Benin McGovern-Dole International Food 
for Education and Child Nutrition Program 
- Keun Faaba III
Baseline Evaluation
July 20, 2022
Baseline Evaluation report - Keun Faaba III in Benin McGovern￾Dole program
Program: McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition
Agreement Number: FFE-680-2021/002-00 
Funding Year: Fiscal Year 2021
Project Duration: October 2021 - September 2026
Implemented by: Catholic Relief Services
Evaluation Authored by: The Khana Group
 Dr. Naama Raz-Yaseef, Agbeja Ifedapo, Marie McWhinney, Hammed Adewumi 
and Koffi Andre Gueguehoun
DISCLAIMER
This publication was produced at the request of the United States Department of Agriculture. It 
was prepared by an independent third-party evaluation firm. The author’s views expressed in 
this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the USDA or the United States 
Government.
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Table of Contents
List of Tables 4
List of Figures 6
List of Acronyms 8
Executive Summary 10
Project Background and Purpose 10
Evaluation Design, Methods, and Limitations 10
Conclusions and Recommendations 13
1. Introduction and Purpose 16
1.1. Project Context 16
1.2. Project Description 17
1.3. Results Framework 18
1.4. Purpose of the Evaluation 19
2. Evaluation Design and Methodology 20
2.1. Evaluation Design 20
2.2. Sampling Methods and Sample Design 20
2.3. Data Collection Methods 24
2.3.1. Enumerators’ Training and Deployment 26
2.3.2. Field Data Collection 27
2.3.3. Data Analysis Methods 27
2.4. Evaluation Limitations 28
3. Findings 30
3.1. Anthropometric and Nutrition 30
3.2. Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) 37
3.3. Interviews with Stakeholders 44
3.4. Parent Survey 45
3.5. Teacher Surveys 59
3.6. Attendance Rate and Attentiveness of Students 70
3.6.1. Attendance Rate 70
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3.6.2. Attentiveness 71
4. Conclusions and Recommendations 73
4.1. Conclusions 73
4.2. Recommendations 74
5. Appendixes 76
5.1. Appendix I: Detailed Survey Results 76
5.2. Appendix II: Survey Tools 128
5.2.1. Tool 1: KIIs with Implementing Partners 128
5.2.2. Tool 1: KII with Governmental Representative 130
5.2.3. Tool 1: KII with USDA Representative 132
5.2.4. Tool 1: KII with CRS Staff 134
5.2.5. Tool 2: Parent Questionnaire 136
5.2.6. Tool 3: Student Anthropometric Questionnaire 145
5.2.7. Tool 4: Teacher Questionnaire 151
List of Tables
Table 0 Project Indicators with Baseline-Study-Defined Values 12
List of Tables 4
List of Figures 6
List of Acronyms 8
Executive Summary 10
Project Background and Purpose 10
Evaluation Design, Methods, and Limitations 10
Conclusions and Recommendations 13
1. Introduction and Purpose 16
1.1. Project Context 16
1.2. Project Description 17
1.3. Results Framework 18
1.4. Purpose of the Evaluation 19
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2. Evaluation Design and Methodology 20
2.1. Evaluation Design 20
2.2. Sampling Methods and Sample Design 20
2.3. Data Collection Methods 24
2.3.1. Enumerators’ Training and Deployment 26
2.3.2. Field Data Collection 27
2.3.3. Data Analysis Methods 27
2.4. Evaluation Limitations 28
3. Findings 30
3.1. Anthropometric and Nutrition 30
3.2. Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) 37
3.3. Interviews with Stakeholders 44
3.4. Parent Survey 45
3.5. Teacher Surveys 59
3.6. Attendance Rate and Attentiveness of Students 70
3.6.1. Attendance Rate 70
3.6.2. Attentiveness 71
4. Conclusions and Recommendations 73
4.1. Conclusions 73
4.2. Recommendations 74
5. Appendixes 76
5.1. Appendix I: Detailed Survey Results 76
5.2. Appendix II: Survey Tools 128
5.2.1. Tool 1: KIIs with Implementing Partners 128
5.2.2. Tool 1: KII with Governmental Representative 130
5.2.3. Tool 1: KII with USDA Representative 132
5.2.4. Tool 1: KII with CRS Staff 134
5.2.5. Tool 2: Parent Questionnaire 136
5.2.6. Tool 3: Student Anthropometric Questionnaire 145
5.2.7. Tool 4: Teacher Questionnaire 151
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Table 1 Data Collection Sample (Planned and Achieved) 19
Table 2 KII Collection Sample (Planned and Achieved) 21
Table 3 Distribution of Survey Samples 21
Table 4 Composition of Field Teams 25
Table 5 Geographical Bias of Sample and Results 27
Table 6 Characteristics of the schoolchild 28
Table 7 Weight Classes by Gender, Department, City and Age 30
Table 8 School Nutrition 32
Table 9 Nutritional Knowledge Test 36
Table 10 Identifying Food 37
Table 11 EGRA Survey Results 38
Table 12 Student’s Fluency with Familiar Words 40
Table 13 Student’ Score in Naming Letters per Minute 41
Table 14 Students Listening Comprehension 42
Table 15 Oral Reading Comprehension 44
Table 16 Characteristics of Parents and Caregivers 45
Table 17 Characteristics of the Children 48
Table 18 Hygiene and Health Practices 51
Table 19 Questions Relevant to Future Programming 54
Table 20 Importance of Education by Gender 57
Table 21 : Involvement in School Life 59
Table 22 Parents’ Barriers for Their Children’s Learning 63
Table 23 : Parent Involvement in Future Project Activities 66
Table 24 Socio-Economic Characteristics 68
Table 25 Teacher Characteristics 70
Table 26 Teachers’ Training 75
Table 27 Teachers’ Absenteeism 78
Table 28 Parent Involvement 81
Table 29 Nutrition, Libraries 83
Table 30 Health, hygiene 84
Table 31 Average Attendance Rate by Commune 86
Table 32 Student Absence Due to Health Reasons by Commune 87
Table 33 Attendance Rate by Department 87
Table 34 : Observed Student Attentiveness 88
List of Figures
Figure 1 Map of The Project Region 15
Figure 2 Distribution of schoolchildren weight category with age 31
Figure 3 EGRA Survey Results 39
Figure 4 Student’s Fluency with familiar Words 40
Figure 5 Student’ Score in Naming Letters per Minute 41
Figure 6 Students Listening Comprehension 43
Figure 7 Oral reading comprehension 44
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Figure 8 Parent Rating of Children’s Academic Performance by Gender 51
Figure 9 When Does the Youngest Child Wash Their Hands in School 53
Figure 10 Teacher Absenteeism as a Recurring Problem 57
Figure 11 Future Activities Parents Take Personal Interest Participating in (%) 67
Figure 12 Teaching Experience of Teachers 72
Figure 13 Highest Academic Degree Earned by Teachers (%) 73
Figure 14 Teachers review of their student’s academic and literacy performance (%) 74
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List of Acronyms
Acronym Full Term
AAM Assessor Accuracy Measurement
AME Mothers’ Association (Association des Méres Mères d’Elèves)
APE Parents’ Association (Association des Parents d’Elèves)
ATPC Community Led Total Sanitation (Assainissement Total Pilote par la 
Communauté)
CAP Technical High School
CCS Head of School Districts (Chef de Circonscription Scolaire)
CEP Primary School Certificate
CRP Education District Officer (Chef de Région Pédagogiques)
CI Grade 1 (Cours d’Initiation)
CLTS Community Led Total Sanitation (idem ATPC)
CP Grade 2 (Cours Préparatoire)
CP Educational Adviser (Conseiller Pédagogique)
COGES Canteen Management Committee (Comité de Gestion des Cantines 
Scolaires)
CRS Catholic Relief Services
CSO Civil Society Organization
CWPM Correct Words Per Minute
DANA Direction of Food and Applied Nutrition 
DAS Direction of School Feeding (Direction de l’Alimentation Scolaire)
DDEMP Departmental Direction of Preschool and Primary Education (Direction 
Départmental des Enseignements Maternal et Primaire)
 DDHAB Departmental Direction of Basic Hygiene and Sanitation (Direction 
département de l'hygiène et de l'assainissement de base)
DEC Development Experience Clearinghouse
DEP Direction of Primary Education
DEM Direction of Preschool and Primary Education 
DIIP Direction of Pedagogical Inspection and Innovation
EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment
Et4d Education Technology for Development
FADEC Commune Development Support Funds (Fonds d’Appui au Development des 
Communes)
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FFE Food for Education
FFPr Food for Progress
FGD Focus Group Discussion
FY Fiscal Year
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GoB Government of Benin
IC Introductory Course
ICC Intraclass Correlation Coefficient
IR Intermediate Result
INFRE National Institute of Training and Research in Education
KII Key Informant Interviews
MEMP Ministry of Preschool and Primary Education
MT Metric Tons
ORF Oral Reading Fluency
PfD Partners for Development
PHAST Participatory Health and Sanitation Transformation
PMP Performance Monitoring Plan
PNASI National Integrated School Feeding Program (Programme National 
d’Alimentation Scolaire Intégré)
PPS Probability Proportion Sample
PTA Parent Teacher Association
SBC Social Behavior Change
SILC Savings and Internal Lending Community
SMC School Management Committee
SO Strategic Objective
SOW Scope of Work 
THR Take Home Ration
TOR Terms of Reference
UP Unité Pédagogique
UNDP United Nations Development Program
URP Union Régionale des Producteurs
USDA United States Department of Agriculture
WASH Water Sanitation and Hygiene
WEI World Education, Inc.
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 Executive Summary
Project Background and Purpose
The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been implementing the McGovern-Dole school feeding 
programs in Northern Benin since 2014 in close collaboration with the Ministry of Pre-School and 
Primary Education (MEMP) and other relevant partners. Locally known as Keun Faaba, the project 
has been working to alleviate hunger for an average of 44,000 children annually, to raise literacy 
levels in school-aged children in the Northern Benin regions of Alibori and Borgou.
The 1st stage of the Project was implemented between 2014 and 2018, with a focus on raising 
literacy rates, hygiene, and community and government activity towards local schools. The 2nd 
stage was implemented between 2018-2022, with a deeper focus on reducing hunger and 
improving literacy rates in primary education. Both stages were successful in meeting targets and 
lowering students’ hunger during school time. Results from the 1st stage indicate that focusing 
solely on student feeding was insufficient in resolving attentiveness in class, therefore the 2nd 
phase worked to (and succeeded) improving attentiveness. Both stages struggled with sickness￾related student absence, and both indicated the importance of supporting community-led 
actions and enhancing teachers’ training. The third phase of the project will work in the same 
two Keun Faaba northern departments but will target schools in four new communes: Banikoara, 
Nikki, Bembereke, and Sinende.
With a budget of $25,000,000 awarded by USDA to continue supporting the Government of Benin 
in the original goal of the program, Keun Faaba III will work to improve the literacy, health, and 
nutrition of about 98,670 students, increase 700 teachers’ capacities to improve the quality of 
literacy instructions, and support 700 cooks and 175 storeroom managers to organize and 
prepare school meals in 175 schools. It also addresses the health risks coming from unsanitary 
environments by improving WASH behaviors and infrastructures.
Evaluation Design, Methods, and Limitations
The Baseline Study will be used to set baseline values for the programs’ indicators. The design of 
this evaluation is a mixed-method approach, using both quantitative and qualitative data. 
Quantitative data includes assessing students’ reading ability using the Early Grade Reading 
Assessment (EGRA), as well as assessing teachers and school administrators’ performance using 
a quantitative survey. Other surveys gathered data on student attendance, and parent 
attentiveness to aid children’s literary education. Qualitative methods (KIIs) were used to gather 
stakeholders’ views on the program and triangulate data.
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Data collection was conducted in June and July of 2022, recording over 9,000 unique data sets 
including on EGRA (1,200 students), Teachers Surveys (120 teachers), Parent and Caregivers 
Surveys (259 parents and caregivers), Presence Observations (140 schools), Attentiveness 
Observations (368 students), Attendance Record (2,875 students), Nutrition and Anthropometric 
Surveys (3,011 students), Semantic fluency (1,009 students), and Key Informative Interviews 
(KIIs; 8 stakeholders). The large sample size assured that statistical differences in key indicators 
were detectable and the control group was not considered in the evaluation
Main Findings
Results from the baseline study indicate that more than a few of the target indicators need to be 
adjusted, and recommendations are made at the end of the report. 
Student Survey (Anthropometric and Nutrition Data): Overall, about 4 out of every 10 (39%) of 
the 2nd and 5th grade surveyed children were underweight. Underweight was slightly more 
present in boys (39.70%) than in girls (38.40%) (Chi2=0.53, P-Value=0.77) and slightly more in 
Alibori (43.9%) than in Borgou (37.30%) (Chi2=11.62, P-Value=0.003). Results showed an increase 
in the prevalence of underweight with age. Using WHO growth standard (weight-for-age below 
<2z), baseline values show a 13% of school age children (age 5-10) who are underweight, which 
is lower than the 17% defined by the program (INDICATOR 7). Anthropometric information aligns 
with information on food consumption. A third of the children who took the survey did not eat 
before coming to school the day of the survey, and 79% did not bring lunch with them to school 
that day. Of the kids surveyed, 70% said they eat three meals a day, yet 40% said they have gone 
hungry in the past week due to missing a meal. Overall, schoolchildren had a high level of 
understanding of nutritional values, with 60% of the students gaining an “improved knowledge” 
score. 
Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) Scores for the EGRA section were quite low among both 
boys and girls in CP/G2 (2nd Grade), and only 3% demonstrated that they can read and 
understand the meaning of grade level text (INDICATOR 1). A significant number of students 
(84%) were unable to identify or correctly pronounce at least two invented word on the EGRA 
test. Less than 14% and 13% of girls and boys respectively in CP/G2 were able to identify and 
pronounce more than five invented words at an advanced level. About 42% of boys and 44% of 
girls in CP2/G2 were unable to identify or pronounce at least two letter per minute. Students in 
CP2/G2 had a relatively poor listening comprehension when a story was being read to them (76% 
struggled with comprehension).
Interviews with Stakeholders: All partners, governmental official, and program staff strongly 
believe in the need for the program and support its holistic approach. Some issues stakeholders 
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suggest improving or enhancing are coordination and collaboration across stakeholders, coping 
with safety issues in Northern Benin, and supporting community-scale farm and feeding actions.
Parents and Caregivers Survey: Most parents think their child's education is important, and more 
parents (74%) think that their son’s education is “very important” compared to parents that say 
that their daughters’ education is “very important” (66%). Yet only 21% of parents can name at 
least three benefits of primary education (INDICATOR 37). Most parents (78%) say that they 
monitor how well their children do in school, and about 55% say that they help their children 
with homework, but only 24% reported spending time on literacy activities with their students 
the last seven days (INDICATOR 38). Similarly, the majority (81%) of parents say that they and 
their partner are involved in the decision-making of their children’s schooling (INDICATOR 56), 
but only 35% think they have the skills to accompany or enable their children to learn. In addition, 
parent’s involvement in school was low, and only 9% of parents who partook in the survey were 
currently a part of a parent-teacher association, and 6% belonged to a mother-teacher 
association. Most parents state that they do discuss household finance with their partner (75%; 
INDICATOR 54), equaling target values between years 4 and 5, and most parent state that they 
involve their partner in decision-making regarding schooling of children (81%; INDICATOR 56), 
which is higher than the Life of Project target.
 
Teacher Survey: While most of the surveyed teachers were not new to teaching (39% have 
been teaching for over a decade), most were relatively new to their current school (70% have 
taught at their current school between 1-4 years), indicating a high turnover rate. This is 
reinforced by the high percentage (43%) of teachers that are ACE, or contract agents. Teachers 
are overall satisfied with the governmental training they receive in school and indicate that they 
apply it in the classroom. 62% of teachers surveyed were able to present to the interviewer both 
the national curriculum and other materials when asked to do so (INDICATOR 21). Most 
teachers (67%) reported that they have not missed class over the last quarter. Other than illness, 
teachers indicated they miss school due to administrative reasons (going to the bank, looking for 
administrative papers, etc.; 28%) and work-related meetings (20%), indicating the need to 
prioritize in-class teaching above all other tasks.
 
