Publications

Nuru Kenya 2024 Baringo County Baseline

November 20, 2024 Leave a Comment

Nuru Kenya 2024 Baringo County Baseline
Authors: Heath Prince, Thomas Boswell (Ray Marshall Center); Pauline Wambeti, Tom Kosgei (Nuru Kenya); Casey Harrison, Matt Lineal, Ian Schwenke, Bethany Ibrahim (Nuru)
Date: November 2024
Publication Type: Report, 17 pp.
This report is commissioned by Nuru.

INTRODUCTION
Nuru Kenya (NK) is a locally-led and locally-operated NGO working with smallholder farmers since 2008 in Migori County and Homabay County, Kenya. In 2024, NK expanded its reach to scale programs into Baringo and eventually Samburu counties, with the primary goal of supporting rural communities in building resilience and achieving sustainable livelihoods. This baseline report marks the initial data collection phase in Baringo County, serving as a critical pre-intervention reference across various value chains—namely dairy, meat, beekeeping, and shoats (sheep and goats)—in the Baringo North and Tiaty sub-counties.

The survey collected data from 672 respondents across the two sub-counties, providing a comprehensive look at the socioeconomic conditions, climate impacts, and agricultural practices in the region. Findings from this baseline indicate that households engaged in multiple value chains currently achieve an average combined income of approximately $473 USD per year, well below the international poverty line and Kenya’s GDP per capita. Paired with lower than average production across value chain activities, this underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve income stability and resilience in these communities.

NK’s entry into Baringo County is supported by the Nuru Collective, a network of locally-led NGOs in East and West Africa, with additional research and program evaluation backing from the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) since 2017. Initial assessments of cooperative organizations in the area, using the SCOPEinsight tool, yielded an average professionalism score of 2.6 out of 5.0 across 18 cooperatives, indicating room for growth in cooperative capacity and structure. NK aims to improve these scores over the coming years, supporting cooperatives to reach a level of sustainability and professionalism that empowers them to deliver core services to members effectively.

The report also addresses the specific climate-related challenges facing Baringo households, capturing insights on rainfall patterns, water access, and climate shocks, such as droughts and floods. The findings underscore the need for resilience-focused interventions, as households across both sub-counties reported frequent exposure to severe climate impacts that affect both livelihoods and food security.

This report also highlights the complex challenges faced by households in Baringo County, including gender disparities, climate impacts, and nutritional deficiencies. Women’s participation in economic and decision-making roles remains limited, climate-related shocks such as drought and flooding are frequent, and chronic malnutrition affects child health. NK is committed to addressing these interconnected challenges through targeted programs that empower women, build climate resilience, and improve nutrition access. With efforts like these, NK aims to create an inclusive and sustainable environment in Baringo where households can achieve both economic and social resilience.

Overall, this baseline report provides a foundational understanding of the needs, opportunities, and challenges in Baringo County, laying the groundwork for NK’s future interventions to foster resilient and
sustainable livelihoods across the region.

Nuru Ethiopia 2023 Impact Report

October 31, 2024 Leave a Comment

Nuru Ethiopia 2023 Impact Report
Authors: Heath Prince and Thomas Boswell (Ray Marshall Center); Tatek Amataw (Nuru Ethiopia); and Casey Harrison, Matt Lineal, Ian Schwenke, and Bethany Ibrahim (Nuru)
Date: October 2024
Publication Type: Report, 26 pp.

Introduction
In 2023, Nuru Ethiopia (NE) offered cooperative and rural livelihood interventions to 28,096 individuals in the South Ethiopia Region. These individuals were members of five distinct cooperative unions to which NE offered support, including members from 203 primary cooperatives. This report samples farmers from two of the NE-supported unions, Hidota (Gamo Zone) and Esipe Dicha (Gofa Zone) with whom NE has supported since 2016 and 2021 respectively. In 2023, the NE interventions led to the following outcomes:

Cooperative Impact:

NE-supported cooperative unions achieved an average SCOPEinsight score of 4.65 out of 5.0, representing a continued improvement over the 4.4 achieved in 2022. This score is associated with very professional agribusinesses and is well above the regional average.
100% of NE-supported cooperative unions achieved net profitability from their business operations in 2023.

Agricultural and Livelihood Diversification Impact:

Combined livelihood diversification and cash crop activities led NE-supported farmers to an average net income of $609 USD. This represents a 162% increase over the 2020 baseline value of $233 USD, and the 4th consecutive year of increased incomes.
91% of farmers adopted the majority of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices.

Gender and Social Inclusion

NE successfully surveyed 657 women using the IFPRI & USAID developed Abbreviated Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (A-WEAI)1. Results indicated NE-supported women scored higher than national empowerment benchmarks.

