Measuring Impact

Our goal is for Harpswell graduates to someday become leaders of their countries, closely connected with each other and with other committed women to work to transform their societies. This is our Theory of Change. Harpswell alumnae are already well on their way to achieving this goal. It may be 20 years or more before we can truly evaluate Harpswell’s success and measure our impact. But in the short term, we know that our graduates are succeeding. In 2016, we began a longitudinal process of annual measurement and evaluation of our programs.

Measurement & Evaluation

In 2016, Board Member and former Leadership Resident Clara Péron and her Berlin-based consulting firm, Value for Good, created a monitoring and evaluation framework and full measurement tools for Harpswell, resulting in ongoing demographic and impact surveys from alumnae and students.

Clara and her associate Katarzyna Nalejwako summarized the initial findings, giving our leadership team a wealth of information about Harpswell’s impact, as well as plenty of data for programmatic decision-making.

of students’ mothers attended university and 0% of students’ mothers received master’s degrees

of our current students said that Harpswell has helped them to become a leader

of current students said they wish to help others, or work in the public/non profit sector

of our current students are already leaders in activities at their universities, work, or in their communities

of students and new graduates are being mentored

of current students have a GPA of B+ or higher

of alumnae have or will soon obtain graduate degrees

of alumnae received scholarships, participated in internships, and/or spent time abroad

of alumnae plan to open an organization; 3 companies, 1 NGO & 2 social enterprises have been founded by alumnae

of alumnae have encouraged other women to become independent

of alumnae are actively mentoring others

of students and new graduates said they have volunteered in their communities in the past year

Academic Achievement

For the last several years, our students have ranked first in their class at the Royal University of Law and Economics, the Royal University of Phnom Penh, and the National University of Management, three of the major universities in Cambodia. As reported by staff and parents, students show dramatic improvement in their self-confidence and public speaking ability, critical thinking skills, knowledge of national and international events, facility with computers, and English ability.

All of our graduates are employed or are studying for advanced degrees. Graduates are working as doctors, psychologists, lawyers, journalists, pharmacists, chemists, midwives, engineers, teachers, professors, government staff, bankers, architects, business entrepreneurs and NGO executives.

“Without Harpswell, I would have never become who I am today. If I stayed in my hometown, I would end up working as a farmer because that’s what my family depends on. It’s a great pleasure to be here and I will grab this opportunity and study hard every day. I also would like to study abroad if I were given the chance. Living in the dormitory has completely changed my vision of how I see the world.” – Harpswell Student