Student Attendance, Presence, and Attentiveness: Students’ attendance, recorded by the 
schools surveyed, was very high, with an average of 98.60% attendance rate. The average 
number of days missed per student per year due to health issues (INDICATOR 31) was 1 day, 
which is exactly the target at the Life of Project (1 day). Student’s presence in the classroom, 
recorded by the evaluators at the day of visit in each school, was a bit lower, but still high (91% 
on average; INDICATOR 10), and higher than that estimated by the program (80%). Gender 
differences in presence were small (approximately 46% of the boys and 45% of the girls were 
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present, per the gender segregation. Also, about 87% and 93% respectively in Alibori and Borgou 
districts. Students’ attentiveness, measured by direct observations of student’s participation in 
the classrooms, concluded that 63% of students were classified as paying attention (INDICATOR 
9).
Conclusions and Recommendations
Based on the Study results (see Table 0, Baseline Indicators), recommendations are as follows:
● Continue to support a holistic school program approach for Northern Benin, that will 
include literacy, health, and nutrition. 
● Adjust program targets based on Baseline values. Concrete recommendations are 
presented as a list at the Conclusion and Recommendation section at the end of this 
Report.
• Design feeding programs at a community level, to mobilize food for the whole 
community by establishing school farms, strengthening the community by providing 
opportunities for food production, and enhancing economic resilience. 
• Create programs to teach and help parents in supporting their children’s learning.
• To improve parent’s involvement, use various medias to increase awareness, including 
advocacy, community dialogs to share experiences, parent meetings, and involvement 
of local leaders. 
• Design variable learning programs that address the different areas of strength and 
weaknesses for each school grade.
• Include follow-ups of children’s progress at their homes. These visits can also be used to 
monitor children’s wellbeing and nutrition.
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Table 0 Project Indicators with Baseline-Study-Defined Values
Indicators
Baseline Target
End
# Result Performance Indicator
Standard 
or Custom
Program￾defined
Baseline 
Study
Life of 
Project
1 MGD 
SO1
Percent of students who, by the end of 
two grades of primary schooling, 
demonstrate that they can read and 
understand the meaning of grade level 
text
MGD 
INDICATOR 
1:
1% 2.00%
(SD: 0.72, 
N=767) 
5%
7 SO 2 Percent of school age children (age 5-10) 
who are underweight (weight-for-age 
below <2z) per WHO growth standards
WHO 17 %1 12.89%
(SD: 0.34, 
N=3011)
12%
9
IR 1.2
Percent of students in target schools who 
are identified as attentive during 
class/instruction
Custom TBD % 63.48%
(N=130)
95%
10 MGD 
1.3
Average student attendance rate in USDA 
supported classrooms/schools
MGD 
INDICATOR 
2 
80% 91.04%
(N= 140)
95%
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Sub-IR 
1.1.3
Percent of teachers using the national 
literacy curriculum and the related 
instructional materials
Custom 90% 61.67%
(SD: 0.83, 
N=63)
100%
31 Sub-IR 
1.3.2
Average number of days missed per 
student per year due to health issues
Custom TBD 1 .37
N=2,875) 
1
37 Sub-IR 
1.3.5
Percent of parents in target communities 
who can name at least three benefits of 
primary education
Custom TBD % 20.38%
(SD: 0.81, 
N=260)
95%
38 Sub-IR 
1.3.5
Percent of parents who report spending 
time on literacy activities with their 
students the last seven days
Custom TBD % 24.32%
(SD: 0.43, 
N=260)
60%
46 FR 
2.7.4
Percent of mothers using nutrient-dense 
neglected and underutilized foods in 
family meals in the previous 24 hours
Custom TBD % 86.49% 
(SD:0.35, 
N=260)
80%
1 Benin Demographic and Health Survey 2017-2018, P.214
15
50 FR 
1.4.4
Percent of caregivers that have the skills 
to accompany/ enable student learning
CRS Custom 0% 34.75%
(SD: 0.48, 
260)
80%
54 FR 
1.4.4
Percent of male and female members of 
AME/APEs stating they do discuss 
household financial management 
questions with their partner
Custom TBD % 74.52%
(SD: 0.43, 
N=260
80%
56 FR 
1.4.4
Percent of male and female members of 
AME/APEs who involve their partner in 
decision-making regarding schooling of 
children
Custom TBD % 81.08%
(SD: 0.39, 
N260)
80%
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1. Introduction and Purpose
1.1. Project Context
 Benin is one of the world’s poorest countries, with an annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 
per capita of US $1,428 for 20212, placing it below the Sub-Saharan Africa average of US $1,6463. 
Benin is ranked ‘low’ on the United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) Human 
Development Index (0.545 of 1 for 20194
). Poverty is at its highest in Northern Benin, where the 
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) McGovern-Dole program is implemented.
French is the official language of Benin and the sole language taught in schools run by the Ministry 
of Education, even though indigenous languages are the ones commonly spoken at home and in 
the community. One reason for this outcome is the large number of indigenous languages - Benin 
has over fifty indigenous languages being used today. In the Northern region, the four most 
common languages are Bariba, Dendi, Fulani and Mokole. It is important to note almost none of 
the children entering primary school speak French at home.
Northern Benin lacks many social services, exemplified by an insufficient number of primary 
schools. Although the four targeted regions in Northern Benin represent almost 75% of Benin’s 
land mass, fewer than half (48%) of the country’s primary schools are located there, resulting in 
schools’ extreme remoteness from many school-aged children. Local customs and beliefs often 
place little value in education, and parents (most of whom themselves are poorly educated) are 
generally not involved in their children’s education. Moreover, poor nutrition due to lack of food 
availability and dietary diversity is a major issue in some areas of Benin, where chronic 
malnutrition has been growing. In general, rural areas are hit harder than urban ones, and boys 
suffer worse from malnutrition more often than girls5
. This situation is compounded by a severe 
annual dry season (December to April), affecting children’s ability to learn and grow. The Borgou 
and Alibori departments (Figure 1) receive little assistance from either the government or non￾governmental organizations (NGOs) to support their school canteens.
In the year 2000, the government of Benin made an important political commitment, initiating a 
school feeding program. The government further strengthened the Programme National 
d’Alimentation Scolaire Intégré (PNASI - National Integrated School Feeding Program) in 2017 
when it entered partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). The initial budget for the 
2
 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=BJ 
3
 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=ZG 
4 https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks
5 Azandjeme CS, Alihonou F, Sossa CJ, Gbatcho U, Gounongbe F, et al. (2020) Factors Associated with the 
Nutritional Status of Schoolchildren in the Main City of Benin Republic, Sub-Saharan Africa. Int. Open Access.
17
project was 27 billion Francs CFA, which increased to 48 billion in 2018 due to monetary infusions 
from additional partners. Three actors interact in the school feeding program; the (1) Benin 
government oversees PNASI with assistance from the (2) WFP, which serves as an implementing 
partner, and (3) CRS.
1.2. Project Description
In Keun Faaba III, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) continues to focus on school feeding, improved 
literacy of school-aged children and improved health and nutrition practices, while supporting 
the Government of Benin (GoB)’s 2030 vision of “One School, One Canteen”.
Figure 1 Map of The Project Region
While working in the Northern Benin regions of 
Alibori and Borgou, in the communes of Banikoara, 
Nikki, Bembereke and Sinende, the project will 
increase community engagement and create an 
enabling learning environment centered on 
children’s well-being. CRS is planning to leverage 
the field-tested and evidence-based approaches 
from the USDA McGovern-Dole Keun Faaba Phase 
I (2014-2020), Keun Faaba Phase II (2017-2022) 
and Local and Regional Procurement (LRP, 2018-
2020) programs to 1) implement a sound school 
feeding strategy in coordination with the 
Integrated National School Feeding Program 
(PNASI) program following international 
standards, such as those promoted by the Global 
Child Nutrition Forum, which are grounded in 
community engagement through School 
Management Committees (SMCs) and introducing
both US-imported and locally purchased 
commodities; 2) improve early grade literacy in 
line with the government of Benin’s Primary and 
Early Grade Curriculum through an integrated 
package of in-school and out-of-school activities; 3) facilitate access to and use of community 
health services to improve nutrition and dietary practices; 4) promote CRS’ signature Savings and 
Internal Lending Community (SILC) methodology that strengthens assets and improves access to 
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finance for basic services like health and education; and 5) improve water, sanitation and hygiene 
(WASH) behaviors. Keun Faaba III is working with $25,000,000 to aid the selected communities 
in Northern Benin for the duration of the Keun Faaba III project, between the years 2021 and 
2026.
1.3. Results Framework
In Keun Faaba III, CRS will reinforce USDA’s McGovern-Dole’s foundational results based on the 
evidence-based theory of change that posits IF commune level authorities and SMCs have 
increased capacity to plan, manage and oversee school canteens; IF central government agencies 
support the local purchase approach; IF commodity procurements are structured to leverage 
existing agricultural producer groups in the Alibori and Borgou Departments; and IF the GoB 
successfully mobilizes resources to continue growing the PNASI program; THEN project schools 
will be sustainably graduated into the PNASI program, allowing schoolchildren to receive 
nutritious, culturally acceptable and quality meals after the life of project. Evidence: The GoB is 
committed to growing the PNASI program to achieve universal national school feeding. Evidence 
from Keun Faaba I and II and LRP shows that engaging with the PNASI program early and 
frequently ensures a seamless handover.
CRS Keun Faaba III’s design aligns with USDA and McGovern-Dole’s two strategic objectives (SOs) 
and LRPs. SO1 focuses on improving knowledge, skills and resources for teachers and school 
administrators to improve literacy instruction, ensuring daily, nutritious meals for students to 
increase attentiveness and contribute to increased attendance, and promoting participatory 
community engagement to increase children’s enrollment and attendance, particularly girls. SO2 
supports improved health and WASH practices, which also enhance nutrition and overall health 
for children, reinforcing regular school attendance, thus contributing to students’ education 
outcomes overall. Increased use of local food in school canteens will establish opportunities for 
sustaining canteens after the project ends, while boosting financial support to local farm families. 
The foundational results are designed to reinforce the local sustainability strategy initiated by 
the government by promoting the existing policy and regulatory framework and improving 
engagement of community-based organizations and groups.
Keun Faaba III’s overall Theory of Change is IF the quality of literacy instruction is improved (IR 
1.1); IF students attend school more regularly (IR 1.3) with increased attention (IR 1.2) and 
improved use of health and dietary practices (SO2); IF institutional capacities and the 
coordination of government, local educational organizations and community actors are improved 
(IR 1.4.3 & IR 1.4.4); and IF local communities increase engagement in the ownership of school 
feeding and are supported through the procurement of local commodities and improved savings 
practices (IR 1.4.4); THEN literacy and quality education will be equitably and sustainably 
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improved (SO1) in the targeted schools in the departments of Alibori and Borgou, Northeast 
Benin.
In response to needs, challenges, risks, constraints, and opportunities, Keun Faaba III is 
prioritizing teacher training, extracurricular literacy activities, providing nutritious school meals, 
WASH infrastructure, social behavior change (SBC) activities for education and nutrition, and 
capacity strengthening at community, regional and national levels for handover and 
sustainability. Keun Faaba III will include activities for the following outputs:
● Increasing the quality of teacher and school administrator training and supervision.
● Enhancing the capacity of government officials at all levels to develop and implement high￾quality teacher training and literacy activities.
● Advocating for the integration of community teachers into the government teacher 
workforce, and for the construction of classrooms, latrines, and water points in schools.
● Promoting WASH-friendly school clubs/certification, including MHM activities.
● Promoting dietary diversity.
● Leveraging local produce in school canteens, thus supporting local farmers.
● Promoting changes in cultural and social norms and removing barriers that inhibit 
households from enrolling and retaining children (girls in particular) in school.
● Reinforcing household economic resilience and investments in education through SILC, 
financial education, and joint decision-making.
● Integrating child protection measures, in particular those pertaining to girls.
● Strengthening SMCs to manage canteens, community contributions and WASH 
infrastructure.
● Reinforcing parent engagement and collaboration among parents’ and mothers’ 
associations, teachers, and administrators in support of their children’s education.
1.4. Purpose of the Evaluation
This baseline study was designed to establish the conditions at project start for Keun Faaba III. 
The indicators (outcomes/outputs) with non-zero baseline values and targets established at 
baseline, will be used during project implementation to regularly measure performance, and 
inform stakeholders of progress. The baseline study will create recommendations for adjusting 
project’s indicators’ target goals by years of project, and Life or Project (end target) based on 
values established at baseline. Last, the study will also provide recommendations on program 
activities and focus. These results will serve as a basis for comparison with the midterm and final 
evaluations and used to refine the intervention logic of the project in relation to the context if 
necessary. This baseline report will be submitted by CRS, TKG and their partners to the USDA and 
M&E policy.
20
2. Evaluation Design and Methodology
2.1. Evaluation Design
The design of this evaluation was a mixed-method approach, using both quantitative and 
qualitative data. Quantitative data included assessing students’ reading ability using the Early 
Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), as well as assessing teachers and school administrators’ 
performance using a quantitative survey. Other surveys and observations gathered data on 
student attendance, presence, and attentiveness. Interviews with key stakeholders were used to 
assess views on the program and triangulate the quantitative data. 
An informed consent statement at the beginning of all data collection activities was used to 
inform respondents that their participation is voluntary, as well as explaining the purpose of the 
study, how the data is being used, that participating involves minimal risk as data is of non￾sensitive nature and the time required for their participation is short. The minimal personal 
identifiable information was collected to minimize the risk of respondent identification. We 
followed the best practices in case of research involving children and ensured all child protection 
protocols were in place, including obtaining consent from parents, guardians, teachers, and all
children participating in research.
2.2. Sampling Methods and Sample Design
A two-stage cluster random sampling proportional to size approach was used to select all 
respondents for the quantitative surveys. At the first stage, schools were randomly selected 
proportionate to size as clusters using a Stata do file and then students, teachers, cooks, 
caregivers, and mothers (within the respective communities that feed into the schools) were 
selected at the second stage. For the interviews with parents and caregivers which happened 
outside the school premises the respondents selected had a child / ward in the school. The 
sample sizes were generated by equations to determine the largest possible size to detect a 
statistical difference in key outcome indicators over time between the evaluations. The equation 
is below: 
• CLtvalue is the t-value associated with the confidence interval.
• The standard 95% C.I was used which has a value of 1.96. 
21
• DEFT is the square root of DEFF, calculated using the formula DEFF = 1 + (cluster size -1) ICC. Cluster size 
120 / 25 extracted from the RFP based on previous studies and the Inter class correlation coefficient 0.12 
was provided in the RFP.
• Standard Deviation (SD) of 0.44 was specified with a Confidence Interval width of 10. 
Table 1 summarizes the planned sample size (number of schools and number of surveys) for each 
data collection method conducted for this evaluation per region, and additional explanatory text 
is provided below the table.
Table 1 Data Collection Sample (Planned and Achieved) * 
# Schools 
(# Surveys)
BANIKOARA BEMBEREKE NIKKI SINENDE TOTAL
Expe
-cted
Achie￾ved 
Expe￾cted
Achie￾ved 
Expe￾cted
Achie￾ved 
Expe￾cted
Achie￾ved 
Expe￾cted
Achie￾ved 
EGRA
14
(336)
14
(336)
20
(480)
20
(480)
8
(192)
8
(192)
8
(192)
8
(192)
50
(1,200)
50
(1,200)
TEACHER
14
(28)
15
(43)
20
(40)
20
(41)
8
(16)
8
(20)
8
(16)
8
(16)
50
(100)
51
(120)
PARENT
7
(70)
7
(70)
10
(100)
11
(109)
4
(40)
4
(40)
4
(40)
4
(40)
25
(250)
26
(259)
PRESENCE 
40
(40)
45
(45)
48
(48)
48
(48)
19
(19)
22
(22)
33
(33)
25
(25)
140
(140)
140
(140)
ATTENTIVENESS
40
(120)
37
(109)
48
(144)
39
(94)
19
(57)
21
(61)
33
(99)
33
(104)
140
(420)
130
(368)
ATTENDANCE
32
(800)
32
(800)
42
(1050)
42
(1050)
16
(400)
16
(400)
28
(700)
28
(700)
118
(2,950)
118
(2,950)
NUTRITION & 
ANTHROPM￾ETRIC
32
(800)
32
(798)
42
(1050)
42
(1147)
16
(400)
16
(366)
28
(700)
28
(700)
118
(2,950)
118
(3,011)
SEMANTIC 
32
(240)
33
(299)
42
(315)
47
(379)
16
(120)
16
(132)
28
(210)
28
(199)
118
(885)
124
(1,009)
* Number of schools, and number of surveys in brackets, per region.
1. Early Grade Reading Assessments (EGRA) (face-to-face interviews) were conducted with 
800 students of grade 2 in 50 clusters (16 from each cluster); and with 400 students of 
grade 5 in 50 clusters (8 from each cluster) i.e., a total of 1200 EGRA across 50 sampled 
schools. 
2. Teacher Surveys (face-to-face interviews) were conducted with 120 teachers across 51 
sampled schools. The actual sample size exceeds the planned sample of 100 teachers’ 
surveys. The targeted teachers were Grade 2 teachers. 
22
3. Parents Surveys (face-to-face interviews) were conducted to measure the percentage of 
parents spending time on literacy activities with their children in the last seven days. 259 
surveys were conducted with parents and caregivers of students across 26 sampled schools 
(10 or more from each cluster). A stata.do file was used to randomly select these schools. 
This sample size exceeds the planned parents’ sample of 250 surveys.
4. Student Attendance (observations) were observed and recorded during visits in 140 
schools.
5. Student Attentiveness (observations), or students’ attention was measured in three 
classrooms randomly selected in each observed school; in each classroom, 10 students were 
then randomly selected for the observations. The enumerators visited 130 schools and 
observed the attentiveness of 368 students. The lower than planned sample is because in 
some schools, less than three classes were active, and in others, the sample period was too 
close to the exam period.
6. Student Attendance record (document review) records of attendance for the academic year 
were collected at 115 schools (25 students per school), with a total of 2,875 students.
7. Anthropometric and nutrition surveys (face-to-face interviews) were collected from 3,011 
students in 118 schools. This sample exceeded the planned surveys of 2,950 student 
surveys.
8. Key Informant Interview - eight KIIs have been conducted, as detailed in Table 2. Five (5) 
KIIs were not achieved as TKG could not set up meetings alas multiple efforts.
9. Semantic 1-minute audio recordings for language mapping data collection were collected 
upon request from the AIR team but were not analyzed by TKG and therefore not included 
in this report. Recordings were collected from 1,009 students from 124 schools. This sample 
exceeded the planned recordings of 885 students from 118 schools.
10. Direct Observations (DOs) were planned to be conducted with 20 teachers and 20 
school administrators/principals. In conversations with the CRS team this data collection 
source was decided to be removed. 
23
Table 2 summarizes the achieved and planned but not achieved KIIs. 
Table 2 KII Collection Sample (Planned and Achieved)
Achieved Planned but not Achieved
# Type/ Organization # Type/ Organization
1 Catholic Relief Service Staff 1 AME / APE
2 Implementing partners/ AIR
3 Implementing partners/ CARITAS 3 AMC
4 Implementing partners/ DEDRAS 4 Local government stakeholders
5 National level/ Ministry
6 School district/ DDEMP
7 School district/ DDEMP
8 School district/ DDEMP
Table 3 summarizes the distribution of the final samples of each survey between departments, 
cities, ages (for children), and gender. 
Table 3 Distribution of Survey Samples
Anthropometric and Nutrition Sample
Variable Department
Commune Alibori Borgou Total
Banikoara 798 (100.0) 0.0 798
Bembereke 0.0 1,147 (100.0) 1,147
Nikki 0.0 366 (100.0) 366
Sinende 0.0 700 (100.0) 700
Children Age 
5 4 (36.4) 7 (63.6) 11
6 56 (25.9) 160 (74.1) 216
7 150 (28.7) 373 (71.3) 523
8 152 (24.7) 463 (75.3) 615
9 175 (24.7) 533 (75.3) 708
10 261 (27.8) 677 (72.2) 938
Children gender
Male 396 (26.7) 1086 (73.3) 1482
24
Female 402 (26.3) 1127 (73.7) 1529
Total 798 2,213 30,111
Teacher Survey Sample
Variable Department
City Alibori Borgou Total
Banikoara 43 (100.0) 0.0 43
Bembereke 0.0 41 (100.0) 41
Nikki 0.0 20 (100.0) 20
Sinende 0.0 16 (100.0) 16
Children gender
Male 17 (27.4) 45 (72.6) 62 
Female 26 (44.8) 32 (55.2) 58
Total 43 77 120
Parent Survey Sample
Variable Department
City Alibori Borgou Total
Banikoara 70 (100.0) 0.0 70
Bembereke 0.0 110 (100.0) 110
Nikki 0.0 40 (100.0) 40
Sinende 0.0 40 (100.0) 40
Children gender
Male 34 (24.8) 103 (75.2) 137
Female 36 (29.5) 86 (70.5) 122
Total 70 189 259
2.3. Data Collection Methods
TKG worked with CRS to develop data collection instruments/tools for both qualitative and 
quantitative surveys. All tools were pre-tested, and pilot tested. Feedback from the enumerators 
and the respondents was incorporated in the finalized tools. The public elementary schools (EPP) 
Bararou and Souwinrou, both located in the commune of Parakou, were the locations of the pilot 
activity. The only tool that was tested in the school with 2nd and 5th pupils was the EGRA tool.
TKG employed a participatory approach and other interview best practices and standard 
guidelines to ensure that the questions are worded clearly, sequenced effectively, and asked in 
a neutral manner to elicit valid and reliable responses from the beneficiaries. TKG documented 
the interviews by taking detailed notes and recordings, which were organized according to key 
questions and sub-questions asked during the process. Responses were organized according to 
25
topic areas, main issues, and common themes that emerge, to allow for both a qualitative and 
quantitative approach to analyzing the results. TKG collected data from key stakeholders through 
individual interviews, using interview guides that were semi-structured in nature, thus allowing 
for an open framework, conversational communication, and probing questions. Although the 
interview protocols, including the question list, allow the interviews to be focused on the key 
questions, the facilitators had the flexibility to pursue new lines of questioning during the 
discussions based on the respondents’ answers.
The survey instruments were programmed in Survey CTO and Tangerine Survey data was 
collected using GPS-enabled tablets and software application (SurveyCTO). Access to the 
database could be achieved by using a secured connection through a laptop, an XML/API 
interface.
At the end of each day, each team uploaded all audio files from Key Informant Interviews to a 
secure Dropbox folder where our standby transcribers have begun transcription on the go. TKG 
granted the Client Team access to the Dropbox folder to enable a concurrent review of the audio 
files. The team named each audio file following a simple file name convention for tracking 
purposes. All audio recordings were transcribed verbatim by a team of transcribers which was 
done concurrently with data collection. Transcripts have time stamps at regular intervals, and 
this corresponds with the audio files. The qualitative data were coded and analyzed in Dedoose.
Quality Control of Data Collection
When collecting data, the field supervisor had the primary responsibility of coordinating and 
supervising all enumeration activities including the provision of quality assurance, spot checks, 
and back checks of enumeration areas during the survey implementation period. Field 
supervisors paid regular unannounced visits to enumerators as they conducted interviews to 
ensure that they were engaging respondents appropriately and recording data accurately. 
Supervisors validated a minimum of one in eight completed general population surveys.
The in-depth data cleaning process included checking for invalid numeric values, identifying 
outliers for numeric variables, applying uniform variable formats to maintain consistency, 
identifying ranges, and ensuring that missing data and not-applicable responses were correctly 
explained. Random data quality checks were also instituted using frequency counts, descriptive 
statistics, and analysis of missing variables for identifying any unusual patterns. 
26
2.3.1. Enumerators’ Training and Deployment
Training of field agents was conducted from May 21 to 27, 2022. The training was designed (1) 
to familiarize participants with the study objectives and methodology, (2) provide them 
opportunities to practice the working tools (questionnaires, manuals, software interfaces, etc.), 
(3) and as an opportunity for TKG to evaluate the candidates and recruit the best ones for the 
actual data collection. To achieve these objectives, TKG trainers and CRS representatives teamed 
up and collaborated. Once the training sessions were completed, fieldwork began. Field work 
ended on June 17, following a one-week suspension during the national exam of primary school 
certificate (CEP).
Given the large number of target populations and the time frame for training and fieldwork, TKG 
recruited many field agents - 109 candidates, to complete fieldwork in a relatively short period 
of time. Due to the large number of field agents included in the training workshop, they were 
divided into two groups: Group 1 included 64 candidates and trained on EGRA, Teacher Surveys, 
Parents Surveys, and Attendance, and Observations (Presence, and Attentiveness). Group 2 
included 45 candidates and trained on the Anthropometric (Nutrition) and AIR (Semantic) 
surveys.
Some of the topics covered during the training workshop included familiarity with participants 
and TKG staff, presentation of the Keun Faaba III Project, detailed description of the survey
targets, areas, and schedule, sample design, field teams’ composition and roles (enumerators 
and team leaders), and an in-depth learning of the data collection tools. Each training day began 
with a review of the previous day’s work, including clarification of any outstanding questions. 
Participants were encouraged to ask any questions that would help them understand the various 
parts of the questionnaire, technical concepts, and attitudes required for successful data 
collection.
At the end of the training workshop, TKG selected 82 out of the 109 candidates to carry on the 
data collection. This allowed us to assure that only high level and well-trained enumerators were 
included in the field data collection.
The pilot survey was held on May 23, 2022, in two schools in the commune of Parakou, the public 
elementary school (EPP) Borarou and EPP Souwinrou. Surveys were conducted on the premises 
of the school by the enumerators and under the supervision of members of the training team 
including both TKG and CRS. The pilot was followed by a debriefing session to address all issues 
that arise during the pilot survey. Corrections were made to the Tangerine form and retested.
27
2.3.2. Field Data Collection
Two enumerators’ groups were deployed. Group 1 conducted all EGRA, Parent surveys, Teacher 
surveys, and Observation, and Group 2 conducted the Nutrition, Anthropometric, and Semantic 
surveys. Enumerators were assigned to areas based on their origins and language skills. The roles 
and responsibilities of the team members, the overall planning, and the rules of questionnaire 
administration were clearly described in the enumerators’ manual, which, following the training 
workshop, each enumerator was deeply familiar with.
Table 4 Composition of Field Teams
# of teams
# of enumerators 
per team
# of team lead
# of health care 
agent
Total
Group 1 10 4 1 50 (40+10)
Group 2 16 2 1 48 (32+16)
Group 1 included 50 field agents in ten groups, including four enumerators and a team leader in 
each group (Table 4). During the first five days of data collection, the teams completed all EGRA, 
Teacher and Parent surveys. For the next four days, the teams completed the Observations 
surveys (Presence, Attendance and Attentiveness). Group 2 included 16 pairs of enumerators 
teamed up with a health care agent; that is a total of 48 agents (Table 4). During eight days of 
fieldwork, all Nutrition and Semantic surveys were completed in all the 118 planned schools.
2.3.3. Data Analysis Methods
Data analysis was conducted on both qualitative and quantitative data using appropriate 
software tools.
Quantitative Analysis. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, such as measures of central 
tendency (mean and median), measures of dispersion, such as variance and inter-percentile 
ranges, distributional information (percentiles and frequency). Additional in-depth manipulation 
of data (inferential statistics and multivariate analysis) was conducted to identify biases and 
trends within the data. All data are disaggregated by sex, age, and other factors.
Data cleaning. The data was processed and cleaned using STATA software and Do-files. All 
variables were checked for consistency using raw data. The downloaded excel.csv file was 
transferred to STATA software for variable naming and labeling for proper identification using 
28
STATA Dofile. Also, before data analysis, there was a high frequency and outliers check for 
variables such as age, weight, and date of birth etc. and all errors identified were cleaned. When 
allegedly detected errors, affected fieldworkers, the quality assurance/data manager first 
contacts the affected fieldworker to confirm that the detected errors are indeed errors. Dofile, a 
STATA software program, was used to document the process of variable naming, labeling, and 
cleaning.
Qualitative Analysis. Key informant interview data was analyzed by coding the text and group 
like codes back together in categories in Dedoose. Categories provided discrete and detailed 
information on each phenomenon. 
Triangulation. After separately analyzing both types of data (qualitative and quantitative), a joint 
analysis was conducted using the triangulation process. This process was used to systematically 
compare the quantitative output and qualitative insights. 
2.4. Evaluation Limitations
Issues related to the schedule of activities
The implementation period was the most challenging issue of the mission. The data collection 
was supposed to end before the 2021-2022 academic year closes. Thus, the ideal end date would 
be before the start of the national exam of primary school certificate (CEP) exams. Unfortunately, 
delays in the project’s implementation at various stages have had a significant impact on data 
collection. Accordingly, the training and deployment schedules were revised, to accommodate 
the school calendar, particularly the CEP exams. This somewhat disrupted the organization of the 
work with the field agents.
Issues with questionnaire scheduling
Because of the extremely short time frame for deploying and completing fieldwork, most of the 
survey forms were deployed relatively earlier than planned. There was insufficient time both 
before and during agent training to adequately test the programmed questionnaires. As a result, 
at least two versions of each form were used during the actual data collection, meaning that 
corrections were made to all these forms after the fieldwork began, creating a risk that agents 
would use the outdated form when a new version was already deployed. To mitigate this type of 
problem, two approaches were used:
• All changes and updates to the tools or methodology were communicated to team leaders 
via WhatsApp messaging. 
• Sessions were held to reiterate instructions after each update to ensure that updates are 
communicated by team leaders and understood by agents.
29
Additionally, in order to compute indicator "Percent of students in target schools who achieve a 
passing score on a test of good hygiene practices," the anthropometric data collection instrument 
deployed did not obtain enough information to satisfactory calculate this indicator.
Sample bias
Our sampling methodology aimed to minimize bias and provide a representative sample from 
the project participants and affiliates, and much of the sampling was purposive. Analysis of the 
sample datasets shows that the sample is skewed toward the Borgou Department, possibly 
impacting the percentages of views, opinion, and response, and skewing the results toward the 
Borgou District (Table 5).
Table 5 Geographical Bias of Sample and Results
Data Collection Tool Sample size in Alibori District (%) Sample size in Borgou District (%)
Anthropometric Survey 26.5 73.5
Teacher Survey 35.8 64.1
Parent Survey 26.9 73.1
Additional Limitations and Biases
COVID-19. The sensitive nature of evaluations and the global economic and health instability due 
to the COVID-19 pandemic presented limitations for this evaluation. Shocks and crises can affect 
how people process and relay information. This crisis effect may cause the mean data collected 
to be more representative of the respondents’ feelings during the time of crisis rather than during 
the entirety of the implementation period. 
 
