Evaluation of Enabel’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Main Lessons Learned

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the COVID-19 epidemic as a pandemic, and called on governments to urgently put in place preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus. The containment measures put in place in countries around the world have severely restricted the movement of people and goods, both internationally and within countries. In Africa in particular, schools and markets have been closed in most countries. While these measures were primarily aimed at containing the spread of the virus, they have had adverse effects on education, the economy, food security, gender-based violence and the health sector. 

In addition, in most partner countries the number of beds in intensive care units with ventilators and the availability of oxygen therapy is very limited. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is essential to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus between healthcare workers and patients, but its availability is also limited. Water and sanitation play a key role in reducing the risk of transmission of the virus, but in many countries access to clean water is a challenge.

It is in this context that Enabel, the Belgian development agency, has adapted its interventions, either to provide direct support to the health crisis caused by COVID-19, or to mitigate the impact of indirect effects. 

The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to multiple adaptations of operating modalities, interventions and innovations. In this context, Enabel’s internal evaluation department has initiated a real-time evaluation (covering the period from March to August 2020) of Enabel’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this evaluation is to document the response in real time and understand HOW and WHY this response is taking place. The evaluation helps to understand the decision-making mechanisms during the crisis, gives an appreciation of Enabel’s agility and capacity for innovation in times of crisis, and highlights what worked well and what needs improvement, what facilitated the response or, on the contrary, what constraints and challenges were encountered and how these were overcome.

This document presents the main lessons learned from the evaluation of Enabel’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is based on the overall analysis report of the evaluation as well as the case study reports (Niger, DRC and Benin).