New M&E Resources and Opportunities

Best Regards,
The MLE Staff

A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluating Policy Influence
Harry Jones, 2011
Published by ODI
Monitoring and evaluation is a central tool to manage interventions, improve practice and ensure accountability, but it is highly challenging in the context of policy influencing work. However there are a number of lessons that can be learned, and tools that can be used, that provide workable solutions to these challenges. While there is a vast breadth of activities that aim to influence policy, and a great deal of variety in theory and practice according to each different area or type of organisation, there are also some clear similarities and common lessons. This background paper is intended as a guide and outlines both challenges and approaches, with some suggestions for further reading.
To access the paper, click here: http://bit.ly/eJJtLS

The course aims to enhance the work of professionals by training them on specific aspects related to monitoring ESC rights. The course will also instruct participants on how advocacy tools, including, for example, human rights indicators, budget analysis or litigation activities can be effectively used to build monitoring policies that would be addressed not only to domestic institutions, but also to international mechanisms mandated to protect and promote ESC rights.

For more information about the course, please visit:
http://www.adh-geneva.ch/professional-training/professional-training-in-escr/at, or write to escrtraining@adh-geneve.ch.

Project Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) training course
Asia-Pacific Development Communication Centre (ADCC)
1-17 March 2011
Application deadline: 15 February 2011

The course fee is 2100 USD per person. The course fee covers the costs of tuition, teaching materials, transportation to and from the airport, and lunch and refreshments during sessions. In addition, transport and meals during field trips outside of Bangkok will be provided. The course fees does not include accommodations, dinners, transportation for personal purpose, visa and air ticket.

Fore more information regarding this training course, contact adcc@adcc-dpu.org or visit the website at http://www.dpu.ac.th/adcc/news.php?id=2230.

Online Learning Modules: Critical Appraisal of Intervention Studies
National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools NCCMT [Canada]
Estimated total time: approximately 6-8 hours
Website: http://www.nccmt.ca/en/modules/cais/intro/begin.php

Public health decision makers consider evidence from a variety of sources. How do you know if you can trust the evidence you find and whether you can apply it to your own situation? The Critical Appraisal of Intervention Studies (CAIS) module was designed to help for the planning and delivery of public health programs and services.

Purpose: To demonstrate how to assess the quality of an intervention study and to develop skill in applying the criteria for critical appraisal of an intervention study to enable you to determine whether that intervention can be applied to your own public health situation.

Objectives:
1.     Develop or enhance skills in the critical appraisal of a primary study of a treatment or prevention intervention.
2.     Review and apply a source of research evidence to a scenario, summarize the results, and decide if the findings are applicable.

Pre-requisite: This learning module builds on the concepts discussed in the NCCMT module entitled "Introduction to evidence-informed decision making." (http://www.nccmt.ca/en/modules/eidm/)

This conference will examine key elements and challenges confronting the evaluation of international development, including its funding, practice and future. The purpose is to review and share new initiatives, approaches, issues and challenges to the M&E of development. INTRAC will be convening this event with PSO, the Netherlands and PRIA, India.

The main themes of the conference will include: governance and accountability; impact; M&E in complex contexts of social change; the M&E of advocacy; M&E of capacity building; programme evaluation in an era of results-based management; M&E of humanitarian programmes; the design of M&E systems; evaluating networks, including community driven networks; changing theories of change and how this relates to M&E methods and approaches.

Outputs
1. A set of evidence based conclusions on the perceptions of World Vision as an influencer, participator, change agent (or similar categorization) as a result of its advocacy work in the post-earthquake response in Haiti, with a clear indication of what policy, debate, directional (etc) change can be attributed to World Vision’s advocacy engagements and what change World Vision contributed to.
2. A set of recommendations on the added value and impact of WV presence in Brussels and New York.
3. A set of recommendations on the successes and benefit to the children and youth of participation activities carried out by advocacy in partnership with the Global Movement for Children.
4. A set of recommendations on the successes and benefit to the earthquake affected population of community empowerment and mobilization carried out by advocacy.

Duration of consultancy: WVI has set aside 3 weeks (21 days) for this assignment.

All bids should include:
1. Detailed work-schedule
2. Proposed evaluation methodology
3. Total cost of consultancy services
4. CV

For requirements and additional information, please see the attached TOR.

External Evaluator - Oxfam GB and Fair Play for Africa
Deadline for submission of materials:23 February 2011, 5pm GMT
Oxfam GB and Fair Play for Africa are seeking an experienced external evaluator to lead on an evaluation of aspects of the Pan-African Fair Play for Africa Campaign.  This evaluation will pilot the use of Process Tracing to assess the extent to which: a) the changes around health financing that Fair Play for Africa was seeking have taken place; and b) we can evidence that the campaign contributed to these changes.  Guidelines outlining the core evaluation protocol have been prepared, and Oxfam GB is seeking an experienced external evaluator to lead on the implementation of this methodology.  

Please see attached Terms of Reference for further details on the evaluation and tender process.  

Consultancy for Individual or Team - Bond
Deadline for submission of materials: 16 February 2011
Bond (the UK membership body for non-governmental organisations working in international development) is leading a 3-year programme of work to support its members in developing ways to prove and improve their contribution to international development.

As part of this work, it is currently looking for an individual or team to help develop a rigorous, yet flexible self-assessment tool to support Bond members in identifying strengths and weaknesses in their organisational and programme effectiveness.