Evaluation of psycho-socio-sanitary interventions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the earthquake in Albania

Title Psycho-socio-sanitary interventions in the COVID -19 emergency and post-earthquake in Albania

Location Lezha, Tirana e Thumane (Albania)

Duration 12 months

Poject leader Sanità di Frontiera

Funding Fondo Beneficenza Intesa San Paolo

Context

The project was set up as an immediate response to the earthquake that hit Albania in November 2019 to offer support to the affected populations. In March 2020, to the situation already characterized by widespread material and social vulnerability, the COVID-19 pandemic added up increasing difficulties. Thus, the population already affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder had to deal with additional restrictions due to the COVID-19.
In the cities of Lezhe, Tirana and Thumane, the intervention focused on two groups of beneficiaries: on the one hand, children 0 – 5 years old and their families in situations of social and psychological vulnerability and, on the other hand, doctors, psychologists and socio-health workers trained throughout the project. In addition, the project promoted the creation of partnership agreements with local organizations and community centres active in the intervention areas.

General Objective

The overall aim of the project was to improve the psycho-socio-healthcare and th well-being of the population affected by the two events.
In order to prove the results of the initiative, Sanità di Frontiera involved ARCO to carry out the mid-term and final evaluations. The first one aimed at collecting the evidence produced during the implementation period, so to orientate the strategies in the remaining months. The final evaluation aimed at defining the project achievements at the end of the 12 months while assessing its relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.

Our contribution

The focus on psycho-socio-healthcare and well being made it necessary to design the evaluation methodology in such a way to capture the results and outcomes generated on the beneficiaries and main stakeholders , namely minors, parents, operators and local institutions. Therefore, the evaluation used participatory and qualitative methodologies and tools that actively involved beneficiaries through video calls (during the mid-term evaluation) and field visits (for the final evaluation). These were later combined with the desk analysis of the project documents and the quantitative analysis of the data collected by the partnership through the monitoring activities.

Read more on our M&E and Impact Evaluation Unit