The Rural Enterprise Hub Assessment had a primary objective of evaluating the commercial performance and technical design of the existing 17 rural enterprise hubs that were set up in four provinces of Zambia by business partners that worked with Prospero with funding from UKAID/FCDO.

The assessment aim was to inform Prospero’s future interventions toward enterprise development and increasing access to solar energy supply in rural areas. This assessment was to help Prospero understand how the Rural Enterprise Hub initiative operates and how Prospero can support the scale-up of commercial hubs in rural areas. These hubs increase access to diverse products and services for rural communities, stimulating economic activity and creating commercial opportunities for urban and rural SMEs.

The assessment took an explorative approach using both qualitative and quantitative approaches in the data collection and analysis stages. Methodological conclusions regarding the assessment include confidence in the instrument and methods used to collect the data.

As part of the COVID-19 response project funded by the Czech MFA and implemented in consortium with Caritas CR, People in Need Zambia piloted a Rapid Shock Responsive Safety Net (RSRSN) project targeting people who tested positive for COVID-19 in urban poor settlements in Lusaka. The objective was to limit COVID-19 community transmission by providing cash support to COVID-19-positive patients as soon as possible after the release of the testing result to support patients’ recovery and self-isolation and to encourage patients’ contacts to get a COVID-19 test.

The purpose of Third-Party Monitoring (TPM) was to provide timely independent monitoring of project results where COVID-19 patients received financial support. TPM used a survey approach to reach the beneficiaries using CATI.

The impact study was designed to collect quantitative information related to the programme so as to objectively measure the achievement/impact of the program interventions.

The Vocational Entrepreneurship Training Sponsorship Program (VETSP) was implemented by the Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia on the selected youths from the four refugee resettlement areas of Maheba, Mantapala, Mayukwayukwa and Lusaka transit centre.

The study used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches to gather data and draw conclusions about the impact of the program and its self-reliance.

With funding from Comic Relief, Lima links implemented the Smallholders Market Access (SHMA) Program which led to the creation of a USSD platform which farmers use to access live market prices, information about agri products and agri services, and connections to markets based on farmer produce they have available for sale. The purpose of the End of project evaluation was to understand how the various actors interacted with the platform, where the successes and limitations were, and provide recommendations to generate revenue.

The evaluation design deployed a mixed methods approach that drew both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. In this regard, Literature reviews, case studies, farmer surveys, key informant interviews as well as individual interviews with farmers as well as other stakeholders were conducted. Stakeholders included the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, ETG, GIZ, CARITAS etc.