Recently Completed: Evaluation of the South Sudan Health Pool Fund

Integrity is pleased to announce that we recently led and completed a 5-month evaluation of the South Sudan Health Pool Fund (HPF). HPF is a multi-donor trust fund led by the Department for International Development (DFID) with funding from Global Affairs Canada, USAID, the EU and the Swedish government.

It aims to establish an effective public health system that will deliver improved access to quality health services in South Sudan, and respond to emergency needs when required, with a specific focus on reducing maternal and child mortality. The programme has thus far undergone two phases, with a third set to commence in October 2018.

The purpose of the evaluation was to provide accountability to each country that has contributed to the HPF and ensure iterative learning for the continuation of the programme and the health system in South Sudan more generally. The specific objectives of the evaluation were to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency (including VFM) and sustainability of the HPF, and how gender considerations and social inclusion were integrated into the programme. We also sought to identify areas of best practice in the programme design and delivery in order to develop substantive recommendations for implementation of the next phase.

The evaluation focused on performance of the HPF and employed a mixed methods approach utilising both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. Particularly notable was our successful collection of primary data from programme beneficiaries and staff in hard-to-reach areas in South Sudan. This was asserted by HPF donors as highly valuable given their inability to easily attain this type of information due to security and logistical constraints.

“We think you have done a good job in capturing the challenges and successes. Given the difficulties in conducting this evaluation, we think it is impressive and commend Integrity for producing this in the circumstances.”
— Global Affairs Canada

Underpinning the evaluation was the need to have an in-depth understanding of the local context which we ensured through daily tracking of the ongoing conflict and close engagement with local partners. Furthermore, remaining flexible and adaptive to complexities on the ground was vital.

The client lauded Integrity’s ability to produce high-quality work given the challenging circumstances around operating in South Sudan. The evaluation is being used to advocate for the continuation and additional funding of the HPF.