This dissertation reports a theory, process and outcome evaluation of the Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust's (RCCTT) Birds and Bees programme. The Birds and Bees is a peer education programme that aims to create safer schools by decreasing incidents of sexual violence in schools and increasing the reporting of sexual violence. The programme in its current form has been implemented in high schools in Khayelitsha since 2009 and this dissertation focuses on two high schools in Khayelitsha that received the programme throughout 2013.The Birds and Bees programme theory was investigated for its utility and plausibility and a revised programme theory was proposed. Eight questions relating to the implementation of the programme were posed in order to assess whether the programme was implemented as intended. These questions related to the selection and attendance of peer educators, their ability to fulfil their role, the suitability of the peer educators' supervisors and the implementation of school activities and supervision meetings. Five questions regarding outcomes were posed that enquired about the effectiveness of the school safety plan, the number of learners who approached the peer educators for advice and the number of learners who reported sexual violence and accessed the services of the RCCTT. The evaluation used secondary data collected throughout 2013 and included interviews with the programme coordinator and the two supervisors responsible for the training and supervision of the peer educators. Data analysis methods included the use of descriptive statistics for the pre- and post-test data and QSR International's NVivo 10 software for qualitative data.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-46). / Many contemporary organisations implement programmes to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals. Such organisations invest money and human capital into such programmes and this has given rise to the need for accountability of these programmes. The field of programme evaluation makes use of social science research methods to investigate the effectiveness of programmes and to offer guidance on how best to improve these programmes. Programme evaluation has different approaches and theory-driven evaluation is one such approach. This dissertation makes use of the theory-driven evaluation approach to develop a programme theory for a Financial Services Provider (FSP)'s induction programme. The induction programme that is implemented by the FSP is targeted at new employees and aims to improve their knowledge and skill and in the long term to retain these new employees.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / Widespread adoption of mobile phone-based innovative interventions hinge on clear guidelines and standards being established on how such programmes should be designed and implemented to promote high impact levels. This report is a formative evaluation of RedChatZone, a pilot instant messaging-based programme implemented in 2009 to provide an HIV and AIDS helpline via Mxit, an instant messaging platform.

Includes bibliographical references. / This dissertation reports on an outcome evaluation of the Student Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO) Saturday Schools Programme. This is a professionally-run catch-up educational programme that engages two hundred Grade 12 Cape Town based students. Broadly, the goal of the programme is to provide learners with quality teaching with a view to increase their chances for acceptance into university education. According to the literature, there remain some inconsistencies in the effectiveness of catch-up programmes across various contexts and subject areas. Some proponents of catch-up education programmes continue to assert that such programmes have positive effects for underprepared pre-university students. However, some other researchers maintain opposing views. Additional evidence is thus required to unlock further the value of these programmes, as the need for their existence is well warranted within the realm of pre- and post- secondary school education. To evaluate the SHAWCO Saturday School Programme, a single-group, pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design was used. The evaluation used both the 2010 and 2011 cohorts of high school learners who came from 36 secondary schools located within underprivileged communities in Cape Town. Secondary data were obtained from the SHAWCO programme managers who use a nonprobability criterion sampling technique to select learners onto the programme based on a predetermined criterion (performance on two standardised academic potential tests). The selection criterion is such that only the first 200 high-performing learners get selected into the SHAWCO programme.

Globally education policy, practice and research has emphasized the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) secondary schools in diminishing the skills-gap in STEM disciplines. This research presents an outcome evaluation of a STEM-focused secondary school in the Western Cape of South Africa. The evaluation focused on the academic performance of the COSAT learners in comparison to learners who did not form part of the programme. Additionally, the evaluation focused on the retention of COSAT alumni in STEM disciplines. With increased academic performance of COSAT learners as well as the long-term retention of learners in the STEM field this research provides evidence of the intermediate and long-term impact of a STEM secondary school.

Includes bibliographical references. / Child sexual abuse is a prevalent problem in South Africa. There are reports of child sexual abuse of very young children in the media on an almost daily basis. South African Police Services reports show that children are victims in almost 50 of all reported cases of indecent assault and rape. It is well reported that only a fraction of sexual offences are ever reported as this is often an illicit and secret activity. South Africa has many factors which contribute to this high prevalence and incidence of child sexual abuse. These factors include poverty as well as the legacy of Apartheid with its unequal distribution of power, wealth and the breakdown of family structures, as well as South Africa's sexist, patriarchal and violent culture.

Evaluations can only be effective if evaluators provide clients with improvements that are easy to understand, implement and fit their needs. Often evaluation recommendations are not used because these factors are overlooked once the evaluation has been completed. This evaluation assessed whether the client used the evaluation improvements recommended to them by evaluators. It presents a follow-up evaluation to a Process Evaluation conducted in 2006 on a Grant-making Organisation's Capacity Building Programme. It focuses on the Enhancement of Capacity Programme which is a core training programme within the Capacity Building Programme of the Grant-making Organisation. Furthermore this evaluation provides a programme description, a programme theory and a plausibility assessment of the programme theory.

The purpose of this evaluation was to investigate the effects of a volunteer-run, school-based Wordworks Early Literacy intervention that was implemented in the Western Cape for struggling Grade One learners at risk of falling into the Learning Achievement Gap. The process evaluation investigated the extent to which volunteers received adequate training to deliver the programme to learners, as well as the perceived benefits that volunteers gained from this experience. The outcome evaluation investigated the extent to which several literacy and psychosocial development indicators improved amongst children who took part in The Wordworks Early Literacy Programme (ELP). Secondary data from volunteer programme records such as attendance of training sessions, volunteers' reasons for leaving the programme where applicable, and a Volunteer Feedback survey detailing perceived benefits of volunteering, were analysed to ascertain the volunteer outcomes. Secondly, data from learner assessments measuring changes in literacy indicator variables (such as letter knowledge, sentence construction ability, and reading ability), in 3 cohorts of learners enrolled in the programme, were analysed. Cohort 1 consisted of the 2014 12-month programme, Cohort 2 of the 2014 6-month programme and Cohort 3 of the 2015 6-month programme. Thirdly, qualitative data from responses given in a Teachers Feedback survey, detailing perceived changes in learner psychosocial well-being, were analysed.

