Features
IIRR joins ETC in Conducting a Participatory Monitoring&Evaluation Training for Prolinnova Partners
IIRR and ETC (Prolinnova Secretariat) conducted a training course on participatory monitoring and evaluation for 23 of its partners based in 2 countries in Asia (Nepal and Cambodia) and 9 countries in Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan and Tanzania). Six of the 23 participants are female. There are 20 partner organizations represented during the course.
The course was held in the Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CRDA) facilities in the outskirts of Addis Ababa from August 26 to September 3, 2010. The training encompassed two main areas: general training on PM&E (for both project and network environments) and adapting and improving the current M&E system together with the participants. The first area touched on the basic concepts, key frameworks and processes and select tools that are useful for Prolinnova related M&E. The review of the Prolinnova and FAIR (a sub-programme within Prolinnova focusing on the establishment and testing of local innovation support funds) M&E built on the existing M&E frameworks of Prolinnova and FAIR and the processes and tools that will be used for the impact assessment. In addition, some activities took place related to an action research on networking where Prolinnova together with 4 other networks is part of a study on the dynamics of the functioning of networks. Finally, a brief discussion on fundraising was carried out. The participants had an opportunity to do practical field work on impact assessment in the FAIR pilot in the Ambo region, in two kebeles: Kimbi and Maruf.
To prepare the participants for the training, they were given a pre-training assignment. The pre-training assignment allowed the participants to reflect on their current M&E system at the country programme (CP) level particularly on their experience in organizing and implementing M&E, their challenges and suggestions for improvements. In their review of the current system, participants also reflected on how gender can be considered more carefully in the identification of the Prolinnova and FAIR outcomes and output indicators.
The participants did an end-of-course evaluation where they expressed that the training was very relevant to the country programmes. They thought that the course is generally successful in achieving the objectives set at the beginning of the training. CPs present and IST members (facilitators) developed action plans. Sudan begged off from developing an action plan given its decision to phase out Prolinnova in the country.
The course team was comprised of Mariana Wongtschowski and Wim Honkoop of ETC-Netherlands and Marissa Espineli and Julian Gonsalves of IIRR.
