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NARRI Consortium
Final Narrative Report on Mahasen Recovery Project
To Enable Tropical Storm Mahasen affected households to reduce food insecurity and
restore livelihoods in southern Bangladesh
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1. Organisation and project name: Consortium Lead - Plan International Agencies: Concern Universal, Islamic Relief, Plan International, Oxfam, Solidarites International (Local Implementing Partner South Asia Partnership Bangladesh, Nazrul Smriti Sangha, Jago Nari)
To Enable Tropical Storm Mahasen affected households to reduce food insecurity and restore livelihoods in southern Bangladesh
2. Type and date of review: Final Report, 15 June 2014
3. Primary and secondary contact [name/email/phone number]:
Senait Gebregziabher Country Director, Plan International House 14, Road-35, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212 Mobile: (+88) 01713270584 Email: [email protected] Zinat Ara Begum, Head of Disaster Risk Management Plan International, Mobile: (+88) 01713414111, Email: [email protected]
4. Length of project [agreed and actual]: 06 months (15th September 2013 - 14th March 2014)
Number of beneficiaries [expected and actual]: Expected: 14,481 households Actual: 14,481 households
2. PROJECT DETAILS 2.1 Background
Tropical Storm Mahasen made landfall on the 16th of May 2013 in Barisal Division, Southern
Bangladesh, affecting an estimated 463,303 people, killing 17 and injuring 100 (source: DMIC report).
Immediately after the landfall of Tropical Storm Mahasen, a Joint Need assessment (JNA) was conducted
under the leadership of Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) during 18-19 May 2013. Based on
the JNA, five sub-districts of Barguna and Patuakhali districts were selected as priority geographic areas
for early recovery interventions and 12,813 households were identified as food insecure.
Plan International Bangladesh, along with four NARRI consortium members INGOs (Concern Universal,
Islamic Relief, OXFAM, Plan International Bangladesh and Solidarites International) implemented the
project “To Enable Tropical Strom Mahasen affected households to reduce food insecurity and restore
livelihoods” in two districts of Bangladesh – Barguna and Patuakhali. The early recovery project targeted
100% food insecure households and also includes 1668 most affected HHs for interventions, totalling
14481 HHs.
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NARRI received financial support through the Department for International Development (DFID) for a
period of seven months to implement the project from 15th of September 2013 to 14th of March 2014.
2.2 Intervention Details
Goal: To enable Tropical Storm Mahasen affected households to reduce food insecurity and restore their livelihoods. Objective: Increase in number of households able to cover their essential food security needs and to restart livelihood activities Results:
% of HH able to meet their basic food requirements % of HH showing improvement in DRR, resilient livelihoods and nutrition practices % of targeted households who restarted or scaled up their livelihood activities
Activities
Provision of Cash for Work (CFW) for recovering food security for 14,481 HH Provision of Cash for Livelihoods (includes training and livelihood restoration) for 14,481 HH Provision of Seed, including fertilizer support for homestead gardening for 14,481 HH. Training for awareness and knowledge building on the following issues for improving nutrition
and resilience: gardening, scientific method of seed preservation/storage, introduction to saline and flood tolerant varieties of crop, nutrition, exclusive breast feeding, climate change and coastal adaptation measures, health and hygiene for 14,481 HH.
Table 1: Overview of the project locations, target households and consortium agency coverage
Name of the district
Name of Sub- Districts
Name of the Union
Total HH in Union
Targeted HH
Consortium Agency
Organization Total
Barguna Barguna Sadar M Baliatoltoli 7,093 1,588 Plan 3,018
Badarkhali 6,390 1,430
Noltoana 4,828 1,329 Oxfam 2,999
Dholua 6,082 1,670
Patharghata Kalmegha 6,939 1,662 Concern Universal
2,894
Kathaltoli 5,137 1,232
Kakchira 5,650 780 Solidarites International
2,610
Raihanpur 3,833 659
Betagi Shorishamuri 3,582 538
Bamna Bamna 4,694 633
Patuakhali Rangabali Chalitabunia 1,646 261 Islamic Relief 2,960
Rangabali sadar 6,830 1,083
Baro Baishdia 5,669 899
ChotoBaishdia 4,521 717
Total 72,894 14,481 14,481
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3. Performance Against Outputs 3.1 Output 1: Output 1: 14,481 severely affected HHs have received BDT 3000/ HHs as income from engagement in CFW for 15 days (BDT200/day)
Output Indicator 1.1: 14,481 HH engaged in income generation schemes - Cash for Work Output Indicator 1.2: 35 small mitigation schemes realised
3.1.1 Overview of Result:
Output Indicator 1.1: In total 14,481 HHs were involved in Cash for Work, with a 100% achievement against the planned target.
Output Indicator 1.2: In total 104 small mitigation schemes were completed exceeding the target of 35, with 297% achievement against the planned target.
