Project 4

The Program on Social & Economic Rights (POSER), under Partners in Health (PIH), aims to empower vulnerable households in Rwanda through a comprehensive livelihood and socio-economic strengthening program. The initiative is structured to provide a pathway toward graduation from poverty by supporting income generation, promoting access to health coverage, and building food security.

As part of POSER’s M&E strategy, a baseline assessment was conducted in three districts (Kayonza, Kirehe, and Burera) to establish household conditions before full-scale implementation of interventions. The project combines economic empowerment activities with health-focused advocacy, particularly targeting increased enrollment in Mutuelle de Santé (community-based health insurance) and household food adequacy.

I supported the design, data collection, and analysis of the baseline evaluation. My responsibilities included:

• Collaborating on questionnaire design and indicator alignment with POSER’s M&E framework
• Overseeing field data collection across 600 households
• Conducting preliminary statistical analysis to inform program planning
• Preparing insights and recommendations for further targeting and monitoring

Key Output: Descriptive Statistics Report for POSER Baseline covering household composition, water access, education, income group, savings group participation, and food adequacy indicators

Approach

• Outcome-oriented baseline design: Built around key indicators tied to graduation, food security, and health access
• Equity lens: Ensured disaggregation by district and Ubudehe (social stratification) category
• Data quality assurance: Monitored completeness and accuracy, with only 3 incomplete interviews out of 600

Participatory interpretation: Presented results to POSER team to inform strategic planning and role division across program teams

Techniques Used: Descriptive statistical analysis (means, standard deviation, frequency tables), Data visualization for internal presentation (PowerPoint format)

Tools: Excel, STATA (implied), PowerPoint

Stakeholder Communication

• Developed a presentation deck to brief the POSER team on findings
• Facilitated internal discussion sessions to align baseline findings with graduation criteria for beneficiaries
• Drafted recommendations for improving data tools and evaluation timing
• Supported the development of roles and responsibilities for upcoming M&E activities

Artifacts Produced

• POSER Baseline Fact Sheet-Summary Statistics

Key Findings

• Average respondent age: 52 years (range 18–97), confirming legal consent
• Education: 37% never attended school; only 6% had vocational or higher education
• Housing: 93% live in their own homes
• Water Access: 41% of households do not have access to clean drinking water highlighting areas that need intervention
• Ubudehe Category: 71% belong to the 1st or 2nd lowest social protection categories. Group Membership: 99% of respondents participate in some form of savings group