Youth Empowerment and Unsafe Migration Prevention Project Final Evaluation Report

This report summarizes the results of a 2 and quarter-year (01 September 2020-31 December 2022) Save the Children Italy funded (€913,168) Youth Empowerment and Prevention of Unsafe Migration project (abbreviated as YEP) that Save the Children Malawi implemented in Ntcheu district. The goal as the project’s name reflects was to empower 4,700 vulnerable youths (3,500 out of school and 1,500 in school) from ultra-poor households and prevent unsafe migration. Indirect beneficiaries were wider community members reached with various behavioural change messages. The project’s theory of change (ToC) was based on 3 key pillars: child sensitive livelihoods, strengthened child protection mechanisms, and life skills for success. The project had 5 specific objectives and 15 outputs to achieve its goal. Save the Children Malawi commissioned the final evaluation to establish endline performance of the project, and compare the findings to those reported by the baseline study of September 2020 to establish if any change has occurred during the course of implementation.
Quantitative and qualitative data, both primary and secondary, for the evaluation were collected in December, 2022 and came from the following sources:
1. A review of key documents such as the project proposal, baseline and monitoring reports and various reports available in the public domain.
2. A survey of 435 youths (93 in TA Ganya, 41 Makwangwala, 96 Masasa, 82 Mkutumula, 5 Phambala and 118 Tsikulamowa). Makwangwala and Phambala were not in the project. However, the evaluation came across youths who have join project youth clubs from these TAs as part of the spill-over effects and interviewed them as well.
3. A total of 14 interviews (8 females and 6 male) with head teachers, youth club matrons, patrons, real fathers, female teacher role models (FTRM) and various local committees.
4. A total of 18 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 307 youths (176 females and 131 males) in youth clubs and small businesses.