is a high level of continuity among the attendees. It may be that the target for this new programme was set unrealistically high.

Average number of hours contributed by The time contributed by Learner Guides since Learner Guides continue to exceed our Learner Guides (cumulative). the programme began has continued to expectations about the time they have increase, to an average of 313 hours per contributed to the role, demonstrating Learner Guide in Tanzania (from 276 hours energy, enthusiasm and commitment to last quarter) and an average of 282 hours per supporting students in their local Learner Guide in Zimbabwe (from 253 hours schools. This was confirmed in the 3.5 last quarter). This surpasses the target of 193 midline survey in terms of the views hours in Tanzania and 150 hours in expressed by students, teachers and Zimbabwe. Head Teachers about the Learner Guides, including the additional roles they are playing around the school and in supporting the students. Learner Guides perform their role with In Tanzania, the number assessed has students to the required pedagogical increased from 335 last quarter to 364 this standard (qualitative indicator) quarter, with 347 (95%) having passed (up from 318) – this is because 29 additional Learner Guides were assessed this quarter and all 29 passed the assessment.

3.6 In Zimbabwe, the number assessed has increased to 553, with 537 of these having passed (97%).

The Learner Guides were assessed on the following criteria:

1. Ability to open a session effectively

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2. Demonstrate an understanding of the topic 3. Create a learning experience that is fun and engaging 4. Ability to effectively monitor the progress of individual learners and the group as a whole 5. Ability to close a session effectively 6. Ability to communicate effectively with learners within a classroom setting 7. Ability to support learners to establish and maintain positive relationships with other learners 8. Ability to support a variety of learning activities 9. Ability to manage time effectively 10. Ability to manage classroom disruptions and learner behaviour effectively

In Tanzania this quarter, 100% of the Learner Guides were assessed as having met each of the criteria except for criteria 5, 6, and 7; the pass rates for these three criteria were 97%, 97%, and 93%, respectively. In Zimbabwe, the Learner Guides who did not obtain an overall pass were marked down due to issues with their command over classroom management, such as getting learners to be engaged during the session.

The assessments include feedback from Core Trainers so that, even when achieving a pass, the Learner Guides are provided with constructive feedback so that they can

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further improve their performance.

Number of Learner Guides and Core There has been an increase in both countries. Trainers who satisfy the criteria and receive In Tanzania, two more Learner Guides/Core a social interest loan (cumulative) Trainers received a social interest loan for the first time (from 291 last quarter to 293 this quarter – target = 300). In Zimbabwe, 96 more Learner Guides/Core Trainers received 3.7 a first social interest loan (from 1,759 last quarter to 1,855 this quarter – target = 1,700).

The number of Learner Guides/Core Trainers receiving a second or third social interest loan stayed the same in Tanzania (99), but has increased from 255 to 272 in Zimbabwe. Output 4: Robust, engaged local capacity and collaboration in support of marginalised children's education Percentage of stakeholders (by type) who Based on the midline survey, in Tanzania 68% These findings suggest that most believe the selection process for of students (target: 80%), 69% of teachers, stakeholders perceive the selection entitlements for marginalised girls is fair and 86% of Head Teachers believed that the process to be fair, but a sizeable selection process is fair. minority feel otherwise. The external audits of the selection processes carried In Zimbabwe, the percentages were 73% of out in 2015 showed conclusively that students (target: 74%), 71% of teachers, and the selection process is indeed fair, so 82% of Head Teachers. 4.1 the issue is one of perception rather A We only anticipated being able to survey than substance. Nonetheless further students for this indicator at this stage of the thought will need to be given to how project and so no targets were set for the this perception might be addressed. other groups. For students, the midline findings indicate a small reduction in Tanzania, missing the target of 80% by 12 percentage points. In Zimbabwe, there was a

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small increase, falling just one percentage point short of the target.

Percentage of stakeholders (by type) who No change to report – this will be measured believe the School Committee manages next at the endline. 4.2 school resources in a fair and accountable way

Percentage of stakeholders (by type) who Based on the midline survey, in Tanzania 32% Despite small increases for both believe that most or all incidents of child of students (target: 36%), 25% of teachers, students and teachers, the target for abuse get reported and 16% of Head Teachers believed that most students has not quite been achieved or all incidents of child abuse get reported. and, more importantly, the absolute levels reveal that proportions of In Zimbabwe, the percentages were 42% of stakeholders in both Tanzania and students (target: 44%), 51% of teachers, and Zimbabwe are not confident that cases 55% of Head Teachers. of child abuse get reported. This 4.3 We only anticipated being able to survey emphasises the need for further work in students for this indicator at this stage of the the area of child protection in project and so no targets were set for the partnership with the school, the other groups. For students, the midline community and with community-level findings indicate a small increase in both authorities. countries although the targets have not quite been achieved. Among teachers, the midline survey results suggest increases since the baseline.

Percentage of stakeholders (by type) who Based on the midline survey, in Tanzania 59% Somewhat contrary to the finding feel confident that those who abuse of students (target: 52%), 76% of teachers, above, it appears that progress has been children will be punished and 75% of Head Teachers believed that made in terms of bringing abusers to 4.4 those who abuse children will be punished. justice. The change was particularly great among teachers in Tanzania; it is In Zimbabwe, the percentages were 77% of not clear what lies behind this. Again, students (target: 79%), 82% of teachers, and however, it is important to remember

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83% of Head Teachers. the absolute levels not only the change; they are a reminder that more work is We only anticipated being able to survey needed in terms of protecting children. students for this indicator at this stage of the project and so no targets were set for the other groups. For students, the midline findings indicate a small increase in both countries, with the target being achieved in Tanzania. Among teachers, the midline survey results suggest very substantial increases since the baseline in Tanzania, and more modest ones in Zimbabwe.

Percentage of students who report that Based on the midline survey, 90% of students Overall, these findings show that the they feel safe at school in Tanzania reported feeling safe in school large majority of students feel safe at (target: 93%). This percentage was 91% in school. However, concerted effort will

Zimbabwe (target: 95%). be needed in the remaining period of the project to achieve the targets for 4.5 These results represent small decreases since this indicator. the baseline, although these may be just down to differences in the samples. Nonetheless in both countries the targets have not quite been achieved.

Percentage of parents reporting that the No change to report – this will be measured gender of the child is important when next at the endline. 4.6 deciding whether a child should attend school

Output 5: Uptake and use of a mobile technology platform that supports education planning and extends learning and networking in rural areas

Number of young women, teachers and No change to report in Tanzania (301), but 5.1 officials using mobile phone technology to there has been an increase in Zimbabwe from G collect EMIS and monitoring data 138 last quarter to 162 this quarter, because

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(cumulative). 24 new Learner Guides were trained.

Percentage of Learner Guides who report No change to report (71%). 5.2 using mobile phone technology to access content for in-school sessions

Percentage of Learner Guides who use the 22% of active Learner Guides have accessed The Social Education Network is not Social Education Network to connect with a the Social Education Network, decreasing being used as extensively as had been Learner Guide in another district from 49% last quarter. In Tanzania, this expected at this stage of the project percentage was 33%, and in Zimbabwe, it was (50%). This is largely because of the 20%. poor network availability in rural 5.3 areas. Importantly, however, Learner Guides and Core Trainers are communicating frequently with one another, often using WhatsApp which works better in poor network areas.

Output 6: GEC evidence informs dialogue, practice, policies in the education sector

National adoption of initiatives to introduce Tanzania: Refresher training for phone users In Zimbabwe, the Ministry’s decision to technology for EMIS for planning has taken place and lessons around phone use desktop computers in District (qualitative indicator) use for monitoring have been shared at Education Offices equipped with National Advisory Committee meetings to see internet facilities to transmit EMIS data how to engage Ministry officials to further will likely affect the adoption of mobile learn how mobile phone monitoring is used at phone technology for EMIS data the schools. Camfed plans to engage Ministry collection within the remaining 6.1 officials who participate in the monitoring timescale of the project. We are G visits to learn about the uses of mobile phone continuing to engage on this. for data collection.

Zimbabwe: The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has adopted the transmission of EMIS data using internet facilities with all the 72 District Education

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Offices now having desktop computers. The Ministry is in the process of connecting the District offices. National adoption of validated Tanzania: District Councils are committed to The Learner Guide programme has been component(s) of the Learner Guide model extend the Learner Guide model in primary well received widely and recognised for (qualitative indicator) schools to assist in the transition to secondary the outcomes it is delivering for school. Also, in Iringa District, the Learner students, not only in terms of the My Guide model has been adapted to support Better World curriculum. Further Form 1 students in improving their English consideration will need to be given to literacy through the use of e-reader how to build from this positive technology. This approach is being piloted in reception in schools and at the district Iringa District to see how the Learner Guide level towards influencing decision 6.2 model can be used to address other makers at provincial and national levels. challenges affecting student learning and performance in schools.

Zimbabwe: Head Teachers have acknowledged the value of the study groups and the use of study guides as a powerful model of examination preparations. The increased national exam pass rate from last year is viewed to have been contributed to by the Learner Guide programme. National adoption of validated practices for No change to report. 6.3 accountability or governance over resources (qualitative indicator)

Lessons learned this quarter

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Please provide any additional lessons you may have gathered during the reporting period in the box below (or in the annexes if easier) in addition to the information included above e.g. quotes, interviews, profiles and/or case studies from beneficiaries and/or those that have worked on the intervention/adaptation. Please see guidance immediately below the box on how to structure the examples or issues you raise.

