OXFAM IN ACTION. End Impact Evaluation for Oxfam India s Western India Program Gender Justice, Oct INTRODUCTION. Specific objectives:

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1 OXFAM IN ACTION End Impact Evaluation for Oxfam India s Western India Program Gender Justice, Oct GJ-VAW NO. 1 SEPTEMBER, 2015 INTRODUCTION The West India (WI) Gender programme (July 2010-June 2013) was designed to respond to disadvantaged status and discrimination that the women face in India. The programme was initiated and conceptualized by Oxfam Australia in During this period, Oxfam in India went through a transition wherein all Oxfam affiliates operating in India were brought under a single entity - Oxfam India (OIN). Following the changed organizational structure, the WI Gender programme was implemented by OIN and its local partners identified by Oxfam Australia prior to the transition. The WI Gender programme was implemented in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Implementing partners of the Programme were Yuva Rural Association (YRA) and Chetna Mahila Vikas Kendra (CMVK)- Maharashtra; Pradan-Madhya Pradesh; NariUtthan-Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh; Samerth Charitable Trust- Chhattisgarh; and Vikalp Sansthan- Rajasthan. WI Gender engaged with a diverse set of partners with varied approaches and strategies. Three of the six partners (YRA, CHETNA, and Vikalp) had strong orientation and experience of working on Violence Against Women (VAW) issues while for the other three, it was the first opportunity to work on VAW issues in a focused manner. The programme provided flexibility to partners to strengthen their existing Overall Objective of the programme Women from all communities will gain power over their lives and live free from violence through changes in attitudes, ideas and beliefs about gender relations, and through increased levels of women s active engagement and critical leadership in institutions, decision making and change processes. Specific objectives: Social acceptance of Violence against Women (VAW) is reduced at all levels in 17 districts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Increased and effective representation of women in decision-making forums in governance institutions in 10 districts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

2 strategies and Community Based Organisations (CBOs); with an emphasis on building capacities of partners and collectives to act as sustained resources in field. Inclusion of socially excluded and vulnerable groups, specifically of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and minorities was a key consideration in the concept and implementation of the programme. A glimpse of strategies used by implementing partners is as noted below: YUVA primarily worked with dalit community although other communities were also part of the programme. It worked through the Mahila Vikas Parishad (MVP)-a collective, with defined district, block and village level structures. MVP focuses on the issue of VAW, economic rights and political participation of women. MVP members are further supported by counselors and volunteers from villages. The programme support was used for expanding and strengthen MVP network. YUVA also developed a strong External Support Group for advisory, referrals and advocacy. CMVK worked with dalits, fisher folks, Other Backward Class s (OBCs) and minorities. It focused on increasing women s awareness about and their access to formal judicial system and worked through exclusive structure of Mahiti Kendra or Information Centre at cluster (of three villages each). The centres provide information, counseling and legal support to women facing violence. The Centres are managed by volunteers from the village known as Sakhi (literal meaning- female friend). Sakhis are supported by Self Help Groups in their work. Chetna also developed good rapport with external stakeholders such as academicians, judiciary and media for advisory and referrals. Baihar Nari Uttan Sewa Mahila Mandal worked with STs (primarily Baiga tribes) through CBO called Baiga Jati Maha Sangathan (BJMS). It worked towards promoting Baiga women s participation and leadership in BJMS and Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) 1. Also, under the programme, village level gender cell/mahila Hinsa Roktham Samitis (MHRS) were used to train its members on gender equality and VAW. These samiti s provided 2

3 space to women to discuss gender discrimination and violence related issues, provided counseling support to victims of violence, focused on capacity building and raising awareness among women and larger community in general. Samerth worked with the Baiga tribes dwelling in remote forest locations in Chhattisgarh. Mahila Hinsa Roktham Samiti (MHRS) (women s group against violence) were formed that helped in identifying and discussing cases, providing counseling support and supporting women to access judiciary, when required. The Self Help Groups (SHGs) and MHRS also undertake collective action against common issues such as alcoholism and discriminatory practices. Pradan worked through women s federation called Narmada Mahila Sangh (NMS), apart from strengthening its staff members and field level resource persons on issues of patriarchy, gender equality and VAW. NMS comprises of women from ST, SC and other vulnerable sections who have been part of Pradan s livelihood and empowerment initiatives. It also engaged external resource agencies (Jagori) to enhance capacity of its staff on the issue of VAW. Pradan was able to document processes and leverage resources to strengthen its work on VAW. Vikalp addressed discrimination by questioning traditional practices. It engaged with caste leaders, youth volunteers, and change makers at the village level like teachers, police, media-persons, and anganwadi 3 workers to seek community participation under the programme. Vikalp also worked in collaboration with the Department of Women and Child, Doctors and Police for orientation of their staff members on gender based discrimination and referral support to women facing violence and discrimination. Educating the girl child, resisting child marriage and campaign against sex-selection were some of the core issues Vikalp addressed in its work areas. Oxfam India commissioned an independent evaluation of WI Gender programme in June The purpose of the evaluation, inter alia, included: Assessing the impact of the project interventions in terms of targeting, impact, sustainability, replicability and equity. Understanding the impact of the WI Gender programme particularly on women and tribals. Assessing the level of involvement of communities, collectives and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in the programme. Analysing the good practices and programme strategies emerging from the partnerships from programme implementation and advocacy point of view. Understanding what elements of the Peer Learning Exercise (PLE) 2 have been taken forward and plans put in place to take forward before the program period ends.

