TOOL SHEET 5: MID-TERM REVIEW & EVALUATION

Key questions

• What effects has the HIV/AIDS epidemic had on people, households and institutions? (Consider this question independently of whether the project was designed to address HIV/AIDS-related issues.)
• How has the epidemic affected the project's ability to achieve its objectives and outputs, and how has the project addressed such issues?
• How has the project contributed to mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on nutrition and household food security and to the prevention of the disease?
• In what ways and to what extent has the project targeted HIV/AIDS-affected households and people?
• What has been the epidemic's impact on the participation of the project's beneficiaries? In what ways did HIV/AIDS lead to an inclusion or exclusion of specific groups?
• How may the project have encouraged the spread of the epidemic, increased the stigma of people living with HIV/AIDS or aggravated the impact of HIV/AIDS on nutrition and household food security?
• How sustainable are the outcomes of the project in view of the HIV/AIDS epidemic? (Consider the outcomes at all levels - people, households, communities, local and national institutions.)
• How can the project extend support to HIV/AIDS-affected households in a cost-effective way? (Consider costs in the short, medium and long term.)
• What is the potential for replicating or scaling-up the project's interventions?
• What lessons have been learned about mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on nutrition, household food security and livelihoods?

How to get answers

• Review the terms of reference for the mid-term review and evaluation team and ensure that they explicitly assess HIV/AIDS concerns.
• If you are conducting a participatory beneficiary assessment prior to the evaluation, review the methodology and ensure that the assessment considers the role of HIV/AIDS in the participation of beneficiaries (e.g. active, average, poor participation).
• Building on the findings of the evaluation, review the project design and reformulate or adjust it to adequately reflect the HIV/AIDS context.