Gauteng Enterprise Propeller: Programme Impact Assessment

gep

Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) is a Gauteng provincial government agency established under the auspices of the Department of Economic Development to provide support to small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) and co-operatives in Gauteng. To determine the sustainability of this support GEP commissioned Mthente to assess and measure the effectiveness and impact of their support programmes over the period 2012 – 2016.

The focus of the impact assessment was on two key GEP initiatives: the Investment Management Programme and the Business Development Support Programme. The focus of the assessment was to determine the contribution of these programmes to SMME sustainability, the indirect benefits to communities and the level of customer satsifaction.

The methodology informing the assessment included key stakeholder and expert interviews and 442 semi-structured interviews with Gauteng based SMMEs and Cooperatives that had been supported by GEP.

Gauteng Province, Office of the Premier: Evaluation of the Healthcare Improvement Workshop

Gauteng Province

Mthente has been commissioned by the Gauteng Planning Division (GDP) in the Office of the Premier, and the Department of Health, to undertake a rapid evaluation of their healthcare improvement workshop. The evaluation is to ascertain whether the workshop had an influence in motivating facility managers to implement improvement at facility level, if progress has been made towards achieving the workshop objectives, and to gather feedback on the implementation of workshop lessons.

Following a Theory of Change Workshop with key project stakeholders, 150 telephonic interviews will be held with workshop participants. Four focus group discussions will be held with workshop participants, including Facility Managers, District Managers and Quality Assurance Managers. On site observations will take place at four sites, and 200 members of the public at these sites will be randomly selected to be interviewed.

eThekwini Municipality: Evaluation Review & Assessment of the Sustainable Living Exhibition

Ethekwini Municipality

Mthente has been commissioned by the eThekwini Municipality to undertake a review and evaluation of the Sustainable Living Exhibition initiative, from its inception in 2010 until 2016. The objective of the evaluation is to determine whether it is worthwhile to continue with the Exhibition.

To this end the focus of the review is to assess whether the goals and objectives have been achieved, to determine whether it will be cost-effective to host future exhibitions, and to provide recommendations on the way forward.

To support this, evaluation data will be collected from a sample of stakeholders and exhibitors from each year (2010-2016).  This will be achieved through one-to-one interviews, focus group discussions and structured interviews.

Enhanced Civic Understanding & Engagement Project: End-of-Term External Evaluation

CTRC

Mthente was commissioned to undertake an end-of-term evaluation of the two-year project entitled: “Enhanced Civic Understanding and Engagement (ECUE) Project,” which commenced in May 2015. The ECUE Project was funded by the European Union (EU) Delegation in South Africa, and was implemented by the Cape Town Refugee Centre (CTRC) in partnership with the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights (DOI) at the University of the Western Cape, and the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council (KZNCC).

The objective of the evaluation was to “assess the progress” of the project according to its relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, outcome, and impact. This was achieved by assessing the project outcomes and impact on the lives of key beneficiaries who were directly involved in project activities in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and by consulting the quantitative data in the form of records, attendance registers, and financial information. The target sites for the evaluation were Capricorn, Joe Slovo and Bellville in the Western Cape, and Isipingo and KwaPata in KwaZulu-Natal.

Impact Assessment Study of the Empowerment Codes of Good Practice for the B-BBEE Commission

dti

B-BBEE

The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Commission (B-BBEE Commission), an entity established in line with section 13 B (1) of the Amended B-BBEE Act No. 48 of 2013, under the administration of the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), has commissioned Mthente to conduct an impact assessment study of the empowerment Codes of Good Practice for the B-BBEE Commission. This study falls broadly within the objectives of the 2013 Amended Act and will inform whether the Codes have reduced or eliminated the fronting practices and fraudulent B-BBEE schemes that prevailed previously and whether government departments and public entities are effectively implementing the Act. Mthente will provide the Commission with key recommendations on initiative advancement including limitation or further modifications.

The South African Fashion Council: The Monitoring and Evaluation of Projects Funded

SA Fashion Council

The South African Fashion Council (SAFC) commissioned a range of baseline, interim and end-term evaluations on funded projects.

The evaluations will:

  • serve to assess the impact and outcomes of the eight projects on the development of the fashion value chain in South Africa;
  • serve to improve the quality of proposals submitted according to the guidelines developed by the SAFC; and
  • provide data to measure any future project interventions and improve the rate of project success through outlining best practice and lessons learnt through case studies.

This research will be used to inform the SAFC’s strategy and funding to ensure the development of the fashion value chain across the sector and the development of participating designers into sustainable businesses.

