Evaluation Brief: ECCD & Livelihoods Project in Gambella Region, Ethiopia (2026)

This end-line evaluation assesses the Hilton Foundation-funded integrated Early Childhood Development and Livelihoods project implemented by Save the Children in three refugee camps and surrounding host communities in Ethiopia’s Gambella Region from 2023–2025. In displacement-affected settings where young children face compounding vulnerabilities across health, nutrition, education, and economic domains, fragmented service delivery has historically failed to address the interconnected determinants of child development and family resilience.

Based on a cross-sectional mixed-methods study involving 626 caregiver surveys and qualitative data collection, the evaluation found that the integrated ECD-health-livelihoods model was highly relevant and effective, achieving significant gains in school readiness (+23.3%), parenting knowledge (98.9%), referral completion (97.5%), and caregiver satisfaction with health services (+64.3%). However, critical gaps persist: 44.5% of children still experience physical punishment, only 46.3% of malnourished children received treatment post-referral, 40.1% of households remain unemployed, and 79.2% continue to rely on humanitarian assistance.

These findings demonstrate the transformative potential of integrated programming when delivered through community-based platforms while simultaneously exposing the fragility of gains without systemic institutionalization, sustained government ownership, and targeted attention to inclusion, child protection, and economic resilience. The evaluation’s evidence on what works—and what remains unfinished—offers critical insights for donors, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to design effective, sustainable ECD interventions in humanitarian contexts where child wellbeing and household resilience are inextricably linked.