| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
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| PRESENTATION |
PREVAL’s electronic bulletin No 6 is devoted to participatory process facilitation, within the framework of management oriented to impact and learning. This approach comes from the new paradigms and strategies to face rural poverty. Before, projects used to concentrate decisions at management and technical level. Now, management gives an active role to the direct target population and local society. This means of course that participatory Monitoring and Evaluation become more important, because they generate capacities and abilities in different groups and individuals so they can:
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Share the same vision of changes
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Be available to listen to others and acknowledge different perceptions
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Be creative to ask and to generate and apply knowledge
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Build consensus among actors and negotiate proposals
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Have criteria to communicate and settle conflicts
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Have responsibility to commit and share decision making
This approach values most of all reflection, consensus building, and both personal and group leadership necessary to impact sustainability. This means that capacity building on Monitoring and Evaluation is coupled with another discipline: organizational development. Intervening at organizational level may increase the possibility for impact, because it enabled to deal directly with those that have power to implement changes, as Michael Quinn Patton states. The profession of program evaluation, according to this author, has developed in parallel to management consulting and organizational development, and there are available opportunities for evaluators to be organizational development professionals. Along this confluence line we present this “Special edition on participatory process facilitation” with selected links, Spanish literature and a regional resource directory, all relating to evaluation.
This edition includes the usual “PREVAL in Action” sections with summary reports of its most recent activities and “Notes on the Community of Evaluators,” presenting a directory of networks, associations, programs and institutions that work in Latin America in the field of Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Management. Finally, the “Course Agenda” from August to September includes events that will take place both in the region and elsewhere. We hope this edition is useful for those who work on capacity building for rural development Monitoring and Evaluation.
Emma Rotondo
PREVAL III Coordinator
www.preval.org
preval@desco.org.pe
“Working in networks we strengthen M&E capacities”
If you do not want to receive PREVAL’s bulletin, send the following message to the preval@desco.org: “Not subscribed to bulletin”.
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| PREVAL IN ACTION |
According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Board, PREVAL III seeks to consolidate progress made at earlier stages, improving project performance by institutionalizing capacity fostering activities in establishing Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and institutional result-oriented learning activities, within the framework of the Result and Impact Management System (RIMS). This section describes PREVAL’s most recent activities in capacity building, as well as publications in the last three months.
1.- CAPACITY BUILDING
IFAD, in coincidence with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), promotes adoption of management aimed at impact and learning in rural poverty struggle projects, so as to achieve a number of sustainable changes in living standards. Base Studies (BS) are the foundation within this framework, because they are the first reference and are essential to compare and show evidence of change. PREVAL and the “Agro-production Chains in the Barlovento Region” project -CIARA Foundation- in Venezuela agreed to organize a workshop to guarantee adoption of RIMS in Base Studies. This event took place on June 21 and 22 and was attended by 27 people, including technical team members and professionals invited by the Community Outreach Department of Universidad Nacional de Venezuela (UCV), CIARA-PROSALAFA project and Fundación para el Desarrollo Centro Occidental FUDECO (Foundation for the Development of the West and Center), Lara State. The event was facilitated by Emma Rotondo, PREVAL’s Coordinator. At the end of the workshop, participants had acquired the RIMS Survey Work Plan, as well as other tools and updated concepts for developing Base Studies and thus generate local capacities.
A survey has been developed as part of RIMS that will be applied at the start, middle and end of rural project cycles, so as to have common elements to compare and guarantee impact evaluation with international quality standards. The survey seeks to collect information on family assets, chronic malnutrition among children under 5 years of age, and food security indicators. According to its mandate, PREVAL has been providing technical assistance to projects that should carry out this survey and has jointly supported the Programa Nacional Microcuenca (PNM) –National Micro-basin Program-, the Programa Hule (Rubber Program, PH), and the Sustainable Development project for rural and indigenous communities in the semi-arid northeast. The workshop took place in Mexico City from June 19 to 23, 2006, with the participation of the mentioned projects’ technical teams and facilitation by PREVAL’s Deputy Coordinator, Antonio Pozo. As a result, these professionals know RIMS more and better, especially its indicators and reporting frequency. Besides, work plans were designed to apply the impact survey, including training program, definition of the sample framework and field work, among others.
