Final Evaluation Report for the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society’s Livelihoods and Disaster Risk Reduction Programme, implemented in 16 slums of Barishal, Bangladesh

Executive Summary

Background and Context

From January 2021 to March 2024, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), with technical support from the British Red Cross (BRC) and financial support from the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), implemented a livelihoods and disaster risk reduction programme in 16 slum communities of Barishal City, Bangladesh. The programme was designed around a series of mutually supporting activities which included safeguarding livelihoods and jobs against hazards, promoting women’s leadership, and sustainable income access for participating community members – women and youth, primarily. It aimed to impact some 2,500 people directly, with an additional 22,000 slum residents expected to benefit in an indirect way from the activity.

This Evaluation

This independent evaluation was focused on determining and recording changes to peoples’ livelihoods as a result of financial, technical and mentoring support, in association with broader awareness raising on a number of issues, as a means of accountability and learning. The audience for this evaluation is the programme’s local stakeholders, BDRCS, BRC, MannionDaniels and FCDO. It was conducted by a team of two people – Mr David Stone, as Evaluation Lead and Ms Krajai Chowdhury, Evaluation Assistant – from Proaction Consulting, working alongside colleagues from BDRCS and BRC in Barishal City and Dhaka.

By design, the evaluation took a highly participatory approach with direct communication with programme participants and other supportive stakeholders. Interviews were held with the full range of stakeholders representing the programme. A bespoke digital household survey was also conducted with 495 programme participants – 258 women and 237 men, which included some vulnerable members of households and disabled people. A separate, smaller household survey was also conducted with people from neighbouring slum communities who had not been part of this programme, for comparative purposes. Specific questionnaires had been developed ahead of time (in English and Bangla) for all intended interviews. Household surveys were delivered by a team of trained data enumerators – Community Organisers and Red Crescent Youth Volunteers – familiar with the requirements of such enquiries.

In addition to the household surveys, the Evaluation Team spoke with a total of 150 people from the business community in addition to current and former staff from both BDRCS and BRC who had direct experience with this programme.

Key Findings

1. Skills learned through this initiative have allowed some people to expand and diversify their business, benefiting a total of 416 people (84% of people surveyed). This has provided people not only with a better understanding of how to find work/business but also with a broader and improved knowledge and/or skills of business management.
2. Ninety-five per cent of programme participants reported now having higher income levels as a direct result of this programme.
3. A high number of programme participants (N=399 – 81%) reported that they are now able to save some money from their business.
4. For many participants (N=367 – 75%), saving money has become a regular occurrence in the past 12 months.
5. Participants adopted as many as nine different risk reduction practices, of which the most commonly reported was money saved as a contingency to meet disaster needs.
6. Only one female participant mentioned that her family had discouraged her from starting a business, which highlights that this programme has achieved a great deal in elevating women’s positions within their families and communities to now being active earners and contributors to household welfare and security.
7. At the end of this programme, in February 2024, a total of 97% of participants – 479 people – rated their household situation either “much better off” or “better off” today.
8. Virtually everyone spoken with through a household survey thought that their livelihood situation had improved and attributed this to the cash and training support they had received from this programme.
9. Mentoring support was widely appreciated: 77% of people spoken with (N=224) found the experience of working with mentors and the support this provided for their business(es) as “very positive”, while an additional 22% (N=65) thought it was “positive”.
10. Ninety-five per cent of participants who contributed to this survey reported that their income had increased as a result of this programme.

A separate Endline Survey conducted by BDRCS and BRC – which had a more comprehensive reach than possible in the current evaluation – shows that most of the programme’s targets were met. Further details are provided in Section 4 of this report, along with this evaluation’s own independent findings.

Alignment with OECD-DAC Criteria

Relevance and Appropriateness: The programme was entirely relevant to the people in the selected slum communities. While focussing on income generation, business development and skills development for youth, the programme included an important element of disaster risk reduction with a specific focus on protecting businesses and assets.

