Those of us in the NGO sector have great ideas (just ask us). We develop plans for projects, working all day and worrying at night, about implementation and impact. But how do we know if our project is successful? Well, we measure. That’s what Monitoring and Evaluation is all about.
Լast week my counterparts and I spent two days reinforcing what we knew and learning more about this important aspect of NGO work. For the Peace Corps, Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation (MRE) are a critical (and large) part of what we do. First, we collect data to establish a baseline (MRE) which tells us where the people we are serving are (or what they know) at the beginning of a project. This can be done through a survey or interview, for example.
Once the project has been started, we periodically check to see that we are following the action plan and timeline. We report (MRE) on the changes our project is effecting.
Then, we evaluate (MRE) the outcome of the project. For example, did the workshop participants learn from the lessons we gave? After some weeks or months, has the new information changed their behavior? In other words, have they incorporated the new ideas into their life resulting in a change for the better?
As a counterpart, I support my assigned NGOs in their work by helping with MRE to measure their success. As a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), I must also use MRE to measure my effectiveness as a resource.
Non-governmental Organization