Tanzania – The complexity of ‘free education’ in practice The announcement that the Tanzanian Government intended to make education free until the end of junior secondary school was met with praise from the international community last year. However, the increasing numbers of children newly enrolling for school as a result and lack of communication over exactly which costs the Government and parents/guardians should cover, has led to challenges in implementation. Class sizes have increased without a parallel increase in the number of teachers, and Camfed continues to receive a similarly high number of requests for financial and material support from vulnerable children who still struggle to attend school because of a lack of basic items. On visits to schools to distribute support for existing Camfed clients, the urgent needs of children for food, accommodation and transport (for students who have to travel long distances to school), boarding basics (such as blankets), clothing and sanitary wear, were highly visible. Camfed’s Planning for School Excellence approach has proven to be valuable at this time to address the emerging disjuncture between policy intention and practice, as schools and communities are given space to discuss children’s present needs and the key adjustments needed to accommodate the influx of new students. As the ‘free education’ policy continues to be operationalised, Camfed will keep supporting communities to understand and clarify which costs are now borne by the Government and which remain the responsibility of parents/guardians. Zimbabwe – The empathy and solidarity between MSGs and the opportunities this provides In February, MSGs from Guruve District presented a collective donation of two tonnes of maize to the Camfed National Office with a note which read: “Guruve was also affected by the drought but, however we are better than other districts which are completely dry. Please take the little that we have put together for our children in those worse of districts and convey our love and solidarity to the children and the mothers.” Such donations between MSGs are not unprecedented, for example in September, MSGs from Chikomba East donated 900kgs of maize, one bucket of groundnuts, three buckets of dried vegetables and 400kgs of clothes to their peers in Umzingwane during an exchange visit to help them feed and clothe vulnerable children and elderly people; in October, mothers from Mbire also donated 500kgs of maize, 400kgs of sorghum and 100kgs of cow- peas to MSGs at five schools in Matobo. However, in the context of Zimbabwe’s worst drought in over two decades and a state of disaster declared in rural areas nationally by the President, this was an extremely generous

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offering by the Guruve mothers, which showcased the power of MSGs working together and parents’ role within the broader education system. The donation offered was the culmination of a district event themed ‘MSG Guruve – Safety Net Fund support to orphans and vulnerable children’ jointly organised by 27 MSGs and attended by over 1,423 parents, schoolchildren, teachers, traditional and Government leaders. At the event, MSGs spoke of the need for communities to own both the problems facing local children and the solutions to these, and the District MSG Chairperson organised and distributed community contributions from which 271 school children benefited. These donations included money to buy shoes, soap, clothes, sanitary pads, pens, rulers, pencils and exercise books, worth a total value of US $709. The MP for Mashonaland Central, who attended the event, remarked that: “What the mothers have done is not ‘costly’ to an ordinary leader, businessman or politician but we do not do it. These poor struggling mothers are doing what we are supposed to do as leaders and Government. I have been schooled. I am touched. I am embarrassed. I lack words but all I can say is that our nation and future is safe in the hands of women.” In crisis situations such as these, families and countries often act to safeguard the resources they have; for example in February, Zambian authorities imposed a maize export ban to Zimbabwe, to boost their national reserves.4 However, the mothers from Guruve have illustrated the power of rural communities to help others even during an emergency and the widespread ethos of philanthropy which has Mothers distributing items become further embedded during the GEC project. The Guruve MSGs’ donation has since been delivered to donated at the ‘MSG Guruve – Umzingwane District where it is expected to have a significant impact on children’s lives. Safety Net Fund support to OVCs’ event

Guidance: What do we mean by lessons learned?

 What is the specific context or situation that the lesson learned relates to? Context  How is this impacted by the local situation/environment/culture?

 What was the mechanism set up by you, or action taken? Intervention/  What is being done? By whom? How? adaptation NB: the effectiveness of the mechanism is the key thing we’re learning about

Outcome  What was the outcome or result that happened because of the action taken by you in this specific situation (intended and unintended)?

4 http://www.news24.com/Africa/Zimbabwe/zambia-bans-maize-exports-to-zimbabwe-20160215-2

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 What the key lesson is that has been learned?  How does the lesson specifically relate to strengths and weakness in the design or implementation process and the effects of this on performance, outcomes and impacts?  What are the key elements to success?  What has not worked? Conclusions A good way to think about what the learning is from a particular experience is to use questions like: In the context of what you learned:  What would you do again next time and why?  What would you do differently next time and why? NB: We need to know what evidence we have for a lesson and what more might be needed.

4. Milestones and management information

Action needed: Please update your milestone tracker and management information for the reporting period and submit the excel workbook with this document on FMS. 5. M&E Please confirm whether you have undertaken any quantitative and qualitative M&E activities or activities that monitor progress towards your logframe this quarter and provide a brief summary of key activities, challenges or key findings (if a full report has been shared with the Fund Manager please indicate this below and annex):

1. Midline/endline activity The Midline Evaluation Report was submitted in March 2016. Feedback was received from the Fund Manager in April and Camfed is currently working with its evaluation partner on the revisions. The endline surveys will be carried out in September 2016, for which preparations will begin in May. 2. Attendance spot checks In February 2016, Camfed Tanzania conducted attendance spot-checks in 50 schools across ten districts (six intervention and four comparison). The exercise was carried out by CDC members, where members from one district undertook the verifications in another district. The exercise involved checking students’ attendance registers for completeness, conducting whole-class roll calls (to determine whether there were any discrepancies between the register and actual student attendance in the class), and holding one-on-one interviews with teachers (to learn more about common reasons for absenteeism). The main learning point, which was fed back to schools as a recommendation, was that the registers should be taken more than just in the morning and it should be the class teacher who takes the register and not the class

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monitors. In March 2016, Camfed Zimbabwe conducted attendance spot-checks in 31 schools across three partner districts. The exercise was carried out by CDC members. The exercise involved verifying student attendances recorded in the system against actual head count on the day of the visit. Any variations were then discussed with the teachers. Some of the challenges included delayed marking of registers until after break time to allow for students travelling long distances to school to arrive and students leaving school after roll call. These issues could also be overcome by taking the registers more than once during the school day. In one district (Matobo), the Public Service Commission had been visiting schools on an ad hoc basis which had incentivised schools to have up-to-date records. 3. Additional ad hoc Classroom observations and assessments have been carried out with Learner Guides delivering the My Better World activities (qualitative programme in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe during the last quarter. In Tanzania, observations were carried out with 29 studies; classroom Learner Guides across six partner districts. The observations were carried out by three Core Trainers and three Teacher observations; FGDs etc) Mentors. All 29 Learner Guides passed the assessment. In Zimbabwe, classroom observations were carried out by Core Trainers with 159 Learner Guides in 11 districts. 152 out of the 159 Learner Guides passed the assessment. Feedback was given to each of the Learner Guides assessed, with guidance provided to those who did not pass on which specific areas requiring improvement.

6. Risk

i. Overview (current) of project context

Please provide an overview of the current (as of today) context you are working in. This should include any relevant information on the current political and security situations, status of the national education system, relationships with stakeholders etc. This should be reviewed each quarter and updated if necessary

Tanzania Following the recent changes to education policy, including the cancellation of school fees at secondary level, the government has been working with partners to raise awareness of the new policy at all levels. This initiative also aims to address the intensified challenges that Government schools are

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currently facing as the new policy comes into place, with regards to increases in student enrolment and reduced contributions by parents to schooling costs. The newly appointed Permanent Secretary of the PO-RALG requested Camfed Tanzania assist the Ministry of Education with its efforts, and therefore Camfed Tanzania is helping to disseminate information to all stakeholders, particularly parents in partner districts. One effect of the new education policy is likely to be that there will be a reduction in the number of teachers in our partner schools. This is because Head Teachers were previously using school fees to employ additional subject teachers in schools where the number of staff deployed by the Ministry did not reach the requirements. This is now not an option open to schools which has the potential to exacerbate the pupil teacher ratio in rural schools, particularly in the context of increased enrolment. Whilst Zimbabwe has experienced severe drought as a result of the current El Niño cycle, in Tanzania it has caused heavy rainfall and flooding in some areas in recent months, including in Iringa, Morogoro and Tanga Regions, where Camfed works. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has released funds to support 11,500 households affected by the rains which are in need of urgent assistance to overcome critical post-harvest losses to their food supplies.5 The flooding has disrupted some Learner Guides’ businesses, particularly those involved in agriculture, whose crops have been destroyed. In some cases schooling has also been affected as schools are surrounded by water and are inaccessible. Camfed will continue to monitor the situation closely and support children to return to school and Learner Guides to get their businesses back on track. Zimbabwe The President of Zimbabwe declared a state of disaster in rural areas as a result of the drought on 4th February 2016. Subsequently, the Government established a Cabinet Committee on Emergency Response to the El Niño-Induced Drought Disaster, chaired by the Vice President. The Cabinet Committee has been mandated to coordinate responses to meet immediate and medium-term needs from February to December 2016, which will then be reviewed for the period January to June 2017. There are nine proposed programmes for the Government response are, which include: the ‘Grain Importation and Related Logistics Programme’, ‘Food Security and Social Protection Programmes for Vulnerable People’ and ‘Education – School Feeding Programme’. The Government reiterated its commitment to lead combined efforts to tackle the effects of the drought, and called on the UN and humanitarian partners to scale up their responses to address the immediate needs of the 2.84 million people affected. The rural families most acutely affected by the drought were already vulnerable before the drought, and the loss of income from subsistence agriculture on which they rely means their financial resources, incomes and food supplies are even more limited than normal. An increased proportion of household spending on food has a knock- on effect on the amount families are able to spend on other basic needs such as education, health and water. Children are directly affected by this, with the malnutrition rate amongst infants at its highest level in 15 years, and for older children may feel pressure to attend school less regularly or drop out

5 http://allafrica.com/stories/201604160034.html

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altogether so they can spend time working to contribute to household incomes or finding food. Teenage pregnancies have also been reported to be on the increase in most districts with some households resorting to marrying their children as a coping strategy.6 Camfed will continue working closely with government partners and communities to channel food aid towards the most vulnerable people, discourage child marriage and minimise disruption to children’s education. The Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) programme also continues to be underfunded, resulting in more children seeking Camfed’s support. Latest estimates suggest just $10 million has been allocated to BEAM for 2016, and $64 million is currently owed to schools in arrears for school fees for children on the BEAM programme. The Minister for Primary and Secondary Education recently re-stated the Government’s policy that no student’s public examination results should be withheld for non-payment of school fees, so students should still receive these regardless of their fee payment status.

ii. Changes to project context during the reporting period

Please provide any changes to the project context and any new risks that have transpired during the current reporting period.

