Evaluation : takamol mid-term performance evaluation

Takamol Gender Program was designed to support USAID/Jordan?s Special Development Objective #4: Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Enhanced. This mid-term evaluation was designed to provide USAID with findings and recommendations to inform implementation. Six evaluation questions examined implementation across: effectiveness, sustainability, credibility, synergy and learning. A mixed-methods approach was utilized, collecting data and engaging a wide range of stakeholders through secondary data, quantitative survey, and qualitative interviews.

Key findings and conclusions highlight that Takamol expanded social dialogue and raised gender awareness in Jordan. More effective interventions included social dialogue activities (Faces of Takamol, Slam Poetry, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaigns), King Abdullah II Award gender criteria, and integration of youth, among others. Within policy and advocacy, USG-funding stipulations and Takamol?s technical assistance strengthened the capacity of the Jordan National Commission for Women (JNCW) to an extent. Activities leveraging internal government mechanisms proved more effective and a promising avenue for gender mainstreaming. Less effective aspects of Takamol related to some elements of training, communication and follow-up. Takamol provided valuable trainings, but did not adequately tailor all trainings to participant levels. Inconsistent communication and follow-up also limited greater effectiveness of capacity building and partnerships. Related to synergy, successes were noted under two USAID DOs. External factors affecting Takamol?s performance included high turnover of government leadership, and limited coordination from USAID affecting synergy with IPs. Beyond the life of Takamol, the capacity of current strategic partners will likely affect sustainability. Takamol has established a high level of credibility to continue to address gender issues, but lessons learned highlight the need to focus and strategize to ensure activities are well connected, and support sustainability.