4 Methodology The Evaluation adopted a participatory approach and focused on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, results/impact and sustainability of the Programme. An initial briefing was provided by OIN to the evaluation team followed by joint consultation with partners on the evaluation approach, framework and methodology. The consultation was also used for identifying stakeholders, finalizing the sample villages, and scheduling field visits. A village ranking tool based on effectiveness of the project activities was applied to identify potential villages. A mix of very effective and less effective villages was selected by the evaluation team for each partner location. Altogether 23 villages and two urban settlements were covered across 10 districts in the four project states for primary data collection. Key respondents included women and men at community level; leaders and members of Community Based Organisations; head of the organisation and project management teams of partner organisations; external stakeholders such as lawyers, doctors, mediapersons, academicians, police officials and government officials; OIN team managing the programme at regional and national levels. Altogether 33 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) at the level of community, CBO members, volunteers and staff members and 32 Key Individual Interviews were conducted as part of the evaluation. The methods of data collection were primarily qualitative and included in-person interviews and FGDs. Individual case studies and change stories were also recorded. The data collected from each of the project locations and stakeholders, along with the findings from the desk review carried out earlier, were compiled and analyzed. These formed the basis of developing the final evaluation report. Ranking Project Villages/wards on Key Project Indicators (1=Strong Negative; 2= Somewhat Negative; 3 = Undecided/not clear; 4=Somewhat positive; 5 Strong Positive) S No. District 1 District 2 District 3 Village Name xyz lmn def Inclusion of most vulnerable communities Participation support by men to Political Empowerment of Women (PEW) and VAW initiatives Evidence of enhance awareness/ understanding/ acceptance of gender equality, economic and political empowerment of women among community members Emergence of community/ women leadership on issues of PEW and VAW Increased recognition and reporting of VAW cases Increased decision making by women in household level decisions Increased participation of women in local governance (gram sabha meetings) Increased incidence of formal ownership of critical assets (land and house) by women Increased incidence of women (in need) accessing support services (counseling, legal support, knowledge, training, entitlements) Positive examples of community level initiatives on common issues relating to VAW and PEW Average score

5 Key Findings Inclusion of the most vulnerable groups: The WI Gender partners already had an inclusive approach in their work areas, which was further strengthened by targeting vulnerable sections such as Tribals, Dalits, Fisher folk, and minorities. Overall, two-third (66 per cent) of the project beneficiaries belonged to SC/ST communities varies across partners locations. Partners have used the programme resources to strengthen and enhance women s participation in local governance. Overall 11,239 women are reported to have displayed increased participation in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Gram Sabhas. Greater recognition of VAW as a social and gender issue among communities: All partners have been successful in introducing issues of VAW and PEW among communities. Overall 31,906 women and 4704 men were sensitized on gender equality/vaw and PEW issues. However questioning of gender roles and structural inequalities remains relatively less overt. Strategy for involvement of men not well defined: Although an integral part of envisioned results framework, the strategy for engaging men was not well defined. Partners with prior experience have been relatively more successful but the results at the outcome level are not delineable. However, increased support by men noted in some field areas-yra, Nari Utthan, Vikalp, Samerth and to lesser extent in Pradan and CMVK. Increased community level monitoring and reporting of VAW cases: Increased community level monitoring and reporting of incidences of violence, at collective and partner levels, was noted in all cases, though with varied degrees. Across the partners, 7047 cases were reported in the programme period, with a significantly high number (5135) reported by YRA. The programme has created alternative spaces for women facing violence to seek support but use of laws has remained limited with just about 2429 cases responded/ supported by partners. Three of the six partners largely focused on counseling at family and community levels only. Dalit (SC):34% Adivasi (ST): 32% OBC: 25% Muslim: 2% General: 6% Christian: 1% Enhanced understanding among community based collectives on gender equality, gender based discrimination, VAW, relevant legislations and women s participation in decision-making: The core strategy of establishing and/or strengthening collectives and networks to work towards VAW and Political Empowerment of Women (PEW) is largely successful. Collectives/ volunteers/village level groups 3 were able to take up greater roles in terms of identifying and reporting of VAW cases. However, the level of understanding and capacity of collectives Enhanced capacity for collective decision-making and action: Capacity building and closer interaction with collectives has developed a culture of consent and decision making for collective actions. Collective actions were taken on issues like alcoholism, demanding women s names on ration cards/property deeds, and community level work through gram sabhas. Increased capacity among partners to work on issues of VAW and PEW: Under the programme, Vikalp, Samerth and Pradan reported a total number of 233 NGO staff members, trained to address gender equality/vaw and PEW issues. Across partners, 1047 field cadre personnel were trained in this regard. Partners made 5

