Earlier this month, DevTech staff Dr. Oleksandr Rohozynsky and Ms. Marisa Acierno teamed up with local consultants across Kenya and Tanzania to collect data for an impact evaluation of the U.S. Department of State countering violent extremism (CVE) portfolio in East Africa. These efforts comprised the third and final round of data collection, representing the culmination of a three-year, multi-stage quasi-experimental impact evaluation. The evaluation team collected data across fourteen outcome-level indicators to answer the following question: Do counties that receive CVE assistance experience a reduction on violent extremism (VE) drivers over time compared to counties that do not receive support?
The evaluation team identified individuals and groups who could speak knowledgeably about local issues in relation to those fourteen indicators, which encompass topics relating to socio-economic opportunity and marginalization, political marginalization, ethnic tensions, and security. Youth, professionals, men and women, civil society organizers, local government officials, male and female elders, and local police and security forces were invited to take part in focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). The team conducted nearly 30 FGDs and KIIs across Kenya and Tanzania. These findings will be rigorously analyzed to provide rich context and add important nuance to the results of a complementary quantitative survey that reached over 1,600 people in eight counties in Kenya and Tanzania. DevTech looks forward to preparing the final report and presenting our findings to the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations at the U.S. Department of State next month!
