Re-Assessing the first wave of Community Empowerment Programs in India 3 years after completion: long-term impact and learnings
Building sustainable change in mica-producing communities
In January 2022, the Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI) ended its first wave of Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in 40 villages in India, meant to address the structural causes of vulnerability and child labor in mica-producing areas. Designed as an integrated, community-based three-year intervention, the CEP program aims to strengthen household resilience, diversify livelihoods, increase access to quality education and reduce the economic pressures that contribute to child labor in the mica supply chain.
Three years after the conclusion of the first CEP, the RMI commissioned a long-term impact assessment to understand whether observed changes in livelihoods, education, health, social protection, and community dynamics were sustained over time. The evaluation, conducted in 32 villages and covering 252 households, provides strong evidence that many of CEP’s impacts have not only endured but, in some areas, strengthened.
The results provide critical evidence to guide future programming and reinforce the role of community empowerment as a cornerstone of responsible mica sourcing.
The foundations of our Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in India
Child labor in mica-producing regions is closely linked to poverty, informality, and limited access to public services, including education facilities. Addressing these challenges requires more than short-term remediation – it demands long-term investment in community resilience.
The CEP was built around four interconnected pillars, implemented over a three-year period:
- Social security and rights access
- Livelihood diversification and improvement
- Health and nutrition improvement
- Education access and child protection
By addressing these dimensions simultaneously, the program aimed to create reinforcing effects at household and community level, supporting sustainable change beyond the program period.
Evaluating long-term impact: a three-year perspective
Unlike endline evaluations conducted immediately after implementation, this assessment conducted by Improve and DAI Research & Advisory Services focused on long-term outcomes. Conducted three years after the CEP’s conclusion, it examined whether benefits and changes in behaviors, perceptions and overall quality of life persisted once direct program support had ended.
The evaluation used a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data to analyze results related to the four pillars mentioned above.
The evaluation used a stratified random sample to ensure proportional representation of all 32 program villages. A total of 252 household heads were surveyed, with 76% having participated in the 2022 endline survey, enabling longitudinal comparison. The sample achieved a 5.93% margin of error, ensuring representativeness.
In addition, 179 children aged 6–14 years (around 50% of children in surveyed households) participated in literacy and numeracy assessments. The qualitative component included eight focus group discussions with 79 participants, comprising village leaders, teachers, Anganwadi workers, community volunteers, and program coordinators.
Key outcomes of the Community Empowerment Program: Long term impact evaluation
Strengthened social security and household resilience
The assessment shows that access to social security schemes remains high and sustained three years after program completion: 95% of participating households are still linked to at least one additional form of social security 3 years after the program.
These linkages continue to demonstrate tangible effects: 98% of households declare that these have helped them reduce household expenses, with perceptions of financial impact even more positive in 2025 than at program end.
Qualitative findings indicate a lasting change in behavior, with households now independently navigating administrative processes and accessing services without external support. This increased ability to navigate social security systems contributed to reduced vulnerability and improved resilience in the face of economic shocks.
Livelihood
The share of households relying on mica picking as their primary income source declined from 45% at baseline to 31% at program end (2022) and further to just 8% three years later (2025). While external factors no doubt contributed to this trend, CEP-supported training and asset provision played a role in enabling alternative income sources.
Households that received training or productive assets during the CEP program, were significantly more likely to have a secondary source of income (79% vs. 62% for training; 75% vs. 58% for assets).
Overall income levels improved over time, with 68% of households reporting an improved financial situation in 2025, compared to 46% at program end (2022), indicating continued livelihood gains beyond the intervention period.
Health and nutrition: foundations for long-term wellbeing
Health and nutrition practices introduced during the program have been largely sustained three years after completion. In 2025, no household reported maintaining none of the promoted preventive health behaviors, and 27% had adopted all seven behaviors, including vaccination, antenatal and postnatal care, safe water use, handwashing, and dietary diversity. Participation in health camps remained strongly associated with the adoption of multiple preventive practices.
Health outcomes improved over time: the share of households reporting at least one health issue declined from 43% at program end to 16% three years later (2025). Qualitative findings also indicate lasting improvements in hygiene, nutrition awareness, and access to public health services, contributing to better overall household health and reduced illness.
Education and child protection
Education outcomes show strong and sustained improvements three years after program completion. Parents’ perception of schooling as “very important” increased from 74% at program end to 94% in 2025, alongside higher attendance and engagement among children. Community-based education initiatives, particularly Bal Manch activities and scholarships, were widely cited as key drivers in reducing dropouts and child labor. Learning outcomes remain exceptional. In 2025, 59% of children could read a story, compared to 36% at program end, and 59% could solve division problems, up from 29% in 2022 – results that exceed both national and Jharkhand or Bihar states averages. These findings indicate that CEP-supported improvements in learning were not only maintained but strengthened over time.
Higher school attendance also had a positive incidence on child labor and child marriage, both observed as decreasing. Child labor continued to decrease between 2022 (4%) and 2025 (2%), with a lower incidence of mica picking: whereas in 2022 58% of working children were engaging in mica picking, it applied to only 18% of working children in 2025.
Exogenous drivers of change
The observed positive changes reflect a combination of CEP contributions and broader contextual factors, including regulatory and market dynamics associated with illegal mica mining and complementary interventions implemented after the CEP, underscoring the importance of interpreting impacts within a dynamic and evolving socio-economic environment. Notably, while the sharp decline in reliance on mica picking as a primary source of income, as well as the strong improvements in educational outcomes, are significant, they cannot be fully attributed to the CEP alone.
Key learnings from this first CEP
Overall, households report improved resilience and quality of life, with greater confidence in their ability to cope with economic and health-related shocks. Around 40% of households indicate that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their quality of life, reflecting increased financial stability and a higher number of earning members within households. These improvements are accompanied by sustained changes in behaviors and perceptions, including continued engagement in education, health, social protection, and community activities. Community participation and social cohesion have also been strengthened through ongoing involvement in Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Kisan Clubs (Farmers’ Clubs), School Management Committees (SMCs), and Bal Manch structures.
At the same time, the assessment highlights several challenges to long-term sustainability. Momentum has declined for some group-based activities and technical practices following program completion, particularly where volunteers and facilitators are no longer active. In addition, gaps remain in the follow-up of certain farming, nutrition, and preventive health practices, limiting their continued adoption over time.
To address these challenges and sustain impact, the assessment recommends the introduction of light post-program support mechanisms. These include ongoing mentoring and periodic follow-ups, particularly for health and nutrition practices, as well as the designation of focal points to support and motivate remaining volunteers. Further recommendations emphasize the need to reinforce community-based structures, including reactivating Bal Manch and child-focused activities at least twice a year, and facilitating peer learning across villages to encourage the exchange of good practices. Where relevant, targeted material and technical support – such as irrigation pumps, seeds, vocational tools, equipment for Jan Suvidha Kendras (common citizen-centric services centers), scholarships to support continued school attendance, and improved hygiene infrastructure in schools – would help consolidate gains. Finally, the assessment underscores the importance of addressing emerging and unmet needs, including reviewing access to specific social protection schemes and exploring responses to new social challenges, notably alcohol and drug addiction.
