M&E, photography and success stories writing for development

1. M&E SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT, PHOTOGRAPHY AND
SUCCESS STORIES DOCUMENTATION TRAINING
FOR MERCY CORPS LOCAL PARTNERS
(ELDORET)
LEAP II PROGRAMME
By Josiah Mukoya; M&E Specialist
26th April 2011
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2. The Goal and LEAP II Youth Objective
LEAP II Goal:
Strengthen the ability of local structures to address causes of post-
election violence and promote sustainable peace and reconciliation in
the Rift Valley Province
Objective 3:
Support youth integration and address a key cause of violence through
youth leadership training, small scale cash for work community
reconstruction projects and IGA’s
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3. Unemployment among the youth: a challenge
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4. The road to youth empowerment!
Youth Empowerment
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5. M&E – What?!
Monitoring
• A simple recording of activities and results against plans and budgets. Provides records
of activities and results, and signals problems to be remedied along the way.
• A continuous function that uses the systematic collection of data on specified indicators
to provide Project management and the main stakeholders of an ongoing development
intervention.
Evaluation
• Explains why a particular problem has arisen, or why a particular outcome has occurred
or failed to occur in relation to pre-set targets and objectives; the cause or effect.
M&E Levels – Input, Activity, Output, Outcomes and Impact
Monitoring and Evaluation are interdependent
Project start Mid-point End of project
Assessment
Monitoring Monitoring
Baseline Mid-term Evaluation Final Evaluation
(Key indicators) (Explore implementation issues) (Effects of the projects)
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6. Monitoring and Evaluation – the difference
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7. Why M&E
• Promotes accountability and transparency
• Gives data for decision making
• Demonstrates results
• Promotes learning
• Facilitate project design
• Increasingly needed to be competitive in the development sector.
• Ensures agreed program design and strategies only get modified through a formal
review process, and when the program context changes (e.g. other causes of the
original problem have emerged)
• The adoption of Results-based M&E provides an opportunity to explore different
approaches and methods which involve stakeholders more directly in building
sustainable development results.
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8. Key Steps to effective M&E
1. Budget for M&E 1. Conduct regular meetings to
2. Staff for M&E Reflect on M&E data
3. Incorporate M&E into project 2. Make the Log frame a living
Work plan document
4. Conduct a DM&E Workshop 3. Report project results to
at project start-up Beneficiaries and other
5. Develop an Indicator Plan Stakeholders
6. Develop Data Collection and 4. Conduct Baselines and Final
Management Processes Evaluations
How M&E has evolved:
• From monitoring and evaluating project processes, inputs and outputs to an
emphasis on measuring results, outcomes and impact
• From M&E being predominantly donor-led to increased interest in country-led
approaches, with evaluation increasingly conducted in partnership with a broader
range of stakeholders, including the program’s intended beneficiaries
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9. Tools, Methods and Approaches to M&E
Tools
• Performance Indicators – Measures/Scales of inputs, processes, outputs,
outcomes and impacts for development projects, programs or strategies
• The Logical Framework Approach
Methods
• Quantitative Methods – Surveys, project records etc
• Qualitative Methods – Rapid Appraisal methods, case studies
• Participatory Methods – PIA, PRA, Stakeholder mapping,
Approaches
• Cost-benefit and cost-effective analysis – Cost of an activity can be justified
in monetary terms
• Impact Evaluation – Systematic identification of +ve or –ve effect of the
program/activities
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10. The Logical Framework Approach
• Aids in identification of
expected causal links-
“Program Logic”-
through; inputs,
activities, outputs,
objectives, and impact
• Helps clarify objectives
• Identifying
performance indicators
• Improve quality of
project and program
design
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11. LEAP II key personnel
• Country Director
• Program Manager
• Finance Officer
• M&E Officer
• Program Coordinator • Program Coordinator • Program Coordinator
• (Nakuru) • (Eldoret) • (Kericho)
• Program Officer • Program Officer • Program Officer
• (Nakuru) • (Eldoret) • (Kericho)
• PM (WYIPD)
• PM (PDF) • PM (KYC)
• YDCs (Wareng, East, West, Nandi &
• YDCs (Mollo/Nakuru) Keiyo) • YDCs (East, West)
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12. The Power of Measuring Results (M&E)
• If you do not measure results, you cannot tell success from failure
• If you cannot see success, you cannot reward it
• If you cannot reward success, you are probably rewarding failure
• If you cannot see success, you cannot learn from it
• If you cannot recognize failure, you cannot correct it
• If you can demonstrate results, you can win public support.
