Our Words Library Project

River Cess County

Liberia
Implementation: Children in Crisis and the
Forum of African Women Educationalists,
Liberia

FINAL EXTERNAL EVALUATION REPORT

School Children Acting out a Drama for the OWL Project,

Fartha School, River Cess

Dr Alicia T. Fentiman
September 2016

1
ACRONYMS

CEO Country Education Officer

CiC Children in Crisis
CR Comic Relief
DEO District Education Officer
EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment
EGMA Early Grade Math Assessment
FAWE-L Forum of African Women Educationalists, Liberia
FAWE-SL Forum of African Women Educationalists, Sierra Leone
FGD Focus Group Discussion
IPOW In Place of War
MEL Monitoring Evaluation and Learning
MoE Ministry of Education
NGO Non governmental organisation
OWL Our Words Library Project
PTA Parent Teacher Association
SLSs School Literacy Specialists
TfD Theatre for Development
TiE Theatre in Education

2
Acknowledgements

In the course of this evaluation, several people assisted me, and I would like to thank them for their time
and support. I would like to thank Children in Crisis, in particular, Sarah Rowse and James Avery and
also former CiC staff member, Charlotte Morgan-Fallah.

I would also like to thank staff at FAWE-Liberia for their help and assistance in arranging the logistics
for the field work and for helping me to arrange key interview appointments. I am grateful to a number of
people who assisted me in the field: Rufus Mandein, Jarvis Fletcher, Christian Plakar, Mrs Satta K.
Gbelee, Trainer Community Mobilisation, Karwah Kopah Community Mobiliser for engagement OWl,
Mr George T.K. Ngainjaine, Community Mobiliser (Literacy), and Zubah Forkpa.

I would also like to express my gratitude for the help and assistance given to me in River Cess County.
The principals, teachers, and district education officers were extremely helpful and accommodating. Most
importantly, I thank the children, parents and caregivers who spent time with me in their communities and
who were willing to share their views, experiences and perspectives.

3
Table of Contents Page

Executive Summary 5

1 Introduction and Background 10

2 Evaluation Objectives and Methodology 12

2.1 Objectives of the Evaluation 12
2.2 Methodology 12
3 Key Findings 13
3.1 Improved Literacy, Reading, Comprehension skills and Quality
3.1.1 Enrolment Data 14
3.1.2 Training of Teachers 14
3.1.3Training of Local Artists 17
3.2 Target Schools Promoting Literacy and Reading in Schools/Communities 19
3.2.1 Training of School Literacy Specialists (SLS) 19
3.2.2 Delivery and Distribution of stories 20
3.2.3 Promotion of Literacy Activities 22
3.3 Parental Engagement in Childrens Reading and Community Mobilisation 22
3.3.1 PTA Training 22
3.4 Accountability of County and DEOs 23
3.5 MoE and National Strategy and Literacy in Rural Areas 24
3.6 Effectiveness of Theatre Activities as a Vehicle for Literacy Promotion 25
3.6.1 Liberian Performance Artists 25
3.6.2 Childrens Voices 27
3.6.3 Perceptions about the Project from Communities 31
3.7 Project Management 34
3.7.1 Programme Personnel 34
3.7.2 Trainers and Community Mobilisers 35
3.7.3 Data Collections 35
3.8 Sustainability of the Project 39
3.9 OWL Project and Other Education Stakeholders 40
3.9.1 OWL and River Cess County Education Officers 40
3.9.2 Relationship with other Educational NGOs 41
3.10 FAWE-L and CiC Partnerships 42
4 Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact & Sustainability 44
5 Recommendations for Future Programming 46
Annex 1 Evaluation Schedule 49
Annex 2 Schools Visited and Map showing Schools 51

4
Executive Summary

Children in Crisis (CiC) in partnership with the Forum for African Women Educationalists - Liberia
(FAWE-L), launched a new and innovative educational programme called the Our Words Library (OWL)
Project from January, 2013 to December, 2016. The OWL project was designed to respond to the poor
literacy levels of children in River Cess County, Liberia which is one of the most remote, marginalized
and excluded areas in the country. The important role of FAWE-CiC in educational initiatives in River
Cess was captured by a DEO who said, FAWE are buttressing the efforts of the government in
educational provision in the county. This is especially significant in River Cess where there are no other
educational ngos working in the County and where 63 % of teachers are not fully trained.

The main aims of the OWL project were to improve the quality of teaching in primary schools, to provide
literacy materials in schools and to promote a literacy culture beyond the classrooms which extended to
the homes and communities. The novel project consisted of a child focused approach which promoted the
participation of children in gathering their own culturally relevant stories from their communities,
dramatizing the story, and contributing to a collection of story cards to create a library of literacy
materials. The OWL project targeted 45 primary schools (out of a total of 132) within the five districts of
River Cess County including Timbo, Cee 1, Cee 2, Yarnee, and Moweh. Schools were selected on criteria
such as number of teachers, enrolment, and location. The field research for the evaluation took place from
the 19th June - 3rd July, 2016. An outline of the main activities during the evaluation is described in Annex
1.

A representative sample of schools and communities was visited during the evaluation covering all 5
districts within River Cess County (Annex 2). The methodology consisted primarily of qualitative data
tools but also a review of project documentation and datasets. Face-to-face interviews and focus group
discussions were the main research methods used to generate the qualitative data for the study with a wide
range of key stakeholders to gather their views, perspectives, and perceptions about the OWL
Programme.

5
Summary of Key Outcomes from the Evaluation

1. Improved literacy, reading and comprehension skills through higher quality of classroom teaching
The OWL project succeeded to enhance the quality of classroom teaching in the 45 target schools. It was
shown that 217 primary school teachers were trained during the project and benefitted from the training.
As one teacher remarked, all teachers should take part in the training. The majority of teachers
interviewed said that the training was of high quality and that the training provided them with new and
improved pedagogical skills. In addition, 86 teachers received specialist literacy training which improved
their knowledge and skills pertaining to literacy-related activities. The impact of the training is described
by one SLS teacher, I found the course so useful. I learned about phonetics, sounds, vocabulary and
making resources such as cards to use in my teaching. I use these methods in my classes and the students
like the cards. School leadership and management were also enhanced by training school principals in
the 45 target schools. It is estimated that several thousand school children benefitted from improved
teacher training, and a sample of children who took part in EGRA/EGMA assessment (baseline and
endline) displayed significant improvements in their literacy skills, reading and comprehension.

2. Promotion of Literacy and Reading beyond the Classroom

A significant outcome and achievement of the OWL programme was the inclusion of community based
strategies. The training of SLSs encouraged teachers to engage in activities which involved the active
participation of the parents and community members. One SLS teacher provided an example, I want to
go out to the community and carry the story cards and read to people and explain the story in the local
dialect and then in English to promote a reading culture outside the classroom. This sentiment was
confirmed by PTA members who participated in training to encourage the parents to read with their
children. It was shown that 452 PTA members attended the workshops and used their knowledge and
training to promote parents and care givers to take an active role in their childrens reading. One PTA
member mentioned the importance of the availability of resources, the story cards are an excellent way to
involve parents in their childrens reading and the procedures for borrowing cards enabled children to
take them home and to read the stories with their parents. The data also revealed the need for additional
adult literacy courses; there is a high percentage of community members who are illiterate and further
advocacy needs to be done to enhance their situation.

6
3. Theatre as a Vehicle for Literacy Promotion and Story Making
A major achievement of the project was the use of theatre as a vehicle for literacy promotion and story
making. Interviews with a wide range of stakeholders confirmed that it was a very effective mechanism to
engage children in story making and to empower communities to become active by promoting their own
culturally relevant resources. The significant impact of the programme was summed up by one DEO,
The use of drama in story making was a very effective way of encouraging the community to participate
in the project. In fact, it also encouraged out of school children to return to school. After watching the
performance artists, children returned to school. In particular the drama helped to encourage more girls to
return to school. The use of drama in schools and communities is a very effective mechanism in the
delivery of important information. This form of edutainment is not only informative but also enjoyable.
The legacy of the drama continues through other activities. During the evaluation, children from a few of
the schools displayed their dancing, singing, and acting skills that they were going to use during their
school closing ceremonies and in extracurricular activities.

4. Devastating Impact of Ebola Crisis on County and National Priorities

Two of the initial objectives of the programme were not achieved because of the devastating impact of the
ebola crisis on the national and county education sectors and the shift in priorities. For example, it was
envisaged that the County and DEOs would be held to account by target school and communities on
delivering rural education programmes. A technical working group was established at the beginning of
the project but the group ceased to operate in July 2014. The MoE diverted its focus to ebola prevention
and awareness. It was also envisaged in the original project proposal that the MoE would devise a
national strategy/implementation plan and budget/resource allocation for the expansion and emphasis of
literacy in the national primary education system by the end of 2016.

5. Sustainability and the Transfer of skills

A major aspect of the project has been capacity-building and quality training of teachers, principals, PTA
members, Literacy specialists, and CiC-FAWE project staff. One key aim as illustrated in the annual
reports was to empower the key stakeholders to become agents of change. In-depth interviews and focus
group discussions conducted during the evaluation show that teachers (including literacy specialists),
principals and PTA members who underwent the professional development training are utilizing the
knowledge, skills, and practices they acquired through their training by employing these skills in the
classroom and communities. Unfortunately, the evaluator was unable to observe classroom teaching
because of the timing of the field visit all teaching had ceased. However, observations during
monitoring and evaluation activities did show an improvement in pedagogy. The skills learned during the

7
training are sustainable skills in the sense that they will endure after the project has finished. FAWE
project staff also benefitted from a number of training opportunities; however, the staff suggested more
in-depth training in qualitative data collection, statistical data analysis and report writing.

6. Longstanding Partnership between FAWE and CiC

The evaluation showed that the partnership between FAWE-L and CiC is very important for the success
and sustainability of the OWL programme, as well as other collaborative initiatives, such as the
vocational training programme. CiC relies on FAWE-L to implement their programmes on the ground in
Liberia. CiC does not have any full time staff resident in Liberia so it is imperative that there is regular
communication and mutual trust between the two organisations. Interviews with project staff CiC and
FAWE and CiC revealed that the establishment of a close, trusting partnership is extremely important for
projects to succeed. The challenges that staff faced were the large amount of data that were collected,
coding and analysis. Another challenge was the time factor. Some of the activities pertaining to the
project were delayed and the reading materials (story-cards) were not produced efficiently in Years 2 and
3.

