Impact
As indication of positive community support for the work of the Foundation, Akwa Ibom Community presents an award to the CEO of the Foundation... Saying well done for touching our lives.
Impact
Has the work of the Foundation impacted positively on beneficiaries? Our measurements have shown tremendous results of our work in touching and changing lives. Below are a few of the Foundation’s project evaluation reports
Micro-Credit Program for Widows
Below is a schematic table showing changes in income levels among the widows headed households in Okon community and the percentage point difference between baseline and end-line surveys conducted to measure the impact of MICPOW:Pre Intervention Baseline Data |
Percentage Level |
Post Intervention |
Percentage Point increase |
Percentage point difference |
Income level of the Widows was low. |
0.5 |
Income level improved dramatically. |
45 |
44.5 |
Access to business opportunities for widows.
|
0.5 |
1.87 widows trained as TBAs
|
80 |
79.5 percent |
Enterprise Development Program
Elf petroleum Nigeria Limited (EPNL) apparently designed the Enterprise Development Program to consolidate its related interventions such as craft development, skills acquisition, and micro – credit with the Foundation serving as the implementing organization. EPNL provided fund to MPF to develop the skills of 18 people on entrepreneurship and management skills.
The program aimed at: 
- Promoting entrepreneurship and enterprise development in OML 58 as a means of expanding opportunities for employment and income generation in the micro and small enterprise sector for overall sustainable development;
- Increase production and incomes of medium and small scale enterprises through skills upgrading, improved management system and enhanced access to enterprises and
- Create increased opportunities for meaningful and rewarding economic engagement of youth, women and men particularly for semi skilled workers.
The result of evaluation survey conducted by MPF on the project showed that it created a mechanism to drive entrepreneurship as an alternative to “Stay at home” payment adopted for conflict prevention by the oil corporation.
Key performance indicator change from Baseline to End-line Evaluation indicated that the program achieved its goals as many as 149 direct dependants of the 18 entrepreneurs were positively impacted. Specifically, over 100 jobs were created as against the initial projection of 88 jobs, an increase of 14%.
In addition, a recorded successful diversification by 2 entrepreneurs into very lucrative businesses was achieved as:
- A business center operator diversified into satellite TV distributorship
- While the other has a very big fast food restaurant and controls flavored ice cream business in Port Harcourt.
Widows Trained by MPF as drumers to support the Folk Media Theatre of the Widows Network and could earn a living through this art. Prior to this intervention, only men were opportuned to play the instruments.
Impact of Intervention on Widowhood and wife Inheritance
The Foundation executed the Widowhood and Wife Inheritance projects in Okon community in Akwa Ibom State with support from the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and funding from Ford Foundation.
The project was executed with the following objectives:
To sensitize, educate and mobilize men to see widows as legal adults by:
- Evolving culture friendly approaches to managing the widow’s estate
- Improving gender relations, economic well being and health status of widows
- Reducing social rejection of post widowhood children
- Mobilizing an articulate group of widows who can actively participate in solving common problems within themselves.
Advocacy Initiative of Okon Widows Theatre Group illustrating experiences Widows face through folk songs.
The following intervention activities were adopted by the Foundation among which were: community mobilizations, Nucleated Village Group Discussion, Mainstreaming the plight of highly vulnerable widows, Formation of a Widows Network and establishment of Entertainment Educational Theatre that uses folk media to advocate for changes in community attitudes towards them.
The result of the evaluation compared with the initial baseline data showed that the community response to addressing the issues of Widowhood and wife Inheritance was 85% point increase from the baseline data of 15% with a 70% point difference. It was also discovered that Widows and orphans were not mobilized as the baseline data indicated 0% while after the intervention, the evaluation result showed a significant increase of 80%, with 80% point difference.
Furthermore, the Foundation’s measurement also indicated that the Widow’s identity was non-existing with a percentage level of 0%, while the evaluation data indicated significant improvement with Widows being identified as a group for itself and as Primary Change Agents (PCAs) with 75% point increase and 75% point difference. Key program indicator changes from baseline to endline showed that income levels of the Widows increased from 0.5% to 45%, a relative percentage increase of 44.5 points while widows access to business opportunities increase from 0.5% to 80% with a 79.5% increase.
The successful outcome of the project led to the formation of Okon Widows Network and the organization’s partnership with several international agencies.