Source: “10 steps to results based M&E”, Jody Zall Kusek and Ray C. Rist for WB
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13. LEAP II Program Monitoring Plan (PMP)
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14. Roles and responsibilities for data collection, analysis and reporting
(Outcome Indicators)
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15. Responsibility and Learning Flowchart for Indicators
Program team DME focal person
(YDCs, PM) YDCs fill activity
(YDC) checks
conducts activity report form during
data and shares
with MC Advice and after activity
with PM, MC M&EO
Lessons Monthly meetings
Monthly reports
MC Quarterly
with lessons learnt
reports track
from YDC to PM
indicators, lessons
send to MCs PO,
learnt and recom.
PC, M&E0
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16. LEAP II & YYC Monitoring tools
• Activity report form (During and immediately after the activity)
• Incidence report form
• Dispute resolution form
• Monthly Narrative report template/form
- Executive Summary
- Activity description, Progress against performance Benchmarks and Indicators
- Challenges and Lessons learned/Recommendations
- Next Month Work plan
- Annex – Photographs etc
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17. LEAP II - two year Master Work Plan
YEAR 2010 YEAR 2011 YEAR 2012
Activity July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May June July
Goal 1. Build and strengthen local mechanisms for conflict mitigation and reconciliation
1.0 Monthly Planning (PM, M&E,
PC's, P.O's, PA,Finance)
1.2 Baseline, conflict assessment and
mapping
1.3 Establishment and strengthening
of DPCs
1.4 Conflict management and
consensus building training
1.5 Conduct 32-40 district leaders
dialogue forums
1.6 Establishment of early warning
systems
1.7 Multi district and provinvial
leaders regional forums
Goal 2. Support community dialogues and implement joint develoment projects that build bridges among devided communnities for coexistence
2.0 80 Community reconciliation
dialogues implimentation
2.1 64 district reconstruction projects
implementation
2.1 Joint monitoring teams
identification and training
Goal 3. Support youth integration and address a key cause of violence through youth leadership training, small scale Cash for work community reconstruction projects and
income generation activities
3.1 Organisational capacity building
of youth partenr & YSHG
3.2 Core training for youth self help
groups leaders
3.3 40 rapid response C4W youth
community reconstruction projects
3.4 Identification and implementation
of 40 IGAs
3.6 Production of 8 youth success
stories
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18. Mercy Corps - LEAP II goal 3 Work Plan (January - June, 2011)
Person
Activity January February March April May June Responsible
Objective 1: Build and strengthen local mechanisms for conflict mitigation and reconciliation
Objective 2: Support community dialogues and implement joint development projects that build bridges among divided communities for peaceful co-existence
Objective 3: Support youth integration and address a key cause of violence through youth leadership training, small scale cash for work community reconstruction projects and
IGA’s
3.1 Organizational
capacity building for
youth partner and Local partners capacity building, 7th
YSHG in all the districts. (PM,PC’s)
3.2 Core training for 1st KRC, 4th ELD, 21st (PCs,
YSHG leaders NKR - core training Pos,YDC's)
Shortlisting and environ. scan
3.3 20/40 rapid complete by Dec. 2010, prev year
response youth C4W and send to USAID by 1st January Start implementation by (PC's,PO's,
reconstruct. projects 2011. 1st Feb. 2011 YDC's)
By 1st April, List of (Specialist,
3.4 Identification participants and youth 10th may, vetting 1st June, start private sector,
and implementation groups for IGA of business plans continuous business PM,PC’s,
of 20/40 IGA's training ready and shortlisting mentoring YDC's)
IGA training, 7th
ELD, 14th KRC and By 24th May IGA (PC's,PO's,
14th NKR money disbursed YDC's)
Business plans
deadlines, 14th ELD,
28th for KRC and (PC's,Pos,
NKR YDC's)
By 30th June 2
3.5 Production of stories KRC, 5 (PM,M&E,
youth success stories stories ELD, 2 PC’s,journalists,
stories NKR PO, YDC's)
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19. Photography and story telling for M&E – What is it?
