Practical, on-line workshops
2x two-hour zoom session, over 2 days: 1 & 2 December 2021
Registration closed due to high numbers
In the current operating environment, our members and others in the international development and humanitarian aid sector, face new challenges in implementing activities, monitoring progress, collecting data, and tracking indicators. There has been a quick shift to adapt our approaches, and work with implementing partners to find innovative, responsible, and safe ways to monitor and evaluate, as well as maintain those partnerships from afar. Organisations are attempting to shift to a locally led approach, while still being able to address and comply with funders reporting, as well as safeguarding, and other policy requirements.
As this will be run as a workshop, each participant should join on a separate device.
Session outline
The first 2-hour session will focus on remote partnering, as an important foundation for remote management and monitoring. Partnering remotely has rapidly become the new normal. This inevitably changes the way partners are able to relate to each other and work together. This session will explore some of the opportunities and challenges remote partnering has created, and consider changes we might need to make in how we work with our partners in this paradigm.
The second session will focus on remote monitoring, we will hear experiences and reflections from from Rachel George, Tetra Tech’s Research Monitoring and Evaluation Practice in Asia Pacific, Catriona Flavel, author of ‘MERL in a time of COVID-19: A Resource Tool, Ryley Webster, Operations Manager at Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA), as well as Andrew Johnston, Senior Advisor – Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MFAT). There will be time for participants to share their experiences and to discuss a few focus topics, before a short session on safety and well-being considerations for remote monitoring, including on Psychological First Aid.
Training facilitators
The first session will be facilitated by Belinda Gorman, Belinda is an Associate of the Partnership Brokers Association (PBA), the global professional association for those brokering partnerships and other forms of multi-stakeholder collaboration. She has worked as a collaboration and partnering practitioner for the last 15 years, with organisations across public, private and NGO sectors in Aotearoa and internationally, including UNICEF, MFAT, Microsoft and Facebook. Much of her partnering work today is done remotely. Belinda has a Master of Development Studies from Victoria University, and is a PBA Accredited Partnership Broker, Authorised Practitioner Trainer and Mentor.
The second session will be facilitated by Philippa Smales. Philippa is the Business Development and Member Engagement Manager at CID. She previously managed the Research for Development Impact Network (RDI Network) for over five years, in partnership with the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID). She has also previously worked in several regional NGOs based in both Thailand, and in Australia, focusing mainly on Asia and the Pacific. She is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne and is on the executive committee of the Development Studies Association of Australia (DSAA), and the Steering Committee of the Aotearoa New Zealand International Development Studies Network (DevNet).
Also speaking
Ryley Webster is the Operations Manager at Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA), where he has supported the development of a monitoring and evaluation framework related to remote digital volunteering
Andrew Johnston is a Senior Adviser in the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning team at MFAT. In this role, he oversees strategic evaluations and research, advises MFAT staff on MERL, manages MFAT’s engagement with external MERL specialists, and manages a programme of work building local MERL capability across the pacific. Andrew has worked in MFAT for the last two years, before then, he worked for several members of the CID network and served a term as a CID board member
Catriona Flavel, author of ‘MERL in a time of COVID-19: A Resource Tool. Catriona is an experienced evaluator with proven expertise undertaking complex monitoring, evaluation and learning processes in a range of sectors including education, civil society, private sector development and governance. Catriona is currently working at the Department of Environment and Water building organsational capacity to support integrated performance management systems.
Rachel George leads the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Practice at Tetra Tech International Development Asia Pacific. She has over 13 years’ experience delivering high-quality, evidence-based advice to various government and non-government organisations. She has recent experience leading remote evaluations and research projects for MFAT and other clients, and delivered clear and implementable recommendations for future programming and policies.
Who should attend?
Anyone interested is welcome to register, whether you are a CID member or not, currently working in international development, a student, or in any related field. However, it will be primarily aimed at NGOs working internationally in development or humanitarian aid. Those with Negotiated Partnership or Manaaki funds, as well as NZDRP, are strongly encouraged to participate.