Monitoring And Evaluation Plan

The project is designed to break the cycle of poverty and deterioration of security by supporting at-risk youth with job-focused training and soft skills. The project is an integrated approach that works through directly strengthening eight TVET centers to assist in achieving Intermediate Result (IR) 2.2, Work Force and Life Skills Increased, and IR 2.3, Community Engagement in Creating a Positive Environment for At-Risk Children and Youth Increased. The project's private sector alliances will help TVET centers to better align course offerings to meet youth labor demand, offer funding, and job opportunities, breaking the barriers to access to livelihoods for youth at risk. The project's Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan was completed with USAID/Nicaragua guidance and involved a collaborative approach to share ownership and enhance the effective use of the M&E Plan. The plan is organized in five sections, including Section I, which serves as an introduction; Section II, which presents the Results Framework; Section III, which describes results management; Section IV, which presents reference sheets for all indicators and a summary of Performance M&E Data Table; and Section V, which outlines a M&E Task Schedule. The project has allocated a total of $86,266.25 in project funds to cover M&E performance management costs, which includes activities such as conducting a gender assessment, baseline, and baseline study, as well as providing M&E technical assistance and conducting annual assessments of market initiative skill gaps and sector potential. The project's Results Framework is aligned with USAID/Nicaragua's Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) under DO2, which aims to improve safety and competitiveness of at-risk children and youth on the southern Caribbean coast. The project addresses two Intermediate Results (IRs): IR 2.2, Work Force and Life Skills Increased, and IR 2.3, Community Engagement in Creating a Positive Environment for At-Risk Children and Youth Increased. The project's indicators include: * IR 2.3: Community Engagement in Creating a Positive Environment for At-Risk Children and Youth Increased * Standard ES.4-1: Number of vulnerable persons benefitting from USG-supported social services * Standard E.1: Number of individuals with new or better employment after completion of USG-assisted workforce development programs * Standard DR.4.2-2: Number of CSOs receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy interventions * Custom: Percentage of students who completed their training, graduated, and still employed 3 and 6 months after graduation * Custom: Proportion of youth who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG-supported programs * Custom: Percentage reduction of risk factors of targeted youth * GNDR-2: Percentage of female participants in USG-assisted projects designed to increase access to productive economic resources (assets, credit, income, or employment) The project's M&E Plan is designed to track progress towards these indicators and provide recommendations for improvement.