Executive Summary

CRUSADE has engaged R.Jayachandran, Management Consultant-Social Development, Chennai to conduct an evaluation of their project, ‘’Reaching the Poorest’’ with the following objectives:

  • To identify the extent of accomplishment of extent of outcomes
  • To know the strength and weakness of the project
  • To get suggestions for future activities
  • To identify good practices for replication

Sensing the significance of the above objectives, the evaluation was designed and conducted in a participatory process, involving the community representatives and key staff members. The evaluator has facilitated the entire process for further organizational learning and consolidation of project experience.

The evaluation results have been captured and presented in three dimensions: Project Relevance, Project performance and Project Outcomes.

Project Relevance

  • The identification and supporting of ultra-poor in the project area is validated by the dent in the agricultural occupation and the requirement of qualified human capital to fit in to the emerging industrial opportunities.
  • Building of capacities of community based organizations has corroborated with the increasing role of PRIs in the local development.
  • Promotion of Self-help initiatives to augment fund flow, housing infrastructure and health awareness and facilities makes sense in view of the escalating costs of essentials and low-income opportunities.
  • Social mobilization of differently abled along with the provision of supports and services is in line with the ground reality of lack of community based organization for differently abled and the poor outreach of welfare schemes, in spite of declared schemes by the State Government.

Project Performance

CRUSADE has been able to perform a majority of the project activities as outlined in the project. In fact, they have outperformed in certain areas of activities. However, they lag a little bit in the activities like construction of soak pits and household toilets, where the co-operation of the community is obligatory.

Project Outcomes

CRUSADE has been adopting both the direct service delivery and enabling mechanisms to accomplish the project results. The direct service deliveries have mostly helped the vulnerable population like ultra-poor, differently abled and elderly. The enabling mechanisms have assisted the community to get infrastructural facilities and deserved individuals to secure benefits under the Government schemes.

Suggestions

The things need further attention for further improvements, good practices of the project, sustainability paradigm and the suggestions are also presented in the report.

  • Opportunities for internalization and reflection of training inputs, familiarization with the grievance redress systems, optimal fund management, revisiting the goals for SHGs are some of the areas that need focus and consolidation.
  • The ward wise community planning, autonomy for SHGs, promotion of insurance linked investments, propagation of environment friendly cost-effective construction technology, thorough loan processing systems and engaging locals as front line staff are some of the notable and replicable good practices.
  • The sustainability of the project benefits largely depends on the institutional capacities of the community based organizations that have been promoted and nurtured by the project. It needs further support of three years to consolidate the process.
  • Setting long term goals for CBOs, application of effective fund management principles in SHGs, improving performance monitoring and field documentation, continuing the capacity building initiatives, strengthening advocacy initiatives and organizing elderly are some of the suggestions to fully accomplish the desired results of the project.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 / Introduction / 4
Chapter 2 / Process of Evaluation / 5
Chapter 3
3.1
3.2
3.3 / Evaluation Results
Relevance of the Project
Project Plan Vs Performance
Project Outcomes / 7
7
9
11
Chapter 4 / Strength and Weakness of the Project / 19
Chapter 5 / Good Practices / 20
Chapter 6 / Sustainability of the Project / 20
Chapter 7 / Suggestions / 21

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Centre for Rural Systems and Development(CRUSADE), is a non-governmental organization, formed in 1991, registered as a Society under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975, and operating in two blocks (Minjur and Sholavaram) with the Vision of ‘’Enabling the poor and marginalized sections of the population in the target area towards better standard of living’’. The focus of the CRUSADE is on ‘’Poverty Reduction’’ from the inception.

Community mobilization and institution building, capacity building training for the community, promotion of health and sanitation awareness initiatives, strengthening of local governance and introduction of appropriate technology in housing are some of the key activities of the organization.

CRUSADE has established funding partnership with reputed U.K. based agencies (Action VillageIndiaand TAMWED) and Government of TamilNadu, to carry out the above set of activities and thus so far has reached out to 50,000 people in 130 villages in the targeted blocks.

‘’Reaching the Poorest’’ is an ongoing project, funded by Action VillageIndia, with the following objectives:

  1. To improve the living conditions(income, health, entitlements) of the members of the SHGs(promoted and nurtured by CRUSADE since 1991), ultra poor and differently abled persons/families not covered by the existing SHGs
  2. To improve the housing stock by facilitating credit, low-cost construction technology and sanitation facilities
  3. To strengthen the umbrella organizations of women SHGs
  4. To strengthen the local governance by providing training

The project commenced in October 2009 and it isfor 42 months. The project is expected to be completed by the end of March 2013.

Keeping in mind the nearing completion of the project, CRUSADE has initiated this evaluation, to assess the achievements, analyze the problems, lessons and to get direction to move further.

The specific objectives of the evaluation are:

  1. To identify the extent of accomplishment of expected outcomes
  2. To know the Strength and Weakness of the project
  3. To get suggestions for future activities
  4. To identify good practices for replication.

CHAPTER 2 PROCESS OF THE EVALUATION

The entire evaluation was carried out in a participatory process. The evaluation team comprised of the Consultant, representatives from CRUSADE and the Community. The selection of villages for field visits and the time-schedule for the evaluation was finalized in a consultative process.

