Management Response

: Palestine
: 2012 - 2013 , Palestine (CO)
: SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE WOMEN-RUN SCHOOL CANTEENS PROJECT: REPORT OF THE FINAL EVALUATION
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: Palestine
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: Approved
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 1: NRO should grant UN Women a no-cost contract extension for a period of three months to allow for the implementation of delayed planned infrastructure development and school activities. In the meantime, UN Women in close collaboration with MoE and MAAN should develop a new project document for a third phase of the programme, utilizing - to the extent possible - the findings and recommendations of this evaluation.
Management Response: Management Response: Based on the recommendation, a two-month no-cost extension was requested to the donor and a consultant was contracted in order to prepare the project document for Phase 3. The project document was discussed with all the project partners, the donor and other stakeholders and was extensively reviewed by UN Women oPt senior staff, ASRO and HQ.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area:
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Send request to the NRO for a no-cost 2-month extension of the programme. UN Women oPt office UN Women RO 2012/09 Completed NCE received until 31/10/2012
Contract a consultant for preparation of project document of the third phase of the programme UN Women oPt office UN Women RO 2012/09 Completed
Submit project document for the third phase of the programme UN Women oPt office UN Women RO 2012/12 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 2: In both the design and implementation of programme?s third phase, UN Women should demonstrate stronger needs-based planning and budgeting processes and mechanisms. Hence, it is strongly recommended that the first three months of the programme?s new phase be dedicated to school and women?s centers? selection and infrastructure needs assessments. This would allow for the capacity building and infrastructure development activities to be implemented ahead of the beginning of the school year. At the design and implementation stage, the new programme should plan for and allocate properly resourcing the needs assessment processes.
Management Response: Management Response: This recommendation was taken into consideration while preparing Phase III of the programme. The first seven months of the programme will be dedicated to needs analysis of infrastructure and capacity building components. Based on the needs assessment, the training sessions will begin before the start of the academic year 2013/2014. This planning will provide the women with rehabilitated and equipped canteens as well as improved capacities in order to successfully run the school canteens as soon as the academic year starts.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include the needs assessment in the planning of Phase III. UN Women oPt office 2012/12 Completed
Prepare detailed work plan for needs assessment UN Women oPt office 2013/03 Completed
Carry out the needs assessment UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 3: MoE and UN Women should develop a standard description of what a women-run school canteen should look like and what facilities it should have. For the purposes of initial programme planning, an average of US$ 12,000 should be budgeted for canteen equipment and infrastructure development. Where needed, an additional amount should be budgeted for bathrooms for women workers. Actual allocation, however, should be based on needs.
Management Response: Management Response: For this purpose, a Baseline Consultant and a Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant will be contracted by Maan Development Center who will be working on establishing the baselines and developing standards for a women-run school canteen. An average 8000$ have been budgeted per school canteen infrastructure and equipment, though it will be adjusted in each case based on a detailed needs assessment to be carried out at the beginning of the programme.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include adequate budget provision for canteen infrastructure and equipping in Phase III of the programme UN Women oPt office 2012/10 Completed
Include adequate budget provision for Maan for contracting a Baseline Consultant and a M&E Consultant. UN Women oPt office 2012/10 Completed
Contract a Baseline Consultant and an M&E Consultant. UN Women oPt office 2013/03 Completed The M&E consultant has completed the M&E Framework for the project. The baseline study has been finalized.
Carry out a detailed needs assessment of canteen infrastructure and equipment UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 4: UN Women and MoE should agree on a revised formulation of the programme?s intervention logic and associated log frame. This should be done with the view of ensuring accountability among the various partners for results. For this purpose, it is extremely important to rethink the goal and outcomes of the programme, preferably giving more focus to women?s economic security and income (as opposed to women?s centers profits), attitudinal changes among students vis-à-vis eating habits, and community mobilization in support of canteen operations.