This report presents the findings of an outcomes evaluation of the Zimbabwe Technical Assistance, Training and Education for Health's (Zim-TTECH) cervical cancer intervention in Harare and Epworth districts (Harare Metropolitan province). This programme seeks to improve access and uptake of cervical cancer screening and treatment among women living with HIV through recruitment, training and mentorship of nurses, procurement of equipment and commodities, providing support for diagnosis and referral for treatment services, and quality assessment of cervical cancer services. The evaluation interrogated the plausibility of the programme theory of the Zim-TTECH intervention and assessed its short- and medium outcomes. Methods The evaluation used a mixed-methods approach with both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. This comprised a desk review of programme documents and relevant literature, secondary analysis of programme routine data and collection of primary data. Quantative descriptive analysis was conducted to determine coverage (in percentage) of Zim-TTECH cervical cancer services between 2019- 2021. Qualitative analysis was used to complement quantitative data and aid in the interpretation of programme results. Key Results This assessment showed that the Zim-TTECH cervical cancer intervention contributed to the increase in awareness among women living with HIV and health workers. The programme capacitated health workers to conduct effective health education and awareness-raising campaigns for cervical cancer. The evaluation revealed that the Zim-TTECH cervical cancer intervention improved access to cervical cancer services among women living with HIV. Additionally, the intervention did not deny women who were HIV-negative services though the reach for this group is not routinely documented and reported. Results from the evaluation showed that LEEP was the main treatment type used in Harare and Epworth followed by cryotherapy and thermablation techniques. This assessment also showed that the Zim-TTECH cervical cancer intervention contributed positively to the following areas: increasing access to cervical cancer services, early detection of pre-cancers and invasive disease and increased health education and awareness of cervical cancer among women and health workers. The evaluation also revealed some negative implications of the Zim-TTECH intervention on the health system which include the following: the programme‘s screening resulted in the detection of invasive cervical cancer cases which were referred to weak and ill-capacitated public health facilities, and most screening services are offered in HIV clinics which results in some women who are not HIV positive not wanting to screen for fear of stigma and the programme also contributed to staff attrition in public health facilities as they search for better opportunities in the NGO sector and outside the country. The Zim-TTECH cervical cancer programme rapidly adjusted to the new COVID-19 protocols in 2020 to ensure continuity of services though the demand side was affected by protracted lockdowns. The programme has also been keeping in tandem with technological evolutions including the adoption of thermoablative techniques and planning for the rolling out of highly sensitive human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA testing in line with Ministry of Health strategies and WHO guidelines. However, discussions are still ongoing on the adoption of HPV screening as the primary method as it will negate the ‘see and treat' approach. This evaluation showed that cervical cancer services were likely to continue in Harare and Epworth after the cessation of Zim-TTECH support albeit at a lower scale. The Zim-TTECH intervention is based in public health facilities that have been offering cervical cancer services even before partner support came through and these are likely to continue in their absence. Conclusions Findings from this evaluation showed that Zim-TTECH cervical cancer intervention was relatively effective with regards to short-medium term outcomes, although the COVID-19 pandemic saw disruptions of cervical cancer services which affected service delivery/uptake in 2020-2021. However, the key shortfalls of the intervention revealed in this evaluation showed systemic/structural gaps with the design of health interventions in the country as well as the vertical approaches which are also being perpetuated by donors. Additionally, given the huge resource shortfalls in the MoHCC due to protracted underfunding, there is evidence of limited coordination/leadership capacities to guide partners who come up with piecemeal interventions. Despite the revealed shortcomings of the intervention there are opportunities to improve services including treatment of invasive cervical cancer. Overall, better partnerships and coordination among government, NGOs and donors will be a game changer in ensuring continuity of services for cervical cancer in low-resource settings.

The Principals Academy Trust (PAT) is a non-profit organisation, whose programme is focused on improving the leadership competencies of school principals in poor and marginalised communities in South Africa largely through mentoring. While PAT collects quantitative data to monitor the performance of the schools in their programme, currently no data is collected to measure the extent to which PAT's mentoring efforts are positively impacting the schools' culture or climate. This study sought to develop an M&E framework for the mentoring component of the PAT programme. The M&E framework is informed by an extensive programme theory evaluation. The framework is designed to enable PAT to monitor and evaluate the potential changes in school climate and culture as a result of the mentoring component of the PAT programme. For the purposes of this study, Donaldson's step-by-step model for conducting a programme theory evaluation was merged with Markiewicz & Patrick's step-by-step guide on how to develop an M&E framework. The aim of this approach was to ensure that the results of the theory evaluation provide the foundation for the M&E framework. A combination of desk research, focus groups with PAT's programme staff and a number of semi-structured interviews with the head mentor and the fundraising consultant for PAT, was used to create the M&E framework. The results of the theory evaluation indicate that according to recent social science research in the field of education, the causality assumed in PAT's programme theory is plausible. The theory evaluation concludes that it is plausible to assume positive impacts on school culture and climate through systematic mentoring of school principals. The results of the development of the M&E framework are presented as a complete monitoring plan, evaluation plan, data collection and management plan, data analysis and synthesis strategy, learning strategy and implementation plan.