The team has employed an admixture of evaluation methodology to gather information regarding the progress and outcomes of the project. Perusal of available documents, focus group discussions, one-to-one interviews, simulations anddiscussion with the staff team werethe important methodology.

The villages/ groups for the field visits were identified by a combination of grading and random basis. Project outreach, people’s acceptance , participation and co-operation, support of local government (Panchayat Raj Institution), performance of groups in terms of regular meetings, savings, bank linkages, bookkeeping and repayment and overall accomplishment were the criteria used for the grading of the villages. Using the above criterion, villages/groups were classified into three categories: good, medium and needs improvement, as perceived by field staff. The groups that are in alignment with most of the parameters were reckoned as good, those with many parameters were considered as medium and those aligned with a few parameters were graded low by field staff. Among the classified, villages were identified by purposive random sampling, giving due representation for all segments. In total, groups in 12 villages were selected for field visits.

Evaluation Schedule

Day / Date / Activities/Issues Looked at
1 / Dec
20, 2012 / Discussion with the Secretary
Finalization of TOR, Constitution of Evaluation Team,
Finalization of Evaluation Schedule
2-4 / Dec
21-24,2012 / Field Visits
5 / Dec
26,2012 / Interaction with the Health Workers, Staff of ARH, Representatives of PPI
6-9 / Data analysis and Report Preparation
10 / Interaction on the draft report
11 / Finalization of the Report

Details of the Evaluation Activities

Day 1: Forenoon

  • Discussion with the Director to get a holistic view of the organization, its activities and the context for the evaluation.
  • Secured available documents pertaining to the project.
  • Introduction with the staff team and to orient them about the evaluation

Afternoon

  • Designing the Evaluation Schedule for field visits and discussions
  • Selection of representatives from staff and the community to be part of the evaluation team
  • Finalization of evaluation team
  • Selection of villages for field visits

Day 2: Forenoon

  • Visit to Kulathumedu village and interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries
  • Visit to Neithavayal villageand interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries

Afternoon

  • Visit to Reddypalayam villageand interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries
  • Visit to Ooranampattu villageand interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries

Day 3: Forenoon

  • Visit to Vazhudhimedu village and interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries
  • Visit to Bhoodur village and interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries

Afternoon

  • Visit to Jagannathapuram village and interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries
  • Visit to P.Erumaipattipalayam village and interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries

Day 4: Forenoon

  • Visit to Kandigai village and interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries
  • Visit to N.Kammarpalayam village and interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries

Afternoon

  • Visit to V.V.Colony village and interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries
  • Visit to Seemapuram village and interaction with SHG members/beneficiaries

Day 5: Forenoon

  • Interaction with the team of ARH
  • Interaction with Health Workers

Afternoon

  • Interaction with PPI
  • Debriefing with the team

CHAPTER 3 EVALUATION RESULTS

3.1 Relevance of the Project

The project area falls within the Tiruvallur District, which was formed on 1st January, 1997. Being near to Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, it is one of the fast developing districts in terms of industries and commercial importance in recent past. The district comprises of 9 taluks, 14 blocks, 5 municipalities and 10 town panchayats. The villages of this project spread across in 2 blocks: Minjur and Sholavaram.

There is a marked shift in terms of the livelihoods of the people in the target villages in view of the rapid industrialization. Yet, agriculture continues to be the primary occupation of the people. 47% of the workforce in the district rely on agriculture for livelihood, which is seasonal and depends on canal, deep bore well and tank irrigation. Handlooms, weaving, oil refinery, automobile industries, Small scale industries (16940) are the other means of employment. It is estimated that around 12 to 15% of SHG members’ husbands are employed in Electricity board and other industries.

The increasing number of modern industries in the district, most of them are in the closer vicinity of the project locations, on one hand denting the availability of agricultural land/occupation and on the other, raising a demand for ‘’qualified human capital’’ to be employed in the highly automated industrial units. The call for ‘’qualified human capital’’ is restricting the employment opportunities for the erstwhile agricultural workers and their families in view of the low-level of literacy (60% of the target communities of the project belong to SC community, whose literacy rate, as per the provisional Census of 2011, 52.7% only). The opportunities in construction sector and the employment guarantee for 100 days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme of the Central Government are serving as bail out for the affected workforce.

This scenario necessitates immediate relief for the poor, marketable skills development for the bread winners/secondary employment and start-up capital credit to undertake micro enterprises. It is in this context the project components of supporting ultra-poor and enhancing employment opportunities are relevant.

