Evaluation Learnings Search

Learning Description

Projects could benefit from flexibility in terms of reallocations of human resources and swift adaptation of activities when context conditions change significantly. E4Y could not hire additional M&E or finance staff following its needs’ reassessment, and consequently human resources available for these functions continued to be insufficient for timely management. Strategies to deal with this constraint involved assigning more time for the available staff and prolonging the data collection time. Large projects like E4Y that involve a complex monitoring system require significant M&E human resource capacity, especially at the local level, and a realistic allocation of funding for finance staff.

Learning Description

Analysis of child labor reduction results has shown that monitoring of results in terms of overall child labor prevalence through baseline and endline surveys requires mid- to longer-term assessments as they evolve according to long-term social, cultural and structural changes. The short timeframe between baseline and endline (less than two years) may have been insufficient to measure social change regarding child labor – variation is generally not significant – and therefore future projects wanting to measure these changes should review the timing between baseline and endline surveys, foreseeing a complete baseline study as early as possible before the project has started and an endline study directly after the end of the project.

Learning Description

Moreover, as implementation was delayed by almost a full year and the project had a significant amount of funding remaining, the period of performance could have been extended if WV had requested it in time to allow for a full expenditure of funds and more visible results in terms of child labor reduction.

Learning Description

Areas for sustainability are beyond the material direct support to youth and families, and are related to more lasting capacities, knowledge and awareness about child labor of government and nongovernmental partners.

Learning Description

Implementing more methodologies is not always better. During project design, it is necessary to consider the economic and human resources carefully, as well as the time available, in order to establish the appropriate number of methodologies and interventions that can be undertaken. A greater number of interventions does not necessarily mean a better design or lead to a more successful project.

Learning Description

The existing methodologies for increasing household income need to be adapted for child labor projects. The implementation of Entrelazos shows that, before implementing a methodology to increase household income, it is necessary to analyze whether the objectives and the target population for which that methodology was created coincide with those of the project. Likewise, it is necessary to analyze whether the resources and the time required for implementing the methodology match those of the project, and whether it is necessary to adjust them so that they work well in the context of the project

Learning Description

Support for higher household income should consider a wide array of alternatives suitable for the characteristics of the beneficiaries. The project chose entrepreneurship as the primary way to increase household income, but this was not advisable for two reasons: (1) the success rate in this type of intervention is low because only people with certain characteristics manage to implement and sustain an economic activity; and (2) most of the project’s beneficiary population live in areas without a vigorous supply and demand for goods and services.

Learning Description

There are three keys to educational intervention for reducing child labor. Increasing school enrollment, reducing absenteeism, and making teachers, parents and community leaders aware of the detrimental effects of child labor are three basic and effective interventions for reducing child labor. The more successful these interventions are, the more sustainable their achievements will be.

Learning Description

A comprehensive approach to preventing and reducing child labor: The project was designed with an approach that included a variety of initiatives to: ensure that children attend school, combat school absenteeism, support students with low academic achievement, train teachers, provide vocational education to adolescents, and increase household income. This combination increases the possibility that a project can effectively contribute to preventing and reducing child labor

Learning Description

A robust follow-up and evaluation system: The project has developed a robust M&E system that produces valid, reliable, and timely information to measure project performance. This is one of the project’s most well-developed outputs and internationally recognized good practices.