m a n u a l

Evaluation

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 Acknowledgments
Two groups have to be thanked for their help and guidance during Impact Assessment Task Force
the development of this book: the Impact Assessment Taskforce, and
the Impact Advisory committee. Our dedicated taskforce is made up Rammani Acharya, JA Nepal
of representatives of Partner organisations from four continents and Patricia Formadi, WADEP, Ghana
representatives of international strategic organisations. The Impact Johanna Cloete, JA,Namibia
Assessment Committee is composed of academics and researchers Gilberto Mendez, CCF, USA
with a range of expertise. All individuals volunteered their time and Ingrid Jones, Partnere Perfemijet, Albania
effort to ensure that this becomes a comprehensive and practical
set of tools. We would not have been able to have done this work Zeina Khoury. Jordan River Foundation, Jordan
without this crucial help.

Impact Assessment Committee

Ray Boshara, New America Foundation
Judith Bruce, Population Council
Lisa Dacanay, Asian Center for Entrepreneurship
Gregory Dees, Duke University
John Elkington, SustainAbility Copyright 2008. Aflatoun, Child Savings International.
Dean Karlan, Innovations for Poverty Action This work may be reproduced and redistributed, in whole or in part, with or
Lewis Mandell, University of Buffalo without alteration and without prior written permission, solely by educational
institutions for non-profit administrative or educational purposes providing
Lata Narayan, Meljol
all copies contain the following statement: Copyright 2008, Aflatoun Child
Sara Olsen SVT Consulting Savings International. This work is reproduced and distributed with permission
Michael Sherraden, Washington University in St. Louis of Aflatoun, Child Savings International. No other use is permitted without
Peter Scholten, Scholten & Franssen express prior written permission of Aflatoun, Child Savings International. For
Fred Ssewamala, Columbia University permission contact: info@aflatoun.org

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Contents
Introduction Complementary Research Projects

Chapter 1 -Aflatoun’s Quality Assurance and Impact Assessment Data Collection Summary
Strategy (AQIS)
Quality Assurance
AQIS tools in line with the Theory of Change Impact Assessment
Principles of AQIS
Appendices
Chapter 2. Quality Assurance (QA)
Appendix 1- Learning and facilitation visit
Partnership Process Appendix 2 - Database manual
Multiple Partnerships in a Country Appendix 3 - Suggestions for Training of Surveyors
Participatory Evaluation of Secretariat
Appendix 4 - Survey planning guide
Chapter 3. Impact Assessment: Surveys and Partner Database

Survey Overview and Methodology

Analysis
Steps to Collecting Surveys
When to Conduct the Surveys
The Partner Database

Chapter 4. Impact Assessment: Other Tools

Collecting Stories and Audiovisual Material

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 introduction
Welcome to the Evaluation Manual, your reference manual on
Aflatoun’s Quality Assurance and Impact Assessment Strategy
(AQIS).
As the Aflatoun network is constantly expanding, partners have
expressed a need for safeguarding the quality of the programme
and understanding its impact. This is crucial to ensure efficient and
effective delivery of the programme. Thus, the tools described in
this manual aim to build credibility for the concept of Child Social
and Financial Education by showing that the Aflatoun Network can
deliver a high quality programme in a cost effective manner. We also
want to be able to show the level of impact the programme has on
the children who are part of the programme across the world.
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The manual outlines two core key processes that are practiced
within the Aflatoun Network:
- The Aflatoun Partnership Process
- The Aflatoun Partner and Field Surveys
Aflatoun’s Quality assurance and Impact assessment Strategy
(from now on ‘AQIS’) combines a range of innovative and strategic
approaches. It has been developed by the Aflatoun Secretariat
working actively together with an advisory committee of experts and
two partner taskforces – the Quality Assurance Taskforce and the
Impact Assessment taskforce. Let us now take a deeper look as to
how what Aflatoun’s AQIS system is all about.
chapter 1. Aflatoun’s Quality Assurance and Impact
Assessment Strategy (AQIS)
Before we can begin discussing how Aflatoun’s AQIS system
measures programme effectiveness, we first have to understand
what the desired outputs and outcomes are.
Competency Outcomes, Behavioural Outcomes and Behaviour
Impact. It also shows how advocacy is an ongoing process that
supports the theory of change.

On the next page you find a visualization of the change the Aflatoun
programme aims to bring about – our Theory of Change. Aflatoun
hopes to establish change in two ways:

1. Providing a high-quality Child Social & Financial Education

(CSFE) curriculum, through the programme’s five core elements.
Through the curriculum, children develop competencies and start to
change related behaviour, which results in their broader social and
financial empowerment.

2. Engaging in global, regional, national and local advocacy. Aflatoun

advocates the inclusion of CSFE in national curricula, encourages
child-friendly banking and stimulates the development of child
participation systems. This is done through collaborations with
different institutions such as central, commercial and microfinance
banks, educational departments and multilateral institutions.

The diagram below illustrates Aflatoun’s Theory of Change by

breaking it down into four steps: Curriculum Quality and Output,

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AQIS tools in line with the Theory of
Change
The elements of AQIS monitor and evaluate the different expected
effects of the Aflatoun educational programme and advocacy. Thus,
AQIS has also been split up into four sections, complementing the
theory of change:
Quality Assurance (QA): This monitors the quality and output
of the curriculum and Aflatoun’s partner organisations. The main
steps include the selection of strategic partners who are capable of
programme implementation. We facilitate QA through several tools
and processes that are aimed to guarantee certain standards for
partner selection and Secretariat performance.
these, we have defined concrete indicators for these and developed
a number of different research tools. Our partner database and field
surveys are examples of such tools.
Impact Assessment: Aflatoun has asked leading research
institutions, who use cutting-edge impact assessment methods such
as randomised evaluations, to look at the impact of our programme.
All these projects are complementary and optional as they require
substantial time - and sometimes resource - commitment.
The diagram shows which tools are available at the different levels
of AQIS.

Output tracking: It is necessary to understand the scope, outreach

and activities of the Aflatoun Programme, and this will involve
measuring output – in other words, numbers; numbers of children,
amount of savings, numbers of schools etc. The Secretariat
facilitates all partner organisations with tools for tracking their
programme outputs.

Outcome Assessment: Competency and behavioural outcomes

are more difficult to quantify. Competency outcomes refer to skills,
attitudes and knowledge that the children develop after having gone
through the Aflatoun programme. Behavioural outcomes refer to
concrete changes in children’s behaviour. To be able to measure

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The AQIS tools highlighted above are divided into two things simple. The tools in this guide and the partner database are
categories: meant to be easy to use.