Given the fact that the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRI) is a frontline and closer institution to the People, its importance in relayed in India by the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution (1992) which came into force on 22nd April, 1993, suggest a three tierstructure to ensure better local governance. However in Tamil Nadu it is enshrined by the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act 1994. The Act provides structures for local governance, at three levels: Grass root (Village), Intermediary (Block) and Top (District). It also provides for reservation of seats (ward members) and offices (Chairpersons/Presidents), including one third seats and offices for women. It further enunciates a planning committee at the District level to consolidate the grass root plans. But in practical sense, only two tier structure is active, with least power for District level structure. Even though, the PRI is responsible for primary education, primary health care, drinking water, storm water drains, street lighting, solid waste management, sanitation and roads, in reality they are starved off by technical knowledge for planning and funds for implementation. PRIs are further constrained by the unbridled powers entrusted to the District Collectors, even to dismiss the elected officers. The problems of PRI are compounded by the high level politicization. The recent move to link SHGs with PRIs to access various government schemes, though commendable, is yet to deliver results. It is in this context, the project components of building capacities of SHGs/federations and potential/elected members of Village Panchayats are relevant.

Both the State and Central Governments are proclaiming a number of welfare schemes for the poor and marginalized sections of the society. The following are the schemes operating in Tiruvallur District:

  • Central Government Schemes:

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Indira Avas Yojana, Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme, Pradan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Bio-Gas and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Schemes

  • State Government Schemes

THAI scheme, Members of Legislative Assembly Community Development Schemes, Total Sanitation and other Welfare schemes (ration card, marriage assistance for girls, allowance for unemployed youth, pension for elderly, pension for young widows, pension for differently abled, pension for deserted women, stitching machines for vulnerable population, assistance for the inter-caste marriage, security schemes for girl child, widow remarriage benefit, accident benefit scheme) by the Department of Social Welfare, Rural Development and Women Development Corporation.

The District headquarters is equipped with e-governance facilities since January, 2008, which provides opportunities to make petitions/grievances through e-mail and SMS.

However, the reach of the above schemes are limited by the lack of awareness of the schemes and procedures, ineffective selection process and inadequate follow-up to get things done. It is in this context, the project component of facilitating the affected individuals, enabling SHGs and PRI members to liaise with the appropriate authoritiesto access and avail scheme benefits is relevant.

The escalating cost of food materials for the past five years is severely denting the meagre wage pocket of the target population. New found climate change caused diseases like dengue and life style diseases like diabetics and cancers are on the rise in the community, particularly among women. These health constraints affect the productivity and earnings of the poor. Hence, Project components related to health care and awareness, promotion of household sanitation and increasing the access of funds flow for SHGs are becoming relevant.

Constructing a house is a life time ambition for everyone, including the poorest, for it is an indicator of security and stability. The option of acquiring land and constructing a house is increasingly become difficult for poor due to the sky rocketing costs of land, materials and labour. It is in this context, the project component of providing low-cost building techniques along with financial assistance is relevant.

3.2.Project Plan Vs. Performance

S. No / Programme / Plan (Target) / Performance / %
I / Support for Ultra Poor
1 / Children's Education / 200 / 343 / 171.50%
2 / Medical assistance / IG / Housing / 100 / 107 / 107.00%
II / Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR)
1 / Training of Staff / Health Workers(Yearly) / 30 / 26 / 86.67%
Training of Volunteers / 30 / 48 / 160.00%
2 / Assessment of Disabled (No.of Persons) / 200 / 530 / 265.00%
3 / Formation of groups / 30 / 30 / 100.00%
4 / Supply of appliances (Govt. schemes included) / 0 / 88
III / Employment
1 / Skill training / 250 / 213 / 85.20%
2 / Employment opportunities / 2000 / 3027 / 151.35%
IV / Community Health / Env. Sanitation
1 / Village survey / 100 / 120 / 120.00%
2 / Health Education & Herbal garden / 1000 / 958 / 95.80%
HerbalGarden / 194
3 / Diagnostic camps / 30 / 46 / 153.33%
Counselling, Referral and Follow-ups / 2000 / 2171 / 108.55%
4 / Eye camp / Participants / No Target / 20
5 / Surgery / No Target / 136
Spectacles / 307
6 / Clinic(New/Repeat cases) / 1000 / 798 / 79.80%
7 / Toilet Units / 60 / 37 / 61.67%
8 / Soak pits / 60 / 32 / 53.33%
9 / Awareness camp on environmental sanitation / No Target / 1180
V / Local Democracy
1 / Capacity building of elected representative/SHG members / 300 / 519 / 173.00%
2 / Training potential candidates / 150 / 126 / 84.00%
3 / External exposure / 30 / 10 / 33.33%
VI / Security & Children scholarship
1 / Members enrolled in Insurance scheme / 6400 / 5900 / 92.19%
2 / Children’s scholarship distributed to students / 960 / 885 / 92.19%
VII / Support to Federation
1 / Committee members / 12 / 12 / 100.00%
2 / PLF Volunteers / 40 / 35 / 87.50%
VIII / Housing
1 / Financial assistance to SHG members / 50 / 36 / 72.00%

A cursory reading of the above table indicates that the organization has been able to out- perform in many targets. As of December,2012 target gap is visible in a few targets such as, construction of soak pits, household toilet units, organizing exposure for PRI members, training for potential PRI members, provision of skills training and financial assistance for housing. Given the three months’ time to complete the project, it is an achievable target barring the training for potential PRI members as the elections for PRI are over.

3.3.Project Outcomes

Project outcomes have been analyzed and presented in two ways. First one is based on the various documents, data available with the organization and the interaction with the key informants. The second is grounded on the impressions gained during the field visits.