3.1.2 Details of Result: 3.1.2.1 Cash for Work: The CFW component of the project was designed to create opportunities of earning through employment of individuals from households and to facilitate the rehabilitation of damaged community infrastructure through local community engagement. The process included a number of participatory discussions being held with local communities to identify and select appropriate community schemes. Partner teams prepared a social mapping exercise to identify the damaged pathways (such as the community roads, schools, playgrounds etc) and through the support of representatives from the community, union parishad and local leaders prepared a primary list of community schemes. A total 100 Project Implementation Committees (PIC) comprising of 7-9 local leaders and representatives from the community, were formed. The role of the PIC was to steer and support the project at community level, being a ground level point of contact for beneficiaries. The committees proposed to reconstruct and raise community roads, school fields and community grounds and repair small embankments. Beneficiary working groups of 25-30 beneficiaries were also formed, who were involved in the scheme closest to their residence. After finalization of schemes, project team conducted meeting with the LGs, project beneficiaries and the communities to decide details for implementation such as starting date, working hours and payment schedule. As per the joint decision, each participant spent 7 hours a day (including 1 hour break). The work started from 19th of January 2014 and ended on 12th of February 2014. Wages were paid in one instalment after completion of the days works. 100% cash was disbursed to the beneficiaries bKash account in mid of February, 2014 where CFW participants were able to withdraw their income from bKash agent within end of February, 2014. Table 2: Number of households involved in the CFW scheme against the planned target
Name of the District
Name of Sub- Districts
Name of the Union
Targeted HH
Actual HH
Name of Organisation
Organisation Total
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Photo1: Beneficiaries carrying out cash for work through road reconstruction
Barguna Barguna Sadar M Baliatoltoli 1,588 1,588 Plan 3,018
Badarkhali 1,430 1,430
Noltoana 1,329 1,329 Oxfam 2,999
Dholua 1,670 1,670
Patharghata Kalmegha 1,662 1,662 Concern Universal
2,894
Kathaltoli 1,232 1,232
Kakchira 780 780 Solidarites International
2,610
Raihanpur 659 659
Betagi Shorishamuri 538 538
Bamna Bamna 633 633
Patuakhali Rangabali Chalitabunia 261 261 Islamic Relief 2,960
Rangabali sadar 1,083 1,083
Baro Baishdia 899 899
ChotoBaishdia 717 717
Total 14,481 14,481 14,481
The original target in the plan was for each beneficiary to work 15 days as part of the CFW scheme. However, due to an exchange rate gain, the project benefitted from increased funding of BDT 20,579,191 (approx 166,150 GBP) Understanding the need and context the Consortium successfully used the exchange gain to increase number of Cash for Work days, as suggested by local beneficiaries and local government. Plan International Bangladesh increased 06 days cash for work. Oxfam increased 06 days cash for work and also distributed extra 1500 BDT among 575 targeted households who are PWD, Aged people and women headed households. Islamic relief increased 05 days Cash for Work and SI international increased 05 days cash for work and invested in DRR activities in the schemes. Overall the exchange gains planned very well and implemented efficiently within the time frame. Table 3: The number of days worked by beneficiaries and mitigation schemes completed
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3.1.2.2 Mitigation Schemes As a result of the extra days worked from the exchange rate gain in total 104 small mitigation schemes were completed exceeding the target of 35. After some initial delays, as reported in the interim report, the CFW activity commenced on 2nd January 2014 and was completed on the 27th of February 2014. The mitigation schemes included road reconstruction, raising schools and houses using plints and small embankment reconstruction. Table 4: Number of mitigation schemes completed:
Type of Mitigation Scheme Number of Schemes
Road Reconstruction 95
School Ground raising 5
House plinth raising 1
Embankment Reconstruction 3
Total 104
3.2 Output 2 Result:
Output 2: 14,481 vulnerable HHs have increased knowledge on DRR, resilient livelihoods and nutrition
Output Indicator 2.1: 14,481 households who receive trainings (4 modules) and seeds package. Output Indicator 2.2: 70% of people trained showing improved knowledge after training
sessions Output Indicator 2.3: 14,481 people receiving seeds to diversify HH nutritional intake
3.2.1 Overview of Result:
Output Indicator 2.1: In total 99 % of targeted HHs completed 5 modules of trainings and
received seeds for homestead gardening. In total 100% of the HHs received seed packages, fertilizer and small hand-spades suitable for homestead gardening.
Output Indicator 2.2: Participants demonstrated improved knowledge on the topics after the training session, which varied dependant on the topic - 67% of the surveyed HHs were able to share their knowledge on reproductive health and nutrition issues, 93.6% were able to share knowledge on safe sources of water and sanitation, 90.6% were able to share their learning on homestead gardening process, 56% were able to share their knowledge on climate tolerant agriculture and more than 91% were able to share their knowledge on disaster preparedness.
Output Indicator 2.3: 14,481 HH (100%) received seeds to diversify HH nutritional intake. The agricultural seeds and fertilizer distributed to affected households facilitated the revival and setting up of kitchen gardens to improve access to food and improved nutrition.
Organisation No of Beneficaries Days WorkedNumber of Mitigation
Schemes
Plan 3,018 21 18
Oxfam 2,999 21 31
Islamic Relief 2,960 20 18
Concern 2,894 21 23
SI International 2,610 20 14
Total 14,481 103 104
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Photo 2: Training being delivered to beneficiary communities
3.2.2 Details of Result: 3.2.2.1 Output Indicator 2.1: Trainings and Seed Package One of the priorities of the Mahasen project was to increase community knowledge, skills and awareness on disasters, health and nutrition through community level training. The aim of the training was to enable communities to be able to take precautionary measures before, during and after a disaster as well as strive to reduce the impact of future disasters. A comprehensive training package was developed by the Consortium team from managers of each agency. Existing training modules were used by organizations and tailored in consideration of the priority needs, local context, culture and gender norms. The following topics were delivered as part of the training:
Module 1: Kitchen gardening, scientific method of seed preservation/storage
Module 2: Nutrition, inclusive breast feeding
Module 3: WASH, including improved hygiene practices
Module 4: Introduction to saline and flood tolerant varieties of crop, climate change and coastal adaptation measures.
Module 5: Household level disaster preparedness, including early warning system. In addition to the 5 modules, in Patuakhali, the consortium partner provided a brief orientation on livestock rearing as many HHs bought livestock after receiving the livelihood grant. Beneficiaries of Patuakhali mentioned that the training on livestock was very useful to understand the process of rearing livestock and increase the asset base. As part of this objective, Training of Trainers (ToT) was arrange for staff of the Consortium agencies on 6 - 7th December 2013 in Barguna, facilitated by the Consortium project managers. The ToT was a participative and collaborative process, as validated by feedback received from the training evaluation. The ToT equipped consortium agency staff (such the field facilitators, project officers and technical officers) with the skills to cascade the training to PIC members and beneficiaries at community level. The awareness sessions were delivered adjacent to the community, to ensure easy access for women and fit with local cultural norms. In total 528 groups, each consisting of an average of 30 participants per group, received training from early December 2013 to mid January 2014. In total 99.6% of the target was achieved, with the discrepancy being as result of some absences from beneficiaries to attend all the modules. Table 5: Modules for the training and number of participants
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Name of the Modules Number of Participants
Male Female Total
Module 1: Kitchen gardening, scientific method of seed preservation/storage 758 13,670 14,428
Module 2: Nutrition, inclusive breast feeding 507 13,929 14,436
Module 3: WASH, including improved hygiene practices 491 13,934 14,425
Module 4: Introduction to saline and flood tolerant varieties of crop, climate change and coastal adaptation measures.
534 13,895 14,429
Module 5: Household level disaster preparedness, including early warning system. 723 13,688 14,411
Table 6: The training attendance of people with disabilities Name of the Modules Attendance from
People with Disabilities
Module 1: Kitchen gardening, scientific method of seed preservation/storage 119
Module 2: Nutrition, inclusive breast feeding 103
Module 3: WASH, including improved hygiene practices 99
Module 4: Introduction to saline and flood tolerant varieties of crop, climate change and coastal adaptation measures.
