Assignment name:

Design and Implementation of Monitoring & Evaluation for Social Cash Transfer in Zambia (SCT)

Approx. value of the contract (in current US$):

US$ 2.34 million

 

 

Country:  Zambia

Location within country: Luwingu, Kalabo, Kaputa, Serenje, Shang’ombo Districts

 

Duration of assignment (months): 36

 

 

 

Name of Client: American Institutes for Research (AIR), UNICEF, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS)

Total No. of staff-months of the assignment: 600.2

 

 

Contact Person, Title/Designation, Tel. No./Address:

David Seidenfeld, Senior Vice President, American Institutes for Research (AIR), 1400 Crystal Drive, 10th Floor, Arlington, VA 22202-3289, USA

Email: [email protected], Phone: +1.267.973.8752

 

Start date (month/year): May 2022

Completion date (month/year): October 2024

No. of professional staff-months provided by your consulting firm/organization or your sub consultants: 68.47

 

 

Name of associated Consultants, if any: N/A

 

 

 

Name of senior professional staff of your consulting firm/organization  involved and designation and/or functions performed (e.g. Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader):

Prof. Gelson Tembo – Survey Coordinator/Principal Investigator (PI); Nathan Tembo – Master Trainer/Field Manager; Chiluba Goma-Chikoti – Master Trainer/Field Manager; Liseteli Ndiyoi – Data Manager/IT Specialist; Festus Tembo – Financial Manager

 

Description of Project:

This project involved carrying out longitudinal impact evaluations of two variants of Social Cash Transfers (SCTs) in Zambia. The Child Grant Program (CGP) and Multiple Category Program (MCP) Impact Evaluations were designed to assess the effects of Zambia’s social cash transfer programs on poverty alleviation, child well-being, and economic outcomes. Conducted by Palm Associates in partnership with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), the project involved longitudinal data collection across 2,500 CGP households in Kaputa, Kalabo, and Shangombo districts, and 3,000 MCP households in Luwingu and Serenje. The evaluation included anthropometric measurements for children under five, household interviews, adolescent interviews, and process evaluations. Palm Associates was responsible for survey design, training enumerators, data collection, and data entry. They implemented rigorous quality controls, tracked baseline households with a success rate of at least 93%, and delivered cleaned datasets in CSPro and STATA formats. The project ran from August 2012 to November 2014, with additional qualitative studies conducted in 2015. The evaluation, involving four data collection for the CGP and two rounds for the MCP, provided key insights into the effectiveness of Zambia’s social protection interventions, contributing to policy adjustments in cash transfer program implementation​ ​

 

Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment:

In the Child Grant Program (CGP) and Multiple Category Program (MCP) Impact Evaluation, Palm Associates provided a comprehensive range of services. They were responsible for designing and pre-testing survey instruments, including household, community, and adolescent questionnaires, and obtaining ethical and government approvals. Palm Associates recruited and trained enumerators, ensuring they were skilled in the use of anthropometric tools and survey methods. The firm conducted data collection across 2,500 CGP households and 3,000 MCP households, collecting anthropometric measurements for children under five and conducting household and adolescent interviews. Palm Associates implemented stringent quality control measures, including field supervision and real-time data checks, and ensured a 93% success rate in tracking baseline households. They also developed and managed the data entry system, using a double-entry process in CSPro to ensure data accuracy. Finally, they delivered cleaned and fully documented datasets in CSPro and STATA formats, along with detailed reports on data quality and field operations​​.