- General tools for all partners.
- Complementing projects that can be agreed to in cooperation
between individual partners, the Secretariat and researchers. The
duration of these complementing projects can range between
one or more weeks (e.g. process review) to multiple years (e.g.
longitudinal studies).
3. Cost effective: All partners are given a free Aflatoun partner
database and template of field surveys.
4. Open: There are several ways in which the learning in the
different elements of AQIS are shared and used to progress our
overall knowledge:

We will look at the various tools in more detail in the coming - Network sharing: The design, method, and results of the
chapters. evaluation tools are shared over a global network of partner
organisations and research institutions. This is done through
Principles of AQIS regional and international meetings, learning & facilitation and
the member’s area of our website.
In order to make AQIS powerful and effective, we follow five
principles: - Partner database: We have developed a comprehensive
1. Smart database to be used by partners and in which we can collect
2. Simple data that will be analysed and published.
3. Cost Effective The software for the database is open-sourced, which means
4. Open that it can be used by other organisations. We aim to spread
5. Collaborative knowledge rather than limit it to our network!

1. Smart: In the network-wide field surveys we have tried to focus on - Publications: The key programme results of the whole network
the most important competencies and indicators of the programme, are published in our annual Children & Change publication.
as per Aflatoun’s theory of change. An important part of the quality assurance results will be also
2. Simple: We aim to make your and our work easier and keep included in Aflatoun’s annual report.

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 - Curriculum development: Results from our AQIS tools will
provide key inputs for the development of the Aflatoun
Curriculum and materials.
5. Collaborative: We are part of a network,
and can draw on each other’s knowledge, skills
and experience to constantly raise the quality of
our programme in all aspects. Experts, Partner
organisations, teachers and children are all
involved in our processes. Specifically for AQIS,
Aflatoun consults:
implementation as well as provide an on-the-ground perspective.
- Children and teachers: To be able to test the tools, we asked a
group of teachers and students to give their feedback, which has
proven to be extremely valuable.
Aflatoun’s AQIS is moving in an exciting direction. The more we
understand about quality and impact of our programme, the more we
can make the change that we want to see in the world!

- The AQIS (Impact) Advisory Committee: An expert committee

with members from a variety of research fields. The committee
meets bi-annually and advises on AQIS and organisational
strategy, as well as the methodology and implementation of
specific research projects and evaluation tools.

- The Quality Assurance Taskforce and Impact Assessment

Taskforce: During Aflatoun’s global Campaign Launch in March
2008, several groups of partner organisations were formed to
deal with particular topics. The Quality Assurance taskforce and
the Impact Assessment taskforce consist of representatives of
the Aflatoun network and delegates of our strategic international
partners. They advise and decide on AQIS strategy and

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chapter 2. Quality Assurance (QA)
The main role of Aflatoun’s Quality Assurance (QA) is to maintain
high programme quality and delivery. It is composed of three
elements:
1) Quality partnership selection process – setting standards for
partner organisations wishing to be part of the Aflatoun Network
2) Training – ensuring that the concept of the programme is clearly
communicated to partners and teachers
certain quality standards for organisations joining the Aflatoun
network in all the regions.
The selection process happens in parallel to the six steps of
programme implementation as described in the partner manual.
There are three phases in the partner selection process:
Phase 1: Initial contact
Phase 2: Associate partner
Phase 3: Implementing partner

3) Secretariat participatory evaluation- To ensure that the Secretariat The partner selection process is summarized in the graph below.
is carrying out its function effectively and efficiently as per the needs This graphic shows the three phases in the partner selection
of the partners and the programme. process, and how they correspond to the six steps of programme
implementation.
In this manual, the QA tools we will focus our attention on are the
partnership selection process and the Secretariat participatory
evaluation. More information on Aflatoun’s training model and
strategy can be found in the Training Manual.

Partnership Process
As the Child Social and Financial Education movement grows and
the Aflatoun Network expands, it is crucial to protect the integrity
of the Aflatoun Concept and Programme. This begins with setting

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12
Duration of selection process are strategically important, and organisations that request the
programme.
The duration of the selection process differs between organisations Secretariat Initial Contact
and can vary between 12 and 24 months. This will typically depend
1.1 Research Our priorities for country The selected organisation must
on the amount of time which an organization needs to establish and Initiate selection meet some of the following criteria
organisational and financial support for the program. The Aflatoun tContact a. Countries with a child Focus fields:
Network also reserves between 1 and 12 months for its visit to population of above 500 a. Child rights based and/or a child
thousand centric organisation
programs already running live in schools.
b. Low income or middle b. Experienced in rights based/
The general rules for partner selection are explained in the following
income countries social development education
section. Please refer to the “QA Questions and Answers” section of c. Countries in conflict or c. Experience in financial
the member’s area of our website for exceptions and conditions for high need education
the signing of the partnership agreements. d. Focus on poverty/child poverty
e. Experience in training
f. Experience in working with
Phase 1 – Initial Contact
the education system or the non
This is an exploratory phase for both Aflatoun and the new formal sector
organisation that has just been in contact with the Secretariat. It Organisational:
corresponds to the first two steps of the implementation process: g. Member of a larger organisation
/network
h. Leadership and commitment
Step 1 – Initial Preparation
i. Ethical fibre
Step 2 – Planning j. Scale mindset
k. In existence for 3 years
The key elements of this phase are outlined below. minimum
l. Sound financial statements of
the last 2 years/ externally audited
1.1 Research and Initiate Contact
accounts
The Aflatoun Secretariat has set criteria for partner selection in m. Documented annual report last
line with the vision of Aflatoun to reach every child with CSFE. 2 years
The Secretariat reserves the right to work with countries that

13
 Once the Secretariat team determines that the potential organisation Secretariat Initial Contact Comments
meets most of the criteria for selection, the next phase is reached.
1.2 Scoping Provide Complete & Submit * Annual Report
Documents - Questionnaire for for 2 years, must
Contact with the potential partner organisation is usually initiated a. Partner Potential Partners
include:
through: Manual - National legal NGO
b. Questionnaire registration form - Financials
- A recommendation from a member of the Aflatoun network.
for Potential - Organisational according to
- Desk research by the Secretariat
Partners annual report internationally
- Referral from another network /a multinational/ a bi-lateral for last 2 years defined
organization by independent,
standards
- A member/ part of a large organization eg. INGOs accredited
accountant - Externally
- Self referrals
- Externally audited Audited
- Potential partners met by Aflatoun staff in meetings or conferences
accounts of the Financials/
attended organisation for the Accounts
last 2 years
- Show a variable
- Two references by
international Donor, donor base
1.2 Scoping
from for financial
The Secretariat provides the potential organisation with core
multilateral/bilateral/ sustainability
documents to ensure understanding of the Aflatoun concept. At this INGOs
stage, the organisation is requested to complete the potential partner
questionnaire. If, upon completion of this phase, the Secretariat 1.3 Dialogue
feels the contact does not meet the necessary criteria, Aflatoun can While still in active dialogue with the Secretariat, the organisation
choose not to proceed with the partnership, and close dialogue. In starts its first two steps of implementation: Initial Preparation
some cases, a site visit may be conducted. and Planning. The organisation is requested to provide some
documentation:
The action plan in which the organisation outlines its strategy,
planning and budget for programme implementation. The plan will be
discussed with the Secretariat, and will serve as the basis for further

