An Implementation Outcomes Evaluation for the Nal?ibali FUNda Leader Network: Eastern Cape Province

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2023

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The need to improve literacy skills among the youths in South Africa has been a national priority area, with several programmes being implemented by the South African government and non-profit organisations in the country. These programmes aim to develop and improve literacy and reading skills among the youth. One such intervention is the Nal'ibali campaign. While Nal'ibali implements several interventions, this minor dissertation presents the findings of an implementation outcomes evaluation of their FUNda Leader Network. The FUNda Leader Network comprises volunteers from disadvantaged areas who implement reading clubs within their communities. The evaluator used the implementation outcomes framework developed by Proctor et al. (2011) to investigate seven implementation outcome domains of the programme, namely, acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, penetration, and sustainability. In line with these domains, the evaluator proposed eight evaluation questions that directed inquiry on the programme facilitators and their experiences, programme activities and service delivery, service uptake and utilisation, outcomes achieved and success stories of programme beneficiaries, as well as the sustainability of these outcomes, post the intervention. Through assessing these domains, overall, the evaluation aimed to evaluate the extent to which Nal'ibali's FUNda Leader Network was implemented with fidelity and the programme's effectiveness in achieving its intended outcomes. A qualitative approach utilising semi-structured interviews was employed to collect the data. A total of six interviews were conducted. Findings support the FUNda Leader Network as a relevant initiative that has facilitated the development of reading abilities and the creation of a reading culture amongst the youths in some of the disadvantaged communities in the Eastern Cape. The FUNda Leaders interviewed were satisfied with the campaign and its activities and were able to share stories about how the network and the activities enhanced knowledge and confidence among the youth in their respective reading clubs. While some interviewees discussed some community resistance, they shared the strategies adopted to raise awareness about the importance of the intervention among the parents and the community, resulting in subsequent support for the programme. This dissertation reports the findings of the implementation domains as well as the success stories of programme beneficiaries (outcomes). Additionally, recommendations to further improve the programme are discussed. Overall, the evaluation returned positive implementation and outcomes results for Nal'ibali's FUNda Leader Network. Keywords: reading clubs, youth literacy, implementation evaluation, outcomes evaluation, implementation outcomes framework
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