Baselines and Targets

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Baseline Evaluation of USAID/Pact Program for Highly Vulnerable Children: Yekokeb Berhan

Project Description
USAID/Ethiopia initiated a new Highly Vulnerable Children (HVC) program in 2011. Pact Ethiopia is the recipient of a $92 million, 5-year cooperative agreement with USAID/Ethiopia. Working with Family Health International, ChildFund, and more than 60 local implementing partners, Pact will implement “Yekokeb Berhan,” a program to help HVC and their families access quality and appropriate services and to lead healthy, productive, and fulfilling lives. To this end, the goal of the program is to reduce vulnerability and increase resiliency among HVC and their families by strengthening systems and structures to deliver quality essential services. The program aims to reach 500,000 HVC throughout Ethiopia in each year of the 5-year implementation period.

The Center for Global Health and Development (CGHD) at Boston University (BU) is designing the five- year mixed methods evaluation of Yekokeb Berhan. The evaluation will serve as: 1) an important source of evidence to help the Government of Ethiopia, USAID, and Pact make informed decisions; 2) a tool to help Pact implementers improve upon current activities so that programs yield the greatest impacts; and 3) a critical resource for stakeholders globally who are interested in the support and care of highly vulnerable children. The first phase of the study is the baseline data collection, which will create benchmarks for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of progress and achievement.

In order to effectively capture results during the full strategy period, baselines must be collected and targets must be established and included in a PMP as soon after CDCS approval as possible. This includes collecting baseline data and setting targets by sex or other applicable categories.

Baselines and targets for a Mission's CDCS Results Framework are a required component of a PMP. As ADS 201 states, supplemental information about each IR and Sub-IR performance indicator should include:

  • Baseline data, or plans to collect baseline data; and
  • End-of-CDCS or end-of-project targets, or plans to set targets

In order to have baseline data in place as well as endline performance targets for indicators associated with a PMP within six months, supporting activities may need to start well in advance of that deadline. This is particularly true for programs and projects for which USAID will undertake an impact evaluation, as baseline data is needed for the comparison group as well as for those who will receive project assistance. A timeline for putting in place a parallel contract to undertake an impact evaluation, including gathering baseline data is provided on the Impact Evaluation Start Up Plan page on this website.

In this section of the website, guidance material and tools that may help you establish baselines and targets are provided, including three pages that cover:

 << PMP Performance Indicator Reference Sheet Up Collecting Baseline Values >>

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A toolkit developed and implemented by:
Office of Trade and Regulatory Reform
Bureau of Economic Growth, Education, and Environment
US Agency for International Development (USAID)

For more information, please contact Paul Fekete.