Page 77 - Aidlink AR 2021

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the financial year ended 31 December 2021 Continued
22.POST BALANCE SHEET EVENTS
The interference of Covid-19
on operations is abating; schools in Uganda re-opened in January 2022 after almost 2 years,
we carried out our first in person monitoring visit to Kenya
in March 2022 and in person fundraising events are possible again.
An external evaluation of the Kenya Inclusive Quality Education Project (KIQEP 2018-2021) was completed by Aran Corrigan
in the first quarter of 2022, key findings welcomed by the Board include:
• KIQEP delivered strong results
at outcome level, with targeted schools assessed as achieving higher rates of re-enrolment post Covid-19 closures than non-project schools.
• Stakeholders interviewed spoke of the positive impacts the project brought to their communities. They spoke
of increased enrolment and
a gradual shift in attitudes around the value of education which has resulted in families sending children to school. The model of Rights of Child clubs, Board of Managements and Community Facilitators working collaboratively is compelling and holds great potential.
•
The delivery of KIQEP was timely and efficient, it fully delivered against its work plan and budget in years 1 and
2 and over-delivered in year
3. The project demonstrated capacity to deliver, adapt and achieve targets, in spite of challenging operating context caused by Covid-19. It is due to the efficacy of the project that such high numbers returned to school, although the full impact of Covid-19 and the prolonged school closure could not be assessed.
(Aran Corrigan, March 2022)
of the communities we work in, particularly Turkana which is most impacted by the current drought. Despite this uncertain context year 1 targets remain on track.
We are delighted to announce that Aidlink have been awarded the Bank of Ireland Staff Charitable Fund’s ‘Flagship Project’ grant of €350,000 for a new ‘Let Girls Learn’ project to be delivered in partnership with our key partner in Kenya the Girl Child Network. The project, targeting
15 public primary schools in the hardest to reach areas of Kajiado and Turkana counties, will improve basic infrastructure with the addition of classrooms and two dormitories for girls, one in each county, providing a safe space for girls during both school term and holiday period, protecting them
f rom negative cultural traditions including FGM and early marriage. The grant for Let Girls Learn is
to be released in three tranches, €200,000 of which has been received in April 2022.
Aidlink is very happy to have re- established operations in Uganda with our longstanding partner Caritas MADDO working to increase access to safer cleaner water for rural communities in Masaka district. Further, we plan to strengthen relations with new partner ARUWE, focusing on empowering women and girls’ education.
The evaluation report included
a number of key recommendations. Some operational recommendations have already been adopted
and others are being considered
as part of Aidlink’s ongoing Strategic Planning Process, due
for completion in Q3 2022.
Key learnings from KIQEP have been incorporated into Aidlink’s current Every Girl in School (EGIS) project, co-funded by Irish Aid (2021-2024). Year 1 of Every Girl in School is being delivered in the context of the Ukraine war which is squeezing supplies and driving up prices of food and
fuel. This, in combination with
the protracted drought in Kenya, increasing inflation rates and deteriorating exchange rates, further exposes the vulnerabilities
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