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Module 5: Household level disaster preparedness, including early warning system. 116
The above table shows the attendance in each training module from people with disabilities. In some case, representatives from the beneficiary HH attended on the behalf of the PWD. 3.2.2.2 Output Indicator 2.2: Participants demonstrated improved knowledge after the training The trainings did improve the knowledge of the participant on the topics covered, with 87.6% of the HHs reporting that the trainings were suitable and useful. HH trained showed an increase in knowledge on the topics offered in the training. The following findings were found from the evaluation report. Table 7: The % of people demonstrating increase in knowledge per topic:
Topic % people demonstrating knowledge
Reproductive health and Nutrition 67
Safe sources of Water and Sanitation 93.6
Homestead Gardening 90.6
Climate Tolerant Agriculture 56
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Photo3: Seed packages and hand tool distributed to beneficiaries
Disaster Preparedness 91
3.2.2.3 Output Indicator 2.3: People receiving seeds to diversify HH nutritional intake To identify seed type and community’s seed preference, focus group discussions were conducted in each union level. To find out community’s views and expectation about the type of seeds in terms of its effectiveness in this locality considering the seasonality. Considering the communities’ expectations, the team of individual organization & community people came up with a common consensus about the seed type and tools, the items were selected and accordingly the amount of fertiliser was also explored. In this locality, home based vegetable gardening is a common practice among the community and women are mainly involved with this type of less investable kitchen vegetation. Women generally play a vital role to take care of the home based production at their premises. Therefore, the project took the decision to distribute hand spades to beneficiaries which would be women friendly so that they can work easily for taking care of kitchen gardens at their premises with minimum physical labour. Though spade provision was not initially planned during the proposal development it has been added based on the feedback from beneficiaries. The project team has communicated with the Agriculture Extension Department of GoB at Upazila and district level to get their opinion on community preference; they gave their consent to the community priorities and finally the project selected the varieties of Seeds of “Lal Teer” brand and the required fertilizers for the beneficiaries which are as follows: Table 8: The seeds, fertilizers and tools distributed to beneficiaries
The Project played an effective role to orient all 14,481 beneficiaries on utilization of selected seeds, the process to cultivate and ways of fertilizer usage and seeds preservation. The objective of the orientation was to enhance the capacity of beneficiaries so that they can get maximum production from their homestead garden to meet their nutritional demand and also they can earn money by selling additional / some of those in their local community or the local market. Seeds and fertilizer distribution among the target beneficiaries started on 22nd of November’13 and ended on 30th November 2013. The project also distributed women friendly small sized hand spades (4” X 8”, weight of iron 420+ grams, with wooden handle) to all beneficiaries. Although the initial plan
Variety of Seeds Name of Fertilizers
Lal Shak (Red Amarnath) Urea
Mula (Radish) TSP
Misti Kumra (Pumpkin) MoP
Palong Shak (Spinach) Zipsam
Dheros (Ladies Finger) Sulfur
Khet Kolmi Tools
Sosha (Cucumber) Hand Spade
Dhania Pata
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Photo4: Beneficiary receiving hand tool
Photo 5: UNO (Government official) us distributing seeds
was to distribute hand spades during seeds and fertilizers distribution, sufficient numbers were not available in local market and the political unrest led to difficulties in a collecting hand spades from Dhaka. Therefore hand spades were distributed from December 10 and the end of December 14, 2013. All organizations have successfully completed the distribution of seeds, fertilizer and tools pack among 14,481 beneficiaries within the time frame. However, evaluators found different types of seeds and packages were distributed in different areas. One consortium partner distributed five kinds of seeds and another partner distributed 8 kinds of seeds. The seeds were determined through consultation with communities and variance was found in the various seeds requested. All surveyed HHs shared that they have been able to utilize the seeds to grow crops. However, more than 95% of the HH surveyed felt that timing of the seed distribution could have been 1-1.5 months earlier as they would have better crop yields from homestead gardening Table 9: The quantity against seed/fertilizer/tool item distributed
Name of items (seed) Quantity Name of items Quantity
Lal Shak (Red Amarnath) 10 grams Dhania Pata (seed) 32 grams
Mula (Radish) 10 grams Urea 3 kgs
Misti Kumra (Pumpkin) 05 grams TSP 2 kgs
Palong Shak (Spinach) 20 grams MoP 1 kg
Dheros (Ladies Finger) 10 grams Zipsam 1 kg
Khet Kolmi (local vegetable) 20 grams Sulfur 250 grams
Sosha (Cucumber) 0.6 grams Hand Spade (Women friendly) 1 piece
A well package parcel was made with all selected varieties of seeds and fertilizers before distribution to the beneficiaries. Before distribution all beneficiaries were oriented by field facilitator about the seeds preservation, process to cultivate and ways of fertilizer usage before initiating distribution. The distribution was inaugurated by the respective local govt officials.
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Photo 6: Beneficiaries with documentation and IEC material on MMT
Table 10: Seed distributed to households, per Consortium agencies
Organization Target households for seeds
Actual Households receiving seeds
Concern Universal 2,894 2,894
Solidarites International 2,610 2,610
Oxfam 2,999 2,999
Plan International Bangladesh 3,018 3,018
Islamic Relief Bangladesh 2,610 2,610
Total 14,481 14,481
3.3 Output 3 Result: Output 3: 14,481 HHs enabled with cash grants to start/restore livelihoods activities
Output indicator 3.1: 14481 HHs received livelihood cash grant of BDT 6500 Output indicator 3.2: 10% of Households with people with disabilities or special needs
supported to scale up or re-starts appropriate livelihood activities
3.3.1 Overview of Result:
Output indicator 3.1: 14,481 HH (100%) received the unconditional cash grant of BDT 6500. Output indicator 3.2: 1,310 HHs (9%) with a member/s of the HH with disabilities received
livelihood grant of BDT 6500.00 to scale up or restart livelihood activities, against the target of
10%.
3.3.2 Details of Result: 3.3.2.1 Output Indicator 3.1 – Cash for Livelihoods This objective also focussed on Cash for Livelihoods. As with the CFW scheme, agencies disbursed 100% of the cash through a mobile money transfer system using bKash. A cash transfer guideline related to mobile money transfer was developed by the consortium. For this process, each beneficiary opened an account and registered with bKash, the mobile operator and received a GP SIM card registering with Grameen phone and Bangla link. All consortium agencies distributed cash as livelihoods grants of 6500 BDT each to 100% of beneficiaries. Beneficiaries were able to withdraw their cash from bKash at the end of December 2013.
