Technical & Vocational Skills Training Program for Orphans & Vulnerable Youth Maria Jones Field Coordinator TVST OVAY DIME Workshop, Dubai June 2, 2010

Outline of Presentation  TVST Program  Background and Motivation  TVST Impact Evaluation  Hypothesis  Research Design  Primary implementation challenge : locating and tracking at-risk youth  Sources of difficulty  Implications  Lessons learned

Background & Motivation  Motivation  Large population of unskilled, unemployed youth in Malawi  High rates of HIV/AIDS prevalence (~13%)  Lack of skills is a major impediment to Malawi’s economic growth and limits employment opportunities for youth  TVST Program  Targets youth years old from ultra-poor households  Beneficiaries matched with a local master craftsman  Receive practical, competency-based vocational training, mentoring, entrepreneurial / life-skills training, and business start up kits.

TVST-OVAY Impact Evaluation  Hypothesis of Program Effect:  enhance marketable skills and employability  increase returns to productive activity and opportunity costs of engaging in risky behavior  Local collaborators:  Malawi National AIDS Commission  Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Training Authority

Research Design  What is the causal effect of the training on  LM outcomes: employability and earnings potential  Health outcomes: high-risk sexual activity, drug/alcohol use  Identification strategy: Randomized Phase-In  Beneficiaries randomly assigned to 1 of 3 cohorts  Only systematic difference between cohorts is time of treatment  Data collection:  Baseline survey March – May 2010  Follow up December 2010 – Feb 2011

Implementation Challenges  Biggest challenge: Finding and tracking respondents  Sources of difficulties:  Geographic dispersion (consequence of program design) ▪ High transport costs ▪ Lack of address system  Decentralized selection of beneficiaries ▪ Incomplete contact information ▪ Beneficiary list not vetted by implementing agency  Highly mobile target population ▪ Time lag between selection of youth and baseline data collection

Implementation Challenges  Implications: Increased cost and time for data collection, attrition  Interviewed ~75% of sample ▪ 7.8% dropped due to faulty listing (outside age bracket, ineligible) ▪ 10.2% had moved away since listing ▪ 4.4% impossible to identify (name / village unknown)  Lessons learned:  Sample frame must be completely current and pre-verified  The more contact information, the better  Gathering respondents in central locations saves time/$  Use local mediate to facilitate communication (radio ads)  Attrition remains a serious concern for follow-up