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Constructing A Baseline Using Geographic Information Systems and Household Surveys: An Example from Angola
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| Presenter(s):
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| Mary Worzala,
Academy for Educational Development,
mworzala@aed.org
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| Hugo Melikian,
Academy for Educational Development,
gmelikian@aed.org
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| Abstract:
International development programs are plagued by a dearth of accurate information from which to construct an appropriate baseline. With client-determined standardized indicators becoming increasingly used to assess the outputs and outcomes of programs, establishing an accurate baseline and monitoring framework is crucial to demonstrating results. Using the case of an electricity access program in Angola, the authors show how geographic information systems (GIS) combined with household surveys can be used in constructing a baseline and to develop a program monitoring and evaluation plan. The GIS work in particular can be used to tell a visual story that vividly illustrates program impact. A secondary theme of the paper is how client-defined indicators drive program activities, whether or not they are appropriate measures of program impacts. Using the GIS and household surveys, the authors constructed a broadly defined baseline that included client indicators, an approach that can serve multiple audiences and purposes.
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Evaluating One Village at a Time: Using Theory-Driven Evaluation in a Multi-site Intervention in Uganda
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| Presenter(s):
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| Susana Bonis,
Claremont Graduate University,
susana.bonis@cgu.edu
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| Rebecca Eddy,
Claremont Graduate University,
rebecca.eddy@cgu.edu
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| Abstract:
How does one design an evaluation for a project implemented half a world away, in a region with diverse urgent needs, multi-layered politics, and linguistic and cultural differences, and without formal data collection systems or technology for communication? Evaluators of international development programs regularly confront these challenges as they strive to design a rigorous, culturally appropriate, and feasible evaluation meeting stakeholder needs. This paper discusses the application of theory-driven evaluation to develop an evaluation of the Kyabasaijja Village Project in Uganda, an initiative of Village Network Africa. ViNA promotes growth in African villages by “healing one village at a time” through health care, education, agriculture, and animal husbandry. The paper will discuss successes, challenges, and lessons learned in an effort to promote dialogue about ways to improve the design and implementation of evaluation in the challenging context of international development.
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Putting Policy into Practice: Lessons Learnt and Challenges Encountered in Conducting a Participatory Evaluation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Uganda
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| Presenter(s):
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| Liya Aklilu,
Independent Consultant,
laklilu@yahoo.com
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| Abstract:
This presentation highlights the challenges encountered and lessons learnt from implementing an international non-governmental organization’s monitoring and evaluation framework. The framework’s principles state that evaluation should be about learning, participatory, connect the concerns, interests and problems of stakeholders to the larger context, generate knowledge through collective planning and reflection, involve power sharing in decision making between the stakeholders and evaluator, and respect and incorporate stakeholders’ knowledge. A participatory midterm evaluation, built on these principles, enabled stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Uganda to contribute to defining the evaluation, developing instruments, collecting and analyzing data, discussing findings and identifying solutions to concerns that emerged from the evaluation. Each country’s challenges and lessons learnt varied and ranged from balancing organizational, donor/funder and stakeholder needs to finding ways to meaningfully engage stakeholders accustomed to being on the periphery to navigating socioeconomic and cultural factors that enhanced or impeded participation.
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An Assessment of the African Development Bank’s Country Assistance Evaluation Methodology and Suggestions for Improvement
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| Presenter(s):
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| Foday Turay,
African Development Bank,
f.turay@afdb.org
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| Colin Kirk,
African Development Bank,
c.kirk@afdb.org
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| Abstract:
This article assesses the methodological approaches for country assistance evaluations (CAEs) of the Operations Evaluation Department (OPEV) in the African Development Bank (AfDB) vis-à-vis the proposed good practice standard of the Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG) of the Multilateral Development Banks’ (MDBs) Country Assistance Evaluations (CAEs). Towards this end, it develops and uses an assessment framework to identify the gap between the current OPEV CAE practice and the recommended ECG standard, and then provides advice on addressing such methodological challenges.
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