Recommendations for future programming

1 To continue the OWL project in River Cess and to explore ways to work more closely with the
CEO and DEOs in the county to enhance the quality of teaching in primary schools in the County.

The OWL project is an innovative and novel initiative that has improved the quality of teaching in
primary schools, provided literacy materials in resource poor schools, and promoted a literacy culture
beyond the classroom to the communities. Significant lessons have been learned, and it is recommended
to extend the project and to work more closely with the county and district education officials in the
selection of schools. It is also recommended to revise the model and to consider working in target
schools/communities over a longer period of time (i.e. for a minimum of two years) in order to measure
impact and change; one year is not enough time especially if some activities are delayed.

2 To advocate for the use of Theatre for Development and Message dramas in Schools and
Communities throughout the Country.

8
The use of theatre for development and as a vehicle for literacy promotion, story making, and message
drama has been shown by the OWL project to be a very effective mechanism to engage children and to
empower communities to become active in their childrens learning by producing culturally relevant
resources. This approach should be scaled up to other schools and communities in the country.

3 To improve the management of the programme and to reassess key roles, duties and
responsibilities of project staff (FAWE and CiC).

Over the lifecyle of the project, there have been changes in personnel within FAWE and CiC. It is
recommended to reassess the roles, duties and responsibilities of the project staff to ensure that all project
activities are completed on time and to minimize delays in achieving project outcomes.

4 To Revise the project model and to strengthen the research capacity of project staff

The research model employed was overly ambitious and the choice of indicators and tools should be
revised and modified. The indicators need to be realistic. Interviews with research staff also revealed that
they require further training in data collection and analysis. In particular, in-depth training in qualitative
participatory research approaches are needed for deeper enquiry and to enhance the quality of data
collection.

5 To disseminate the work and findings of the OWL project to a wider audience.

The project is well known throughout River Cess County but it is important to raise the profile of CiC-
FAWE nationally. It is recommended that a final workshop at the end of the OWL project should be
organized in order to highlight the project and the work being done in River Cess and to raise the profile
of CiC and FAWE with other key educational providers, donors, ngos and stakeholders.

6 To restore the Literacy Working Group

As discussed above, a literacy working group was established at the outset of the project, but due to the
ebola crisis it was dismissed. It is recommended to explore the possibility of restoring the literacy
working group and to advocate at county and national levels, to devise a strategy for the expansion and
emphasis of literacy in rural areas, and to address the provision of adult literacy.

9
1 Introduction
Children in Crisis (CiC) in partnership with the Forum for African Women Educationalists - Liberia
(FAWE-L), implemented a new and innovative educational programme called the Our Words Library
(OWL) Project between January, 2013 and December, 2016. The OWL project was designed to respond
to the poor literacy levels of children in River Cess County, Liberia which is one of the most remote,
marginalized and excluded areas in the country. The main aims of the project were to improve the quality
of teaching in primary schools, to provide literacy materials in schools, and to promote a literacy culture
beyond the classrooms which extended to the homes and communities. The novel project consisted of a
child-focused approach which promoted the active participation of children in gathering their own
culturally relevant stories from their communities, dramatizing the story, and contributing to a collection
of story cards to create a library of literacy materials.

The OWL project targeted 45 primary schools (out of a total of 132) within the five districts of River Cess
County including Timbo, Cee 1, Cee 2, Yarnee, and Moweh. Schools were selected based on criteria such
as number of teachers, enrolment, and location. 1 The project was designed to work in 15 treatment
schools in each year in parallel with 15 control schools. A total of 45 primary schools participated in the
project. There are 3 major cohorts referred to in this report: Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3. It must be noted
that in the second year of the project there was the devastating impact of the ebola crisis in the country
and severe disruption emerged including the closure of schools and the restricted movement of
populations. Therefore, the project was modified for a year and a change-of-use grant2 was awarded to
provide assistance to communities in River Cess. Fortuitously, the networks in the county which had been
established prior to the crisis by FAWE-CiC enabled them to utilize their close partnerships and to work
in 39 communities in River Cess during the outbreak. The team worked to advocate about Ebola
prevention and response intervention, which included the distribution of hygiene materials and health
awareness.3 Schools reopened in 2014 and the OWL programme resumed. The four year period came to
an end in July 2016 and a final external evaluation was commissioned to examine the effectiveness of the
OWL programme.

The field research for the evaluation took place from the 19th June - 3rd July, 2016. An outline of the main
activities during the evaluation is described in Annex 1. A representative sample of schools and
1
See: OWL Baseline Assessment and Selection of Treatment and Control Schools Report, River Cess, Liberia. Report by the
FAWE Education team, June 9-28, 2013.
2
Annual Project Report for Grant 2/2014. Change of Use Grant Request to Comic Relief. GR002-07003-FUST OWL, Grant
Year 3: Jan.-Dec. 2015.
3
See Ebola Awareness Response (EAR) Update, January 30th, 2015. The report summarises the activities carried out by the
FAWE-CiC team in River Cess County.

10
communities were visited during the evaluation covering all 5 districts within River Cess County (Annex
2). The target schools varied considerably in terms of construction (from cement block to mud/thatch),
enrolment rates, teacher-pupil ratios, and accessibility. Some schools were located on the main road near
Cestos town whilst others could only be reached by canoe, motorbike or walking. This wide range of
diversity and variety of types of schools and communities were deliberately chosen, especially in the
more remote areas in order to understand and comprehend the difficulty of accessibility for project staff
during monitoring and evaluation activities, training, and data collection. A map of the schools in the
county shows the location of the schools participating in the OWL project and those which were visited
during the evaluation are highlighted in Annex 3.

Limitations
Timing: The timing of the evaluation was problematic because all the schools had completed their
classroom teaching and most were preparing for their closing ceremonies to mark the end of the
academic year. As a result, it was not possible to observe classroom teaching or teacher-pupil interaction.
In some schools, internal school tests were taking place during the evaluation visits, and pupils and
teachers who were invigilating could not be interviewed. It was also the rainy season and travel to remote
areas was particularly difficult and often took much longer than anticipated because of the poor road
conditions.
Farming Season: In addition, the rainy season coincided with the height of the farming season and some
community members were busy farming (many of the farms are in locations far away from the
households) and some community members were not able to meet with the evaluator during the scheduled
visits.
Quantitative Data Analysis still on-going: Datasets are still being analysed for the project for all three
years. Although initial analysis for the first 2 years was conducted, further cleaning and more detailed
analysis of the data sets are still being conducted. For example, in Year 1, 522 children (246 female/276
males) were tested from the 15 target schools and 242 from the control schools. An end line was
conducted in June 2014. A review of the EGRA data showed some discrepancies the children who
were tested in the baseline were not necessarily the children in the end line. The data sets for Year 3 have
not been analysed. (The endline data were only recently collected). Analysis will be forthcoming with the
help and assistance of the new MEL officer.
Delay in Activities: Some activities, such as performance artist training in Year 3 communities, were late
and it was not possible to evaluate the impact of the activities on the communities.
Linguistic: Another challenge during the evaluation was linguistic. All the interviews were held in
English, but the evaluator did not speak Liberian pidgin English or the local language of Bassa. In a few

11
interviews with young school children the questions had to be translated into pidgin to enable the children
to understand the questions.

Staff Changeover: Two of the CiC staff members who were directly involved in the OWL project the
Programme Manager and the MEL officer left CiC before the external evaluation took place.

Irrespective of the challenges and limitations, the evaluator was able to meet with a wide range of key
stakeholders including government officials (at national and county levels), community members, parent
teacher associations, principals, teachers, literacy specialists and pupils in a relatively short period of
time.

2 Evaluation Objectives and Methodology

2.1 Objectives of the Evaluation

The evaluation examined a number of activities that were undertaken and the outcomes that were
achieved since the project began in January 2013. The evaluation objectives included:

An assessment of the project achievements against the original aims and objectives of the
program which included specific targets (described in detail in the next section)
A brief assessment of how effective theatre activities are as a vehicle for literacy promotion and
story gathering
An assessment of the overall implementation of the project including strengths and weaknesses
relating to programme management and implementation and the effectiveness of project
monitoring
An assessment of the impact and sustainability of the project and significant achievements
An assessment of how the project worked with other relevant stakeholders in relation to the
education sector
An assessment of the partnership between FAWE-L and CiC and partners perceptions
Recommendations for future programming and Lessons Learned

2.2 Methodology
The Terms of Reference (ToRs) required a methodology employing primarily participatory qualitative
approaches. The research on which this report is based addressed the diversity and typicality of pertinent
issues identified in the ToRs through a series of in depth interviews and focus group discussions which

12
were held with a wide range of stakeholders to gather their views, perceptions and perspectives about the
OWL programme. The research incorporated:

A comprehensive review of the documentation. The consultant had access to all documentation
relating to the OWL project including: the original proposal, annual reports to the donor (Comic
Relief), training manuals, monitoring and evaluation reports, report summaries, and data sets for
the 3 cohorts of the project. The data were reviewed and scrutinised. As mentioned above, data
analysis is still ongoing and detailed analysis of the data sets was not the remit of the evaluator.
Discussions with CiC and FAWE-L staff. Examination of programme management, including
school selection, training of research staff, training of teachers, SLS, principals, and PTA
members.
School visits. Field visits to a sample of schools (15) covering each of the five districts. (See
Annex 2 for a list of all school visited during the evaluation)
Focus group discussion. A representative sample of principals, teachers and students were
visited during the evaluation.
In-depth interviews with community leaders and PTA members.
Interviews with Liberian performance artists. Interviews with those who attended theatre
workshops and who trained children and staff in a number of communities in River Cess.
Interviews with other key stakeholders. Interviews with District Education Officers, Ministry
Officials in Monrovia and other educational providers.

