CONTENTS
Welcome to the Managing for Impact newsletter. The content of this newsletter is provided by the SMIP implementation team and members of the MfI network. We appreciate your efforts to share interesting news and ideas about managing for impact. If you would like to make any contributions to a future edition then please Contact Us!
About ERIL
ERIL is a platform for discussion, debate and sharing of knowledge and practice about managing for impact. No one has all the answers but practitioners – both project staff and service providers – have lots of questions, ideas and experience. ERIL has been established by SMIP to promote interaction and learning about managing for impact as we try and thoughtfully support pro-poor interventions to improve what they do and increase the impact they have. Do you have any contributions to make? Do you have ideas or experiences to share on how to improve the impact of interventions on the ground? Do sign up to ERIL, engage with some of the discussion forums and contribute to increasing knowledge, enhancing learning and promoting change.
HOT TOPIC
Learning about learning
Join in on the ongoing discussion forum on ERIL - Action learning – what it means and how you do it
NEWS & UPDATES FROM SMIP
Supporting MfI in Southern Africa
In April the SMIP SA SRI, Khanya-aicdd, visited Zambia (16-19 April) to follow up with IFAD projects, including the Smallholder Enterprise and Marketing Project (SHEMP), Forest Resource Management Project (FRMP), Smallholder Livestock Project (SLIP), Rural Financial Services Project (RFSP). SMIP discussed the current situation of SHEMP and FRMP with project coordinators, and together identified some possible areas where support could be useful. With the two new projects (RFSP and SLIP) SMIP met key stakeholders to identify issues around the programme and also possible areas for support. SMIP is now discussing options for providing some ad-hoc support to SHEMP and FRMP.
SMIP SA SRI also visited SANReMP (20 April), the IFAD funded project in Lesotho, during which it was agreed that Khanya-aicdd, SMIPs southern Africa sub-regional institution will deliver a customised MfI training to SANReMP staff July 23 – Aug 2. A key course objective is to develop a shared understanding amongst programme implementers of what Managing for Impact means in practice. This will include principles and methodologies related to empowerment of the rural poor to fully and effectively engage in the management of their own development – through active participation in the design of interventions, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and other decision making processes. The course will enable SANReMP to review and assess some of the current programme challenges and strengthen its operations within a managing for impact framework.
Developing MfI approaches in Tanzania
In March, SMIP EA SRI team members and the Regional Programme Facilitator met with members of the IFAD Tanzania Country Programme Management Team (CPMT) to discuss opportunities for collaboration between SMIP and the IFAD Tanzania Country Programme. It was agreed that SMIP would establish its eastern Africa action learning site in Tanzania and the site would consist of both project and programme levels of intervention. At project level, SMIP will work with the Rural Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Support Programme (MUVI) to implement the managing for impact approach. At the programme level; SMIP will work with the CPMT to build capacity to both manage for impact as well as effectively support IFAD supported programmes to implement the MfI.
The SMIP team followed up the March visit to Tanzania with another visit in June to:
- Attend one of the MUVI sensitization workshops;
- Meet the MUVI implementation agency, the Small Industries Development Organization-SIDO) officials, to discuss the next setps
- Attend the COSOP stakeholder meeting; and
- Discuss SMIP's support to the CPMT
SMIP/MUVI Partnership: Follow-up activities
Based on the discussions and prior agreement made with implementers of MUVI, the project was selected as an action learning site; as a result SMIP will partner with MUVI to implement MfI on a holistic basis. Primarily this will involve; a) an MfI Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop, tentatively scheduled for October 2007 and; b) Discussing and agreeing on a long term partnership engagement during the ToT workshop.
NEWS & UPDATES FROM MfI NETWORK MEMBERS
UNDP RBA International Conference Accra 27th- 29th May 2007 by Johns Kamangira, MfI Associate
Three MfI network members participated in this conference that looked at 'Scaling up capacity development frameworks and response strategies in Africa'….Read more
Southern Nyanza Community Development Project Training Workshop by Mugita Gesongo, MfI Associate
Two weeks after the March training workshop, Mugita Gesongo, was invited by Southern Nyanza Community Development Project (IFAD fuded) to assist MfI Network Partner Mr. Masoud, M&E Officer in training implementing officers on PM&E. …. Read more about Mugita’s and Masoud’s experiences.
Experiences with the Angola Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme Mid Term Review by Jayaseeli Bonnet, MfI Associate
Soon after the March training workshop, Jessy was invited as an independent consultant to assist the government to carry out the Mid Term Review of this specific component. Read more about Jessy’s experiences.
Challenges to Participation & Empowerment by Johns Kamangira
Johns Kamangira, an MfI Associate, has been assisting the IFAD supported Rural Financial Services Programme. Read about Johns’ reflections on some of the challenges he’s experiences in relation to participation and empowerment..
