We were commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to carry out an end-line study of the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) programme. MDS kicked off the project with the training of data collectors this early July 2022. Following the successful training of the data collectors, fieldwork commenced on the 13th of July and is expected to run for four weeks, depending on the different sample sizes for the districts.
This fieldwork assignment involves an Impact Evaluation of 14 out of the 18 districts where the project was implemented. MDS deployed seven gender-balanced, quantitative teams to Bubi, Matobo, Beitbridge, Umguza, Binga, Umzingwane, Lupane, Nkayi, Insiza, Mbire, Kariba, Nyanga, Mberengwa and Zvishavane. Each team is comprised of 5 members. The deployment considered the familiarity of the researchers with the terrain, area and language spoken in each district. The consortium partners and government stakeholders have assisted the team with the respective community gatekeepers for entry procedures. A total of 4204 interviews are to be conducted by the team. A qualitative team of 7 was also trained and deployed as well. This team is collecting data from five districts; Lupane, Nkayi, Beitbridge; Kariba and Mberengwa. Considerations of experience, language and familiarity with the Community Based Resilience Appraisal (CoBRA) methodology were taken into account. The CoBRA methodology was developed by the UNDP and is the most appropriate choice for this Impact Evaluation.
In terms of the selection of districts, implementation coverage was the primary determining factor. A total of three villages per ward have been sampled out of three wards per district. In total, 120 Focus Group Discussions and 120 Key Informant Interviews will be conducted for the whole exercise. Overview of the ZBRF programme The overall objective of the ZRBF is to contribute to the increased capacities of communities to protect development gains and achieve improved well-being outcomes in the face of shocks and stresses enabling them to contribute to the economic growth of Zimbabwe.
A core focus of ZRBF is to build the resilience of individuals, households, communities, and systems. The ZRBF programme is comprised of three components:
Component 1:
Increase effective evidence-based institutional, legislative and policy frameworks in place at national and sub-national levels for resilience. The component focuses on capacity building and the generation of evidence and ensures its utilization in policy and programming decisions.
Component 2:
Increase the absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities to face shocks and the effects of climate change for approximately 830, 000 people, in vulnerable communities frequently exposed to multiple hazards. ZRBF has supported a combination of interventions implemented in innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable ways to address the causal links between hazards exposure, poverty, limited rural livelihood options and food insecurity and consider key social aspects of health, nutrition, access to basic services and social practices.
Component 3:
A crisis modifier that can provide early warning, and early action to reduce the impact of climate-induced shocks for the fund in ZRBF programme areas. Since 2016, 6 cycles of Crisis Modifier were successfully activated. As a result, there has been an early warning for early action that has protected development gains built under component 2.