Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme Final Evaluation of the EU funded “Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme (ENPI/2011/278-885)” Framework Contract Beneficiaries 2013 – Lot 7 Letter of Contract No. 2015/366028 Final Evaluation Report March 2017 Author: Nahla Hassan The project is funded by The project is implemented by the European Union International Consulting Expertise EEIG Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme ICE - International Consulting Expertise 150, Chaussée de La Hulpe B-1170, Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32.2.792.49.05 Fax : +32.2.792.49.06 www.ice-org.eu The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of ICE EEIG and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union 2 Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme Title of project: Final Evaluation of the EU funded “Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families' Joint Programme (ENPI/2011/278-885)” Reference No: 2015/366028 Project Beneficiary Contractor Name: European Union Delegation, Egypt ICE Address Delegation of the European Union of 150, Chaussée de La Hulpe Egypt B-1170, Brussels, Belgium Nile City Towers, North Tower, 2005 C Corniche El Nil, 10th Floor, Ramlet BoulaqCairo, Egypt, Cairo, Egypt Contact Zahra Pinero Lozano Reshma Athawale, Head of Unit Telephone (20-2)2461 9860 +32.2.792.49.05 Fax (20-2) 3749 5357 +32.2.792.49.06 E-mail [email protected] reshma @ice-org.eu Date 19/01/2016 19/01/2016 Date of Report: March 2017 Reporting Period: February 2017 Team Leader: Nahla Hassan 3 Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme Table of Contents List of Acronyms ....................................................................................... 6 Executive Summary .................................................................................. 7 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Evaluation Methodology ............................................................................................ 7 2.3 Evaluation Findings .................................................................................................... 7 2.4 Lessons learned ....................................................................................................... 11 2.5 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 11 Introduction ............................................................................................ 12 3.1 Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Egypt ............................................................... 12 3.2 Programme Description “Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme” ............................................................... 13 Evaluation Methodology ......................................................................... 15 4.1 Proceeding of Evaluation ......................................................................................... 15 4.2. General methodological principles .......................................................................... 16 4.3. The Main Activities ................................................................................................. 16 4.4 Limitations of Evaluation ......................................................................................... 17 Findings of Evaluation ............................................................................. 18 5.1 Findings according to OECD Evaluation Criteria as specified in the ToR of the FWC .................................................................................................................. 18 5.1.1 Relevance ......................................................................................................... 18 5.1.2 Effectiveness .................................................................................................... 21 5.1.3 Efficiency .......................................................................................................... 30 5.1.4 Impact .................................................................................................................... 31 5.1.5 Sustainability .......................................................................................................... 32 5.2 Findings in view of EU Added Value ......................................................................... 33 5.3 Cross-cutting Issues ................................................................................................. 33 5.3.1 Gender ................................................................................................................... 33 5.3.3 Human Rights ........................................................................................................ 34 Lessons Learned & Recommendations .................................................... 35 6.1 Lessons learned .................................................................................................. 35 6.2 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 35 4 Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme Annexes .................................................................................................. 37 Annex 1: List of Documents Received and Reviewed from EU ....................... 37 Annex 2: Work Plan ....................................................................................... 38 Annex 3: Final Evaluation Agenda ................................................................. 39 Annex 4: TOR: Final Evaluation of the EU funded “Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme (ENPI/2011/278-885)” ................................................................................... 45 5 Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme List of Acronyms CSOs Civil Society Organisations DHS Demographic and Health Survey EUD European Union Delegation FGM Female Genital Mutilation GoE Government of Egypt MOHP Ministry of Health and Population MTR Mid-Term Review NCCM National Council For Childhood and Motherhood NCW National Council For Women NPC National Population Council OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development UNDP United Nations Development Programme WHO World Health Organization 6 Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme Executive Summary 2.1 Introduction The Government of Egypt (GoE) and the European Union (EU) signed a 17 Million EUR Financing Agreement “Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Civil Society” (ENPI/2008/019-607) in 2009. The purpose of the agreement was to protect and promote human rights and civil society in Egypt. The programme was the first medium-sized bilateral cooperation agreement between the EU and the government of Egypt directly supporting human rights. Since December 2011, the EU has been contributing to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Joint Programme for the Abandonment of FGM and Empowerment of Families. The programme was initially launched by UNDP and the GoE in 2009. This support is the fourth pillar of the Financing Agreement between the European Union and the Arab Republic of Egypt focusing on the promotion and protection of human rights and civil society in Egypt. The programme implements key interventions related to FGM such as the community initiatives started in the first phase of the project (awareness on FGM, functional literacy classes etc.); the programme introduced FGM under a broader umbrella of family rights and empowerment. The programme maintains momentum at grassroots level while mainstreamed within an existing health and education rights based package. 