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Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material on mobile money transfer was developed to support beneficiaries in understanding the process. The field facilitators also organized community awareness raising session on the management of the GP SIM and bKash account, including demonstration sessions where applicable. Later, the Project Implementation Committee (PIC) also oriented its respective beneficiaries on Do’s and Dont’s on cash transfer to make it secure for the beneficiaries. Table 11: Number of households receiving livelihood grants per Consortium agency:
Organisation Target HH Actual HH
Concern Universal 2,894 2,894
Solidarites International 2,610 2,610
Oxfam 2,999 2,999
Plan International Bangladesh 3,018 3,018
Islamic Relief Bangladesh 2,610 2,610
Total 14,481 14,481
The targeted 14481 households received total cash of BDT 6,500 for their individual livelihoods restoration during last week of December 2013, which was an unconditional cash grant. In total 43.2% of HHs used the grant to enhance livelihood and income generation opportunities, such as buying livestock (poultry, cows and goats), buying assets such as rickshaws, investing in rice paddies etc. 3.3.2.2 Output Indicator 3.2 – Households with people with disabilities In line with the project proposal, the project actively mainstreamed people with disabilities into programme activities. During the project implementation, 1,310 HHs (9%) of beneficiaries were identified (either persons with disability or families that had a person with disabilities in the household). Considering the potential vulnerabilities of people with disabilities in the community, the project attempted to provide specific and tailored support for their inclusion. To enhance staff’s capacity and ensure quality mainstreaming the project selected the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), a national level disability expert organization, to work with the Consortium and provide technical support for ensuring disability inclusiveness. A MoU was signed with CDD outlining the following tasks, which were all completed:
The development of a module for TOT on disability mainstreaming
Providing TOT to all project staff on mainstreaming disability and inclusiveness
Developing the checklist for mainstreaming in the different activities: CFW, Training and Livelihood grants.
Conducting field visit twice to each area for ensuring the disabilities issues are considered
Conducting a lesson learnt workshop about inclusiveness of mainstreaming disability.
Producing a report on mainstreaming disability and other inclusive issues in the project
Photo 7: Training needs assessment workshop by CDD on 2
nd Nov 2013
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Graph: Persons with Disability beneficiaries per Consortium agency
Developing at least 05 case stories on persons with disabilities included in the project. In total 1,310 HHs (9%) households with a member/s of the households with disabilities received
livelihood grants of 6500 BDT. This percentage was less than the target of 10% target. The 10% target
was included in the proposal based on the average national statistics, that 10% of populations include
people with disabilities. For the project, it would found that this percentage was lower, and HHs with a
member/s of the household with a disability were well represented in the project.
4. Outputs Review Questions 4.1 Has there been any change to the project’s objectives/length, if so, how? Has the number of
beneficiaries to be reached altered and if so, how? Have there been any other aspects of the project that have altered, if so, how?
There were no changes to the project objectives/length or the number of beneficiaries targeted by this action. However, due to funds increasing from the favourable exchange rate, the number of days worked by beneficiaries increased by 5-6 days under the CFW intervention. As a result beneficiaries earned 500 – 600 BGT more than projected. Also 104 small mitigation schemes were completed exceeding the target of 35, as a result of the extra days worked by beneficiaries from the exchange rate gain. The target verses actual reached is tabulated below: Table 11: Changes to the project as a result of exchange rate gain:
Activity Target Actual
Cash for Work For all consortium agencies
15 days worked by each beneficiary
200 BDT per day per person
Total of 3,000 BDT received per person
Plan and Concern: 21 days worked by each beneficiary 200 BDT per day per person Total of 4200 BDT received per person
Oxfam 21 days worked by each beneficiary 200 BDT per day per person
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Total of 4200 BDT received per person Oxfam distributed an extra 1500 BDT
each to 575 most vulnerable groups as a one-off contribution
Islamic Relief: 20 days worked by each beneficiary 200 BDT per day per person Total of 4000 BDT received per person SI International 20 days worked by each beneficiary
200 BDT per day per person Total of 4000 BDT received per person Invested the remaining funds of into
DRR materials
Mitigation schemes
35 mitigation schemes planned 104 mitigation schemes completed
4.2 Have the risks to project delivery changed? What mitigating actions were (are being) taken to address
any changes to the risks?
The analysis below was used to identify key risks which could potentially affect the project adversely, and the respective mitigating actions were followed up on to safeguard project delivery. Table 12: Risk analysis for the project and mitigating actions Issue Associated Risk Risk Mitigation Actions
Cash transfer Limited bKash agents within the implementing areas
Due to strikes liquid cash not being available in the bank to access
Beneficiaries have limited knowledge on how to manage a mobile bank account.
Carrying cash posing a security risk
Negotiated with bKash to increase the number of local agents in the field
Informed the bank prior withdrawal date of wanting to access funds, to ensure availability of cash
Awareness sessions conducted including distribution of leaflets, radio programs and PIC staff disseminating information
Cash was received through mobile money transfer system, eliminating the risk of carrying cash.
bKash Registration Errors in registration of bKash accounts impacting the timely and correct set-up of accounts, due to time constraints
Consortium agencies supported on the registration of beneficiaries through filling in registration forms
Negotiated with bKash to provide additional support, through trained bKash personnel, to work with the Consortium agencies on registration issues.
Mobile Phone operator / networks and SIM
Limited mobile network coverage for some mobile companies
A technical feasibility study was carried out to select appropriate mobile
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registration Errors in registration of SIMs due to time constraints
operators with sufficient network coverage
SIM registration was completed with the assistance of Grameen phone and Bangla link in locally
Staff movement Movement restriction on Hartal days due to security risk from violence
Partner staffs were based at field rather than the capital, and flexible with working hours
Beneficiaries selections
Not targeting and enrolling eligible beneficiaries due to undue demand from local government and influential groups
Coordinated participated with local government for joint working
Conducted community consultation and participation on most vulnerable
Regular monitoring, complaints and response mechanism established at field to integrate feedback from communities
Staff turnover Capacity of team reduced from staff turnover
Using staff from other functions, such as regular long term programming, to support the project in the interim period.
Transportation and logistics management
Late seed distribution not matching with seasonal calendar
Seed distribution was completed by end of November which had some impact on yields but no major impact
The steps taken to mitigate the risks can be considered successful as project delivery was not adversely affected by any of the foreseen risks. In particular conducting successful community consultations, including the local elites and local government representatives facilitated transparency of the project. The PICS acted as a major link in the communities, as trustworthy association for the beneficiaries, providing key services to support the project reducing potential risks. 4.3 How was (is) resilience built-in to the project design and implementation? What impact is this having
(expected to have)?
Building resilience was an integral part of the project design and implementation. The project’s main aim was to bring HHs back to their pre-Mahasen situation, but also to go beyond this, given the gradual deterioration of the resilience capacity in the area from annual flooding. As such, disaster resilience was included in the planned activities.