Subjectivity bias. The data collection done by TKG represented respondents’ perspectives 
measured in a non-standardized way. While rigorous coding methodologies were used, this still 
left room for some subjectivity in both the responses given and the analysis and interpretation 
of patterns in the data. 
30
3. Findings
The findings below summarize the results for the Baseline study and are organized by baseline 
tools.
3.1. Anthropometric and Nutrition
Below are the characteristics of a schoolchild regarding language, age and gender (Table 6). Of 
the children asked, 78% speak Bariba at home, 16% speak another language than those listed on 
the survey, 3% speak Dendi, and only 2% speak French. 61% of the students asked did not know 
their date of birth. Almost 33% of the kids were born in 2012, 25% in 2013, and 20% in 2014. 51%
are female and 49% are male. The children interviewed were mostly (35%) in 2nd grade, 25% in 
5th grade, 20% in 4th grade and almost 20% in 3rd grade. 
Table 6 Characteristics of Surveyed Schoolchildren 
Variable Frequency N=3011 Percent (%)
What language do you speak most often at home? 
Francais 71 2.4
Dendi 95 3.2
Bariba 2350 78.0
Boo 3 0.1
Autre 492 16.3
Do you know your date of birth?
No 1842 61.2
Yes 1169 38.8
Year of birth? N=1169
2011 34 2.9
2012 385 32.9
2013 299 25.6
2014 237 20.3
31
2015 167 14.3
2016 47 4.0
How old are you? N=1842
5 11 0.6
6 169 9.2
7 356 19.3
8 378 20.5
9 409 22.2
10 519 28.2
Gender 
Male 1482 49.2
Female 1529 50.8
Average Range
Average Child's weight (kg) 24.4 (SD=4.6) (Min: 10 Max: 
48.1)
What grade are you in?
Grade 2 1057 35.1
Grade 3 592 19.7
Grade 4 602 20.0
Grade 5 760 25.2
The overall mean of the children’s weight was 24.4 kg (SD=4.6), and more than half of the children 
(63%) were underweight (Table 7).
In Alibori, almost 44% of children were classified as underweight, almost 52% were healthy 
weight, and 4% overweight. In Borgou close to 37% were underweight, almost 57% healthy 
weight and 6% overweight. Both genders got a similar score in these categories, for example boys 
got 39.7% underweight, 54.9% healthy weight and close to 5.4% overweight. Of the four cities 
studied, Banikoara had the highest rate of underweight children at 43.9%, Bembereke with 
37.1%, and both Nikki and Sinende had 33.6% and 39.4% respectively. Sinende had twice the 
32
number of overweight children that Banikoara had, Banikoara having 4.3% while Sinende had 
7.9%. 
Table 7 Weight Classes by Gender, Department, City and Age
Variable Underweight (%) Healthy weight (%) Overweight (%) N
Gender 
Male 39.7 54.9 5.4 1482
Female 38.4 56.1 5.5 1529
Department 
Alibori 43.9 51.8 4.3 798
Borgou 37.3 56.9 5.8 2213
City
Banikoara 43.9 51.8 4.3 798
Bembereke 37.1 58.4 4.5 1147
Nikki 33.6 59.8 6.6 366
Sinende 39.4 52.7 7.9 700
Age 
6 14.5 68.7 16.8 227
7 28.3 62.3 9.4 523
8 41.1 54.2 4.7 615
9 41.0 55.2 3.8 708
10 48.1 49.6 2.3 938
The age group found to suffer from being underweight the most were 10-year-olds, at the rate 
of close to 48.1%. It appears that underweight becomes increasingly more likely as children age, 
with 6-year-olds having a 14.5% rate of underweight kids. 6-year-olds also had the highest rate 
of overweight kids, 16.8% of the age group was found to be overweight, while less than 3% of 
10-year-olds were found to be overweight (Figure 2).
33
Figure 2 Distribution of schoolchildren weight category with age
A third of the children who took the survey did not eat before coming to school that day (Table 
8, extended table in Appendix I). 47% did not wake up early enough to eat breakfast at home, 
and 79% did not bring lunch with them to school that day. For breakfast the day before, 84% said 
their mom prepared the meal. Of the meal they had that day, 53% said they received it from a 
seller at school, 24% had the meal prepared by a sibling, and close to 13% did not know. Almost 
96% of the students report that they eat vegetables and 98% said they eat fruit. 
When asked how many meals they had the previous day, 77% said they had 3 or more meals, 
18% had 2 meals, less than 3% had only 1 meal, while close to 0%, 6 kids did not eat a meal that 
day. Almost 95% of the kids said that the meals eaten yesterday were prepared by their mom, 
24% said a seller at school, and 22% said a sibling prepared the meal. Of the kids surveyed, 70% 
said they eat 3 meals a day, yet 40% said they have gone hungry in the past week due to missing 
a meal. 98% of the kids reported eating during recess the day before. When asked if they ever 
get take-out from their school to take home, 81% said no.
Almost 99% of the kids reported that they wash their hands before eating breakfast, 98% said 
they do so before eating lunch, dinner, or snacks. 
34
Table 8 School Nutrition (Shortened) 
Variable Frequency N=3011 Percent (%)
Did you eat today before coming to school? 
No 1003 33.3
Yes 2005 66.6
Don’t know 3 0.1
Do you bring your lunch to school?
No 2372 78.8
Yes 632 21.0
Don’t know 7 0.2
How many meals did you eat yesterday?
I didn’t eat 6 0.2
I had 1 meal 74 2.5
I had 2 meals 546 18.1
I had 3 or more meals 2325 77.2
Don't know/don't answer 60 2.0
*Who prepared your meals yesterday?
Mom 2489 94.4
Dad 21 0.8
Sibling 579 22.0
Guardian 14 0.5
Uncle/Aunt 110 4.2
Housekeeper 25 1.0
Seller at school 646 24.5
Don’t’ know 32 1.2
Have you been hungry in the past week because you 
missed a meal?
No 1778 59.0
35
Yes 1206 40.1
Don’t know 27 0.9
Do you eat three meals a day?
No 665 22.1
Yes 2331 77.4
Don’t know 15 0.5
Do you wash your hands before eating lunch?
No 47 2.1
Yes 2182 97.7
Don’t know 4 0.2
*Multiple responses allowed
The schoolchildren taking the survey were asked questions regarding their nutritional knowledge 
(Table 9). Overall, respondents had a high level of understanding of nutritional values, with 62% 
of the students gaining the “improved knowledge” score. Using ten indicators (Annex) each 
worth one point to grade students’ understanding of nutritional knowledge were used to 
separate them into three categories: those who received a score of 0 as having “no knowledge”, 
those scoring between a 1 and 6 “fair knowledge”, and those scoring above a 7 as “improved 
knowledge.” On average, students got a score of 7.
87% of the kids knew that eating fruits and vegetables daily is good for health. 56% knew that 
eating fats and oils is important for muscle and energy, while almost 73% knew eating too much 
fat makes you sick. The children responded correctly that a diet containing only millet rice and 
corn can create a healthy diet, and that overeating sugar can have negative effects, which 69% 
said is true. When asked if washing a water container only once a year is enough, 70% of the 
students answered correctly that it is not and must be washed more than once annually. 
66% of the students answered correctly that dietary fiber can help with going to the bathroom, 
and close to 79% said protein is important for building muscle. When asked if cereal and milk 
strengthen bones 74% answered correctly, while separately 62% answered that milk does 
strengthen bones and teeth. Almost 91% of the schoolchildren knew that eating meals gives them 
the energy to participate in school and other activities, and 72% reported that if they do not eat 
a meal, they feel more tired in class.
36
Table 9 Nutritional Knowledge Test
Gender Nutrition knowledge index N
No knowledge (%) Fair knowledge (%) Improved 
knowledge (%)
Male 0.2 35.4 64.4 1,482
Female 0.2 39.2 60.6 1,529
Age
5 0.0 36.4 63.6 11
6 0.9 38.0 61.1 216
7 0.0 41.5 58.5 523
8 0.3 38.4 61.3 615
9 0.0 32.2 67.8 708
10 0.2 38.2 61.6 938
Overall 0.2 37.4 62.4 3,011
Schoolchildren were also asked to identify which nutritional category each food ingredient fell 
under (Table 10). Once again, on average the students were able to respond to the questions 
correctly. 
Respondents were able to correctly identify cereals, roots, and tubers as starchy foods at the rate 
of 72%, legumes and nuts as high protein foods at a rate of 65%, and milk and foura as dairy 
products at a rate of 86%. Close to 75% correctly stated that fresh foods such as meat, fish, 
poultry, and liver are counted as protein, and 70% were able to differentiate that eggs are not a 
dairy food. Almost 83% of the students were able to correctly answer that vitamin A can be 
derived from fruits and vegetables.
Table 10 Identifying Food
Variable Frequency N=3011 Percent (%)
Are cereals, roots and tubers starchy foods?
No 457 15.2
Yes 2172 72.1
Don’t know 382 12.7
Are legumes and nuts high protein foods? 
No 501 16.6
37
Yes 1962 65.2
Don’t know 548 18.2
Are milk and foura dairy products? 
No 263 8.7
Yes 2583 85.8
Don’t know 165 5.5
Are fresh foods (meat, fish, poultry, and liver/offal) 
protein foods? 
No 364 12.1
Yes 2246 74.6
Don’t know 401 13.3
Are eggs a dairy food?
No 2110 70.1
Yes 669 22.2
Don’t know 232 7.7
Can you get vitamin A from fruits and vegetables? 
No 294 9.8
Yes 2493 82.8
Don’t know 224 7.4
3.2. Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA)
Below, the figures and tables created illustrates the learning outcomes for pupils in grade level 
CP/CG2 and their performance on the various subcategories. The assessment was conducted in 
French. In summary, this section is organized by subtask and data for each subtask was analyzed 
to present student achievement for each subtask. A scale was created to measure pupils’
performance for each subtask and classified into three categories: (a) Intermediate (b) Proficient 
and (c) Advance. 
a) Intermediate: categories for pupils who can identify/pronounce fewer than two words
b) Proficient: categories for pupils who can identify/pronounce 3-4 words
38
c) Advanced: categories for pupils who can identify/pronounce at least 5 words and above
A few different reading capabilities were measured in the EGRA survey for children in 2nd grades. 
Scores for the EGRA section identifying and pronouncing invented words correctly (Table 11 and 
Figure 3) were quite low among both boys and girls in CP/G2 (2nd Grade). A significant amount, 
85% of boys in CP/G2, were unable to identify or correctly pronounce at least two invented word 
on the EGRA test. Similarly, 82% of girls in grade level CP/G2 could not pronounce at least two 
invented word correctly. Less than 14% and 13% of girls and boys respectively in CP/G2 were able 
to identify and pronounce more than five invented words at an advanced level. 
Table 11 EGRA Survey Results for 2nd Grade Students
Invented words Boys Girls Total
N % n % N %
Intermediate 338 85.1 305 82.4 643 83.8
Proficient 7 1.8 13 3.5 20 2.6
Advanced 52 13.1 52 14.1 104 13.6
Total 397 100 370 100 767 100
Figure 3 EGRA Survey Results for 2nd Grade Students
Students in CP/G2could identify letters or make pronunciation of the letter sounds presented to 
them at an advanced proficiency level at a rate of 100%.
Students in CP/G2 had relatively low scores in correctly pronouncing or identifying familiar words 
(Table 12 and Figure 4). Overall, 78% of students in CP/G2 were unable to identify or pronounce 
at least two common words. About 81% of boys and 75% of girls in CP2/G2 got an intermediate 
85.1
1.8
13.1
82.4
3.5
14.1
83.8
2.6
13.6
0
20
40
60
80
100
Intermediate Proficient Advanced
Boys % Girls % Total %
39
score on their fluency in familiar words, being unable to pronounce or identify at least two words. 
Of the students in CP2/G2, about 20% and 15% of girls and boys respectively were able to identify 
and pronounce five or more familiar words in an advanced level of fluency. 
Table 12 2nd Grade Student’s Fluency with Familiar Words
Familiar Words Boys Girls Total
N % n % N %
Intermediate 322 81.1 278 75.1 600 78.2
Proficient 14 3.5 17 4.6 31 4
Advanced 61 15.4 75 20.3 136 17.7
Total 397 100 370 100 767 100
Figure 4 2nd Grade Student’s Fluency with familiar Words
Roughly 43% of students in CP2/G2 were able to identify or pronounce at least five letters within 
the span of a minute (Table 13 and Figure 5). About 42% of boys and 44% of girls in CP2/G2 were 
able to identify or pronounce at least five letters per minute. Within the same student group in 
CP2/G2, 45% of boys and 41% of girls were unable to identify or correctly pronounce at least two 
letters per minute, gaining an intermediate score on this test. 
Table 13: 2nd Grade Student’ Score in Naming Letters per Minute
81.1
3.5 15.4
75.1
4.6
20.3
78.2
4
17.7
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Intermediate Proficient Advanced
Familiar words
Boys Girls Total
40
Letter names Boys Girls Total
N % N % N %
Intermediate 177 44.6 153 41.4 330 43
Proficient 54 13.6 53 14.3 107 14
Advanced 166 41.8 164 44.3 330 43
Total 397 100 370 100 767 100
Figure 5 2nd Grade Student’ Score in Naming Letters per Minute
Students in CP2/G2 had a relatively poor listening comprehension when a story was being read 
to them (Table 14 and Figure 5). On average, 76% of CP2/G2 pupils struggled with comprehending 
the content of a story being read to them. While listening to the story, about 80% of boys and 
almost 72% of girls in CP2/G2 were struggling to comprehend the content, giving them an 
intermediate score on the test. In the same grade, only around 21% overall showed advanced 
listening comprehension, close to 24% for girls and 19% for boys. 
Table 14 2nd Grade Students Listening Comprehension
Listening 
comprehension
Boys Girls Total
N % n % N %
Intermediate 317 79.8 266 71.9 583 76
44.6
13.6
41.4 41.8
14.3
44.3 43
14
43
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Intermediate Proficient Advanced
Letter names
Boys
Girls
Total
41
Proficient 6 1.5 15 4.1 21 2.7
Advanced 74 18.6 89 24.1 163 21.3
Total 397 100 370 100 767 100
Figure 5: 2nd Grade Students Listening Comprehension
Students were then scored on how well they performed when given five questions relating to a 
story just read to them, which conveys their level of oral reading comprehension. Pupils in 
CP2/G2 demonstrated a generally low level of oral reading comprehension (Table 15 and Figure 
6). Overall, in that age group, almost 92% of students failed to answer a single question on the
story just read to them. In CP2/G2, 92% of boys and close to 91% of girls failed all five questions.
Table 15 Oral Reading Comprehension 
Oral Reading Comprehension CP2/G2
Boys Girls Total
% % %
Failed All Five Questions 92.4 90.8 91.7
79.8
1.5
18.6
71.9
4.1
24.1
76
2.7
21.3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Intermediate Proficient Advanced
Listening comprehension
Boys Girls Total
42
One Out of Five 1.0 1.1 1.0
Two Out of Five 1.3 3.2 2.2
Three Out of Five 2.8 3.5 3.1
Four Out of Five 1.8 1.1 1.4
Got All Five Questions 0.8 0.3 0.5
Figure 6 2nd Grade Oral reading comprehension
*1: Boys in CP2/G2; 2: Girls in CP2/G2; 3: Total in CP2/G2; 
Understanding of grade level text
The grade level test was intended to gauge the students' comprehension to questions during the 
oral comprehension and story session. Students were classified as having understood the 
meaning of grade level text if they were able to respond correctly to 3-5 questions in the oral 
group discussion and the story session, as opposed to those who were only able to respond to 
0–2 questions correctly.
Table: Percent of students who, by the end of two grades of primary schooling, demonstrate 
that they can read and understand the meaning of grade level text
43
The table below shows that only 15 (2%) of grade 2 students were able to correctly answer 3-5 
questions in the oral compression session as well as the story session.
Scores Frequency Percentage
0-2 729 98
3-5 15 2 
Total 744 100
Table: Distribution by Commune
The distribution of 2nd grade student reading and comprehension of grade level text is shown in 
Table 17 below. In the oral comprehension and story session, roughly 10 kids (4.50%) from 
Banikoara commune, 4 students (1.30%) from Bembereke, and 1 student (0.80%) from Nikki were 
able to accurately answer three to five questions. On table 17, it is evident that not a single 
student from Sinende commune was able to accurately respond to three to five questions during 
the oral comprehension and story session.
Scores
Banikoara
(%) Bembereke (%) Nikki (%) Sinende (%)
0-2
 212 
(95.50)
 313
(98.70)
 120 
(99.20)
 84 
(100)
3-5
 10
(4.50)
 4 
(1.30)
 1 
(0.80)
 0 
(0)
Total
 222 
(100)
 317 
(100)
 121 
(100)
 84 
(100)
Table: Distribution by Gender
The distribution of 2nd grade student reading and comprehension of grade level text is shown in 
the table below. In the oral comprehension and story session, only about 6(1.6%) boys and 
9(2.5%) of girls were able to accurately answer three to five questions. 
Scores Boys (%) Girls (%) Total (%)
0-2
 378 
(98.4)
 351 
(97.5)
 729 
(98.0)
3-5
 6 
(1.6)
 9 
(2.5)
 15 
(2.0)
Total
 384 
(100)
 360 
(100)
 744 
(100)
44
3.3. Interviews with Stakeholders 
Themes rising from interviewed stakeholders were organized around three main emerging 
concepts: project goals, possible challenges with program delivery, and ideas on improvement of 
project sustainability. 
Appropriateness of Project Goals
Across the board, all staff, partners, and stakeholders interviewed believed in the project’s goals 
and methodology. Interviewees indicated that the project is of high priority in Northern Benin, 
and that all program components are critical and all measures effective. They listed most of the 
program’s components as being of high priority - improving literacy, reducing hunger, enhancing 
hygiene practices, training teachers. Yet, most indicated school feeding as the core of the 
program.
“The fragility of populations in the face of hunger is an opportunity that increases the 
project's chances of success”, Head of School Food Service, DDEMP
Interviewees that were involved in the previous stages believe that some of the strength of this 
stage is the ability to build on previous success and lessons learned and produce effective and 
rapid results.
Possible Challenges with Program Delivery
Nearly all interviewees spoke of the deteriorating safety situation in Northern Benin. Partners 
and implementors are concerned of the rising threat from terrorist attacks, limiting activities, 
requiring additional resources such as secured transportation, and risking delays in project 
achievement. These partners ask that CRS will support them and help them resolve issues that 
may arise.
Other challenges raised by interviewees are the lack of collaboration from parents, literacy of 
teachers, and delays in programmatic delivery of resources such as materials, finance, and human 
resources, that may hamper achievement of program goals.
Sustainability and Possibilities for Improvement of Outcomes
Most interviewees (5 of 8) spoke of the need to work toward creating community farms in school. 
Some suggested directing the work to community members to attract more families and more 
children, and continuing the establishment of school farms, to help children acquire skills in 
45
animal husbandry, agriculture. One interviewee suggested asking community members for 
contribution in kind or in cash to the school farm.
“The establishment of school farms will promote sustainability, at the end of the project 
schools will be able to continue to use them, children will be able to acquire useful skills, 
which can awaken entrepreneurship in them.” Head of School Food Service, DDEMP 
A recurring element was the call for improved transparency in communication as a base for 
improved coordination and collaboration. Partners asked to establish good communications 
across project stakeholders.
“We want to make sure we know; who is on time? Who is not? What's the problem? How 
can we help?” Project partner.
Some partners suggested these collaborations can be strengthened by involving stakeholders in 
steering committees, or technical committees for planning, monitoring, and implementing 
activities. Others indicated that good communication and collaboration should be across all levels 
– from partners to teachers and parents, municipalities, and the government.
 