Tanzania: Following Government restructuring of regions and districts in order to increase remote communities access to services, some of Camfed’s existing partner districts have been split into two, leading to five new districts. In February 2016, Camfed held an official launch event in Ifakara District in Morogoro Region. This included capacitating stakeholders to run the programme and form Camfed structures, such as the CDC and CAMA, and brings the total number of districts in Tanzania where Camfed’s GEC project is operating to 12. Launch events for the other new districts are planned for the next quarter. Zimbabwe: The state of disaster declared by the President in February reflects the declining status of food security in Zimbabwe during the quarter. The UN has also reported that 2.78 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance with water, sanitation and hygiene, 1.8 million need support with health and nutrition, and 1.29 million for education.7 This has resulted in more families requesting Camfed’s support.

iii. Expected changes to project context in the next reporting period or future

Please provide information (best to your knowledge) on any upcoming changes to the context in which the project operates in the next quarter or future. Please provide dates wherever possible.

6 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee Lean Season Monitoring Report – January 2016 7 UNOCHA (2016), Humanitarian Needs Overview – Zimbabwe 2016

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Tanzania: Food security in some areas may decrease as a result of recent flooding, but the continuing implementation of the ‘free education’ policy, and close collaboration between stakeholders from different districts (which have been less badly affected by the rains) may help families to cope and be able to reallocate resources to afford food as well as their children’s educational costs. Zimbabwe: Although rainfall has increased since March, it is now too late in the season for the drought-related crop damage to be reversed. As such, the current levels of food insecurity are likely to persist until at least September 2016, and a cereal deficit is predicted to continue into the 2016/2017 agricultural year.8 The Government’s National Feeding Scheme is due to be implemented from May, however its initial focus will be on reaching children at ECD and primary level.

Risk Register/log

i. Please copy your updated Risk register here.

ii. Please confirm that the Risk Register/Log has been reviewed this quarter and updated: The Risk Register for Tanzania was confirmed as of 22/03/2016 The Risk Register for Zimbabwe was confirmed as of 31/03/16

iii. Please confirm that all changes to project context has been considered and reflected in the latest Risk Register/Log: The Risk Register for Tanzania was confirmed as of 22/03/2016 The Risk Register for

8 http://www.fews.net/southern-africa/zimbabwe/key-message-update/march-2016

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Zimbabwe was confirmed as of 31/03/16

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7. Financial Variances

Using the data you input into the FMS, please explain any variance of more than 10% between your forecast and request at an output level. Please note this may require explaining significant variances at a cost category level in order to provide a full and satisfactory level of detail. The Fund Manager will seek further clarification if required. Please add in more rows to the table below as required. Output Forecast cost Requested cost Actual cost Narrative Camfed Zimbabwe 1 – Increased retention and progression of vulnerable £288,424 £288,424 £266,040 < 10% Variance girls through secondary school 2 – Improved learning outcomes for girls – both £22,268 £22,268 £22,314 < 10% Variance academic and 21st Century skills 3 – An established para- educator programme through which young £285,875 £285,875 £277,494 < 10% Variance people reinvest into the local education system 4 – Robust, engaged local Timing variance; National capacity and collaboration Annual review meeting £39,792 £39,792 £47,350 in support of vulnerable with CDCs were conducted children's education in Q12 instead of Q11. 5 – Uptake and use of a mobile technology platform that supports education £81,326 £81,326 £75,102 < 10% Variance planning and extends learning and networking in rural communities 6 – Adoption of key £22,196 £22,196 £22,560 < 10% Variance

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components into national policy and programmes Total £739,881 £739,881 £710,860

Camfed Tanzania 1 – Increased retention and progression of vulnerable £357,261 £357,261 £357,816 < 10% Variance girls through secondary school 2 – Improved learning outcomes for girls - both £11,286 £11,286 £11,310 < 10% Variance academic and 21st Century skills 3 – An established para- educator programme through which young £42,920 £42,920 £42,737 < 10% Variance people reinvest into the local education system 4 – Robust, engaged local capacity and collaboration £64,170 £64,170 £60,051 < 10% Variance in support of vulnerable children's education 5 – Uptake and use of a mobile technology platform that supports education £22,086 £22,086 £23,066 < 10% Variance planning and extends learning and networking in rural communities 6 – Adoption of key components into national £10,672 £10,672 £10,651 < 10% Variance policy and programmes

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Total £508,395 £508,395 £505,631

8. Additional Information Please review and confirm the following and provide further information if required.

Activity Action Response Further information (as required) IATI Have you uploaded to Yes If not, please provide details on what the IATI this quarter? If not outstanding actions are and when you expect then please provide to comply with this. comments. Child protection Has there been any No If so, please give details on: policy breach of your Child i. Details of the incident and Protection Policy this whether this was within your quarter? organisation, a partner or a contractor ii. What action you have taken iii. What more needs to be done iv. What was the outcome/conclusion Safety of Is there a reporting and Yes If yes, please describe: Camfed prioritises child protection in all its children in response mechanism i. what this mechanism looks like and work, as detailed in Section 5 in the annual programme for girls to report child how it helps girls report below and ensures that all staff and implementation protection concerns ii. how this has been used (or stakeholders renew their commitments to (e.g. violence or abuse) strengthened) during the reporting upholding and promoting this regularly. in your schools, clubs or period other learning space? Staff and stakeholders in Zimbabwe have started renewing their commitment to child protection at various events and meetings in this first quarter of the year. The responsibilities of Teacher Mentors

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designated at each school include championing child protection in the wider school and management of School Based Child Protection Committees whose membership is comprised of student representatives, parents and teachers. Suggestion boxes are also placed in schools to enable anonymous reporting of instances of abuse to the school authorities. Recent review meetings for Teacher Mentors have focused on the topic of child protection to keep teachers’ knowledge up to date. Do no harm Is there any evidence, None If so, please give details on: anecdotal or otherwise, i. What the challenge/problem is of unintended negative i. What action you have taken, if any consequences as a ii. What more needs to be done result of project iii. What was the activities? outcome/conclusion

Fiduciary Risk Has there been or do No If so, please provide details of the incident / you suspect any your suspicions and document what action incidents of fraud, has been taken in response. Please include bribery or corruption in details of who has been informed within the the last quarter? FM.

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Any additional comments or Feedback to the FM not captured elsewhere Please use this space to make any other comments, raise issues, provide any feedback or make requests to the FM. This might include; complaints, feedback, expert support/capacity building needed from the FM etc. Please note, issues and feedback can be provided to the FM at any time and if urgent should be done through the relevant Portfolio Manager.

Annual Report – Additional information required for annual reporting The following sections only require completion for the annual report.

1. Annual Summary Please provide a summary of project progress over the past year, highlighting key successes and challenges. The GEC project continues to be one of Camfed’s flagship projects, providing the opportunity to support thousands of marginalised girls to go to school with the help of their communities, pilot innovative responses to deeply entrenched problems in the Tanzanian and Zimbabwean education systems, and undertake comprehensive research to understand which interventions are working effectively, and the reasons for this. The lessons learned so far under the GEC project are influencing Camfed’s programme throughout its countries of operation, as well as allowing Camfed to engage with national level stakeholders to gain recognition for and incorporate elements of its model into Government policy, which will have a positive impact for girls and their communities beyond the length of the project. Key highlights from the last year include:

 Refining a model of support for girls which is tailored to their precise needs and managed collaboratively by Camfed and communities  Raising young women’s status in rural communities and opening up diverse opportunities for further education or training or formal employment through the Learner Guide programme

 Improving students’ enjoyment of school through the My Better World curriculum and their performance in key subjects through new study materials distributed and study groups  Increasing the capacity of communities to collect data on their schools, identify issues of concern and tackle these together using their own

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resources through the Planning for School Excellence approach

 Measuring increased levels of community philanthropy and support for vulnerable children via school meal programmes, donations of material items and provision of psycho-social support

 Using mobile technology to increase the speed and accuracy of data collection and data input into Camfed’s integrated financial and programmes database and increasing the connectedness of Learner Guides from across Tanzania and Zimbabwe so they can share best practice and motivation with each other