6 proactive efforts to involve quality resource persons and ensured participation of relevant staff members in training and consultations. Encouragingly, partners have leveraged resources to build capacities of staff members and field based cadres from their other areas of interventions as well. Collaboration and advocacy with government/ administration: Collaboration and advocacy with existing government structure varied depending on partners approach, past experiences and capacities. YRA and Vikalp having greater collaboration with existing support structures, report numbers of 6680 and 2160 respectively of external stakeholders sensitized on gender equality and related legislations. CMVK also made efforts in this regards- and reported a number of 1847; but with limited success (due to nonresponse from administration) although collaboration with police and judiciary has strengthened. These three agencies have also developed strong external support groups that involves teaches, academicians, lawyers, doctors and media-persons. In case of Pradan, Narmada MahilaSangh had experience of approaching block and district administration through their past work although collaboration on VAW was not been responded well by the police and administration. The other two partners focused primarily on community level advocacy. Overall feedback of the partners on capacity building and networking support provided by OIN was positive, with all partners stating that it helped in increasing knowledge and broadening their perspective on issues like VAW, PEW, patriarchy at the level of organisation, CBOs, and communities. Quality of training and extent of coverage of different themes and topics were aspects regarded highly satisfactory by the partners. On the other hand, partners felt that greater support was needed in refining strategies being used by them, especially with regards to involvement of men and collaboration with government. Table: WI Gender Programme: Progress on Key Indicators Key indicators Men and women sensitised on gender equality/vaw and PEW issues No. of emerging leaders at the community able to address/resist gender based discrimination/vaw at community level Coverage under WI GJ 31,906 women; 4,704 men 3,865 No. of VAW cases reported/identified as a result of strengthened collectives/cadre 7,047 No. of VAW cases responded/supported for accessing existing support systems including legal action 2,429 Increased participation of women in local governance and other decision-making forums 11,239 No. of NGO staff members better informed and able to address gender discrimination, VAW, PEW issues No. of field cadre trained and functional under the programme (paralegal, counselor, volunteers etc) No. of external stakeholders (police, Department of Women and Child Development, teachers, PRI, etc) sensitised on gender equality and related legislations 233 1,047 11,126 6

7 Recommendations On the basis of review and analysis of the secondary and primary data, following recommendations were made for consideration in future programmes: Partners need to have a strategy in place for strengthening the collectives and networks they support. This could be done by strengthening organisational structure, defining roles and responsibilities and by developing and following a clear capacity building plan for collectives. Further, strategy for involvement of men should be well defined in future programmes as per the specific local context. Stronger baseline, Management Information System (MIS) and documentation by partners is needed to showcase processes followed and results achieved. Documentation of process and results should be used for evidence-based advocacy. Collaboration, advocacy and lobbying with government should be treated as a parallel focus in future programmes in order to bring changes in the way state machinery treats women s political participation and VAW. Effective use of media, greater sharing of evidences from field, and identifying opportunities for practical collaboration should be considered in future interventions. Closer monitoring of quality of discussions/ counseling at the village level is recommended. Decisions regarding geographical coverage and partnerships should consider the time frame and human and financial resources available to OIN for monitoring and technical inputs. In case of WI Gender, the geographical spread and varied levels of partners (experience of working on gender equality issues and organisational capacity) were key challenges from programme management point of view. Capacity needs assessment of partners and identification of areas requiring technical (thematic) inputs and management inputs should be done in the initial phases of the programme. Quality check for proposals should be more rigorous so that the strategies and their link with project objectives are clearly described. Similarly, reporting formats should also focus on outcome level achievements apart from the statistical progress made under the set indicators. 7

8 Notes 1. Local governance system for rural areas in India. Gram Sabhas meetings are held at the level of Panchayat (local governance units) where all villagers are supposed to participate in discussions. 2. Peer Learning Exercise, conducted in Dec 2011, was a mid-term review of progress. It was also used a learning event to increase collaboration between partners and to strengthen the program in the remaining period. 3. Samerth and Vikalp Sansthan do not work through CBO. Samerth has formed village level Mahila Hinsa Roktham Samitis while Vikalp Santhan works through a cadre of young volunteers. Vikalp only works on the VAW component of the programme. Author(s): Aniruddha Brahmachari, Ritesh Laddha The authors are grateful for the insights and words of encouragement by Nisha Agrawal, Ranu Bhogal and Shaik Anwar. This publication is copyright but the text may be used free of charge for the purposes of advocacy, campaigning, education, and research, provided that the source is acknowledged in full. The copyright holder requests that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, permission must be secured. mela@oxfamindia.org Disclaimer: Oxfam India Monitoring Evaluation Learning Case Study series disseminates the finding of the work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. The findings, interpretations, and conclusion expressed in this paper are entirely for learning purposes. They do not necessarily represent the views of Oxfam India. Oxfam India, a fully independent Indian organization, is a member of an international confederation of 17 organizations. The Oxfams are rights-based organizations, which fight poverty and injustice by linking grassroots interventions to local, national, and global policy developments. Oxfam India, 4th and 5th Floor, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, 1, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi Tel: +91 (0) Oxfam India is a member of a global confederation of 17 Oxfams and is registered as a company under section 25 of 8the Indian Company Law.