A meeting on impact-oriented monitoring and evaluation took place in Buenos Aires from July 3 to 5 2006 with the participation of PREVAL, PRODERNOA and PRODERNEA. Six members of the local project coordination attended from Misiones, El Chaco, Tucumán and Catamarca, as well as the person responsible for Monitoring and Evaluation of the National Technical Unit and PREVAL’s Coordinator. Dialog was fruitful and concepts, approaches, examples and reflections on what has worked elsewhere were shared, and learning and challenges were deducted for the M&E Plan, especially RIMS adoption.
A workshop took place in Montevideo (Uruguay) from July 10 to 12 that was addressed to the “Rural Uruguay” technical team. It was facilitated by Emma Rotondo, PREVAL´s Coordinator. There was exchange of concepts, approaches and lessons learned on participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Systematization. Presentations and dialog, as well as team work, permitted the technical team to share their expectations on change (impact) and on how to record and communicate it. The workshop dealt with RIMS, keys for participatory monitoring and evaluation systems and experience systematization.
ASOCAM (Swiss Technical Cooperation Exchange for Common Learning) invited PREVAL to participate in a workshop to validate its methodological guide on “Impact-Driven Development Monitoring and Evaluation”. PREVAL shared experiences and practices to improve the proposal, by following international impact-driven monitoring and evaluation guidelines. Technical cooperation mechanisms will be established between ASOCAM and PREVAL for capacity building, mostly concerning supply of regional technical resources.
2.- PREVAL PUBLICATIONS
This Brief Guideline is a revised edition of the one published in 2004. It describes frequently used concepts and terms in rural development project and program monitoring and evaluation literature, in some cases by using graphic schemes. It also describes some analysis categories related to agriculture, social research and economy, in the understanding that they may contribute to a better comprehension and use of vocabulary on monitoring and evaluation. Bilingual Spanish-English edition.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/2140.zip
This document presents updated conceptual guidelines on what Base Studies (BS), are as well as on their approach and objectives. Is also shows BS role on the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Systematization (PMES) system, explains when to carry them out and which players should participate. Lastly, it suggests how to formulate Terms of Reference and shows the steps to program and execute BS in agreement with RIMS. Spanish only.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/leb2006.doc
Under preparation:
* M&E Capacity Building Self-Evaluation Guideline.
* Evaluation through Images Guide
* Base Studies: Foundations of Result-Based Management. Second Part.
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| NOTES ON PROGRAMMES, COMMUNITIES AND NETWORKS |
This bulletin offers a Directory of Resources on Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Management in Latin America and the Caribbean, because there is a significant number of networks and associations in the region, as well as programs and public institutes, including complementary subjects and proposals. Thus, there are specialized communities according to specific target groups or subjects. Similarly, several of them are directed towards building capacities, public management and even specific learning of methodologies and approaches. All these resources have e-networks and exchange mechanisms, becoming in practice learning communities and covering a wide range of interests and uses. The above mentioned Directory follows.
ReLAC is an umbrella network grouping national networks on monitoring, evaluation and systematization of social projects, programs and policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. It has an Executive Committee and an e-network as well as member networks in almost all the countries in the region. It organized its first Latin American Conference in October 2004 in Lima (Peru).
Contact with the Executive Committee: contacto_relac@yahoo.com
e-network: relac@gruposyahoo.com.ar
AELA-NET is an open list. It is not coordinated and is sponsored by the Evaluation Center of the University of Western Michigan, funded by the Kellogg Foundation. It was established to promote general debate on issues related to evaluation in Latin America. Subscription: send an aela-net-request@wmich.edu message saying "SUSCRIBE TO AELA-NET plus your name and last name in the message body " (do not use the quotation marks).
Alianza para el Impacto (Impact Alliance) is the first global capacity building network committed with providing knowledge and skills from hundreds of leader organizations in all sectors of development. One of its Learning Communities is on Monitoring and Evaluation and they have a node in Latin America.