 Engaging with key Government officials to raise awareness of Camfed’s model and advocate for the extraction of components of the model which could be rolled out nationwide, as has been done with the school meal schemes in Zimbabwe or the Teacher Mentor initiative in Tanzania Further insight into key areas of project progress over the past year are provided below: Direct support to help marginalised girls stay in school Camfed is continuing to research what comprises the optimum package of support to vulnerable girls, which empowers them attend and do well in school while also ensuring value for money and allowing the maximum number of girls to be supported with the resources available. During monitoring visits, review meetings, AGMs and Midline Evaluation Report research trips, Camfed has engaged with parents, teachers and girls themselves on the nature of support they require, what Camfed can offer and what communities can bring to the table. Within the category of marginalised girls, there is diversity in terms of levels of need and specific items or services required. As a result, community members on selection committees put forward girls for different levels of support (be that full bursary or Step Up Fund) depending on their circumstances. With the full integration of Camfed’s databases and a number of selection periods throughout the year, if a girls’ situation changes between terms, this can be identified and addressed. The Midline Evaluation Report emphasised that stakeholders believe this tailored support for school-going costs over the past year is among the key factors which have contributed to girls staying in school who would have likely otherwise dropped out. Engagement and empowerment of young women graduates The last year saw the initial cohort of women trained as Learner Guides completing their 18 month commitment and a new group of Learner Guides being selected. Demand for places in the second group was high given the transformative impact the Learner Guide programme has had on the first group of women involved; indeed, the majority of Learner Guides from the first group have committed to continuing their work in this role to take further advantage of the opportunities it offers. School leadership teams have praised the Learner Guides for their professionalism, their compassion and commitment to working with the most vulnerable children and the immense support they have provided to under-resourced schools (in an

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administrative, pastoral and technical capacity) with chronic shortages of trained teachers. The renewed exposure to a secondary school environment and the support of school leadership has enabled many Learner Guides to resit national exams they may have failed or been unable to sit previously, and improve their performance. This in turn allowed them to apply for and be accepted onto higher education courses such as teacher training diplomas; as an example, 62% (37) of young women selected to train to be fully-qualified ECD Teachers in Zimbabwe through a partnership Camfed has with another donor were Learner Guides. Learner Guides have also commented on the elevated sense of self-worth they feel, and the respect and status they have gained in their families and communities as business-owners and philanthropists. Improved student performance with access to new resources Surveys conducted this year have indicated the extent to which pupils value the Study Guides and My Better World books they have been given by Camfed. For many students, these books are the first they have ever owned. When combined with the guidance and encouragement of Learner Guides and the Teacher Mentors they work closely with, improvements in performance have been the result. At a national level, in Zimbabwe, 27.86% of students who sat O Levels in schools in 2015 passed five or more subjects,9 an increase of 5.48% from the previous year. The ZIMSEC Director attributed this increase to improved “teaching and learning processes in schools” and the initiatives introduced by Camfed are believed to have been amongst the contributing factors. Strengthening community management of and access to equitable education Schools and community members have strengthened their collaborative efforts in the last year to increase children’s access to school, improve the learning environment, monitor students’ progress and provide additional support where needed , for example through the Planning for School Excellence initiative. Stakeholders are now confident in carrying out the rigorous selection and verification processes which ensure transparency and accountability in beneficiary selection, and receive refresher training from Camfed to update their skills. The enterprises established by Parent Support Groups (PSGs) and the encouraging of donations by local leaders and businesses have both allowed for high levels of community philanthropy to meet students’ needs not covered by the Step Up Fund, or support those children not supported by Camfed. In Tanzania, to date a total of 731 boys and girls have been supported by CAMA and PSGs with various school items throughout the project. The emotional support provided by MSGs, Teacher Mentors and Learner Guides is also invaluable to improving girls’ wellbeing (e.g. through visiting girls who self-board, working with families to bring girls back to school who have dropped out, or counselling girls who have experienced abuse). Camfed is improving its systems for monitoring such support through the introduction of the philanthropy tool, and using opportunities such as AGMs to showcase the work of particular community groups with the aim of inspiring others to emulate their efforts.

9 http://www.zimsec.co.zw/2-uncategorised/76-ordinary-level-2015-november-analysis.html

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Utilising technology to increase programme efficiency, accountability and effectiveness Camfed completed its full integration of financial and programme databases at the end of 2015 and these are now functioning well via Salesforce, concluding this major initiative to streamline systems which began at the start of the year. Data migration, quality control and elimination of system bugs were all conducted as Camfed transferred from its previous SUN Systems finance system. School fee payments are now fully supported by the new system and will be processed in this way going forward. District Operations Secretariats, Core Trainers and CAMA members are leading the use of mobile phones to collect and share data. Their efficiency and effective capturing of information is growing as they gain more experience in the use of the mobile phones and are able to share best practices with their peers at regular review meetings. Aside from monitoring, for stakeholders to have access to mobile phones allows them to communicate with each other more easily and share advice and inspiration. This may be Learner Guides in Tanzania sharing business tips with their peers in Zimbabwe, or Teacher Mentors forming a WhatsApp group to discuss how best to handle the challenging situations which children face and support them through these, as happened after the Teacher Mentors’ annual meeting in Zimbabwe in September 2015. Informing dialogue, practice and policies in the wider education sector The National Advisory Committees established through the GEC remain a valuable and deeply engaged group of influential stakeholders for the project. Throughout the year, they have participated in informative quarterly meetings, national level events and monitoring visits to districts, and have provided access to national level decision-makers for Camfed. The expertise and strategic guidance NAC members have shared have helped project progress and facilitated the identification of opportunities for particularly successful components to be taken to scale policy so they have an impact beyond the project timescale. The National Feeding Scheme to be launched by the Government of Zimbabwe in May is a case in point; Camfed has been involved in discussions with relevant Ministries from the outset of this initiative, and the Principal Director – Learner Welfare has acknowledged the Camfed model offers meaningful local solutions to the problem of hunger. Personnel from the MOPSE have also visited Camfed’s programmes in Matebeleland and Mashonaland West to witness for themselves what is possible in working with grassroots community structures. The Ministry has since written to all schools calling on the communities to seek volunteers to kick-start ‘home grown’ school meals programmes. All Camfed partner schools will be acting as models and champions to others in this regard, as the existence of PSGs means there is already a dedicated group of people giving their time, energy and resources to support the school feeding programme in Camfed partner schools. Significant challenges remain to the poorest rural girls attending school, excelling academically and being in a position to transition to economic independence after graduating. The current economic context in Zimbabwe in particular is increasing levels of vulnerability nationally amongst rural communities and likely to have a long term impact on development outcomes. A coordinated and concerted multi-stakeholder response will be needed to tackle these and build a sustainable education and social support system in Zimbabwe and Tanzania. Through its ability to connect the needs of girls,

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teachers and parents to national policy frameworks and priorities, Camfed can ensure the experience of the poorest girls remains a barometer for the education system and for society at large. She will be the first to fail in a system that fails her; yet if we can push up standards of education delivery to the extent that she can succeed, then this signals an assurance of quality for all.

2. Assessment against outcome indicators Please provide a narrative assessment (bullet points are acceptable) of progress towards each of the indicators below. This section should align with your numerical update for each outcome indicator on the FMS.

i. Attendance (for PbR): (Note: Attendance is not a PBR indicator for Camfed.) Attendance data was collected from school registers for all cohort members as part of the midline survey. Attendance rates for the most recent year up to the date of the midline survey (Term 2, 2014 to Term 1, 2015 for Tanzania; Term 3, 2014 to Term 2, 2015 for Zimbabwe) were compared with the baseline attendance rates (the 2012 academic year for both Tanzania and Zimbabwe). In both Tanzania and Zimbabwe, there was a reduction in attendance rates between the baseline and the midline for cohort students in both the intervention and the comparison schools, for all student groups split by marginality and gender.

 In Tanzania, in the intervention schools, there was a decrease of 8.2 percentage points in the mean attendance rate of marginalised girls, from 82.4% at the baseline to 74.2% at the midline. In the comparison schools, the mean attendance rate for marginalised girls decreased by 6.6 percentage points, from 74.5% at the baseline to 67.9% at the midline.

 In Zimbabwe, in the intervention schools, there was a decrease of 6.5 percentage points in the mean attendance rate of marginalised girls, from 91.0% at the baseline to 84.5% at the midline. In the comparison schools, the mean attendance rate for marginalised girls decreased by 1.6 percentage points, from 95.0% at the baseline to 93.4% at the midline. It is not clear what factors lie behind this reduction, but the consistency of the reduction across the student groups (marginalised and less marginalised, boys and girls), as well as across intervention and comparison, suggests that this pattern of attendance is linked with the students’ stage in their secondary school career (that is, Form 4 compared with Form 1). Lack of national data on attendance means that it is not possible to explore whether this reflects a wider pattern. Following feedback from the Fund Manager about the Midline Evaluation Report, we are carrying out further analysis of the cohort data to better

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understand patterns of attendance and to explore which factors are associated with better and worse levels of attendance. This analysis will be presented in the revised Midline Evaluation Report.

ii. Retention: To date, 23,093 marginalised girls in Tanzania and 30,673 marginalised girls in Zimbabwe supported by Camfed through the Girls’ Education Challenge have stayed in school. This has exceeded the milestone target of 13,197 in Tanzania, but falls slightly short of the target in Zimbabwe (32,981). The reason for this shortfall in Zimbabwe is the higher than expected rate of drop out among the marginalised girls supported: in the most recent period, this has been influenced by the effects of the drought. Despite missing the target in Zimbabwe, the midline survey provided clear evidence that Camfed’s direct support for marginalised girls is associated with improved retention in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

 Tanzania: Over the two years between the baseline and the midline, 14.9% of the marginalised girls in the comparison schools dropped out of school. In the intervention schools, just 11.3% of marginalised girls dropped out of school. Using logistic regression, this difference is shown to be statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (p=0.021), thereby providing evidence of the effectiveness of Camfed support on reducing drop-out (or improving retention) among marginalised girls. Put another way, the likelihood of a marginalised girl dropping out of school between the baseline and the midline was over one-third higher (38%) for those in the comparison schools than for those in the intervention schools (p=0.021, 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 1.81).

