Management Response

: Malawi
: 2018 - 2021 , Malawi (CO)
: Ending Child Marriage Project in Malawi and Zambia
:
: Malawi
:

The IBSA pilot project was a one-year initiative that began implementation in October 2019 and ended in December 2020. The project was implemented with targeted interventions in Malawi and Zambia with the Ethiopia Liaison office offering the regional component in partnership with the AUC. Noting that the project began as a pilot, the UN Women Regional office is still in discussion about the possibility of a second phase of IBSA. It is for this reason that our responses to the various evaluation recommendations take this into perspective. We have therefore linked some of our key actions into current and existing programmes. We will take the key lessons from the IBSA project and apply them within existing UN Women initiatives.

: Approved
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 10: Future similar projects may need to be designed as multi-year initiatives that can lead to results that are mature (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion iv).
Management Response: Management Response: We reject this recommendation because the project was built as a pilot and then we would consider the next process based on the pilot.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Rejected
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 1: There is need to target the families from where the girls are coming with a package of interventions. The package could include parenting skills, means of a livelihood, and direct cash transfers for vulnerable households. This would assist in addressing the underlying cause of the problem, which is poverty. (Based on Finding 17; Conclusion ix).
Management Response: Management Response: The main objective of the programme was to ensure that girls in Child marriage have the opportunity to go to school and an opportunity for a better life. There was never an intention to give the families a package therefore we reject this recommendation. The lesson learnt is that we should extend support to their families. We take this into account should we have a second phase of the programme.
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Description: There is need to target the families from where the girls are coming with a package of interventions. The package could include parenting skills, means of a livelihood, and direct cash transfers for vulnerable households. This would assist in addressing the underlying cause of the problem, which is poverty. (Based on Finding 17; Conclusion ix).
Management Response Category: Rejected
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Youth engagement
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 2: Consider extending the education support to male learners as well. This recommendation resonates well with UN principle of “Leave No One Behind”. (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion vii).
Management Response: Management Response: We rejected this recommendation because the project had a clear, specific target group from the onset, which was girl child marriage survivors.
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Description: Evaluation recommendation 2: Consider extending the education support to male learners as well. This recommendation resonates well with UN principle of “Leave No One Behind”. (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion vii).
Management Response Category: Rejected
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Youth engagement
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 3: There is need to promote community awareness of interventions at the start of the project that target girls only to minimize negative and unintended effects. The awareness should provide adequate information on why the intervention is targeting girls only (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion vii).
Management Response: Management Response: This is a reasonable recommendation which we can be linked to other projects to ensure community awareness at the start of every project intervention.
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Description: Evaluation recommendation 3: There is need to promote community awareness of interventions at the start of the project that target girls only to minimize negative and unintended effects. The awareness should provide adequate information on why the intervention is targeting girls only (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion vii).
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Youth engagement, Engaging men and boys
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
CO will support projects that include community awareness campaigns at the start of each project. Un Women Malawi CO 2021/12 Ongoing
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 4: Consider extending support to educational facilities from where the beneficiaries are learning. Provision of textbooks and other teaching materials in schools where these are lacking would be essential to ensure that investments made in the girls yield the desired results. (Based on Finding 17; Conclusion ix).
Management Response: Management Response: Currently the UN Women Regional Office and Malawi CO do not have projects that are extending support to educational facilities. There is none in the pipeline either. We take note in future should we develop another project but its not feasible for now. Currently there are no clear plans for a next phase.
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Description: Evaluation recommendation 4: Consider extending support to educational facilities from where the beneficiaries are learning. Provision of textbooks and other teaching materials in schools where these are lacking would be essential to ensure that investments made in the girls yield the desired results. (Based on Finding 17; Conclusion ix).
Management Response Category: Rejected
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Effectiveness, Relevance
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 5: Allocate more resources for liaison work with the AU Commission to maximize impact. This would enable UN Women to target more advocacy platforms, such as SADC Summit, etc. (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion iv).
Management Response: Management Response: This was a one year pilot project and we have lessons, and currently no time timetable for phase II of project. The Liaison office continues to work with AU on a number of areas.
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Description: Evaluation recommendation 5: Allocate more resources for liaison work with the AU Commission to maximize impact. This would enable UN Women to target more advocacy platforms, such as SADC Summit, etc. (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion iv).
Management Response Category: Rejected
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 6: There is need for senior leadership level collaboration during implementation of liaison work with the AUC. (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion iv).
Management Response: Management Response: There is need for clear coordination and work method applicable for all the offices involved. The IBSA project would benefit from more interaction with senior leadership not just at the onset of the project, but during the life of the project. We agree with this recommendation that there is need for management involvement. Currently, there are no definite plans for a new proposal
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Description: Evaluation recommendation 6: There is need for senior leadership level collaboration during implementation of liaison work with the AUC. (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion iv).
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 7: Promote vocational skills training to child marriage survivors, especially for those that are not able to return to school because of their age and the low class that they last attended. (Based on Finding 17; Conclusion ix).
Management Response: Management Response: Recommendation rejected. Life and business skills manuals were developed and utilized during the project implementation. Training was also done using these life skills manuals for the child marriage survivors.
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Description: Evaluation recommendation 7: Promote vocational skills training to child marriage survivors, especially for those that are not able to return to school because of their age and the low class that they last attended. (Based on Finding 17; Conclusion ix).
Management Response Category: Rejected
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Youth engagement
UNEG Criteria: Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 8: There is need to ensure that there is a forum for implementing partners to share lessons and undertake joint planning and reviews. This would further promote South-South learning (Based on Finding 20; Conclusion x).
Management Response: Management Response: There were plans during the life of the project to actually have exchange visits as part of South-South learning which could not happen because of COVID. We therefore held an onlline Consultative review meeting on 25th September 2020 whereby there was exchange and learning between Zambia, Malawi and Ethiopia Liasion office.
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Description: Evaluation recommendation 8: There is need to ensure that there is a forum for implementing partners to share lessons and undertake joint planning and reviews. This would further promote South-South learning (Based on Finding 20; Conclusion x).
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Advocacy, Knowledge management, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Youth engagement, Partnership, Engaging men and boys
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The CO already organizes and facilitates quarterly planning and review meetings involving UN Women Staff, Implementing Partners and Government Stakeholders. UN Women Malawi Country office 2021/12 Ongoing Forum for implementing partners to share lessons learnt and undertake joint reviews.
Recommendation: Evaluation recommendation 9: Programme design should put in place strict risk management strategies to minimize the disruption of project activities due to global pandemics, such as the ongoing COVID-19 (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion ii, iii, and iv).
Management Response: Management Response: The project would have benefited from a risk management strategy. This is being implemented in the various projects that we undertake going forward.
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Description: Evaluation recommendation 9: Programme design should put in place strict risk management strategies to minimize the disruption of project activities due to global pandemics, such as the ongoing COVID-19 (Based on Finding 13; Conclusion ii, iii, and iv).
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop a risk management strategies in place during programme design UN Women ESARO, UN Women Malawi CO 2021/03 Ongoing