Projects
The teams at Salma have extensive experience completing research, monitoring, and evaluation studies across Afghanistan. For the past ten years, our teams have worked on numerous projects with donor agencies and NGOs to support their MERL needs.
For further information about the study design, methodology, and findings of our ongoing and completed projects, please send an email to info@salmaconsulting.com or fill out the contact form here
Mental Health Assessment- To Improve UNFPA's Psychosocial Response and Increase Access to Services in Afghanistan
UNFPA
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Salma Consulting, under contract from HEWAD/UNFPA, is undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the mental health conditions and needs of Afghans in Afghanistan. This baseline study aims to provide UNFPA and its partners with a deeper understanding of the existing mental health and psychological conditions in Afghanistan. The ultimate objective is to inform the integration of a broad Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) initiative into ongoing UNFPA programmes. The overarching goal is to enhance the mental health and overall well-being of the Afghan population, with a specific focus on vulnerable groups, such as women, girls, returnees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Data Quality Assessment of Data for Monitoring ACO’s Country Programme
UNICEF
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Salma is conducting a Data Quality Assessment (DQA) to verify the accuracy and relevance of the data used in UNICEF's development programmes. This assessment includes mapping the data flows from service providers to the Afghanistan Country Office and physically validating data from implementing partners.
Baseline Study ‘Rain not Thunder: A programme to renew collaborative civic space in Afghanistan’
Search for Common Ground, Afghanaid TLO, AEPO
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Salma Consulting has been contracted by Search for Common Ground to complete a baseline study for their 27-month project "Rain not Thunder: A programme to renew collaborative civic space in Afghanistan". The overall objective of the programme, to be implemented by a consortium led by Search, is to support civil society and media organisations in operating more sustainably, effectively, and collaboratively with local authorities and communities to serve their target constituencies better. As such, the project aims to address capacity and funding gaps in the Afghan civil society and media infrastructure and decrease local tensions through community dialogue in seven regions of Afghanistan, aiming to make communities more resilient to conflict triggers and improve the protection of citizens' rights. The baseline study aims to generate baseline data for project and impact framework indicators and map out the new landscape for civil society and media organisations in the areas of intervention. This will allow measuring change at the end of the project period when conducting the endline evaluation and survey.
Faragir Baseline Evaluation
Afghanaid, Welthungerhilfe, Humanity & Inclusion, Concern
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Salma Consulting is conducting a baseline evaluation for Afghanaid's Faragir project. The project aims to boost community-based employment, income opportunities, and micro/small businesses, especially for women and people with disabilities. It also seeks to improve food security in rural areas through climate-sustainable production, processing, and natural resource management. The baseline evaluation provides initial information on program impact and outcome indicators, establishing a benchmark for measuring program-driven changes.
Monitoring Through Beneficiary Voices
UNICEF
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Salma Consulting collaborates with UNICEF to create a monitoring framework that includes beneficiary feedback across UNICEF's intervention sectors. This aims to improve service quality, program delivery, and intervention implementation. The process gathers community input on service satisfaction and programme effectiveness to better grasp community attitudes, behaviours, and needs. This initiative's main goal is to use beneficiary feedback to enhance services and programs by addressing challenges and refining approaches.
Midline Evaluation of AF-1260 Project
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Salma Consulting is conducting a mid-term evaluation for WHH's AFG-1260 project, targeting livelihood stability and resilience in drought and conflict-affected areas across six provinces. Phase 1 addressed basic needs and coping mechanisms, while Phase 2 focuses on rebuilding livelihoods and strengthening social structures for resilience. The midline evaluation assesses progress towards intermediate and immediate outcomes, providing insights and recommendations for future phases to address shortcomings and improve the project.
Research Study: Feasibility of Digital Payment Eco-systems for Women in Afghanistan
Viamo
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UNDP Afghanistan is collaborating with Viamo to test an Interactive Voice Response (IVR)-based training program aimed at improving the digital skills of vulnerable Afghan citizens. This pilot project assesses whether IVR training can expand the use of digital payment methods in Afghanistan, potentially simplifying and reducing the cost of delivering humanitarian cash assistance. Digital payments could also provide recipients more autonomy over their funds. Salma has been hired to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate the effectiveness of this IVR training. Her study focuses on understanding the adoption barriers and preferences of users with low literacy, examining the potential of IVR training to replace or enhance traditional in-person training methods, and exploring the overall user motivations, challenges, and specific training needs related to digital payment systems.
Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) Leave No Girls Behind (LNGB) Endline Evaluation
FCDO, Aga Khan Foundation, Save the Children, Care, Catholic Relief Services
This evaluation aimed to understand the LNGB Programme's key outcomes, such as learning, transition, sustainability, attendance, teacher quality, life skills, leadership, and community engagement. It involved assessments, surveys, classroom observations, student focus group discussions, teacher interviews, and discussions with caregivers and Shura members.