 Zimbabwe: Over the two years between the baseline and the midline, 40.4% of the marginalised girls in the comparison schools dropped out of school. In the intervention schools, 19.8% of marginalised girls dropped out of school – that is, less than half the proportion. This result is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (p<0.001), again providing evidence of the effectiveness of Camfed support on reducing drop- out (or improving retention) among marginalised girls. The odds of a marginalised girl dropping out of school between the baseline and the midline were nearly three times as high (275%) for those in the comparison schools than for those in the intervention schools (p<0.001, 95% confidence interval: 2.19 to 3.45).

iii. Learning: To date, the number of marginalised girls reached under the project through activities to push up learning outcomes is 64,869 in Tanzania and 99,870 in Zimbabwe. Of these girls, based on the midline learning results, 50,987 marginalised girls in Tanzania and 45,541 marginalised girls in Zimbabwe are

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estimated to have achieved a significant improvement in learning outcomes over and above the results of girls in the comparison schools. This has exceeded the milestone target of 20,820 in Tanzania, but falls short of the target in Zimbabwe (65,280). However, we are on track to reach the target in the current year. The midline survey provided evidence that Camfed’s interventions are associated with improved learning outcomes in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

 In Tanzania, marginalised girls in the intervention schools increased their English score by an average of 7.3 marks more than their counterparts in the comparison schools, and their Maths scores by an average of 16.8 marks. (The assessments were scored out of 100.) These improvements equate to effect sizes of 0.5 and 1.0, respectively.

 In Zimbabwe, marginalised girls in the intervention schools increased their English score by an average of 2.3 marks more than their counterparts in the comparison schools, and their Maths scores by an average of 1.1 marks. (The assessments were scored out of 50.) These improvements equate to effect sizes of 0.31 and 0.14, respectively.

iv. Leverage1 (leverage of other funds): A total of £3,519,200 additional funds have been secured since the start of the project alongside DFID GEC funds to support marginalised girls. This comprises £1,158,200 in Tanzania and £2,361,000 in Zimbabwe. This leverage has already exceeded the project target of £1,773,000 (comprising £561,000 in Tanzania and £1,212,000 in Zimbabwe). This is made up of:

 In-kind contributions from community partners (Tanzania: £325,100; Zimbabwe: £359,300), which refers to voluntary time dedicated by community partners towards Camfed programmes, including participation in local committees (e.g. CDCs, SBCs and MSGs) and monitoring exercises. The monetary value of these in-kind contributions is calculated based on equivalent daily rates to public sector workers.

 Cost share from community partners (Zimbabwe: £92,300, and Tanzania: £76,300) in the form of resources, including but not limited to monetary contributions, that are provided by community members and CAMA members to support marginalised children to go to school (e.g. school fees, clothing, food, stationery, sanitary wear, accommodation, etc.).

 Matched funding (Tanzania: £887,400; Zimbabwe: £2,260,200) by other donors towards the delivery of the GEC project, through, for example, loans made to Learner Guides by KIVA, as well as grants from other donors.

v. Leverage2 (sustainable mechanisms): The project has harnessed significant local capacity for the delivery of outcomes, as evidenced by its ability to implement activities at scale through local

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community partners. The major challenge after the end of the GEC will lie in securing substantial additional funding in order to capitalise on this infrastructure to continue to deliver outcomes for marginalised girls. In this regard, Camfed will focus on raising funds directly to support onward delivery, as well as explore the extent to which this local infrastructure can be mobilised and resourced to take on new, diverse roles at all educational levels including in Early Childhood Development (functional scaling). The following lessons have been learned about the scalability and sustainability of the activities delivered:

 Community-based programmes face particular challenges in scaling as they tend to be highly contextual and are thus difficult to expand and replicate. Maintaining participation by communities and preserving an efficient and accountable management are challenging as one moves from small single-community initiatives to large scale programmes involving many different communities. However, community-driven programmes represent the most effective solution for reaching marginalised children in a sustained way, particularly as the barriers to learning for this group start beyond the school gate. The challenge lies in achieving this at scale, as programmes that go to scale often preclude the most marginalised because of the potentially high transaction and discretionary costs associated with this outreach. In this respect, the approach adopted by this project, which combines an embedded local infrastructure for the delivery of interventions in schools and communities, with strong Ministry partnerships at all levels (national, provincial, district), has provided an important foundation for scaling and, to an extent, sustaining activities beyond the project term.

 Scalability and sustainability is enhanced when the project is successful in harnessing the capacity that is an outcome of the project; in this case, the capacity of educated young women who are completing secondary school through the programme and who are now stepping up as Learner Guides to support the education of the younger generation of children.

 Cross-sectoral partnerships, including with social enterprises, open up the opportunity to develop innovative funding models to scale, diversify and sustain activities.

3. Assessment against output indicators i. In addition to this report, you are required to update your logframe on an annual basis. This update should include what was actually achieved against what was expected to be achieved for each output indicator. Please include updates at the outcome level from external evaluations, where possible. Please attach the latest version of your logframe to this Annual Report.

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ii. Provide a narrative summarising progress against each output and any associated recommendations. Please cross-refer to Section 2.4 of the Quarterly Progress Report where necessary, to avoid repetition.

Include the following components for each output:  Assess performance as measured by the specific output indicators included in your logframe against the relevant targets. Set out exactly what was expected to be achieved and what was actually achieved, including the evidence used to assess performance. If you have failed to meet a target, explain why and outline the remedial actions that have been / will be undertaken to improve performance.  Summarise any recommendations for future action related to the output (e.g. future targets, risk rating, impact weighting, and assumptions). Note that the formal process (see Handbook) for requesting logframe changes must be followed.

Output 1: Increased retention and progression of marginalised girls through secondary school The programme is on track in terms of the number of girls receiving support to attend school under the GEC. In Tanzania, 19,175 girls were supported in 2015 against a target of 6,300. In Zimbabwe, 28,375 girls were supported in 2015 against a target of 28,192. Furthermore, evidence collected through the midline survey confirmed that 95% of marginalised girls feel the support they receive is appropriate to meet their needs to stay in school, exceeding the target of 85%. Teacher Mentors have also demonstrated considerable commitment to supporting marginalised girls in their schools, exemplified by the proportion providing information to Camfed on the welfare of marginalised girls. In 2015, 88% of Teacher Mentors in Tanzania and 97% in Zimbabwe were active in this way, exceeding the target of 85%. Parent Support Groups (PSGs) are also active in Camfed’s partner schools. As many as 516 initiatives to support marginalised children (122 in Tanzania, 394 in Zimbabwe), such as school feeding, have been set up by PSGs using grants funded by the project. This is nearly three times the target to date of 180 such initiatives. Output 2: Female students demonstrate improved learning outcomes The evidence available suggests that all elements of the Camfed programme contributing towards improving learning outcomes for female students are functioning well. Under Output 2, students across Camfed’s partner schools received learning materials for core subjects in 2014. Survey evidence collected in the midline shows that 97% of students in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe made use of those learning materials and found them to be useful for helping them to pass their exams, confirming survey evidence collected previously in 2014. These levels are well over the target of 70%. In addition, Learner Guides have established study groups with students in the classes with which they work to work through these learning materials.

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Students across Camfed’s partner schools also received life skills learning materials (My Better World), which have also been well received. 91% and above of students surveyed at the midline reported that these learning materials had led to a change in their behaviour in school or their attitude towards school, exceeding the targets set for both countries. The midline survey evidence has also demonstrated that improvements have been achieved in the learning levels of female students in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe. More recently, this finding was supported by the pass rates achieved in the public exams taken by students in the partner schools in Tanzania and Zimbabwe at the end of 2015, where all targets have been exceeded. In Tanzania, the pass rate for female students in the Form 2 exams was at 95% of the national average, a sizeable increase over the baseline of 62%. At Form 4, female students in Camfed’s partner schools achieved a pass rate at 80% of the national benchmark, again a large increase over the baseline of 44%. In Zimbabwe, the pass rate for female students in the Form 4 exams was 13.3%, an increase from the previous year (11.8%) and above the target of 10.1%. Output 3: Secondary graduates empowered to reinvest in local education system Since the start of the programme, 387 young women in Tanzania and 2,823 young women in Zimbabwe have been trained and then signed up to the commitment to be a Learner Guide. This commitment involves volunteering in a secondary school in their community for 2.5 hours each week to deliver life skills training. Learner Guides and also the Core Trainers (also young women from marginalised backgrounds) are able to apply for a social interest loan to support a new or growing business. The numbers who have been successful in their application has now reached 293 in Tanzania (against a target of 300) and 1,855 (against a target of 1,700). Of the young women who trained and then committed to being Learner Guides, 87% in Tanzania and 67% in Zimbabwe are currently continuing in this role. This proportion is less than was estimated at the planning stage (90% and 91%, respectively), but in many cases this is the result of a positive move by the women into employment or onto further education, which was an aspiration of the programme from the outset. To respond to this ‘attrition’, Camfed has recruited and trained additional young women in the role of Learner Guide so that the schools always have the required numbers of Learner Guides. On average, the Learner Guides are contributing almost double the number of hours that they first committed to – reaching a total of 313 hours per Learner Guide in Tanzania and 282 hours per Learner Guide in Zimbabwe (against targets of 193 and 150, respectively, by this stage). In addition, classroom observations, which have now been carried out with 364 Learner Guides in Tanzania and 553 Learner Guides in Zimbabwe, confirm that over 95% of Learner Guides are performing their role to the required pedagogical standard. Evidence collected in the midline survey confirms anecdotal evidence that the Learner Guides’ inputs are valued by the students and the school staff alike. For instance, upwards of 81% of students in the target classes are participating in the life skills training sessions. This is less than the target rate of 90%, but we now realise this target was set inappropriately high in light of the way we are monitoring this indicator – namely, the number attending on a particular day. Set against the prevailing attendance rates of c.85% in Tanzania and c.92% in Zimbabwe, it can be assumed that almost all of those

