Slum Soccer

A contextualised and practical M&E framework designed to effectively measure programme impact

Partner/Client
Slum Soccer

Sector
NGO

Location
Maharashtra

Slum Soccer (SS) uses soccer as a means to teach life skills to children from underprivileged backgrounds in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The Shakti Girls programme of SS is focussed on building skills among girls while DeafKidz Goal is targeted at enabling skills among D/deaf kids.
4th Wheel Social Impact worked with SS to develop a relevant Theory of Change (ToC) along with targeted indicator grids and data collection tools for both the programmes, to measure impact in a clear and specific manner.
The process of development of these outputs occurred between June and September 2021, with interactive workshops and post-workshop activities held with the SS team.

APPROACH

In-depth profiling of the organisation and a comprehensive literature review of relevant sport for development programmes were undertaken.
The conceptualisation of the M&E framework via strategy sessions was a participatory process, not only targeted at including all the stakeholders of the programmes in the framework but also at ensuring perspectives and active inputs from the SS team through multiple workshops.
A theory-based approach underpinned the ToC and indicator grids’ development while a mixed methods approach was applied to the development of the tools.

The overarching intent underlying SS effort at the organisation level was that football sessions, educational workshops, and life skills sessions for children along with parent engagement sessions, could contribute to improved education attainment and supportive family environments. This would culminate in social inclusion, access to education, community participation and employment access in the longer run.
The operational hypothesis was that increased participation in sports and physical activity would improve physical and mental health and advance football skills among children. This would advance school attendance, participation of youth in sporting events, and finally contribute to the longer run outcomes highlighted above.

A MEAL framework, comprising an organisational ToC, programme-specific ToCs, along with indicator and outcome grids and data collection tools (Baseline-endline questionnaires for multiple stakeholders, coach skill assessments, session monitoring sheets, school profiles, and post endline questionnaires) for the two programmes of Slum Soccer (SS) was developed.
Concrete ways to improve the data management systems were incorporated and the data monitoring and reporting mechanisms were streamlined.
Staff-level M&E learning of the SS staff also occurred, while staff articulation of programme objectives improved.