UNICEF Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy (PBEA) Programme in Burundi Final Report

In June 2016, a team of 15 people were trained by InsightShare to carry out a qualitative end-of-programme evaluation using Participatory Video combined with Most Significant Change (PV MSC). The aim was to explore the successes of the UNICEF Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy (PBEA) Programme in Burundi. The evaluation followed a case study approach by focusing on the work of two partner organizations, the Centre Ubuntu and Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi (PEAB) in the south-eastern province of Makamba and Rumonge. The 15 trainees that made up our local evaluation team were a mix of staff and youth beneficiaries from the Centre Ubuntu, PEAB, the Burundian Scout Association and UNICEF.The PVMSC method follows a rigorous process that uses storytelling circles, systematic story selection, and film to capture, share and generate qualitative information about young people's experiences. The process of selecting Most Significant Change Stories recognizes that beneficiaries themselves are well placed to evaluate projects. The evaluation team asked the storytellers to describe "What has been the most significant change in your life since you joined the Centre Ubuntu / PEAB project?" The 15 trainees collected 59 stories of change in 3 communities in Makamba and Rumonge Province.

The trainees facilitated the community to select the 4 most significant stories, which they recorded as testimony and dramatized on film. The 4 testimonial films were screened to 61 community members, including 10 parents and representatives of local authorities. All of the stories were analyzed by the team; they identified the changes, enablers and blockers, and aggregated them into domains. The results of the participatory analysis show that individual behavioral change and reconciliation were the most frequently reported changes (noted in 61% and 42% of all testimonies, respectively). Other changes were: the sharing of social and livelihood activities, positive attitude or behavioral change towards others and the sharing of natural resources. The development of intimate/marital relationships between different groups was also noted in several testimonies.