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attending school are also attending the life skills training provided by Learner Guides. Output 4: Robust, engaged local capacity and collaboration in support of marginalised children's education Progress against the achievement of this output is being measured against six outputs, covering the process used to select beneficiaries, how the School Committee manages school resources, the extent to which parents consider gender when deciding who will attend school and three aspects of child protection. Evidence collected at the midline survey provided the first opportunity to assess robustly progress against this output since the start of the project. The midline survey revealed that 68% of students in Tanzania and 73% of students in Zimbabwe perceive the selection process to be fair. These were below the targets of 80% and 74%, respectively, for this stage in the project. The external audits of the selection processes carried out in 2015 showed conclusively that the selection process is indeed fair, so the issue is one of perception rather than substance. Further thought will need to be given to how this perception might be addressed. Child protection is an important issue in support of marginalised children’s education and also a challenging area to bring about change. Camfed has contributed to this through supporting schools to establish child protection policies and the midline survey revealed that 88% of participating partner schools in Tanzania and 90% in Zimbabwe have a policy in place. Despite this, in Tanzania just 32% of students (against a target of 36%) believe that most or all of child abuse incidents get reported and 59% of students (target 52%) believe that those who abuse children will be punished. In Zimbabwe, the percentages were 42% and 77% respectively, both a little below the targets of 44% and 79%. Despite small increases since the baseline, the targets have not quite been achieved and, more importantly, the absolute levels reveal that large proportions of stakeholders in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe are not confident that cases of child abuse get reported or that abusers will be brought to justice. This emphasises the need for further work in the area of child protection in partnership with the school, the community and with community-level authorities. More positively, 90% and above of students reported through the midline survey that they feel safe at school. Nonetheless this was marginally below the targets of 93% for Tanzania and 95% in Zimbabwe. Concerted effort will be needed in the remaining period of the project to achieve the ambitious targets for this indicator of 95% in Tanzania and 97% in Zimbabwe. Two of the indicators – concerning how the School Committee manages school resources and the extent to which parents consider gender when deciding who will attend school – will not be assessed until the endline survey. Output 5: Uptake and use of a mobile technology platform that supports education planning and extends learning and networking in rural areas The good progress made against the achievement of this output in the first two years of the programme has continued over the past year. In Tanzania, monitoring data are routinely collected by district officials in their capacity as CDC members, as well as the Teacher Mentor trained by Camfed in each

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partner secondary school. In addition, to support the monitoring of the Learner Guide programme, the Core Trainer in each partner district submits monthly reports using the mobile technology platform. Currently there are 301 individuals in Tanzania trained and collecting EMIS and other programme data using mobile phones. In Zimbabwe, the GEC programme supported the inauguration of the mobile phone-based data collection system through training carried out in 2014. In each district, CDC members, with support from the District Operations Secretariats, are submitting monitoring data directly to Camfed through mobile phones for increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In addition, as is the case in Tanzania, the Core Trainers in each partner district are now submitting monthly reports about the Learner Guide programme in their areas through mobile phones. Currently there are 162 individuals in Zimbabwe trained and collecting EMIS and other programme data using mobile phones. This output is also being achieved through the Social Education Network (SEN), a new platform developed by Camfed’s IT Team to support communication and information transfer to and between the Learner Guides in the two programme countries. The platform is being improved constantly and some proposed features are not yet available, but the SEN is still a valuable utility for the Learner Guides and Core Trainers: 71% of Learner Guides have used the SEN to access content for in-school sessions (against a target of 60%) and 22% of current Learner Guides have used SEN to connect with a Learner Guide in another district (against a target of 50%). The current challenges which mean that Learner Guides are not yet connecting with each other to the extent that we planned relate to unreliable network coverage and the cost of airtime. As a temporary solution, many Learner Guides are also using other communication platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook which are able to operate through a weaker network connection. Camfed is continuing to explore how the SEN can also operate using similar systems. Output 6: GEC evidence informs dialogue, practice, policies in the education sector Good progress has been made towards the objective to influence dialogue, practice and policies in the education sector through evidence collated through the GEC project. One area in which we aim to influence policy is the adoption of mobile technology as a means for collecting EMIS data from schools. In Tanzania, lessons around the use of phones for monitoring have been shared with the National Advisory Committee and discussions had about how best to engage Ministry officials for pursuing its adoption nationally. In Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, which has been exploring implementing a similar approach of using technology in the delivery of EMIS data, has recently decided to connect the 72 District Education Offices to the internet and use desktop computers for the transmission of EMIS data. This will likely mean that it is not possible within the remaining timescales of the project to achieve the adoption of mobile phone technology for EMIS data collection. A second area in which we aim to influence wider practice is the delivery of life skills training through the secondary school graduates volunteering in their local school as Learner Guides. This innovative approach has already proved to be successful and is being increasingly widely recognised for the outcomes it is delivering. In Tanzania, District Councils are committed to extend the Learner Guide model in primary schools to assist in the transition to

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secondary school. Also, in Iringa District, the Learner Guide model has been adapted to support Form 1 students in improving their English literacy through the use of e-reader technology. In Zimbabwe, Head Teachers have acknowledged the value of the study groups that Learner Guides have established and the use of the study guides provided by Camfed as a powerful model for examination preparations. Moreover the increased pass rate in the national examinations is viewed to be the result initiatives such as the Learner Guide programme. The third area in which we are seeking to influence policy and practice is around the adoption of governance and accountability practices and values that are core to Camfed’s model. One way in which we will influence national decision-makers in this regard is through research, including the externally- conducted audits of Camfed's selection process in Tanzania and Zimbabwe which were carried out in 2015. The findings were positive overall, confirming that the most marginalised girls are benefiting, that fair and accountable procedures are in place, and that the process is community-led. The audits provide external validation of the strength of our governance approaches which can be used for advocacy within Tanzania and Zimbabwe moving forwards.

4. IATI requirements Please briefly describe here how you and your key partner organisations have met the IATI requirements this year. Please note, as per IATI guidance in the handbook: where funding passes through the Lead Organisation to Key Partner Organisations (KPOs), the Lead Organisation is responsible for ensuring that each KPO publishes IATI-compliant data on at least a quarterly basis, either on their own websites or through a third-party website.

Camfed is in compliance with the IATI requirements this year. As per Section 7.9 of the GEC Grant Recipient Handbook and Camfed’s IATI Implementation Schedule previously shared with the Fund Manager, Camfed publishes the data (as uploaded to the FMS) to the IATI registry on a quarterly basis (for financial data) and on an annual basis (for narrative reports). These uploads are carried out within 30 days of the quarterly deadlines.

5. Child protection policy Please note that these questions are intended to provide updated information to supplement your existing child protection self-audit. The GEC has committed to refreshing these self-audits annually, and this will be done through collecting the additional information below.

Please answer the following questions, providing examples and detail wherever possible:

i. GEC standards and feedback

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a) Please review and reflect upon the GEC minimum standards (annex 2, p. 17 GEC Child Protection Policy). Tell us if and how you feel you meet these standards, and if any were more problematic than others, and why. Describe any planned actions to meet these standards in the future, together with a timeframe and individuals responsible. Camfed Tanzania and Camfed Zimbabwe demonstrate unequivocal commitment and adherence to the core principles of child protection at both conceptual and operational levels, resulting in continued compliance with the GEC Child Protection Policy. At all levels of programme delivery, it is required that everyone working for, or associated with, Camfed commits to be aware of and uphold child protection measures in order to safeguard children. Camfed has continued to reinforce in its routine operations, meetings and correspondence with stakeholders that protecting all children against abuse in all its forms is an ethical responsibility and one which is paramount to the full realisation of children's rights. Camfed's Governance Model ensures all processes and structures of the programme are designed to protect not only beneficiaries but translate to the wider protection of children in schools and communities. The inclusiveness of community-based committees such as SBCs and CDCs, the relevance and diversity of their membership and the transparency inculcated in their standardised practices continue to make children’s protection a shared and non-negotiable agenda. Camfed’s Head of Programmes oversee the functionality of the CDCs, monitoring closely that these groups are constituted of an appropriate range of stakeholders and are meeting regularly as required. Over the last year, communities have highlighted the number of children leaving school prematurely and discussed effective strategies to address this issue, ensuring that Camfed’s Child Protection Policy remained relevant and responsive in this process. For example, in Tanzania, 53 Parent Support Group members convened to discuss their responsibilities around keeping girls staying in hostels safe, in recognition of the fact that the number of girls living in these circumstances has increased since the introduction of the ‘free education policy’ and that they face particular risks. As a next step, meetings attended by CAMA members, Teacher Mentors, Parent Support Groups and CDCs are being held during monitoring visits to schools to understand what is currently being done to protect girls in hostels and to explore what further action can be taken to reinforce these measures. In Zimbabwe in January the Constitutional Court outlawed child marriage and struck off Statutes Section 22(1) of the Marriage Act, which for decades had allowed girls under the age of 18 years to get married.10 Camfed Zimbabwe has since raised awareness of the legal changes within rural communities and equipped them to take action against child marriage locally.

b) Please tell us if and how you have addressed the feedback by the FM on your first self-audit, and any other work done on child protection within your project since then (including, for example, refining your policy or procedures, building staff and partner capacity, etc).