In 2023, NE solidified its cooperative approach by shifting primary support from individual cooperatives to unions. This allowed resources, training, and capacity building to be cascaded efficiently from unions to their member cooperatives. NE achieved its highest-ever yields and incomes, demonstrating increased efficiency with fewer resources. With exceptionally high SCOPEinsight scores, this report marks the final evaluation for Hidota and Esipe Dicha unions and the transition to a new cohort of unions for future support.

PATHS for Texas: Interim Descriptive Statistics, Outcomes, Impacts, Survey Results, and Qualitative Summary 2024 Update

August 12, 2024 Leave a Comment

PATHS for Texas: Interim Descriptive Statistics, Outcomes, Impacts, Survey Results, and Qualitative Summary 2024 Update
Authors: Thomas Boswell, Patty Rodriguez, and Heath Prince
Date: July 2024
Publication Type: Report, 49pp.

Executive Summary
The data presented in this report represent individuals who participated in PATHS for Texas from its start date in 2020 through June of 2024. As of June 2024, 2,524 individuals registered to participate in the PATHs for Texas program from four Texas Workforce Development Boards (WDB) across the state (Coastal Bend, Gulf Coast, Rural Capital Area, and North Texas). Of the 2,524 individuals who enrolled in PATHS, 2,029 (80%) individuals completed training and earned one or more certificates. When compared to the reference quarter (four quarters prior to earning a certificate through PATHS), on average, PATHS participants increased employment by 5.5 percentage points (from 72.8% to 78.3%), as well as increased their quarterly earnings by $2,574 (from $8,469 to $11,043) eight quarters after earning their certificate. Those who earned certificates in the Business, Hospitality, Information Technology, Medical, Retail, and Transportation and Logistics industries saw increases in employment and earnings compared to the reference period, while those earning certificates in Entrepreneurship, and in the Skilled Trades saw flat or slight decreases in employment, and Insurance, which saw a decline in earnings.

When matched with a comparison group of demographically similar individuals with similar employment histories to determine the impact of program participation, and while there is some variation across the Boards and by outcome measure, it is generally the case that participation in PATHS is associated with a positive, and statistically significant, increase in both unconditional quarterly earnings ($990) and quarterly employment (9.5% percentage points) over the comparison group.

We also report on the outcomes of two surveys completed in the past three years: one survey of active PATHS participants, and one of inactive participants. Responses indicate that flexible training arrangement, follow-up with participants after program completion, and information regarding family counseling services represent growth opportunities for service providers.

Finally, and while it will be expanded upon in next year’s final report, we report preliminary findings from an implementation evaluation of PATHS. Input provided by key stakeholders yielded several lessons learned, including those related to flexibility, collaboration, and leadership. In terms of flexibility, respondents highlighted the value in PATHS ability to pivot its industry focus in response to COVID-19. Regarding collaboration, respondents frequently cited their collaboration between one another throughout the PATHS funding period as a unique experience in the state’s Workforce Solutions space. And, regarding leadership, respondents underscored the importance of an effective and confident managerial presence to the successful implementation of the PATHS for Texas program.

Evaluation of the City of Austin Investment in Workforce Development: 2023 Annual Report

July 5, 2024 Leave a Comment

Evaluation of the City of Austin Investment in Workforce Development: 2023 Annual Report
Authors: Cynthia Juniper, Thomas Boswell, and Greg Cumpton, Principal Investigator
Date: December 2023
Publication Type: Report, 41 pp.

The City of Austin has contracted with the Ray Marshall Center (RMC), an organized research unit at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, to conduct an evaluation of the City’s workforce training investments. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify within the City of Austin funded workforce development training ecosystem, programmatic or strategic elements that impact participant outcomes. Research findings will guide strategic planning for the City’s workforce development efforts.

The following report is organized into three sections. The first presents an overview of the evaluation questions and research methods. The quantitative methodology discussion highlights the planned analysis of employment and wage outcomes. The qualitative methodology discussion presents detailed information regarding the development of the participant survey, the survey distribution plan, and participant interviews. The second section presents a brief profile of each service provider and its workforce development program(s). The concluding section outlines lessons learned during this first period of inquiry and additional questions researchers will consider as the evaluation evolves.

Evaluation of Travis County Investments in Workforce Development 2023 Update

May 21, 2024 Leave a Comment

Evaluation of Travis County Investments in Workforce Development 2023 Update
Authors: Cynthia Juniper, Patty Rodriguez, David McCoy, Heath Prince (Principal Investigator), and Thomas Boswell
Date: November 2023
Publication Type: Report, 173pp.