Management Response: Management Response: In the new phase of the programme, the MoE will focus exclusively on awareness raising and mobilizing community support for the programme. In Phase III, Maan Development Center will be fully responsible for the infrastructure component, as opposed to the previous phase where this component was implemented by MoE. This change will be reflected in the work plan and budget of the new phase. In addition, Maan Development Center will be closely monitoring the profits of the women-run school canteen business, encouraging the women to gain more profits, which will directly increase the income of the working women. In order to strengthen this component, Maan will contract 3 Field Workers who will be closely following up with the women centers and the consultants on increasing the profits. UN Women Field Coordinator will also provide support to this component.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include new distribution of responsibilities in the log frame and the budget of the project document of Phase III. UN Women oPt office 2012/12 Completed
Contract 3 Field Workers under responsibility of Maan for closer follow-up of the programme. UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
Establish a monitoring and accountability mechanism between UN Women and Maan Development Center UN Women oPt office 2013/03 Completed Initiated. A UN Women M&E officer is hired to help in the M&E of the Programme. Also, and M&E consultant was hired in phase III to review the programme logframe and to build an M&E Framweowrk. The consultant finalized the framework. A monitoring and reporting consutlant will be hired in August 2014 to continue to follow up on this issue.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 5: In conjunction with Recommendation 4, MoE and UN Women should also set clearly what categories of they expect women?s centers to have on offer in the schools? canteens on a daily and a weekly basis. While this should be kept generic, it needs give sufficient guidance to women?s centers on what is expected of them. The programme should devise a mechanism to monitor partner centers? adherence to this standard, which should be the basis for an annual review of the centers? performance in schools.
Management Response: Management Response: The new phase includes close monitoring of the food provided in the women-run school canteens, including daily, weekly and monthly reports to be elaborated by the Field Workers. Maan Development Center will be in charge of monitoring and updating the menu of the canteens, and a manual will be prepared, printed and distributed by the end of the programme, including lists of products to be offered in the canteens. The 3 Field Workers of Maan Development Center as well as field coordinators of MoE and UN Women will be continuously visiting the women centers and the school canteens in order to assure compliance with standards for variety and quality of food to be offered to students.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Establish a detailed work plan for monitoring and evaluation of women centers adherence to the standards indicated by Maan UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed
Elaborate daily and weekly follow up reports UN Women oPt office 2015/09 Completed
Prepare, print and distribute the manual. UN Women oPt office 2015/12 Completed Activity will be carried out on time
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 6: The current phase?s management structure should be retained with the following additions: - UN Women Programme Officer at UN Women (@50%) - UN Women M&E and Reporting Officer (@100%) - UN Women Business Development Advisor (retainer basis) - MoE Programme Manager (@50%) - MoE Field Coordinator (100%)
Management Response: Management Response: UN Women will recruit a Project Coordinator who will dedicate around 50% of her/his time to the programme. A full time M&E Officer will be contracted in the beginning of the first phase of the programme. The functions of Reporting Officer will be carried out by Programme Associate together with the Project Coordinator, the Reporting focal point at UN Women oPt and the Reporting Unit at UN Women HQ. In line with Recommendation 7, there is no need to augment UN Women?s field presence. capacity As regards Business Development Advisor, it was decided that Maan Development Center will contract a Subsidy Consultant who will be assessing the business models of each women center and providing advice on subsidy planning and sustainability of the women centers. The Consultant will work in cooperation with the Baseline and M&E Consultants. As for MoE, it was decided that there is a need for a full time Programme Manager (not 50% as recommended by the evaluation) in order to assure the high quality of implementation and follow up of the programme?s activities. In addition, a full time Field Coordinator will be contracted to coordinate the field activities under MoE components.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include adequate budgeting in Phase III to cover the needs for staff and determine the roles of the staff to be contracted UN Women oPt office 2012/12 Completed
Elaborate the ToR and post description for staff to be contracted. UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
Contract programme staff. UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 7: Given the fact that UN Women operates under the NEX modality, a significant level of implementation responsibility should be transferred to MAAN. However, MAAN should ensure the allocation of highly qualified staff with gender and enterprise development expertise to the programme. These staff should be fully dedicated the programme.
