South Africa Mitigating Xenophobic Violence Activity Performance Evaluation

In 2017 Democracy International initiated a performance evaluation of USAID/South Africa’s Mitigating Xenophobic Violence (MXV) Activity. MXV targeted specific areas of the country with community-driven initiatives to counter violence, boost understanding between diverse groups of people, educate leaders on the implications of their rhetoric, and broaden research efforts into the sources of violence in South Africa.

DI conducted a performance evaluation of the program based on four primary dimensions—appropriateness, effectiveness, sustainability, and exportability. The performance evaluation was evidence-based and data-driven, usesd a comparative case study methodology, and incorporated a participatory evaluation approach that established a more comprehensive analysis of MXV in order to confirm if the program ultimately achieved its intended goal. DI used the qualitative and quantitative data collected in its performance evaluation to make recommendations that were substantive, significant, and relevant for ongoing and future USAID programming.