Amazon Web Services



WVL Tip Sheet # 2: Applying Feminist Principles to Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) (Draft for consultation, 11.01.2019) This tip sheet provides an introduction for Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Program stakeholders on the application of feminist values and principles to WVL Program MEL. It builds on Tip Sheet #1: Feminist Values and Principles Guiding the WVL Program.In the context of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), the WVL Program offers a unique opportunity to explore and adapt feminist principles in relation to MEL practice. Feminist principles applied to MEL can:improve the quality of monitoring and evaluation;strengthen learning for program improvement, knowledge sharing and communications; andincrease the usefulness and use of MEL information by all program stakeholders, including WROs. Applying Feminist Principles to WVL MELFeminist principles related to WVL MEL are understood as follows:Knowledge generated through MEL activities is a powerful resource owned and used first by participant WROs and implementing partners.The overall learning agenda is decided by the WROs themselves and is embed in their local context. WROs are provided with the capacity to support and undertake MEL activities that fulfill their own agendas.Knowledge generation is inclusive. The MEL system favours methodologies that allow for participation and inclusion.MEL systems allow for an analysis of the ways that different forms of discrimination, based on disability, class, race or age intersect to create power inequalities and marginalization.Social change, especially related to gender dynamics, is complex and non-linear. An effective MEL system is one that allows for flexibility and complexity, and one that is able to identify and track unintended and negative consequences. Using Figure 1 as a guide, the section below provides a few ideas for applying feminist principles throughout the MEL cycle. Figure 1: The MEL cycle4572000530860“…feminist evaluation does not provide a framework or advocate a precise approach; rather, feminist evaluation is often defined as a way of thinking about evaluation.”en/themes/feminist_evaluation00“…feminist evaluation does not provide a framework or advocate a precise approach; rather, feminist evaluation is often defined as a way of thinking about evaluation.”en/themes/feminist_evaluationleft28765500 Project design: Engaging local WROs as key project stakeholders in discussions as the Project Implementation Plans (PIPs) are being developed to confirm how WROs would like to manage the process of gathering project evidence and measuring results. This could happen through a series of workshops or could take the form of project management or reference groups set up by implementing partners to include local WROs. Top Tip: From a feminist perspective there is a difference between a) the participation of local WROs to ensure that “their voices are heard” in MEL exercises and b) local WROs being directly involved in decisions on designing, collecting and analyzing program data. The former is passive consultation, and is not part of feminist principles. The latter is a good example of the principles of inclusion and empowerment. MEL planning and ongoing project monitoring: A feminist approach to MEL engages local WROs directly in developing and implementing MEL plans and activities. MEL systems based on feminist principles tend to favour methodologies that allow for the voices of diverse groups of women and marginalized groups to be heard. These include using mixed methods and innovative participatory data collection and analysis activities such as video diaries, story-telling, joint learning platforms and sense-making workshops. WROs themselves decide what data is important to collect, how it should be collected and, most importantly, how it is interpreted and used. Baseline Study, Midterm evaluation and/or reviews, Final evaluation: Local WROs can be directly involved in design, data collection and analysis for baseline studies, midterm and/or final evaluations. Engaging in this way can be empowering for WROs – they can co-own these processes rather than being situated as “objects” of evaluation – and, at the same time, build their MEL capacity. Where external evaluations are commissioned, steps can be taken to ensure that these align as much as possible with feminist principles. Top Tip: The data collection tools and methods used in MEL systems based on feminist principles may not look that different to regular MEL. In practice, the main difference is in deciding how the data will be used and in the practice of collecting, analysing and interpreting the data. Data tends to be used directly in social or political change campaigns, or to advocate for rights. Local WROs are involved in all these steps – to the extent that they wish to engage.Learning: Feminist approaches to MEL prioritize learning and adaptation throughout the MEL cycle. Right from the MEL planning stage, local WROs drive decisions about key learning questions that will support their own agendas. Learning activities and related budgets are part of the MEL plan of implementing partners. These activities enable local WROs to participate in learning platforms and sense-making exercises supported by implementing partners and GAC. Knowledge generated through MEL activities and related knowledge products and communications are relevant for and can be used by local WROs in their work. Building capacity across the MEL cycleThe WVL Program should support capacity building of local WROs in the following areas:Participatory, inclusive and empowering MEL frameworks “Fit for purpose” organizational capacity assessment for WROsInnovative approaches for data collection and analysisSafe and ethical approaches These dimensions of capacity building can be integrated where appropriate into WVL project design.“Doing things differently” in WVL MEL means….Investing more time and resources than typical MEL practiceWillingness to experiment with different approaches and methodsOpenness of all WVL program stakeholders – local WROs, implementing partners and GAC – to learn together on how to apply feminist principles to MEL practiceTop tip: The WVL MEL Working Group is ready to answer any questions you have about points raised in the tip sheet and to share further resources as needed. Contact margaret.capelazo@international.gc.ca. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download