Face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions were the main research methods used to generate the
qualitative data for this study. Contemporaneous notes were made during the conduct of the interviews
and discussions. The main points were summarised at the end of each interview and discussion in order to
ensure the accuracy and fairness of the records and to give participants the opportunity to add to or correct
them. The data were triangulated at three key stages: (i) individual and group accounts were checked for
internal consistency; (ii) the whole dataset was cross-checked to identify possible discrepancies; and (iii)
the accounts of the participants were located in their wider contexts.

3 Key findings
This section provides a detailed assessment of the key programme outcomes and the main achievements
for each of the programmes priority areas and their associated activities as outlined in the ToRs. The aim
of the project was to promote improvements in comprehension, reading and writing for up to 4,500

13
children through school and community based initiatives, strengthen community support, and to upgrade
the quality of teaching in the classroom. Below is a summary of the outcomes.

3.1 By the end of 2016, up to 4,500 children in 45 target schools in River Cess have
measurably improved literacy, reading and comprehension skills through higher quality of
classroom teaching.

3.1.1 Enrolment Data

The data4 show that over 4,500 children in the target schools have taken part in the initiative. However,
the numbers of those benefitting may be more than this because the total enrolment in the target schools is
7,960 children based on the combined enrolment statistics for each of the participating schools. The
annual reports display the number of children benefiting from improved quality of teaching; it is
summarised as follows:

Year 1 - 3,040 children (1,737 boys and 1,303 girls) are benefitting from an improved quality of
teaching
Year 2 - 3,040 children (1,737 boys and 1,303 girls)
Year 3 - 3,470 children (1,932 boys and 1,547 girls)

During the baseline and endline, a number of monitoring methods were employed to gather the impact of
the programme on improving reading and comprehension. FGDs and student interviews were conducted
as well as a sample of children was selected to be tested using the EGRA/EGMA testing model. The
egra/egma results of Year 1 and Year 2 have been analysed and show that there have been measured
improvements in childrens comprehension and reading skills. The test results for Cohort 3 have not been
analysed at the time of the evaluation and data analysis is currently ongoing.

3.1.2 Training of Teachers

The following table displays the number of teachers by gender trained in the project. The table shows that
217 teachers were trained during the project, comprising 191 males and 26 females. The projected target
was 225, only a small shortage of 8. The training activities for cohort 2 were delayed because of the
ebola outbreak in July 2014 but resumed in January 2015 in a compressed training session. In addition, 86
teachers were trained as School Literacy Specialists (SLS) who received specialist training.

4
See Year 1 Annual Report, 31 Jan.2014 and Principals, Students Interview and Assessment Baseline Report, 2013; Year 2
Annual Report, 31 Jan. 2015; Year 3 Annual Report, 31 Jan. 2016. These reports summarise the significant achievements of the
project.

14
Table 1 Teacher Training Activities

OWL Training of When Supplementary PTA Number of SLS Total

teachers training
Cohort 1: 73 (63male/10 June-July 2013 Supplementary 152 PTA 28 73
2013-2014 female) training for English

Cohort 2: 75 teachers 1 week July 2014 No supplementary 3 day PTA 30 75

2014-2015 (65 males/10 and then ebola training for English training for (cluster training
females) outbreak. 150 PTA approach; 4
Feb-Nov 2015 clusters over 2
academic year Compressed days of training.
training in Jan
2015 for one week
to compensate for
disruption due to
school closure.
Cohort 3 69 teachers August 2015 150 (69 28 (Dec. 2015) 69
2015-2016 (63 males/6 females/81
female) males)
trained in
Dec. 2015
Total 191(males/26 452 PTA 86 SLS 217
females)

During the evaluation, discussions with a sample of teachers revealed that they enjoyed the training and
that they found the topics very useful. Most mentioned that they would like to receive further training and
refresher courses. One teacher in Lephart School suggested that, all teachers should take part in the
training; it is a must for all elementary school teachers. In another school, a teacher commented that, the
training was better than what I received at teacher training college. The majority view was that the
training was of high quality and that it was interesting, enjoyable and beneficial. Some thought that the
training attempted to cover a wide range of material in a very short time (3 weeks) and that it was hard to
digest all the material within such a tight timeline.

Certificate and Accreditation

Throughout the evaluation, all the teachers consulted mentioned the issue of the certificate and
accreditation. All teachers who attended training received certificates for their participation. They
suggested that the certificate be accredited by the MoE. The shortage of trained teachers and the lack of
incentives for volunteer teachers are serious issues that the County needs to address. FAWE-CiC have

15
contributed to improving the quality of teaching for a large number of teachers in their target schools but
this needs to be scaled up to include all schools within the County.

Those teachers who lived in remote areas also made recommendations that training should take place in
the district and not in Cestos. For example, teachers in Moweh Distict suggested using Moweh Public as a
hub for training and teachers in Yarnee District suggested using Neegbah Public School as a training
centre. During the evaluation, there was some confusion with a few teachers who underwent previous
training during the UBS girls education project, 2010-2013. The training manuals were similar, and the
manuals that were used in the UBS project were modified and adapted for the OWL training.

PRINCIPAL AT WHEAVENNEN PUBLIC SCHOOL

Based on the views and perspectives of the teachers, principals and progress reports, the training
contributed to improvement in teachers knowledge and pedagogical skills, adoption of child-centred
teaching methodologies and to professional development. It also contributed to leaders training and

16
professional development through improved school management and organisational skills.5 The overall
view was that the training was beneficial and informative to the teachers both individually and
collectively. They were able to put into practice what they learned at the workshops into the classroom
and the communities in which they serve.

Classroom Observation
Unfortunately, it was not possible for the evaluator to observe classroom teaching because all the teaching
had ended for the academic year as outlined in the limitations above.

3.1.3 Training of Local Artists

A key component of the project was to use local Liberian performance artists to work with communities
in River Cess County. At the outset of the programme, the artists attended a 3 week training programme
in January-February, 2014. It consisted of a one week workshop in Monrovia followed by a 2 week pilot
training in River Cess County. The training focused on the use of Theatre for Development (TFD), story
making through theatre, and working with children. A focus group with four of the artists (3 of whom
took part in the original training) revealed that they enjoyed the training very much and that they learned a
lot about working with children and how to facilitate. One of the artists said that the training was
extremely helpful for the artists and commented, it was a new idea for some who were already involved
in the arts. The training added more knowledge to the work and it illustrated how to encourage and
involve children in drama, especially through message skits. Another artist recalled with fondness:

It was my first time working with children; it was a novel way to take fear away and to
encourage confidence, self-expression and open-mindedness. The creative process provided the
children with a mechanism to enjoy learning and to take an interest in education. It prompted
them to think and create their own setting to devise a plot (story line) and to create characters.
Being involved in this creative process was very rewarding.

In the second performance training (Year 2), a refresher course was provided and the artists wrote a
report6 on their experiences about their training in July-September, 2015. Overall the training went well
but they reported some challenges they faced in the field such as the refresher course was scaled back
from one week to 3 days due to the lack of food, insufficient accommodation in remote communities,
problems with transportation, requests from some parents for sitting fees when they were asked to sign a

5
For further details see Training of Teachers Report, August 4-30th, 2013.
6
Team A Report on Phase II Report on Theatre Development and Story Making workshop, Rivercess County, July 6-
September 4, 2015. Two training sessions: 6th-24th July, 2016; 3rd-28th August, 2015. Report Summary by David S. Chea, Team
Leader.

17
consent form for their children to participate in the drama training, and elders who asked for money for
stories. This highlights the need for better community mobilisation and liaison to ensure that the
communities fully understand the aims and objectives of the initiative.

In Year 3 the artists visited the communities in March-April 2016 which was extremely late because the
schools had finished all teaching activities by mid-June 2016. The following table shows the theatre
activities which were scheduled for 2016:

Clustered Communities for Theatre Development

FAWE-CiC Our Word Library Project

Week Team Community District Date

A Gbasleh Moweh March 13-19

1
B Jo-River Moweh March 13-19
A Boe Pub. Sch. Moweh March 10-26
2
B Moweh Pub. Sch. Moweh March 10-26
A Fred Barnard Pub. Sch Yarnee March 26-April 2
3
B Kola Tree Pub. Sch Timbo March 26-April 2
A Gorzohn/Wheazohn Timbo April 2-9
4
B Toes Town Central Cee 1 April 2-9
5 A&B Resting Cestos April 10-16
A Gbarsaw Pub. Sch. Central Cee 1 April 17- 23
6
B Upper Timbo Timbo March 17-23
A Sadio Central Cee 1 April 23-30
7
B Tompo Timbo April 23-30
A Weasayne Central Cee 1 May 1-7
8
B Darsaw Pub. Sch. Timbo May 1-7
Team J L Travers Timbo May 8-14
9
A&B
Team Monrovia Office May 15, 2016
10
A&B

The impact of the Year 3 training is difficult to evaluate because it took place so late in the academic
year. When staff were asked why it was delayed it was said that they had too much other work to do and
that there was slippage in planned activities. This needs to be addressed and activities need to be
undertaken earlier within the academic school calendar.

Certificates to Performance artists.

18
At the end of the training for Year 1 the performance artists received a certificate for their 3 week TFD by
Dr Alison Lloyd Williams 7 , IPOW Overall, the performers were happy with their training and
engagement with the communities. This is discussed further in the report in Section 3.6.

Recommendation

The training schedule of performance artists and their visits to communities need to be better planned
and coordinated. The community mobilisation officers and FAWE staff need to work more closely with
the communities and inform them of the aims of the project. It has to be reiterated to parents and
elders that incentives (such as money) will not be given in exchange of signatures for consent or for
stories. The late planning of the drama activities in Year 3 illustrates that activities need to be better
organised and arranged. The work plans for each year require detailed and careful planning.

