Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Support Program Final Narrative Report Project ID P2P Project number # 30 Project Title: Institutional and Professional Capacity Building Project between Washington Evaluators (USA) and Central Asian VOPEs Project Managed by: National M&E Network of the Kyrgyz Republic Date of this report January 30, 2015 Focus of the Project: Advocacy for enabling environment for evaluation (check all that apply) Academic courses in evaluation V Strengthening VOPE institutional capacity V Individual members evaluation capacities V Capacity to promote equity-focused and gender-sensitive evaluation VOPEs involved: Name and acronym of VOPE Country/Region #1 Washington Evaluators USA #2 Kyrgyz National M&E Network Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan) #3 Monitoring and Evaluation Community of Practice Tajikistan #4 [insert others if more than 4] (MonEvCoP) of Tajikistan Project start date Oct 27, 2014 Project end date Mar 30, 2015 Contact person(s) for this project VOPE Contact Person Names Email addresses WE Donna Mertens, PhD donna.mertens@gallaudet.edu Kyrgyz VOPE Adema Zholdoshbekova adema1000@yahoo.com Tajik VOPE Farhod Khamidov fkhamidov@gmail.com 1. What was the purpose of the project? What did the project plan to achieve and how? (Brief description of the project, max 100 words). The Project aimed to transfer the operational and organizational experience of the Washington Evaluators (WE) and American Evaluation Association (AEA) to the Kyrgyz M&E Network and, more widely, to organized and semi-organized VOPEs in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. The primary objective was to raise institutional capacity of Central Asian M&E VOPEs in VOPE management issues and professional capacity building. Page 1
Two major focal points of the project were 1) institution-building of national VOPEs in Central Asia by learning from the experience of WE and AEA, 2) Evaluation capacity building of local evaluators in transformative mixed methods addressing equity-focused and gender-sensitive evaluation. 2. Did the project achieve what it planned to achieve? Yes, fully / partially / unfortunately, no. 2.a. Please comment on degree of achievement: 1 All activities provisioned under the P2P grant have been carried out as planned (institution and professional capacity building activities). 3. Was the project implemented as planned? If there were changes in the planned activities, why they were necessary? All activities provisioned under the P2P grant have been carried out as planned (institution and professional capacity building activities). See detailed below. Information and announcement of the workshops was done among Tajikistan s, Kyrgyzstan s, Kazakhstan s, and Russian VOPEs. Two activities of the P2P project took place on Dec 8-11, 2014 in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Per P2P application Donna Mertens came to Bishkek in December 2014 and delivered a three-day capacity development workshop (Workshop 1), followed by a one-day network building workshop (Workshop 2) sharing experience of Washington Evaluators and American Evaluation Association (see attached Workshop agenda) and discussion of the EvalYear 2015 and Global Evaluation Agenda. The topic of the capacity development workshop per needs assessment of participants prior to development of workshop program was Evaluation: context, theory of change, design with a focus on equity based and gender sensitive evaluations. (See Workshop Program). Workshop 1 participants included representatives of Kyrgyz Republic s National M&E Network, Tajikistan s Evaluation Community of Practice, Russian Evaluation Association, Kazakhstan Evaluation Network, and Washington Evaluators (see attached Photo Progress Report). In addition, participants included regional participants from around Kyrgyz Republic, as well as USAID KREG project M&E officers. Participants included civil society, government (Ministry of Health), and private sector representatives (USAID KREG Project). Workshop 1 (covered by simultaneous translation into Russian) was very well received by all participants. Workshop 2 was delivered on Dec 11, 2014 in Park Hotel Bishkek, and was attended by 80% of Workshop 1 participants and additionally by representatives of the Government Office of the Kyrgyz Republic (Mr. Kubat Ukaev), Member of National Parliament (Mrs. Natalia Nikitenko) (see attached Photo Progress Report), and core management group of the Kyrgyz Republic National M&E Network. A session of Workshop 2 was dedicated to discussion of the EvalYear 2015 and the Global Evaluation Agenda and the candle lighting ceremony after which regional VOPE took the evaluation torches to their countries. While all respective VOPEs met in Bishkek, relevant participants discussed possible dates for the visit of Central Asian VOPE representatives to Washington Evaluators sites. After the workshops participants provided their unanimously positive feedback, shared ideas on what they learned, and were encouraged to share workshop materials within their respective networks, organizations, and partners. All participants received electronic workshop materials in English and Russian, and Donna Mertens contact information for follow-up questions. After completion of the workshops Donna Mertens has provided written materials on AEA policies, structures, management schemes, etc. as part of the questions-answers activities on the structure of AEA and activities that was shared among all involved VOPEs. 4. What are the main lessons learned from the experience of this project that you would like to share with other VOPEs? 1 Please limit your responses to this and other questions to no more than 500 words each. Page 2
