GL`s well-defined M&E plan clarifies the process and interventions that will lead to the project’s outputs and deliverables. M&E helps the GL team to plan an end-to-end indicator management system, identify effective tools and methodologies to measure, analyse and demonstrate every intervention and its impact on expected outcomes. Monitoring and evaluation is a crucial component of all the work that we do at Gender Links for a number of reasons. Firstly the routine, systematic collection of information is important for the purpose of checking our projects’ progress against plans but more importantly it is how we use the monitoring data to make judgements about whether a project has achieved its stated outcomes. As an organisation it is important that we are able to show a change in condition or behavior of our beneficiaries as a result of receiving benefits from our project outputs. And ultimately we are trying to measure actual changes in conditions of the basic problems that we have identified and which we are attempting to address.
GL monitoring is an ongoing activity of tracking and recording that begins and ends with a project. It involves collection and analysis of data/information on a routine basis to identify patterns, changes and progress within the ongoing development intervention, against predetermined targets, indicators and objectives. Our monitoring is conducted by internal team members and gives them a first-hand overview of the progress and help us to make informed management decisions.
GL evaluation takes place at periodic intervals of a project life-cycle. An external evaluator is tasked with looking at the bigger picture and project outcomes, impact and the overall goal and investigates their significance. The evaluation also utilises data (including monitoring data) to demonstrate the effectiveness of project design and implementation, the relevance of project goals and objectives, the efficiency of resource use, project strategies, sustainability of project impact.
Through its changing lives series GL gathers evidence about the impact of its work through first hand accounts from the people who participation in GL’s programmes. These heart warming accounts of how people have benefited from GL’s work drives GL to ensure that its work is always of the highest standard.
Another M&E advancement made by GL was making use of a new online Survey Gizmo platform for creating customised online surveys, questionnaires, surveys and application forms. GL had previously invested a great deal in these using an external contractor however this new platform is more costs significant. The new online platform Survey Gizmo is directly linked to Google Data Studio reports. Take our online surveys.
One of the greatest benefits of GL M&E is helping us to track, analyse and report on relevant information and data throughout the life cycle of our projects. This allows our project teams to provide robust evidence for all their actions and decisions to stakeholders, donors and beneficiaries. On the other hand, stakeholders and donors acquire the information and understanding they need to collaborate, communicate, provide inputs and make informed decisions about strategy improvements and project operations. GL conducts regular programme and organisational evaluations to enhance learning and improve the quality of our work. Click here to view our evaluations.
