Baseline and endline evaluations of the Al Murunah+ project
Social Development Direct, in partnership with Social Dynamics Research Group, has been commissioned by FCDO to conduct a baseline and endline evaluation of Al Murunah+, a regional project operating across Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine.
The project’s key objective is to strengthen household resilience to climate shocks by addressing the gender inequitable norms and practices (including those that contribute to IPV) that impact women’s participation in climate-smart agri-businesses. It was implemented through a combination of gender transformative and economic interventions targeting women, couples, and community leaders.
The baseline evaluation was completed in January 2026, and the endline evaluation is currently underway.
What does the evaluation focus on?
The purpose of the baseline and endline evaluations is to assess the impact of the Al Murunah+ project, understanding whether and how it has shifted harmful gender norms, reduced the prevalence of IPV, strengthened women’s participation in farming systems and value chains and ultimately increased the resilience of households. The baseline evaluation focuses specifically on establishing the baseline conditions of households enrolled in the Al Murunah+ project.
Approach and methodology
The evaluation seeks to answer process and impact questions that were co-created with IWMI, the implementation lead, and FCDO during the inception phase. It is theory-based and adopts a qualitative methodology. The data collection follows a longitudinal sample of couples in Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, complemented by desk review, participatory workshops with opinion leaders and project participants, and interviews with project staff and facilitators. A total of 223 interviews and 18 workshops were conducted, and 87 documents were analysed at the baseline stage.
Findings and next steps
Key findings from the baseline evaluation include:
- Harmful gender norms and practices are constraining household resilience and adaptive capacity.
- Harmful gender norms act as a significant barrier to gender equality and underpin prevalent economic and emotional IPV.
- Women face restricted mobility, agency within financial decision making, and access to paid formal or informal work and equal pay.
- Households with diverse incomes streams and those where women have increased decision making power are more resilient in crises.
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