10 http://www.reuters.com/article/us-zimbabwe-childmarriage-idUSKCN0UY27H

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The Fund Manager’s feedback has informed Camfed’s reflection upon its Child Protection Policy and practice over the last 12 months. Camfed has continued to replicate and strengthen the aspects of child protection it was commended on by the Fund Manager and made efforts to improve on areas which were flagged as requiring further attention, as follows:  Clear procedures to follow in case of a child protection issue: Article 2.8 of Camfed’s Child Protection Policy and Code of Practice (2013) outlines how to react to and report allegations of abuse or concerns about a child's safety or welfare. The guiding principle is to put the safety and welfare of the child first, ensuring the child is not put at risk by any actions that may be taken. The composition of structures at the school and district level is such that duty bearers charged by government to oversee child protection at that level are fully engaged in all programme operations. As a result they are privy to information about child protection issues as soon as it is shared and have the authority to act quickly and appropriately. This has meant that issues are dealt with urgently at the source and in most cases mitigated or prevented as the risk emerges.  Translation of the Child Protection Policy into local languages: the full Camfed Child Protection Policy has been translated into Swahili for Tanzanian stakeholders. Abridged versions are also available for introductory purposes, quick reference and ease of reading. For training stakeholders, the Child Protection Policy is often packaged into more digestible components with current examples given to ensure it resonates with the relevant audiences and highlights emerging trends.  Practical provisions for social inclusion: Camfed's Planning for School Excellence approach ensures stakeholders are aware that all children are entitled to protection, and the services of Teacher Mentors, Parent Support Groups, CAMA and Student Councils can be utilised to benefit all children in school and the local community. Camfed works closely with partner schools to accelerate the adoption of comprehensive Child Protection Policies and practices that safeguard pupils. At national level, Camfed's work with Ministries aims to ensure that ultimately, all children in the country are better protected. This is done through sharing of best practice Camfed has drawn from years of experience working in rural communities, identifying there children who are at risk of abuse and may be excluded from official sources of support.  In-depth discussions around the prevalence and impacts of corporal punishment: Following the Year Two Annual Review monitoring visits to Tanzania in May 2015, the Fund Manager gave Camfed feedback regarding corporal punishment practices as witnessed by students in Rufiji District. Camfed and stakeholders subsequently conducted feedback meetings in September and December 2015 to discuss the nature and extent of corporal punishment in schools in Tanzania. For instance, a medical doctor present at the Camfed Tanzania AGM detailed the health effects of each type of punishment upon children, helping to demystify and improve understanding of the detrimental impacts of corporal punishment. Activities and discussion such as this are helping to change the accepted wisdom that corporal punishment is a necessary practice within school discipline and causes no significant harm to children. Increasing community understanding around the negative effects of corporal punishment and exploring alternative forms of discipline for students are a continuing focus for Camfed during the Maximising Results period.  Social mapping and geographical targeting: Camfed’s interventions are always informed by identifying precisely the emerging trends and needs of

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particular schools and districts. The quality of Camfed’s organisational data, largely collected by local stakeholders, and its use of secondary data sources (e.g. UNICEF and UNFPA country reports) allow for geographical targeting of activities where they are most needed. For example, highlighting schools and districts with the highest proportion of girls at risk of child marriage enables context-specific interventions to be discussed and undertaken by community members.  Ensuring safety when using mobile technology: Camfed continues to collaborate at multiple levels with organisations in different sectors to fortify child protection measures more broadly in the countries it works in. For example, in February 2016, Camfed Zimbabwe worked alongside the partners led by the Department of Child Welfare and Protection Services to strengthen guidelines for the protection of children online, as increasing numbers of children can access the internet through mobile phones. The guidelines were drafted by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) to protect children from accessing obscene and harmful content online and organisations provided input into the draft. Drawing from its experience of developing a ‘Staying Safe Online’ educational toolkit in Zambia and Ghana, Camfed was also able to make meaningful contributions to the deliberations in Zimbabwe.  Learner Guide training on child protection principles and policies: All Learner Guides learn about the Camfed Child Protection Policy during their initial induction and training, both as young women who will be interacting and engaging with vulnerable children but also as young people themselves which the Camfed Policy also seeks to protect. Quarterly review meetings of Learner Guides are a chance to discuss child protection issues emerging from the Learner Guides’ work, in order to support them to take appropriate action to safeguard children. The reviews are also an opportunity to make Learner Guides aware of social and economic contextual factors which could affect their work in future.  Putting mechanisms in place to protect Learner Guides against potential backlash from communities/boys: For 22 years, Camfed has worked with local communities and leaders (including chiefs and national authorities) to challenge practices and beliefs that limit the rights and potential of children, particularly girls. Learner Guides are emerging from the context of these interventions as educated young women running businesses and volunteering and are a source of community celebration and pride. The Learner Guides are nominated and recommended by the communities themselves, thereby eliminating the possibility of them being viewed as ‘imposed’ upon rural schools or an external ‘threat’. During the AGMs in both countries, Learner Guides were spoken of highly by community members, especially with regards to supporting vulnerable children and tackling child protection issues. The Learner Guide initiative as a whole was also commended by stakeholders for creating opportunities for young women whilst facilitating their desire to ‘give back’ to their communities in a meaningful way.

c) Has the project encountered any challenges in implementing the policy, either ethical or practical? What have you found most challenging? Please describe the challenges. If you have overcome these, how did you go about doing this? A significant challenge in both Zimbabwe and Tanzania to implementing effective child protection policies is the nature and quality of government

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services in the contexts Camfed serves. Camfed intentionally works in the most hard to reach and least serviced communities and that reflects in what is done there by government agencies and departments, when it is done and how it is done. National data continue to show inequalities in children’s life outcomes, when comparing children from different social classes and geographical locations. The devastating impact of HIV/AIDs in Zimbabwe in particular remains evident, especially in the erosion of traditional social infrastructure. 16.7% of adults aged 15-49 have HIV/AIDS, and there are 570,000 AIDS orphans.11 Children are having to care for sick and dying parents and younger siblings, and act as heads of families and so lose out on their childhood and often their education. These challenges leave children in dire financial situations and vulnerable to exploitation in order to earn money to support their families, and without a well-funded or established child protection social system to rely on. HIV/AIDS infections carried since birth also emerge in young children and teenagers. These children are prone to opportunistic infections, as well as having to cope with the resultant psychological challenges of their frailty and feeling different amongst their peers. Engaging the wider community to look out for and support these children as much as possible has been a crucial element of the Camfed programme. For example, Learner Guides paying for medicines from their own pocket and PSGs ensuring children receive treatment for HIV as well as that child-headed households are prioritised when foodstuffs are donated. Corporal punishment remains legal in Tanzanian schools pursuant to Article 60 of the Education Act (1978), and is regulated by the National Corporal Punishment Regulations (1979), produced by the MOEST. In Zimbabwe, although the constitution makes corporal punishment illegal, the education sector has been relying on Circular P35 which allows only Head Teachers and superintendents or housemasters (in the case of boarding schools) to administer corporal punishment to boys as a last resort. Section 353(1) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act also legalises corporal punishment. These sometimes contradictory legal frameworks have created complexity in advocating for non-corporal forms of punishment in some schools. However, with continued awareness-raising around the negative impacts of corporal punishment, stakeholders are becoming empowered to make decisions about what is best for their children’s learning and wellbeing, and choose to favour other forms of disciple in spite of the legal precedents. Both countries’ governments nevertheless have in the last 12 months demonstrated political commitment to respecting children’s rights; Tanzania by making secondary education free and Zimbabwe by outlawing child marriage. These measures are expected to enhance the protection of children through changing the context in which the provision of child protection services can be improved and provide child protection activists with the tools to hold government and broader society to account.

ii. Child protection issues and reporting

11 http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/zimbabwe/

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a) Please provide details of any child protection-related issues which have arisen over the course of the GEC project and how these cases or concerns have been dealt with (these could be cases of suspected or reported child abuse or non-compliance with your child protection policy). Please include details on any learning as well as any implications for your child protection policy and procedures. The Midline Evaluation Report shows that 7% of Head Teachers in intervention schools in Zimbabwe and 5% in Tanzania still reported not being confident with the reporting of abuse cases (i.e. that those who abused children would be punished), a view also reflected in the attitudes of students. In meetings carried out across programme districts, stakeholders have recommended involving multiple trusted activists to tackle abuse and put pressure on relevant authorities to take action. Whilst reflecting the dangers that still exist for those who report offenders, especially where people in positions of power are suspected as being perpetrators, most importantly this shows the creative and principled application of a child safeguarding policy, which includes a response strategy sensitive to the wellbeing of children, without compromising activists’ chances for further engagement with the community.

b) Please describe how if and how you have integrated the meaningful and active participation of children through your project. Please give details about these processes – both through past practice or future plans. Camfed ensures children and young women have a voice in Camfed’s decision-making and operations through a number of roles and opportunities:

 Learner Guides have significant amounts of direct contact with children and listen to their concerns, which they are in a strong position to feed back to school leadership and Camfed through regular meetings.  CAMA members, including Learner Guides, also sit on Community Development Committees and School Based Committees to share their experiences of promoting child protection in schools with a wider group of stakeholders.  Student Councils set up by, and for, pupils in Camfed partner schools serve as a 'help desk' for all children to report concerns, and a focal point monitor children's welfare and support appropriate interventions. Through Student Councils, key child protection, child rights, reproductive health and life skills messages are relayed to the wider student body and awareness can be raised on policies such as school re-entry, which allows girls to return to school following a pregnancy. The Midline Evaluation Report findings in Zimbabwe showed the large majority of students at intervention schools felt safe at school – 91% in Zimbabwe and 90% in Tanzania. The differences between boys and girls and between marginalised and non-marginalised students in this regard were minimal.  Teacher Mentors at each partner school also provide a channel through which children can raise their concerns and act as a mechanism for escalating any cases of abuse or child protection concerns to the relevant authorities. Over the last 12 months, Camfed routinely brought Teacher Mentors together to share their experiences and develop a mutual understanding of implementing existing child protection policies and procedures in their various contexts.  Camfed's Monitoring and Evaluation Team also regularly conduct surveys to gather the views of children on child protection-related aspects of