Select P2P partners carefully, reliable partners with whom good relationship has been established before the P2P project ensure project success; Dedicate staff time to manage the P2P project and treat it just as any other project to ensure that milestones are accomplished and results are produced; Spread information about the P2P project early and widely in the relevant M&E community; Use the P2P project as a platform and opportunity to cover other VOPE agenda items and bring national and regional stakeholders together; P2P is an excellent networking opportunity! Kyrgyz M&E Network s membership increased significantly after the P2P project (more requests for membership, more Facebook page likes); 5. Are there plans to continue or expand collaboration started under the project? If so, please describe. Yes, the P2P project served as a basis for AEA grant that will fund a visit of Central Asian VOPEs to Washington DC. Representatives of Washington Evaluators, Central Asian and Russian VOPEs who attended the workshops have established good working relationships since the P2P activities served as excellent networking events. The project helped to create a platform for stronger national and regional cooperation on M&E issues. 6. Annexes: 1) Photo report 2) List of participants ANNEX 1. PHOTO REPORT Donna Mertens, Washington Evaluators representative, presenting on Day 2 of Capacity Development Workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, Dec 9, 2014. Page 3
3) Donna Mertens, Washington Evaluators representative, presenting on Day 2 of Capacity Development Workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, Dec 9, 2014. 4) Kyrgyz Parliamentarian, Mrs Natalia Nikitenko during the Network Building Event and discussion of the EvalYear. Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, Dec 11, 2014 Page 4
5) OSCE representative, Indira Arunova, WE representative, Donna Mertens, and Kyrgyz M&E Network representative, Tatiana Tretiakova, during the candle lighting ceremony after discussion of the EvalYear and Global Evaluation Agenda, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, Dec 11, 2014./ 6) Candle lighting ceremony after discussion of the EvalYear and Global Evaluation Agenda, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, Dec 11, 2014. Participants: Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Washington Evaluators VOPE representatives; Kyrgyz Republic Government Office, Member of National Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic, UNDP, USAID, Kyrgyz Republic civil society representatives. Page 5
7) Tatiana Tretiakova, Coordinator of Kyrgyz Republic s VOPE making presentation on Global Evaluation Agenda. Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, Dec 11, 2014 ANNEX 2. LIST OF PARTICIPANTS # Last name, first name Position, organization Participants Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Russia 1. Bazidova Zarina Chairman of Panorama Public Foundation, Tajikistan 2. Nazirov Alisher Project Manager, UNDP-UNEP Poverty and Environment Initiative, Tajikistan 3. Beketova Gulmira Director, Iris Regional Public Association, Kazakhstan 4. Bekturova Damira Independent Project Evaluation Expert, Kazakhstan 5. Podushkina Tatiana Representative of Steering Board, Russian Evaluation Association, Moscow, Russia Participants Kyrgyzstan 6. Kurbanova Aida Board member, Civic Participation Public Foundation 7. Akmatova Cholpon Civic Participation Public Foundation 8. Georgievska Tanya Component leader Development of Human Capital USAID Business Growth Initiative 9. Konokbaev Kanybek Monitoring and Evaluation manager, USAID Business Growth Initiative Page 6
10. Aidyralieva Jyldyz Coordinator, Alternativa Family Restoration Center 11. Tezina Nina Program Coordinator, Association of Civil Society Support Centers, Bishkek 12. Almaz Tajibai Director, Peremena Public Foundation, member of Association of Civil Society Support Centers 13. Azimbaev Nurlan Program Coordinator, Peremena Public Foundation 14. Abdykerim Jibek Expert, Roza Otunbaeva Initiative Foundation 15. Alybaeva Nurgul Monitoring and Evaluation specialist 16. Arunova Indira Deputy head of Regulatory Report Program, OSCE, Kyrgyzstan 17. Ozubekova Munara Head, Center for Motherhood and Childhood Protection 18. Ishenalieva Cholpon Specialist, Center for Motherhood and Childhood Protection 19. Shamurzaeva Ailuna Instructor, Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic 20. Chepekova Gulmira Multilingual Education Expert, Center for Social Integration 21. Nazarkulova Elmira National Coordinator for multilingual education, Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic 22. Joldoshov Akylbek Director, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, USAID project Agro Horizon (ACDI/VOCA) 23. Tretiakov Alexander Director, Institute of Humanitarian Projecting 24. Sagynbaeva Ainura SIAR (survey company) 25. Khamzina Saule National M&E Network, member 26. Simbardt Svetlana National M&E Network, member 27. Mendikulova Zuura National M&E Network, member 28. Temirova Tatiana National M&E Network, member 29. Nikitenko Natalia Member of National Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic 30. Temirov Bolot Resource Center for the Senior Citizens public foundation 31. Ukaev Kubat Expert, Public Administration and Civil Service Department, Office of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic 32. Kaparova Ainura UNDP, Program Manager Presenter 33. Mertens Donna Independent Consultant, former professor at Gallaudet University, USA Page 7
Working group 34. Tretiakova Tatiana Coordinator, National M&E Network of the Kyrgyz Republic 35. Zholdoshbekova Adema Secretary, National M&E Network of the Kyrgyz Republic 36. Shulgina Lidia Project Assistant Please save with P2P# in file name, then send via email attachment to IOCE@earthlink.net Once approved by EvalPartners, the report will be posted on the IOCE website. Page 8