Completed Project

Project Description

This final evaluation constitutes an independent review of the effectiveness of three development food assistance programs in the Eastern DRC. The evaluated programs sought to address food security, maternal health, and improved livelihoods through five years of programming that totaled over $150 million of inputs and programming for communities throughout North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika, with a complex set of development programming and activities. Broadly, the programs aimed to address challenges brought about by violence and displacement of citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1998.

To assess program results; identify major barriers to achieving expected results; and document best practices, strengths, weaknesses, and constraints to sustaining program achievements, the evaluation team focused on eight key components: 1) effectiveness of training models 2) links to markets and public services 3) changes in income and livelihoods 4) changes in nutrition practices 5) changes in gender norms 6) outputs of disaster risk reduction interventions 7) results of governance and conflict resolution initiatives and 8) the sustainability of program interventions.

Key Accomplishments

Through document review and seven weeks of field work collecting field data in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika Provinces, the evaluation team visited 36 villages and conducted over 100 focus group discussions, 170 individual interviews, and over 300 mini-surveys and house visits, TMG has reviewed the work of each Development Food Assistance Program (DFAP).

The analysis of the data suggests that the three DFAPs all performed reasonably well, but with some distinct strengths and weaknesses. The data collection effort was led by experts in agriculture, governance, gender, maternal health, and nutrition.

Implementation

December 2015 – August 2016