Management Response: Management Response: As recommended, a significant level of implementation responsibility will be transferred to Maan Development Center in the new programme phase. In order to keep up with the new level of responsibility, Maan will guarantee the contracting of highly qualified staff with experience in gender and enterprise development by reflecting these requirements in the ToRs and post descriptions.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Reflect higher level of responsibility for Maan Development Center in the log frame and budget of the programme document for Phase III, including budget provisions for highly qualified staff. UN Women oPt office 2012/12 Completed
Elaborate staff ToR and post description to guarantee that gender and enterprise development expertise be brought to the programme. UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
Contract highly qualified programme staff to work under responsibility of Maan Development Center. UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 8: The programme?s committees established under the current phase should be activated and given more support and authority to be able to discharge their responsibilities more effectively. For this purpose, it is strongly recommended that the Programme Advisor at NRO is brought onto the PSC as member, along with the Deputy Ministry of Education and the MoE?s General Directors of Buildings and Finance and Administration.
Management Response: Management Response: In order to increase the effectiveness of the programme committees, new criteria for committees will be established, giving more responsibility to the committees. It has also been agreed among the partners to bring NRO Programme Advisor as well as the Deputy Ministry of Education and the MoE?s General Directors of Buildings and Finance and Administration onto the PSC as members.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Establish new criteria for the committees UN Women oPt office 2013/03 Completed
Invite high level representatives to take part in the committee meetings. UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 9: The PSC should meet at least once every two months or when necessary. It should keep a detailed record of its meetings and decisions in both English and Arabic. Once signed by members, PSC meeting minutes should be widely circulated to programme partners.
Management Response: Management Response: The recommendation is taken into consideration for the new phase of the programme by increasing the frequency of the PSC meetings. As regards meeting minutes in English and Arabic, these will be taken by UN Women Programme Associate who, according to her/his ToR, will be fluent in both English and Arabic.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Establish a provisional calendar for PSC meetings UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
Include the task of taking minutes of meeting as well as fluency in English and Arabic in the ToR of Programme Associate. UN Women oPt office 2013/03 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 10: The PSC members, particularly UN Women?s Head of Office and MoE?s General Director of School Health, are strongly advised to organize joint field visits to schools and women?s centers. This will not only have a positive effect at level of partners in the field, but it will also provide some context to the issues that get discussed at PSC meetings.
Management Response: Management Response: The need for more field visits at the level of UN Women Special Representative and MoE?s General Director of School Health will be taken into consideration in the new phase of the programme and quarterly plans for field visits will be elaborated, starting from the academic year 2013/2014 when activities in the women-run school canteens will start to take place.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018), Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Establish a provisional schedule of field visits on quarterly basis UN Women oPt office 2016/12 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 11: In planning for and implementing capacity building: - ensure timely provision of training; - give greater emphasis to on-the-job coaching and training (as opposed to in-class training) in the areas of financial management, costing and cost control, marketing and communications; - ensure that training methods follow learner-cantered approaches, including the preparation of customized training materials for the trainees to take away; - make provisions for providing training on gender, particularly for programme field staff training; - integrate of MoE staff involved in the programme in the capacity building programme both as trainers and trainees; - give greater emphasis to documentation and dissemination of good business practices through monthly or quarterly newsletters.