The Department of Small Business Development: Evaluation and review of the Craft Customised Sector Programme (Craft CSP)

IDC

The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), in conjunction with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) commissioned an external evaluation of the Craft Customized Sector Programme (Craft CSP). The main purpose of the Craft CSP is to define the critical steps and key interventions that would increase the competitiveness of the sector and enable its successful commercialisation. The recommendations of the Craft CSP evaluation will be used to improve the Government’s investment in the sector by looking at where the sector is and should be in order to improve the growth and development of the sector by the role-players themselves. The findings and recommendations will ultimately be used to refine the Craft CSP policy document.

The evaluation and the review will:

  • provide an overview of the status of the craft sector;
  • investigate the economic and social impact of the Craft CSP in different locations;
  • examine the extent of support provided by the Craft CSP programme;
  • quantify the value of government investment in the craft sector and compare to it that of other similar-sized economies;
  • conduct a full review and impact study on the implementation of the Craft CSP;
  • reflect on how the programmes of the Craft CSP impact beneficiary organisations, enterprises and the sector;
  • indicate the scope and reach of the programmes;
  • reflect on beneficiaries of the programmes and consequent economic spin-offs;
  • reflect on the shortcomings of the Craft CSP programme;
  • indicate the extent to which the five KPAs have been implemented; and
  • provide a set of recommendations on how the Craft CSP can be maximised and improved for more effective implementation.

See other work for the IDC: http://www.idc.co.za/tenders/T44-07 13_appendix_1_mthente_market_study_report.pdf

Networking HIV/AIDS Community of South Africa: Baseline Capacity Assessment:

NACOSA

The Networking HIV/AIDS Community of South Africa (NACOSA) has commissioned a baseline capacity assessment on the organisations implementing its Orphans and Vulnerable Children Community System Strengthening Project (OVC CSS). The programme was developed in consultation with national and provincial government in six provinces, and seeks to strengthen and expand community support systems for orphans and vulnerable children and their families, using NACOSA’s tested Community Systems Strengthening model. This assessment will serve to inform the current levels of capacity of new partner organisations, and strengthen the knowledge base around the current status of Community Based Organisation (CBO) capacity in South Africa.

The objectives of this assessment are to:

  • determine the current status of CBO capacity to deliver efficient, effective, relevant and sustainable OVC interventions to communities in need;
  • review the organisational systems, technical capacity, leadership/governance, adaptive and networking/linkages capacity of each CBO; and
  • gather data on current community responses and existing systems for supporting vulnerable children and households.

Gauteng Department of Health: Evaluation of the Outcomes of Ward-Based Door-to-Door AIDS Education Programme in Gauteng Province

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Gauteng Online

The Gauteng Department of Health commissioned an evaluation to determine and assess the outcomes of the Ward-based, Door to Door HIV and AIDS Education Programme. The Ward-based, Door to Door HIV and AIDS Education Programme has been implemented in informal settlements and high risk areas in Gauteng to (i) improve HIV prevention through combination prevention; (ii) address health care through testing, treatment and adherence; and finally, (iii) identify and refer orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) for poverty relief or referral (iv) and poor households. This holistic effort is aimed at mitigating the effect of HIV/AIDS on residents.

The objectives of the evaluation are to: measure the results and outcomes of the programme in the five municipalities where the programme was implemented; measure the effectiveness of the referral systems from the program to NGO and government services; document community responses to the programme; analyse the community responses; and recommend processes, systems and methods to strengthen the ward-based door-to-door HIV education programme in Gauteng. 104 households were successfully surveyed during the pilot study. The full survey will be implemented in mid 2016, where a total of 2,100 households will surveyed.

Tshikululu – Due Diligence – NGO Early Development Expansion Programme

Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre

Tshikululu Social Investments commissioned Mthente Research and Consulting Services to conduct a due-diligence evaluation of a Faith-based Non-Government Organisation (NGO) based in Pretoria, and their Pre-school Forum Expansion programme. The programme had capacity to work with 43 early childhood development (ECD) centres and was proposing to expand working with 150 ECD centres in the next two years and 750 ECD centres in the next 6 years.

The objectives of this due-diligence study were to:

  • Define and analyse the organisation’s proposed operating model
  • Identify whether the model is worth replicating
  • Ascertain if the organisation has sufficient resource capacity
  • Understand the organisations finances and costing (financial due diligence)
  • Observe its impact on beneficiaries.

In order to make decisions on funding this programme, the due-diligence evaluation conducted research with the NGO, as well as conducting research with the ECD centre beneficiaries of the Pre-school Forum programme. In so doing, the NGO’s structure and overall financial, human resource, and governance capacity was investigated, as well as the structure, content and impact of the Pre-school Forum.