Last, a few interviewees highlighted the importance of installing boreholes in schools: 
“The presence of water facilitates the implementation of all activities, cooking canteens, 
watering and hand washing.” Head of school feeding service, DDEMP
3.4. Parent Survey
Parents and caregivers surveyed were 41 years of age and average, and the majority (32%) were 
in the age range of 30-39, followed by 31% who were ages 40-49, 24% were 50+, and a minority 
of 14% of ages 18-29 (Table 16, extended table found in Appendix I). 
Most parents (75%) primarily speak Bariba at home, 11.6% speak Dendi, 5% speak Fulani, 2% 
speak French, 0.4% each speak Boo and Mokole primarily at home, while 5% of respondents 
primarily speak other languages at home. Most respondents, making 57%, stated they do not 
speak French, less than 12% stated they speak French fluently. Of the respondents, 58% had no 
46
formal education, 15% had a primary education while only 13% completed Cycle 1 of secondary 
school.
Nearly half of respondents work in the agricultural labor field, with housewives in second place 
of almost 18%. 85% of respondents do not belong to any association. Only 9% of parents who 
partook in the survey are part of a parent-teacher association, and 6% belong to a mother￾teacher association. 
Table 16 Characteristics of Parents and Caregivers Shortened
Variable Frequency (N=259) Percent (%)
Gender
Male 137 52.9
Female 122 47.1
How many people live with you, including yourself? Average: 10 SD: 6.6 (Min: 3 Max: 40)
What is your reading level in French?
I can read perfectly 37 14.2
I can read fairly well 18 7.0
I can read a little 34 13.1
I can’t read 169 65.3
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
Is there another person in your family (living with you) 
who reads French fluently? 
No 26 15.4
Yes 142 84.0
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.6
Are you a member of a parent-teacher association or 
a mother-teacher association?
APE 23 8.9
AME 15 5.8
None of the above 221 85.3
47
Parents and caregivers surveyed have 3 female and 3 male children on average, of which most 
respondents (72%) have 1-4 female children, of which about 92% are enrolled in schools (Table 
17, extended table found in Appendix I). About 33% of respondents reported their female 
children are in the Preparatory Course (CP), 29% are in 2nd Grade, 25% in Elementary 1, 22% in 
Introductory Course (IC), 21% in CM1, 13% in 5th grade and 5% are in kindergarten. 
Most respondents, at 68%, also have about 1-4 male children, of which 89% are enrolled in 
school. Respondents reported that 28% of their sons are in 2nd Grade, 27% are in Elementary 1, 
26% are in CM1, 25% in CP, 23% are in IC, 16% in 5th Grade and 6% are in kindergarten. 
Table 17 Characteristics of the Children Shortened
Variable Frequency (N=259) Percent (%)
How many girls do you have?
None 22 8.5
1-4 185 71.7
5+ 51 19.8
Average: 3 SD: 2.6 (Min:0 Max:19)
How would you rate your daughter’s academic 
performance?
Very good 25 10.7
Good 99 42.3
Fair 95 40.6
Poor 12 5.1
Very Poor 3 1.3
How many boys do you have?
None 28 10.8
1-4 206 89.2
5+ 5 2.1
48
Average: 2 SD: 1.2 (Min:0 Max:8)
How would you rate your sons’ academic 
performance?
Very good 26 11.8
Good 82 37.1
Fair 104 47.1
Poor 6 2.7
Very Poor 3 1.3
*Multiple responses allowed
Parents rated their daughters’ academic performance better than they rated their sons’ (Figure 
8). Most of the respondents, at 42%, rated their daughters’ academic performance as “good,” 
almost 41% rated their performance as “fair,” 11% as “very good,” 5% as “poor” and 1% as “very 
poor”. Majority of the respondents, 47%, rated their sons’ academic performance as “fair,” 37% 
as “good,” 11% as “very good,” and only 3% and 1% rated their sons’ performance as “poor” and 
“very poor” respectively.
Figure 8 Parent Rating of Children’s Academic Performance by Gender
Parents and caregivers were asked about the hygiene health and practices of their children (Table 
18, extended table found in Annex I). 54% reported that their youngest child washes their hands 
49
3-5 times a day, about 22% wash 6+ times a day, while 9% reported that their youngest does not 
wash their hands on a daily basis. 
The parents reported that while in school the majority, 79%, of their youngest children wash their 
hands using soap, 23% use dishwashing liquid and 10% use ash. At 83%, most of the respondents 
also confirmed that their youngest child knows if the water at school is safe to drink, while almost 
the rest 17% of children do not know. More than half, 51% of respondents’ children defecate in 
a bush while not in school, about 42% defecate in a latrine at home, 7% in a latrine shared with 
the neighbors, 4% in a potty and around 2% in a shared community latrine.
Table 18 Hygiene and Health Practices Shortened
Variable Frequency (N=259) Percent (%)
*When does your youngest child wash their hands in 
school?
After defecation 164 63.3
Before eating 248 95.8
After eating 221 85.3
After cleaning the latrine 48 18.5
After working in the fields 65 25.0
Never 1 0.4
Don’t know/No response 8 3.1
Other, specify 13 5.0
Does your youngest child in school know if the water 
is safe to drink or not?
No 43 16.6
Yes 215 83.0
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
*When they are not in school, where do your children 
defecate? 
In the latrine of my house 109 42.1
In the latrine at school 19 7.3
50
In the latrine shared with my neighbor 18 7.0
In a community latrine 6 2.3
In a potty 11 4.3
In the yard of my house 8 3.1
In the bush 132 51.0
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
Other, specify 1 0.4
*Multiple responses allowed
Almost all respondents, 96%, stated that their youngest child washes their hands before eating, 
85% do so after eating and 63% after defecation (Figure 9).
Figure 9 When Does the Youngest Child Wash Their Hands in School
Other parent survey components related to general program questions relevant to future 
planning (Table 19, extended version found in Annex I). About 87% of respondents think the 
school lunchrooms “very much” help in reducing hunger, less than 2% think “not really”, and 
none believe that the school lunchrooms do not alleviate hunger for the students.
These believes were clearly demonstrated in KIIs, from all stakeholders, who identified feeding 
and school canteen programs to be of highest priority to future programming. 
51
At 73%, most respondents “very much” believe that their children would benefit from availability 
to radio programs and booklets, and that they would improve their education and use of hygiene 
practices. 
Table 19 Questions Relevant to Future Programming Shortened
Variable Frequency (N=259) Percent (%)
Do you think school lunchrooms help reduce hunger?
Yes, very much 225 86.9
Yes, to some level 24 9.3
No, not really 4 1.5
No, not at all 0 0.0
Don’t know/No response 6 2.3
Do you think that certificates of achievement given to 
diligent teachers is an effective measure to reduce 
teacher absences?
Yes, very much 126 48.7
Yes, to some level 62 23.9
No, not really 13 5.0
No, not at all 12 4.6
Don’t know, no response 46 17.8
Do you think that involvement of the PTA and AME is 
an effective method to reduce teacher absenteeism?
Yes, very much 126 48.7
Yes, to some level 62 23.9
No, not really 13 5.0
No, not at all 12 4.6
Don’t know/No answer 46 17.8
*What methods do you suggest for reducing teacher 
absenteeism? 
52
Implement a penalty system 113 43.6
Reduce staffing levels 15 5.8
Improve assignment system 69 26.6
Don’t know/No answer 77 29.7
Other, please specify 27 10.4
*Multiple responses allowed
Most parents (35%) do not believe that teacher absenteeism is a recurring issue in their children’s 
school (Figure 10). On average, parents think that teachers’ absenteeism is caused majorly 48% 
by illness, followed by 44% due to training, 33% due to work meetings, 23% were absent due to 
administrative reasons and around 11% due to lack of motivation. Almost 49% of parents who 
responded to the survey believe that awarding certificates of achievement to diligent teachers 
will be an effective measure to reduce teacher absenteeism. 52% of respondents also believe 
that involvement of the APE (Parent Teacher Association) and AME will be an effective method 
to reduce this absenteeism. When the respondents were asked to suggest methods to reduce 
teacher absenteeism, 44% suggested implementing a penalty system, 27% suggested improving 
the assignment system and 6% suggested reducing the staffing levels.
Figure 10 Teacher Absenteeism as a Recurring Problem
53
When asked about the importance of their children’s education to them, 74% of respondents 
reported that their sons’ education was “very important,” 22% think it is “important” while less 
than 3% think it is “not very important” (Table 20). As for their daughters, 66% of the respondents 
stated that it is “very important”, 25% believe it is “important” and 6% of the responding parents 
believe that their female children’s education is “not very important.”
Table 20 Importance of Education by Gender
Variable Frequency (N=259) Percent (%)
How important is your boys’ education to you?
Very important 191 73.8
Important 57 22.0
Not very important 7 2.7
Not at all important 0 0.0
Don’t know/No answer 4 1.5
How important is your girls’ school education to you?
Very important 170 65.6
Important 65 25.1
Not very important 16 6.2
Not at all important 0 0.0
Don’t know/No answer 8 3.1
Parents were asked about the level of involvement in their children’s school life (Table 21, 
extended table found in Annex I). More than 57% of respondents and their family members do 
not tell stories to the children in their house, while only about 42% do so. Most of the parents 
(78%) do monitor how well their children do in school, and about 55% help their children with 
homework. The tasks in the homework respondents helped their children with include reading 
letters, reading words, reading text, mathematics, reciting lessons, and general help with 
homework. Of the respondents who do not help their children with reading and schoolwork, the 
most common reason, at 55%, was that the parents cannot read, followed by 47% of parents who 
do not speak French well enough, 43% who do not know how to help them, 25% who do not have 
the time, 14% of parents who do not feel it is their role, 11% who are not interested in school, 
54
then 4% of parents do not help their children in school and reading because they do not think it 
is useful.
While many respondents do help their children with homework, almost 75% reported that they 
have not done any activities related to reading practice with their children in the past 7 days, but 
almost 58% reported that someone else in their household did do reading activities with their 
children in that period of time. When asked if their children ever receive any help with homework 
or reading, 29% said they have not. Of the rest of the children who did receive aid, close to 41% 
got help from a family member, 17% from a parent-organized support group, 13% a paid personal 
tutor and less than 4% received homework or reading help from a paid study group.
Table 21 Involvement in School Life Shortened
Variable Frequency (N=259) Percent (%)
Do you (or other family members) tell stories to your 
children?
No 149 57.5
Yes 109 42.1
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
Do you (or other family members) help your children 
with their homework?
No 116 44.8
Yes 142 54.8
Don’t know/No response 1 0.4
*Why?
Parents are not interested in school 13 11.2
Parents feel it is not their role 16 13.8
Parents don’t have the time 30 25.9
Parents don’t think it is useful 4 3.5
Parents don’t know how to help them 50 43.1
Parents don’t speak French well enough 55 47.4
55
Parents cannot read 64 55.2
Other, specify 3 2.6
*Have your children ever receive help from anyone 
with homework or reading? If so, from whom?
Yes, a family member 105 40.5
Yes, a parent-organized support group 44 17.0
Yes, a personal tutor/repeater (paid) 33 12.7
Yes, a study group (paid) 9 3.5
Yes, other specify 13 5.0
No 76 29.3
Don’t know/No response 7 2.7
*Multiple responses allowed
Parents were asked to identify barriers for their children’s education (Table 22, extended table 
found in Appendix I). At 71%, most of the respondents believe that the teachers are well trained 
to effectively teach their children, and 68% believe there are enough teachers to effectively 
educate the number of students within their school. Yet almost 41% of parents believe that their 
children’s schools are overcrowded and falling apart, 38% believe the classrooms lack textbooks 
and other school supplies/tools, and 32% find that their children must share learning materials, 
as their nearest school does not have enough materials.
Close to 38% find that managing their finances impacts them if they send their child to school. 
Less than 21% find that exposure to violence and risk impacts their children’s access to education, 
and 25% that their ability to feed their children affects whether or not they attend school. Only 
close to 14% stated that the distance of the nearest school is impacted if their child attends 
school. Most parents stated that their child’s gender did not impact whether they receive an 
education at school, as was the belief of 90% of respondents.
56
Table 22 Parents’ Barriers for Their Children’s Learning Shortened
Variable Frequency (N=259) Percent (%)
Do you believe that the teachers are trained enough 
to teach your children effectively at school?
No 20 7.7
Yes 183 70.1
Don’t know/No answer 56 21.6
Does your household’s financial management impact 
whether you send your child to school?
No 153 59.0
Yes 97 37.5
Don’t know/No answer 9 3.5
Does the nearest school have enough learning 
materials to teach your child, or must they share?
No 70 27.0
Yes 84 32.4
Doesn’t know/No answer 105 40.6
Does your ability to feed your child impact whether 
they attend school?
No 191 73.8
Yes 65 25.1
Don’t know/No answer 3 1.1
Parents were asked if and how they would like to be involved in future projects (Table 23). 
Parents reported that the best option to encourage them and others to participate in such 
projects is to improve collaboration between teachers and parents (48%), second being raising 
parents’ awareness on the importance such projects would have for their children’s education 
and giving them more information about such activities, which both got 46%. Other solutions to 
57
encourage parents were providing more training for parents with 44%, 33% for donating food to 
parents who work on the projects, 31% for showing parents previous Keun Faaba results, 28% 
for giving meals to parents who work on the projects, 26% for asking parents to be more active, 
and paying volunteers, which got 21%.
Table 23 Parent Involvement in Future Project Activities
Variable Frequency N=259 Percent (%)
*What would it take to encourage you and other 
parents to participate in such school-related 
activities? 
Give meals to working parents 73 28.2
Donate food to working parents 88 33.9
Present Keun Faaba III results 79 30.5
Provide more training for parents 115 44.4
Improve collaboration between teachers and parents 125 48.3
Give parents more information about activities 118 45.6
Ask parents to be more active 67 25.9
Raise parents’ awareness of the importance of the 
projects 
120 46.3
Pay volunteers 54 20.9
Don’t know/No answer 13 5.0
Other, specify 8 3.1
*Multiple responses allowed
When parents were asked what they would want to be involved with, a majority (59%) said they 
would be interested in working in a school kitchen, 57% said a hygiene committee, close to 53% 
said community farm, 51% said store, and 50% took interest in participating for garden cultivation 
projects (Figure 11). The less popular choices were taking part in constructing and repairing of 
classrooms at 40%, 35% in constructing or repairing latrines, 32% in school support, less than 
26% took interest in reading events, 20% would participate in a library, and only 9% took interest 
in participating in a PAPTAC.
58
Figure 11 Future Activities Parents Take Personal Interest Participating in (%)
The socio-economic characteristics and financial management of respondents are shown below 
(Table 24, extended table found in Appendix I). 53% of parents have cement or tile floors within 
their home, and close to all the rest, 46%, use earth to floor their home. 51% use collected wood 
to cook with, 48% use wood or coal they buy, and less than 1% use gas. Most of the respondents, 
84%, have a radio, 51% have a television within their home, and almost all reported that someone 
within their family has a cellphone, at a close to 99% rate. 
A majority 75% of the respondents reported that they discuss household financial management 
with their partners. 81% said that both them and their partner are involved in decision-making 
towards their children’s schooling, yet 80% of respondents reported that they take the larger role 
in their children’s schooling. 64% of parents who responded to the survey conveyed that they do 
not have the necessary skills to aid their children with their education.
Table 24 Socio-Economic Characteristics Shortened
Variable Frequency N=259 Percent (%)
What do you cook with in your home?
Wood that you collect 133 51.3
Wood or coal that you buy 125 48.3
59
Gas 1 0.4
Do you have a television in your home?
No 133 51.4
Yes 126 48.6
Do you discuss your household financial management 
with your partner?
No 65 25.1
Yes 193 74.5
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
Are you and your partner involved in the decision￾making of your children’s schooling?
No 49 18.9
Yes 210 81.1
Do you have the skills to accompany or enable your 
children to learn?
No 165 63.7
Yes 90 34.8
Don’t know/No answer 4 1.5
3.5. Teacher Surveys
Below are the demographics of the teacher respondents within participating schools (Table 25, 
extended table found in Appendix I). According to the data gathered, teachers 35 years of age on 
average, and the majority (57%) were within the age group of 30-39, followed by teachers ages 
40+ making 24% of respondents and ages 20-29 making the last 19%. 
Males make up close to 52% of teachers responding to the survey, where women make the 
remaining 48%. Regarding the highest level of academic degree, the respondents acquired, 62% 
reported having a BEPC, 25% a BAC/DEAT, and close to 8% had a license certificate. About 61% 
of respondents reported having earned a CAP (Technical High School) as their highest 
professional degree, close to 28% hold a CEAP, while the remaining 12% have no professional 
60
degree. Majority of the teachers work as contract agents of ACE for their school, at a rate of 43%, 
33% are aspirants, 13% are community based, and the remaining 11% are permanent agents, or 
APE.
Table 25 Teacher Characteristics Shortened
Variable Frequency (N=120) Percent (%)
Gender
Male 62 51.7
Female 58 48.3
For how many years have you been teaching?
1-4 28 23.3
5-9 45 37.5
10+ 47 39.2
Average: 9 SD: 5.8 (Min: 1 Max: 38)
For how many years have you been teaching at this 
school?
1-4 84 70.0
5-9 35 29.2
10+ 1 0.8
Average: 4 SD: 2.6 (Min:1 Max:22)
What is the highest professional degree you have 
earned? 
None 14 11.7
DEAP 33 27.5
CAP 73 60.8
What is your employment status?
APE (permanent agent) 13 10.9
61
ACE (contract agent) 52 43.3
Aspirant 40 33.3
Community based 15 12.5
Of the teachers, 39% have been teaching for over a decade (10 years), 38% have taught between 
5-9 years and 23% are newer teachers, having only taught between 1-4 years (Figure 12). A 
majority of the teachers are relatively newer to their current school, 70% have taught at their 
current school between 1-4 years, 29% have been teaching at the same place between 5-9 years, 
and below 1% have been teaching at the same place for 10+ years. On average, responding 
teachers have been teaching at their respective schools for 4 years.
Figure 12 Teaching Experience of Teachers
62
Figure 13 Highest Academic Degree Earned by Teachers (%)
Below is data about the demographics of the classes taught by respondents and what training 
the respondents are given (Table 26, extended table found in Appendix I). Of the teachers 
surveyed, 43% teach CP, followed by 24% who teach CM1, 13% who teach elementary 1, 10% 
who teach IC, then 2nd grade, and 5th grade, taught by 7% and 4% of teachers respectively. The 
teachers reported having an average of 28 boys in their class, 38% said they had between 21-30 
boys, 36% said 31+, and 26% reported having 20 or less. They reported having an average of 28 
girls in their classes as well, with 37% having above 31 girls, 34% having between 21-30, and 29% 
having 20 or less. 
A majority of teachers, close to 61%, view their students’ academic performance as “fair.” Close 
to 32% of respondents see their students’ academic performance as “good,” while both the “very 
good” and “poor” responses got less than 5% each on that question. 66% of respondents view 
their students’ literary performance as “fair,” 17% view it as “poor,” and 15% view it as “good” 
(Figure 14).
63
Figure 14 Teachers review of their student’s academic and literacy performance (%)
Many of the schools in which teachers were surveyed seemed to get sufficient training from the 
government. Of the respondents, 69% reported that teachers within their school received 
training on improving their teaching techniques, of which 88% were provided by the government. 
The teachers who attended such training reported that almost all of them, 89%, use the 
techniques and tools learnt in their classes, and a majority of 77% reported the techniques they 
have used have helped improve students’ literacy. Of the respondents, 64% have used the 
government approved literacy curriculum to teach their students within the last quarter, 70% 
stated they stick to the curriculum given to them at all times, while 17% use it at most times.
Table 26 Teachers’ Training Shortened
Variable Frequency (N=120) Percent (%)
How many boys are in your class?
1-20 31 25.9
21-30 46 38.3
31+ 43 35.8
Average: 28 SD:10.4 (Min: 7 Max: 60)
How many girls are in your class?
1-20 35 29.2
64
21-30 41 34.2
31+ 44 36.6
Average: 28 SD: 10.7 (Min: 8 Max: 63)
How would you rate your students’ overall academic 
performance?
Very good 5 4.2
Good 38 31.7
Fair 73 60.8
Poor 4 3.3
How would you rate your students’ literary 
performance?
Very good 3 2.5
Good 18 15.0
Fair 79 65.8
Poor 20 16.7
Have any teachers in your school received training on 
improving teaching techniques?
No 37 30.8
Yes 83 69.2
Did the training you receive help improve student 
literacy?
No 2 2.4
Yes 64 77.1
To some level 14 16.9
Don’t know/No response 3 3.6
65
60% of teachers have missed class less than 6 times, 28% missed between 6-15, and close to 8% 
missed more than 15 times. Only 5% of teachers reported not having missed a single day of class
(Table 27, extended table in Appendix I). The highest amount of absences, at 28%, were due to 
administrative reasons, followed closely by personal illness at 23% and 20% due to work 
meetings. Other reasons include illness of a family member and ceremony, both with 18%, and 
training with 8%.
64% of respondents believe that giving certificates of achievement to diligent teachers would be 
an effective measure to reduce absences. 59% also believe that involving the PTA or AME in 
monitoring teacher attendance can also reduce absences. When asked about other tactics to aid 
in teacher attendance, a majority of 55% said an increase of salary will aid to subdue the issue. 
Followed by 38% who believe in implementing a penalty system and 24% who believe that 
providing teachers with appropriate documents for lesson preparation would help, as 
preparation at home often takes much of their time. 23% of teachers also believe that improving 
the assignment system would help, 18% believe in reducing the size of classes and reviewing the 
state of roads, and 16% believe in facilitating accessible transportation for teachers.
Table 27 Teachers’ Absenteeism
Variable Frequency (N=120) Percent (%)
How many days of teaching did you miss (absent) in 
the most recent quarter of school?
More than 15 3 7.5
Between 6 and 15 11 27.5
Less than 6 24 60.0
Never 2 5.0
*For what reasons were you absent? 
Strike 0 0.0
Illness (of self) 9 22.5
Illness of family member 7 17.5
Administrative reason (going to the bank, looking for 
administrative papers, etc.) 
11 27.5
Training 3 7.5
Work meeting 8 20.0
Party (extension) 0 0.0
66
Ceremony (funeral, birth, wedding) 7 17.5
Transportation problem 0 0.0
Lack of motivation 0 0.0
Work too hard 0 0.0
Lack of professional awareness 0 0.0
Lack of love for the job 0 0.0
Geographical mobility (during a certain season the 
track is not accessible, water flooding) 
0 0.0
Other, specify 5 12.5
*What should be put in place to reduce your 
absences or those of your colleagues?
Increase salaries 66 55.0
Implement a penalty system 46 38.3
Reduce class sizes 22 18.3
Improve the assignment system 28 23.3
Review the state of the roads 21 17.5
Provide appropriate documents for lesson preparation 
sheets/preparation time at home is too long) 
29 24.2
Facilitate access to transportation for teachers 19 15.8
Other, specify 20 16.7
*Multiple responses allowed
Below are the teachers’ responses to questions on their students’ parents’ involvement with 
schoolwork and education (Table 28, extended table in Appendix I). Of the respondents, only 13% 
believe that their students’ parents clearly understand the importance of their kids’ education, 
while 45% believe that the parents do not really understand why such education is important. A 
majority of the teachers stated that only a few of the parents work with their kids on schoolwork 
at least once a week, 38% responding “only a few parents” and 35% responding “a small portion 
of the parents,” less than 6% stated that most parents in their class help their children with 
schoolwork on a weekly basis. When asked what the parents are working on with their children, 
58% stated reading letters, 50% stated reciting lessons, and both reading text and mathematics 
received close to 38%.
Majority of the teachers believe that the main reason parents do not help their children with 
schoolwork as much is due to not having the time to do so, as close to 53% of respondents 
67
reported. Close to 45% believe that it is because parents are not interested in schoolwork, and 
37% responded that it is because they do not believe it is part of their role as parents, or as 36% 
said the parents do not find it useful. They also responded that many of the parents do not speak 
French well enough, cannot read or simply do not know how to help them, as 34%, 33% and 29% 
of the teachers responded.
Table 28 Parent Involvement Shortened
Variable Frequency 
(N=120)
Percent (%)
Do you feel that your students’ parents 
understand the importance of the education 
their children are receiving at school? 
Yes, very much 16 13.3
Yes, to some level 24 20.0
Not very much 54 45.0
Not at all 26 21.7
Don’t know/ no response 0 0.0
*What are the main reasons parents don’t 
spend time with children on homework or 
reading? 
Parents are not interested in school 45 44.6
Parents feel it is not their role 37 36.6
Parents don't have the time 53 52.5
Parents don't think it's useful 36 35.6
Parents don't know how to help them 29 28.7
Parents don't speak French well enough 34 33.7
Parents cannot read 33 32.7
Other, specify 11 10.9
*Multiple responses allowed
When the teacher respondents were asked about their school’s canteens and libraries in the data 
below (Table 29), close to 92% said their schools do not currently have a feeding program, while 
8% of the respondents said their school has a feeding program currently and 93% do not have a 
68
library. 79% of respondents believe that a school canteen will very much help reduce hunger 
between their students, and as such 81% believe it will help them be much more attentive in 
classes.
Although most schools do not have a library, 22% of teachers reported that their PTA, AME or 
another organization distribute books to students, yet the other 78% do not have access to such 
programs. 69% of the teachers believe that if their students had better access to books they 
would read a lot more, 25% believe that is true to some level, while only 5% believe that it would 
not truly have an effect.
Table 29 Nutrition, Libraries
Variable Frequency (N=120) Percent (%)
Are there any feeding programs currently at your 
school?
No 110 91.7
Yes 10 8.3
Do you think that having a school canteen will help 
reduce hunger?
Yes, very much 95 79.2
Yes, to some level 21 17.5
Not really 3 2.5
Don’t know 1 0.8
Do you think that having a school canteen will help 
children become more attentive in classes?
Yes, very much 98 81.7
Yes, to some level 15 12.5
Not really 6 5.0
Don’t know 1 0.8
Is there a library at your school?
No 111 92.5
Yes 9 7.5
Does the school’s PTA/AME, or any other 
organization distribute books in your school? 
No 93 77.5
Yes 26 21.7
69
Don’t know 1 0.8
Do you think that if students have better access to 
books, they will read more?
Yes, very much 83 69.2
Yes, to some level 30 25.0
Not really 6 5.0
Don’t know 1 0.8
Below teachers were asked questions when considering the following important hygiene 
practices (Table 30, extended table found in Appendix I): Hand washing, using soap, washing what 
you eat, and using a latrine. When asked how many of their students know about and understand 
these hygiene practices, 45% responded that their students understand all of the above, 29% said 
most of the practices, and only less than 7% responded that their students know only a few of 
the practices. With that in mind, less than 21% said that their students follow all the practices, 
41% said they follow most of them, 21% said they follow about half, less than 8% follow a small 
portion, and 10% follow only a few of the mentioned hygiene practices.
When asked why their students many not follow the hygiene practices mentioned, 33% 
responded that the children are not aware of the risks, 23% said they do not have enough access 
to water, 19% said that their students are just too young, and 18% said the students do not know 
them. Other responses were that the kids do not have access to soap or ash, they think it is 
useless, or are uninterested, getting 16%, 15% and 14% respectively.
Over 53% of respondents did not know or did not answer when asked if the girls in their school 
received support, training, or information about how to practice safe hygiene regarding their 
menstrual cycle. Of those who responded 20% said they receive informative sessions, 8% 
distribute hygiene pads, and 6% receive written materials.
Table 30 Health, Hygiene Shortened
Variable Frequency N=120 Percent (%)
Consider the following hygiene practices: hand 
washing, use of soap, wash what you eat, use of 
latrines. 
How many of these practices do you think your 
students know about, and understand the 
importance of to their health?
All of the practices 54 45.0
70
Most of the practices 35 29.2
About half of the practices 11 9.2
A small portion of the practices 11 9.2
Only a few of the practices 8 6.6
Don't know/no response 1 0.8
How many of these practices do you think your 
students’ practice?
All of the practices 25 20.8
Most of the practices 49 40.8
About half of the practices 25 20.9
A small portion of the practices 9 7.5
Only a few of the practices 12 10.0
*Do girls in your school receive training, information, 
or other support on hygiene practices during 
menstrual cycles?
Informative sessions/days 24 20.0
Written materials 7 5.8
Mentoring 1 0.8
Distribution of hygiene pads 10 8.3
Special latrines 3 2.5
Other (specify) 27 22.5
Don’t know/no response 64 53.3
*Multiple responses allowed
3.6. Attendance Rate and Attentiveness of Students
Two different parameters were measured to gather information on student’s participation in the 
sampled schools, as follows.
3.6.1. Attendance Rate
On the day of the evaluators’ visit to the participating 140 schools, the evaluators counted the 
students in each class (presence) and compared it to the schools’ registration. The total number 
71
of registered students was 42,273, of which 38,488 students were present that day. Verified 
attendance rate was 91%. Attendance rates were identical for boys and girls. Borgou had a 
slightly higher attendance rate (93%) than Alibori (87%, Table 33). 
Table 33 Attendance Rate by Department
Department Schools
Total No. 
Student 
registered
Number present in 
school during classroom 
observations
Attendance
Rate
Alibori 45 12295 10691 87%
Borgou 95 29978 27797 93%
Total 140 42273 38,488 91%
Attendance rate by Commune
Commune Schools
Total No. 
Students 
registered 
Number present in 
school during 
classroom 
observations
Attendance Rate
Banikoara 45 12295 10,691 87%
Bembereke 48 14558 13,836 95%
Nikki 22 7790 6,919 89%
Sinende 25 7630 7,042 92%
Total 140 42273 38,488 91%
3.6.2. Attentiveness
Students’ attention was measured through classroom observation. Three classrooms between 
1st and 5th grade were chosen randomly in each school to be observed. The investigator 
randomly selected 10 students to observe individually from each classroom. The attentiveness 
of the selected students was classified based on a predefined set of characteristics:
Attentive Student:
● All or most of the students' behaviors are related to actively completing the task the teacher 
has assigned.
● The student listens to the teacher or other students when they participate.
● The student takes notes that appear to be related to the content of the class.
● The student raises their hand to answer a question in a sincere manner.
72
Inattentive Student:
● The student is pointed out by the teacher reminding them of the purpose of the class.
● The student makes comments that disrupt the class.
● The student talks to other students during a time when they should be listening. 
● The student is fidgeting in their seat to the point of disrupting other students around them.
● The student is asleep.
● The student forgets about class activities.
Of the 3,680 students observed, the majority (63.5%) were categorized as attentively 
participating in class (Table 34). 
Table 34 Observed Student Attentiveness 
Variable Frequency (N= 3,680) Percentage (%)
Attentiveness 
Yes 2336 63.5%
No 1344 36.5%
Department (Number of classrooms=N=368)
Alibori 109 29.6%
Borgou 259 70.4%
Commune (Number of classrooms=N=368)
BANIKOARA 109 29.6%
BEMBEREKE 94 25.5%
NIKKI 61 16.^%
SINENDE 104 28.3%
Classes (Number of classrooms=N=368)
CI 59 16.0%
CP 68 18.5%
CE1 62 16.9%
CE2 70 19.0%
CM1 65 17.7%
CM2 44 12.0%
 
