LIFE Evaluation-after one year to know impact!

As you know Caritas India with its partner organisations in Rajasthan  region worked with deprived community through LIFE programme intervention. We have started this project in  Feb 2010 and it has ended in Jan 2013  ! LIFE is 1st of its kind and a result based project of Caritas India which not only focus on better implementation of the project, but also focuses on regular handholding the project partner in terms of its capacity building, strengthening systems in the partner organization and establishing and strengthening strong linkages with other stake holders like NABARD, KVK (Krishi Vigyan Kendera), Panchayats and Agriculture department. LIFE is being considered as one of the best livelihood based model project of Caritas India and delivered not only mere result but has impact on entire Programme designing of programmes in development sector!

Caritas India, Caritas Spain and Caritas Italiana entered into a partnership agreement to jointly work for the development of BPL SC, ST and OBC community living under the most vulnerable situation in Bundelkhand region, India. This commitment is translated in to a project titled ‘LIFE-Livelihood Initiation For Empowerment for securing livelihood in 20 villages of 2 districts ( Ajmer-Rajasthan  and Banswara-Rajasthan ) of Rajasthan region’ implemented by the local partner RCDSSS-Ajmer and SJVS-Banswara  with funding support from Caritas Spain.  

LIFE as a result based Programme till Jan 2013  able to achieve 91% of total set results and .In terms of reach although programme is being implemented in 20 villages, but its impact is been reached to more than 50 villages  and interestingly even after one year of completion of Programme, it is being managed by community based institutions and other technical institutions like KVK and NABARD. Impact could be largely seen in terms of following:

1.    A model of Rozgar Dhaba at Ajmer ( a form of Village Information Center under LIFE Programme) been awarded by as one of the top ten model of sustainable livelihood. It is also officially acting as Panchyat Resource Center 
2.     Official Linkages with MDS-Ajmer University and KVK and NABARD( 100% approved farmers club from NABARD)
3. Strengthening organization capacity and team capacity
4. Mitigating Migartion up to 40% in boarder districts like Banswara. 
The project directly caters 1572 small, marginalized and landless SC, ST and OBC of households. The deliverance of the project is through Community Based and Community Managed Organizations, (CBMOs) and other stake holders as Krishi Vigyan Kendera (KVK) and Panchayats.  
The program envisages to achieve Improved socio-economic status amongst the deprived community (SC/ST and OBC) in Ajmer and Banswara districts of Rajasthan through optimized use of locally available resources, skill development and full access over the entitlements” with the following set specific results to be achieved during the project period


Point of Consideration!

Considering above all, we have planned to have a participatory evaluation, where in rather than Caritas India team would be doing evaluation, its better partners from other region would be doing it and for the same we have planned to involve Coordinators/Directors from JEEVIKA, ANKUR  & HARIT PRAYAS projects ( as all  these projects has some similar nature and coordinators have understanding on various livelihood components)  for the evaluation of LIFE project. Also one of the key purpose to strengthen capacities of coordinators to have knowledge on a systematic evaluation process. This will indeed strengthen the capacities not only in terms of evaluating things but also on understanding success and failures. 

Evaluation schedule is from 14th-17th Jan 2014; one day would be to train team on entire evaluation process.