2.2 Evaluation Methodology The methodological framework adopted in the implementation of the final evaluation can be summarised as follows; 1. A participative approach and a focus on participation and collective construction of knowledge, based on the recognition of the actors involved in social and development processes not only as “sources of information” but also as bearers of important perspectives for the construction of relevant knowledge on both social dynamics and development processes and initiatives. 2. This evaluation is qualitative in nature. However, the analysis will include drawing quantitative data as presented in the project’s progress reports and data base (if available). 3. The capitalisation of existing knowledge and information, based both on the analysis of available documentary sources and on the consultation of key informants and researchers. 2.3 Evaluation Findings 2.3.1 Relevance The National Programme for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Family Empowerment was signed in September 2009 by the Ministry of Family and Population and the United Nations Development Programme. The Programme aims to create a sustainable political, legal and social environment that enables families and local communities to move towards elimination of FGM along with all other forms of domestic violence. The project is highly relevant in its cause, programmatic outreach and in view of achievements in reducing violence against women and girls. The project is very timely, although it should have been addressed earlier due to the high prevalence of FGM in Egypt, in responding to local and central needs to combat FGM and reduce prevalence. “FGM Abandonment” remained relevant despite the changing political situations in Egypt between 2012 and 2016. The project builds on earlier efforts to combat FGM in Egypt and attempts to institutionalise all FGM activities under one government umbrella, the National Population Council. The project rationale of selecting a government partner is appropriate and relevant in theory to ensure national ownership. The project thoroughly considered national priorities, UN priorities and EU Human Rights principles. The project has also successfully, through its management model, created linkages between the different funding opportunities to ensure that the objectives are unified. In terms of coherence, the project has encountered some setbacks. Some of the activities are not clearly linked to the expected outputs or their target. Although the activities are relevant, they are not 7 Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme coherent with the intended outputs. The project has outputs and targets, but not intended outcomes. The monitoring of the project is focused on process monitoring. 2.3.2 Effectiveness At its inception, the programme developed 5 outputs. Following the launch of the National Strategy to Combat FGM in June 2015, reflected in the addendum No° 3 to the Contribution Agreement (signed in December 2015), , outputs 2 and 3 were replaced by outputs 6 and 7. The table below provides an overview of the progress towards the selected outputs up to the end of December 2016. It is important to point out that the project did not develop adequate measurement indicators. Hence the below assessment is based on the activities implemented by the project. Output Progress at the end of 2016 1) The National Population Council (NPC) has the capacity to mobilize Not achieved and not on and support line ministries, the medical community, regional universities, track NGOs and other civil society entities, media and civil servants to plan and implement strategies aimed at abandoning FGM. 2) Line ministries mainstream anti-FGM discourse in their programmes Partially Achieved and curricula and help empower families by providing comprehensive health, social and education service packages. 3) Strengthening and expanding the operational and regulatory Achieved environment to promote the abandonment of FGM and other forms of family violence, while also implementing a holistic approach that empowers families by improving health and education services at the local level. 4) Effective national and sub-national monitoring and evaluation systems Not achieved and not on are in place that can measure change and successes with respect to the track abolishment of FGM. This includes monitoring and follow-up mechanisms in existing NPC branches at the governorate level and further strengthening networking schemes between civil society and NGOs at the local level. 5) Advocacy and communication strategy is strengthened to support On track/achieved national and local campaigns for the abandonment of FGM, as well as focusing on democratic family values against all forms of domestic violence and basic civil rights. 6) National Policies Legislations and International Conventions that On Track/delayed confirm FGM abandonment and law enforcement of FGM criminalisation are executed against perpetrators and collaborators performing practice shall be accountable (Output 2 until December 2015). 7) FGM Abandonment and Family Empowerment Advocacy and Media On Track/delayed Strategies implemented through local initiatives on the ground and different media channels to accelerate anti-FGM public opinion among younger generations (Output 3 until December 2015). 8) Monitoring and evaluation system mainstreamed. Not achieved  Overall Effectiveness The project is an effective and visible contribution providing significant input and change for girls across the country. The project developed a holistic implementation strategy, learning on the go and adapting to a changing context and political situations. The project showed resilience with the changing political environment in Egypt and continued to adapt messages when possible. 8 Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme The project has two main issues affecting its overall operation: the first is the confusion between the NPC (as a government structure) and the Project Management Unit as a project-based parallel unit with little engagement between the two. The second problem is mainly related to the monitoring and evaluation system of the project and its design from the beginning. The way the outputs are formulated can be misleading at times. For example, the governorate level interventions do not seem to fit well under output 3. Indicators are not always SMART, and they are missing a baseline. The formulation of the indicators appears more like activities as opposed to attempts to measure change. The NPC/PMU confusion seems to have also been reflected in the work with NGOs at the field level; capacity building for the NGOs seems to be confused with capacity building of project staff based inside the NGOs. This requires re-addressing to mainstream the messages. It is difficult to assess whether the capacity of the civil society organisations at the local level has been enhanced to enable them to design and implement approaches to combat FGM. The project successfully created connections at the local level with relevant stakeholders including medical doctors and religious leaders to support the project efforts. The project started working in 5 villages nominated by the governors in each governorate. In the second phase, additional villages were selected by