Trainings on DRR influenced the knowledge and behaviours of training participants. Beneficiaries were able to successfully share their learning on how to cope with a disaster and identify steps to be taken before a disaster, during a disaster and after a disaster. Some households have raised the plinth of their houses this year to avoid high flood water levels. It has also been observed and reported that a number of beneficiaries constructed portable ovens as part of their pre-disaster preparations. The training programme also had a positive impact on community engagement in homestead garden production improving food security. Households have even reserved the by-product seeds from the initial plantation, for future plantations for their homestead gardens to growth further. As well as the Cash for work scheme contributing to restoring food security at household level, it also constituted a form of disaster mitigation by building up infrastructural resilience. Through the CFW scheme, a total 95 kilometres of community roads were constructed. This included 95 community roads, 5 school grounds and the connecting roads, and 3 small embankments. The reconstructions have
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enabled communities to access roads leading to markets, medical centres, cyclone shelters, schools etc to continue day-to-day activities. Due to roads being constructed at a raised level, 280,000 hectares of land is better protected from potential future flooding and from saturation of salt water from the sea (source: CFW scheme feasibility study). The CFW scheme provided multiple benefits of repairing and improving community infrastructures for strengthening resilience to future risks, as well as contributing to improving food security in the community. Cash for Livelihoods and livelihood training sessions, included support in the selection of resilient livelihoods. More than 43% of the livelihood grants (as per the evaluation report) were used to start up or enhance livelihood and income generation opportunities. Some beneficiaries leased land for cropping and developed rice paddy fields. There are indications from field monitoring that some beneficiaries are already befitting from an increase in value of their livelihood assets gained from the project (such as goats, cows and poultry, paddy rice crops). Resilience was also strengthened through training, having a positive impact on household health through improved hygiene practices. A significant behavioural change was marked among beneficiary households related to hygienic practices. It was observed that households began to buy sanitary latrine items such as hand washing soap, and use a raised platform to store water containers safely and hygienically. The awareness sessions were effective in sensitizing people to use hygienic latrines and as a result, households began to repair and build their latrines with a raised plinth in consideration of flood levels. The evaluation report indicated that 15% of cash was utilized by beneficiaries for latrine and house repairing. 5. Results and Value for Money 5.1 Please demonstrate how your organisation has (is) delivering value for money when spending DFID funds, in line with the Humanitarian Response Funding Guidelines (page 10)? The NARRI consortium ensured that interventions were delivered on time and to budget, to the quality expected alongside humanitarian standards. All agencies equally contributed to this achievement and for some outputs, the Consortium even exceeded the planned targets. Maximizing the impact of the money spent for this project was realised through the following measures:
Economy: The Consortium approach enabled economy of scale to be achieved through bulk purchasing of seeds, fertilizers and spades. Competitive rates were sourced for the procurement through tendering processes. The finance staff ensured control and streamlined overhead costs and travel costs for the project. Training costs were kept to a minimum, yet achieving the desired quality, through using pre-existing training materials and adapting the material to fit the local context. In addition project managers from the consortium agencies delivered TOT to agency staff, who subsequently trained PICs and beneficiaries keeping cost low. Monitoring and evaluation exercises were a joint effort with information shared between agencies.
Efficiency: The project transferred all cash to the beneficiaries using a cash transfer modality of BKash which increased efficiency. It minimised administrative support and oversight required under direct cash distribution and also aided transparency with the same target group receiving the cash inputs. It therefore served as an efficient means of facilitating fund transfer to households. However, it should be note setting up the system did take time as the methodology
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Photo 8: Beneficiary using the feedback/complaints box
was new for most of the implementing agencies. It is expected for future programming involving mobile technology will be implemented faster using lessons learned from this project.
Effectiveness: The project supported in filling a food gap after the cyclone, primarily through access to cash for most vulnerable households. It also effectively increases the capacity of the HHs to fight against future disaster and food insecurity. Collaboration between consortium partners ensured the delivery of a better quality programming using consortium members and their local partners specific expertise.
Equity: The project targeted the most vulnerable (pregnant and lactating women, girls and boys, people with disability) through minimal extra costs of overall planned interventions. Women were the prime recipients (> 90%) of the programme, and men members who received the cash grants shared the cash with women members of the HHs to start home-based income activities. People with disabilities also actively enrolled into the project to ensure equity and provision of services to the most vulnerable.
Cost effectiveness: At a household level the project was implemented at a cost of 120 GBP, supporting 14,481 households with improved food security and nutrition on a longer-term basis.
5.2 Have there been any issues during design or implementation, including key changes, threats or opportunities? The project was implemented successfully in reaching the intended beneficiaries with the proposed interventions on time. There were no major issues that adversely impacted delivery of the project, but as mentioned previously, the project was affected by the political instability in the country at the beginning of the year which led to restrictions on field movement and initially slowed down the implementation pace. The setting up of the cash transfer system also took longer than anticipated and led to some initial delays in implementation, which was recovered by the end of December 2013 with 1.014 million GBP of fund spent (99.66% of funds received from DFID and 58% of total project value). On the other hand, the project benefited from the opportunity of greater funds as the exchange rate increased from 1 GBP = 110 BDT from proposal submission to 1 GBP = 124 BDT during implementation leading to a gain of BDT 20,579,191. The extra funding was invested directly back into the project for the Cash for Work intervention. 5.3 What direct feedback from beneficiaries has been received during implementation? How has (is) this been used to alter/improve project design and delivery? Accountability and integrating methods for beneficiary feedback was a proactive and sound component of the project design and implementation. A strategic guideline, developed by the Consortium and implementing partners was used outlining feedback procedures and processes. The PICs had a leading role in providing a platform for receiving beneficiary complaints
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and feedback. Wherever possible the PICs facilitated the process of responding to beneficiaries. As part of the project, a participative monitoring mechanism was integrated into the project design. All feedback and complaints received by the community were recorded and documented throughout the project period. Under this accountability mechanism communities opinions, concerns and feedback fed into all stages of the project.
PICS were at community level to consult directly with beneficiaries
Every project household was provided a beneficiary card that contained detailed information on the support they were entitled to as a project beneficiary.
Complaints Response Mechanism: Approximately 20 Complaint boxes were placed in strategic locations (in each union parishad) – additionally temporary boxes were placed in locations such as CFW sites, on distribution days etc,
Each beneficiary had a complaint number included on their mobile phone.