73
4. Conclusions and Recommendations
4.1. Conclusions
Results from this study confirm the need for a holistic school program in Northern Benin. Across 
the board, all stakeholders interviewed for this study said that a school feeding program and the
establishment of canteens in school is a critical step for improving academic performance, which 
is low in Northern Benin. This need for a feeding program is strongly reinforced by the high 
number of underweight school children. 
Results from the baseline study indicate that more than a few of the target indicators need to be 
adjusted. For example, recorded attendance rates were higher than anticipated (91% compared 
to 80%), and the number of students using hand-washing facilities with soap or potash before 
eating lunch (98%) was nearly equal to life of project (100%). It is therefore recommended to 
adjust project target goals, as well as adjust project activities by putting less focus on attendance 
(both for students and teachers), hygiene practices, and improving of nutritional knowledge. A 
complete list of these recommendation is provided below. 
Early Grade Reading Assessments (EGRA) was able to indicate variable areas of strength and 
weaknesses for 2nd grade students. Results showed that while most students (74%) were able to 
identify or pronounce five or more invented words, less than 13% were able to identify and 
pronounce more than five invented words at an advanced level. Listening comprehension was 
low for CP/G2 pupils (76% struggled with comprehending the content of a story being read to 
them). Overall, scores were almost equal for girls and boys.
Nearly 75% of parents say that their children’s education is important to them, but less than half 
believe that their children’s academic performance is sufficient (42% rated their daughters’ 
academic performance as “good,” while more respondents (47%) rated their sons’ at a lower 
academic performance, “fair”). Both teachers and parents think that the parents are lacking skills 
to support their children in homework and reading. Parents (and especially mothers) are 
interested in being involved in the schools, and especially in the school’s canteen programs. 
On the other hand, results from the study indicate that hygiene practices and understanding of 
nutrition were relatively good. Similarly, it appears that both student and teachers’ absenteeism 
is not a major issue, as high attendance rates were recorded. 
74
Security was a reoccurring issue, raised by parents and stakeholders. There is a concern, 
especially in North Benin on the Nigerian border, of increasing terrorist attacks. Partners are 
especially concerned about travel challenges to these remote locations.
4.2. Recommendations 
• Continue to support a holistic school program approach for Northern Benin, that will 
include literacy, health, and nutrition. 
• Design feeding programs at a community level, to mobilize food for the whole 
community by establishing school farms, strengthening the community by providing 
opportunities for food production, and enhancing economic resilience. 
• Create programs to teach and help parents in supporting their children’s learning.
• To improve parent’s involvement, use various medias to increase awareness, including 
advocacy, community dialogs to share experiences, parent meetings, and involvement 
of local leaders. 
• Design variable learning programs that address the different areas of strength and 
weaknesses for each school grade.
• Include follow-ups of children’s progress at their homes. These visits can also be used to 
monitor children’s wellbeing and nutrition.
• Adjust program targets:
.1. Indicator #1 - Percent of students who, by the end of two grades of primary 
schooling, demonstrate that they can read and understand the meaning of grade 
level text – Year 1 should end with 4%.
.2. Indicator #7 - Percent of school age children (age 5-10) who are underweight 
(weight-for-age below <2z) per WHO growth standards – Year 1 should end with 
12%.
.3. Indicator #10 - Average student attendance rate in USDA supported 
classrooms/schools – Year 1 should end with 95%.
.4. Indicator #21 - Percent of teachers using the national literacy curriculum and the 
related instructional materials – baseline values are based on the evaluators asking 
teachers to point to available instructional materials. Actual usage of these 
curriculum in class may need to be assessed. Baseline values were lower than 
anticipated by the project programmers.
.5. Indicator #31 - Average number of days missed per student per year due to health 
issues – throughout the project, values of less than 1 should be targeted. 
75
.6. Indicator #37 - Percent of parents in target communities who can name at least 
three benefits of primary education – Baseline values were lower than anticipated 
by the project programmers – Year 1 should end with 25%.
.7. Indicator #46 - Percent of mothers using nutrient-dense neglected and underutilized 
foods in family meals in the previous 24 hours - Year 1 and the following years 
should end with values higher than 86%.
.8. Indicator #50 - Percent of caregivers that have the skills to accompany/ enable 
student learning - Baseline values were higher than anticipated by the project 
programmers.
.9. Indicator #54 - Percent of male and female members of AME/APEs stating they do 
discuss household financial management questions with their partner – Year 1 
should end with 85%.
.10. Indicator #56 - Percent of male and female members of AME/APEs who involve their 
partner in decision-making regarding schooling of children – Year 1 and the following 
years should end with values higher than 80%.
76
5. Appendixes
5.1. Appendix I: Detailed Survey Results
Table 8 School Nutrition Extended
Variable Frequency 
N=3011
Percent (%)
Did you eat today before coming to school? 
No 1003 33.3
Yes 2005 66.6
Don’t know 3 0.1
Do you wake up early enough to eat 
breakfast at home?
No 1405 46.7
Yes 1595 53.0
Don’t know 11 0.3
Do you bring your lunch to school?
No 2372 78.8
Yes 632 21.0
Don’t know 7 0.2
Was it your mom who prepared what you 
ate yesterday morning before coming to 
school?
No 328 15.2
Yes 1806 83.8
Don’t know 20 1.0
Who prepared this meal?
77
Dad 8 2.4
Sibling 78 23.8
Guardian 5 1.5
Seller at school 173 52.7
Uncle/Aunt 21 6.4
Housekeeper 2 0.6
Don’t know 41 12.5
Do you eat vegetables?
No 115 3.8
Yes 2886 95.9
Don’t know 10 0.3
Do you eat fruit?
No 73 2.4
Yes 2934 97.5
Don’t know 4 0.1
How many meals did you eat yesterday?
I didn’t eat 6 0.2
I had 1 meal 74 2.5
I had 2 meals 546 18.1
I had 3 or more meals 2325 77.2
Don't know/don't answer 60 2.0
*Who prepared your meals yesterday?
Mom 2489 94.4
Dad 21 0.8
Sibling 579 22.0
78
Guardian 14 0.5
Uncle/Aunt 110 4.2
Housekeeper 25 1.0
Seller at school 646 24.5
Don’t’ know 32 1.2
Have you been hungry in the past week 
because you missed a meal?
No 1778 59.0
Yes 1206 40.1
Don’t know 27 0.9
Do you eat three meals a day?
No 665 22.1
Yes 2331 77.4
Don’t know 15 0.5
*What meals do you eat in a day?
Morning 2233 95.8
Afternoon 2157 92.5
Evening 2167 92.9
Do you wash your hands before eating 
Breakfast?
No 31 1.4
Yes 2199 98.5
Don’t know 3 0.1
Do you wash your hands before eating 
lunch?
No 47 2.1
79
Yes 2182 97.7
Don’t know 4 0.2
Do you wash your hands before eating 
dinner/snacks?
No 41 1.9
Yes 2112 97.9
Don’t know 4 0.2
Did you eat yesterday during recess? 
No 69 3.2
Yes 2096 96.7
Don’t know 2 0.1
Did you ever get take-out from school for 
home?
No 2432 80.8
Yes 537 17.8
Don’t know 42 1.4
*Multiple responses allowed
Table 8b School Nutrition by gender 
Variable Male Female N
Did you eat today before coming to school? 
No 50.2 49.8 1003
Yes 48.8 51.2 2005
80
Don’t know 0.0 100.0 3
Do you wake up early enough to eat breakfast at 
home?
No 49.3 50.7 1405
Yes 49.5 50.5 1595
Don’t know 9.1 90.9 11
Do you bring your lunch to school?
No 50.4 49.6 2372
Yes 44.5 55.5 632
Don’t know 71.4 28.6 7
Was it your mom who prepared what you ate 
yesterday morning before coming to school?
No 50.0 50.0 328
Yes 48.5 51.5 1806
Don’t know 60.0 40.0 20
Who prepared this meal?
Dad 25.0 75.0 8
81
Sibling 48.7 51.3 5
Guardian 40.0 60.0 5
Seller at school 52.6 47.4 173
Uncle/Aunt 52.4 47.6 21
Housekeeper 50.0 50.0 100.0
Don’t know 46.3 53.7 41
Do you eat vegetables?
No 51.3 48.7 115
Yes 49.0 51.0 2886
Don’t know 80.0 20.0 10
Do you eat fruit?
No 49.3 50.7 73
Yes 49.2 50.8 2934
Don’t know 50.0 50.0 4
How many meals did you eat yesterday?
I didn’t eat 50.0 50.0 6
82
I had 1 meal 54.1 45.9 74
I had 2 meals 48.4 51.6 546
I had 3 or more meals 49.3 50.7 2325
Don't know/don't answer 50.0 50.0 60
*Who prepared your meals yesterday?
Mom 49.6 50.4 2489
Dad 47.6 52.4 21
Sibling 50.9 49.1 579
Guardian 42.9 57.1 14
Uncle/Aunt 54.6 45.4 110
Housekeeper 36.0 64.0 25
Seller at school 49.7 50.3 646
Have you been hungry in the past week because 
you missed a meal?
No 49.2 50.8 1778
Yes 49.3 50.7 1206
83
Don’t know 51.9 48.2 27
Do you eat three meals a day?
No 50.4 49.6 665
Yes 48.9 51.1 2331
Don’t know 46.7 53.3 15
*What meals do you eat in a day?
Morning 49.0 51.0 2233
Afternoon 48.8 51.2 2157
Evening 48.9 51.1 2167
Do you wash your hands before eating Breakfast?
No 45.2 54.8 31
Yes 49.0 51.0 2199
Don’t know 100.0 0.0 3
Do you wash your hands before eating lunch?
No 46.8 53.2 47
84
Yes 49.0 51.0 2182
Don’t know 50.0 50.0 4
Do you wash your hands before eating 
dinner/snacks?
No 51.2 48.8 41
Yes 48.7 51.3 2112
Don’t know 50.0 50.0 4
Did you eat yesterday during recess? 
No 62.3 37.7 69
Yes 48.4 51.6 2096
Don’t know 100.0 0.0 2
Did you ever get take-out from school for home?
No 49.2 50.8 2432
Yes 49.5 50.5 537
Don’t know 47.6 52.4 42
85
Table 8c School Nutrition by weight for age categorization 
Variable Underweight Healthy 
weight 
Overweight N
Did you eat today before coming to 
school? 
No 41.0 54.6 4.4 1003
Yes 38.0 56.0 6.0 2005
Don’t know 66.7 33.3 0.0 3
Do you wake up early enough to eat 
breakfast at home?
No 39.5 54.7 5.8 1405
Yes 38.6 56.3 5.1 1595
Don’t know 36.4 45.5 18.1 11
Do you bring your lunch to school?
No 39.9 54.6 5.5 2372
Yes 35.6 58.9 5.5 632
Don’t know 57.1 42.8 0.0 7
Do you eat vegetables?
86
No 40.0 51.3 8.7 115
Yes 39.0 55.6 5.4 2886
Don’t know 30.0 70.0 0.0 10
Do you eat fruit?
No 28.8 57.4 13.7 73
Yes 39.3 55.4 5.3 2934
Don’t know 25.0 75.0 0.0 4
How many meals did you eat 
yesterday?
I didn’t eat 33.3 50.0 16.7 6
I had 1 meal 35.1 60.8 4.1 74
I had 2 meals 43.4 51.8 4.8 546
I had 3 or more meals 38.2 56.3 5.5 2325
Don't know/don't answer 38.3 50.0 11.7 60
Have you been hungry in the past 
week because you missed a meal?
No 42.2 53.8 4.0 1778
87
Yes 34.3 58.2 7.5 1206
Don’t know 40.7 48.2 11.1 27
Do you eat three meals a day?
No 39.9 54.0 6.1 665
Yes 38.8 56.0 5.2 2331
Don’t know 33.3 53.4 13.3 15
Did you eat yesterday during recess? 
No 47.8 49.3 2.9 69
Yes 38.7 56.2 5.1 2096
Don’t know 0.0 50.0 50.0 2
Did you ever get take-out from 
school for home?
No 39.8 55.0 5.2 2432
Yes 35.0 58.9 6.1 537
Don’t know 45.2 40.5 14.3 42
88
Table 10b Identifying Food by gender 
Variable Male Female N 
Are cereals, roots and tubers starchy foods? 
No 50.6 49.4 457
Yes 49.6 50.4 2172
Don’t know 45.6 54.4 382
Are legumes and nuts high protein foods? 
No 46.1 53.9 501
Yes 50.4 49.6 1962
Don’t know 47.8 52.2 548
Are milk and foura dairy products? 
No 46.8 53.2 263
Yes 49.3 50.7 2583
Don’t know 52.1 47.9 165
89
Are fresh foods (meat, fish, poultry, and liver/offal) 
protein foods? 
No 45.3 54.7 364
Yes 50.4 49.6 2246
Don’t know 46.1 53.9 401
Are eggs a dairy food?
No 49.9 50.1 2110
Yes 48.7 51.3 669
Don’t know 44.4 55.6 232
Can you get vitamin A from fruits and vegetables? 
No 47.6 52.4 294
Yes 49.7 50.3 2493
Don’t know 46.4 53.6 224
90
Table 15 Oral Reading Comprehension G2 and G5
Oral Reading 
Comprehension CP2/G2 CM1/G5
Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total
% % % % % %
Failed All Five 
Questions
92.4 90.8 91.7 34.9 36.0 35.4
One Out of Five 1.0 1.1 1.0 9.0 13.8 11.4
Two Out of Five 1.3 3.2 2.2 18.0 11.6 14.8
Three Out of Five 2.8 3.5 3.1 13.8 16.4 15.1
Four Out of Five 1.8 1.1 1.4 14.3 11.6 13
Got All Five 
Questions
0.8 0.3 0.5 10.1 10.6 10.3
Table 16 Characteristics of Parents and Caregivers Extended
Variable Frequency 
(N=259)
Percent (%)
What language do you primarily speak at 
home?
Francais 5 1.9
Dendi 30 11.6
Bariba 195 75.3
Peulh 13 5.0
Boo 1 0.4
Mokole 1 0.4
Other 14 5.4
91
Gender
Male 137 52.9
Female 122 47.1
How old are you?
18-29 34 13.5
30-39 81 32.3
40-49 77 30.7
50+ 59 23.5
Average age 41 SD:11.3 (Min: 19 Max: 86)
How many people live with you, including 
yourself?
Average: 10 SD: 6.6 (Min: 3 Max: 40)
What is your speaking level in French?
I speak fluently 30 11.5
I understand and speak fairly well 19 7.3
I understand and speak a little 45 17.4
I understand a little but do not speak 16 6.2
I do not speak French 147 56.8
Don’t know/No answer 2 0.8
What is your reading level in French?
I can read perfectly 37 14.2
I can read fairly well 18 7.0
I can read a little 34 13.1
I can’t read 169 65.3
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
92
Is there another person in your family (living 
with you) who reads French fluently?
No 26 15.4
Yes 142 84.0
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.6
What is your level of education?
None 151 58.3
Primary 39 15.1
Cycle 1 secondary 33 12.7
Cycle 2 secondary 19 7.3
Cycle 1 superior 8 3.1
Upper cycle 2 5 1.9
Literate 4 1.5
Other 0 0.0
Don’t know/No answer 0 0.0
What is your main occupation?
Unemployed 4 1.5
Housewife 46 17.8
Agricultural laborer 128 49.4
Landowner 0 0.0
Laborer 3 1.2
Merchant/Shopkeeper 40 15.4
Office worker 5 1.9
Artisan: Weaver, blacksmith, hairdresser, etc. 19 7.3
Retired 0 0.0
93
Other 14 5.4
Don’t know/No answer 0 0.0
Are you a member of a parent-teacher 
association or a mother-teacher association?
APE 23 8.9
AME 15 5.8
None of the above 221 85.3
Table 17 Characteristics of the Children Extended
Variable Frequency (N=259) Percent (%)
How many girls do you have?
None 22 8.5
1-4 185 71.7
5+ 51 19.8
Average: 3 SD: 2.6 (Min:0 Max:19)
How many girls are enrolled in this elementary 
school?
None 12 5.1
1-4 218 91.9
5+ 7 3.0
Average: 2 SD: 1.1 (Min:0 Max:6)
*What grade are they in?
Kindergarten 13 5.7
IC 51 22.4
CP 75 32.9
Elementary 1 57 25.0
94
2nd Grade 65 28.5
CM1 47 20.6
5th Grade 30 13.2
How would you rate your daughter’s academic 
performance?
Very good 25 10.7
Good 99 42.3
Fair 95 40.6
Poor 12 5.1
Very Poor 3 1.3
How many boys do you have?
None 28 10.8
1-4 206 89.2
5+ 5 2.1
Average: 2 SD: 1.2 (Min:0 Max:8)
*What grade are they in?
Kindergarten 13 6.2
IC 49 23.2
CP 53 25.1
Elementary 1 57 27.0
2nd Grade 58 27.5
CM1 54 25.6
5th Grade 34 16.1
How would you rate your sons’ academic 
performance?
Very good 26 11.8
Good 82 37.1
Fair 104 47.1
95
Poor 6 2.7
Very Poor 3 1.3
*Multiple responses allowed
Table 18 Hygiene and Health Practices Extended
Variable Frequency 
(N=259)
Percent (%)
How many times a day does your youngest 
child wash their hands?
6 or more times 56 21.6
3 to 5 times 141 54.4
1 to 2 times 37 14.3
Never 23 8.9
Don’t know/No answer 2 0.8
*When does your youngest child wash their 
hands in school?
After defecation 164 63.3
Before eating 248 95.8
After eating 221 85.3
After cleaning the latrine 48 18.5
After working in the fields 65 25.0
Never 1 0.4
Don’t know/No response 8 3.1
Other, specify 13 5.0
Does your youngest child in school know if 
the water is safe to drink or not?
96
No 43 16.6
Yes 215 83.0
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
*What does your youngest child in school use 
to wash their hands?
Soap 205 79.2
Dishwashing liquid 59 22.8
Ash 26 10.0
Lemon leaves 2 0.8
Do not wash hands 1 0.4
Don’t know/No answer 20 7.7
Other, specify 13 5.0
*When they are not in school, where do your 
children defecate?
In the latrine of my house 109 42.1
In the latrine at school 19 7.3
In the latrine shared with my neighbor 18 7.0
In a community latrine 6 2.3
In a potty 11 4.3
In the yard of my house 8 3.1
In the bush 132 51.0
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
Other, specify 1 0.4
*Multiple responses allowed
97
Table 19 Questions Relevant to Future Programming Extended
Variable Frequency 
(N=259)
Percent (%)
Do you think school lunchrooms help reduce 
hunger?
Yes, very much 225 86.9
Yes, to some level 24 9.3
No, not really 4 1.5
No, not at all 0 0.0
Don’t know/No response 6 2.3
If radio programs and booklets about 
improved education and use of hygiene 
practices would be available, would your 
children use and benefit from them?
Yes, very much 189 73.0
Yes, to some level 52 20.1
No, not really 9 3.5
No, not at all 4 1.5
Don’t know/No response 5 1.9
*What are the main reasons for teacher 
absenteeism?
Strike 5 6.0
Illness (of self) 40 47.6
Illness of family member 15 17.9
Administrative reason (going to the bank, 
looking for administrative papers, etc.)
19 22.6
Training 37 44.1
98
Work meeting 28 33.3
Party (extension) 4 4.8
Ceremony (funeral, birth, wedding) 3 3.6
Transportation problem 1 1.2
Lack of motivation 9 10.7
Work too hard 3 3.6
Don’t know/No answer 12 14.3
Other, please specify 6 7.1
Do you think that certificates of achievement 
given to diligent teachers is an effective 
measure to reduce teacher absences?
Yes, very much 126 48.7
Yes, to some level 62 23.9
No, not really 13 5.0
No, not at all 12 4.6
Don’t know, no response 46 17.8
Do you think that involvement of the PTA and 
AME is an effective method to reduce 
teacher absenteeism?
Yes, very much 126 48.7
Yes, to some level 62 23.9
No, not really 13 5.0
No, not at all 12 4.6
Don’t know/No answer 46 17.8
*What methods do you suggest for reducing 
teacher absenteeism?
99
Implement a penalty system 113 43.6
Reduce staffing levels 15 5.8
Improve assignment system 69 26.6
Don’t know/No answer 77 29.7
Other, please specify 27 10.4
*Multiple responses allowed
Table 21 Involvement in School Life Extended
Variable Frequency 
(N=259)
Percent (%)
Do you (or other family members) tell 
stories to your children?
No 149 57.5
Yes 109 42.1
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
How often?
Every day 14 12.8
2-3 times a week 18 16.5
Once a week 22 20.2
A few times a month 55 50.5
Do you (or other family members) monitor 
how well your children are doing in school?
No 50 21.6
Yes 202 78.0
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
100
Do you (or other family members) help your 
children with their homework?
No 116 44.8
Yes 142 54.8
Don’t know/No response 1 0.4
*For what types of activities
Reading letters 91 64.1
Reading words 77 54.2
Reading a text 75 52.8
Mathematics 90 63.4
Reciting lessons 72 50.7
Help with homework 42 29.6
Other, specify 3 2.1
*Why?
Parents are not interested in school 13 11.2
Parents feel it is not their role 16 13.8
Parents don’t have the time 30 25.9
Parents don’t think it is useful 4 3.5
Parents don’t know how to help them 50 43.1
Parents don’t speak French well enough 55 47.4
Parents cannot read 64 55.2
Other, specify 3 2.6
Have you personally done any reading 
activities with your children in the last 7 
days (one week)?
101
No 193 74.5
Yes 63 24.3
Don’t know/No answer 3 1.2
Has anyone else in your household done any 
reading activities with your children in the 
last 7 days (one week)?
No 100 38.6
Yes 152 58.7
Don’t know/No answer 7 2.7
*Have your children ever received help from 
anyone with homework or reading? If so, 
from whom?
Yes, a family member 105 40.5
Yes, a parent-organized support group 44 17.0
Yes, a personal tutor/repeater (paid) 33 12.7
Yes, a study group (paid) 9 3.5
Yes, other specify 13 5.0
No 76 29.3
Don’t know/No response 7 2.7
*In the previous 24 hours did you prepare 
family meals with the following nutrition￾dense and neglected/underutilized food 
items?
Moringa leaf
YOROU YARA (BARIBA). DAMBOU COSSOU 
(DENDI). MORINGA/YONKIHI (PEULH). ÉWÉ 
AGOUMALIYÉ (NAGO).
76 29.3
Wild spinach 67 25.9
102
SAMBINOUN WOUROUSOU (BARIBA). 
GOBITA KORSOU (DENDI). AFOOWA LADDE 
(PEULH). ÊFÔ OKO (NAGO)
Baobab leaf 
MOUKOU-MOUKOU (BARIBA). KOR (DENDI). 
BOKKA (PEULH). ÔMON OTCHÉ (NAGO)
92 35.5
Fricassee tree fruit 
DIRÉM (BARIBA). FISSO (DENDI). PIISA 
(PEULH). OUTCHIN (NAGO).
45 17.4
Mushroom 
GONMI (BARIBA). GONMI (DENDI). GONMI 
(PEUHL). OSSOUNSOUN (NAGO).
29 11.2
White Guinea Sorrel 
SINRI KPIKA (BARIBA). GUISSIMAN (DENDI). 
POLLA DANEYA/GONTIIRE DANEERE. 
KPAKPARA FOUNFOUN (NAGO).
38 14.7
Red Guinea Sorrel 
SINRI SWAN (BARIBA). GUISSIMAN (DENDI). 
POLLA DANEYA/GONTIIRE DANEERE (PEUHL). 
KPAKPARA KPIKPA (NAGO).
23 8.9
Sesamum leaf 
DOSSI (BARIBA). DOSSI (DENDI). DOSSI 
(PEUHL). AGBO (NAGO).
73 28.2
Cotton plant 
KPARAROU GBINA (BARIBA). KPARARA 
(DENDI). TARIBO NAREERIHI (PEULH)
58 22.4
Eggplant leaves
SAMBINOUN WOUROUSOU (BARIBA). 
GOBITA KORSOU(DENDI). AFOOWA LADDE 
(PEULH). ÊFÔ OKO (NAGO)
23 8.9
None 36 13.9
*Multiple responses allowed
103
Table 22 Parents’ Barriers for Their Children’s Learning Extended
Variable Frequency 
(N=259)
Percent (%)
Do you believe that the teachers are trained 
enough to teach your children effectively at 
school?
No 20 7.7
Yes 183 70.1
Don’t know/No answer 56 21.6
Does your household’s financial 
management impact whether you send your 
child to school?
No 153 59.0
Yes 97 37.5
Don’t know/No answer 9 3.5
Are there enough teachers trained at your 
child’s school to deliver effective education 
to your child?
No 16 6.1
Yes 176 68.0
Don’t know/No answer 67 25.9
Is your child’s classroom overcrowded or 
falling apart?
No 107 41.3
Yes 106 40.9
Don’t know/No answer 46 17.8
104
Does your child’s classroom lack textbooks, 
school supplies, and other tools they need to 
excel?
No 84 32.4
Yes 98 37.9
Don’t know/No response 77 29.7
Does the nearest school have enough 
learning materials to teach your child, or 
must they share?
No 70 27.0
Yes 84 32.4
Doesn’t know/No answer 105 40.6
Does your child’s gender impact whether 
they can receive an education at school?
No 234 90.4
Yes 16 6.2
Don’t know/No answer 9 3.4
Does your child’s exposure to violence or risk 
impact their access to education?
No 200 77.2
Yes 53 20.5
Don’t know/No answer 6 2.3
Does your ability to feed your child impact 
whether they attend school?
No 191 73.8
Yes 65 25.1
Don’t know/No answer 3 1.1
105
Does the distance of your nearest school 
impact whether your child attends school?
No 219 84.6
Yes 36 13.9
Don’t know/No answer 4 1.5
Are there other things that hinder or affect 
your children’s access to education?
No 32 80.0
Yes 7 17.5
Don’t know/No answer 1 2.5
Table 24 Socio-Economic Characteristics Extended
Variable Frequency N=259 Percent (%)
What type of flooring do you have at home?
Earth 118 45.6
Wood 4 1.5
Cement or tiles 137 52.9
What do you cook with in your home?
Wood that you collect 133 51.3
Wood or coal that you buy 125 48.3
Gas 1 0.4
Do you have a radio in your home?
No 41 15.8
Yes 218 84.2
Do you have a television in your home?
106
No 133 51.4
Yes 126 48.6
Does anyone in your family have a cell phone?
No 3 1.2
Yes 256 98.8
Do you discuss your household financial management 
with your partner?
No 65 25.1
Yes 193 74.5
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
Are you and your partner involved in the decision￾making of your children’s schooling?
No 49 18.9
Yes 210 81.1
Are you more involved in the decision-making of your 
children’s schooling or your partner?
No 51 19.7
Yes 207 79.9
Don’t know/No answer 1 0.4
Do you have the skills to accompany or enable your 
children to learn?
No 165 63.7
Yes 90 34.8
Don’t know/No answer 4 1.5
107
Table 25 Teacher Characteristics Extended
Variable Frequency (N=120) Percent (%)
Gender
Male 62 51.7
Female 58 48.3
How old are you?
20-29 23 19.2
30-39 68 56.7
40+ 29 24.1
Average: 35 SD: 6.7 (Min: 22 Max: 58)
For how many years have you been teaching?
1-4 28 23.3
5-9 45 37.5
10+ 47 39.2
Average: 9 SD: 5.8 (Min: 1 Max: 38)
For how many years have you been teaching at this 
school?
1-4 84 70.0
5-9 35 29.2
10+ 1 0.8
Average: 4 SD: 2.6 (Min:1 Max:22)
What is the highest class you have attended?
6th grade 0 0.0
5th grade 0 0.0
4th grade 0 0.0
108
3rd grade 17 14.1
2nd grade 13 10.9
1st grade 18 15.0
University 22 18.3
Other 0 0.0
What is the highest academic degree you have 
earned?
CEP 1 0.8
BEPC 75 62.5
CAP 2 1.7
BAC, DEAT 30 25.0
DEUG, DUES 2 1.7
License 9 7.5
Maitrise 1 0.8
Master/DEA 0 0.0
Other 0 0.0
What is the highest professional degree you have 
earned?
None 14 11.7
DEAP 33 27.5
CAP 73 60.8
What is your employment status?
APE (permanent agent) 13 10.9
ACE (contract agent) 52 43.3
Aspirant 40 33.3
Community based 15 12.5
109
Table 26 Teachers’ Training Extended
Variable Frequency (N=120) Percent (%)
What class(es) do you teach?
Kindergarten 0 0.0
IC 12 10.0
CP 51 42.5
Elementary 1 15 12.5
2nd grade 8 6.6
CM1 29 24.2
5th grade 5 4.2
How many boys are in your class?
1-20 31 25.9
21-30 46 38.3
31+ 43 35.8
Average: 28 SD:10.4 (Min: 7 Max: 60)
How many girls are in your class?
1-20 35 29.2
21-30 41 34.2
31+ 44 36.6
Average: 28 SD: 10.7 (Min: 8 Max: 63)
How would you rate your students’ overall academic 
performance?
Very good 5 4.2
Good 38 31.7
Fair 73 60.8
110
Poor 4 3.3
How would you rate your students’ literary 
performance?
Very good 3 2.5
Good 18 15.0
Fair 79 65.8
Poor 20 16.7
Have any teachers in your school received training on 
improving teaching techniques?
No 37 30.8
Yes 83 69.2
Who provides the training?
Government 73 87.9
Others 10 12.1
How is the quality of the training you receive?
Excellent 18 21.6
Good 51 61.5
Satisfactory 12 14.5
Not that good 1 1.2
Poor 1 1.2
Do you use any of the techniques and tools you 
learned in trainings within your classes?
No 4 4.8
Yes 74 89.2
To some level 4 4.8
Don’t know/No response 1 1.2
111
Did the training you receive help improve student 
literacy? 
No 2 2.4
Yes 64 77.1
To some level 14 16.9
Don’t know/No response 3 3.6
In the recent school quarter, have you been using the 
government approved literacy curriculum to teach 
your students?
No 19 15.8
Yes 77 64.2
To some level 13 10.8
Don’t know/No response 11 9.2
How closely do you follow this curriculum?
All the time 54 70.1
Most of the time 13 16.9
Sometimes 9 11.7
Do not use this curriculum 1 1.3
Can you show me the curriculum and these materials?
Showed the national curriculum and other materials 27 62.8
Showed other materials 10 23.3
Showed only national curriculum 6 13.9
Table 27 Teachers’ Absenteeism Extended
Variable Frequency (N=120) Percent (%)
In the last quarter, did you miss class (absent) for any 
reason? 
No 80 66.7
Yes 40 33.3
112
How many days of teaching did you miss (absent) in 
the most recent quarter of school?
More than 15 3 7.5
Between 6 and 15 11 27.5
Less than 6 24 60.0
Never 2 5.0
*For what reasons were you absent? 
Strike 0 0.0
Illness (of self) 9 22.5
Illness of family member 7 17.5
Administrative reason (going to the bank, looking for 
administrative papers, etc.) 
11 27.5
Training 3 7.5
Work meeting 8 20.0
Party (extension) 0 0.0
Ceremony (funeral, birth, wedding) 7 17.5
Transportation problem 0 0.0
Lack of motivation 0 0.0
Work too hard 0 0.0
Lack of professional awareness 0 0.0
Lack of love for the job 0 0.0
Geographical mobility (during a certain season the 
track is not accessible, water flooding) 
0 0.0
Other, specify 5 12.5
Do you think that certificates of achievement given 
to diligent teachers can be an effective measure to 
reduce teacher absences?
No 9 7.5
Yes 77 64.2
To some level 25 20.8
Don’t know/no response 9 7.5
Do you think that the involvement of the PTA or the 
AME in the monitoring of teachers' attendance can 
reduce their absences?
113
No 26 21.6
Yes 71 59.2
To some level 21 17.5
Don’t know/no response 2 1.7
*What should be put in place to reduce your 
absences or those of your colleagues?
Increase salaries 66 55.0
Implement a penalty system 46 38.3
Reduce class sizes 22 18.3
Improve the assignment system 28 23.3
Review the state of the roads 21 17.5
Provide appropriate documents for lesson preparation 
sheets/preparation time at home is too long) 
29 24.2
Facilitate access to transportation for teachers 19 15.8
Other, specify 20 16.7
*Multiple responses allowed
*Note that there is a falsehood between question one and two, as in the first one teacher reported that close to 
67% did not miss class, but in the second only 5% stated they never missed a day.
Table 28 Parent Involvement Extended
Variable Frequency 
(N=120)
Percent (%)
Do you feel that your students’ parents 
understand the importance of the education 
their children are receiving at school? 
Yes, very much 16 13.3
Yes, to some level 24 20.0
Not very much 54 45.0
Not at all 26 21.7
Don’t know/ no response 0 0.0
Can you estimate how many of your 
students’ parents spend time on school￾related activities such as homework and 
114
reading stories with their children AT LEAST 
ONCE A WEEK?
Almost all parents 1 0.8
Most parents 7 5.8
About a half of parents 13 10.8
A small portion the parents 42 35.0
Only a few parents 46 38.4
Don't know/no response 11 9.2
*If so, for what types of activities?
Reading letters 14 58.3
Reading words 7 29.2
Reading a text 9 37.5
Mathematics 9 37.5
Reciting lessons 12 50.0
Help with homework 8 33.3
Other, specify 3 12.5
*What are the main reasons parents don’t 
spend time with children on homework or 
reading? 
Parents are not interested in school 45 44.6
Parents feel it is not their role 37 36.6
Parents don't have the time 53 52.5
Parents don't think it's useful 36 35.6
Parents don't know how to help them 29 28.7
Parents don't speak French well enough 34 33.7
Parents cannot read 33 32.7
Other, specify 11 10.9
*Multiple responses allowed
115
Table 30 Health, Hygiene Extended
Variable Frequency N=120 Percent (%)
Consider the following hygiene practices: hand 
washing, use of soap, wash what you eat, use of 
latrines. 
How many of these practices do you think your 
students know about, and understand the 
importance of to their health?
All of the practices 54 45.0
Most of the practices 35 29.2
About half of the practices 11 9.2
A small portion of the practices 11 9.2
Only a few of the practices 8 6.6
Don't know/no response 1 0.8
How many of these practices do you think your 
students’ practice?
All of the practices 25 20.8
Most of the practices 49 40.8
About half of the practices 25 20.9
A small portion of the practices 9 7.5
Only a few of the practices 12 10.0
*Why don’t your students practice hygiene practices?
They don't know them 17 17.7
They are not interested 13 13.5
They think it is useless 14 14.6
They don't have access to water 22 22.9
They don't have access to soap/ash 15 15.6
They are not aware of the risks 32 33.3
They are too young 18 18.8
Other, specify 25 26.0
*Do girls in your school receive training, information, 
or other support on hygiene practices during 
menstrual cycles?
116
Informative sessions/days 24 20.0
Written materials 7 5.8
Mentoring 1 0.8
Distribution of hygiene pads 10 8.3
Special latrines 3 2.5
Other (specify) 27 22.5
Don’t know/no response 64 53.3
*Multiple responses allowed
Table 35: Range Used for Weight Classification
Age Underweight Healthy weight Overweight 
Boys/Male
5 <14.5 14.5-21.1 >21.1
6 <16.0 16.0-23.5 >23.5
7 <17.8 17.8-26.4 >26.4
8 <19.6 19.6-29.5 >29.5
9 <21.4 21.4-33.0 >33.0
10 <23.3 23.3-37.0 >37.0
Girls/Female
5 <14.1 14.1-21.2 >21.2
6 <15.4 15.4-23.5 >23.5
7 <16.9 16.9-26.3 >26.3
8 <18.7 18.7-29.7 >29.7
9 <20.9 20.9-33.6 >33.6
10 <23.4 23.4-38.2 >38.2
117
Table 36: Nutritional Knowledge Test 12 Questions
Variable Frequency 
N=3011
Percent (%)
Does eating fruits and vegetables every day 
keep your body healthy?
No 290 9.6
Yes 2624 87.2
Don’t know 97 3.2
Is eating fats and oils important to give you 
energy and allow your body to build muscle? 
No 1020 33.9
Yes 1802 59.9
Don’t know 189 6.2
Could eating too much fat make you sick and 
put on weight?
No 639 21.2
Yes 2185 72.6
Don’t know 187 6.2
Is a diet containing only millet, rice, and corn 
balanced?
No 928 30.8
Yes 1662 55.2
Don’t know 421 14.0
Is it enough to wash the can or jar containing 
drinking water once a year?
No 2110 70.1
Yes 810 26.9
Don’t know 91 3.0
Could eating a lot of sugar damage your teeth 
and make you fat?
No 763 25.3
Yes 2088 69.4
118
Don’t know 160 5.3
Does eating a lot of dietary fiber like oranges 
help you go to the bathroom and keep you 
from getting sick?
No 627 20.8
Yes 1990 66.1
Don’t know 394 13.1
Does eating a lot of protein help you build 
muscle?
No 433 14.4
Yes 2367 78.6
Don’t know 211 7.0
Do cereals and milk strengthen your bones 
and are they good for your teeth?
No 546 18.1
Yes 2219 73.7
Don’t know 246 8.2
Does milk strengthen bones and teeth?
No 880 29.3
Yes 1871 62.3
Don’t know 252 8.4
Does eating meals give you energy to 
participate in school and other activities?
No 194 6.4
Yes 2724 90.5
Don’t know 93 3.1
If you do not eat meals, do you feel tired in 
class?
No 740 24.6
Yes 2175 72.2
Don’t know 96 3.2
119
Table 37A: Nutritional Questions
How many meals did you eat 
yesterday?
Does eating meals give you energy to 
participate in school and other activities?
N
No Yes 
I didn’t eat 66.7 33.3 6
I had 1 meal 8.1 91.9 74
I had 2 meals 11.5 88.5 546
I had 3 or more meals 8.6 91.4 2325
Don't know/don't answer 25.0 75.0 60
Table 37B: Nutritional Questions
Gender Does eating fruits and vegetables every day 
keep your body healthy?
N
No Yes 
Male 13.0 87.0 1482
Female 12.8 87.3 1529
Age
5 18.2 81.8 11
6 12.5 87.5 216
7 12.6 87.4 523
8 13.5 86.5 615
9 13.7 86.3 708
10 11.9 88.1 938
Table 37C: Nutritional Questions
Gender Is eating fats and oils important to give you 
energy and allow your body to build 
muscle? 
N
No Yes 
Male 40.0 60.0 1482
Female 40.3 59.7 1529
Age
120
5 36.4 63.6 11
6 34.7 65.3 216
7 47.4 52.6 523
8 39.7 60.3 615
9 36.7 63.3 708
10 40.3 59.7 938
Table 37D: Nutritional Questions
Gender Could eating too much fat make you sick 
and put on weight?
N
No Yes 
Male 27.3 72.7 1482
Female 27.5 72.5 1529
Age
5 36.4 63.6 11
6 34.3 65.7 216
7 30.4 69.6 523
8 28.5 71.5 615
9 22.3 77.7 708
10 27.3 72.7 938
Table 37E: Nutritional Questions
Gender Is a diet containing only millet, rice, and 
corn balanced?
N
No Yes 
Male 44.0 56.0 1482
Female 45.6 54.4 1529
Age
5 27.3 72.7 11
6 39.4 60.6 216
7 46.3 53.7 523
8 42.6 57.4 615
9 43.1 56.9 708
10 48.2 51.8 938
121
Table 37F: Nutritional Questions
Gender Is it enough to wash the can or jar 
containing drinking water once a year?
N
No Yes 
Male 72.8 27.2 1482
Female 73.4 26.6 1529
Age
5 90.9 9.1 11
6 61.1 38.9 216
7 72.7 27.3 523
8 70.6 29.4 615
9 74.4 25.6 708
10 76.6 23.4 938
Table 37G: Nutritional Questions
Gender Could eating a lot of sugar damage your 
teeth and make you fat?
N
No Yes 
Male 29.3 70.7 1482
Female 32.0 68.0 1529
Age
5 45.5 54.6 11
6 28.7 71.3 216
7 35.2 64.8 523
8 29.8 70.2 615
9 27.8 72.2 708
10 31.1 68.9 938
Table 37H: Nutritional Questions
Gender Does eating a lot of dietary fiber like 
oranges help you go to the bathroom and 
keep you from getting sick?
N
No Yes 
122
Male 32.2 67.8 1482
Female 35.6 64.4 1529
Age
5 27.3 72.7 11
6 31.9 68.1 216
7 34.0 66.0 523
8 33.7 66.3 615
9 30.7 69.4 708
10 37.0 63.0 938
Table 37I: Nutritional Questions
Gender Does eating a lot of protein help you build 
muscle?
N
No Yes 
Male 20.2 79.8 1482
Female 22.5 77.5 1529
Age
5 36.4 63.6 11
6 24.1 75.9 216
7 24.7 75.3 523
8 21.1 78.9 615
9 19.5 80.5 708
10 20.4 79.6 938
Table 37J: Nutritional Questions
Gender Do cereals and milk strengthen your bones 
and are they good for your teeth?
N
No Yes 
Male 25.3 74.7 1482
Female 27.3 72.7 1529
Age
5 27.3 72.7 11
6 28.7 71.3 216
7 27.7 72.3 523
123
8 27.2 72.8 615
9 22.3 77.7 708
10 27.4 72.6 938
Table 37K: Nutritional Questions
Gender Does milk strengthen bones and teeth? N
No Yes 
Male 36.1 63.9 1482
Female 39.2 60.8 1529
Age
5 18.2 81.8 11
6 39.1 60.9 216
7 38.7 61.3 523
8 37.6 62.4 615
9 36.7 63.3 708
10 37.9 62.1 938
Table 38: Nutritional Quiz - Correct Answers
Variable Correct answer
Does eating fruits and vegetables every day keep your body healthy? Yes
Is eating fats and oils important to give you energy and allow your body to 
build muscle? 
Yes
Could eating too much fat make you sick and put on weight? Yes 
Is a diet containing only millet, rice, and corn balanced? No 
Is it enough to wash the can or jar containing drinking water once a year? No
Could eating a lot of sugar damage your teeth and make you fat? Yes 
Does eating a lot of dietary fiber like oranges help you go to the bathroom 
and keep you from getting sick?
Yes 
Does eating a lot of protein help you build muscle? Yes 
Do cereals and milk strengthen your bones and are they good for your 
teeth? 
Yes 
Does milk strengthen bones and teeth? Yes 
124
Table 39: Schools Recorded for Attendance
Name of schools Frequency Percentage
GOMPAROU QUARTIER 1 1%
GOMPAROU/A 1 1%
GOUMORI/B 1 1%
OROU GNONROU/C 1 1%
SOMBOROU/A 1 1%
SOMBOROU/B 1 1%
YADIKPAROU/B 1 1%
YADIKPAROU/C 1 1%
YADIKPAROU/A 1 1%
DEMANOU/B 1 1%
DEROU GANROU 1 1%
OURO-GNONROU/A 1 1%
GOMPAROU/B 1 1%
TOURA/B 1 1%
OROUGNONROU/B 1 1%
SOMPEREKOU/A 1 1%
TOURA/A 1 1%
ARBONGA/A 1 1%
ARBONGA/B 1 1%
BANIKOARA/A 1 1%
BANIKOARA/C 1 1%
BONHANROU/A 1 1%
BONNI 1 1%
DEMANOU/A 1 1%
KOKEY/A 1 1%
KOMMON 1 1%
KOROGONE IGARI 1 1%
SIMPEROU/A 1 1%
TAKEY BANTA/A 1 1%
TIGANSON 1 1%
TOUMAROU 1 1%
GOMPAROU A 1 1%
BEROUBOUAY/A 1 1%
BOUAY 1 1%
125
GUERE
1 1%
KOKABO/A
1 1%
BASSON/B
1 1%
BEMBEREKE/A
1 1%
BOUANRI/B
1 1%
DEROU/B
1 1%
GAMIA/A
1 1%
GAMIA/B
1 1%
GANDO/A
1 1%
GUERA N'KALI
1 1%
INA CENTRE/B
1 1%
KOSSOU/B
1 1%
KOSSOU/C
1 1%
PEDAROU/A
1 1%
PEDAROU/B
1 1%
SAORE
1 1%
SONGOURA
1 1%
TASSE
1 1%
BEREKE SUD/A
1 1%
BEREKE SUD/B
1 1%
DEROU/A
1 1%
DEROU/C
1 1%
GAMARE
1 1%
GUESSOU
-SUD/A
1 1%
KOKABO/B
1 1%
KOSSOU/A
1 1%
TEME/A
1 1%
TEME/B
1 1%
BASSON/A
1 1%
BEREKE/A
1 1%
GANDO
-BOU
1 1%
GOUA
1 1%
GOUROU
1 1%
INA CENTRE/A
1 1%
KEROUKPOGOH
1 1%
KPEROU
1 1%
KPREGOUROU/A
1 1%
126
NASSA
1 1%
SOUWAWOLOU/A
1 1%
SOUWAWOLOU/B
1 1%
BIRO/C
1 1%
BOUYAKOU/B
1 1%
GORI MARO/B
1 1%
NIKKI CENTRE/A
1 1%
SEBE/A
1 1%
SEBE/B
1 1%
BOUYAKOU/C
1 1%
BOUYAKOU/A
1 1%
KOBI/B
1 1%
KOBI/C
1 1%
NIKKI CENTRE/D
1 1%
NIKKI MARO/A
1 1%
NIKKI/C
1 1%
SEREKALI/A
1 1%
SEREKALI/B
1 1%
TOTOROU
1 1%
DIADIA
1 1%
SEKO KPAROU/A
1 1%
SINENDE/A
1 1%
SOBEROU/A
1 1%
WARI
1 1%
YARRA GANDO
1 1%
YARRA GOUROU
1 1%
DANRIGOUROU/B
1 1%
NIMBO
1 1%
SEKERE GANDO
1 1%
SIKI GANDO
1 1%
SIKI/A
1 1%
DANRIGOUROU/A
1 1%
FO BOUKO/A
1 1%
FO BOURE
1 1%
FO GANNOU YERIMA
1 1%
GAKPEROU
1 1%
GUESSOU BANI
1 1%
127
KONE/A 1 1%
NIARO GANDO/B 1 1%
NIARO/A 1 1%
SIKI GOUROU 1 1%
SINAKPAROU 1 1%
SOKKA 1 1%
YAARA/A 1 1%
Total 115 100%
 
