Monitoring and evaluation of reproductive health interventions

Principal investigators

Ronald Horstman (NIDI) and Inge Hutter

Collaboration

NIDI

Funding

European Union under the EC/UNFPA Reproductive Health Initiative in Asia; HERA/NIDI

Period

2001-2004

Description of the research

Since the ICPD Conference (1994) and supported by the Millennium Development Goals (2000), poverty reduction strategies and sector-wide approaches, the growing focus of International Aid Agencies is on results or evidence-based management approaches. This shift is particularly important for national and local development agencies working at the improvement of the status of reproductive health. For inspiring confidence among beneficiaries, donors and other stakeholders, public and private development agencies will need to show effectiveness and sustainability of efforts through improved results-based management (RBM). RBM in reproductive health is based on essential monitoring and evaluation (M&E) skills that focus on outcome,i.e. changes in health behaviour of the target group that is attributable to the intervention. For example, increased effective use of contraceptives by teenage boys and girls due to advocacy campaigns on the use of contraceptives.

Activities

• A 5-day M&E training module has been developed to meet required M&E skills in reproductive health. The M&E training module is designed for volunteers and professional staff of international, national, regional and local development agencies, government departments and academic institutions. The module makes use of the logical framework approach as an instrument for project planning, monitoring and evaluation. The logical framework is linked to a conceptual model that is derived from ICPD Plan of Action (1994). This conceptualisation process together with problem-tree and objective-tree analysis results in the best hierarchy of aims for reproductive health projects and programs, and provides the fundamentals for a well-designed monitoring and evaluation plan, its implementation and the utilisation of results. The development and application of the M&E Training module started within the EC/UNFPA Reproductive Health Initiative in Asia 1999-2002for NGOs in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Laos and Cambodia. Recently, M&E workshops that used the module were successfully completed in India for students, researchers and staff of the International Diploma Course on Reproductive Health Management, Karnataka University and staff of the NGO 'Spandana' in Dharwad.
• Another activity is to produce a journal article that relates the logical framework for project planning, monitoring and evaluation, the systems analysis framework and the conceptual model that is the basis for reproductive health interventions.