For wider accountability, sign posts with key project information were placed in strategic locations in the local language
The communities were made aware of their opportunity to provide feedback and encouraged to do so, using the systems set up as well as informed on areas such as the quality of services, behaviours of staffs. Through the mechanisms set up, a total of 125 complaints were received and duly recorded in the register book, with the complaint segregated by type. The majority of the complaints and feedback received were related to requests of inclusion into the project and requests to enrol as a beneficiary. Complaints related to workmanship were few, but a number of complaints were related to duplication of information and improper selection. Each complaint was specifically addressed and actioned by the consortium team to ensure timely resolution. Many resolutions improved the project delivery when complaints were addressed. For example, when a duplication of beneficiaries was reported and found accurate, a new eligible beneficiary household was included instead. In instances when beneficiaries gave feedback that they had problems with mobile money transfer system and accessing cash (such as SIM/PIN blockages and cash not transferring to the SIM), the project team was able to resolve the issue quickly in close consultation with bKash and Grammen phone providers. Table 12: Complaints received during project implementation
Type of complaint received
# of complaint received
Percentage of different complaints
When received?
Mode of complaint lodging
Time period problem solved by
Queries related to beneficiaries selection
103 82% During the beneficiaries Selection Process
Mobile and Complain Box
7 days on average
Queries related to BKash (Mobile Money Transfer) service (e,g delays, access to cash)
14 12% Project implementation period
Mobile 3 days on average
Queries related to 8 6% Project Mobile 3 days on
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seeds distributions (planting seasons etc)
implementation period
average
Total 125
5.4 What is the project’s impact on beneficiaries (or expected impact)? Does it have impact wider to other affected populations? Impact Indicator 1: Reduction in 'borderline' score to 45% in Patuakhali and 23% in Barguna (baseline was - Food consumption score of 'borderline' for 67% in Patuakhali and 33% in Barguna) For both Barguna and Patuakhali, the evaluation reported that food intake of surveyed households had increased, with 95% consuming 3 meals a day during the project period. Consumption of leafy vegetables and other vegetables has increased in 100% sampled HH, but intake of animal protein was found to be at an unacceptable level in the most vulnerable HHs in Barguna district. The baseline indicated that in Patuakhali the food consumption borderline score was 67% and the target to reduce this to 45% as part of the project was set. The evaluation reported that this target had been achieved 45%. The baseline indicated that in Barguna the food consumption borderline score was 33% and the target set in the project proposal was to reduce this to 23%. The evaluation reported the borderline score had in fact increased to 54%. From the final evaluation, it is suggested that while the consumption of vegetables increased, the consumption of animal protein remained at an unacceptable level impacting the food consumption score. Understanding the unexpected change in food consumption score is on-going process as Plan consults the food security cluster on wider findings on food consumption scores in the Barguna region. Impact Indicator 2: Reduction in HH resorting to negative coping mechanisms to 30% (baseline - 49% of HH resort to negative coping mechanisms (e.g. loans, selling assets) The evaluation reported that negative coping mechanisms of households reduced to less than 10% from the 30% baseline. 90% of the HHs surveyed stated they did not sell any assets or borrowed money to ensure their food consumption. Outcome indicator 1: 18% of HH are food insecure (27.3% food insecure HHs) The baseline indicated that 27.3% of the HHs were food insecure before the start of the project, and a target of reducing the food insecurity to 18% was set. At the time of the evaluation it was reported that 5% are food insecure and 95% are food security taking 3 meals per day Outcome indicator 2: 70% of HH showing increased knowledge in DRR, resilient livelihoods and nutrition practices, with at least one changed behaviour/practice at the household level The evaluation reported that HH trained showed an increase in knowledge in DRR, resilient livelihoods and nutritional practices. Overall 87.6% of the HHs found trainings suitable and useful. Among them more than 67% of the surveyed HHs were able to share their knowledge on reproductive health and
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nutrition issues, 93.6% were able to share knowledge on safe sources of water and sanitation, 90.6% were able to share their learning on homestead gardening process, 56% were able to share their knowledge on climate tolerant agriculture and more than 91% were able to share their knowledge on disaster preparedness. Observations in the field indicated that there had been changes on a behavioural level and with practices at household level. Households began to buy hand washing soap for cleaning hands at critical times such as after using latrines or before food preparation. Households also began to repair and build latrines with a raised plinth and used a raised platform to store water containers safely and hygienically. Some households have raised the plinth of their houses this year to avoid high flood water levels. A number of beneficiaries constructed portable ovens as part of their pre-disaster preparations. As part of homestead gardening some households also preserved the by-product seeds from initial plantations, for future plantations for their homestead gardens to growth further. Outcome indicator 03: 70 % of targeted households who restarted or scaled up their livelihood activities From the evaluation report, 3.8% of beneficiaries stated they had started a new livelihood initiative and 96% shared that they had restarted their previous livelihood activities. 1% of the respondents stated they were not able to re-start livelihood activities; the main reason cited was the illness of a family member and using the unconditional cash grant for health care. Wider impact to other affected populations: The project is expected to have a wider impact on other affected populations, to some level. It is expected the knowledge gained from the training sessions will have a multiplier effect in disseminating the learning to the wider community. In the training course, beneficiaries were encouraged to transform learning into actions and also share this information at their household and community level. The roads reconstructed through the CFW schemes are also expected to benefit the wider population, as they are accessible for all in the public domain. 5.5 What is the project’s impact on the affected Government [national, regional or local] (or expected impact)? One of the key successes of the Mahasen response programme has been supporting depleted Government capacity at the local and regional level in the affected areas, through assisting government agencies to resume the delivery of services to affected populations after the wake of the cyclone. The consortium worked very closely with the government, building partnerships with regional and local government agencies and invested in their capacity development through sharing experiences and research findings from the Consortium. During the project, the Consortium worked with local authorities to mainstream proposed DRR actions, identified through local level risk assessments, into the government’s Risk Reduction Action Plans (RRAP). The project achievements intended to integrate into the wider plans and RRAP of the government, to ensure a holistic approach for communities with interventions of support. The district administration have also expressed an interest to replicate the new mobile technology methodology into future programming, as a result of observing how successful the method was in transferring funds to beneficiaries. Research findings from the Consortium, and the subsequent evaluation including recommendations and lesson learning, can also be shared at the national level in additional to local level to provide material to support the wider disaster and resilience agenda of the Government.
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5.6 What is the project’s climate and environmental impact (or expected impact)? These may be positive or negative. What actions were (are being) taken to mitigate any negative impacts? As the number and scale of different CFW schemes implemented under this project were limited, no formal Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was carried out. CFW schemes abided to environmental principles shared by consortium partners. Feasibility studies on CFW projects included assessments on environmental impact ensuring minimum waste, pollution and degradation of ecosystems. Feasibility studies assessed the implications of carrying out an activity for the environment, to avoid any adverse impacts and to ensure schemes did not contradict with the principle of ‘do no harm’ to the environment. Climate change adaptation and environmental management was also addressed while planning and implementing the CFW schemes. To ensure the environmental friendliness of the interventions, the following measures were undertaken:
While collecting earth for the schemes, it was ensured that no top soils were harmed.
