Improving the CSP’s performance and design

Lead Consultant: Ricardo Sole Arques

Evaluation of UNICEF’s Child Survival Programme in Mauritania


In collaboration with local partner BAC-santé, Dahlia has evaluated UNICEF’s Child Survival Programme (CSP) in Mauritania for the 2012-2013 period.

Context and Aims of the Evaluation

With nearly half its population living below the poverty line, Mauritania is deeply afflicted by high rates of child mortality, cyclical food insecurity and weak devolved and decentralised structures which complicate efforts by development programmes to reach the most vulnerable segments of the population.

Against this backdrop, the Evaluation aims to improve the performance and design of the country’s overarching Child Survival Programme, notably by identifying and documenting good practices and contributing to organisational learning.

The evaluation assesses UNICEF’s contribution to the integration of child rights in national policies and strategies for child survival; analyse the adequacy of the programme’s results, resources and positioning; examine the relevance, coherence and effectiveness of UNICEF’s interventions in terms of supporting national partners; and provide recommendations for the improvement of the Programme as a whole.

Ensuring benefits from promotional, preventive and curative interventions


Background of the Child Survival Programme

A component of UNICEF’s overall programme of cooperation with the Mauritanian government (2012-2016), the CSP supports the country’s National Strategy for Child Survival and aims to ensure that, by the end of 2016, children and women across the country will benefit from promotional, preventive and curative interventions in the spheres of health, nutrition, water, hygiene and sanitation, particularly in rural areas.

The Programme further entails interventions to respond to humanitarian crises – ranging from food crises to the crisis of Malian refugees – focusing particularly on strategies at the community level.

Dahlia’s partner in this evaluation, the Bureau d’Assistance et de Conseil en santé (BAC-santé) specialises in public health, with particular expertise in the evaluation of programmes and projects concerning healthcare and the fight against diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS.

Operating mainly in Mauritania, northern Africa and the sub-Saharan region, BAC-santé offers support and technical assistance in different spheres of public health, while participating in training activities and skills development across the region.