Website: http://www.impactalliance.org/ev.php?ID=1_201&ID2=DO_ROOT
ASOCAM is a network made up by 38 entities and national and regional projects supported by the Swiss Technical Cooperation - COSUDE. It seeks to contribute to joint reflection through evaluation and systematization on a number of issues related to local development in rural areas, adopting a result-based approach.
Contact : Lorena Mancero info@asocam.org
Website : http://www.asocam.org/
CLAD is an international inter-governmental public organization aimed at promoting analysis and experience and knowledge exchange regarding State reform and Public Management modernization. They keep regular specialization, master and doctorate courses on public management, public policies or similar disciplines. One of their work subjects is public policy planning and evaluation, as well as systematization.
Contact : clad@clad.org.ve
Website : http://www.clad.org.ve/redes.html
A network of users of this methodology. Started in 2004 with the support of IDRC – International Development Research Center – Canada, it coordinates trainer training, Spanish material development, workshop organization and other activities related to disseminating Outcome Mapping, which is a participatory monitoring and evaluation planning method.
Contact : Beatrice Briggs bbriggs@iiifac.org
Website : http://www.iifac.org/projects_lacom-es.html
This program seeks to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of rural poverty reduction projects supported by IFAD in Latin America, by stimulating and facilitating communication, learning and knowledge management.
Contact : Julio Berdegué and Germán Escobar fidamerica@rimisp.org
Website : www.fidamerica.org
INDES is a pioneering center for social management training and it offers courses on project and program monitoring and evaluation. It works with organizations of the social sector in the region. It offers on-line courses, information on face-to-face courses (including scholarships), training materials, etc. It has an e-network specialized in social management.
Contact : indes@iadb.org
Website : http://indes.iadb.org/que.asp
IIRR is a rural development organization with 80-year experience of work in Africa, Asia and Latin America. IIRR promotes people-focused development by building capacity among poor people and their communities. They work in the area of Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning in rural communities.
Contact : Latin.America@iirr.org, Rusty.Binas@iirr.org
Website : http://www.iirr.org/LatinAmerica/rgnlcenterlamerica.htm
ILPES is a permanent organ with own identity that makes part of ECLAC. It is aimed at supporting governments in the region on planning and public management. One of its three core subjects is public management evaluation and it acts as the central training organization for the Commission. It has an active e-network and produces an e-publication that is specialized on evaluation.
Contact : eduardo.aldunate@cepal.org
Website : http://www.eclac.cl/ilpes/
MEASURE EVALUACIÓN is one of five projects. It was established to provide information for monitoring and evaluation on issues related to population, health and food in developing countries. Latin America is the center for Master Studies on Population, Health and Nutrition and other courses for capacity building on evaluation. It has an internal e-network.
Contact : measure@unc.edu
Website : http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure
It has built M&E capacities aimed at having an impact on IFAD projects, by articulating technical assistance and training services. It networks in alliance with the community of evaluators to build a common approach, to generate an evaluation culture and to institutionalize M&E. It has a learning community of specialized consultants, keeps a Technical Service Database on M&E-BANSES, an e-network, a quarterly e-bulletin and a website in English and Spanish. It is an institutional member of IDEAS and works under an IFAD/DESCO Agreement, headquartered in Lima (Peru)
Contact : Emma Rotondo (Coordinator) erotondo@desco.org.pe
Website : www.preval.org
e-list to exchange reflections and experiences on systematization, to participate in e-forums and organize them and to create an information base. Besides, it disseminates systematization literature through its website.
Contact : Oscar Jara oscar.jara@alforja.or.cr
Website : http://www.alforja.or.cr/sistem/index.html
Ríoplus is a pilot project that seeks to introduce systematization within projects and institutions that have accumulated relevant and innovative experiences. It supports implementation of monitoring and impact evaluation systems and promotes sustainable development strategic processes. It aims at training technical staff on Impact Monitoring and Evaluation in Honduras.
