1. Valuing Voices: Sustainable Solutions for Excellent Impact Jindra Cekan, PhD Valuing Voices at CEKAN CONSULTING LLC 2014

2. Simple idea

3. Measure the sustainable impact of development projects AFTER they are completed (2-10 years out)

4. Ask communities what worked (or didn’t)

5. Over $1.6 trillion has been spent on international development since 2000, with almost no knowledge of long-term sustained impact after projects end much less

6. Details: $1.4 trillion spent on international development by the EU since 2000 $277 billion spent on development projects by USAID since 2000 $ 50 billion spent on Measurement & Evaluation during projects (3% average of total) Less than $1.6 million spent on Measurement & Evaluation 2-10 years after project (under.1%)

7. $100 billion dollars and euros were spent in 2014 alone… still without knowing what sustained impacts these development projects will have.

8. Project LaunchEnd Project LaunchEnd Mid- point Evaluati on Mid- point Evaluati on Development Project Life Cycle Typical Measurement & Evaluation 1-5 years Final Evalu ation IMPLEMENTATION B a s e li n e

9. Project LaunchEnd Project Mid- point M&E Mid- point M&E Development Project Life Cycle Valuing Voices’ Measurement & Evaluation Post Project M&E (fraction) Post Project M&E (fraction) 6 mo-2 yrs Valuing Voices 2-10 yrs B a s e li n e …we must feed learning to future projects…

10. Valuing Voices will: Create a methodology and technology platform for measuring long-term impact and sustainability of development interventions Maintain and share learning from nationally- based databases for globally sustainable design Feed back self-sustainability learning to new projects coming on… increasing success

11. The Valuing Voices platform will create a database of self-sustained outcomes and impacts (activities communities self-sustained) across a range of development projects, launching food security/ livelihoods first

12. Data from the Valuing Voices platform will benefit individual project implementers and national counterparts Helping them understand how they can improve project design and delivery, learn from unexpected results and help communities become free of foreign aid

13. The way in which data is collected (Empowerment Evaluation, Outcome Harvesting, Appreciative Inquiry) will empower communities to share their strengths National evaluators will lead, local policymakers will learn as will we foreigners. It puts development back where it belongs, in the hands of the countries themselves.

14. Data from the Valuing Voices platform will benefit project funders (foreign donors) and national governments Helping them understand where their limited resources can best be deployed, and building national capacity to support communities themselves

15. Don’t we want to do the very best work that helps us ‘graduate’ participants completely? Don’t we want to see the sustained Return on Investment – for our funds, for the participants themselves? The time is now. www.ValuingVoices.com