14
planning and communication. will prepare a summary of all relevant information in order to begin
the approval process. Once approval is granted by the General
Written statement from education department (local/ national) Board of Aflatoun, the organisation is eligible to move to Phase 2.
granting permission to implement the Aflatoun programme.
The partners in the Initial Contact Phase are welcome to participate
Secretariat Initial Contact Comments in the regional meetings, twinning and sub-regional meetings.
1.3 Dialogue Provide Complete & Submit Feedback on
Documents - Action plan and the position Secretariat Initial Contact Comments
a. Action Plan realistic budget of education 1.4 Review & Approval Process If the In case
Template - Provide written departments Approval a. Approval by Programme organisation Aflatoun will
b. statement by the Manager is interested not proceed
Compilation local/national b. Approval by Management Team in attending with the
of books and education department c. Approval by Board – Regional meetings partnership,
sample books granting permission Representative they do so an e-mail will
if required to implement the d. Ratification by the Board. at they own be sent to the
Aflatoun programme expense, organisation
(if applicable) Extend Invitations to exceptions to
Implement a. Regional & sub- are made on communicate
- Step 1: Initial regional meetings need basis. this.
Preparation: & b. Twinnings
Advisory Committee
Meeting
- Step 2: Planning Phase 2 – Associate Partner
2.1 Signing Memorandum of Associate Partnership (MAP)
If the organisation is working in a country where an Aflatoun partner In this phase, the organisation becomes an Associate partner. This
is already present, the two organisations will be linked so they can is formalised with the signing of the Memorandum of Associate
collaborate. Partnership (MAP)1 by the Associate partner and the General
Aflatoun Board.
1.4 Approval
Once all these stages have been completed, the Aflatoun Secretariat

1 This can be found in the Additional Materials booklet as part of the Aflakit

15
 2.1 Signing Provide Review & Sign Legal sign off of Secretariat Associate Partner Comments
Memorandum MAP MAP Memorandum
2.2. Provide Documents: Implementation An organisation
of Associate of Associate Implementation a. The eight - Step 3: Materials is understood
Partnership partnership (MAP) workbooks Development to be “live
(MAP) b. Trainer manual (contextualisation in schools”
c. Games manual and translation) when the first

d. Support via - Step 4: Training children in the
phone / e-mail when - Step 5: Live in programme
2.2 Start of Implementation of Steps 3, 4, 5 of partnership process required. Schools have their
The Associate partner organisation is requested to start the Training of Trainers Notification first Aflatoun
implementation of steps three to five of programme implementation: a. Provide all - Notify classes
training materials Programme (using the

b. Training during Manager when contextualised
Step 3 - Material Development
sub-regional programme goes materials and
Step 4 - Training meetings, subjects live in schools the lessons
Step 5 - Going “Live in Schools” or within in-formal settings demand-driven being given
Subject to by trained
availability of funds teachers).
The Aflatoun Secretariat will be in close touch with
the associate partners to support them throughout
the process. 2.3 Sharing & (Partner) Training
Associate partners will be invited to attend and participate in the
Aflatoun events at least once a year. Every year Aflatoun alternates
between Regional Meetings (partners from a specific region)
and International Meetings (partners from all regions). Partner
organisations are invited and encouraged to attend.

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 Secretariat Associate Partner Secretariat Associate Partner
2.3 Invite partner Attend 2.4 Learning Provide Documents: Preparation
Sharing & organisation to: a. Regional meeting & Facilitation a. Guide for learning & a. Help with the
Training a. Sub-regional trainings (once every 2 years) Visit Report facilitation visits preparation of the
b. Regional meetings b. Sub-regional trainings b. Actual learning & learning visit
c. International meetings c. International meetings facilitation visit b. Recommendation
d. Twinnings (once every 2 years) within one year after report done jointly
e. Member area Subject to availability of associate partner goes “live by partner and
f. Email-based funds in schools” Aflatoun Secretariat
consultative process of c. visit to the programme site
the network by the Aflatoun Secretariat
d. Briefing with partner staff
2.4 Learning & Facilitation visit on lessons learned from visit
Once the organisation launches the programme and goes “live
in schools” or in the non-formal settings, the Aflatoun Network 2.5 Approval
commits to visiting the programme within one year. The “Guidelines The final step towards completion of Phase 2 is, once again, the
for Learning & Facilitation Visits” can be found in Appendix 1 We approval process. The Aflatoun Secretariat will prepare a summary
encourage you to share these guidelines with staff and schools in of the associate partner’s programme which will be presented to
your programme. Aflatoun’s General Board for approval. Once this approval is gained,
the organisation moves to Phase 3.

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 Secretariat Secretariat Implementing Comments
Partner
2.5 Approval Review & Approval Process
a. Approval by Programme 3.1 Signing Provide Review & Legal sign off of
Implementing IPA Sign Implementing Partnership
Manager.
Partnership IPA Agreement (IPA)
b. Approval by Management Agreement Upon signing this
team (IPA) agreement, the
c. Approval by Board – implementing partner is
Regional entitled to:
a. Participate in the
representative
decision making process
d. Ratification by the board. of the movement
b. To be actively involved
Phase 3 – Implementing partner (if nominated by other
members) on the Aflatoun
Board and task forces
3.1 Signing the Implementing Partnership Agreement (IPA)
c. To participate in
At this stage, both Aflatoun’s General Board and the partner twinning, (sub-) regional
organisation sign the Implementing Partnership Agreement (IPA)2. trainings/meetings, and
The partner organisation then becomes an Implementing Partner. international meetings
d. To advocate on behalf
of the movement at the
This membership is ongoing for as long as the partner continues to
global and regional level
implement the Aflatoun programme as specified by the IPA.

Requested documentation once an Implementing partner

There remain a set of recurring documents that we request from

implementing partners:
1. Each year partners are requested to provide their annual report

2 This can be found in the Additional Materials booklet as part of the Aflakit

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and their audited accounts
2. Every 2 years partners are requested to provide an updated action
plan and budget
3. When there is reason for concern about a running program, the
Board may request extra documentation.
Multiple Partnerships in a Country
In the case where Aflatoun is in contact with more than one
organisation in a country, the partnership selection process becomes
somewhat more complex. On one hand, Aflatoun would prefer
to work directly, and sign agreements with, the owners of the
programme on the ground ( i.e. the partner organisations who are in
charge of the programme at the local level). On the other hand, to
make the Network more organised and manageable, we would like
to have partners choose coordinating/ leading national organizations
or alliances that can sign a partnership agreement with Aflatoun
(instead of each individual partner).
We understand that the possibility of these partnerships depends on
a variety of factors (e.g. the size of an organisation/country/target
population, geographic position, political/NGO landscape). The rules
of thumb on partnership with multiple initial contacts in a country are:
- Initial contacts in a country choose one coordinating/lead
organisation from amongst themselves. This is the organisation
that will sign the partnership (MAP/IPA) with the Secretariat.
-The Secretariat will only really be in direct, individual contact
with the coordinating/lead organization in the country. The other
organisations will be included in general communication and
updates and will be invited for regional meetings. We stress that
all organisations, whether they are the coordinator/lead or not,
are an integral and recognized part of the Aflatoun movement.
- If it is complicated or impossible to have one coordinating/lead
organization for any reason, multiple partnership agreements
may be signed in the country, with a maximum of 5 organisations.
However, these organizations will also be requested to work on
developing future alliances in order to bring down the number of
partners per country.
Participatory Evaluation of Secretariat
Our role as Aflatoun’s Secretariat’s role is to facilitate the Aflatoun
network and represent it with key stakeholders. It is therefore crucial
that we respond to demands from partners. We need to engage in a
process of self-reflection, asking questions like:
- Do we listen enough to our partners?
- Do we do what we say we will do?
- Do we do things in a participatory and inclusive manner?
- Is our work effective, timely and efficient?
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 To help us asses our performance, we ask
a third party to do an annual participatory
evaluation of our work within the network
and with our external stakeholders. We
ask for feedback from both the partners
and stakeholders, and use this to assess
the quality and facilitation of our communication and how
effectively we use our resources.

