The Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund was set up in 2011 to inform and improve programming and policies on violence prevention against children in low- and middle-income countries. It aims to generate more rigorous evidence through robust evaluations.

The fund recently decided to support a key and strategic evaluation research study led by Theresa Betancourt at Harvard University in collaboration with the University of Rwanda and FXB International/Rwanda. The project will last five years and use a four-arm cluster randomized trial – a very robust evaluation methodology. 

As the Rwanda Government is currently planning a countrywide implementation of its social protection programme – Vision 2020 Umurenge Program (VUP) – the study will explore the impact of integrating a family‑based intervention model. This will be delivered to vulnerable families targeted by the VUP with a focus on parenting behaviours that demonstrate a proven effectiveness in improving early childhood development outcomes and decreasing violence in the home.

This critical research involves key stakeholders including the World Bank, USAID, the Government of Rwanda and Elma Philanthropies. It presents a unique opportunity for policy uptake at the national and regional level.

For more information
Further details will soon be available at http://www.evaluationchallenge.org. In the meantime contact sara.bensaude@nef-europe.org for more information.