1. Executive Summary Overview of the Intervention
Kasungu District, like many in Malawi, faces high poverty, weak infrastructure, and limited access to education and clean water. According to the Government of Malawi, the district has a high secondary school dropout rate, driven by factors such as financial challenges, long travel distances to schools, poor sanitation, and cultural practices, including gender roles and responsibilities that disproportionately affect women and girls. Household duties, such as fetching water and maintaining hygiene, often cause them to miss school and other livelihood opportunities.
The Sonder Project’ s mission is to empower communities through high-impact, sustainable development. It addresses poverty on two interconnected fronts: Education and Water, Sanitation and Health( WASH). The Education Is Power( EIP) Project provides scholarships and other support to female and male students. The WASH Project installs boreholes and solarpowered water systems to improve access to clean water. By linking education and water access, The Sonder Project aims to strengthen long-term community resilience and development.
Key Evaluation Questions
The evaluation examined five dimensions: Impact, Relevance, Effectiveness, Sustainability, and Theory of Change. Questions explored academic performance and access to clean water; barriers and enablers to these outcomes; effects on different groups within schools and communities; and positive or negative unintended consequences of the interventions.
Methodology
A mixed-methods design assessed the effectiveness and impact of the EIP and WASH interventions, with the goal of producing actionable recommendations for programme improvement and scale-up. Primary and secondary data were used; the former was collected in April 2025 through Key Informant Interviews( KIIs), Focus Group Discussions( FGDs), and student surveys.
Major Findings
The EIP project was found to be highly valued and impactful. Ninety-five percent of EIP students reported improved academic performance as a result of The Sonder Project’ s support, with all linking this to new or potential academic opportunities. Students rated financial support as most important, followed by school attire and accessories. All reported improved attendance and engagement, with over half attributing this to a better learning environment, including material and emotional support, and nearly half citing reduced financial stress. Ninety-five percent reported stronger motivation to contribute to community development through education. Feedback on the EIP camp was consistently positive.
Half of the students described their guardians as highly involved in the project, and nearly all said guardian support and engagement had increased since joining EIP.
For the WASH project, respondents confirmed sustained operational functionality across all visited communities. Community-led inspection logs and maintenance records were available and up-to-date, and participants credited the community-driven financial model with underpinning the resilience of the systems.
Before the intervention, water collection often required several hours of walking; now, it typically takes about 15 minutes a day. This has freed time for other activities, increased school attendance( particularly among adolescent girls) and, in some areas, enabled the creation of
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