What is Participatory M & E?

1. What is Participatory M & E? • Part of participatory approach to development • Stakeholders / beneficiaries are subjects, not objects of evaluation • Strong emphasis on learning

2. Key challenges of PME? • Ensuring participants / beneficiaries are meaningfully involved • Ensuring that their time and effort are worth it

3. Main advantages of PME? • Capacity development – better experiential learning • Social capital – stronger ownership & commitment • Improved management, better results, higher quality

4. Challenges ? Business as usual, after pro forma commitment to participatory M & E

5. Challenges ? Insufficient budgets, time & planning for participatory M & E activities

6. Challenges ? Insufficient incentives for participants

7. Challenges ? Too much faith in numeric indicators, without complementary qualitative data

8. Challenges ? Lack of trust, confidence & familiarity with PME approaches

9. Challenges ? Vague commitments with unclear responsibilities, schedules and objectives

10. Challenges ? PME strategies that are too detailed, not very realistic or practical

11. What works ? Ensuring necessary commitments, resources, preparation and skills

12. What works ? Tailoring PME approaches to match each situation and culture.

13. What works ? Using PME results systematically and effectively

14. What works ? Allowing participants to chose the focus of their monitoring activities, based on their priorities

15. What works ? Ensuring real benefits & incentives for participants, stakeholders, managers

16. Conclusions In most organisations, PME will require changes in culture. It also requires changes in behaviour and attitudes among stakeholders.

17. Conclusions Moving towards PME is part of becoming genuine “learning organisations”

18. THANK YOU