Programme evaluations

Ending the Discrimination faced by Informal and Marginalized Formal Women Workers in Bangladesh

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Ending the Discrimination faced by Informal and Marginalized Formal Women Workers in Bangladesh Pervez, Md Murad; Rahim, Md Farhadur; Peggah, Chipo; Alkhawaja, Malik

This impact evaluation examines Oxfam in Bangladesh’s interventions with two highly vulnerable informal and marginalized formal worker groups: domestic workers and tea-garden workers. Using a mixed-methods and contribution-analysis approach, the study assesses changes in livelihoods, workplace dignity, social protection, gender-based violence, and decision-making power. The findings show notable gains for domestic workers in skills, confidence, employer relations, and awareness of rights, although structural barriers such as lack of legal recognition continue to limit outcomes. For tea-garden workers, improvements in sanitation, childcare, and reporting mechanisms emerged, yet entrenched labour dynamics and weak policy enforcement constrained deeper change. Overall, the evaluation highlights meaningful but uneven progress and underscores the need for stronger advocacy, policy reform, and sustainable support systems to secure equitable rights for marginalized women workers in Bangladesh.

Impact Evaluation of Strengthening Harmonized Action for Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, and Recovery (SHARPER) Project

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Impact Evaluation of Strengthening Harmonized Action for Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, and Recovery (SHARPER) Project V. Villanueva, Allan

This report presents findings and recommendations from the independent impact evaluation commissioned by Oxfam Pilipinas of its Strengthening Harmonized Action for Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, and Recovery (SHARPER) Project (Phase 1) that it implemented with local partners within the provinces of Catanduanes and Eastern Samar in the Philippines. The evaluation focused on assessing SHARPER’s gains and impact in line with its second pillar or component that aimed to strengthen resilience of local livelihoods. As such, it complements the project’s contracted studies to track the status of 32 partner communities around identified outcome metrics during the course of implementation, and the multi-country (Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Philippines) final evaluation commissioned by Oxfam America for the Asia Disaster Community Preparedness and Transformation (ACT) program which supported SHARPER. A key finding of the evaluation highlighted the transformative role of local women-led self-help groups (SHGs) not only in diversifying the community’s livelihood options and setting up mechanisms to facilitate quick post-disaster livelihood recovery, but also in driving community action and critical engagements towards more inclusive and pre-emptive local disaster risk reduction governance.

Synthesis Report for Female Food Heroes (FFH) Engagement Strategy in Nigeria & Ethiopia

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Synthesis Report for Female Food Heroes (FFH) Engagement Strategy in Nigeria & Ethiopia Chirichetti, Jessica; Onduru, Erick; Pittafi, Shehrbano

This synthesis report consolidates findings from two external evaluations of Oxfam’s Female Food Heroes (FFH) initiative in Nigeria and Ethiopia, conducted in 2024–2025. Since its launch in 2012, the program has celebrated and empowered women smallholder farmers, enhancing their leadership, visibility, and contributions to food security, gender justice, and rural livelihoods. The evaluations found that FFH has positively impacted awardees by improving self-confidence, economic opportunities, and policy engagement, while also challenging stereotypes about women in agriculture.

However, the report highlights persistent gaps that undermine the long-term sustainability and collective impact of the initiative. These include weak alumni engagement structures, limited staffing and financial resources, underdeveloped monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems, and entrenched cultural and structural barriers that restrict women’s leadership in agriculture. The program’s reliance on spotlighting individual champions has not been sufficient to overcome systemic inequalities without stronger collective action and gender-transformative approaches.

The report calls for a revitalized FFH model that invests in formal alumni networks, dedicated staffing, flexible funding, gender-transformative strategies, and robust MEL systems. Scaling up media engagement and linking alumni voices to national and regional policy dialogues are also key to sustaining impact. By embedding these recommendations, FFH can evolve into a more resilient, scalable, and transformative platform that empowers women farmers, strengthens inclusive food systems, and advances gender equality across Africa.

You can find case study on Nigeria here and the case study on Ethiopia here.

Analysis of Oxfam’s Female Food Hero Engagement Strategy: A case study of Nigeria’s Obonge Women Program

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Analysis of Oxfam’s Female Food Hero Engagement Strategy: A case study of Nigeria’s Obonge Women Program Onana, Kingsley

This evaluation report analyzes Oxfam’s Female Food Heroes (FFH) Initiative in Nigeria, known locally as Ogbonge Women. Since 2012, the program has celebrated and empowered women smallholder farmers through recognition, training, leadership development, and advocacy. The study confirms that FFH has enhanced women’s participation in agriculture, expanded their economic opportunities, and strengthened their leadership capacity through initiatives such as Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA), sustainable farming training, and exposure to policymaking platforms. The initiative has significantly improved women’s visibility in agriculture, enabling them to serve as role models and advocates for food security, gender justice, and rural development.

At the same time, the evaluation identifies persistent challenges. Limited and inconsistent funding, weak staffing structures, and gaps in communication and follow-up have undermined the sustainability of Oxfam’s engagement with women farmers. The absence of robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems, alongside reduced post-award support and declining media visibility, has constrained the program’s long-term impact. Structural barriers—such as cultural norms restricting women’s land ownership and limited access to financial resources and agricultural inputs—further compound these challenges.

The report calls for renewed investment in capacity building, alumni networks, and gender-transformative approaches, as well as stronger collaboration with government, civil society, and private sector actors. Policy recommendations include expanding training and resource access, institutionalizing follow-up and monitoring, strengthening advocacy platforms, and diversifying funding. By addressing these systemic gaps, the FFH Initiative can fully realize its potential to empower Nigerian women farmers, transform rural livelihoods, and advance inclusive and sustainable food systems.

This report is one of two evaluation studies conducted on the Female Food Heroes (FFH) Programme, designed to assess its strategies, achievements, challenges, and opportunities. Together, these evaluations provide evidence and lessons to inform the sustainability and future development of the initiative across the wider programme. You can find the study on Ethiopia here and a synthesis report of the two case studies here.

Programme evaluations

Ending the Discrimination faced by Informal and Marginalized Formal Women Workers in Bangladesh

Impact Evaluation of ​Strengthening Harmonized Action for Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, and Recovery (SHARPER) Project

Synthesis Report for Female Food Heroes (FFH) Engagement Strategy in Nigeria & Ethiopia

Analysis of Oxfam’s Female Food Hero Engagement Strategy: A case study of Nigeria’s Obonge Women Program

Impact Evaluation of Strengthening Harmonized Action for Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, and Recovery (SHARPER) Project