Management Response: Management Response: In the new phase of the programme, focus will be put on carrying out detailed and adequate needs assessment of the women centers in regard to capacity building, and the training programme and schedule will be tailored according to these needs. An additional budget will be foreseen for preparing and printing customized training materials for the trainees to be able to take these home. Training on gender, including training for programme field staff, will be provided by a trainer expert in gender issues, who will be contracted for this task. Maan will also include the MoE programme staff in the capacity building programme both as trainers and trainees, based on needs assessment and the capacities of the staff. Documentation and dissemination of good business practices will be strengthened through Maan Development Center newsletters in cooperation with MoE and UN Women. Additional efforts will be placed by MoE and UN Women to disseminate the good practices of the programme among their networks.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include adequate time and budget for assessing needs of capacity building in the women centers. UN Women oPt office 2012/10 Completed
Include adequate budget for training of programme staff on gender UN Women oPt office 2012/10 Completed Completed
Include adequate budget for preparing and printing customized training materials UN Women oPt office 2012/10 Completed
A needs assessment for capacity building of the women centers to be conducted. UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
A training work plan to be elaborated UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed
Training work plan to be shared with MoE and MoE staffs participation as trainees and/or trainer to be defined UN Women oPt office 2012/09 Completed
Draft ToR for trainer expert in gender issues UN Women oPt office 2013/06 No Longer Applicable
Elaborate a plan for training in gender equality and mainstreaming for field staff UN Women oPt office 2013/09 No Longer Applicable
Contract a trainer expert in gender issues UN Women oPt office 2013/09 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 12: The establishment of food production units at women?s centers has proven effective under the WRSCP and should be extended in the new phase. To the extent possible, however, the establishment of food production units should be linked to the business model that the respective center will follow. Hence, a clearer verification of infrastructure development and equipment needs should be ensured by the programme. For initial planning purposes, a US$ 8,000 should be allocated for unit establishment and upgrading. However, actual allocations should be based on both need and business model to be promoted.
Management Response: Management Response: Establishment of food production units will continue in the new phase of the programme and will follow the recommendations of the needs assessment that will be conducted in the women centers at the beginning of the programme. An average of 5000$ was estimated as necessary for the establishment and upgrading of food production units based on the experience from the previous phase of the programme.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include adequate budget for establishment of food production units UN Women oPt office 2012/12 Completed
Needs assessment for infrastructure and equipment of food production units to be conducted. UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 13: During the implementation of the next phase of the programme, UN Women and MoE should collaborate to commission a research to assess the financial performance of all canteen enterprises and document good business practices of partner women?s centers. This research, which should also examine the financial conditions for the beneficiary schools, should be the basis for discussions between MoE and UN Women regarding adjustments in canteen lease fees.
Management Response: Management Response: A Subsidy Consultant will be contracted in order to assess the business practices of the women centers and conduct a research which will serve as a basis for discussion between UN Women and MoE regarding canteen lease fees and the overall sustainability of the programme.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable, Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include adequate budget for Subsidy Consultant and determine her/his role UN Women oPt office 2012/12 Completed
ToR for Subsidy Consultant to be drafted. UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed
Define the scope and objectives of the research to be conducted UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed
Contract Subsidy Consultant UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 14: UN Women should plan for exit within a maximum of four years from the WRSCP, and plan well for its scaling-up.
Management Response: Management Response: In the new phase of the programme, focus will be set on capacity building of the women centers in order to build permanent capacity within the centers and in this way guarantee the sustainability of the business practices and the women centers. The food production units will also serve as a basis for sustainability by diversifying the business model of the women centers and creating new type of access to the market. On the other hand, efforts on mobilizing the community support will also contribute to the success of the women centers as catering services might be provided to events within, and even outside of the community. Finally, a strategic plan will be elaborated by MoE for replicating the women-run school canteens model at national level. This plan will be based on the research elaborated by the Subsidy Consultant on the schedule and planning of canteen lease fees.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles:
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Impact, Sustainability, Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include adequate budget and activities to assure focus is put on capacity building of the women centers UN Women oPt office 2012/12 Completed
Include adequate budget for the consultant who will contribute to the elaboration of national plan of replicating the women-run school canteen business model. UN Women oPt office 2012/12 Completed
Tailor the capacity building programme so that its outcomes contribute to sustainability. UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed
Contract the consultant. UN Women oPt office 2013/09 No Longer Applicable