Table 45: Attendance Rate by Commune
Commune Schools
Total No. 
Students 
registered
Number present in 
school during 
classroom 
observations
Attendance Rate
Banikoara 45 12295 10,691 0.86954
Bembereke 48 14558 13,836 0.95041
Nikki 22 7790 6,919 0.88819
Sinende 25 7630 7,042 0.922936
Total 140 42273 38,488 0.910463
128
5.2. Appendix II: Survey Tools
5.2.1. Tool 1: KIIs with Implementing Partners
[This section will be completed by the interviewer]:
Date (DD-MM-YYYY), start time (00:00) and end time (00:00) 
Interview location:
Enumerator number:
Interviewer name:
Interviewee name:
Interviewee organization or affiliation:
Interviewee position at the organization:
Hello. My name is __________________ and I am helping to conduct a Baseline Study in 
preparation for the implementation of the Keun Faaba III in Northern Benin. The project will be 
implemented by CRS and is funded by USDA.
I am working with TKG, a company commissioned by CRS. We would like to ask you to 
participate in this study by providing your perspective about the project goals and activities. 
The information you give us will be kept strictly confidential and will not be shown to others. 
Your identity will not be linked to your answers. Your participation is voluntary, and you may 
choose not to answer some or all the questions. Your participation in future CRS programs is 
not dependent on your responses to this survey.
Do you have any questions about this interview? [Allow time for questions and answers as 
needed]. 
Do you give me permission to continue the interview? Yes / No 
[To the enumerator: if the interviewer provided yes/no or short answers, follow up with guiding 
questions such as: Can you tell me more? Can you provide more details? Can you please explain 
why you choose to answer this way? Can you give a few examples for this?]
Interview Questions
1. Do you know how you and your organization will be involved with the Keun Faaba III 
project? If yes, what will be your roles and responsibilities? What is the contribution of 
your organization to this project?
129
2. Keun Faaba III goals are to improve the literacy of school-aged children and increase the 
use of health and dietary practices. Do you think these objectives are of the highest 
priority for Northeast Benin?
3. What are some of the main factors that can influence the achievement or non￾achievement of the projects’ goals? What challenges or obstacles may inhibit or slow 
down the achievement of the goals, and what opportunities can be leveraged to 
enhance success? How should CRS work to decrease the challenges and increase 
success?
4. Keun Faaba III works to achieve these goals by improving the quality of literacy 
instruction, increasing student attentiveness by reducing hunger, and improving health 
and hygiene practices in the community. Do you believe these are the most effective 
steps that can be taken to improve the literacy of school-aged children, and why, or why 
not?
5. Considering the multiple project activities, which are of highest priority to you and your 
organization? Are there any activities the project should be focusing on more than 
others? Are there any alternative activities that could work better to achieve projects’ 
goals?
6. If you are familiar with the previous phases of Keun Faaba, what do you think can be 
done differently this time, to increase the likelihood of achieving project goals by the 
end of the project term?
7. What are the main issues the project implementors (CRS) should focus on to achieve 
best project results?
8. What are the best practices CRS should follow for effective and successful collaboration 
with your organization?
9. How important are collaborations between CRS and Implementing Partners such are 
your organization? What should be done to assure that the relationships between CRS 
and your organization will be successful? Are there challenges, including the 
performance of the Benin Government, that should be taken into consideration?
10. What activities should Keun Faaba III do to strengthen the maintenance of project 
results after project completion? 
11. Are there any steps, including policies, that can be made to improve the sustainability of 
project results, and the continuation of project activities after project termination? 
12. Are you satisfied with your anticipated level of involvement in the project? If yes, why, 
and if not, why not? What can be done to assist you and your organization in your 
involvement in the project? 
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Thank you for participating in this study and for providing us with your time and input. 
130
5.2.2. Tool 1: KII with Governmental Representative
[This section will be completed by the interviewer]:
Date (DD-MM-YYYY), start time (00:00) and end time (00:00) 
Interview location:
Enumerator number:
Interviewer name:
Interviewee name:
Interviewee organization or affiliation:
Interviewee position at the organization:
Hello. My name is __________________ and I am helping to conduct a Baseline Study in 
preparation for the implementation of the Keun Faaba III in Northern Benin. The project will be 
implemented by CRS and is funded by USDA.
I am working with TKG, a company commissioned by CRS. We would like to ask you to 
participate in this study by providing your perspective about the project goals and activities. 
The information you give us will be kept strictly confidential and will not be shown to others. 
Your identity will not be linked to your answers. Your participation is voluntary, and you may 
choose not to answer some or all the questions. 
Do you have any questions about this interview? [Allow time for questions and answers as 
needed]. 
Do you give me permission to continue the interview? Yes / No 
[To the enumerator: if the interviewer provided yes/no or short answers, follow up with guiding 
questions such as: Can you tell me more? Can you provide more details? Can you please explain 
why you choose to answer this way? Can you give a few examples for this?]
Interview Questions
1. Do you know how you and your agency will be involved with the Keun Faaba III project? 
If yes, what will be your roles and responsibilities? What is the contribution of your 
agency to this project?
2. Keun Faaba III goals are to improve the literacy of school-aged children and increase the 
use of health and dietary practices. Do you think these objectives are of the highest 
priority for Northeast Benin?
3. Considering the multiple project objectives, which are of highest priority to the Benin 
Government? 
131
4. What are some of the main factors that can influence the achievement or non￾achievement of the projects’ goals? What challenges or obstacles may inhibit or slow 
down the achievement of the goals, and what opportunities can be leveraged to 
enhance success? How should CRS work to decrease the challenges and increase 
success?
5. Keun Faaba III works to achieve these goals by improving the quality of literacy 
instruction, increasing student attentiveness by reducing hunger, and improving health 
and hygiene practices in the community. Do you believe these are the most effective 
steps that can be taken to improve the literacy of school-aged children, and why, or why 
not?
6. If you are familiar with the previous phases of Keun Faaba, what do you think should be 
done differently this time, to increase the likelihood of achieving project goals by the 
end of the project term?
7. Considering the multiple project activities, which are of highest priority to the Benin 
Government? Are there any activities the project should be focusing on more than 
others? Are there any alternative activities that could work better to achieve projects’ 
goals?
8. What are the best practices CRS should follow for effective and successful collaboration 
with the Benin Government? Are there difficulties the Benin Government has in 
collaborating with this project that should be taken into consideration?
9. How important are collaborations with Implementing Partners and local organizations 
to the success of the project? Do you feel that the project is designed to build these 
relationships and collaborations successfully? Is there anything that should be done 
differently? 
10. What activities should Keun Faaba III do to strengthen the maintenance of project 
results after project completion? 
11. Are there any steps, including policies, that can be made to improve the sustainability of 
project results, and the continuation of project activities after project termination? 
12. Are you satisfied with the anticipated level of involvement of the Benin Government in 
this project? If yes, why, and if not, why not? What can be done to assist you and your 
agency in your involvement in the project? 
13. What can be done to increase the satisfaction of the Benin Government with the Keun 
Faaba III project?
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Thank you for participating in this study and for providing us with your time and input. 
132
5.2.3. Tool 1: KII with USDA Representative
[This section will be completed by the interviewer]:
Date (DD-MM-YYYY), start time (00:00) and end time (00:00) 
Interview location:
Enumerator number:
Interviewer name:
Interviewee name:
Interviewee organization or affiliation:
Interviewee position at the organization:
Hello. My name is __________________ and I am helping to conduct a Baseline Study in 
preparation for the implementation of the Keun Faaba III in Northern Benin. The project, as you 
know, will be implemented by CRS and is funded by USDA.
I am working with TKG, a company commissioned by CRS. We would like to ask you to 
participate in this study by providing your perspective about the project goals and activities. 
The information you give us will be kept strictly confidential and will not be shown to others. 
Your identity will not be linked to your answers. Your participation is voluntary, and you may 
choose not to answer some or all the questions. 
Do you have any questions about this interview? [Allow time for questions and answers as 
needed]. 
Do you give me permission to continue the interview? Yes / No 
[To the enumerator: if the interviewer provided yes/no or short answers, follow up with guiding 
questions such as: Can you tell me more? Can you provide more details? Can you please explain 
why you choose to answer this way? Can you give a few examples for this?]
Interview Questions
1. How are you involved with the Keun Faaba III project, and what are your roles (past, 
current, and future) as a USDA representative?
2. Keun Faaba III goals are to improve the literacy of school-aged children and increase the 
use of health and dietary practices. Do you think these objectives are of the highest 
priority for Northeast Benin?
3. Considering the multiple project objectives, which are of highest priority to USDA?
4. What are some of the main factors that can influence the achievement or non￾achievement of the projects’ goals? What challenges or obstacles may inhibit or slow 
down the achievement of the goals, and what opportunities can be leveraged to 
133
enhance success? How should CRS work to decrease the challenges and increase 
success?
5. If you are familiar with the previous phases of Keun Faaba, what do you think can be 
done differently this time, to increase the likelihood of achieving project goals by the 
end of the project term?
6. Keun Faaba III works to achieve these goals by improving the quality of literacy 
instruction, increasing student attentiveness by reducing hunger, and improving health 
and hygiene practices in the community. Do you believe these are the most effective 
steps that can be taken to improve the literacy of school-aged children, and why, or why 
not?
7. Considering the multiple project activities, which are of highest priority to USDA? Are 
there any activities the project should be focusing on more than others? Are there any 
alternative activities that could work better to achieve project’s goals?
8. If you are familiar with the project’s Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism, do you feel 
that the M&E mechanism is capable of optimally monitoring project activities and 
results with the intention of improving project implementation? Does anything in the 
M&E mechanism need to be changed?
9. What are the main issues CRS should focus on to achieve the best project results?
10. What are the best practices CRS should follow for effective and successful collaboration 
with USDA?
11. How important are collaborations with Implementing Partners, local organizations, and 
agencies such as Benin Government to the success of the project? Do you feel that the 
project is designed to build these relationships and collaborations successfully? Is there 
anything that should be done differently? Are there challenges, including the 
performance of the Benin Government, that should be taken into consideration?
12. What activities should Keun Faaba III do to strengthen the maintenance of project 
results after project completion? 
13. Are there any steps, including policies, that can be made to improve the sustainability of 
project results, and the continuation of project activities after project termination? 
14. Are you satisfied with your anticipated level of involvement in the project? If yes, why, 
and if not, why not? What can be done to assist you and your organization in your 
involvement in future project implementation? 
15. What can be done to increase USDA’s satisfaction with the Keun Faaba III project in 
Benin?
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Thank you for participating in this study and for providing us with your time and input. 
134
5.2.4. Tool 1: KII with CRS Staff
[This section will be completed by the interviewer]:
Date (DD-MM-YYYY), start time (00:00) and end time (00:00) 
Interview location:
Enumerator number:
Interviewer name:
Interviewee name:
Interviewee organization or affiliation:
Interviewee position at the organization:
Hello. My name is __________________ and I am helping to conduct a Baseline Study in 
preparation for the implementation of the Keun Faaba III in Northern Benin. The project, as you 
know, will be implemented by CRS and is funded by USDA.
I am working with TKG, a company commissioned by CRS. We would like to ask you to 
participate in this study by providing your perspective about the project goals and activities. 
The information you give us will be kept strictly confidential and will not be shown to others. 
Your identity will not be linked to your answers. Your participation is voluntary, and you may 
choose not to answer some or all the questions. 
Do you have any questions about this interview? [Allow time for questions and answers as 
needed]. 
Do you give me permission to continue the interview? Yes / No 
[To the enumerator: if the interviewer provided yes/no or short answers, follow up with guiding 
questions such as: Can you tell me more? Can you provide more details? Can you please explain 
why you choose to answer this way? Can you give a few examples for this?]
Interview Questions
1. How did you become involved with the Keun Faaba project? What will be your roles and 
responsibilities with Keun Faaba III?
2. Keun Faaba III goals are to improve the literacy of school-aged children and increase the 
use of health and dietary practices. Do you think these objectives are of the highest 
priority for Northeast Benin?
3. Considering the multiple project objectives, which should be of highest priority to CRS?
135
4. Keun Faaba III works to achieve these goals by improving the quality of literacy 
instruction, increasing student attentiveness by reducing hunger, and improving health 
and hygiene practices in the community. Do you believe these are the most effective 
steps that can be taken to improve the literacy of school-aged children, and why, or why 
not?
5. What are some of the main factors that can influence the achievement or non￾achievement of the projects’ goals? What challenges or obstacles may inhibit or slow 
down the achievement of the goals, and what opportunities can be leveraged to 
enhance success? How should CRS work to decrease the challenges and increase 
success?
6. Considering the multiple project activities, which are of highest priority? Are there any 
activities the project should be focusing on more than others? Are there any alternative 
activities that could work better to achieve projects’ goals?
7. If you are familiar with the previous phases of Keun Faaba, what do you think should be 
done differently this time, to increase the likelihood of achieving project goals by the 
end of the project term?
8. Is the M&E mechanism capable of optimally monitoring project activities and results 
with the intention of improving project implementation? Do you feel that the M&E 
mechanism set in place is a feasible one on CRS’s side? Does anything in the M&E 
mechanism need to be changed?
9. What does CRS need to do to assure that project activities are doable within the given 
timeframe?
10. What are the best practices CRS should follow for effective and successful collaboration 
with the donor/USDA? Are there challenges that need to be taken into consideration?
11. What are the best practices CRS should follow for effective and successful collaboration 
with implementing partners? Are there challenges that need to be taken into 
consideration?
12. What activities should Keun Faaba III take to strengthen the maintenance of project 
results after the project completion? Are there any steps, including policies, that can be 
made to improve the sustainability of project results, and the continuation of project 
activities after project termination? 
13. Are you satisfied with your anticipated level of involvement in the project? If yes, why, 
and if not, why not? What can be done to assist you and CRS in your involvement in the 
project? 
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Thank you for participating in this study and for providing us with your time and input. 
136
5.2.5. Tool 2: Parent Questionnaire
This section will be completed by the interviewer 
Date: (DD-MM-YYYY), Start time (00:00), End Time (00:00)
Interviewers’ Name: (Specify) 
Enumerator Number: (Specify) 
Department: (Specify) 
City: (Specify) 
Unique School ID Number: (Specify) 
School Name: (Specify) 
Control or Treatment School: (Specify) 
Hello. My name is __________________ and I am helping to conduct the baseline evaluation of 
the Keun Faaba III program implemented by CRS. I am working with TKG, a company 
commissioned by CRS. We are doing a study and we would like you to participate. I would like 
to ask you some questions about your children. This information will help us map out and 
adjust CRS's planned activities to improve education services, provide more food and medicine, 
and improve health and hygiene. The survey normally takes 20-30 minutes. The information 
you give us will be kept strictly confidential and will not be shown to others. Your identity will 
not be linked to your answers. Your participation is voluntary and you may choose not to 
answer some or all of the questions. Your participation in future CRS programs is not 
dependent on your responses to this survey. However, we hope you will participate in this 
survey because your opinion is important. 
The responses you provide will be kept for the life of the project, which is 5 years.
NB: Offer to provide the respondent with CRS contacts if they wish 
Now, do you have any questions about the survey? [Allow time for questions and answers as 
needed]. 
If you have any other questions, you can direct them to Mr. Maiga Ousmane, the Project 
Director, who can be reached at 66235819.
Do you give me permission to continue the interview? Yes / No 
137
 