“Women’s skills, knowledge and leadership have increased because of this programme. Women are not only empowered but empowered socially having gained respect within their household and society.” BDRCS Senior Manager

The programme was highly appropriate to many businesspeople, especially those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This offered them a chance to rebuild – and since, expand – their work streams.

Effectiveness: Overall, this programme was quite effective in its delivery despite the many changes in staffing at senior management and programme level that were at times disruptive. With critical revisions taking place in 2023, the programme has managed to reach most of its targets, with some being exceeded.

Efficiency: Several new approaches contributed to efficiency, such as the engagement of business mentors, in addition to using local, established training centres and building on the existence and experience of the Community Disaster Management Committees (CDMCs) formed in an earlier programme.

Impact: Evidence presented in the main body of this report highlights the real and very significant positive impact that this programme has had on many individuals. Women have been transformed in many ways and are now increasingly able to inform and influence decisions, at home and in community structures. People are saving money – sometimes for the first time in their lives. Members of Women’s Squads are playing increasingly important advocacy roles in their own, and neighbouring communities.

“We [women] are now able to speak openly about things in our meetings: we all make decisions together – we all have an opportunity to discuss things.” CDMC Member Charbadna 6 Extension

Sustainability: Sustainability is a challenge in a programme of this duration. Nonetheless, it is highly probable that many of the businesspeople supported and trained through this initiative will continue to trade afterward. Some have even already started to expand their business. While the Women Squads and CDMCs have continued to be active in supporting their communities, the registration process for CDMCs has yet to demonstrate its potential in generating additional resources for the CDMCs. By comparison, there have been missed opportunities to build the capacity of the BDRCS Branch Unit in Barishal, which remains in a weak position to serve the wider community going forward.

Recommendations

Some priority recommendations are presented below: More details of these – and other – recommendations are provided in Section 7 of this report.

1. An internal review should be documented of the Selection Process before closure of the programme.
2. Frontline personnel should receive comprehensive conflict resolution training.
3. Community Engagement and Accountability, alongside Protection, Gender and Inclusion need to be monitored throughout.
4. Employability programmes should strive for greater inclusion of vulnerable and disabled people.
5. Financial Service Providers should be prepared to provide timely and seamless support to projects/programmes supported by BDRCS.
6. Women’s Squads need more support and training opportunities.
7. The expected role(s) of, and expectations from, CDMCs should be made clear during formation or re-activation.
8. BDRCS should showcase successful achievements of women and men from the slum communities.
9. Programme design should involve all intended partners.
10. For an employment initiative, a good understanding of both the social and economic situations is imperative.
11. Applying an employability approach is complex and multifaceted and needs to be approached as such.
12. Enhance engagement with government departments to ensure sustainability.

Conclusions

This evaluation focused on determining and recording changes to peoples’ livelihoods as a result of financial, technical and mentoring support provided in relation to skills training, business development and management, alongside broader awareness raising, as a means of accountability and learning.

Despite a significant number of challenges, which the programme has addressed on an active and adaptive way – assisted at times by flexibility with oversight and funding arrangements – this programme has achieved the vast majority of what it set out to achieve.

Important institutional lessons should be taken into account from this programme, beginning perhaps with the way in which similar future programmes are designed – to be in line with the institution’s core experience(s) and mandate, to be inclusive of all expected participants (and knowledge of their context), and to enable and encourage buy in from collaborating branches of the Movement. The latter is especially important in terms of not only building internal capacity, if there is a need, but also with regards eventual accountability, to both donors as well as the communities likely to be involved.

Lessons taken from this programme can and should be used for future similar initiatives, with due consideration given to the particular context(s) in which they are applied. Social and other dynamics in the current slum communities are clearly different from those in even nearby and adjacent settlements in Barishal City itself. Peoples’ needs are different. And probably change far more frequently for reasons that may be beyond peoples’ control. The opportunities readily available to people – especially many women and youth – in these communities are so very different, which somehow need to be accommodated in future programme design and management.

“Whatever I now earn it is all mine and at the end of the month I can repay the loan.” Rickshaw driver, Charbadna 7&8 Community