Endline Evaluation WHH 1243: ‘Food Security and Winter Relief through Multi-sectoral Cash Assistance to IDPs, returnees, host communities in Kabul, Nangarhar, Balkh, Samangan, Jawzjan, and Badakhshan Provinces’
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The overall purpose of the evaluation is to undertake the final evaluation of the AFG 1243 project in the provinces of Kabul, Nangarhar, Balkh, Jawzjan, Samangan and Badakhshan to assess achievement against baseline values and gauge real change because of the implementation of the project. The evaluation team will complete a full evaluation of the project, aligning with DAC criteria of relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, and impact. Badakhshan province will not be assessed through data collection, given the remote location of implementation. The evaluation, however, will draw on any existing internal data to comment on any indicator successes. The evaluation will form part of the lessons learned for future projects and programme designs.
Assessment of the Ban on Female Humanitarian Workers for UNICEF
UNICEF
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Salma Consulting is assessing the ban on female humanitarian workers in Afghanistan for UNICEF. The study evaluates the ban's impact on women, sectors like WASH, nutrition, health, child protection, social services, and education, as well as beneficiary access to humanitarian aid. This comprehensive study also looks into the quality of services, women's engagement, and coping mechanisms adopted due to the ban. It examines how these coping mechanisms may affect service quality across sectors.
Assess Caregivers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices and Determinants Towards the Polio Vaccine Uptake
UNICEF
The main goal of this study is to understand factors affecting polio vaccine uptake, including physical and behavioural aspects. This nationwide study involves a survey with 3,600 caregivers of children under five years old in seven regions. Besides the household survey, the study uses qualitative methods like focus groups with caregivers, interviews with vaccination professionals, and in-depth case studies in high and low-risk polio communities to identify and compare conditions, influences, and barriers related to polio vaccination.
Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) Leave No Girls Behind (LNGB) Endline Evaluation
FCDO, Aga Khan Foundation, Save the Children, Care, Catholic Relief Services
This evaluation aimed to understand the LNGB Programme's key outcomes, such as learning, transition, sustainability, attendance, teacher quality, life skills, leadership, and community engagement. It involved assessments, surveys, classroom observations, student focus group discussions, teacher interviews, and discussions with caregivers and Shura members.
Gender Equality Assessment and Training
HALO
Salma conducted a thorough evaluation of HALO Trust's organizational and programmatic approaches regarding gender and social inclusion (GESI). This included interviews with staff in three regions to understand their GESI knowledge and experiences. Feedback from HALO beneficiaries, with a focus on gender aspects, was also collected. Additionally, GESI training was provided to enhance the HALO Trust team's capacity to integrate GESI principles into their work.
Roadmap of Civil Society in Afghanistan (post-Aug 2021)
Consultancy by Lee Rasheed
ACBAR, EU Commission
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The overall objective of this study was to guide the development and subsequent implementation of the EU’s roadmap for Engagement with Civil Society in Afghanistan for the period covering 2022-2025.
Research Study: The Impact of the Food Crisis on Women and Girls in Afghanistan
CARE Afghanistan
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Salma Consulting supported CARE to conduct an in-depth review of the impact of food insecurity on women and girls in Afghanistan since the regime change in August 2021.
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Assessment of Options for Girls’ Secondary Education and the Availability of Female Teachers in Public Schools
UNICEF
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The objectives of the assessment are to provide UNICEF with most up-to-date data on the situation with girls’ access to secondary education and availability of female teachers to support expansion of a segregated education system.
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Evaluation of the Impact and Effectiveness of SCA’s Support to School Management Shuras
Swedish Committee Afghanistan
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The evaluation aimed to determine the impact and effectiveness of SCA’s support to school management shuras in the CBE schools it supports across Afghanistan. The evaluation teams focused on accounting for changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices at the organisation and beneficiaries’ levels, highlighting project successes/achievements and challenges/barriers.
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Qualitative Insight into Afghan Women's Economic Empowerment and Small Businesses: The Potential for Mobile-Based Support
Viamo
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The evaluation sought to understand the diversity of Afghan businesswomen’s ambitions and identify Afghan businesswomen’s challenges in accessing formal and informal information related to decision-making and their sector of activity (market and customer needs). It also assessed Afghan businesswomen’s relationship with technology, including smartphones and basic feature phones, including access, ownership, and usage dynamic.
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Endline Evaluation: Rural Development in Faryab Province (July 2018-June 2022)
DACAAR/NFMA
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The evaluation focused on assessing whether the programme has been able to meet its intended outcomes in terms of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Natural Resource Management, Small Scale Enterprise Development, and Women’s Empowerment. The evaluation is further intended to provide a summary of the results seen and highlight key strengths, weaknesses, and challenges.
