Completed Project

Project Description

The Zimbabwe Mid-Term Evaluation is a USAID Food for Peace (FFP) Title II Development Food Assistance Program.  This program is composed of two projects – ENSURE and Amalima both of which began in June 2013 and are scheduled for completion in June 2018.

The ENSURE Food Security Project is a World Vision led intervention designed to impact vulnerable, food-insure Zimbabweans in Manicaland and Masvingo Province.  The Amalima Food Security Project is a CNFA led intervention designed to impact vulnerable, food-insecurity in Matabeleland North and South Provinces.

TMG evaluated the degree to which the Development Food Assistance Program (DFAP) interventions match the approved plans and identified factors that contribute to greater or lesser program efficiency and quality of outputs as well as greater or lesser acceptance of the interventions by targeted communities.  TMG was also charged with presenting evidence of change associated with the projects’ interventions and outputs and identify implementation factors or context that impede or promote these changes.

Key Accomplishments

Through the Mid-Term Evaluation, TMG has 1) evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of project implementation and the quality of outputs, while adhering to the terms agreed to and accepted by FFP, and the perceived value to target communities, identifying factors that appear to enhance or detract from the quality, acceptability, and usefulness of implementation and outputs; 2) presented evidence of changes associated with the project’s interventions and outputs, assess how well the observed changes reflect the Results Frameworks (RFs), and identify factors in the implementation or context that impede or promote the observed and intended changes; and 3) recommended adjustments to the RFs, project designs, resource allocation, project management, M&E Plans, or implementation that could improve the likelihood of achieving desired results by the program’s end – based on the evidence collected and the conclusions drawn for the MTE objectives.

The evaluation’s key findings concluded positive behavioral changes with respect to nutrition and WASH in respect to exclusive breastfeeding; adherence to minimum meal frequency; consumption of iron rich foods; hand washing at critical moments; and safer water storage.  Agriculture and Income Growth conclusions are that despite constrained operating environment, support to lead farmers provided by both projects has been very successful.  Widening the training of farmers would inevitably enhance climate-smart crop farming and improve husbandry of both large and small ruminants regarding livestock.  Resilience conclusions are that both programs have significantly enhanced access to and ownership of productive assets.  Both projects can learn from one another in terms of good practices in promoting Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

Implementation

2014-2016