Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG)

This project supported the development of a new approach for capturing the results of initiatives aimed at tackling violence against women and girls.

Project team members

Contact

  • Emma Jones

We developed a new monitoring and evaluation resource that helped capture the impact and lessons learned from DFID’s programming and policy work on violence against women and girls (VAWG). Work included an analysis of each of DFID’s VAWG programmes and policy-influencing initiatives (at global, regional, and country levels), to contribute to evidence on what works and/or doesn’t work, and why.

In addition, the team developed a theory of change and indicators for monitoring and evaluating DFID’s VAWG policy-influencing work, and devised an approach and statistical model for calculating the total number of beneficiaries reached through DFID’s VAWG programmes. More broadly, the project contributed to lesson learning, and new approaches to monitoring and evaluation, in this increasingly prominent and recognised development area.

Challenges

DFID committed to significantly scaling-up its response to violence against women and girls, and now supports bilateral programmes in over 25 countries, as well as funding civil society organisation and multilateral agency initiatives to tackle VAWG.

Programmes to tackle VAWG were (when this project was developed) relatively new, and therefore strategies and monitoring and evaluation approaches were in the early stage of development. There was an urgent need to capture evidence on what works and why, to help inform future programming in the sector and ensure maximum impact for a greater number of people. .

Our approach

Our work focused on four components:

  • analysing each of DFID’s VAWG programmes and policy influencing initiatives (at global, regional, and country levels);
  • developing a theory of change, and indicators for monitoring and evaluating DFID’s policy-influencing work in the sector;
  • devising an approach and statistical model for calculating the total number of beneficiaries reached through DFID’s VAWG programmes; and
  • identifying focus projects in which VAWG-related monitoring and evaluation can be further strengthened.

The team completed the following activities:

  • We reviewed and analysed documentation from over 200 DFID VAWG programmes, assessing contributions to the domains within DFID’s theory of change for tackling VAWG and identifying key strategies, achievements and lessons.
  • We developed a theory of change and associated indicators.
  • We gathered qualitative and quantitative data on DFID’s VAWG policy-influencing work, and mapped it against indicators.
  • We developed a statistical model for calculating beneficiary numbers.
  • We liaised with DFID country offices to identify five projects in which VAWG related monitoring and evaluation can be developed and strengthened, and developed associated terms of reference.

Outcomes

This project supported the development of a new approach for capturing the results of DFID programmes and policy work aimed at tackling violence against women and girls. The analysis, theory of change, and statistical model design undertaken by our team were presented at a DFID community of practice event, and the analysis was published internally by DFID as a resource for advisers.

Overall, the evidence gathered by this approach will feed into future programme and policy design, helping ensure greater impact of initiatives to tackle VAWG.

Areas of expertise