the NGOs in Upper Egypt. In total the project operated in 160 villages in 10 governorates. The main criterion for selection was the willingness of the community to accept a project that is focused on fighting FGM. Other criteria included a high level of education in the village and an acceptable socio-economic situation. The evaluation believes combatting FGM is a tough fight and the selection criteria of the villages are not rational or coherent with the intended objectives of the project. By working in communities in which the concept of combatting FGM is accepted, the project is inaccurately presenting some of the achievements. Since the launch of the programme and through the EU funding, the programme succeeded in lobbying and advocating with religious leaders to receive religious rulings (Fatwa) against FGM. The project also synthesized medical doctors and focused on increasing their awareness regarding the harmful impact of FGM. In addition, the project engaged with the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) department of supervision of private practices to ensure that they are part of the fight against FGM as most cases of FGM occur in private clinics. In addition to the above, the programme managed to engage the government through working with judges and prosecutors to bring to light cases of FGM as well as lobby the government to amend the Penal Code against FGM. According to the project team, the changes in the legal context regarding FGM indicate that the GoE is keen to address this crime and is clearly against the practice. The project conducted a mid-term review (MTR) in November 2014. The MTR was conducted by Dr. Nivine Kabbash, an Egyptian independent consultant. In general, it appears that the project’s mid-term review and Demographic and Health Survey 2015 (DHS) results indicate that there is a change in the trends of FGM in Egypt and that the rates are declining. The adoption of the national strategy is also a positive step towards the Government of Egypt acknowledging its role and showing buy-in. However, this is not to be confused with ownership, as the project remains the driving force against FGM and not the responsible government bodies. The absence of one entity with a clear role in the fight against FGM in a country as centralised as Egypt decreases effectiveness and potential sustainability. Other achievements include the obvious high and accurate knowledge and awareness amongst communities regarding the negative consequences of FGM. The environment is more geared against FGM in Egyptian villages in which the project operates. The continuity and consistency of interventions and messages that are spearheaded by UNDP and the PMU inside the NPC is one of the major reasons for the success and the achievements of the project. The project is also commended for spreading awareness among marginalised groups such as orphans and people with special needs. 2.3.3 Efficiency The project has a budget of EUR 3.8 million and was initially planned to be concluded in 2015. The project was extended to end in June 2017. The no-cost extension indicates that the difficult political 9 Final Evaluation Report Final Evaluation of the EU funded Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Empowerment of Families Joint Programme circumstances resulted in the inability of the project to meet many of its intended activities over the years. It is worth pointing out that the project received 3 addenda including no-cost extensions. The last request for a 4th addendum (also no-cost) was presented by the project and is expected to cover project acuities until December 2017. This allowed for the availability of additional funds to maintain the same human resources while project activities have been reduced. The efficiency of the project has thus been affected by the imbalance in the originally envisaged ratio of administrative to technical interventions. Changes in political conditions affected the rate of implementation of the project and some of its activities. In addition to the financial aspect of the project and its implementation rate, the management structure of the project is also an important cornerstone affecting efficiency. The PMU model creates a parallel structure inside the NPC that is playing the role of NPC instead of providing technical support to NPC and inter alia the government to assume its responsibilities vis à vis combatting FGM. This model is recreated in parallel in the field with project staff working inside NGOs with no linkages to empower the NGOs themselves. Despite this situation, communication between EU and UNDP is rather good and consistent. It is worth pointing out that the main reason for the efficiency and effectiveness of the PMU as a management tool is the calibre and dedication of the project staff in the PMU as well as the consistency of their involvement in the fight against FGM since 2003. At the local level the management model is cost efficient but affects effectiveness. As mentioned, the project is not institutionalised inside government structures (although housed inside NPC) or inside NGOs at the local level. The third and last issue affecting project efficiency is the lack of an adequate monitoring and evaluation system for the project. M&E systems and documentation of the project are very weak. The project has outputs and activities. Indicators are not SMART and there is no consistent way to measure progress. Outputs delivered have generally been delivered in a cost-efficient way. 2.3.4 Impact The project has reached a good milestone and has successfully ensured that the government developed a clear and positive stance regarding the fight against FGM. This includes the development of laws and lobbying done by the prosecution and MoHP to ensure adequate development of penalties to combat FGM in addition to the support provided by the government regarding the airing of media messages and public announcements to combat FGM. Another obvious change effected by the project is the change in mind-set of men and women at the local level as observed during the evaluation. Both men and women spoke coherently about the negative effects of FGM and recounted openly the stories of their lives. This kind of change is not likely to be reversible. Although the project cannot fully take credit for the overall decrease in FGM prevalence for girls aged 15 between 2008 and 2015 from 82% to 61%, the project could be assumed to have contributed to this decrease albeit indirectly as the decrease in the prevalence is associated with the work of the PMU supported by the project. The project has also successfully developed new coalitions of stakeholders concerned with combatting FGM in Egypt (doctors, youth, teachers, law enforcement). These new coalitions will help promote the work of the project in the future. 2.3.5 Sustainability The development of the national strategy which was launched in June 2015 is a positive step towards the sustainability of the project. However, the strategy needs further clarification particularly regarding the monitoring of the implementation as well as the implementation of surveillance systems to ensure constant monitoring of the situation and the development of response strategies. A second aspect of potential sustainability is synthesising new groups of stakeholders such as forensic doctors, prosecutors and judges regarding FGM. This will enhance the application of laws to combat the crime at national level. 10