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chapter 3. Impact assessment: surveys and partner database
The goal of Impact Assessment is to measure the outputs and
outcomes of the Aflatoun programme through the collection of
relevant information from partners, schools, classes and children.
The two main tools, which are the focus of this chapter, are the
Surveys we have developed and the partner database, designed in
collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services in India.
Survey Overview and Methodology
Five Surveys
In the past, no uniform system existed to compile information for
publication or internal controls. This resulted in unreliable data that
was sometimes based on guesswork and estimations. Another
major point of frustration for partners was that, although they could
see clear results from the Aflatoun programme, there was no way
of quantifying them. Our challenge was to respond to this issue and
coordinate how best to measure these outputs and outcomes.
One solution was to create five different surveys that would provide
a comprehensive evaluation of our programme. These were tested
and evaluated by the Impact Assessment Task Force and other
partners in the Network. We have designed them so that they are
simple and easy to use. They are also available in French, Spanish
and Arabic. Surveys may need to be translated and contextualized
for your programme.
Some of the surveys are mandatory for partners to carry out, while
others are optional. Required surveys are necessary in order
to ensure that we have a base level of quality assurance and
comparable information from all Aflatoun partners.
Required Surveys
Partner Survey: Partners complete this once a year. It looks at basic
organisational information and activities, and details about the programme
delivery and costs.
School Survey: This survey is an interview with the main Aflatoun teacher or
the head teacher. It captures relevant information about Aflatoun programme
delivery at the school level. It asks important questions about student savings
as well.
In order to make sure that Aflatoun is running well, all partners are encouraged
to visit their schools at least once a year. (If you have a small programme or
are in your first year, you should try to have your visits correspond with the end
of the school year.) This survey can be done during those visits.
Unlike the Partner and School surveys, the Class and Child Surveys
are not required. That said, we believe that they provide valuable
information and we would like to see as many partners as possible
using them. They are designed to be quick and resulting data entry
easy.
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 Optional Surveys database.
As you see from the chart below, the information is used to become
Class survey: This survey will provide you a better understanding of how
the basis for all major Aflatoun publications. These publications
the programme is implemented at the class level. It is both a basic class
ledger book analysis and an evaluation of the teacher’s perceptions about the will be widely disseminated to raise the profile of Child Social and
programme and its outcomes. It also has a section that attempts to determine Financial education and the Aflatoun Network.
children’s understanding of key Aflatoun concepts, like the motto, character
and song. This does not have to be done with all classes but with a few from
each school.

Young Child Survey: This optional survey looks at young children and
seeks to determine if they understand the key themes and messages of the
Aflatoun programme. The survey is aimed at younger children in the Aflatoun
programme and questions correspond with themes from Aflatoun workbooks
1-3 (for children age 6-9).

Older Child Survey: This optional survey looks at older children in the
programme and attempts to see whether they know and can apply key
Aflatoun concepts. The survey is aimed at older children in the Aflatoun
programme and questions correspond with themes from Aflatoun workbooks
4-8 (for children age10-14). The results and publications are also meant to be a tool for your
programme. Once we have processed the information, we will
All surveys are to be handled by the Aflatoun partner. The provide you with reports specific to your programme and give you
Partner Survey should be filled out by the Aflatoun coordinator in access to the data to so that you can use it for your purposes. We
collaboration with the partner. School, class, and student surveys are hope that it will be both an advocacy tool for your lobbying efforts
to be administered by surveyors sent by the partner. and also an administrative report that details what you are doing.
You may wish to use it for programme planning and fundraising, or
Analysis for communication to stakeholders like the Ministry of Education.
Once all information is collected at the partner level, it is the
partner’s role to send it to the Aflatoun Secretariat via the partner

22
Steps to Collecting Surveys them to reach a school, how long for their lunch, how many schools
The Aflatoun team, in consultation with the Impact Assessment can they visit per day? From this you should be able to determine
Taskforce, have created some guidelines to aid you in the process of how long you expect your surveyors to be at each school.
filling out surveys. The steps are outlined as follows:
Survey Planning
1.Total Number of Schools
1. Budgeting for time and costs
2. Contextualisation of surveys 2. How many schools One School � Two Schools � Three Schools �
per day will you visit?
3. Creating survey packages
3. Time per School 6 hours � 3 Hours � 2 Hours �
4. Training your Surveyors
Visit (reference for
Q.8)
The first step is to decide which surveys you want to Based on this, you will be able to determine how much time you
implement. Remember, the Partner Survey and School have in each school to do surveys. Based on pre test results, the
Survey are mandatory, whereas the Class Surveys and average amount of time for each survey is provided below.
two Child Surveys are optional.

Tip: The information in the mandatory surveys is essential for us Number of Surveys Per School
to be able to conduct effective Impact Assessment. We decided to make the Survey Time Per Sur- Number of Total Time
rest of the surveys optional because we understand that they require the use vey/Visit Surveys (survey time X
of partners’ resources. Deciding which surveys to do is based on both your # of surveys)
logistical capabilities and organisational needs. If you really want impact data,
4. School (required) 60 minutes
consider doing the optional surveys.
5. Class (Optional) 30 minutes
6. Young Child Surveys 20 minutes
1. Budgeting for Time and Costs
(Optional)
Time:
7. Older Child Surveys 20 minutes
Time constraints can affect which surveys you do and how many of (Optional)
them you can fill out. This will mean that you will have to plan ahead.
8. Total Time (Must be equal/less than the Time per School
The best way to do this is by imagining a day worth of school visits. Visit, Question 3)
Imagine your surveyors going to your schools. How long will it take