In selection of schemes, special consultation with community, PIC, UDMC, LGIs was ensured. The list was crosschecked with district admin and water development board as well as checked with Risk Reduction Action Plan (RRAP) of the local government, so there were no contradict with development plan of the local government.
In the capacity building training for community, beneficiaries were oriented with organic production methods to reduce dependency on inorganic/chemical fertilizers.
5.7 What elements of the project have been (or will be) made sustainable? How has (will) this be done in order to achieve the expected impact? Community participation and collaboration was ensured throughout the project implementation process to promote community knowledge of the project, as well as community ownership during delivery and at project closure. CFW initiatives were selected with the aim of benefitting the entire community. Reconstruction efforts for community infrastructure, such as roads, were designed with the aim of increasing resilience against future potential degradation and ensuring longevity of the work completed. CFL initiatives promoted sustainability by enabling households to establish livelihood projects and small businesses, such as purchasing cows, goats, poultry, rice paddies and assets etc. The planting of seeds also aimed to improved resilience in a sustainable manner: some household preserved seeds for later plantation and re-planted newly germinated seeds for the continued growth of their homestead gardens. . Training delivered on kitchen gardening and seed preservation, nutrition, WASH, resilient crops, climate change and disaster preparedness were intended to impart knowledge amongst participants for communities to utilize beyond the time frame of the project. It is noted in the evaluation that the quality of the training component of the project could have been strengthened in view of being more sustainable. There was also close collaboration with the government in view of promoting sustainability: Local government was involved in the selection of community infrastructure projects and subsequently involved with project monitoring. At project closure stages, the list of beneficiaries and CFW schemes were handed over to the local government for future follow up, including potential future maintenance
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Photo 9: Student on reconstructed road
needs. This was also in view of linking the project work with any future government development programme, for further improvement. Linkages were also made between Mahasen beneficiaries and the Department of Livestock and Department of Agriculture Extension from the government, to better position beneficiaries’ opportunities to access services from both departments after project closure. In addition, in every union, beneficiaries were introduced with the field level veterinary assistants who provided necessary vaccination support for livestock. At the end of the project an exit meeting at the district level was held with the respective Deputy Commissioner, UNO and line department officials. They were provided with necessary information of the project status and were requested to monitor, follow up and supervise the project activities after the project closure. The evaluation reported that 90% of the surveyed HH (both men and women) shared that access to cash influenced power dynamics within HHs and in the community. It was noted that this the decision making ability of women in HHs increase with women being more vocal with visitors and project staffs. 5.8 Have there been any improvements in internal costs management? Have there been any improvements in your organisation’s procurement/commercial capacity or capability? There has been some lesson learning from the project in relation to procurement, which feeds into organisation learning and facilitating improved processes when executing future projects. In terms of mobile transfer technology, having prior long term agreements with service providers would be beneficial for faster and more timely procurements, for example with SIMs cards. As this project was a joint intervention with consortium partners and other INGOs, quality coordination is essential for all parts of project delivery and procurement related tasks. Effective coordination and agreed processes with agencies will positively impact the timeliness of activities and positively impact value for money. The sharing of feedback to service providers and consortium partners after the completion of the project helps to understand quality of services and reflect on areas to improvement for project delivery for future interventions. 6. Costs and timescale
6.1 Was the project (is it expected to be) completed within budget/expected costs? If not, why? What impact has (will) this have on value for money and results of the project? The project was completed within budget and within expected costs. From the budget of 1,750,000 GBP a total of 1,741,610 GBP was spent with a variance of 8,390 GBP representing a 0.5% underspend. Value for money was achieved in the line with the plans as outlined in question 5.1.
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6.2 Was the project (is it expected to be) completed within the expected timescale? If not, why? What remedial actions were (are being) taken to address this? The project was completed in the expected timescale. The project commenced on the 15th of September 2013 and was completed on 14th of March 2014. 7. Evidence and evaluation
7.1 What lessons have you learnt from the project and how will these be applied in the future? Were any (or are any planned) modifications to the project design or implementation altered based on these lessons? A lesson learning workshop was conducted 5 -6 March 2014, which was hosted by Plan and facilitated by an external facilitator. Focal points from all agencies and partners attended. The lessons below were drawn upon during implementation as well as at closure, discussed extensively during the lesson learning workshop. No major modifications were made to the project design or implementation, but the lessons were overarching points of consideration to facilitate better programming for future interventions. The lessons are listed below:
The Mobile Cash Transfer System was effective in ensuring beneficiaries received funds in a transparent way without any misappropriation. However, the system did take over one month to set up due to being a new methodology for most of the consortium agencies.
MMT is relatively new in Bangladesh and not widely used. As a result, several logistical issues were managed by consortium members during implementation, which took time to resolve. From the project experience, consortium members can develop a strategic guideline for MMT by analysing risks, procedural steps and guidance on what to do and what not to do. This can become a process guideline for future projects involving MMT.
Working and engaging with local public representatives proved useful and strategic allowing for a joined up approach, especially during beneficiary selection stages. Adequate time for full participatory processes does however need to be factored into project timelines.
Collaboration with partners allows for greater, more comprehensive and immediate coverage avoiding duplication of efforts.
Working with consortium allowed for the sharing and utilization of different specialisms and expertise to enhance overall programme effectiveness.
Community based targeting is more effective than traditional survey based targeting. The involvement of communities in decision-making also encourages better ownership and monitoring of the process and results.
The provision of a mobile phone number for complaints allows transparent capturing of beneficiary concerns and is more effective than one-off post-distribution monitoring exercises.
Working with local government closely enhances sustainability and reduces potential for corruption.
Educating beneficiaries on Mobile Money Transfer reduces the risks of misappropriation of money during cash withdrawals.
Integrating the Participatory Monitoring Strategy during project implementation would aid improved monitoring.
Market mapping is needed for livelihood projects, to understand wider impacts projects may have on local market dynamics and prices. Increasing the supply of products (such as
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vegetables) decreases the price of the product at market, which not only affects the direct producers but also small and medium sellers.