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the programme, such as attitudes towards corporal punishment or abuse, in order to gauge children’s attitudes and awareness around sensitive topics, as well as initiate dialogue and debate about the issues. They also conduct routine beneficiary surveys composed of questions that focus on the type of support students have received, enabling girls to provide feedback on how the support from Camfed could be improved. Findings from the latest such survey were shared with stakeholders over the course of the year to inform their decision-making and enhance the services they offer to children. One student surveyed from Tanzania wrote, “Parents should have groups so as to support…Camfed, and also parents should think about building a hostel for their children because others are travelling so far from home to school.” Such feedback was shared with relevant officials, including government, and resulted in Camfed applying for additional resources from the Fund Manager to boost Parent Support Groups’ initiatives for the Maximising Results phase of the project.

c) Please provide any details of community backlash to the project, including through its focus on girls. Has this happened? How prevalent has this been? How have you addressed these concerns? Camfed has ensured that boys are also benefiting from the learning interventions under this project, as the Midline Evaluation Report states, “The learning interventions in this project were targeted at all children in intervention schools, marginalised and less marginalised, girls and boys; no differentiation was made between different subgroups in terms of their access to resources (the study guides) or to the Learner Guides and the My Better World materials.” This was an intentional strategy to ensure that the benefits of the project are not seen to be limited solely to girls, and thereby mitigating potential backlash. Learner Guides themselves also consistently report the increased levels of status and respect they are enjoying amongst their communities, indicating that people locally are valuing the role of educated young women in leading change. Camfed conducts AGMs of local stakeholders that bring together all constituencies working with Camfed, including boys and men. These meetings result in comprehensive feedback on the operation of policies and practices and how they can be further enhanced to maximise protection of children's rights and welfare, both girls and boys.

d) Is your project implementing any activities which are likely to increase reporting of child abuse by girls or boys? For instance, mentoring, girls’ clubs, rights awareness raising, “listener” teachers, etc. If yes, have you seen an increase in reporting? How are those involved in these activities responding to these concerns? Camfed’s activities are focused not only on growing awareness around child abuse but also increasing firm action against it. This includes facilitating the reporting of incidents as they occur. The Midline Evaluation Report sought to understand emerging trends around the reporting of child abuse:

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 In Zimbabwe, according to Head Teachers, 70% of intervention schools had responded to cases of abuse that year. Those who reported responding to cases of abuse reported an average of three cases. 42% of students and 51% of teachers answered that ‘all incidents or most’ incidents of abuse in their schools were reported.  In Tanzania, according to Head Teachers, 43% of intervention schools had responded to cases of abuse that year. Those who reported responding to cases of abuse reported an average of 2.3 cases. 32% of students and 25% of teachers answered that ‘all incidents or most’ incidents of abuse in their schools were reported. These findings will be shared with communities over the next few months to enable them to start a conversation about the local child protection landscape, what’s working and – more importantly – what isn’t, and what can be done about it. In recent stakeholder meetings around child protection, it was thought that stricter penalties for perpetrators of abuse against children would be a strong deterrent, but providing comprehensive support services (including professional counselling) to survivors of such violence was emphasised as being of equally importance.

iii. Lessons learned

a) Please share any lessons learned (both positive and negative) from the past year. How does your project intend to take forward any learning in 2015 to prevent harm to children? Reinforcement of the need to provide holistic support for children: Although there is very strong multi-sectoral support to promote child protection and zero tolerance to abuse at a policy level, it is critical that frontline activists have access to the basic resources required to honour their commitment to children. This includes the capacity to attend to the varied nature of children’s material, psychosocial and biological needs, depending on their circumstances. For example, the Department of Social Services in Zimbabwe is mandated with the responsibility of providing shelter to survivors of abuse, although in the majority of cases they do not have the houses to do so; infrastructure in the context Camfed works in remains inadequate and in some districts is actually worsening due to the prevailing macro-economic conditions. This is why Camfed’s model is such that it encourages community involvement in a way which builds on existing systems instead of disregarding them. In a context of limited resources, it is important to make use of all available assets and stakeholder energy, so Camfed aims to draw on the positive aspects of existing government or other systems, enhancing them through community involvement, as opposed to duplicating efforts or structures. The complexity of addressing corporal punishment: There is a general agreement amongst communities on the need to end corporal punishment, although achieving this in practice is likely to take an extended period of time, given the extent to which it is seen as the norm. Perpetrators repeatedly draw on religious and legal precedents to defend themselves, so a key lesson for Camfed has been the need for continued investment in understanding

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the arguments of those members of society who promote the use of corporal punishment. Further training is needed on the retrogressive effects of corporal punishment and more support provided to teachers to comprehend and use positive discipline techniques instead. Research and lessons emerging should be sensitively used to inform practice: Child protection is a sensitive matter; to quote Nelson Mandela, “There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.” Therefore, giving feedback on how well a community is doing in protecting its children, if not handled appropriately, could result in communities becoming defensive rather than actively seeking to improve their practices. Not every finding encountered throughout this project has been positive, for instance, the continuing prevalence of certain regressive attitudes to child abuse, centred around blaming the victim for ‘seducing’ their abuser, but many positive trends have also been uncovered. Camfed has recognised the importance of conveying this information strategically, in a way that is not judgemental but as an opportunity for communities to do better by children. The discussions which resulted from asking what research findings meant to individual community members, or what they considered to be the root causes of the trends presented were always detailed and enlightening, and ended in firm action points being agreed upon. Such conversations were an opportunity for Camfed to gain a deeper understanding of the communities it works with, as well as a further chance for communities to take ownership of the problems they face as well as the solutions.

6. Environmental Considerations

Please outline any activities undertaken by your initiative to encourage sustainable environmental policies and practices (please note that this relates to the physical environment only, not to the social, political etc. environment for your initiative). As described in the recently released report ‘Millions Learning – Scaling Up Quality Education In Developing Countries’ from the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, girls’ education can have significant positive impacts on the environment and in terms of mitigating climate change. To quote the report: “Educated mothers have fewer children, which in the long run can significantly slow population growth and improve environmental sustainability…Research has also shown that communities with higher levels of education are more resilient in the face of natural disasters.” The report goes on to elaborate that: “The difference between a woman with no years of schooling and with 12 years of schooling is almost four to five children per woman. And it is precisely in those areas of the world where girls are having the hardest time getting educated that population growth is the fastest. The U.N. projects that the world's population will grow from 7.3 billion today to 9.7 billion by 2050, largely in developing countries, including regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. But

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recent research shows that if girls' education continues to expand, that number would be 2 billion less by 2045.”12 By enabling more girls to remain in secondary education and learn more effectively through this project, Camfed is having a long term impact on the environmental resilience of rural communities facing resource shortages and climate change. In the last year, the 11 CAMA members from Tanzania and Zimbabwe who were trained in sustainable agriculture at EARTH University in Costa Rica at the end of 2014 have continued to share their knowledge with their peers and community members. To date, their reach is estimated to be at least 1,500 community members in Tanzania and 3,685 in Zimbabwe. This has facilitated the more widespread use of low-cost and environmentally friendly farming techniques in rural communities, with some CAMA members (including the women who went to EARTH themselves) able to increase their harvests and expand their agricultural business ventures even during the current climatic conditions. For example, after Learner Guide Cynthia from Zimbabwe benefited from the training and support offered by the women who attended the course at EARTH, she used her Kiva loan to invest in tanks and piping for drip irrigation. Harvesting rainwater with her new equipment, Cynthia’s farm is flourishing and she has seen her productivity increase, demonstrating the difference that can be made by adaptation even as weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable. Clarah from Zimbabwe and Eva from Tanzania (who both went to EARTH University) also attended the first Young Africa Works Summit in South Africa in October 2015, speaking to 300 leaders from NGOs, governments, funders and the private sector about their experiences in agriculture. Clarah embraced the challenges of leadership: “As for young people: we are the future. We have a big role to ensure food security for our communities, to create employment, and we must take up agriculture…We have learnt a lot, we have been inspired, and we will cascade our learning here to others.” Camfed will continue to support these young women to share their knowledge, as it is particularly relevant to the PSGs farming and providing school meals to children under the GEC.

7. Other Please outline any other items that you wish to bring to the Fund Manager’s attention. Note that you are able to communicate with the Fund Manager at any time outside of the reporting cycles, if needed.

12 http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2016/03/03-invest-girls-education-winthrop-kharas

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8. Looking forward Please outline any key challenges or issues that you expect your project to encounter in the following year.

As Camfed moves into the final year of project implementation, we will continue to work closely with communities to maximise the impact of the GEC for marginalised rural girls. The Midline Evaluation Report has highlighted some significant successes, but also areas which require further attention; these will be the focus in the coming months. Zimbabwe and Tanzania have both been affected by the current El Niño cycle – one of the strongest ever recorded – and the impacts of this are likely to continue until the end of the project and potentially beyond. This presents a challenge to Camfed achieving its ambitious PBR targets and we are collaborating with the Fund Manager to explore activities that could be supported to mitigate this situation. Camfed Zimbabwe is also part of a taskforce working on drafting the secondary education operational plan subsection of the Government of Zimbabwe’s new Education Sector Strategic Plan (2016 – 2020). This is a significant opportunity for Camfed to include lessons learned and best practice from the GEC and its wider programme into national policy for the benefit of children across Zimbabwe. The drafting and implementation process will continue in the next year.

9. Financial Update Please input your quarterly and annual project financial update into the FMS.

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