3.2 By the end of 2016, 45 target schools in River Cess are actively promoting and
monitoring literacy and reading within their schools and communities

3.2.1 Training of School Literacy Specialists (SLS)

The data in Table 1 above show that 86 teachers were trained as SLS. They attended specialist training
workshops to improve their knowledge and skills relating to literacy-related activities and to improve
literacy outcomes in their schools. During the evaluation, a number of literacy specialists were consulted.
One literacy specialist, Sylvester Kpan from Khanweh School commented that he enjoyed the training
very much and as a result of the encouragement of the trainers, he spends a considerable amount of time
writing stories for the school library. He presented us with four of the stories he wrote for the school and
community. He was very appreciative of the training and said, We love FAWE; FAWE is the best.
Another SLS teacher, Stanley Charpaye, a teacher at J.L. Travers School, said that he enjoyed the training
and he was motivated to go beyond the classroom into the community, I want to go out into the
community and carry the story cards and read to the people and explain the story in the local dialect and
then in English to promote reading outside the classroom. Shadrick Guegue, principal of LoganTown
Public, also attended the SLS training. He said, I appreciated the training and I learned how to use more
teaching aids in school such as flash cards and showing children how to create words with vowels and
letters. It made me really enjoy teaching .It was a different approach and new experience for me and also
for the pupils. This was echoed by Robert Geezay, who said, I found it so useful, I learned about

7
Further details of the training are found in the OWL TFD Training Programme: Liberia, Jan-Feb. 2014. Also see, Alison Lloyd
Williams, Liberia, IPW, for her personal account of her 6 week visit as a TFD consultant in Pencilled In.
https://childrenincrisis.wordpress.com/tag/tie.

19
phonetics, sounds, vocabulary, and making resources such as cards to use in my teaching. I use these
methods in my classes and the students like the cards. These are simple but effective tools for teaching.

3.2.2 Delivery and Distribution of over 200 stories in 45 schools

A number of storycards were produced for the participating schools in the OWL project and each school
that was visited during the evaluation was asked to show the evaluator the story box which contained
the laminated story cards. All the schools but one had a story box. The one exception was at Zammie
Town Public. It was reported that the former principal took the library box with him when he left the
school, so the school is without its library resources. The story cards can be borrowed by children to take
home; in some schools (such as Fartha) they allow adults to also borrow the cards.

In Moweh Public School, a new and well-resourced school, there is a designated resource centre with
reading materials. Christine Gbablow, a volunteer teacher, assists at the school and runs the resource
centre. In an interview with her she said, the story cards were extremely helpful with encouraging
children to improve their reading and pronunciation. There is a great demand for them by the children and
they come and practice their reading here. Other teachers have remarked that the story cards help to
supplement the scarcity of resources the government provides. James Tarr, the principal at Darsaw Public
School, remarked that the story cards were very popular at his school and that the children were
constantly borrowing them. He also pointed out that private schools in the area also wanted to use them
and asked about them. It was also revealed that the Liberian Teaching Training Programme uses the story
cards and that they are reproduced and used throughout the country.

20
CHRISTINE GBABLOW, VOLUNTEER LIBRARIAN, MOWEH PUBLIC SCHOOL WITH ILLUSTRATED STORY CARDS FROM THE
LIBRARY BOX

During the evaluation it was also revealed that participating schools in cohort 2 and cohort 3 were still
waiting for their story cards to be produced. When staff members were asked why there was a delay in the
producing the cards, it was noted that in the first year of the project that there was a designated
international literacy specialist who helped to oversee the production. After she left, there has been a lack
of direction in the production. The turnover of FAWE staff could also provide some reasoning behind
this. There have been significant delays in typing up the stories, editing them, laminating them and
distributing them. It was suggested that the first cohort of cards were produced because a literacy
specialist helped to organise the data entry, graphics, editing, production, liaising with UNICEF to
laminate the materials, and to distribute the assemble the stories in a story box and distribute to the
schools.

Recommendation: It is of prime importance to improve the production and distribution of the

story cards. The schools and communities who produced the stories would like to have their
own stories added to their library box.

21
3.2.3 Promotion of Literacy Activities
All schools visited mentioned that additional activities such as spelling bee competitions, reading circles,
and reading out loud were useful ways to encourage children to practice their pronunciation and spelling
in English. Delays in the work plans, meant that some schools in cohort 3 were late in arranging their
literacy activities. They are planning to arrange spelling bees in the beginning of the next academic year.

3.3 By the end of 2016, there is a measurable increase in the number of parents
engaged in supporting their childrens reading at home and active in the promotion of
reading and literacy at community level

3.3.1 PTA training

It is difficult to quantify the impact of the OWL programme in increasing the number of parents who are
engaged in literacy activities outside the school. However, 452 PTA members in River Cess attended
PTA training workshops and a sample of PTA members were interviewed about their training and their
efforts to mobilise the community to take an active role in supporting their childrens reading outside of
the classroom. As mentioned in the section above on limitations, the timing of the evaluation coincided
with intensive farming activities, and as a result, in some communities it was only possible to interview
the chair of the PTA.

In Lephart, an interview was held with Juanita, a PTA member and she thought that the OWL project was
very successful in encouraging children to read. The story cards also enabled children to take them home
and read with their parents in their house. In Neegbah, an interview was held with Victoria Jackson, the
PTA chair. She described her role as working closely between teachers and parents in the communities
that served the school. She attended the PTA training and thought it was a very useful experience and that
it provided her with skills to empower parents, to learn to speak openly and to improve facilitation skills.
She said the story cards were an important tool to encourage parents to take a more active role in their
childrens learning and reading. She also thought it helped the parents with their English.

Another interview was held in Moweh with Hannah, the PTA chairwoman. She attended the cluster
training in Moweh in January 2016. She remarked that the training helped her and other PTA members to
understand their duties and how to liaise with communities. She provided examples and said she learned
how the PTA should assist the schools in activities such as preparing a school garden and how to pull

22
together and work hard to assist the school in general maintenance. She said, I loved the training, and I
speak on behalf of the other PTA members, and we would welcome more training and experiences.

Focus group discussions with PTAs commented on the usefulness of the training and said that they tried
very hard to bridge the school and community together. Some tried to encourage parents to take an active
role in assisting with their childrens reading. In Fartah, the PTA members said that some parents come
to the school and borrow the story cards and take them home to read with their children. In Nyorwein,
the PTA members thought that having more resources such as story cards helped to increase the
enrolment in the school. They also cited some of the challenges they faced in mobilising the community
such as poverty, the high rate of illiteracy among adults, the long working hours (esp. farming).
Irrespective of these challenges, the PTA members, community leaders and teachers thought that the
programme has increased the involvement of parents and care-givers in their childrens reading outside
the classroom. One PTA member said, the story cards are an excellent way to involve the parents in their
childrens reading. Another said that her son regularly borrowed the cards from the school and signed
them out. I really enjoy reading them with him. One challenge which affects the engagement of the
community in reading is that a significant number of parents missed out on formal education because of
the devastating civil war and many parents are illiterate. The high rates of adult illiteracy are a major
concern by communities and the county. Community members, teachers and DEOs all stressed the need
for adult literacy programmes in the area. One PTA member remarked, If a parent cannot read, then
he/she cannot identify a mistake the teacher makes. It is important for our government and for FAWE to
help the parents to become literate. Other challenges included poverty and long hours spent
farming/fishing/hunting.

Recommendation: To advocate for adult literacy classes to enable the community members to
have a more active and participatory role in their childrens learning.

3.4 County and DEOs are held to account by target schools and communities on
delivering their rural education policy commitments

The surveys and interviews showed that the teachers, children and PTA members were aware of the DEO
in their district, the role of the DEO and his/her relationship with the County CEO. At the outset of the
project, the CEO and DEOs were actively engaged in the project. Due to changes in CEO and DEOs over
the duration of the project, there has been a lack of recent involvement in the project. This is covered in
section 3.9.1.

23
A technical working group which focused on literacy and teacher in service training in rural areas was
established in April 2014 by FAWE. CiC and FAWE worked with the NGO education forum in Liberia
and established a Reading and Literacy working group and to promote the OWL storymaking
methodology and story cards. The initiative started off well, but unfortunately the group ceased to operate
in July 2014 because of the ebola crisis. As shown in the Grant Year 2/2014 report there had been initial
progress towards this outcome with the establishment of a Literacy working group. There was also a shift
in priorities within the education sector to prioritise health and sanitation such as the WASH programme
in the wake of the ebola crisis

3.5 By the end of 2016, the MoE has a national strategy/implementation plan and
budget/resource allocation for the expansion and emphasis of literacy within the national
primary education system and commitment to literacy in rural schools

In the original start up grant proposal there were two main indicators which were suggested to fulfil this
outcome.

(i.) Presence of a functioning technical working group which focuses on literacy, including focus on
teacher training and professional development/in-service teacher training in rural areas.

(ii) Existence of a national MoE strategy/implementation plan and resource allocation/budget for the
expansion and emphasis of literacy within the national primary education system, including specific focus
on teacher training and professional development.

As discussed in the section above (3.4), a technical working group (output i.) was established by FAWE
in April 2014 but the group ceased to operate from July 2014 because of the ebola crisis. The impact of
the ebola crisis on the education sector was immense and the key priorities of the Ministry changed
suddenly. The MoE diverted its focus and resources to ebola prevention and awareness. In an interview
with Olivia Kendrus, the Director of School Health, in the Ministry of Education, she confirmed that the
national strategy of implementing WASH was a key priority launched by the President. This involved the
CEOs/DEOs in every county to take part in the new initiative. Significantly, FAWE played an
instrumental role in River Cess County during the ebola crisis and continues to do so. During the
evaluation, Korpa Kpatima, the WASH officer was interviewed and she explained her role. I help to
educate and advocate about hygiene and sanitation through school health initiatives in River Cess. My
role is to work closely with schools and communities and to sensitise them in ebola prevention, health

24
awareness, and the distribution of materials such as buckets and building tippy tap basins. This change
of use is addressed in the annual reports for Year 2 and Year 3.

