Evaluation of Femina Hip 2013-2019

"Femina Hip emphasises that...social and behaviour change programmes must create opportunities and platforms for people to actively participate in a process of dialogue, reflection, negotiation and mobilisation."

This report shares the findings of an evaluation of Femina Hip, a youth information and empowerment programme in Tanzania that uses mass media, edutainment, and youth clubs to reach out to young people. The purpose of the evaluation is to enable Femina Hip and its donor partners to assess the progress of ongoing programme implementation, to learn what works well, and to understand what could be improved to operate better in the current socio-political context and for the next 5-year period. The evaluation covers the period 2013 to 2019.

The report explains how Femina Hip started as a media organisation with the Fema magazine and TV/radio shows to reach out to young people. With the introduction of Fema youth clubs, it gradually changed to a youth organisation/movement supported by mass media and systems for the support of clubs in 2,500 schools. The long-term vision is: "A gender-equal Tanzania in which youth are confident and competent change-makers with healthy lifestyles and actively participate in the development and well-being of the country". The programme seeks to achieve its objectives through an edutainment "package" made up of tools, processes, and products, which together make up the social and behaviour change processes as platforms for people to actively participate through dialogue, reflection, negotiation, and mobilisation. (See Related Summaries below for more information.)

For the evaluation, data and information were collected from three sources: (i) through interviews with Femina Hip staff and board members, donors, and civil society partners, (ii) from review of programme/project documents and previous reviews/evaluations, as well as wider literature on civil society in Tanzania, to gain insights into the programme and the country context, and (iii) through field visits to obtain a better understanding of achievements and variation within the programme by covering Femina Hip beneficiaries (including school clubs, mentors, and head teachers) located in the Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, and Dodoma regions. The team also met with representatives from regional and local government ministries.

The findings of the evaluation are outlined in the report in relation to their: relevance (to the Tanzanian context), efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and financial and organisational sustainability. In terms of effectiveness, for example, the evaluation team found that most activities were carried out as planned, with a broad and systematic coverage. The evaluation also found that youth and mentors were self-organising at all levels: the clubs, additional work groups to support the community, networks of clubs, networks of mentors, and organisation of district, regional, and national events. The movement was found to promote the values and principles of the "Femina Family" agenda, including: healthy lifestyles and behaviours among young Tanzanians; anti-corruption behaviours; citizen engagement (e.g., by mobilising and inspiring young people to demand accountability at school and local levels).

The report outlines the impact on different areas of focus - sexual and reproductive health, economic empowerment, and citizen engagement. It states that "Femina has addressed and contributed to strengthening democracy, human rights, gender equality, SRHR [sexual and reproductive health and rights] and poverty reduction - in particular, through the clubs - providing the preconditions for democratic development and protection of human rights - by informing and empowering young people in a local setting. The same is true when it comes to economic empowerment - a requirement for poverty reduction. Femina has also consistently addressed the same issues at a wider national level through the magazine, TV and radio shows. It is impossible to measure the total aggregate effects of such efforts, but easy to conclude that Femina has made an important and highly visible local and national contribution."

In terms of the way forward, the report raises concerns around to what extent Femina Hip has a sufficiently robust system for supporting and supervising all 2,500 clubs in order to maintain the motivation and interest of club members. It also notes that capacity and funding seem to be limiting factors to further expansion of the clubs.

The report concludes with a list of strategic and operational recommendations. In light of the rapidly changing youth and media context in Tanzania, the strategic recommendations include, but are not limited to:

• Explore further consolidation of the programme in fewer geographical areas - not to increase coverage, but to strengthen quality and deepen impact in existing clubs.
• Seek ways to increase/strengthen the interaction between Femina Hip and the clubs to sustain their momentum and strengthen their capacity.
• Review the current package of media-/communication channels, such as (a) the printed magazine, (b) radio and TV shows, and (c) social media, and invest more in the channels most relevant and cost-effective for strengthening Fema clubs.
• Consider more differentiated use of communication channels, such as ensuring clubs have good access to smartphones and computers and hence digital access to the magazine, with fewer printed magazines for schools.

Based on the fact that Femina Hip has over the years mainly relied on international funding, the report also recommends that the Swedish and Danish Embassies continue core support to Femina Hip for the next five years. Operational recommendations include conducting in-depth studies of Femina Hip's medium- to long-term effects on samples of Fema clubbers, e.g., tracer and or behavioural change studies, and phasing out/reducing existing OMNIBUS surveys.

The report concludes with a list of lessons learned that are linked to the reasons for Femina Hip's success. These include the right timing: Femina Hip filled a gap nationally and in the school system, where there was a need for information and messages presented in an attractive and entertaining format, especially in rural areas. The fact that information was in the local language and adjusted to local realities was also key to their success, in addition to staff that is energetic, proactive, and perceived as different and alternative in their approach and interactions.