General Report

POST/PROGRESS ASSESSMENT REPORT-FY-2023/2024

Project Title

Scalable Community-Led Learning through Play for Refugee Children.

Project objective:

• To promote social inclusion of children with disabilities through play.
• To develop the intellectual, social, emotional and physical abilities of children with disabilities through inclusive play.
• Advocating the rights, interest, and freedom of children with disabilities through learning.
• To build the capacities of caregivers in use of play to facilitate learning and social inclusion of children with disabilities.

 Long-term change that the project aims to develop:

Improved Learning and social inclusion for children with disabilities both in the refugee settlements and host communities.

Objective(s) of the post/progress assessment

The overarching goal of this activity was to demonstrate outcomes. Simultaneously, it aimed to provide evidence of the project's success to stakeholders, funders, and the community to justify the continued investment and expansion of the program to other zones within Imvepi refugee settlement and the surrounding host communities.

·       Specific objectives of the post/progress assessment

 To establish a feedback mechanism: Create a structured feedback mechanism between caregivers and the implementing partner (YETA) to identify the implementation gaps.

To ascertain program effectiveness: Evaluate whether the "Play and learn" project did achieve its intended goals and outcomes.

To facilitate communication: Share project progress reports with parents/caregivers to keep them informed and involved in continuing to support these children with disabilities.

Key Activities implemented

Mobilized 50 caregivers and 9 outreach workers from YETA and Hope Rising a local RLO for capacity strengthening in use of play to facilitate learning of children with disabilities at home and community mobile satellite centers. 45 caregivers were available during the post assessment.

Identified and assessed 50 children with technical support from 3 star rehabilitation initiative. This also involved pre-assesment of the children to design play activities for the children. For the reporting period, 45 children were available and others were relocated by their caregivers.

Procured and distributed play and learning materials as recommended by the Disability specialists at the 3 satellite centers managed by the caregivers. 

Organized and conducted weekly play and learn sessions in the community in three mobile satellite centers. Each center received one play session per week.

The quantitative data revealed that there were only 32% of the children with different disabilities with No difficulty in performing various activities like Walking or climbing steps, Remembering, Concentrating on an activity, Performing self-care roles (bathing self, washing clothes, brushing teeth, and dressing self), Picking up small objects with his/her hand, Communicating/expressing needs, Reading alphabets, Reading words, Holding pencil/pen to write, Recognizing different colours, Counting numbers, Spelling different words, Drawing objects, Playing with others, Controlling his/her behaviour, and Making friends/socialisation, whereas 68% had either some, lot or could not respond to or perform some of these activities as presented in the graph above.

The post-assessment quantitatively reveals that the caregivers/parents of the children with disabilities had an acceptance of agreeing at 69.5% changes in performing the same activities compared to 68% before the intervention. This significantly contributes to the change outcome intended by the project end.

The reasons for a decrease in the numbers are attributed to the voluntary inter-settlement movement and self-repatriation of the households to different locations for reasons best known by them.

Caregivers were assessed to ascertain their level of confidence and opinion about play and learn activities. Analysis reveals 25% disagreed, and 14% agreed with 56% falling either agree or disagreed.

In the post-assessment for caregivers; 93% agreed that the play and learn activities changed and improved on the skills and way of their children doing things differently.

Lessons learned

Engagement of community outreach workers brings closeness of the children with disabilities to their parents

Routine engagement of caregivers accelerates the understanding and learning of the clients both at home and in centres

Community learning centers improve the learning of children with disabilities more than normal school settings.

What we can do better in future

 Our sustainability plan