Northern Uganda: improving the performance of  aid in conflict zones

The long running conflict in northern Uganda has led to mass population displacements and destroyed the way of life of over 2 million people. We are working in Pader District, at the heart of the conflict zone, with the Overseas Development Institute (ODI, Humanitarian Policy Group) and local research partners, to provide a better evidence base for interventions. Unlike much of the research that takes place in conflict zones, this project has an extended time frame and results will inform the on-going work of project’s operational partner, Mercy Corps (www.mercycorps.org). Using individual household analysis, it will be possible for the first time to track the impact of aid, conflict and peace making on the economic strategies of different types of households. The work is designed to improve the quality and relevance of assistance provided in to this community, devastated by more than a decade of war. Livelihoods in crisis: A longitudinal study in Pader, Uganda, Celia Petty and Kevin Savage

Rwanda and South Africa: maximizing project impact with Hope and Homes for Children (www.hopeandhomes.org)

For the past 18 months, HHC has been measuring the impact of its assistance to very vulnerable, AIDS affected households, using EfD assessment tools.  Results will be presented at a national seminar in Kigali next month.

We are working with HHC’s local staff team in Rwanda and with their partners in South Africa to set up a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system. Aided by an EfD data base and customized analytical software, HHC will be able to measure the economic and social impact of the support they providing to children affected by HIV/AIDS. HHC will use this information to ensure that projects have the maximum impact possible on the extremely poor households they support.

Measuring aid effectiveness in Malawi:  Do social cash transfers reach the poorest?

Our recent assessment in Mchinji District sheds new light on a pilot social cash transfer project, intended to assist the poorest and most vulnerable households, including those affected by HIV/AIDS. The work is described in this Briefing Paper: Note on the design of a social cash transfer project in a village in Mchinji District, Malawi. John Seaman, Celia Petty and Patrick Kambewa  

Building local research capability

The Mchinji study was carried out with our partners in the Department of Economics at Malawi’s Chancellor College.. EfD has been working with the University of Malawi, to develop practical, low cost tools to measure the impact of  projects  at household level. The work is part of a capacity building programme with the University of Malawi, Department of Economics  (Chancellor College). The initial phase was funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Preventing Emergencies

John Seaman, co founder of Evidence for Development, who has spent much of his career working on the prediction and prevention economic disasters including famine, comments on a recent World Food Programme initiative. ‘A comment on the WFP SENAC Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis’ http://www.wahenga.net/index.php/views/comments_view/a_comment_on_the_wfp_senac_comprehensive_vulnerability_assessment_and_analy/

http://www.wahenga.net/uploads/documents/library/WFP_SENAC_CVAA_Dec2006.pdf

Zambia: Poverty Assessment for Cash Transfer Schemes.

This project addressed the need for high quality information, collected and analysed at a cost that can be sustained locally. The project was funded by DfID (www.dfid.gov.uk) through the southern Africa Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP)  and was facilitated by the NGO CARE.  For a report on the work, see  ‘ Extending the Household Economy Approach to support the design of cash transfer programmes in Zambia.

http://www.wahenga.net/uploads/documents/reports/HEA_in_Zambia_Final.pdf 

Malawi : National Vulnerability Assessment Committee (NVAC)

Malawi is at the forefront of efforts to prevent the recurrence of famine, by putting in place better national systems for identifying highly vulnerable communities and more effectively targeting assistance. EfD’s Director of Research was the originator of the first RiskMap programme used to analyse early warning information in Malawi, and continues to act as adviser to the on-going project.

Medecins Sans Frontiers, France (MSF) and Action Contre la Faim (ACF)

(www.msf.fr and www.actioncontrelafaim.org)

The interpretation of nutritional surveys in emergency situations can be challenging. EfD has developed a tool for analysing seasonal variation in food access and was recently invited by MSF to discuss this tool, and its potential applications in emergencies. ACF shares an interest in this work, and representatives from various ACF branches jointed MSF (France, Belgium and Spain) in a one day workshop, held in Paris in December.

other news...