Background: Migrant children, especially those unaccompanied or separated, are at heightened risk of violence, exploitation and abuse, as well as of being trafficked. To respond to, and mitigate the challenges migrant children face, in 2016, Save the Children International (SCI) Zambia, with the support from Save the Children Italy, launched the Children on the Move (COM) project. It is a Regional Project implemented in Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. Through the COM project, SCI supports efforts to ensure that unaccompanied and separated migrant children, and those at risk of unsafe migration, are protected from violence, abuse and exploitation by providing quality care and protection. 

Our Role: Q3 strategy was contracted to undertake the end of project evaluation of Save the Children’s Children on the Move (COM) Project. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of the interventions implemented by the COM project to improve the protection of unaccompanied and separated children through family strengthening, support for case management and linkages to appropriate care services, at all levels (including cross border).  

Our Approach: This was a summative evaluation which used a mixed methods approach (both qualitative and quantitative). A purposive sampling approach was used to draw a sample of project stakeholders and beneficiaries (children, parents and other community stakeholders). The end evaluation consisted in the development of the evaluation plan, in the undertaking of data collection activities and the development of a final report. As part of the data collection phase, we engaged with 98 stakeholders at both national, regional and district levels within Zambia, through over 20 Key Informant Interviews (both in-person and online), and 10 Focus Group Discussions with children and their parents.