Pamoja West Africa

Reflect Evaluation Framework

A new framework for evaluating Reflect

Reflect practitioners have developed an Evaluation Framework based on Reflect principles and tools to help ensure that programme objectives and participants' expectations are being met, to provide evidence of the impact of Reflect processes and to share and compare learning. In 2007, 39 practitioners from Africa and Asia met in South Africa to develop the draft framework and an extensive online discussion folllowed over 6 weeks in 2008. 74 practitioners from over 38 countries participated in discussions across 3 language groups: 36 English speaking, 23 French speaking and 15 Portuguese/Spanish-speaking practitioners.

The new framework, called Counting Seeds for Change,was developed and tested in diverse countries (including Guinea and Sierra Leoneo in West Africa) in 2009 and 2010. The process of rolling out this new resource continues with national and regional workshops helping practitioners to familiarise themselves with the framework and encouraging suggestions for additons and innovations to the document.

Rolling out the Reflect Evaluation Framework in West Africa

In 2009 Action Aid coordinated a competitive bid to encourage the use of the Reflect Evaluation Framework. Jeunesse & Developpement (J&D), an NGO member of Pamoja Mali, submitted one of the two proposals selected for funding. In addition to $5 000 to implement their proposal the grant included a further $5 000 for sharing experiences of using the Framework in the sub region.

In April 2010 a sub regional workshop took place in Yanfolila, a rural commune where J&D is working. Participants were selected from members of national Pamojas who had experimented with tools from the Framework in their home countries, so that they came with this experience to share. The five-day event brought together 22 participants from eight national Pamojas: Mali, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Togo, Benin, Ghana, the Gambia and Liberia. Participants met women's groups and NGO field workers who were involved in J&D`s baseline analysis to discuss their experience of using the different tools and the overall approach. A number of national workshops subsequently took place to continue to widen awareness and use of the framework.