23
 Costs
Evaluation Budget Costs-
1. Human Resources Costs- Cost of paying surveyors and partner
staff time
2. Training Meetings- Cost of delivering training
3. Material Costs- Cost for creating surveys and printing and
disseminating evaluation results
4. Travel Costs- Cost for transport between schools your different stakeholders or potential funders.
5. Data Entry Costs- Costs for paying for data entry
TOTAL BUDGET
After deciding which surveys you are going to implement and how
many schools will be visited, you can begin to budget what the costs
will be for your programme.
Human Resource Costs (Surveyors) - If your own staff will be
conducting the surveys, then this will not cost additional money.
However, the time required for your staff should be taken into
consideration. Otherwise, you can pay a surveyor to visit the
schools, or find volunteers.
Finding good surveyors can be difficult. Surveyors should be
comfortable speaking and interacting with children and should be
reliable and honest. While they are working, you can ensure that
they have visited all the schools by asking the head teacher to sign
the surveyor’s sheet and you can occasionally call the head teachers
to follow up on the surveyor’s performance.
3 This can be found in the Additional Materials booklet as part of the Aflakit
24
Training Costs - This includes costs associated with providing
training to surveyors, including space, facilitator time, and food.
Material Costs - You must also take into consideration the cost of
copying materials for training and surveys for the evaluation. Also
included is the cost of printing results and disseminating them to
Travel Costs - Determining transport costs will depend on your
organisation’s situation. If all schools can be accessed by motor
bike or public transportation, then costs will be low. If your schools
are spread out and require overnight stays or the use of your
organisation’s vehicles to reach them, then these costs will be
higher.
Data Entry Costs - If you plan on paying someone to enter your
data, insert the salary cost here.
Total costs of the evaluation should be calculated ahead of time. This
might affect some of your previous planning decisions. It might also
require that you include evaluation as a future cost in outside funding
proposals or when you are budgeting for the Aflatoun programme.
2. Contextualisation
It is important that the teachers and children understand the
questions of the surveys very well. This means that surveys will need - If you had [small local currency amount] every week, how much
to be in the local language, and that they must fit the local context. would you save each week?
Some question wording may not make sense in translation or might
not be culturally appropriate. You are able to change wording of - Can you tell me the name of the currency in [country]? (younger
questions so long as the general theme of the survey does not child survey only)
change.
For the first question, the number should be an amount that is a
The surveys are available in English, French, Spanish sizable sum for a child. The second should be an amount a child
and Arabic. In the Partner Database, you will might receive as an allowance.
find all the translated versions as well as a blank
template that can be used to translate surveys into The responses should be in quarters and we suggest that you
different languages. choose easy round numbers:
Total Answer 1 Answer 2 Answer 3 Answer 4 Answer 5
If you are planning on translating the surveys,
please use the templates provided. Currency 0 ¼ ½ ¾ All
The important things to remember are: amount
All survey questions must be numbered the same 20 Dollars 0 5 10 15 20
All survey answers must be numbered the same 100 0 25 50 75 100
Rupees
You will notice that in the templates provided for the child surveys, 200 Taka 0 50 100 150 200
we have indicated where you should insert the relevant currency. 4 Euro 0 1 2 3 4
8 Pesos 0 2 4 6 8
The three questions where this is applicable are:
Choosing or Adding Questions: You can add questions that are
- If you had [large local currency amount], how much would you specific to your programme, and remove you do not feel are
spend right now? appropriate.

25
 3. Create Survey Packages
Once you have chosen which surveys to use, translated and
contextualised them, you will need to prepare a survey package to
give to your surveyors.
All surveys can be found in the database. They are stored in the
Print Survey Forms subsection, which is within the Survey section.
This is presented in greater detail in Database Manual which is found
in Appendix 2.They are available as Microsoft Word documents and
you should download the appropriate ones and save them on your
computer.
You can find a standard survey package in the available languages
that contains a set number of surveys. If you want your own survey
package, you can print the number of surveys you require per school
and make photo copies for each school. Save paper by printing on
the front and back of pages and remember to staple your packages
together for safekeeping!
While all this is available in the database, we suggest that you create
a folder in your computer to handle all your surveys. You cannot
save any changes into the documents in the database, so it is
important that you have them saved for yourself.
Be sure to include the Surveyor Cover Sheet3. This sheet will
provide brief instructions for your surveyors. Fill in the “Expected # of
Surveys” column on the survey cover page. Bundle all the surveys
26
with the correct number of copies of each and add the survey cover
page at the top. Once you have you standard survey package, you
can photocopy for the appropriate number of schools. If possible,
use a photocopier that prints on two sides to save paper!
Partner Tip:
If you decide to conduct the children surveys, we suggest surveying 5%
of your Aflatoun children with 50 surveys as a minimum, and 1000 as a
maximum. Questions should be read out to the children by a surveyor who
should also fill in the forms. Remember, we are most interested in the quality
and not the quantity of these surveys.
4. Train your Surveyors:
Once you have set your survey process, you can begin to train
your surveyors. The Secretariat has developed a simple guideline
in Appendix 3 that you can use as a basis for your training. Most
important is making sure that there is a common understanding
of the content of the surveyors and how the process for your
programme works.
The surveyors can either choose to hand out the surveys to
the teachers or they may choose to fill in the teacher’s answers
themselves.
Share the stories! Encourage the surveyors to note down anything
interesting that they have noticed or heard during their visit to the
school. At the back of the survey pack is a little form where they write
notes about a special story, or enterprise or fun anecdote.
When to Conduct the Surveys
Now that you understand how to plan for the requirements of data
collection, you can determine how to go about planning when to
begin your evaluation.
The Impact Assessment Taskforce and the Secretariat request that
all partners do their evaluation towards the end of their country’s
school year. This would allow for Aflatoun students to be in the
programme for the longest period of time before they are surveyed
and thus have the most accurate programme data.
You have therefore to decide when the best time for beginning your
process is. This requires you to determine the following three things:
1. Preparation time: How long do you expect that it will take for
you to find your surveyors and train them? Also, will you need to
request permission to access schools? What is the minimum time
required for this process? These two tasks can be done at the
same time as long as they are both done before your first school
visit.
2. Duration of school visits: How many weeks will it take you to
complete your visits to all the schools? This can be done by a
simple calculation:
3. Final date: What is the last week or month that you can enter
schools? Some countries have an extended period of time for
exams or class trips in the final weeks of the school year. It is
important that you think about your evaluation in terms of the last
week/month that you can enter a class and access all students,
as opposed to the last few days of the school year.
Based on this information, you can plan ahead to insure that you
have enough time to conduct your visits and that the information you
get will be the most relevant.
The Partner Database
The Partner database has been designed by the Aflatoun Secretariat
in collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services. This was a
corporate social responsibility project for Tata Consultancy Services
and they worked hard to make the database comprehensive but also
easy to use. Additional information about the database
and its functions are available in the Database Manual in
Appendix 2.
The Secretariat is also here to provide technical
assistance and we are happy to help you if you
run into specific problems.
27
 chapter 4. Impact Assessment: Other Tools
As much as the surveys tell us about the programme, we think it is Collecting Stories and Audiovisual
essential to gather more qualitative information as well. This Chapter
Material
outlines other tools for outcome and impact assessment that are part
People can identify with stories and audiovisuals of change. Stories
of AQIS.
provide the most tangible and personal evidence of impact. Stories
Some of the tools described are for all partners - network wide tools
and audiovisuals serve multiple purposes:
- while others are complementary projects that may only work with
- They enable us all to share broadly what happens in individual
individual partners. Some rely on outside expertise or volunteers and
Aflatoun programmes.
depend on additional funding.
- They can be crucial advocacy tools and can be published in
different media, or in advocacy materials.
Network wide tools include:
- They serve research purposes. Stories can provide input for
qualitative research, but can identify key indicators of success if a
- “A Child’s Story” and “Stories of Change”
large number of stories is collected.
- Photos, drawings and audio-visual projects