7.2 How was (is) beneficiary data disaggregation undertaken? Did (is) this having any impact on project design or implementation? A community based self targeting process was used to select target beneficiaries. Based on the joint needs assessment and community consultations, a beneficiary selection guideline was developed stipulating the inclusion and exclusion criteria of beneficiaries for transparent selection decisions. Through the leadership of the PICs, a draft list of beneficiaries was prepared and the list was shared with other stakeholders to avoid duplication. The following steps were undertaken for the selection of beneficiaries:
Households severely affected by Tropical Storm Mahasen/water logging High level of loss of livelihood (harvest/livestock/business/other livelihoods) Lack of capacity to start/restart a livelihood activity, including Day laborers with no means of
income Slow/no recovery and/or negative coping strategies (including high level of loans and debts
source) and no means to recover from the loss on their own Low level of income (poverty ranking), Small and marginal farmers (landless farmers) Families whose houses and property were damaged/washed away during the Tropical Storm; HHs exposed to on-going risks due to geographic location Socially vulnerable households (women headed households, elderly headed households) Presence of vulnerable people in the households (elderly, sick, small children, disabled, pregnant
or lactating women). The project also explicitly set the following exclusion criteria:
Beneficiary receiving livelihood support or nominated to receive support from other organisations
Beneficiaries receiving support from ‘Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar’(One Farm One Family) Households receiving government support – including 40 / 100 days CFW projects Beneficiaries enrolled in ECHO supported programme Beneficiaries enrolled in long term development programme providing asset support Household that have already restored their livelihoods Household with more than two income earner Household with a regular income amounting to more than BDT 4000.00 Local government representative, political leader/membership;
Table 13: Beneficiaries in the project
Name of the district
Name of Sub- Districts
Name of the Union
Planned target
Actual Name of Organization Male Female Total PWD*
Barguna Barguna Sadar
M Baliatoli 1,588 208 1380 1,588 220 Plan
Badarkhali 1,430 289 1141 1,430 189
Noltoana 1,329 2 1327 1,329 183 Oxfam
Dholua 1,670 3 1667 1,670 110
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Graph: Male and female beneficiaries per Consortium agency
Patharghata
Kalmegha 1,662 10 1652 1,662 89 Concern Universal Kathaltoli 1,232 4 1228 1,232 52
Kakchira 849 64 785 849 58 Solidarites International Raihanpur 606 56 550 606 32
Betagi Shorishamuri 541 75 466 541 34
Bamna Bamna 614 52 562 614 73
Patuakhali Rangabali Chalitabunia 261 0 261 261 24 Islamic Relief
Rangabali sadar
1,083 67 1016 1,083 70
Baro Baishdia 899 17 882 899 78
Choto Baishdia
717 16 701 717 98
Total 14,481 863 13,618 14,481 1,310
*PWD: Persons with Disability In total 94% women (13,618) were selected as target beneficiaries. PICs included 40% women to ensure their participation in decision making. Beneficiary data, from the participating project households, was segregated into demographic categories to better understand the profiles of the beneficiaries in targeting the most vulnerable. The beneficiary disaggregation data allowed the Consortium partners to ensure the most vulnerable beneficiaries were being included in the project and their needs addressed during implementation. Table 14: Age Profile of selected beneficiaries in project households
Age (years of old) Male Female Total
Elderly: 60+ 2,365 2,446 4,811
Adult : 25-60 years 11,380 13,878 25,258
Young: 15-25 years 4,553 3,749 8,302
Adolescent: 5-15 years 7,759 6,858 14,617
Child: 6 months -05 years 2,688 2,463 5,151
New born: 0-6 months 453 456 909
Total 29,198 29,850 59,048 When selecting beneficiaries, priority was given to women-headed or children dependent HHs, persons with disabilities and the elderly. The project was designed and adapted considering their needs and activities that were suitable. For example, people with disabilities that were not able to engage in manual labour, played a valuable role in the CFW work through taking care of the children, carrying drinking water to workers, and engaging in administration and monitoring tasks etc.
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Table 15: Disaggregated profile of beneficiaries
Profile of beneficiaries Male Female Total
Students 4,970 4,749 9,719
Persons With Disability 1,220 711 1,931*
Pregnant Women 617 617
Lactating Mother 294 294
Female headed Widow/divorced 1,418 1,418
Total 6,190 7,789 13,979 * higher than the number of participating HHs with PWD (1,310), as the above shows number of individual people in HHs with disabilities (i.e some HHs have more than one person with a disability)
7.3 What plans are in place for an evaluation? When will the evaluation be completed and published? How and where will the results of this evaluation be used? An external evaluation was planned in the proposal and the ToR, budget and the selection of the evaluator was carried out in consultation of the NARRI Consortium members. The advertisement for the role was circulated in popular job site ‘Hot Jobs’ (http://hotjobs.bdjobs.com/jobs/plan/ToR-275.pdf) and advertised on the Mahasen Recovery Support Facebook Page (http://facebook.com/16May2013). The evaluation was conducted between from mid February to early March after the successful recruitment of an external consultant. The key purpose of the evaluation was to assess the impact of the project and inform NARRI members, partners and DFID of the intended and unintended outcomes of the project. It aimed to validate key assumptions, and provide practical recommendations on how such a programme can be replicated and refined for future responses. The evaluation was conducted following the OECD-DAC criteria (Relevance/Appropriateness, Connectedness, Coherence, Coverage, Efficiency, Effectiveness and Impact). Ultimately, the evaluation will be used to take forward key recommendations with the intention of improving the quality of future programming and responses. The Consortium would like to replicate the success of this project and use the key points of learning and recommendations to inform better programming. In support of this, in addition to the evaluation, a lesson learning workshop was conducted on 5-6 June 2013 to draw on the main lessons from the project to improve future work. The evaluation report is included as Annex 2, outlining findings and recommendations. 7.4 (If received) How did Rapid Response Facility funding complement your wider programme? NA 7.5 Is your work continuing? Please explain what will happen next. There is no plan for the continuation of work, from the agencies involved in the consortium. As part of the project design, each agency handed over the project and end products to the local government and district authority following the actions agreed under the exit strategy. The majority of the agencies involved in the consortium have development initiatives, and connecting the targeted population to these is a process. NARRI as a platform can also potentially contribute on the following areas:
Resilience building in the region
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Advocacy around issue of long term development in the regions
All agencies are considering developing a resilience programme framework, which will address the vulnerability of the affected population including the unmet needs of the TS Mahasen affected population. 8. Conclusions The project ‘To Enable Tropical Storm Mahasen affected households to reduce food insecurity and restore livelihoods in southern Bangladesh’ was implemented effectively within the agreed timeframe. Despite the initial political instability impacting implementation, the project was able to accelerate implementation in the latter months of the project and achieve the set targets, outputs and outcomes. The beneficiaries of the project have expressed the value the project has brought to their lives, in recovering from the impact cyclone Mahasen. The lessons learnt and recommendations from the evaluation and learning workshop are being taken forward to improve future interventions for all Consortium and partner agencies.
