IMPACT MEASUREMENT - FrontlineEndingFGM Kenya

IMPACT

Measurement

For decades the FGM/Child Marriage space has lacked effective impact measurement to improve campaigns. As an extension of FrontlineEndingFGM’s practices, FrontlineKenya are determined to change that and are committed to measuring progress, learning from results, and adjusting methods to accelerate the eradication timeline.

FrontlineKenya will not wait until the programme is complete to measure results, we assess results every 6 months and constantly ask what we can do better in the next round of Caravans and local media blitzes. To date, 11 independent impact studies have been carried out on FrontlineEndingFGM’s work. These assessments range from qualitative to quantitative, mixed methods, and randomised controlled trials, and we ensure to include a sample of a mixed group of participants, including men, women, young people, survivors, parents, cutters, religious leaders etc.

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FrontlineKenya’s work with the EU and UNFPA will similarly be regularly measured to ensure impact and constantly improve – for example, we now understand that public declarations are not effective unless they are reinforced by relentless local media campaigns and reminders of anti-FGM messaging.

BornPerfect Impact Studies are carried out at 6 monthly intervals after the Caravans pass through and local media campaigns are rolling. The studies measure the initial impact of the Caravan in villages it passed through, followed by ongoing measurement of similar neighbouring villages where the Caravan did not pass through, to understand its role in changing attitudes towards FGM.

As we scale the Born Perfect Caravans in Kenya with UNFPA, we will utilize the same in-depth digital questionnaires developed for impact measurement in West Africa. In Guinea-Bissau, for instance, where over 900 individuals were interviewed, 94% reported a change in their stance against FGM for their daughters following the Born Perfect Caravan and local media campaigns.

12, 18 and 24 month intervals will consist of randomised control trials based on the effective digital model developed in conjunction with Unicef, UNFPA, 60Decibels, the Global Media Campaign to End FGM, and the World Bank over the past decade. As modelled on previous 60Decibels and Vivid Research models, a year after the Caravans we will follow up with phone call interviews in local languages with 200-250 community members who attended or heard about the Caravan.

In the case of impact measurement, we have not focused our work on law changes, since we note that at the community level the law is often ignored unless it is delivered by the de facto legal entities within the community; the religious leaders. Religious leaders play a crucial role in perpetuating FGM in Sahel countries where the act is prevalent.

In Guinea, for example, FGM rates are of the highest worldwide, despite the country being the first African state to ban it in 1955. In many parts of the country, cutting rates remain above 90%. Similarly, Mauritania has a law against FGM, yet few people are aware of it.

See our BornPerfect Campaign working to eradicate FGM across 15 countries in Africa
www.frontlineendingfgm.org