Evaluation Learnings Search

Learning Description

The set-up of a Technical Working Group is important for coordination of activities: The TWG is a key policy tool and also a means of raising awareness and advocating among government officials and other stakeholders.

Learning Description

Flexibility and frequent internal project reviews enhance efficiency: Project efficiency has been enhanced by its reporting and research structure, as well as by staff flexibility. For example, the decision to set up a micro-pilot project is evidence of good internal feedback loops and smart practice.

Learning Description

The first lesson learned concerned the Association pour la Promotion de l'Education et de la Formation à l'Etranger (APEFE) or Association for the Promotion of Education and Training for Migrants/MinAjliki program for women entrepreneurs where an APEFE representative in Rabat said that not all the Promise Pathways referrals manifestedthe entrepreneurial approach they looked for in referrals, but this was explained by the fact that these women were primarily selected because they were family members of vulnerable children, rather because of any particular entrepreneurial flair. APEFE thought that screening for entrepreneurial tendencies might avoid disappointment for some women, but overall described the partnership as a “win-win” relationship since it increased access to their program for women in rural areas.

Learning Description

The Artisan Training Center in Marrakech simply suggested that trainers provided by the project needed to offer up to date content in their classes, as a result of a session taught by an external trainer provided by the project that did not live up to their expectations.

Learning Description

Promise Pathways has largely good working relationships with its civil society and government partners, and the project team and case managers were held in high regard by many partner agencies. The exception to this was Al Karam where the partnership with Creative ran into some administration difficulties and the Al Karam case managers mentioned that they had found it difficult to adapt to the approach used by project. Overall, partners regretted the early project closure, but largely took it in their stride and worked to make the necessary adjustments.

Learning Description

One place where the local committee did feel very let down was in the Commune of Lala Aziza, where the Commune President had been relying on continued support to girls staying in the Dar Taliba until December 2017 as part of the Commune education strategy. Increased enrolment due to project input had required a rapid expansion of the facilities. He feared that without case manager liaison and support parents might withdraw their daughters from school and it would be more difficult to convince them and others in their communities to try again. He saw the early project closure as a risk to the future of girls’ education across the commune and advocated strongly for support to continue. He had based his planning on the project’s original commitment to continue until December 2017 and made commitments to his constituents on this basis. He now felt that his credibility had been put at risk and people would find it harder to trust him and other projects in the future.

Learning Description

Promise Pathways has piloted a range of good practices, bringing them together to demonstrate the child-centered “wrap around” approach that is the project’s principal legacy and trade mark. The theory of change based on capacity building of service providers to fulfill individually tailored support packages for different risk categories of vulnerable children and their families has proved its validity.

Learning Description

Another good practice was alignment with government education and child protection policies

Learning Description

Another good practice was a project team made up of national technical specialists. Creative was able to find highly qualified and committed national personnel with well established links at regional and national levels.

Learning Description

Another good practice was beneficiary selection based on a detailed baseline study, to identify those at most risk