This shift in the allocation of resources and budget by the MoE also affected output 2. As shown in the
annual report for year 1, an advocacy strategy was being devised by the OWL team. The ebola crisis
changed priorities for the MoE. However, the indicators need to be assessed to examine the resource
allocation and budget for future strategies for the expansion and emphasis on literacy in primary
education systems. The Year 3 report shows that there have been positive progress towards a new MoE
strategy which will focus on improving the quality in primary school through teacher training.
.
3.6 The effectiveness of theatre activities as a vehicle for literacy promotion and story
gathering

A significant and innovative component of the OWL program was the use of theatre activities as a vehicle
for literacy promotion and story gathering. Interviews with a wide range of stakeholders (performance
artists, school children who participated in the drama and story making, community members, and
teachers) revealed that it was a very effective tool to engage children in story making and to empower
communities to become active by producing their own culturally relevant resources. In an interview with
Daniel Kdukpo, former Principal at Yarpeh Public and current DEO of CEE-2, he summed up the impact
as follows:

The use of drama in story-making was a very effective way of encouraging the community to
participate in the project. In fact, it also encouraged out of school children to return to school.
After watching the performance artists, children returned to school. In particular, the drama
helped to encourage more girls to return to school.

This point of engaging both in and out of school children was also raised by James Tarr, principal of
Darsaw, who said, both schooling and non-schooling children engaged in the stories and even adults! In
Sand Beach Junction, the principal said the impact of the artists training in the community still continues,
the children and community are still singing some of the songs and playing the games they learned a
while ago.

3.6.1 Liberian Performance Artists

A focus group with four of the Liberian performance artists provided an insight into their views and
perspectives of the training and their experiences of working in the communities and schools in RiverCess

25
County. Their view on the training they received is discussed in Section 3.2.1. This section discusses their
experiences of working with communities in River Cess and in engaging children in performance arts.

LIBERIAN PERFORMANCE ARTISTS

The artists were able to utilize the skills they learned in the training workshops to implement innovative
story-making skills and artistic performance with children. In discussions with the artists, they revealed
that most communities were very receptive to their visits and enjoyed the acrobatics, singing and dancing
routines, and the drama performances. In many communities they established a good rapport and were
given food such as goats, chickens, plantain etc. They said that the most rewarding thing about their
experiences was the involvement of the community members who took part in the activities and to make
the illiterate understand how we work. One artist reported,

The community found it very interesting and enjoyed watching their children perform; everyone in the
community came out to watch from the town chief to the principal. An unexpected outcome of our work
was the impact it had on community members to get involved and to create their own stories, such as
elders. Another significant outcome was making the experience inclusive to all- whether children were in
or out of school. We especially wanted to encourage out-of-school children and involve them into the
dancing and performing and to encourage them to know the importance of education through our work.

26
The artists wrote in one of their reports that some elders and parents from Gheozohn and Wheavenna
appreciated the training and relayed what one elder remarked, this kind of training is very good; it takes
away fear from the children to act and to display. I cant believe to see my daughter who can hardly talk
to perform like this. In a few communities, it was recorded that the villagers were suspicious and fearful
at first, such as Kola Tree, but with the help of the community mobilisers their fears were dispelled. One
suggestion by the artists was to organize a story making and dance festival competition at the end of the
project in Cestos. Each district could be represented by a community theatre group.

3.6.2. Childrens Voices

FGDs and interviews were held with 90 school children who participated in the story making/drama in 9
out of the 15 primary schools that were visited during the evaluation. The children were asked their views
and perspectives about the selection process of being chosen to take part, the training they received and
the creation of their stories. Unanimously, all the children who took part enjoyed the training. In
particular, they liked the various games (expressing physical expressions- such as a game called pass the
face; banana of the world; who stole the cookie from the cookie jar; boom-shaka-boom) they were taught
during the training to build their confidence and to create team work; they enjoyed acting out their stories
in front of their peers and communities. The following case study helps to illustrate the enjoyment of the
theatre training and her performance.

Venneh is a 15 year old pupil at Moweh Public School in Class 4. She participated in the training for
pupils when the performance artists visited the school. She volunteered to take part and she enjoyed the
training very much. She particulary liked the games such as tropical rainfall, boom-shaka-boom, cultural
dancing and pass the face. It was her first time to act, and she played a farmer in the drama called,
Ayobokes Village. She enjoyed acting very much and and also liked dancing and singing. She narrated
the day she performed in front of the community and while she was acting her mother and father gave her
money. They were very proud of her and never thought she had the talent that she displayed in front of
them. It gave her confidence and pride in herself and in her school. She wants to continue acting!

27
VENNEH, A 16 YEAR OLD PUPIL WHO TOOK PART IN THE DRAMA

In each of the schools visited, the children were asked to perform and act out their story. What was
impressive is that the stories from Year 1 were still remembered and acted out. Significantly, there was a
wide range of themes referred to as message dramas that were very informative. In Fartha School, the
children acted out their drama entitled, Lucy Weir and her Mother. The story line was about Lucy, a
female student, who was being sexually harassed by her teacher; she refused his advances. As a result,
when she received her report card, she had received a fail mark in a subject she excelled. She told her
mother what happened and her mother took her to the principal to demand that the teacher be
reprimanded and that the mark be raised. The teacher apologized to the pupil, and Lucy received the high
mark she deserved. After the performance, it was asked whether this behavior happens in schools nearby
and the children said yes that there were similar cases in other schools. This poignant example helps to
illustrate the power of edudrama to inform children and communities about very important topics such
as sexual harassment of pupils. Other topics that were observed during the evaluation included: the
welfare of animals, the burdens placed on a chief, about theft, religious themes (enemy in the church), the
importance placed on the values associated with sharing food and resources, and the importance of the
environment. The following photographs show the school children performing their dramas.

28
CHILDREN AT MOWEH PUBLIC SCHOOL

29
Children who participated in drama at Khanweh School

30
Another interview with Emmanuel in Class 6 illustrated how much he enjoyed the training and acting in
front of his community and family. He narrated the story he took part in and said how he was chosen to
play the town chief. He had no training in acting but he said, It just came naturally. It was a wonderful
experience to learn to act and to perform in front of my parents and friends. The best part of it was
everyone coming together. He said his parents were so proud of him and that drama is good not only for
the school but also the community.

As shown above, the use of drama in schools and communities is a very effective mechanism in the
delivery of important information. This form of edutainment is not only informative but also enjoyable.
The legacy of the drama continues through other activities. During the evaluation, children from a few of
the schools were showing me their dancing, singing, and acting skills that they were going to use during
their school closing ceremonies.

3.6.3 Perceptions about the Project from Parents and Communities

Several community members, including elders and chiefs, and PTA members were consulted about the
effectiveness of the theatre activities in their communities. Interviews and focus group discussions were
held and the following examples provide an insight into their views.

A focus group discussion was held with six PTA members in Fartha; the chairman and five others. They
said they liked the use of theatre and the story cards because their children learn the stories in school and
then when they return home they would tell the story to the household. The PTA chairman said, the
community really enjoys the project because they can also sign for the story card and take them home.
The only real challenge we face in our community is that there are many adults who missed out on formal
education and are illiterate. Many of the adults did not go to school here because of the civil war. There is
a great demand for adult literacy classes here we could even use the primary school as an evening
classroom. It is important for parents to learn to read so they can help their children, if they cannot read
they cannot find a mistake in the teachers report cards and they cannot understand a prescription from the
clinic. We would also like to add that this project has inspired us to create our own stories.

31
PTA COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN FARTHA

Most of the PTA members thought that the use of drama was a very useful way to engage community
members and to link the school with the community. The performances took place in the village square
and all the community members young and old- attended. They all enjoyed the performances of the
professional artists particularly the singing, dancing and acrobatics; they also enjoyed the performances of
the school children. Some of the parents were surprised to see their children acting and were very proud
of their achievements. (The perspectives of the PTA training is found in Section 3.3.1 above).

The impact of the theatre activities was also commented upon in a focus group discussion with
community members in Boes town. The chairman of the community, Daniel Benson, remarked that the
artists were well received and that the community engaged with the activities and enjoyed the singing,
dancing and drumming. They particularly liked watching their children perform. A young girl, Mercy,
who was present during the interview, acted out her skills and showed us her performance as a tree. She
said of her experience, I enjoyed it very much and would like to receive more training in dance and
singing. My family was so proud of me; they didnt know I could act. In Sand Beach Junction, the
community thought the presence of the artists in the town for a week (2014) was extremely beneficial and
that the training the children received was very useful. The songs are still being sung and the children are
still playing the games that they learned. Those who attended the training have also trained other children
who did not attend.

32
Another positive sign of the longer term impact of the theatre was that several community leaders said
that the activities encouraged elders to start recording their own stories for future publication. One elder
said, the best part of the performance was seeing our young children perform and to see our community
coming together happy, happy, jubilation. As mentioned previously, the impact of the theatre has
continued and in several schools they mentioned that they would use a drama skit during their school
closing because of the positive impact it had on relaying messages to the community.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN BOE'S TOWN

3.7 Project Management

This section assesses the project management, whether the numerous planned activities were successfully
completed, the various roles and responsibilities of the team members, the monitoring and evaluation
process and the involvement of the CiC/FAWE partnership (the partnership is discussed in greater detail
in section, 3.10.)

33
3.7.1 Programme personnel
As outlined in the original project proposal, CiC was responsible for the overall programme management
and reporting to the grant agreement with Comic Relief. CiCs responsibilities included accountability to
project beneficiaries and donors with regard to project implementation and funding. A review of the
detailed annual reports account for the use of funds against agreed project outcomes. FAWE-L was
responsible for the implementation of the main project activities, ensuring progress towards overall
outputs. FAWEs strengths are that they have worked closely with CiC on previous projects and a trusting
partnership ensued. The establishment of a field team and office on the ground in Cestos, River Cess
provided visible reassurance to the local stakeholders in River Cess County and ensured that good
working networks were established at the county and district level. The evaluator observed a committed
team spirit amongst field staff but individual interviews did highlight some of the challenges the field
staff faced such as the intensive periods of data collection (baseline/endline/monitoring) and struggling to
fulfil deadlines. The role of OWL Programme Manager and Education Manager was held by one person
based in Monrovia. The lack of having a manager in the field (Cestos), overseeing the numerous
activities, may have contributed to some of the delays encountered in training and data collection.

Staff Training
A number of training activities were undertaken by project staff over the duration of the project. The CiC
programme manager attended an Advocacy Essentials and Strategic Advocacy Training workshop in
London and a group of consultants trained the CiC-FAWE staff in Monrovia to improve the teams
knowledge and skills in advocacy. The implementation of a new West African Regional Structure in
January 2015 created an opportunity of cross-country learning. An exchange visit between FAWE-L and
FAWE-SL encouraged a sharing platform and dialogue between FAWE staff.