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Qualitative Research Study - Protecting and Improving Healthcare: Community Insights from Afghanistan
Ground Truth Solutions/World Health Organization
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Salma conducted this mixed-methods study to understand the diversity of healthcare services available to communities across urban and rural locations in Nangarhar, Kunduz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces. The study assessed both formal and informal types of healthcare such as those sourced through traditional and religious healers.
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Feasibility Study of Multi-Purpose Cash Intervention: Kunduz Province
Humanity & Inclusion
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Humanity and Inclusion was looking to assist vulnerable households and displaced-affected populations across Kunduz province, with a special interest in people with disabilities who are confronted with acute food insecurity and other basic needs. Based on this aim, Salma has conducted a feasibility study to appropriately inform their upcoming cash distribution programme.
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Post Cash Distribution Monitoring
UNICEF
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Salma is conducting third-party monitoring for post-cash distribution in the North Western Region and the Eastern Region. Salma has deployed teams to conduct face-to-face interviews with aid recipients, conducting surveys to measure impact.
Final External Evaluation - Sustained Rural Development Programme (SRDP) Phase IV
Acted
The evaluation assessed SRDP IV, including its design, implementation, and outcomes, particularly focusing on AGORA Agriculture, Education, and Good Governance components. With this evaluation, Acted aimed to highlight AGORA's relevance for community-level aid in Afghanistan and the use of manteqa for aid planning and delivery.
Leave No Girl Behind, Girls’ Education Challenge Afghanistan - Verification Monitoring
FCDO, Aga Khan Foundation, Save the Children, Care, Catholic Relief Services
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Verification monitoring was focused on reviewing the quality of key components of CBE efforts under the Leave No Girl Behind (LNGB) programme.
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National Inquiry: Changes in Availability of and Access to Basic Services for Children in Afghanistan
Consultancy by Lee Rasheed
Save the Children
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Salma Consulting, in partnership with Save the Children Afghanistan, completed a nationwide investigation into the status of children’s services across Afghanistan. This included mapping the availability of services, including health, education, and protection, and then assessing the scope of care, quality of care, and barriers to such services.
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Evaluation: ECHO Programming
Humanity & Inclusion
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Salma Consulting conducted an evaluation for Handicap International to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, value for money, and organisational appropriateness of Handicap International’s Physical rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and mine risk education service project in contributing to reducing vulnerability, restoring autonomy, and increasing the resilience of the most vulnerable groups including communities, persons with disabilities, IDPs, returnees, and other communities affected by CWs/IEDs in Herat, Kunduz, Kandahar, and Nimroz provinces.
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Strengthening Accountability in Afghanistan through gender-focussed perception surveys and advocacy on behalf of the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (completed in partnership with Ground Truth Solution)
UN Women
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The overall objective of this project was to improve the capacity of aid workers to incorporate a gender-inclusive perspective at all stages of the crisis response, ensuring that efforts meet the differentiated needs of women and girls.
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Response to COVID-19 CBE Programming Assessment
Swedish Committee Afghanistan
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The objective of this study was to document how the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan responded to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in their Community-Based Education schools and the extent to which the response ensured continuous learning among students.
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Assessment of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)
Danish Refugee Council
Salma Consulting sought to understand existing gaps in GESI knowledge, attitudes, and practices in DRC’s organisation and programming efforts. The purpose of this study was to support DRC in improving its current practices and ensure that GESI-responsive approaches are being used in all DRC efforts.
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End Line Assessment - Building Active Citizenship and Equality for Persons with Disabilities
Swedish Committee for Afghanistan
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The overall objective of the end-line assessment of the BACEDA project was to assess any change in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices among the project target beneficiaries, including communities, government officials, DPOs, and SHGs towards persons with disabilities and their understanding of the potentialities, rights, and entitlements of persons with physical and mental disabilities. The end line is also intended to measure any improvement in the capacity of disability-focused women-led and men CSOs/DPOs/SHGs in the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with mental and physical disabilities in the targeted project areas. The end-line assessment provided recommendations on how to ensure the sustainability of the action in the context of government policy changes following the August 2021 regime change.
Evaluation: Alternative Learning Programme (ALP) (CBE Programming)
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Norwegian Refugee Council
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The overall purpose of the AEP evaluation is to assess the performance of NRC’s AEP programme in three targeted provinces of Afghanistan. The assessment incorporates a review of BLP, teacher performance, student learning and overall functionality of AEP classes. The evaluation will seek to determine the extent to which intended outputs and outcomes have been met at the midpoint of the project and explain in detail the strengths or weaknesses in the overall design and implementation.
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