Extract

WHY TRAINING ON MONITORING, EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEARNING?

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) – the process of regularly investigating what a program/organisation is doing and the impact it is having – is a fundamental part of every community development program. Every organisation is expected to be accountable to their stakeholders by reporting on the achievements in their programs, and to learn from their experiences to ensure better programs in future. So everyone working in community development programs has some responsibility for monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL).

Monitoring and evaluation is often seen as something that is difficult, requires specialist skills or is removed from the day-to-day activities of a program. These training modules aim to make monitoring and evaluation accessible and useable to program staff and management so that they can see the benefits more directly, and gather and use information in ways that improve the effectiveness of the program and lead to positive changes in people’s lives.

WHO ARE THESE MODULES FOR AND HOW CAN WE USE THEM?

These training modules are designed for NGO staff, management and others who are involved in designing MEAL processes, collecting, collating or reporting on information.

Oxfam intends that individuals and organisations that use this material will:
• know the benefits of effective MEAL processes
• understand how to develop and implement their own MEAL system
• be confident to facilitate MEAL processes in their own organisations.

The materials in these training modules can be used as a quick reference guide during a MEAL process, as the basis for training workshops and/or can be shared during internal discussions. It is expected that an experienced person would conduct any training and adapt the materials as appropriate for their training participants.

While these training modules intend to provide enough information to design a program and MEAL system, they have not been designed as comprehensive, standalone manuals for M&E. For example, they do not include details about conducting MEAL activities such as baseline assessments and they provide introductory information about data collection and analysis tools, to suit program and project level staff. Users of these modules are encouraged to learn more about relevant MEAL approaches and adapt them to suit their situation.

The information in these modules draws on many different sources that reflect best practice and align with Oxfam’s commitment to participatory, empowering processes for local organisations. These materials are referenced at the end of each module.

WHAT DO THE MONITORING, EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEARNING TRAINING MODULES CONTAIN?

There are four MEAL modules:
1. Program Design
2. Designing a MEAL System
3. Data Collection
4. Analysis and Reporting.