Rufus Mandein (FAWEs current Programme and Education Manager for OWL) and Charlotte Morgan-
Fallah (CiC West African Programme Manager) and Jess Weir (CiC M&E officer) worked closely to
complete the activities of the OWL project before the final external evaluation. However, both Charlotte
and Jess have left CiC and a new West African Programme Manager was appointed. While examining
the roles of the project staff and the activities, it was noted that there have been several staff changes over
the lifecycle of the project. This may have affected the smooth, running of the project and this may have
contributed to the delays in the work plans. A re-assessment of the roles, responsibilities, and duties of
project staff should be undertaken.

34
3.7.2. Trainers and Community Mobilisers
The success of the project relied on a competent team of trainers and community mobilisers based in the
field in Cestos, River Cess. The team consisted of a senior literacy specialist, literacy specialists, and
community mobilisers. During the field research for the evaluation, 4 members of the team travelled with
the evaluator visiting the various communities and schools. This provided an opportunity to look at the
rapport and dialogue between the FAWE team as well as their interaction with the teachers and
community members of the target schools. It was observed that the team worked well together in a
collegiate and professional manner and that they had established good working relationships with the
teachers and community leaders. The trainers and mobilisers were asked if they faced any challenges and
some of the challenges cited were: the intermittent email connection, poor network in some of the remote
communities and the difficulties in reaching some of the remote areas during the rainy season. The poor
signals made communication between the team and the Monrovia office difficult at times.

All field staff mentioned the need for further training in data collection and data analysis. They requested
further training in qualitative research training and data analysis (ie. NVIVO for qualitative analysis and
SPSS or a similar statistical software for quantitative analysis.).

3.7.3 Data collection

During the evaluation, all the tools that were used for the data collection for the Owl project were
reviewed. There are some major concerns about the methodology employed and the repetition of data that
was collected. There was a large body of data collected over the period of the project, and it may be
prudent for the FAWE-CiC staff to discuss ways to modify and revise the project design. For example, it
was not clear in discussions why there were two endlines undertaken for Year 1. (Year 1 had a baseline,
endline and then a final endline in 2016); the first year cohort had not received any further interventions
or training so it is not apparent why there would have been a second endline. Some of the teachers and
children from that cohort may have dropped out or left; there was not a clear rationale for this. Another
area for consideration is that one year of interventions may be too short to measure any significant impact
and it would be worth considering to work in fewer schools over a longer period.

Qualitative Research
Of particular concern, there appears to be some confusion about the definition of qualitative tools such as
focus group discussions and interviews. The tools that were used are more quantitative than qualitative.
Qualitative research should focus on perceptions and perspectives and should for the most part be open-
ended. To illustrate this point, the tool labelled as the student focus group discussion tool is not

35
technically a focus group. The tool consisted of a series of questions that were coded or with yes/no
answers. There was only one open-ended question Q.15 Does anyone in your group know what a DEO is
and/or what they do. If yes, tell us what you think they do. Similar problems emerged with the
PTA/Parent/Community other interview tool. The other tools such as the student interview, the teacher
interview are all coded and do not have any open-ended questions to allow the teacher or pupil speak for
themselves and to share their views. It would yield more detailed information if the tools were simplified
and employ a mixed-method approach.

Recommendation: In-depth training in qualitative participatory approaches are needed.

The data collection tools should be reviewed and refined to avoid repetition. Employ more
qualitative approaches for deeper enquiry.

Outsourcing
A large body of data was recently collected at the endline for Year 3, and extra staff had to be employed
on short term contracts to assist with data collection and data entry. It is unclear how the additional
enumerators were selected and what skills or training they possessed. Questions arise about the quality of
the data collection and how it was monitored. Data for the endline of Year 3 were currently entered into
the computer by an external data technician is this because FAWE did not have the capacity to enter it?
Clear guidelines of using external staff should be devised in order to maintain quality and to ensure
consistency.

Statistical Assistance
In reviewing the considerable quantity of data, it is recommended that a statistician or an expert in
quantitative data analysis be employed to undertake more extensive analysis of the data sets. This could
either be done by the new MEL officer or sourced out to a Liberian consultant, such as a member at
LIGIS where expert staff are trained in quantitative analysis.

Data entry
During the evaluation, a large body of data was collected for a wide range of activities including the
baseline and endline data, interviews with students, FGDs with teachers, SLSs, principals, and PTA
members. The data were collected on paper questionnaires and forms. Rather than collect data on paper
forms, it is suggested to use Android tablets. An interview with the former CiC programme manager
revealed that this option was explored, and that 8 tablets were bought for data collection. A training

36
workshop took place in February 2016 and an action plan was devised to pilot the tools. However, at the
time of the external evaluation, the tablets have not been used for any of the activities in the endline data
collection.

The use of tablets could be especially relevant for the vast amount of quantitative data that were collected
for the baseline, endline, monitoring and evaluation. The tablets can also be used during qualitative data
collection because of the audio and video functions of the tablets. The tablets can be loaded with the ODK
Collect app (http://opendatakit.org/), which allows users to directly enter survey responses and upload
them to a server. There are several advantages of this which are:

No need to manually enter paper forms into a computer for analysis.

Ability to monitor data daily and look for problems or inconsistencies.
Allows for sophisticated skipping pattern without confusing the enumerator.
Fields can be restricted to a limited set of possible answers (for example, cannot choose a year of
birth lower than 1900 or higher than 2016).
Inconsistent data can be flagged at the point of data collection and clarified immediately while
staff members are still in the field.
Audio and video data can be collected on the tablet and then transcribed and translated. The video
could aid in monitoring classroom observation.
Increase data reliability

Management of data
During the evaluation, the evaluator asked to see all data pertaining to the programme from Year 1-Year
3. There seemed to be some confusion where the data were actually located. Some of the original data
(Year 1) were kept on shelves in Monrovia and other files (Years 2/3) were kept in a store room in Cestos
in a haphazard way. It is recommended that complete data sets, soft and hard copies, be kept in each of
the offices. All reports should also be filed properly and managed. Action plans- annual, monthly, weekly
should be kept and placed on the boards in the offices in Monrovia and Cestos. A map of the schools in
River Cess would also be helpful. The map could display all the 45 target schools and could label the
treatment and control schools. This visual display of schools would help with planning and monitoring
activities.

Reports of all training activities over the duration of the project should be written up and kept in both
Cestos and Monrovia. Detailed reports on teacher training, SLS training, principal training, PTA training

37
and performance artists training should be catalogued and made available for staff to review and to reflect
upon. (The evaluator had access to the training of teachers report for 2013 but not for the subsequent
years.)

Monitoring and Evaluation

Detailed reporting of the Monitoring and Evaluation activities are discussed in depth in the annual reports
to Comic Relief. They were reviewed and show that the project M&E framework/plan and M&E tools to
capture the data for the relevant indicators were extensive. There is a lot of duplication and the tools cold
be simplified and modified.

The M&E school enrolment record could be improved. The form records enrolment, drop-out and
retention by gender and class and has two open ended questions about reasons for drop-out and reasons
for increase in enrolment. The form does not allow for the push and pull factors affecting enrolment or the
seasonality and fluctuation of attendance.

The monitoring of activities was done at regular intervals throughout the project but there were delays in
Year 2 and Year 3. The delays in achieving activities within a rigid and narrow timeline need to be
addressed. The evaluator was concerned that key activities such as performance artist visits were
scheduled so late into the program.

One of the reasons for this is that the OWL staff did not have the capacity to collect a large body of
additional data for a proposed new project in Sinoe whilst still engaged in the OWL project in River Cess.
It is recommended to be cautious before another project in a new location or an extension to the existing
OWL project be implemented. The lessons learned from the current project and from the external
evaluation and endline evaluation need to be taken into consideration before embarking on new
initiatives. The FAWE and CiC staff need to reflect on what has worked well and what has not worked
and to make recommendations on how to improve the project. This is extremely important before the
project be scaled up or extended to another county.

Future projects should plan to conduct a mid-term review, which is a self-reflection exercise to assess the
progress of the project, reflect on lessons learned and suggest changes to the project plan.

38
3.8 Sustainability of the project

A major aspect of the project has been capacity-building and training of teachers, principals, PTA
members, Literacy specialists, and CiC-FAWE project staff. One key aim as illustrated in the annual
reports was to empower the key stakeholders to become agents of change. It was envisaged that the
knowledge, attitudes, practices and skills of the stakeholders would benefit from the various training
activities and interventions. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions conducted during the
evaluation show that teachers (including literacy specialists), principals and PTA members who
underwent the professional development training are utilizing the knowledge and skills they acquired
through their training by employing these skills in the classroom and communities. There is, however, a
thirst for more training. A representative sample encompassing all three cohorts indicate that the
principals, teachers, literacy specialists, and PTA members remember their training and are actively
applying their newly founded knowledge and skills in their teaching practices and in community
engagement. Unfortunately, it was not possible to observe classroom teaching during the evaluation
because teaching had stopped. It is encouraging to see that the training teachers received four years ago is
still being discussed. It is envisaged that they will continue to utilize this knowledge beyond the life cycle
of the project. However, the teachers suggested further training and refresher courses. One challenge is
that some of the teachers who underwent training were only volunteer teachers and in some communities,
the teachers have dropped out from teaching because of the lack of incentives. This is beyond the scope
of FAWE-CiC but a major challenge for the education sector in RiverCess where there is a shortage of
trained teachers. One volunteer teacher who dropped out related his frustration with the lack of incentives,
I have returned to farming because I cannot feed my family without any income. There is a scarcity of
teachers in our community by I also have to live.

There is also evidence that the use of drama in schools will prevail as a vehicle for children to participate
in other school activities not just in literacy activities and story making. During the evaluation, two
schools were preparing their closing ceremonies and both were using drama. They each devised a play to
be performed in front of the community at the closing. This illustrates the long-lasting impact that the
theatre activities had on the schools and children.