Nº Question Answer
1. Characteristics of the parent
100 What language do you primarily speak at 
home?
• Français
• Dendi 
• Bariba
• Peulh 
• Boo 
• Mokole
• Other
101 Gender (look at the parent and check) ● Male
● Female
102 How old are you? 
[NB: put 99 if the person does not want to 
answer]
_______ years
103 How many people live with you, including 
yourself? 
(NB: put 99 if the person does not want to 
answer)
______ people
104 What is your speaking level in French? • I speak fluently 
• I understand and speak fairly well
• I understand and speak a little 
• I understand a little but do not speak 
• I do not speak French 
• Don't know / No response
105 What is your reading level in French? • I can read perfectly 
• I can read fairly well 
• I can read a little 
• I can't read 
• Don't know / No 
response
106 If not, is there another person in your family 
(living with you) who reads French fluently?
• Yes 
• No 
• o Don't know / no response
138
107 What is your level of education? ● None 
● Primary 
● Cycle 1 secondary 
● Cycle 2 secondary 
● Cycle 1 Superior 
● Upper cycle 2 
● Literate 
● Other 
● Don't know / No response 
108 What is your main occupation? ● Unemployed 
● Housewife 
● Agricultural labourer 
● Landowner 
● Labourer 
● Merchant / Shopkeeper 
● Office worker 
● Artisan: Weaver, blacksmith, 
hairdresser... 
● Retired 
● Other 
● Don't know / No response 
109 Are you a member of a parent-teacher 
association or a mother-teacher association?
• APE 
• AME 
• None of the above
2. Characteristics of the children
201 How many girls do you have? 
(NB: put 99 if the person does not want to 
answer)
______ girls
202 [Q201 > 0] 
How many girls are enrolled in this elementary 
school (or group)?
______ girls
203 [Q201 > 0] 
What grade are they in?
• - Kindergarten 
• - Introductory Course (IC) 
• - Preparatory Course (CP) 
• - Elementary 1 
• - 2ND GRADE 
• - CM1 
• - 5TH GRADE
139
204 [Q201 > 0] 
How would you rate your daughters' academic 
performance?
● Very good 
● Good 
● Fair 
● Poor 
● Very Poor
205 How many boys do you have? 
(NB: put 99 if the person does not want to 
answer) 
______ boys
206 [Q205 > 0] 
How many boys are enrolled in this 
elementary school (or group)? 
______ boys
207 [Q205 > 0] 
What grade are they in? 
● Kindergarten 
● Introductory Course (IC) 
● Preparatory Course (CP) 
● Elementary 1 
● 2ND GRADE 
● CM1 
● 5TH GRADE 
208 [Q201 > 0] 
How would you rate your sons’ academic 
performance?
● Very good 
● Good 
● Fair 
● Poor 
● Very Poor
3. Hygiene - Health practices
301 How many times a day does your youngest 
child wash his or her hands? 
● 6 or more times 
● 3 to 5 times 
● 1 to 2 times 
● Never 
● Don't know / No response 
302 When does your youngest child in school wash 
his/her hands? (Check all that apply) 
 
(NB: Do not give answers - be sure to ask if 
they know of any other answers; aftr a 
response is provided, ask – any more?) 
• -After defecation 
• - Before eating 
• - After eating 
• - After cleaning the latrine 
• - After working in the fields 
• - Never 
• - Don't know / No response 
• - Other, specify: _________ 
140
303 What your youngest child in school use to 
wash their hands? 
 