Together with the Impact Assessment Taskforce, the Secretariat

Complimentary projects supplement and enrich the core Aflatoun
has drafted guidelines for collecting stories and audiovisual
AQIS strategy. These projects provide more in-depth impact
materials. More information on these can be found in Aflatoun’s
research and quantitative research that will improve the quality of the
Communication Manual.
Aflatoun Programme. They include:

Remember, at all times, children’s rights must be protected and

- Qualitative Research
respected.
- Process Review
- Social Return on Investment
1. “A Child’s Story”
- Randomized Evaluations
It is Aflatoun’s mission “to inspire children to socially and financially
- Longitudinal Studies
empower themselves and become agents of change in their own

28
lives and for a more equitable world.” This tool tells the story of
change in the life of a child, and shows the mission at work. Writing
“A Child’s Story” though, requires some preparation.
Five step plan to get to meaningful, powerful children’s stories:
- Step 1: Speak to teachers and stakeholders about good examples within
your Aflatoun programme. Try to get stories from both urban and rural
schools, high and low income children, and both boys and girls.
- Step 2: Read the “General tips for interviews. Part A”4
- Step 3: If needed and appropriate, arrange a tape recorder for the interview
- Step 4: Interview the children, following the tips and the “A Child’s Story”
Guidelines5
- Step 5: Write the story! Keep in mind to select meaningful/powerful quotes,
and to follow the child protection guidelines
2. Stories of Change
Change does not only happen at the individual child’s level, but can
also occur in groups of children, within other groups of stakeholders
in the programme, throughout the partner organisation, or in the local
community. Meaningful “Stories of Change” in the programme and
throughout your organisation are important tokens of impact.
Six step plan to get to meaningful, powerful “stories of change”:
- Step 1: Talk to children, teachers, parents, volunteers, your staff, the local
community, other stakeholders in and around the programme
- Step 2: Identify specific events, activities, or changed competencies/
behaviour
- Step 3: Read the “General tips for interviews. Part B” 6
- Step 4: Arrange a tape recorder to tape the interview
- Step 5: Interview relevant participants or stakeholders of the programme
4-6 This can be found in the Additional Materials booklet as part of the Aflakit
- Step 6: Write the story! Keep in mind to select meaningful/powerful quotes,
and follow the child protection guidelines
3. Drawings
Often, children communicate their emotions and ideas better via a
drawing or painting than through words. Drawings are fun, simple but
effective guides to understanding children’s experiences within, and
ideas about, the Aflatoun programme. They carry great value both
for advocacy and research purposes.
When visiting a school – either for programme purposes or for your
data collection – ask a few children whether they would like to make
a drawing by asking them a general, non- leading question like: “Can
you draw what Aflatoun means to you?”
When selecting pictures to be shared with the Secretariat and
network, it is important to keep in mind that the value of drawings
lies not primarily in whether the drawing is done artistically or is
particularly beautiful, but in its underlying message or story.
4. Photos, Audio & Videos
Using photographs, videos and audio recordings is a great and
fun way to show the world the Aflatoun programme in action! Just
like the stories, audio and video provide anecdotal and qualitative
evidence of the programme’s impact. When we have many of these,
we can even use them as quantitative indicators for impact.
29
 A few basic tips for taking photos or recording video or audio:
- Focus on children’s empowerment and stories of (positive) change
- Make sure to have a mix of photos of boys and girls, young & older children
- Make sure to follow the child protection guidelines for reporting on children
- Test the equipment before you take it to the field!
- Make sure the lighting is good when taking videos or photographs
- Choose a quiet background or a background that is lively and represents the
location where the recording is done
- Make sure only one person at a time speaks
More information can be found in the Communication Manual
Guidelines for Reporting on Children
Aflatoun thinks it is imperative that the rights of the children we work
with are protected. One of the key elements of this protection is the
ethical use of the children’s images and materials.
We believe that a few key principles should be followed. It is
important to remember that, should a country’s laws or norms differ,
that the rules of the country be respected. Be sure to check the rules
in your country to see what standards you may be expected to follow.
If there are no national rules, we ask partners to follow a few key
principles:
- Gain written permission from children, and their teacher, when
doing Children’s Stories or highlighting a child in an audiovisual
production
30
- Ask oral permission from teachers and also students when taking
pictures in a school setting
- If you are planning on publishing photos or images for external
audiences, seek the written permission of the child for the use of
their image
We hope that you will share these guidelines with all your staff
involved in this area.
5. Case Studies
Aflatoun will be doing case studies of particular Aflatoun partner
programmes. This will include details about the programme
implementation and how it currently operates.
It will be used as a learning tool for partners both new and old and
is meant to be used as a tool to facilitate discussions and sharing
within the network.
Case studies will be done by the Aflatoun secretariat or researchers
and will include field visits, interviews with programme staff and
stakeholders, as well as partner input. It will be published within the
network at appropriate sharing moments and may be published more
broadly.
Complementary Research Projects
The remaining research tools and projects will complement our
overall data collection and provide different types of information.
1. Qualitative research
Qualitative research is conducted to study the quality and
development of the programme, particularly Aflatoun’s core
elements, workbooks and programme implementation tools (such as
the piggy bank, bank account, Aflatoun clubs etc). This can be done
through interviews with key informants, child interviews,
participatory action research, focus groups, and
focused evaluations. The resulting information will be
used to refine the programme itself, as well as the
impact assessment indicators.
Research projects of this type are carried out
by independent researchers with coordination
from the Aflatoun programme managers and the
partners.
2. Process Review
Process Review looks at how the programme works at the partner
level. Using a mix of participatory methods and business knowledge,
it attempts to look at how the different components of the programme
are being implemented and delivered to determine if they are
effective and efficient. This is done by comparing the programme
outcomes with Aflatoun’s strategic objectives, with a special focus on
communication, participation, policy and decision-making processes
within Aflatoun programmes. It also attempts to look at the bigger
picture to make sure that Partner programmes are working in a way
that furthers the goals of the Aflatoun Network.
This kind of study is usually done with research executives and
graduate students. As such, it is a collaborative process, meaning
that the partner and the person conducting the research work
together for a common goal or objective. The results of this study
can help us create guidelines of best practice for partners.
3. Social Return on Investment (SROI)
Conventional financial evaluations compare output to costs, but
do not capture the social and economic benefits of projects and
programmes. However, Social Return on Investment (SROI)
evaluations aim to capture these benefits by giving a monetary or
social value to key indicators in our programme and by comparing
them to the costs of implementing the programme.
The initial pilot is conducted by the Secretariat and Social Evaluator
team. After that, the tools will be available to all partners.
4. Randomized Evaluation
Randomized evaluation is the most rigorous way of measuring the
impact of social and developmental programmes. It requires that
some children get access to the Aflatoun programme and others
do not. You are able to determine the effect of the programme by
monitoring and comparing the resulting changes within these groups.
31
 5. Longitudinal Studies
Longitudinal studies attempt to determine the long-term impact of the
Aflatoun programme. Some organisations follow individual student
development over an extended period of time, complimented by in-
depth interviews, to determine if any changes in individual behaviour
can be attributed to a programme or intervention. We are considering
the installation of an alumni network to keep connections with the
programme & to ensure the possibility of tracking alumni.