• The conveying of events and ideas in
words, gestures, images and sounds
• One of the most basic ways of sharing
knowledge, of making sense of experience
and seeing oneself in relation to others
• The world’s oldest profession
• A way to reach out, connect and share
something with others
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20. Program story photography
• Photographs bring the story to life. The
photo should be colorful, depict action,
capture people's attention, and feature a
main character prominently.
• You should also include a caption or
quote that briefly summarize what is
occurring in the photograph.
• Include the who -- including a name,
what, when, and where in 8-15 words.
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21. Tips for Taking Photographs
• Ask permission first
• Create a comfortable atmosphere
• Create a setting that will explain, clarify,
and strengthen the story.
• Get close to the subject.
• Use the “rule of thirds” and place the
subject in the top or bottom and left or right
third of the frame.
• Use available light instead of flash whenever
possible.
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22. Human interest/Impact/Success stories
• A success story - Illustrates a project’s impact by detailing an individual’s
positive experiences in his or her own words. Success stories include the
when, what, where, how, and why of a project’s impact.
• A learning story - focuses on the lessons learned through an individual’s
positive and negative experiences (if any) with a project. Learning stories
examine individual responses to challenges that arise out of the project
A good success story has the following:
1. Compelling title
2. Intriguing lead or hook
“Doug Haywood is the crab in the gumbo. And Mercy Corps is helping stir the
pot.”
3. Good story-specific photos
4. Character-driven details
• “It might look like any other school day for 14-year-old Bosco Odongo…the
truth is, though, he's never been to school before.”
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23. When writing a success story:
• Keep the story short. Between 500 and 750 words is ideal for maintaining readers’
interest and conveying the information.
Do . . .
• Keep your target audience in mind. Check the story’s readability by asking a target
audience member to read the story prior to publication.
• Include the subject’s personality, surroundings, and his/her appearance (if relevant
to the story)
• Focus on qualitative information, adding supporting quantitative information where
appropriate
• Include direct quotes from all information sources. If staff are quoted, present their
background, qualifications, and project experience
• Avoid acronyms, jargon, and foreign
• Include details to help non-technical readers understand any technical information
provided
• Proofread the final story.
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24. Contn ….
Don’t . . .
• Overdramatize the information as
this may lessen credibility
• Make subjective judgments,
whether positive or negative,
about an individual’s appearance,
character, or experiences
• Dehumanize interviewees by
using impersonal language (for
example, it is better to write “a
person improved his/her
situation,” rather than “a person
was rehabilitated”).
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25. Success story – The body
• Start with a good headline or title that is
simple, jargon-free, and has impact.
• The headline should summarize the
story in a nutshell; and include action
verbs that bring the story to life. Your
headline should include few words.
• Build a narrative flow for your story -
with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Describe the problem or the issue and
the solution or response.
• Avoid acronyms, program names, and
partner names.
• Focus on the main subject of the story:
the people that this program helps.
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26. People relate to other people – Not Programs
•“Her name is Laurene. She lives in a
church. She is 10 years old.
•“She is among thousands of children
who have taken refuge in urban Goma's
gritty neighborhoods rather than risk
dangers in the camps. They're being
housed in churches, schools, community
centers and other public buildings - but
they're neither getting the food nor most
of the other assistance that those in the
camps are receiving.
•“Mercy Corps has stepped up to fill the
void and meet at least three of their
most critical needs: clean water,
sanitation and hygiene…but it's not easy
to explain why we didn't bring food
today.
•“So Laurene sits quietly on a church
pew, in the place she now calls home,
and waits for something to eat.”
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27. How Mercy Corps use the stories
• The Mercy Corps Blog: began
May 2009, now has more than
600 blog entries from 170
bloggers in 34 different
countries
• Web feature sections that
highlight a certain region,
country or social challenge –
more than 2,000 stories on site
• Pitching stories to media
• Fundraising through emails ,
web appeals and campaigns
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28. THANKS
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