Another key component was to develop organizational capacity in advocacy to ensure project
interventions are sustained beyond the life cycle of the project by influencing MoE to continue with the
literacy activities. At the outset of the project, CiC and FAWE staff underwent training in advocacy. An

39
external consultant from The Pressure Group hosted a workshop to strengthen the teams knowledge and
skills in strategic advocacy. As mentioned in section 3.4 above, a literacy group was established at the
outset of the project but the ebola crisis shifted government priorities to health awareness.

3.9 An assessment of how the project worked with other relevant stakeholders in
relation to the education sector

3.9.1 OWL and River Cess County Education Officers

Meetings and interviews with the County education officer of River Cess and DEOs revealed that the
OWL project was very important and played a crucial role in assisting with educational provision in
RiverCess County. As Cheyee Kpanwore, DEO of Yarnee remarked, FAWE are buttressing the efforts
of the government in educational provision in the county. This is especially significant in River Cess
where there are no other educational ngos working in the County and where 63 % of teachers are not fully
trained. The OWL project is viewed by providing important skills in teacher training, leadership training
for principals, PTA training to encourage communities to be more pro-active in their childrens education,
and to advocate for literacy in rural areas. The County officers thought the teacher training was
particularly important but that a three week course was not enough and that the untrained teachers do not
have the pedagogical knowledge or skills. The dilemma is that the county relies heavily on volunteer or
untrained teachers, but that there are not any incentives for the volunteer teachers to continue teaching.
During school visits, volunteer teachers vented their frustration and asked for the certificate that FAWE
provided them with at the end of the three week training to be given proper accreditation. The County
education officers said that 3 weeks was insufficient but that the county was considering an accelerated
crash 3 month programme but that was still under discussion. One DEO mentioned some of the
challenges he faced in his district concerning the selection of the target schools for the OWL project, and
recommended that DEOs be involved in the selection process. He cited an example where there were two
schools in a community - School A was selected as a Target school and School B was not. This created
tension and friction within the community. This had repercussions on him because he was accused of
being biased and giving preferential treatment to School A even though he was not involved in the
selection process.

The DEOs acknowledged the important work that FAWE was doing in other activities, in addition to
OWL, by contributing to improvements in infrastructure by building/restoring schools, working with the

40
MoE and MoH in school health through their role during the ebola crisis and the WASH program, and
vocational training. FAWE-CiC are positively assisting the government through their educational and
health programmes in the County.

During the discussion, the County education representative and the DEOs revealed that the current
dialogue between them and FAWE project staff was not as good as it was from the onset of the project.
(One reason for this, could be the change in CEO and DEOs over the last four years and changes in
project staff in FAWE/CiC). However, they did say that is extremely important for FAWE to keep them
up to date with the project and that they should receive annual reports about the OWL project. There are
two reasons for this: 1. The DEOs need to be kept informed of all educational activities taking place
within their districts (to mitigate against accusations as described above) 2. The CEO is a member of the
County Development Steering Committee and represents his county at National Meetings. He needs to be
able to report to the Special Representative at the Secretariat General of the UN and inform them of all
educational activities in the county. It is a forum which donors learn about various educational initiatives
in the country and in some cases, the donors can recommend for small scale projects to be scaled up. It is,
therefore, recommended that FAWE provide annual reports, costs and documentation to the CEO so he
can include the projects in the report he presents at the national meeting.

Recommendation: To improve the rapport between FAWE and CEO/DEOs. To keep the
County and DEOs up-to-date on the OWL project and to provide them with annual
reports/budget. To involve DEOs in any future activities.

3.9.2 Relationship with other educational NGOs

There are a number of ngos working in the education sector in Liberia and an educational forum was
devised so that each organisation can attend monthly meetings to share experiences and to learn from
each other. In an interview with Lorpus, the current chair of the forum, she explained that the forum is
made up of a number of ngos, civil society, observers, and donors who work with the Ministry of
Education to develop an annual strategy with the government. She praised the important work FAWE-
CiC has done in gender (girls education), literacy initiatives, and in school health awareness in River
Cess. It is imperative for FAWE-CiC to attend the monthly meetings, to network with other ngos and to
share their findings with other educational providers.

41
BILLBOARD PROMOTING THE IMPORTANCE OF READING AS YOU ENTER RIVER CESS COUNTY- AN MOE AND DONOR
INITIATIVE

Recommendation: To explore possibilities with other educational providers to restore the

literacy working group that was formed in Year 1 of the OWL project.

3.10 FAWE-L and CiC Partnership

The partnership between FAWE-L and CiC is very important for the success and sustainability of the
OWL programme, as well as other collaborative initiatives, such as the vocational training programme.
CiC relies on FAWE-L to implement their programmes on the ground in Liberia. CiC does not have any
full time staff resident in Liberia so it is imperative that there is regular communication and mutual trust
between the two organisations. Interviews with project staff revealed that the establishment of a close,
trusting partnership is extremely important for projects to succeed. In an interview, with the head of
FAWE, she said that FAWE has a good history of working with CiC over several years and that the
partnership was like a marriage. The education programme officer in Monrovia also confirmed that
FAWE had an outstanding relationship with CiC. FAWE staff felt that there was an equal partnership
between the two organisations and that they viewed CiC as partners not donors and that they also played
a significant role in decision-making. They cited a recent example in which FAWE staff were directly
involved in the recent interview process for the appointment of a new CiC staff member in the UK. They
interpreted this to mean that it showed that they were viewed not only as implementers on the ground but

42
also as equal partners. They also thought that the communication between the two organisations was
good and that weekly skype/phone calls were important to maintain up-to-date with developments in the
field and with project achievements and challenges. The former CiC programme manager expressed her
relationship with FAWE, I have worked with many other ngos but FAWE is the best partner I have ever
worked with. We have a strong working relationship. I have complete trust, openness and respect for
them. The main challenges/recommendations which were raised concerned the capacity of project staff
to undertake the large number of activities (data collection/entry/analysis/M&E) without over-stretching
them, the challenges of external audits, and the need to reflect on the lessons learned for the next phase
of the project.

However, one area of concern which was alluded to is that there is some concern about the continuity of
project staff both in Liberia and the UK. This, of course, is a risk with any project and can affect the life
cycle of a project and personal working relationships. What became apparent during the evaluation is that
when project staff left there seemed to be a void or an uncertainty about roles and responsibilities. For
example, the void left by the international literacy specialist who helped to drive the project forward
during the first year of the OWL project was viewed as a significant loss. In addition, another key field
staff member in Cestos, the lead trainer Cora (Kora?), left for a long period during the project and then
resigned. Staff changes were also made at CiC in London in the last four years and the change-over of
programme managers and monitoring and evaluation officers also led to some challenges for the project.
An interview with the previous programme manager revealed that she spent a much longer time in the
field working with the FAWE staff than her predecessor. The organizational structure and the clearly
defined roles and responsibilities of project staff need to be maintained even if a staff member leaves.

Recommendation: A review of the roles, responsibilities, duties and capacity of FAWE and CiC
staff should be commissioned.

FAWE are well known throughout the country at both national and county levels, especially in River
Cess County where they are the only ngo educational provider. During the ebola crisis, FAWE-CiC were
able to utilize their networks and contacts to help communities with health awareness programmes.

One suggestion based on discussions with other educational providers is to raise the profile of CiC within
Liberia. The new programme manager for West Africa has initiated this by attending a recent forum (held
on the last Thurs of every month) to network with other educational providers. Another area that needs to
be considered is that FAWE works with other ngos and not exclusively with CiC. In an interview with

43
Ms Deline, the Chair and Coordinator of Fawe-L, she mentioned some forthcoming initiatives with other
international ngos working on similar projects. For example, a new vocational project aimed at working
with young women which has many similarities overlaps with the CiC TVET project. The personnel for
non CiC projects are different and perhaps in the future synergy between the projects could be discussed.
Another issue she raised is that any future projects will have to involve the Secretariat in all the planning
stages of the project. They need to be informed of all projects from the outset.

Recommendations: Raise the profile of CiC in Liberia; examine the Synergy between projects
and project staf

4.0 Summary of Key Factors: Relevance Effectiveness-Efficiency-

Impact-Sustainability

Relevance
The project succeeded in enhancing quality education in one of the most marginalized and excluded areas
in the country. The training activities of in-service teachers, leadership training for principals, PTA
training for community mobilization and child-centred activities of drama were designed to enhance the
quality of teaching and improving literacy in the school and the community. The project succeeded in
achieving these goals.

Effectiveness
All the activities were successfully achieved but there is scope for improvement including better
coordination, management implementation of activities, improved data management, and timely data
analysis and report writing.

Efficiency
The change in personnel over the lifecycle of the project (in FAWE and CiC) may have played a role in
the delay of completion of activities on time. Also, the impact of the ebola crisis required an alteration to
Year 2 of the project.

Impact
The impact of the project could be seen at several levels
Improvement in the quality of teaching and innovative pedagogical methods

44
 Changes in practice of teachers (including SLS), principals, PTAs and community members.
Improvement in learning outcomes for children based on EGRA testing
The involvement of children, both in and out of school, as active participants in literacy activities
(story making, drama, etc)
Community participation in making resources and benefitting from the project
The use of drama as a successful mechanism to deliver edu-messages

Sustainability
The sustainability of the project is already discussed in section 3.8 above. A major aspect of the project
has been capacity-building and training of teachers, principals, PTA members, Literacy specialists, and
CiC-FAWE project staff. There is also evidence that the use of drama in schools and the communities will
prevail long after the project has finished as a vehicle for children to participate in other school activities
not only in literacy activities and story making but also extracurricular activities.

5 Recommendations for future programming

1 To continue the OWL project in River Cess and to explore ways to work more closely with the
CEO and DEOs in the county to enhance the quality of teaching in primary schools in the County.

The OWL project is an innovative and novel initiative that has improved the quality of teaching in
primary schools, provided literacy materials in resource poor schools, and promoted a literacy culture
beyond the classroom to the communities. Significant lessons have been learned, and it is recommended
to extend the project and to work more closely with the county and district education officials in the
selection of schools. It is also recommended to revise the model and to consider working in target
schools/communities over a longer period of time (i.e. for a minimum of two years) in order to measure
impact and change; one year is not enough time especially if some activities are delayed.

