Bangladesh continues to suffer from high rates of under nutrition, food insecurity, and extreme poverty despite important economic and social gains over the past decade. WFP has been working in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) to reduce poverty, enhance food security and nutrition, provide universal education and reduce vulnerability to recurrent shocks with the overall objective to support the GoB to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1-5. The project started on 22 June 2012 and ended on 24 August 2012 and the client was tango international Inc. and funded by World Food Programme.

 

Project description: The main objective of the Country Programme (2012-2016) was to improve the long-term food security and nutrition of ultra-poor households in the poorest and most food-insecure rural areas and urban slums. The Country Programme will assist 4,025,000 people in 15 selected districts over the next five years and will include the following four components:

• Component 1. Improving Maternal and Child Nutrition (IMCN).
• Component 2. School Feeding (SF).
• Component 3. Enhancing Resilience to Disasters and the Effects of Climate Change (ER).
• Component 4. Strengthening Government Safety Nets.

 

The overall aim of the baseline study was to establish a benchmark to track outcomes of Country Programme (CP) components and to support implementation of results-based management of the programme. More specifically, the baseline survey generated information on the current status of the targeted households regarding food security, nutrition, livelihood, natural vulnerability, and education. The baseline study had the following objectives:

 

1. Generate baseline data according to the outcome indicators presented in the CP log frame.
2. Generate other relevant baseline information to inform programme evaluation or any assessment to understand the contribution of the CP to achieve higher level impact, including UNDAF and MDG goals.
3. Provide information for different areas broadly categorized as north, coastal and hilly regions/districts and identify the critical factors contributing to the differences between regions.
4. Highlight the socio-economic context and other associated factors (e.g., previous assistance) critical for achieving CP outcomes in different regions of programme implementation.

 

Tasks carried out by Mitra:

 

Methodology (sample design & tools): A two-stage cluster design was employed for the baseline survey, with the first stage involving selection of clusters (villages) and the second stage was the selection of households. Villages were selected using probability proportional to size (PPS). Within sampled villages, households had been selected using the random walk method as outlined in the FANTA sampling guide.

 

Total number of 5200 households, 936 Schools and 30 Unions was covered in two phases of the fieldwork. A total of 5200 HHs (Beneficiary 2600 HHs and Control 2600 HHs) was interviewed where household for only IMCN category were 1600, ER+IMCN 1200 and only ER 2400. Out of 5200 households, 2000 were from Coastal zone and 3200 from Northern. The survey covered four zones (Northern, Coastal, Dhaka and Bandarban) with the collection of data from three categories of schools including WFP program schools, government program schools and schools without feeding program. Out of 936 schools, 312 from Northern (Gov’t-104, WFP-104, Gov’t con-52, WFP con-52); 312 from Coastal (WFP-104, WFP con-52, Gov’t-104, Gov’t con-52), 156 from Dhaka (WFP-52, Gov’t -52, WFPcon-26, Gov’t con- 26); and 156 schools from Bandarban (WFP-52, Gov’t-52, Gov’t and WFP control-26).

 

Tools: It included both quantitative and qualitative tools like survey questionnaire, FGD and KII checklists. All tools had adjusted and translated and back translated by Mitra and Associates.

 

Training: 15 working days including 2 days for field practice.

 

Data collection: A total of 150 field personnel (quality control officers, supervisors, field editors, interviewers and logistic assistant for the household & school & Union Validation data collection) were recruited for carrying out the survey. Total period of data collection was approximately 2 months from June 2012 to August 2012.

 

Quality control: Quality control checking was designed to physically verify whether the interviewer completed the questionnaires by interviewing the right respondents in the right households by asking the right questions. Quality control checking was undertaken in both presence and absence of the interviewing team. The quality control officers re-interviewed almost 5 percent of the selected households.

 

Data processing: All data were entered into computer with double entries, resolving discrepancies (100 percent verification) through referral to the original questionnaire. Data editing had included checking of range, structure and a selected set of checks for internal consistency. Data analyzed by statistical estimates such as percentages, proportions, means, medians, and using such statistical tools as frequency distributions, and  the cross tabulations discerning relations of knowledge and practices with socio-demographic characteristics. Data analyses also did by divisions and within a division, by gender, by rural-urban areas and by socio-economic/demographic characteristics.

 

Client Reference: Tim Frankenberger, President, TANGO International, 406 South Fourth Avenue, Tucson, Arizona  85701, USA, Telephone: (1-520) 617-0977, Fax: (1-520) 617-0980, Email: tim@tangointernational.com