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Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation: Lessons from Anti-poverty interventions in Northern Ghana
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| Presenter(s):
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| Jerim Obure,
University of Amsterdam,
jerotus@yahoo.com
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| Ton Dietz,
University of Amsterdam,
a.j.dietz@uva.nl
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| Abstract:
This presentation is based on an ongoing evaluation research done in Northern Ghana on monitoring and evaluation systems used by various development organizations in anti-poverty interventions. The research objective was to find out the extent to which the systems involved other stakeholders in monitoring and evaluation procedures. This study has been conducted among Cordaid and ICCO funded projects, two Dutch international NGOs closely affiliated to the Dutch Ministry of Development Co-operation.
Most of the studied organizations showed a hybrid of Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation and Results Based Management, emphasizing on concepts of community participation and logical frameworks.
Results showed a high degree of technical inter-dependence especially among organizations affiliated to the Association of Church Development Programs (ACDEP), an umbrella organization of church-based NGOs which have been the major players in the region since 1970s. Findings indicate interesting experiences which will be worth sharing with the others in the evaluation profession.
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Using a Participatory Approach to Understand Youth Homelessness and Create Community Change
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| Presenter(s):
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| Jane Powers,
Cornell University,
jlp5@cornell.edu
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| Amanda Purington,
Cornell University,
ald17@cornell.edu
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| Abstract:
We describe a project that examined the scope and nature of youth homelessness in an upstate New York community using a participatory approach that engaged a group of formerly homeless youth as research partners to conduct the study. The youth researchers were involved in all aspects of the project, from designing the tools and methodology, to recruiting subjects, collecting the data, interpreting the findings, and presenting results to key community stakeholders. We highlight the methods used to engage and sustain youth participation in research , and the value of the approach for advancing knowledge and practice. The multiple benefits of this approach will be discussed as a strategy to promote positive youth development, advance research, impact policy, and improve services for homeless youth.
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“We Adults Simply Have to Listen”: An Obesity Prevention Youth Empowerment Action Research Project
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| Presenter(s):
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| Barbara MkNelly,
Network for a Healthy California,
barbara.mknelly@cdph.ca.gov
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| Kamaljeet Singh Khaira,
Network for a Healthy California,
kamaljeet.singh-khaira@cdph.ca.gov
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| Andy Fourney,
Network for a Healthy California,
andy.fourney@cdph.ca.gov
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| Abstract:
The potential for participatory action research to build capacity and create social change is well known. However, few examples exist for applying a youth-led approach to nutrition and physical activity promotion. Diverse student teams, together with an adult ally, have undertaken a multi-step inquiry process for creating meaningful nutrition programs in ten low-resource sites throughout California. This California Department of Public Health (CDPH) pilot program was developed with Youth in Focus, a non-profit with extensive youth leadership and participatory research experience. The presentation will 1) highlight critical elements of the pilot’s ten-month training process, 2) provide specific examples of the action research projects and their results, and 3) examine evaluation policy implications and possible opportunities for replicating this approach more broadly in CDPH’s Network for a Healthy California, a large-scale social marketing initiative funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program.
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Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Program Evaluation Paradigms to Assess a Community Organizing Effort
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| Presenter(s):
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| Debra Harris,
California State University at Fresno,
dharris@csufresno.edu
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| Abstract:
The evaluation of a community organizing effort began in the Central Valley region of California in the fall of 2005 using both qualitative and quantitative program evaluation principles. This evaluation continued for two years resulting in a Case Study. A Health and Nutrition Collaborative Action Team requested the evaluation to help assess their overarching goal of promoting access to health foods and physical activity. The specific objective of the Health and Nutrition Collaborative Action Team was to increase the number of safe “walk-able” routes to healthy foods in as many communities as possible. First, the evaluation used interviews with Collaborative Action Team members, community leaders, and citizens of the community to provide qualitative data regarding the effectiveness of these community-organizing efforts. Second, the evaluation used a “Walkability Checklist” to assist community leaders and citizens to make sustainable community policy changes. Lessons from this Case Study will be shared.
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