ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of monitoring and evaluation on the implementation of projects in Kenya; a case of DREAMS education support for adolescent girls & young women project in Nyalenda ward, Kisumu county. The objectives were to determine how skills of the monitoring and evaluation team influence implementation of project in Kisumu County; to establish the influence of resource allocation to the monitoring and evaluation team on implementation of project in Kisumu County; To determine how utilizing M&E results from influence implementation of project in Kisumu County; to establish the influence of stakeholder involvement on implementation of project in Kisumu County. The study used a descriptive research design which adopts both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The study targeted a total population of 156 participants who comprise of 24 project officers, 7 monitoring & Evaluation Team,100 mentors, 23 project committee and 2 project regional officers. The study used questionnaires for data collection. Data were collected by administering a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire utilized both open-ended and closed questions. Closed-ended questions consisted of predetermined. Secondary sources of data were obtained from books, journals, dissertations, magazines and internet sources. The study targeted 110 participants involved with DREAMS education support for adolescent girls & young women project in Kajulu ward Kisumu county. The sample size was 66. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and inferential analysis techniques with the help of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25) and qualitative analysis was analyzed on themes. The findings reveal that there was a strong positive correlation r= (0.765) between skills of monitoring and evaluation team and implementation of the project, the correlation was found to be statistically significant at 5% since the p-value of 0.001 was less than 0.05. The study established there was a strong positive correlation r= (0.695) between resource allocation and implementation of DREAMS project, also the correlation was found to be statistically significant at 5% since the p-value of 0.004 was less than 0.05. The findings found out that there was a strong positive correlation of r=0.765 between utilizing monitoring and evaluation results and implementation of DREAMS projects, the correlation was found to be statistically significant at 5% since the p-value of 0.001 was less than 0.05. The study also found out that there was a strong correlation of (r=0.861) between stakeholder involvement and implementation of the DREAMS project. The study found out that there was a strong positive correlation of r=0.636 between utilizing monitoring and evaluation results and implementation of DREAMS project by mentors and project implementors, the correlation was statistically significant at 1% since the p-value was 0.000 which is less than 0.01. The study recommended that more training should be conducted to everyone involved in the monitoring and evaluation of DREAMS projects. The training should focus on monitoring and evaluation skills, this is social skills, data analysis skills, research skills and communication skills. The study also recommends the management involved in the DREAMS project should at least be quick in responding dome of the challenges that mentors and project committee go through especially when carrying out their work.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Implementation of a project involves the implementation of the tasks proposed in the proposal form to accomplish project aims and to produce outcomes and outputs. Its efficiency depends on many internal and external considerations. A reasonably well- coordinated project team and efficient reporting of project progress and associated costs are some of the most significant ones. Projects are declared to be overdue if their stated period of delivery has not been reached. The failure to complete tasks on schedule and within the budget appears to be a persistent and worsening problem worldwide (Ahmed et al, 2002).
The pattern of cost overruns is prevalent worldwide and it is more serious in developed countries, according to Ashley et al (2008). According to Kusek (2004) describes project monitoring and evaluation as the process of monitoring, evaluating and controlling progress towards achieving the performance goals specified in the project management plan. This means that project monitoring and evaluation enhances overall project preparation, management and execution performance, so various projects could be introduced to change the social, political and economic well-being of people in a given country.
Globally, there has been a rising demand for efficiency in development to enhance the lives of people. “Every year 21 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years and 2,5 million under 16 years gives birth World Health Organization (WHO,2018). For girls, compared to women aged 20-24 years, pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of complications such as puerperal endometritis and systemic infections. In this age group, these complications are a major cause of death among girls (WHO,2018). This calls for the productive use of the outcomes of monitoring and evaluation for successful implementation of development programs targeted at disadvantaged groups in communities (UNDP 2002).
