Final Evaluation of Food Aid and Improved Access to Shelter, Drinking..

In July 2021, Caritas Germany (CG) commissioned Afghan Australian Research and Management Consulting (ARM Consulting) to conduct an independent final evaluation of the “Food Aid and Improved Access to Shelter, Drinking Water, and Hygiene Using Cash Transfer Measures for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Returnees, and Host Communities” project. It is a 33-month project, started in January 2019, and is anticipated to conclude in September 2021. The project has been implemented by Caritas Germany (CG) in five districts of Herat: Ghoryan, Karukh, Robat Sangi, Kohsan, and Pashtoon Zarghoon. With a total budget of 3,772,606 Euros, CG implemented the project through international implementing partners (Terre des Hommes [TdH] and Cordaid) and a national partner, viz., Rural Rehabilitation Association for Afghanistan (RRAA). The project’s overall objective is to alleviate the acute emergency of IDPs, returnees, and host communities through humanitarian aid and protection measures.

The evaluation examined the extent to which the project has accomplished or made progress against its intended objectives. The evaluation has also identified lessons learned and recommended possible changes to improve similar interventions’ future design and implementation modalities.

The methodology adopted for the evaluation comprises a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The qualitative data was gathered through a literature review, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and field observations with relevant project stakeholders. The evaluation involved 30 interviews with key informants (7 females; 23 males), including the project implementation team, government officials, and community leaders and members. Besides that, eight FGDs were administered with child beneficiaries, in which 108 children (61 girls; 47 boys) participated. The quantitative data was collected through questionnaire-based structured interviews with 405 community members.