Exploring the Benefits of Monitoring and Evaluation in Project Delivery

Virtual NLF Partner Meeting and Discussion on Monitoring & Evaluation and General Project Management

NLEAP recently organised a Virtual Partner Meeting and Information Session for the Call 1 National Languages Fund (NLF) Partners. Led by Guy Innes, Alinea’s Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist from Calgary, the session provided Technical Assistance to the NLF Partners in the areas of Monitoring & Evaluation and General Project Management. With translations being provided not only in the Official Languages of Sinhala and Tamil, but also in Sign Language, the session highlighted the diversity of the Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s) partnering NLF to promote Language Rights Awareness and Second Language Learning.

As Mr. Thirunavukarasu Marimuthu (Deputy Project Director – NLEAP) explained the purpose of the session  was to provide TA to the  NLF Partners on the best practices to be followed  when providing the required indicators and data critical to reporting. Welcoming the NLF partners to the session, Mr. Don Brownell (Project Director – NLEAP) commended them on their invaluable contribution towards promoting Language Rights and Second Language Learning. In his address Mr. Brownell stressed ‘Information is very important to understand what is working, what is not working and what can we do better’. He further shared that qualitative information enabled NLEAP to ‘demonstrate to Canadians the value of international development assistance’ as well as equipped ‘our programme people to better understand what is working and what is not working’. Which segued perfectly into Mr. Guy Innes’s presentation which he began by first congratulating the NLF partners for the ‘amazing work’ they were doing. He thanked them for the numbers and indicators provided by them in accordance with NLF Evaluation/Monitoring guidelines provided at the point of contracting. Highlighting the ‘evidence based approach to do the right things the right way’ adopted by NLEAP and Alinea, Mr. Innes reiterated how sound qualitative information was a means to let the key stakeholders recognize and appreciate the good work achieved by the NLF partners. One of the key aspects of his presentation to, and discussion with the NLF Partners, was the all important aspect of Community Beneficiary Sampling (CBS). As ‘the key indicator to assess what is happening with the beneficiaries and how they are benefitting’ he noted that the ‘True Information’ received from beneficiaries as being critical to surveying what was achieved,  understanding the effectiveness of what was accomplished, and to derive a real sense of how they have been impacted. NLF partners in discussion noted that they recognized and affirmed the value of deriving accurate sampling data uncompromised by influence or bias to gain a true and relevant picture– but at the same time shared with Mr. Innes some of the challenges they were facing with accessing the beneficiaries due to the Pandemic. Being able to discuss practical solutions to such challenges with the NLEAP team was highlight appreciated by the NLF partners.

The NLF partners were appreciative of the learning and insight derived from the session. NLEAP will continue to organise such capacity development opportunities as part of its mandate to provide TA to the partners in their efforts to promote Language Rights and Second Language Learning.

Spread the love