(NB: Do not give answers - be sure to ask if 
they know of any other answers). 
• - Soap 
• - Dishwashing liquid 
• - Ash 
• - Lemon leaves 
• - Do not wash hands 
• - Don't know / No response 
• - Other, specify: _________ 
304 Does your youngest child in school know if the 
water is safe to drink or not?
● Yes 
● No 
● Don't know / No 
response
305 When they are not at school, where do your 
children defecate? 
 
[NB: If more than one child, ask for the 
youngest child in school]. 
•
• - In the latrine of my house 
• - In the latrine at school 
• - In the latrine shared with my neighbour 
• - In a community latrine 
• - In a potty 
• - In the yard of my house 
• - In the bush 
• - In the garden 
• - Don't know / No response 
• - Other, specify: _________ 
4. Questions relevant to future Programming
401 Do you think school lunchrooms can help 
reduce hunger? 
o Yes, very much 
o Yes, to some level 
o No, not really 
o No, not at all
o Don't know / No response
402 If radio programs and booklets to improve 
education and use of hygiene practices would 
be available, would your children use and 
benefit from them? 
o Yes, very much 
o Yes, to some level 
o No, not really 
o No, not at all
o Don't know / No response
o Other (specify) _____________
404 Is teacher absenteeism a recurring problem in 
your children's school?
o Yes, very much 
o Yes, to some level 
o No, not really 
o No, not at all
141
o Don't know / No response
405 [Q404 = Yes] 
What are the main reasons for teacher 
absenteeism? 
 
[NB: Do not give answers] 
● - Strike 
● - Illness (of self) 
● - Illness of family member 
● - Administrative reason (going to the 
bank, looking for administrative papers, 
etc.) 
● - Training 
● - Work meeting 
● - Party (extension) 
● - Ceremony (funeral, birth, wedding) 
● - Transportation problem 
● - Lack of motivation 
● - Work too hard 
● - Don't know / No response 
● - Other, please specify: _________ 
406 Do you think that certificates of achievement 
given to diligent teachers can be an effective 
measure to reduce teacher absences? 
o Yes, very much 
o Yes, to some level 
o No, not really 
o No, not at all
o Don't know / No response
407 Do you think that the involvement of the PTA 
and MEA can be an effective method to 
reduce absenteeism? 
o Yes, very much 
o Yes, to some level 
o No, not really 
o No, not at all
o Don't know / No response
408 What methods do you suggest for reducing 
teacher absenteeism? 
[NB: Do not give answers] 
•
● - Increase salaries 
● - Implement a penalty system 
● - Reduce staffing levels 
● - Improve the assignment system 
● - Don't know / No response 
● - Other, please specify: _________ 
5. Importance of education
501 How important is your boys' school education 
to you?
•
o Very important 
o Important 
o Not very important 
o Not at all important
142
o Don't know / No response
502 How important is the school education of your 
daughters to you?
o Very important 
o Important
o Not very important 
o Not at all important 
o Don't know / No response
What are some of the benefits your children’s 
education can bring? If the school education 
for your children are important to you, what 
are the reasons for this?
[NB: when one benefit is noted, ask – what 
else? Until the interviewee cannot think of 
any other benefits. Important: do not give any 
suggestions]
 
1. (Specify) _________
2. (Specify) ________
3. (Specify) ________
4. (Specify) ________
5. (Specify) ________
6. …………
6. Involvement in school life
601 Do you (or other family members) tell stories 
to your children? 
[NB: Whatever the language]. 
● Yes 
● No 
● Don't know / No response 
602 [Q601 = Yes] 
How often? 
● Every day 
● 2-3 times a week
● Once a week
● A few times a month
● Don't know / No response
Do you (or other family members) monitor 
how well your children are doing in school?
● Yes 
● No 
● Don't know / No response
603 Do you (or other family members) help your 
children with their homework?
• Yes 
• No 
• Don't know
604 If so, for what types of homework or school 
activities do you (or other family members) 
help with?
• - Reading letters 
• - Reading words 
• - Reading a text 
• - Mathematics 
• - Reciting lessons 
• - Help with homework 
• - Other, specify: _________ 
143
605 [Q604 = No] 
Why not? 
NB: Do not give answers]
 
• - Parents are not interested in school 
• - Parents feel it is not their role 
• - Parents don't have the time 
• - Parents don't think it's useful 
• - Parents don't know how to help them 
• - Parents don't speak French well 
enough
• - Parents cannot read 
• - Other, specify: _________ 
606 Have you personally done any reading 
activities with your children in the last 7 days 
(one week)?
● Yes 
● No 
● Don't know / No response 
607 Has anyone else in your household done any 
reading activities with your children in the last 
7 days (one week)?
● Yes 
● No 
Don't know / No response
608 Have your children ever received help from 
anyone with homework or reading? If so, from 
whom?
• - Yes, a family member 
• - Yes, a parent-organized support group 
• - Yes, a personal tutor/repeater (paid) 
• - Yes, study group (paid) 
• - Yes, other specify 
• -No 
• - Don't know / No response 
7. Involvement in future project activities
711 If offered, which of the following activities 
would you be interested to be personally 
involved with? 
[NB: List options, and for each, ask for a 
response:
• Yes (Y)
• No (N)
• Not sure/Don’t know 
(NA)
• School Kitchen-Canteen Y/N/NA
• Store Y/N/NA
• Garden cultivation Y/N/NA
• Community farm Y/N/NA
• Hygiene Committee / Club Y/N/NA 
• Construction / Repair of classrooms Y/N/NA
• Construction / Repair of latrines Y/N/NA
• Reading events Y/N/NA 
• PAPTAC Y/N/NA
• Library Y/N/NA
• School support (homework help) Y/N/NA
• Other, specify _______________
144
714 What would it take to encourage you and 
other parents to participate in such school￾related activities? 
 
[NB: do not give answers] 
• - Giving meals to working parents 
• - Donate food to working parents 
• active 
• - Provide more training for parents 
• - Improve collaboration between 
teachers and parents 
• - Give parents more information about 
activities 
• - Ask parents to be more active 
• - Raise parents' awareness of the 
importance of school 
• - Pay volunteers 
• - Don't know / No response 
• - Other, specify ___________ 
8. Socio-economic
801 What type of flooring do you have in your 
home? 
 
[NB: List options] 
• Earth 
• Wood 
• Cement or tiles 
• Don't know / No response 
802 What do you cook with in your home? 
 
[NB: List options]
o Wood that you collect 
o Wood or coal you buy 
o Gas 
o Electricity 
o Don't know / No response 
803 Do you have a radio in your home? o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No response 
804 Do you have a television in your home? o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No response 
805 Does anyone in your family have a cell phone? o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No response 
9. Comments
901 Do you have any comments?
902 Interviewee comments (e.g., problems, clarifications, feedback):
145
Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this survey
End of the Survey
5.2.6. Tool 3: Student Anthropometric Questionnaire
This section must be completed by the interviewer 
Date: (DD-MM-YYYY) 
Interviewer Name: (Specify) 
Enumerator Number: (Specify) 
Department: (Specify) 
City: (Specify) 
Unique School ID Number: (Specify) 
School Name: (Specify) 
Control or Treatment School: (Specify)
 
 
Hello, my name is .................................. and I am part of a research team that is 
assessing the percentage of students’ anthropometric measurement and nutrition 
practices in the Keun Faaba project schools. The study will ask you 46 questions, which 
you must answer Yes, No, True or False, and I will ask you some questions about your 
habits and also ask you to step on the scale so I can record your weight, please. Your 
answers will be strictly confidential and will not be shared with anyone. 
Again, you do not have to participate if you do not want to. If you come up with a 
question you'd rather not answer, that's okay, we can skip it. 
Do you have any questions? [Allow time for questions and answers as needed] Are 
you willing to participate? Can we start? 
No Question Answer 
146
1. Student’s Characteristics
100 What language do you speak most often 
at home? 
o Français 
o Dendi 
o Bariba oPeulh 
o Boo oMokole
o Other
101 How old are you? ______ 
102 Gender (look at the child and check) o Male
o Female 
103 The child’s weight (kg)?
 
NB: Weigh the child without shoes on and 
heavy items that may adjust the results
Please enter a decimal number, for 
example, 63.2kg
103 What class are you in? o Ce2 o Cm1 cm2 o 
C
m
2 
104 Does the child demonstrate the use of 
the new child health and nutrition 
practice for the USDA assistance?
o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No 
answer
No Question Answer 
200 Did you eat today before coming to 
school?
o o Yes 
o o No 
o o Don't know / No answer 
202 Do you wake up early enough to eat 
breakfast at home?
o o Yes 
o o No 
o o Don't know / No answer
203
Do you bring lunch to school?
o o Yes 
o o No 
o o Don't know / No answer
204
Who makes your breakfast in the 
morning?
● Mom
● dad 
● sibling
● Guardian
147
● Don’t know/no answer
205
Do you eat vegetables?
o o Yes 
o o No 
o o Don't know / No 
answer 
206
Do you eat fruits?
o o Yes 
o o No 
o o Don't know / No 
answer 
207
How many meals did you have yesterday? 
● - I did not eat 
● - I had 1 meal 
● - I ate 2 meals 
● - I ate 3 or more 
meals
● - Don't know / No 
answer 
208
Who prepared your meals yesterday? 
Mum
dad 
Caregiver
Don't know/ no answer
209
Have you been hungry in the previous 
week because you missed a meal?
 
o o Yes 
o o No 
o o Don't know / No answer
210
Are you supposed to eat three meals 
every day?
o True o False
o Don't know / No answer
211
Do you wash your hands before 
eating? 
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Snacks 
o o Yes 
o o No 
o o Don't know / No answer
148
[NB ask for the yes/no for each meal 
above 
212 Did you eat yesterday during recess? 
[NB or the last day you came to school].
o o Yes 
o o No 
o o Don't know / No answer
213 Do you ever receive meals to take home? o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No answer
3. Nutrition knowledge test
300 Is this the food group?
[NB show the child the image to identity if 
true or false
o True o False
o Don't know / No answer
301 
Does eating fruits and vegetables 
everyday keep your body healthy?
o True o False
o Don't know / No answer
302
Is eating some fats and oils important to 
give you energy and your body to build 
muscle?
 
o True o False
o Don't know / No answer
303 Could eating too much fat make you sick 
and overweight?
o True o False
o Don't know / No answer
149
304 A diet containing only bread, rice and corn 
is balanced
o True o False
o Don't know / No answer
305 It is sufficient to wash the canister 
containing the drinking water once a year.
o True o False
o Don't know / No answer
306 Could eating lots of sugar rot your teeth 
and make you fat?
o True o False
o Don't know / No answer
307 Does eating lots of fibre help you go to the 
toilet and prevent you from getting sick? 
o True o False
o Don't know / No answer
308 Does eating a lot of protein help you build 
muscles?
o True o False 
o Don't know / No answer
309 
Do cereals and milk strengthen your bones 
and are good for your teeth?
o True o False 
o Don't know / No answer
310
Eating meals gives you energy to 
participate at school and other activities?
o True o False 
o Don't know / No answer
311
If you skip meals, do you feel tired in 
class?
o True o False 
o Don't know / No answer
No Question Answer
4. Food 
No Question Answer 
400 Are Grains, roots and tubers starchy 
foods? 
 
NB: Bread, Rice, Pasta, Maize, Masa, Paté, 
other grain-based food, Potato, Tarot, 
white potatoes, white yams, cassava, or 
other tubers
o Yes
o No 
o Don't know / No answer
150
401 Are legumes and nuts protein rich foods? 
 
NB: Foods made from beans, peas, lentils, 
or nuts (including Alélé/Toubani)
o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No answer
402 Are milk and foura dairy foods? 
 
NB: milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, foura
o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No answer
403 Are fresh foods (meat, fish, poultry and 
liver/offal) protein foods? 
 
NB: Liver, kidney, heart, other offal or 
meat from animal organs; meat, such as 
beef, pork, lamb, goat, chicken or duck; 
fresh or dried fish or shellfish; snails, 
insects, or other small protein-containing 
foods
o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No answer
404 Are Eggs a dairy food? o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No answer
405 Could you get vitamin A from fruits and 
vegetables? 
 
NB: Carrots or sweet potatoes that are 
yellow or orange inside, mangoes, ripe 
papayas, watermelons 
Dark green leafy vegetables (any of them: 
Lettuce or lettuce, cabbage, green beans, 
spinach, horsehair, baobab leaf, okra, 
afonu. Foods prepared with red palm oil, 
palm nut oil, or palm nut pulp
o Yes 
o No 
o Don't know / No answer
6. Socio-economic
No Question Answer
151
Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this survey.
End of the survey 
5.2.7. Tool 4: Teacher Questionnaire
This section will be completed by the interviewer 
Date: (DD-MM-YYYY), Start time (00:00), End Time (00:00)
Interviewer’s Name: (Specify) 
Enumerator Number: (Specify)
Department: (Specify) 
City: (Specify) 
Unique School ID Number: (Specify) 
School Name: (Specify) 
Control or Treatment School: (Specify) 
Hello. My name is __________________ and I am a staff of The Khana Group. I am helping to 
conduct a study in preparation for a project that will be implemented in this region by CRS. This 
project, called Keun Faaba III, will work to improve the literacy skills, health, and nutrition of 
students in this community. This is the 3rd phase of this project, so you may have heard about it 
before, as it was previously implemented in other communities in this department. 
I am working with TKG, a company commissioned by CRS. We would like to ask you to 
participate in this study by answering a few questions about yourself and the school you work 
in. The survey normally takes 20-30 minutes. The information you give us will be kept strictly 
confidential and will not be shown to others. Your identity will not be linked to your answers. 
Your participation is voluntary, and you may choose not to answer some or all the questions. 
Your participation in future CRS programs is not dependent on your responses to this survey. 
NB: Offer to provide the respondent with CRS contacts if they wish 
Do you have any questions about the survey? [Allow time for questions and answers as 
needed]. 
Data collected through this interview will be kept for the life of the project, i.e., 5 years.
If you need further information, you could reach out Mr. Ousmane Maiga (+229 66235819), the 
Chief of Party of the Keun Faaba III project.
Do you give me permission to continue the interview? Yes / No 
 
152
No Question Answer
1. Teacher Characteristics
101 Gender (look at the teacher and check) ● Male
● Female 
102 How old are you? 
[NB: put 99 if the person does not want 
to answer and 98 if they do not know].
_______ years
103 For how many years have you been 
teaching? 
_______ years
104 For how many years have you been 
teaching at this school?
_______ years
105 What is the highest class you have 
attended? 
● 6th 
grade
● 5th 
grade
● 4th 
grade
● 3rd 
grade 
● Grade 2
● Grade 1
● Grade 
12
● Universit
y 
● Other
106 What is the highest academic degree 
you have earned?
● CEP 
● BEPC 
● CAP (technical high school) 
● BAC, DEAT o DEUG, DUES 
● Licence o Maitrise 
● Master/DEA o Other
107 What is the highest professional degree 
you have earned?
● None
● CEAP 
● CAP
153
● Other 
108 What is your employment status? ● APE (Permanent Agent) 
● ACE (Contract Agent) 
● Aspirant 
● Community-based 
● Contracted by an external structure 
● Intern 
● Volunteer 
● Other, specify _________
 2. Teacher's training
201 What class(es) do you teach? • Kindergarten 
• Introductory Course (IC) 
• Preparatory Course (CP) 
• Elementary 1 
• 2ND GRADE 
• CM1 
• 5TH GRADE
202 How many boys/girls are in your class? 
[NB: If more than one class, indicate the total]
____Boys
____Girls 
203 How would you rate your students’ overall 
academic performance?
• Very good 
• Good 
• Fair 
• Poor 
• Very Poor
204 How would you rate your students’ literacy 
performance?
• Very good 
• Good 
• Fair 
• Poor 
• Very Poor
205 Has anyDo teachers in your school receive 
training on improved teaching techniques?
• Yes, regularly
• Yes, 
sometimes 
• No
• Don’t 
know/no response
154
205i (If yes on the above question)
Who provides the training
• The 
Government
• Others 
(Specity)
206 [If YES on the above question]
How is the quality of the training you receive? 
• Excellent
• Good
• Satisfactory
• Not that 
good
• Poor
207 [If YES on the above question]
Do you use in your classes any of the 
techniques and tools you learned in trainings? 
• Yes
• To some level
• No
• Don’t 
know/no response
208 [If YES on the above question]
Did the training you receive helped improve 
student literacy? 
• Yes
• To some level
• No
• Don’t 
know/no response
209i Do you always use the national literacy 
curriculum and other approved materials for 
teaching literacy classes
• Yes
• To some level
• No
• Don’t 
know/no response
209
b
(If yes or to some extent)
In the recent school quarter, have you been 
using the government approved literacy 
curriculum for teaching your students?
• Yes
• To some level
• No
• Don’t 
know/no response
209
c
If yes, how closely do you follow this 
curriculum? 
• All the time
• Most of the 
time.
• Sometimes
• I do not use 
this curriculum
• Don't know
• Refused
155
209
d 
(If no to 209)
Why not? (Open ended)
•
209i
i 
{If yes or to some level to the 209i question)
Can you show me the curriculum and these 
materials 
• Showed the 
national curriculum and 
other materials
• Showed 
other materials alone
• Showed only 
the nationa
 XX. Teacher's Absentees
211 In the last quarter, did you ever miss classes 
for any reason?How many days of teaching 
did you miss (absent) in the most recent 
quarter of school?
• Less than 6 
• Between 6 and 15 
• More than 15 
• Don't know/No 
response
• Yes
• No
• Don’t know/no response
211i
i 
{If yes to the above question}
How many days of teaching did you miss 
(absent) in the most recent quarter of school?
• Less than 6 
• Between 6 and 15 
• More than 15 
• Don't know/No 
response
212 For what reasons were you absent? 
 
[NB: Do not give answers] 
• - Strike 
• - Illness (of self) 
• - Illness of family member 
• - Administrative reason (going to the 
bank, looking for administrative papers, 
etc.) 
• - Training 
• - Work meeting 
• - Party (extension) 
• - Ceremony (funeral, birth, wedding) 
• - Transportation problem 
• - Lack of motivation 
• - Work too hard 
• - Lack of professional awareness 
• - Lack of love for the job 
156
• - Geographical mobility (during a 
certain season the track is not 
accessible, water flooding) 
• - Other, specify ___________ 
• - Don't know / No response
213 Do you think that certificates of achievement 
given to diligent teachers can be an effective 
measure to reduce teacher absences?
• Yes
• To some level
• No 
Don't know/No response 
214 Do you think that the involvement of the PTA 
or the AME in the monitoring of teachers' 
attendance can reduce their absences?
• Yes
• To some level
• No 
Don't know/No response 
215 What should be put in place to reduce your 
absences or those of your colleagues?
• - Increase salaries 
• - Implement a penalty system 
• - Reduce class sizes 
• - Improve the assignment system 
• - Review the state of the roads 
• - Provide appropriate documents for 
lesson preparation sheets/preparation 
time at home is too long) 
• - Facilitate access to transportation for 
teachers 
• - Other, specify ___________ 
• - Don't know / No response
XX. Parent Involvement 
157
Do you feel that your students’ parents 
understand the importance of the education 
their children are receiving at school? 
• Yes, very much
• Yes, to some level
• Not very much
• Not at all
• Don’t know/ no response
What are the main benefits parents see in 
their children’s’ education? 
1. (Specify)
2. (Specify) 
3. (Specify) 
4. (Specify) 
5. . . . . . .
Can you estimate how many of your students
parents spend time with on school-related 
activities such as homework and reading 
stories AT LEAST ONES A WEEK?
● Almost all parents
● Most parents
● About a half of 
parents
● A small portion the parents
● Only a few parents
● Don't know/no response
If so, for what types of activities? ● - Reading letters 
● - Reading words 
● - Reading a text 
● - Mathematics 
● - Reciting lessons 
● - Help with homework 
● - Other, specify: _________ 
What are the main reasons parents don’t 
spend time with children on homework or 
reading? 
NB: Do not give answers]
 
● Parents are not interested in school 
● - Parents feel it is not their role 
● - Parents don't have the time 
● - Parents don't think it's useful 
● - Parents don't know how to help them 
● - Parents don't speak French well 
enough
● - Parents cannot read 
● - Other, specify: _________ 
4. Nutrition, Libraries
158
Are there any feeding programs currently at 
your school?
o Yes, regularly
o Yes, sometimes
o No
o Don’t know
401 Do you think that having school canteen will 
help reduce hunger?
o Yes, very much
o Yes, to some level
o Not really
o Not at all
o Don’t know
402 Do you think that having school canteen will 
help children become more attentive in 
classes?
o Yes, very much
o Yes, to some level
o Not really
o Not at all
o Don’t know
o
Is there a library at your school? • Yes
• No
• Don’t know
Does the school’s PTA/AME, or any other 
organization distribute books in your school? 
• Yes
• No
• Don’t know
Do you think that if students have better 
access to books, they will read more? 
• Yes, very much
• Yes, to some level
• Not very much
• Very little
• Don’t know
5. Health, hygiene
159
501 Consider the following hygiene practices: hand 
washing, use of soap, wash what you eat, use of 
latrines.
How many of these practices do you think your 
students know about, and understand their 
important to their health? 
● Almost all of the practices
● Most of the practices 
● About half of the practices 
● A small portion of the practices 
● Only a few of the practices 
● Don't know/no response
502 How many of these practices do you think your 
students practice ?
● Almost all of the practices
● Most of the practices 
● About half of the practices 
● A small portion of the practices 
● Only a few of the practices 
● Don't know/no 
response
503 
Why don’t your student practice hygiene 
practices? 
[NB: Do not give answers]
• They don't know them
• They are not interested 
• They think it is useless 
• They don't have access to water 
• They don't have access to soap/ash 
• They are not aware of the risks 
• They are too young 
• Other, specify ___________ 
• Don't know / No response
Do girls in your school receive training, 
information, or other support on hygiene 
practices during menstrual cycles?
• Informative sessions/days
• Written materials
• Mentoring
• Distribution of hygiene pads
• Special latrines
• Other (specify) _____
• Don’t know/no response
7. Comments
701 Do you have any comments?
702 Interviewer comments (e.g., problems, clarifications, feedback):
Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this survey. 
End of the survey
160