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An
opportunity to learn and reflect
- by Jannie Aasted
The 8th Regional Meeting in the Western Development Region was
held in Tansen, Palpa, on the 18th and 19th of July. The main
topics discussed were monitoring and evaluation, primarily how to
engage the beneficiaries and information work in it.
Participants at the Western Regional Meeting
How can we make the existing monitoring and evaluation system
(M&E) more effective? How can we involve the beneficiaries even
more in the partnership program? These were some of the major
questions Program Officer Shiva Dangol put on the first day of the
meeting to encourage everybody to discuss. And the suggestions
from the various participants were surprisingly alike: Let us
include the beneficiaries from the very beginning of partnership
agreement. Let us actually show that we are all working together
for the goal of poverty eradication. This also implies having the
beneficiaries playing a bigger role at the existing Annual
Organisational Review and Annual Impact Review. The two reviews
were furthermore suggested to be jointly arranged by all partner
representatives and development workers.
M&E is not an exam
Besides emphasizing the need for MS Nepal to give feedback on the
reviews, another aspect of the monitoring and evaluation system
was highlighted by one group. M&E is not an examination but an
opportunity for everybody to learn and reflect. Seen in this light
the reviews are not only a matter of achievements and shortcomings
in charts and numbers, but are more likely to become relevant
tools for the everyday activities of the partner organisations.
Most significant changes
In the same line a new initiative in the Western region focuses on
the qualitative aspects of the development efforts made by MS
Nepal and the partners. A journalist from Radio Lumbini, Mohan
Chapagain, and information development worker Jannie Aasted will
before the Annual Impact Reviews later this year visit the four
districts in West. The objective is to talk with the beneficiaries
about the changes that have occurred in their lives as a direct or
indirect consequence of the activities taken out by the partner
organisations. The stories will serve as input for reflection
within MS Nepal and will be used for information purposes as well.
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And the suggestions from the various participants were
surprisingly alike: Let us include the beneficiaries from the
very beginning of partnership agreement. Let us actually show
that we are all working together for the goal of poverty
eradication. This also implies having the beneficiaries
playing a bigger role at the existing Annual Organisational
Review and Annual Impact Review. |
Concept paper on communication
By having two community radios as strategic partners it is obvious
that there are a lot of opportunities for the Western partners to
share and cooperate on information issues. A concept paper on how
to increase all partners’ use of the media was introduced and was
well accepted. A communication committee consisting of
representatives from Community Radio Madanpokhara, Radio Lumbini
and two development workers was formed and the committee is
supposed to elaborate on the ideas for the benefit of all
partners.
Racial equality – the need of the country
Being the organiser of the Regional Meeting, Community Radio
Madanpokhara ended by facilitating a very fruitful discussion on
Dalits issues that engaged all participants. A working paper
summarising the background of the caste system and underlining the
obvious struggles for the marginalised people initiated a lively
debate on how to approach the subject. As for many other issues,
words have to be chosen cautiously and the main task is now to put
the words into action. The caste discrimination is a problem for
everybody to solve and as a step in the right direction, the paper
provided material for learning and discussion among the 11 partner
organisations, development workers and PAB members present in
Tansen.
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