1. Monitoring and Evaluation for HES Activities

2. Course Objectives By the end of the training, you will be able to…
Name several key objectives for HES activities
Define ‘household livelihood assessment’ and describe how it is part of the M&E process
Evaluate M&E tools and indicators based on their utility, feasibility and reliability
Analyze a results framework to understand how HES objectives are linked to intermediate results and indicators
Apply ‘lessons learned’ to develop an M&E plan
Identify uses of several M&E tools and resources
Access a range of M&E tools and resources

3. Discuss diagram – copies for everyone
Discuss diagram – copies for everyone. Discuss types of HES activities and place on the diagram (blown up) in the appropriate place.

4. The M&E Process

5. Regional / National Communities Households Vulnerable Children
A good M&E system allows program staff to see past numbers and percentages to understand the role a program has in helping human beings.

6. Broad M&E Objectives
Providing program planners and implementers with information to select HES activities
Knowing what and how households and VC are doing
Giving managers insight into whether HES activities are meeting targets
Being accountable to stakeholders
Providing ‘data for decision-making’
Do we want to add anything?
Knowing what and how households and VC are doing. A good M&E system allows program staff to see past numbers and percentages to understand the role a program has in helping human beings.
Providing program planners and implementers with information to select HES activities, identify appropriate target households for participation, and allocate resources accordingly.
Giving managers insight into whether HES activities are meeting targets and helping them move toward achieving long-term livelihood and food security objectives.
Providing ‘data for decision-making,’ allowing managers to base program decisions and changes on accurate information rather than on ‘hunches’.
Being accountable to stakeholders including beneficiary communities, implementing partners and funding agencies.

7. Broad M&E Objectives
Providing program planners and implementers with information to select HES activities
Identify appropriate target households for participation and allocate resources accordingly.
Knowing what and how households and VC are doing
Allows program staff to see past numbers and percentages to understand the role a program has in helping human beings.
Giving managers insight into whether HES activities are meeting household needs
Helps them move toward achieving long-term livelihood and food security objectives.
Providing ‘data for decision-making,’
Allows managers to base program decisions and changes on accurate information rather than on ‘hunches’.
Being accountable to stakeholders
Includes beneficiary communities, implementing partners and funding agencies.
Setting objectives for a monitoring and evaluation system is done in the same way as in many development sectors. However, this does not mean that one system will fit all projects. Systems should be tailored to individual projects based on informational needs, learning objectives, reporting requirements, and available resources. Typical M&E objectives for HES activities can be summarized as:

8. 1. Providing program planners and implementers with information to select HES activities
Household Livelihoods Assessment
A livelihood is the combination of the resources used and the activities undertaken in order to ensure day-to-day and long-term survival.
Examples of livelihood activities people undertake to provide food for themselves:
Working to earn income
Bartering owned assets for food
Growing / raising food
Sending children to eat with neighbors
Receiving government food assistance, etc.

9. 1. Providing program planners and implementers with information to select HES activities con’t.
Household Livelihoods Assessment
Develop a holistic understanding of household and community livelihoods and well-being, economic conditions, health, food security, political and environmental security, etc.
Determine household and community needs and designing interventions to meet them
Examine intra-household poverty and how it affects VCs and other household members differently
Understand local opportunities and capabilities
Establish a baseline or reference point from which to identify and measure changes (positive and negative) in the future.

10. 1. Providing program planners and implementers with information to select HES activities con’t.
Household Livelihoods Assessment
Examples of Tools – Page 14
Download examples of several tools

11. 2. Knowing what and how households and VC are doing
3. Giving managers insight into whether HES activities are meeting targets
Are households improving? Do households feel like they’re better off?
4. Being accountable to stakeholders
If HHs are improving and targets are being met, can we assume the chosen approach is working?
If HHs are not improving is it because targets aren’t being met or is it in spite of the fact that they are being met?
Different sets of priorities; everyone accountable to someone else
A good M&E system allows program staff to see past numbers and percentages to understand the role a program has in helping human beings.
What’s the difference between these three things? Just because targets are being met doesn’t mean households are doing better. Or doing what they want.

12. 5. Provide Data for Decision-Making
Timely information
Accessible to needed staff / stakeholders
Integrated into program cycle – data available when adjustments can be made.
KEY QUESTION: When we get this information, what will we do with it?
See what the audience thinks is the purpose.
Provide suggestions such as Observe & Monitor Unintended Consequences

13. Example of Result Framework

14. Match the indicators to the IRs!
Activity
Match the indicators to the IRs!

15. Reading a PML-3
FHI-360-LIFT

16. Selecting Tools, Indicators
Reliability
The extent to which one can reasonably assume they can acquire correct or accurate information.
A tool that includes questions that interviewers or respondents may interpret differently may not be reliable.
Feasibility
The extent to which the information needed can be readily acquired.
It requires that you be able to access the source of information as well as the specific data you need as often as you need it.
Utility
The extent to which the information is actually useful.
How much will what we learn help us to make or adjust programmatic or strategic decisions?