RECENT MfI TRAINING - Kenya 19th – 29th March 2007
From the 19th to the 29th of March, SMIP facilitated a training workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. Entitled "Managing for Impact - from theory to practice"; the workshop was attended by both service providers and representatives of pro-poor projects from Eastern and Southern Africa. Following the workshop, all 29 participants joined the MfI network as MfI associates and partners. Read the workshop report.
UPCOMING MfI TRAINING
Lesotho 17th– 27th Sept 2007
In September, SMIP will be running its second training workshop on the Managing for Impact approach (MfI) in Lesotho. The workshop is open to both service providers and project/programme staff. The ten day workshop will provide theory and practical exercises relevant to building skills & knowledge to better manage towards impact. Additionally, project/programme staff attending the workshop will be invited to submit their projects for use as case studies during the workshop. This provides the opportunity for all participants to test the skills & knowledge they gain during theoretical sessions and also benefit from the insight and experiences of other participants as well as the facilitators. The course also includes a field visit to selected sites of the SANReMP project - an IFAD supported project.
Participants attending the workshop will need to cover their individual transport costs to and from the venue. As SMIP is subsidizing the workshop; individuals are only required to pay a registration fee of US$400 for all other costs related to accommodation and the workshop itself
Click here for further details and an application form. Please note application forms need to be sent with current CV to admin@khanya-aicdd.org by 15 July.
RECENT RESOURCES ADDED TO ERIL
A Recent resource on Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation:
W.K Kellogg Foundation Evaluation Handbook - Philosophy & Evaluation. January 1998.
This handbook provides a framework for thinking about evaluation and the role it should play at the project level. It begins by describing evaluation history and paradigms influencing evaluation practice today. It then goes on to describe three components of project-level evaluation, providing examples in the form of case studies.
A Recent resource on Guiding the Strategy:
An interesting perspective on the change processes that can exist in a social system independent of a development intervention and the need to understand these processes before we do a needs analysis and design our interventions.
IN RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTIONS..
"Can projects that were not formulated & planned using MfI be evaluated using MfI" by Jessy
Yes, and no! Perhaps a good place to start is some of the characteristics of MfI:
• A learning oriented approach
• An approach that gives equal emphasis to a) the impact pathway; and b) the relationship pathway (the "people" processes)
• An approach that recognizes the importance of a number of factors and mechanisms that need to be established in order to better manage towards impact (related to i) guiding the strategy; ii) effective operations; iii) learning environments; supported by iv) M&E).
What MfI is not is an approach that promotes the use of specific methodologies & tools (e.g. the LFA) - rather one that promotes the use of appropriate methodologies & tools based on specific principles & mainly following a constructivist paradigm.
So what does this have to do with the question?!
Yes - MfI can be applied in project evaluations that were not developed using MfI when there is openness towards a learning oriented approach (e.g. an evaluation whose objectives include learning & where stakeholders are open to engaging in self assessments & critical reflection processes). Using the MfI self assessment tool would essentially involve assessing the management mechanisms in the project (i.e. rather than assessing the extent to which the objectives were achieved (necessary) - this would look at some of the reasons behind success/failure related to the management of the project.
No - when there is not an openness towards learning oriented approaches & shared values & principles as that of MfI - you would most encounter reluctance to engage.
Reflecting aloud...
My name is Rachel and I have been working to develop Khanya's role as a sub-regional institution (SRI) within SMIP. Khanya is responsible for promoting and rolling out the programme in the southern Africa region. The work is really challenging and stimulating! I am constantly weaving between my role as a Learning and Sharing manager here at Khanya and my role as a team member of the SMIP implementation team. The roles are very complimentary and add value to each other. So whilst trying to be an active and purposeful member of the SMIP implementation team and deliver on work we are responsible for, I'm also trying constantly to weave learning, insights and new knowledge into Khanya gleaned from exposure to and involvement with SMIP. Khanya is very keen to mainstream engagement with and learning about managing for impact within everything we do as a organisation working on sustainable liveihood approaches and community driven development in Africa so it means our work as an SRI is well supported by colleagues here. This makes for a very fertile learning environment. And there is lots of learning going on - not least the challenge of working as a remote SMIP implementation team spread across countries and cultures, a familiar situation for many of us I'm sure. Within this context, we have tried to allocate roles and responsibilities and set in place communication channels to assist us all to roll out the programme. This has been very empowering for implementing partners like Khanya and a good example how we try and practice managing for impact internally within the team. So instead of everything being in place about how the programme would operate we worked on that as a team. And ofcourse that generates ownership and commitment that in its own way also feeds our energy to learn.