According to Carmen (2016), “an approximate 614,400 U.S. teenagers (ages 15-19) were pregnant in 2010, about 89,300 had miscarriages, and 157,500 had legal abortions.” This led to the announcement of a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPP) by the US Head of Department containing services targeting communities with elevated rates of teen pregnancy. To leverage this latest teen pregnancy prevention potential, the U.S. The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) called for the introduction of the best group evidence-based programs (Howard, 2014). By asking grant applicants to select from a set of systematically defined evidence-based models; reproduce them; use performance data to ensure adherence to those program models; and conduct comprehensive assessments (Howard, 2014), the TPP Program stressed high monitoring and evaluation criteria for better implementation.
In the United Kingdom, “The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS) was the first systematic strategy by any UK government to lower the high rates by teenage pregnancy in England (2013, Toynbee).” For several years, the rate was higher than in other Western European countries, and the results were disproportionately low for young parents and their children (Toynbee, 2013). The policy was introduced in 1999 to halve the rate of the conception of under-18. The plan included a systematic action programme addressing four themes: collaborative action at the national and local level; better prevention through increased education on gender and relationships and access to reliable contraception; a communication initiative aimed at reaching young people and parents; and organized help for young parents (Toynbee, 2013).
According to Hadley Chandra-Mouli, Ingham(2016) The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS) program was introduced with dedicated funding for 10 years across national, regional and local frameworks. Over the lifetime of the policy, the under-18 conception rate decreased gradually. The pregnancy rate of 2014 under-18 was 51 per cent lower than the baseline of 1998 and there have been substantial declines in high deprivation areas (Hadley Chandra-Mouli, Ingham, 2016). Successful monitoring and evaluation; creating an evidence-based approach; effective implementation; consistently evaluating progress; integrating the plan into larger government programs; and providing leadership in the program were the main features leading to the success (Hadley Chandra-Mouli, Ingham, 2016).
Sub-Saharan Africa has tremendous challenges to address in order to promote gender equality and meet the global development target of education and gender (World Bank, 2004). In many sub-Saharan African nations, neither boys nor girls do well, but Africa still has some of the most innovative and varied models of what happens (World Bank,2004). For instance, Africa has a complex and active network in the “Forum for African Women’s Education”, FAWE, working for better preparation for students, but even though the enrollment trends are positive, they can obscure problems pertaining to how girls advance through school and complete their schooling. Girls go to school in Africa only 2.82 years on average before they hit the age of 16. There is less on the world than everywhere else. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only 46 percent of girls enroll in full primary school (World Bank 2004)
In Africa, there is currently a relatively high “Gender Equality in Education Index (GEEI) score of over 60 (out of a total score of 100) in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. This is a major accomplishment, but the Beyond Access study that a GEEI score of 95 indicates that sustainable development targets for universal primary and gender equality were accomplished.” In the next 10 years even the high-scoring African countries are going to need an enduring effort to reach 95 (Unterhalter, Kioko-Echessa, Pattman, Rajagopalan, N’Jai & Fatmatta, 2005).
Another group of countries have a GEEI score of less than 60, including Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana, but have seen a steady increase in GEEI over the past ten years. This is related to widespread political mobilization and the implementation of new learning and teaching methods. Some countries with the largest populations in Africa, including Kenya and Nigeria, have seen a decrease in their GEEI score between. If they are to hit 95 by 2015, they face a huge challenge of mobilizing individuals and financial capital. (Unterhalter, Kioko-Echessa, Pattman, N’Jai, & Fatmatta, Rajagopalan, 2005). Monitoring and evaluation allows implementing projects to take decisions from an educated perspective about how the program works, how the service is provided and if the initiative is successful, using impartial data (Aden, 2012).
In Kenya, women’s education is one of the programs that can help achieve the sustainable development goals . Furthermore, the achievement of the Kenya Vision 2030 , aimed at making Kenya a newly industrialized middle-income nation, would improve education for women by 2030. To achieve these Sustainable Development Goals, we need to adopt programs that target the education sector and the health sector effectively.
