Resources

This handbook was made to support the government Strategy for the Support of the Voluntary Sector and for Community Development in Northern Ireland. It is designed for measuring progress in policies, programmes and projects intended to encourage community development (CD). It does so by setting out the main results to be expected from CD work and showing how these can be measured. It is based on, and accompanies the report æMonitoring and Evaluation of CD in Northern IrelandÆ which describes the process in more detail and should be used in conjunction with this handbook. The aim of the approach is that all involved (funders, implementers and consumers) have an equal say in deciding what should be expected and how results could be checked. The first part of the handbook focuses on evaluation in the context of CD, presents ten æbuilding blocksÆ in CD (community learning, justice, organisation and activity, influence, economy, care, environment and nature, safety, well-being and sustainability) and gives a step-by-step description of how to set up an evaluation of CD. The second part is a guide to selecting the information which can be used to measure change in the different CD building blocks, using tables presented at the end of the document. The third part of the handbook gives a general overview of how to collect evidence supporting the measurement process. This is followed by tables describing the building blocks and their measurement. Each of the building blocks has a corresponding table with questions measuring change in people, in the community, in local services and in policies in relation to that specific aspect of CD.

Community based behavioural interventions aimed at reducing risky sexual behaviour have yet to be shown to be effective in the developing world. Stepping Stones is a participatory STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection)/HIV prevention workshop programme based on empowerment techniques, which have been adapted to an infertility prevention framework in Gambia. This paper describes a preliminary evaluation in 2 villages where the intervention was carried out compared to 2 control villages. Methods used include: participatory evaluation; in-depth interviews; focus groups discussions; a knowledge, attitudes and practice questionnaire administered to a random sample of 25% of the adult population; and monitoring of condom supply. The structure of the evaluation is based on the themes derived from the qualitative data. The infertility prevention approach made it possible to overcome resistance to discussing the topics of sexual and reproductive health. An atmosphere of trust was created and men were persuaded to participate in the programme as they felt that their own needs were being addressed. Participants enjoyed the programme and found the content relevant. Knowledge of the modes of transmission of HIV and STIs and levels of risk awareness increased. The value of condoms in particular situations was recognised: for sex before marriage, within marriage (when the woman is breast-feeding) and with non-marital partners. Women reported that they would insist on condom use outside marriage and even ask their husbands to use condoms for non-marital sex. Condom monitoring data suggested that condom uptake had increased. It was reported that there was significant increase in dialogue within marriage with the consequence that there were fewer disagreements and incidents of domestic violence. Diffusion of the messages of Stepping Stones appeared to have taken place with non-participants including children.

This network paper from the Rural Development Forestry Network presents two papers. The first paper ôDesigning participatory strategies for forest projects in West Africa: two case studies from Beninö, examines different approaches to achieving effective participation by local people, by contrasting two successful forestry projects in Benin. A GTZ-funded forest rehabilitation programme followed a strategy of 'working with people', creating joint activities and paid labour, while a large multilateral project, PGRN, took the approach of 'talking with people', fostering political involvement. The author argued that certain crucial factors - common interest between project staff and target groups, a clear project strategy and commitment to a long process of communication and institution building - distinguished projects in which participation was merely functional from those in which local people had a full political role in decision-making. The second paper, ôThe Monitoring Team Approach to Project Follow-up and Evaluation: Experiences from two SIDA-Funded Programmes in Central Americaö, looks at a new approach to evaluation of donor projects was described in this paper. Rather than the usual practice of one-off external evaluations, the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA) experimented with Monitoring Teams, who visited projects in Costa Rica and Nicaragua on a regular annual or biannual basis. Each visit was carried out in a standardised manner with emphasis on in-depth discussion with all stakeholders. The new approach proved well suited to the modern style of flexible, broad-based projects in which the donor has little direct involvement. Not only did the Monitoring Teams provide SIDA with an ongoing accurate picture of project performance, but the repeated visits established an iterative cycle of project improvement.

This guide is about using monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to improve the impact of IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)-supported projects working with rural poverty alleviation and rural development. The focus is on a learning approach to M&E that uses achievements and problems for better decision-making and accountability. It requires creating an M&E system that helps primary stakeholders, implementing partners and project staff learn together in order to improve their development interventions on a continual basis. Because the ultimate objective is to ensure the maximum possible benefit for the rural poor, they are the ones best placed to assess project impact. The Guide suggests ideas for implementing this and other forms of participatory M&E. It includes the following set of booklets with sections going through the steps of M&E: introducing the M&E guide; using M&E to manage for impact; linking project design, annual planning and M&E; setting up the M&E system; deciding what to monitor and evaluate; gathering, managing and communicating information; putting in place the necessary capacities and conditions; and reflecting critically to improve action. The guide kit also includes five annexes with a glossary of M&E concepts and terms; an annotated example of a project logframe matrix and logframe explanation; an annotated example of an M&E matrix; methods for monitoring and evaluation; and sample job descriptions and terms of reference for key M&E tasks.

Cette trousse à outils de la organisation Réseau Africain sur les Approches Participatives fournit une guide du formateur, un manuel du praticien et un boîte d'outils pour la formation de planification participative de villages, basée sur des expériences des approches participatives en niveau de village dans cinq pays de l’ Africains Ouest (Mali, Guinée, Côte d'Ivoire, au Bénin, et Burkina Faso) et au Madagascar. Le processus de la planification participative de village est expliqué point par point et illustré par des exemples de plusieurs études dans ces pays. Un ensemble de cartes (outils) définit les étapes successives dans le procédé de planification. Les contraintes et les conditions pour permettre une exécution nationale de l'approche dans le nouvel arrangement politique et social des pays africains, sont également traitées. Le manuel est orienté sur des praticiens, mais également vers les décisionnaires qui sont responsables de formuler des stratégies des services de développement rural et l’extension agricole. Il comporte trois parties. La première partie présente les objectifs et principes généraux de l’approche participative et traite de la démarche, y compris des outils à utiliser à chaque étape. Pour faciliter leur utilisation, les outils sont présentés de manière détaillée dans les fiches techniques qui accompagnent le manuel.
La deuxième partie traite des appuis nécessaires à la mise en oeuvre de cette approche ainsi que du rôle des différents participants dans ce processus. La troisième partie aborde la question des conditions d’application et les implications de l’approche participative, tant au niveau national que décentralisé et local.