32
Data Collection Summary
Quality Assurance
Below is a reminder of which documents are required from partners at the different stages of the partnership process:
Phase & element Documentation / information required of partners
Phase 1: Initial contact
1.2 Scoping - Questionnaire for Potential Partners
- National legal NGO registration form
- Annual report for last 2 years*
- Externally audited accounts for last 2 years
- Two references by international Donor, from
multilateral/bilateral/INGOs
1.3 Dialogue - Action plan and budget **
- Provide written statement by the local/national
education department granting permission to
implement the Aflatoun programme (if applicable)
Phase 2: Associate partner
2.1 Signing of MAP - MAP: Memorandum of Associate Partnership 7
2.4 Learning & - Joint recommendations by partner and Aflatoun
Facilitation Visit Secretariat

Phase 3: Implementing partner

3.1 Signing of IPA - IPA: Implementing Partnership Agreement 8

*Each year partners are requested to provide their annual report and their audited accounts

**Every two years partners are requested to update their action plan and budget

7-8 This can be found in the Additional Materials booklet as part of the Aflakit

33
 Which documents to expect from the Secretariat
All these documents can be found in the Additional Materials booklet
in the Aflakit.
Questionnaire for Potential Partners
During the initial contact phase, potential partner organisations are
asked to fill in this questionnaire. They are asked for organisational
information (e.g. mission, thematic focus, budget, accountability,
Human Resources, existing programmes, references).
Action Plan
The next element in the initial contact phase is the Action Plan.
This crucial document outlines the potential partner organisation’s
strategy and approach towards successful implementation of their
Aflatoun programme. Intended planning, budget and outreach are
included. All partners are asked to update their action plan and
budget every two years.
Memorandum of Associate Partnership (MAP)
The MAP demonstrates the shared commitment of the Associate
Partner and the Secretariat to beginning work together. It formalizes
the spirit of productive cooperation and recognizes the good will
of both parties to work together towards fully implementing the
Aflatoun Programme. It aims to help the Associate Partner develop
the capacity that will see its transition to fully Implementing Partner
status.
Implementing Partnership Agreement (IPA)
These are signed after an Associate Partner has been “live-in-
schools” and a learning & facilitation visit by a Secretariat staff
member has been done within one academic year of the programme
starting live in schools. The IPA recognizes that the Associate
Partner has a proven ability to deliver the programme. It sets out the
respective roles and responsibilities that govern the partnership.
Learning & Facilitation Visit Report with Guidelines
Within one year of an associate partner going “live in schools,” the
Aflatoun Secretariat will have a learning & facilitation visit to the
programme site. Guidelines for these visits have been made to
ensure shared expectations at the partners’ and Secretariat’s end.
Impact Assessment
Partners are requested to collect and submit data once a year. This
can be done at any time throughout the school year, provided that
all data has reached the secretariat before December 31st. This will
allow the data to appear in our publication, Children & Change. We
remind you that school surveys should be done towards the end of
the school year.

34
Appendices
Appendix 1 - Learning & Facilitation Visit Report with Guidelines
Cover Sheet
Name staff member Aflatoun Secretariat: _______________________________
Partner Organization visited: _______________________________
Name staff member Partner Organization: _______________________________
Country: _______________________________
Places visited: _______________________________
Date of visit: _______________________________

Overall observations/comments:

Overall suggestions for partner organization:

Overall suggestions for Secretariat:

Signature staff member Aflatoun Secretariat: Signature staff member partner organization:

____________________________________ ____________________________________
Guidelines for Learning & Facilitation visits

35
 The Aflatoun Network is all about partnership and shared learning. We (the Secretariat) greatly appreciate the opportunity to visit your
programme as your programme has gone live in schools. We want to learn about your good practices, the things that have worked well for you,
the innovations you have made, the challenges you have faced, the lessons learned and your thoughts on what training you would like to see
us provide. To help us both get the most out of our visit we have drafted these guidelines. We hope to see you soon!

1. General Expected Outcomes

By the end of the visit, we hope to:
□ have gained a better understanding of your programme and organization
□ have all your documentation together for Board sign-off for Implementing Partnership
□ have seen your programme “live in schools”, and interviewed a mix of participants
□ have talked to your staff and understand your good practice, innovations, lessons learned, and training needs
□ have assisted you in one or more stakeholder meetings, when needed by you
□ have copies of class materials, some stories of change and children’s drawings/artwork

2. General visit overview

Though all different, all visits have certain essential elements in common. We suggest a general planning, which can change according to
needs. Secretariat and partner staff both are asked to use the document checklist below for your preparation of the visit.

36
General Scheme What documents to bring?
(Partner = P, Secretariat = S)
Day 1: For Board sign-off:
Meeting with partner staff □ Completed survey for potential
partners (P,S)
□ Completed action plan & budget
(P,S)
□ Partner survey (from partner
database) (S)
□ Annual report/externally audited
accounts of last 2 years (P)
□ National legal NGO regist. form (P)
□ Third party references of
organization (P)
Other:
□ Own partner’s materials (P)
Day 1: □ Background documents provided by
Stakeholder meeting(s) partner (if applicable) (P)
Day 2-4: □ “Stories of change” (P)
Visit to schools □ “Children’s stories” (P)
□ Guidelines for stories & child
protection (S)
□ 6 school surveys* (S)
□ 6 class surveys* (S)
□ 15 children’s surveys* (pre-
determine ratio grade 1-3 and 4-8) (S)
□ Children’s drawings
Desired Results/outcomes Required time
- Open discussion 3-4 hrs with partner:
- Review of survey for potential - Aflatoun coordin.
partners & action plan - Exec. dir.
- Collection of other documents - Other interested/concerned
- Overview of training need & other
partner expectations
Overview of innovations, best
practices, lessons learned
- Upon the partner’s convenience 3-4 hrs
- Meeting with stakeholders (e.g.
educ. dep., Unicef)
- 4-5 school visited - 2-3 school visits p/day if possible
- Mix of: - (3 days max.)
- Successful/less successful
- Rural/urban
Interviewed in total:
- 2-3 head teachers
- 5-6 teachers
- 5-6 classes
- 10-15 children of different ages
37
 * These surveys are meant to guide, not to limit interviews with children, teachers, etc.
3. General tips
The school, class and children’s surveys provide guidelines for field interviews. Some extra general tips for preparation and interviewing (both
for Secretariat and partner):
Selecting Schools Selecting classes
- Try varying between schools that are more & less successful at - Try varying between classes with individual savings accounts & group
implementation accounts
- Try varying between rural/urban schools - Try including a range of classes with fin./soc. enterprises, and innovations
- Try varying between social/cultural/ethnic communities

Interviewing children in class & individually Interviewing (head) teachers

Example questions other than in surveys: Example questions other than in surveys:
- “Did you participate in camp/culmination event?” - “How do you value the programme?”
- “Who generally decides where you spend your saved money on? - “What do you think about the Aflatoun materials; any new ideas?”
- “Can you make a drawing of what Aflatoun means to you?” - “Did you see any unintended effects that we can share with other
(you can ask children this question starting a school visit and collect them at programmes?”
the end) - “What support do you need?”
- “Can we go thru class ledger together?”
- “Did you receive training? From whom?”
- “Did you see any examples of change?”