Contact : Maria Delfina Flores rioplus@web.de
Website : http://ns.rds.org.hn/rioplus-gtz/
REDECO is an initiative by the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) –International Center for Tropical Agriculture. There is a Monitoring and Evaluation section within its topical areas with interesting information on the matter. They offer opportunities to become part of an information exchange network on sustainable development and monitoring and evaluation in this area.
Website : http://www.redeco.org
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| SPECIAL FEATURE ON "PARTICIPATORY PROCESS FACILITATION" |
Considering the importance of facilitating participatory processes on internal evaluation within the framework of management aimed at impact and learning, this bulletin lists links of interest, bibliography and good practices in the area of facilitation and organizational development.
1.- LINKS OF INTEREST
Amauta Internacional
An international organization that works toward facilitating participatory processes geared at cultural transformation of organizations, development of learning skills and definition and achievement of targets as well as increase of organizational effectiveness.
http://www.amauta-international.com/index.htm
International Association of Facilitators (IAF)
IAF’s mission is promoting, supporting and making progress in the art and practice of facilitation as a profession through methodology exchange, professional training and practical research methods, as well as collegiate networks and support services.
http://iaf-world.org
International Institute for Facilitation and Consensus
A company specialized in training services for facilitation and consensus, it is headquartered in Mexico, but has partners in Europe, Latin America, United States and Canada. IIFAC provides training services through workshops and courses on consensus facilitation, conflict and negotiation.
http://www.iifac.org/
SNV Connecting People´s Capacities
SNV’s work is focused in strengthening capacities and sharing knowledge with clients and partners and it aims at supporting implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and at creating a society where all the people can enjoy the freedom of pursuing their own sustainable development.
http://www.snv-la.org/
ATINCHIK – Alternative Services for Development
ATINCHIK is a Peruvian consulting company specialized in generating and applying innovative methodologies for development. It provides technical assistance to strengthen NGOs, financial and government agencies, seeking to improve self-management capacities among the target population of different institutions. It is made up by a network of consultants in Latin America
http://www.atinchik.com/index.htm
New Paradigm Network – For institutional innovation in Latin America
RNP aims at building conceptual, cultural and methodological capacities for institutional innovation in rural research and development (RR&D), following the strategy of facilitating the creation of institutional innovation national networks committed with RR&D.
http://www.isnar.cgiar.org/npp/introduccion.html
Leader to Leader Institute
A foundation for non profit organization management, its mission is strengthening social leadership by providing educational resources, publications and aid for the development of social change and innovation leaders.
http://www.pfdf.org/index.html
DOOR – Training & Consulting
International organization present in several countries in Latin America that works on organizational development issues to improve performance and results. It provides training services in different modalities and consulting, including the Social Responsibility area.
http://www.doortraining.com.ar/index.htm
Fundación Acceso
A regional institution working in social movement and organization capacity building, it aims at building participatory, inclusive and sustainable societies. Its website supplies bibliographic resources that include “Boletín Andanzas: participación y aportes” (Adventures, a bulletin on participation and contributions).
http://www.acceso.or.cr/
Organizational Development Network
The Organizational Development Network is an association of international professionals. Their website shows a number of bibliographic resources, employment opportunities in the area and events on organizational development issues. Most of these resources are available only for its members.
http://www.odnetwork.org/index.php
The Institutional Learning and Change (ILAC)
ILAC is an initiative that aims at developing research to generate methods and tools to promote organizational development and institutional change in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research - CGIAR and its partners, circulating contributions on agricultural research to contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. This institution is also supported by IFAD and other cooperating entities.
http://www.cgiar-ilac.org/index.php?section=1
2.- SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
LA FACILITACIÓN DE PROCESOS PARTICIPATIVOS (PARTICIPATORY PROCESS FACILITATION)
Briggs, Beatrice. Instituto Internacional de Facilitación y Consenso, Cuernavaca, México 2005.
