theory of change refinement: challenges,...
TRANSCRIPT
Theory of Change Refinement:
Challenges, Opportunities, and
Lessons Learned
from CARE-Mali’s Harande
Program
Mara Russell, Director of Food Security, CARE-USA
TOPS Knowledge Sharing Meeting
Kampala, Uganda, 20-22 September 2016
1
Thursday, November 19th
2
Friday, November 20th
3
Food for Peace decision:
M&E Workshop postponed until later in the year pending
review of security situation
Baseline workshop in March
Carry-out Baseline study & other assessments as planned
Baseline workshop in Dakar
What to do?
4
USG voluntary evacuation /no re-entry
CARE – Continued plans for assessments:
IEE: Started – required completion
Gender Analysis
Formative Research
Youth Needs/Labor Market
Inclusive Value Chain Analysis
Climate Vulnerability/Capacity Assessment
Participatory Adaptive Agricultural Practices Study
Conflict Mapping
Political Economy Analysis
Census Study
Scoping Studies
How to move forward?
5
Proposed SOWs – Challenges:
Technical staff availability / hire
Meeting FFP / USAID Expectations:
Quality requirements
Purpose: Review TOC – not approaches
Inputs from USAID Resilience Center
Coordination with stakeholders
Need to focus on broader context
Assessments: Moving Forward
6
Implement Assessments:
M&E, Technical Staff, Consultants: lead
processes
Local staff – fully engaged, linked to
households on the ground
Process is in-depth & findings are detailed:
How to best utilize in program?
Assessments: Moving Forward
7
Organized meetings to review & determine
key top-line findings:
Presentations by Consultants, technical
staff, M&E
Data analysis translated to findings
Short overview of key results
Review implications for Theory of Change
Identify most important findings for each study-
and implications
Review of Findings
8
Review of Findings
9
Review & Refinement of Theory of Change
at M&E Workshop
Refinement of LogFrame, IPTT,
Indicators, Targets -> M&E
Refinement of Approaches
Refinement of Implementation Strategy
Share with project stakeholders and
review broader implications.
Application of Findings
10
Coordinate with FFP/USAID from the beginning
Scopes of Work:
Ensure Quality
Validate TOC and Assumptions
Coordinate with stakeholders & review broader context
Clarify Roles:
Technical Staff, Research, M&E, KM
Consultants: Focus study on what you need, not their
preferences
Don’t Assume that you Know!
What have we learned?
11
Most Interesting:
Directly learn about target group
All staff deeply understand TOC
Confirmed many assumptions
Importance to Job:
Clarity on changes needed
Awareness of what to measure
Include review of TOC in JD
Clarity to set indicator targets
Advantages of refinement period:
Don’t jump in- make changes first
Could set up enumeration database
Strong working relationship with
technical specialists
Tossa Rabilou,
Senior MEAL Manager
12
Most Interesting:
Directly learn about target group
Supported the Gender Analysis
Importance to Job:
Managed many field studies
Trained many enumerators
Worked closely with technical
specialists
Deep understanding of TOC
Advantages of Refinement Period:
Facilitates setting targets
Less disruptive to make changes
before program begins
Ladjibinoko Sidibe
Deputy MEAL Manager
13
Idriss Leko (DCOP) and Tech Leads
14
Most Interesting:
Deep learning about target areas and people
Deep understanding of TOC
Advantages:
Opportunity to build strong cohesive team
People gain a deep understanding of areas before
implementing
Implications for Job:
Hire people who are open & enthusiastic learners and
team players, rather than experts who do things their way
Need to be highly flexible and ready to change:
everything is always open to challenges
Idriss Leko (DCOP): Extended Refinement
15
Find out about reality on the ground from the people themselves,
not what people say about them
Gender integration in all analyses: focused on how conditions
impact women, not just including more women
Value chains: Face to face meetings with value chain players
opened up opportunities for them to support project
WASH: Opportunity to test proposal assumptions: far fewer water
points operating that stated in the proposal
Governance: Opportunity to learn about all technical aspects and
how approaches will work together with communities – bring back
data & make decisions together
Climate Change: Much more time and better basis for building
people’s capacity before going to the field
Helps in understanding the real road blocks (i.e. lack of access to
land) and sets in motion plans to address them rather than avoid
them
Technical Advisors
16
Thank You! Questions?