General tips for interview & visit (IMPORTANT!)

- Through language/culture words can be misinterpreted. Be clear, but always remain polite.
- Make sure a translator is present who is familiar with the programme
- At all times try to avoid prompting answers
- If taking photos, recording videos or collecting drawings, get permission* for further use
- To fuel learning, partner & Secretariat staff can share notes and agree main advice

* Please refer to Aflatoun’s guidelines for child protection

38
4. Space for key notes
This space is available for your notes on key points:
Key good practice/innovations: Follow-up needed:
Item: Date & Owner:

Key lessons learned (partner & Secr. staff): Suggested improvements Secretariat docs:

39
 Appendix 2 - Database Manual
Database Manual This is the Database Manual. It will provide you an introduction to its design, its
features and how best to use it.
You will receive a user name and password from the Aflatoun Secretariat. When
entering this information, remember it is case sensitive, meaning that if certain
letters or words are capitalised, then it will not work.

The home section is the first section that you will see once you login. The
names of the sections are translated into three languages and a menu with
images. To move to these sections, click on the text.

40
There are two ways to move around the database.
- In the Home Section, click on the purple text.
- In the navigation bar, click on the appropriate box to move to that section.

There are six core areas in the database. They will be explained in greater
detail in the remainder of the manual.

The Introduction Section is where we provide an overview of the AQIS strategy,

the database, the surveys, and Social Return of Investment (SROI). Click on
the document name to open it up!

41
 Every year there will be changes in the surveys and the database. The News
section will provide updates -by year- about new things for the coming year.

There are two places where you can find help. In the “?” you will be able to get
help related to that page. In the Manuals-Help section, you will get other tools
that provide help or describe the database.

Every year we will load all the relevant results of the annual data collections.
We will provide global, national and partner reports to everyone. We are
working to a more dynamic program that will allow you to do your own reports/
research.

42
Once you have entered your information, you will need to send the information
to the Secretariat in the Netherlands. You can do this by mail on a CD or
through the internet.

The Survey section is the most important area within the database. It contains 4
parts and deals with everything to do with the surveys in the system.

Click on the School Survey and you will see it! You need to fill in a school
survey in order to fill in class or child surveys. This means it is the gateway for
all your survey data entry.

43
 There are two key types of navigation within the surveys. If the survey is
more than one screen, you need to click on next. If you want to add additional
surveys, click on the appropriate button of the bottom of the screens.

Press the Partner Checklist Button and you will see the survey! This should be
completed only after you have done and entered all your school, class and child
surveys.

You will be able to print your survey forms from the database. When you click
on the survey, it will open in Microsoft Word. All surveys will be in English,
French, Spanish and Arabic.

44
You will be able to see which surveys you have entered in the view survey
screen. You can also add class or child surveys by clicking on the name of the
school.

Once you have clicked on the name of the school, you will be able to add a
Class or Child Survey from this page.

Once you have finished your work in the database, you need to log out. Click
on the Log Out button on either the Navigation Bar or the Home Screen.

45
 Appendix 3 - Suggestions for Training of
Surveyors
Overview
This document will provide some suggestions on how an Aflatoun
partner could train the potential surveyors who will be delivering the
surveys. These are suggestions and we hope that you use them as a
starting point for your work.
Rationale
In order to have surveys that are effective, the collection of data has
to be as uniform as possible. This means that all individuals who
are in schools, interviewing teachers and students, should have the
same understanding of how they are to go about surveying.
To make sure of this, we suggest that you do training with all your
surveyors to go through the data collection process, to outline your
requirements, to clarify survey information and respond to any
questions they might have.
Timing and Logistics
We suggest that this process should:
- Take approximately 3 hours
- Be done in a group with all surveyors if possible
- Be done before they go to their first school
- Be participatory, within the spirit of the Aflatoun programme
46
Suggested Exercises and Activities
In order to get the best out of your surveyors, we will need to both
empower them, motivate them and inform them about what they are
supposed to do:
- Introductions: Introduce yourself and give an opportunity for all your
surveyors to get to know one another!
- Overview of Aflatoun and Data Collection Process: What is Aflatoun
and why are you doing survey research? It is important for them
to know why they are doing this work and what the programme is
about.
- Survey Logistics: It is important to be very clear with what you
expect of your surveyors. Take them through exactly what they
should do in each school that they go to.
- Survey Testing and Role Playing: It is important that you be able to
see people administer the surveys and to let people practice. Have
each surveyor ask questions and record answers with another
surveyor. Encourage constructive feedback within the group and
take some time at the end to determine what has been learned.
- Reading the Surveys: Every surveyor should have an identical
understanding of the survey questions. This means that you should
read through the school, class and student surveys and answers. If
people have questions, speak about them as an entire group.
- Questions and Opinions: Give your surveyors an opportunity to
talk about any questions that they might still have. Also, ask them
their opinions about the surveys and the process. What they found
helpful and what they think you should change in the future.
Follow Up
You should be in regular contact with your surveyors. If one has an
important question or comment once the surveys have begun, be
sure to provide the answers to all your surveyors!

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 Appendix 4 - Aflatoun Survey Planning Guide

1. Survey Planning
1. Total Number of Schools

2. How many schools per day will you visit? � One School � Two Schools � Three Schools

3. Time per School Visit (reference for Q.8) � 6 hours � 3 Hours � 2 Hours

2. Number of Surveys Per School

Survey Time Per Survey/Visit Number of Surveys Total Time (survey time X # of surveys)
4. School (required) 60 minutes 1 60 minutes
5. Class (Optional) 30 minutes
6. Young Child Surveys (Optional) 20 minutes
7. Older Child Surveys (Optional) 20 minutes
8. Total Time (Must be equal/less than the Time per School Visit, Question 3)

3. Evaluation Timing
9. Last week you can visit schools
10. Number of weeks required to visit schools (Number of schools/Number of
schools per day)
11. Number of Weeks to find/train surveyors and gain permission to enter
schools if needed
12. Required start time for evaluation

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4. Evaluation Budget Costs -
1. Human Resources - Pay for surveyors and partner staff time

2. Training Meetings - Cost of delivering training

3. Material Costs - Cost for creating surveys and printing and disseminating evaluation results

4. Travel Costs - Cost for transport between schools

5. Data Entry Costs - Costs for paying for data entry

TOTAL BUDGET

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 Aflatoun, Child Social & Financial Education
Sarphatistraat 7 | PO Box 15991 | 1001 NL Amsterdam
ph: +31 20 626 20 25 | fx: +31 20 626 21 18

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