INTRODUCTION
In FY 2016–FY 2022, Travis County invested over $16 million to support a continuum of adult education, training, and employment services. The adult education programing supported by the County includes English as a second language, basic adult education, high school equivalency and GED classes. Sectoral occupational training includes healthcare professions, information technology, skilled trades, manufacturing, and other occupations in area growth industries with good prospects for career advancement, improved economic stability, and access to employee benefits.

Four of the Travis County workforce development grantees receive county-funded assistance as a consortium, the Workforce Education and Readiness Continuum–Travis County (WERC-TC). WERC-TC providers are Workforce Solutions Capital Area Career Centers, Goodwill of Central Texas, Austin Area Urban League, and American YouthWorks. Four additional community-based organizations maintaining workforce development contracts with Travis County are included in this report: Literacy Coalition of Central Texas, Capital IDEA, LifeWorks, and Skillpoint Alliance. In addition, WERC-TC grantee American YouthWorks also delivers services to participants through Travis County funding that is not WERC-TC.

To understand program participant outcomes and the impact of these services, the county has contracted with the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources (RMC), an organized research unit in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of its investments. This evaluation report presents findings and analyses of programs funded during a seven-year on-going evaluation (FY 2016–FY 2022).

Nuru Burkina Faso 2023 Impact Report

May 21, 2024 Leave a Comment

Nuru Burkina Faso 2023 Impact Report
Authors: Heath Prince and Thomas Boswell (Ray Marshall Center); Souleymane Ouedraogo (Nuru Burkina Faso); and Matt Lineal, Casey Harrison, Ian Schwenke, Bethany Ibrahim (Nuru)
Date: May 2024
Publication Type: Report, 23pp.
This report is commissioned by Nuru.

Executive Summary
Nuru Burkina Faso (NBF) is a locally-led and locally-registered NGO in Burkina Faso. NBF’s mission is to build resilience corridors by eradicating poverty and unlocking economic potential within fragile communities in Burkina Faso to stop the spread of violent extremism by 2030. NBF was founded in 2022, and at the time of this report is in its second year of operation. Since its inception, NBF has created a capable and professional local organization that is engaged across several interventions. Currently, NBF is working with USAID to implement the Tiligre Initiative for Farmer Resilience (TIFR) in the Centre Sud and Plateau-Central regions of Burkina Faso, just outside of the capital Ouagadougou, and receives further support from additional donors to provide support in terms of crop input packages to farmers. Furthermore, NBF has partnered with ignitia to provide two consecutive years of weather forecasting services to nearly 2,000 Nuru-registered farmers.

In 2023, NBF conducted its first input-distribution activity, allowing farmers who are members of the cooperatives that NBF supports to receive crop input packages, consisting of various inputs aimed to improve the yields of soy and groundnut production for individual farmers. Crop loan repayments are made to the cooperative, which becomes a revolving fund at each cooperative. This report examines the results of this 2023 agricultural season, including the yield potential between farmers and demonstration plots. This report also explores baseline gender evaluations aimed at uncovering gender dynamics at the household level.

Nuru Kenya 2023 Dairy Impact Brief

December 12, 2023 Leave a Comment

Nuru Kenya 2023 Dairy Impact Brief
Authors: Heath Prince and Thomas Boswell (Ray Marshall Center); Fatuma Nyanjong (Nuru Kenya); and Casey Harrison, Matt Lineal, Ian Schwenke, and Bethany Ibrahim (Nuru International)
Date: December 2023
Publication Type: Research Brief, 6pp.
This report is commissioned by Nuru International

INTRODUCTION
Nuru Kenya (NK) was established in 2008 with the goal of enabling meaningful choices for vulnerable communities to lift themselves out of poverty. Their multifaceted approach addresses food insecurity, ability to cope with shocks, and addressing unnecessary disease and death. NK has since been engaged across the sectors of agriculture, financial inclusion, and healthcare. This report will focus on NK’s impact in the dairy sector as part of an integrated livelihood diversification strategy. This dairy program began in Migori county in 2017, and has since expanded to neighboring Homabay, the second county of operation for NK. This report focuses on the Migori county dairy program after 7 years of impact.

To track data and report on successes, NK’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning team works with Nuru International support, in partnership with the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) at the University of Texas, Austin. Working as a group, Nuru Kenya leads on the collection and cleaning of data, and Nuru International and RMC report on the relevant findings. This the 6th annual report on the dairy program of Nuru Kenya since its inception in 2017. The primary metrics of success for the dairy program encompass improved yields and incomes for farmers, along with improved practices for taking care of the health and production of animals. Additional programs include fodder production, and artificial insemination. The households who are members of the NK dairy program are often also members of farmers cooperatives supported by NK, which assist in training and aggregation activities with the farmers over the course of the year.

Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Plan for Nuru Nigeria

December 12, 2023 Leave a Comment

Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Plan for Nuru Nigeria
Author: Ray Marshall Center
Date: November 2018
Publication Type: Report, 33pp.
This report is commissioned by Nuru International.

OVERVIEW
Nuru International’s mission is to eradicate extreme poverty in fragile rural areas to build communities resilient to violent extremism. Nuru International considers fragile states to continue to be a source of instability and relative deprivation in the world. Vulnerabilities in marginalized communities are ripe for exploitation by violent extremist groups and ideologies. Nuru International envisions a world in which all people live in an enabled environment with lasting, meaningful choices. Free of the burdens of vulnerabilities that threaten the stability and resilience of households and communities, people will be able to thrive and to exercise their agency.

Nuru International believes that building resilient communities is best done by local leaders who produce and manage programs locally and nationally, combining and leveraging their knowledge, innovation and experience with international and expatriate expertise, support and resources. Nuru International is committed to eliminating extreme poverty through investments in self-sustaining and scalable interventions.

Nuru’s integrated development model takes a holistic approach to address the most prevalent and fundamental challenges of extreme poverty through an intentional and co-creative design process. By addressing vulnerabilities in an integrated way, Nuru enables individuals not just to improve their own well-being and climb out of the poverty trap, but also to avoid falling back into poverty. Without a holistic approach to development, well-intentioned reforms and investment in one sector risk being squandered because they are not supported by measures in other sectors.

The Ray Marshall Center (RMC), an organized research unit in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, is providing technical assistance to support Nuru’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) efforts. The RMC’s experience and expertise supports Nuru’s work by demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of its integrated approach to addressing poverty.

Nuru Nigeria 2023 Endline Impact Report

December 12, 2023 Leave a Comment

Nuru Nigeria 2023 Endline Impact Report
Authors: Heath Prince, Thomas Boswell, and Ashweeta Patnaik (Ray Marshall Center); Bless Jima, Olayinka Orefunwa, and Amos Emmanuel (Nuru Nigeria); Matt Lineal, Casey Harrison, and Ian Schwenke (Nuru International); and Dena Bunnel (Doctoral Candidate, Kansas State University)
Date: December 2023
Publication Type: Report, 77pp.
This report is commissioned by Nuru International.

INTRODUCTION
This endline report shares the outcomes from the 4-year randomized control trial impact evaluation of Nuru Nigeria’s interventions, from 2019 to 2023 in northeastern Nigeria. Nuru Nigeria’s vision is to cultivate lasting, meaningful choices in the most vulnerable and marginalized communities in the world. By 2030, Nuru Nigeria intends to build resilient corridors of functioning locally-owned farmer cooperatives and profitable rural livelihoods in 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of northern Nigeria proximate to conflict-vulnerable areas. In implementing interventions, Nuru Nigeria aims to equip rural, vulnerable households to improve livelihoods and build resilience capacities to cope with conflict, environmental, economic, and social shocks and stressors for stability and prosperity within the program implementation period. This study focuses exclusively on Nuru Nigeria’s work in Adamawa State, the first LGA in which Nuru Nigeria began implementation.

This study tracks a number of indicators for the groups of farmers involved, including various short-term and long-term outcomes. The primary objective for this study however is to measure resilience capacities and how Nuru Nigeria may affect them using the Nuru model of agricultural intervention. This study aims to answer the question: “do Nuru Nigeria programs have a positive and statistically significant impact on adaptive, absorptive, and/or transformative resilience?”.

ADDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS
Evaluation Plan
Baseline Report
Midline Report

REPRODUCIBILITY
The authors of this study were committed to ensuring that the findings are reproducible. To uphold this principle, meticulous strategies were implemented at every stage of the evaluation:

Methodology Selection: The study adopted the REAL Consortium methodology.
Resilience Index Modules: Modules for inclusion in the resilience index were predetermined before the baseline. These modules were consistently used during the midline and endline evaluations.
Survey Translation: Questions were translated into Hausa to cater to the local audience. A double-blind translation process ensured the accuracy and consistency of understanding, with the same translated text applied at each study time point.
Data Accessibility: The data, scrubbed of any personally identifiable information, are made available upon request to interested parties. They can be accessed through a gated system, with users agreeing to adhere to usage terms. This data is stored on a secure server, adhering to rigorous physical and data security standards.
Open Access: The initial evaluation plan, including methodological descriptions as well as a dataset to reproduce results and explore additional relationships can be requested here.

PATHS for Texas: Interim Descriptive Statistics, Outcomes, Impacts, Survey Results, and Qualitative Summary 2024 Update

Evaluation of the City of Austin Investment in Workforce Development: 2023 Annual Report

Evaluation of Travis County Investments in Workforce Development 2023 Update

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