Two of ECLT’s largest ever projects ended.
In 2015, two of ECLT’s largest ever projects ended. The Child Labour Elimination Actions for Real Change (CLEAR) and the Promoting Sustainable Practices to Eradicate Child Labour in Tobacco (PROSPER) were implemented between 2011 and 2015 in Malawi and Tanzania, respectively. The two projects’ interventions focused on prevention of child labour, withdrawal of working children, improving access to education, raising awareness, strengthening communities and alleviating poverty.
In line with ECLT’s project cycle, the two projects were subjected to rigorous independent end of project evaluation in 2016, following independent baseline studies commissioned in 2011. In Malawi, IMPAQ International carried out the independent evaluation, while the Bureau for Industrial Cooperation of the University of Dar es Salaam reviewed the impact of the PROSPER Project in Tanzania. The results of the independent evaluations were shared with local stakeholders and are summarized in the Malawi and Tanzania Reports.
- "The public sharing of our independent evaluation results is a testimony to our commitment to accountability, transparency, continuous learning, and improvement" - said ECLT in a statement accompanying the results.
52.5% reduction in overall child labour in targeted tobacco growing areas in Tanzania
Notable impacts include a 52.5% reduction in overall child labour in targeted tobacco growing areas in Tanzania, while in Malawi the reduction was between 16.6 and 53.6 percentage points in three targeted districts. The independent evaluations also took stock of actual performance against project targets. The results show that the number of children prevented and removed from child labour was 13’871 in Malawi (target: 10’000) and 7’931 in Tanzania (target 7’800). In Tanzania, 22’000 people were reached with awareness messages against a target of 16’000, while in Malawi 88’000 people were reached against a target of 30’000.
The lessons learned from the projects were used to design follow up projects in the two countries (2016-2018).