Background to the evaluation
Sapler (Splendidly Alive People with Limited Environmental Resources) is a non-governmental organisation working in the field of family planning and AIDS prevention. It has been involved in a number of projects, but is currently most active in the ‘pioneer’ programme in the Winterveldt area north of Pretoria. Pioneers are young people recruited from the community, given basic training and placed at schools to provide safe sexuality education.
This model of teaching, which evolved organically in the course of Sapler’s work in Winterveldt, is believed to be effective because pioneers can engage learners with the reality of their lives and the importance of making informed choices.
Sapler has various system of ongoing evaluation and monitoring in place, for example requiring that pioneers submit regular reports, and that Guidance Counsellors at schools oversee their work. Regular reports are also submitted by the organisation itself to donors.
The perception within Sapler and among those working closely with the organisation has been that the pioneer project has been effective and should be extended to a far larger area. However, it was realised that that an independent review of the project was needed, both to reveal possible areas of difficulty overlooked by Sapler staff and to facilitate expansion of the programme should the review prove positive.
The Unisa Institute for Social and Health Sciences, which has extensive experience in community based work and in academic research, was accordingly approached to produce this independent evaluation report.