2 To advocate for the use of Theatre for Development and Message dramas in Schools and
Communities throughout the Country.

45
The use of theatre for development and as a vehicle for literacy promotion, story making, and message
drama has been shown by the OWL project to be a very effective mechanism to engage children and to
empower communities to become active in their childrens learning by producing culturally relevant
resources. This approach should be scaled up to other schools and communities in the country.

3 To improve the management of the programme and to reassess key roles, duties and
responsibilities of project staff (FAWE and CiC).

Over the lifecyle of the project, there have been changes in personnel within FAWE and CiC. It is
recommended to reassess the roles, duties and responsibilities of the project staff to ensure that all project
activities are completed on time and to minimize delays in achieving project outcomes.

4 To Revise the project model and to strengthen the research capacity of project staff

The research model employed was overly ambitious and the choice of indicators and tools should be
revised and modified. The indicators need to be realistic. Interviews with research staff also revealed that
they require further training in data collection and analysis. In particular, in-depth training in qualitative
participatory research approaches are needed for deeper enquiry and to enhance the quality of data
collection.

5 To disseminate the work and findings of the OWL project to a wider audience.

The project is well known throughout River Cess County but it is important to raise the profile of CiC-
FAWE nationally. It is recommended that a final workshop at the end of the OWL project should be
organized in order to highlight the project and the work being done in River Cess and to raise the profile
of CiC and FAWE with other key educational providers, donors, ngos and stakeholders.

46
6 To restore the Literacy Working Group

As discussed above, a literacy working group was established at the outset of the project, but due to the
ebola crisis it was dismissed. It is recommended to explore the possibility of restoring the literacy
working group and to advocate at county and national levels, to devise a strategy for the expansion and
emphasis of literacy in rural areas, and to address the provision of adult literacy.

47
Annex 1 Evaluation Programme

Date Activity
19/06/16 Travel from London to Monrovia
20/06/16 Introductions and Meetings with FAWE staff; Planning field visits and key stakeholder interviews
21/06/16 Travel by car to River Cess; Planning meeting with field staff in Cestos to prepare field visits to participating
schools (cohort 1,2,3)
22/06/16 1. Visit to Lephart School: FGD with 8 children; interview with Jones Kolleh, Principal and two teachers and
interview with Juanita, PTA member.
2. Visit to Wheavennen Public School: FGD with 9 children; interview with Issac D. Philips, Principal and 2
literacy specialists; 3 PTA members.
3. Visit to Darsaw Town School. Interview with James G. Tarr, Principal. (Children were taking tests so it was not
possible to meet with them.)
4. Visit to J.L. Travers (afternoon session). FGD with 20 school children who participated in the drama and story
making. Interview with Stanley Charpaye, literacy specialist.
(All Timbo District)
Meeting with field staff to discuss school visits in Yarnee District.

23/06/16 1. Visit to Fartha Public School. FGD with 10 children who participated in the drama. FGD with 5 PTA members;
Interview with Town Chief of Fartha; Interview with the Principal, Dapul.
2. Visit to Neegbah Public School. Interview with Reverend Joseph Richards, Principal. FGD with 5 children who
participated in the drama and story making; Interview with Victoria Jackson, PTA Chairperson.
3. Meeting with Cheyee Kpanwone, the DEO of Yarnee District.
4. Meeting in Cestos at the County Education Office, with Jacob Roosevelt Kouviakoe, Education Consultant,
River Cess County School System; Joseph B. Nyannankpe, Special Assistant; DEO Artscolston M. Dorgbain,
Timbo Education District, Resident (on behalf of the CEO).
24/06/16 1. Visit to Yarkpah School but it was closed at 08.00.
2. Visit to Tompoe School but it was closed at 08.05.
3. Visit to Khanwhere Public School. Interview with Peter Daniels, Principal. FGD with 11 children who
participated in the drama and story making; Interview with Sylvester Kpan, literacy specialist; FGD with 4 PTA
members.
4. Visit to Logan Town Public School. FGD with 7 children who participated in the drama and story making;
Interview with Janet, PTA member; Interview with Shadrick Guegue, Principal; and discussion with 4 teachers.
5. Visit to Nyonwein Public School. Meeting with 11 children who participated in the drama and story making;
FGD with 6 PTA members; Interview with A Krouakpee Whoryonwon, Principal.
6. Visit to FAWE office in Cestos and initial review of documentation.
25/06/16 Travel from Cestos to Monrovia
Review of Field Notes and Documentation
26/06/16 Initial analysis of field notes from week 1
Meeting with Theatre for Drama group: Moses J. Tarpeh (trained teacher, comedian, actor); Comfort G. Ward
(singer/dancer/dramatist); Edward W. Slenion (trainer, drummer, dramatist); Mammie D. Johnson (dancer,
dramatist, singer).
27/06/16 Meeting with Lorpu at IBIS, chair of education ngo forum.
Interview with Ms Deline, Coordinator of FAWE-L.
Interview with Felicia Sackey Doe-Sumah, Assistant Minister, Bureau of Basic and Secondary Education.
Interview with Rufus Mandein, OWL Programme Coordinator
28/06/16 Interview with Olivia M. Kendrus, Director of School Health, MoE.
Visit to EMIS- statistical division.
Visit to LISGIS, Liberian Institute of Statistics and Geo-Physical information to commission a map of schools in
River Cess County.
Discussion with Andy Tugbah, statistician and quantitative expert.
Drove from Monrovia to Cestos
Planning Meeting with Satta K. Gblee to discuss the field trip to Moweh and Cee 2 Districts.
29/06/16 Travel to Moweh District
1. Visit to Kangbo Town School (6 hr drive). Interview with Morris W. Lookerson, Registrar and Victor B. Vacea,
Teacher.
Interview with Issac Inni, DEO, Moweh District and former teacher of Boegeezaye Public School.
Interview with Matthew Robinson, Principal Boegeezaye School.
2. Visit to Boes Town. Interview with Alfred Gbarblo, PTA chairman for Boes Town.

48
 Interview with Daniel Benson, Chairman of the community.
Interview with Jenkins adult literacy specialist; James Boseen, Principal of Boe Public School.
Meeting with Mercy, Grade 2, 16 yrs, participated in the drama.
Slept at the teachers accommodation at Moweh Public School.
30/06/16 Meeting with teachers at Moweh Public School Jacob K. Moses, Saturday Nico, Amos Kowlasha
Meeting with 18 school children who participated in the drama and storymaking
Interview with Hannah Quatu, PTA chairperson, Moweh Public
Interview with Christine Gbablow, volunteer librarian at Resource Centre, Moweh Public
Case study with Emmanuel; Case study with Venneh
Interview with Samuel O Gbablow, vice principal for administration
Zammie Town School (closed) but met with Grayon, James Williams, Johnson Gbeh, Alfred, Arthur Burgess
(principal)
Interview with Francis N. Wehyee, Principal, Sand Beach Junction
James M. Tarr, teacher

1/7/16 Interviews with Field Staff in Cestos

Examination off files at FAWE office, Cestos
Interview with Daniel Dukpo, District Education Officer, Cee 2 and former principal of Yarpah Public School
Interview with John, a teacher from another school in Yarpah which did not participate in the programme.

2/07/16 Transcription and initial analysis of data

3/07/16 Analysis of Week 2 field data
Briefing Meeting with Rufus Mandein
Departure for London at 8pm.

49
Annex 2 Schools visited

No. School Year District Distance from Cestos

1. Nyonwein 1 Central Cee 1 1 hr. drive
2. Kahnwhere Public 1 Central Cee 1 1 hr., 20 mins. drive
3. Logan Town Public 1 Central Cee 1 1 hr., 10 mins. drive
4. Sand Beach Junction 1 Central Cee 2 1 hr., 50 mins. drive
5. Neegbah Public 1 Yarnee Canoe and walking
6. Lephart Public 1 Timbo 40 mins. drive
7. Zammie Town Public 1 Central Cee 2 3 hrs. drive
8. Boegeezaye Public 1 Moweh 6 hrs. drive
9. Wheavennah Public 2 Timbo 30 mins. drive
10. Fartha Public 2 Yarnee Canoe 20 mins./motorbike
11. Yarkpah Town Public 2 Central Cee 1 1 hr., drive
12. Karngbo Public 2 Moweh 5 hrs. drive
13. J.L. Travers 3 Timbo 15 mins. drive
14. Tompoe 3 Central Cee 1 1 hr. drive
15. Gbarsaw Public 3 Central Cee 1 1 hr., 30 mins. drive
16. Monweh Public 3 Moweh 3 hrs. drive

50
MAP OF RIVER CESS COUNTY HIGHLIGHTING SCHOOLS IN THE FIVE DISTRICTS VISITED DURING THE EVALUATION

51
References

Annual Narrative and Data Reports to Comic Relief (project proposal, Year 1, Year 2, and Year
3 annual reports)
Annual Project Report for Grant 2/2014.Change of Use Grant Request to Comic Relief. GR002-
07003-FUST OWL, Grant Year 3: Jan.-Dec. 2015.
Ebola Awareness Response (EAR) Update, January 30th, 2015.
Fawe Liberia: Workshop for PTA, Trainers Manual, 3 days, April 2015 Edition. Sponsored by
Comic Relief and Vital Foundation, Prepared by FAWE/CiC (UK) Our Words Library
Education Team. PTA manual designed from Moe/USAID (LTTP).
FAWE Liberia/Children in Crisis (UK) Our Words Library, Training Manual for use with
Primary School Teachers. Week 1: Modules 1-7, Using Participatory Learning Methods, April
2014 Edition.
Lloyd Williams, A. IPW, personal account of a 6 week visit as the TFD consultant in Pencilled
In. https://childrenincrisis.wordpress.com/tag/tie.

Our Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Activity Book. FAWE/CiC PTA Training 2015.
OWL Baseline Assessment and Selection of Treatment and Control Schools Report, River Cess
Liberia. Report by the FAWE Education team, June 9-28, 2013.
OWL TFD Training Programme, Liberia, January-February, 2014.
Team A: Phase II Report on Theatre for Development and story making workshop in Rivercess
County July 6- September 4, 2015.
Training of Teachers Report, August 4-30th, 2013. FAWE.

52