Evaluation Report of the Better Parenting Project

A two-week evaluation of the Better Parenting Project was conducted with multisectoral, government/NGO collaboration. The evaluation reported project success in addressing child-rearing practices related to the physical, social and emotional development of children in relationships with family members.

A number of recommendations were put forth to improve project quality and effectiveness. Some communication-related recommendations include:

• Selection/development of new materials that reflect the integrated nature of supporting children's total development. Project materials were last developed in 1996, and hence need to be updated on a regular basis to include the latest research. Also, it was recommended that future materials draw from participant experiences and stories to create a reciprocal learning approach.
• Ongoing training of new facilitators and refresher courses for continuing facilitators.
• Focus groups to assess impact of programme on the participants, improve upon programmes, and develop relevant materials.
• Active involvement of fathers and young men (for example, through joint male-female better parenting groups).