The author describes the role to be assumed by facilitators, the phases to achieve successful facilitation, reflects on the position facilitators must adopt and gives general advice for the facilitation process. She also describes some useful tools for facilitation organization.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/2123.pdf
FACILITACIÓN – Módulo 6 (FACILITATION – Module 6)
Warner, Michael; Johnston, Daniel; MacLeod, Norman; Grzybowski, Alex; Roberts, Richard y Gregus, Joan. Business Partners for Development – Natural Resources Cluster. June 2001
This module aims at strengthening the skills of those who have experience in supplying facilitation and intermediation services for the creation of effective sector alliances. This document describes the role and ethics of facilitators, provides information on designing workshops and trust building meetings as well as other topics belonging to the field of facilitation and consensus building.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/2124.pdf
RESOURCES FOR DIALOG
Public Conversations Project (PCP), 1999.
PCP tools to help readers design, facilitate and monitor dialogs. It brings an introduction to the foundations of dialog and presents a detailed guideline of the steps to follow when calling for and directing constructive conversations.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/2125.pdf
DYNAMIC FACILITATION MANUAL, METHOD CREATED BY JIM ROUGH Zubizarreta, Rosa. 2006.
The author describes dynamic facilitation to help groups achieve creative and practical solutions on difficult issues. This manual will not only help readers understand the dynamic facilitation method, but will also encourage its readership to implement it.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/2126.pdf
DEL DEBATE ESTANCADO A UNA NUEVA CONVERSACIÓN SOBRE LOS TEMAS CONTROVERTIDOS: EL PROYECTO DE CONVERSACIONES PÚBLICAS. (FROM STAGNATING DEBATE TO A NEW CONVERSATION ON CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES: PUBLIC CONVERSATIONS PROJECT) Carol Becker, Laura Chasin, Richard Chasin, Margaret Herzig y Sallyann Roth. Public Conversations Project (PCP). Buenos Aires 2000.
This article describes the activities backed up by PCP´s four guiding objectives: preparing the participants for a trip towards something new, creating a safe context, unblocking the former debate, and fostering joint creation of a new conversation.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/2127.pdf
MANUAL DE FORMACIÓN DE FACILITADORES PARA LA RECONSTRUCCIÓN DE PROYECTOS DE VIDA (FACILITATOR TRAINING MANUAL FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF LIFE PROJECTS)
Aguaje, Carolina. Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez (UNESR) - Centro de Experimentación para el Aprendizaje Permanente (CEPAP).
Theoretical and practical material made up by five units, it aims at valuing personal growth, knowledge, ability and skill development to leverage the facilitator’s role when he/she accompanies reconstruction of life projects and promotion of sustainable development in crisis-affected or potentially affected communities, by implementing psycho-social aid individual or collective strategies.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/2128.doc
MAS ALLA DE LOS EQUIPOS: LA COMUNIDAD DE AUTO DESARROLLO INTEGRAL (CADI) (BEYOND TEAMS: THE COMPREHENSIVE SELF-DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY) Brenson-Lazan, Gilbert. Amauta Internacional. LLC.
The author reflects on the community and self-development concepts, commenting the advantages of the Comprehensive Self-Development Community (CSDC), a methodology based on learning, participatory action and systemic thought that permits to optimize teamwork.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/2129.pdf
CONVERSACIONES CONSTRUCTIVAS SOBRE TIEMPOS DE DESAFÍO: UNA GUÍA PARA EL DIÁLOGO COMUNITARIO (CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CHALLENGING TIMES: A GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY DIALOG)
Public Conversations Project. 2003
This practical guide contains basic elements to facilitate conversation in small groups about any sensitive and controversial issue. It is designed to be used by people with little or no experience in conducting groups and who wish to promote conversations in their own homes, at work, family meetings, and religious meeting places or in their communities.
http://www.preval.org/documentos/2122.pdf
BOLETÍN ELECTRÓNICO LATINOAMERICANO DE FACILITADORES (LATIN AMERICAN FACILITATORS e-BULLETIN)
This resource shows reflections, experiences, dynamic activities and facilitation techniques, as well as links of interest for facilitators, and even some commented literature and reading advice.
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