Monitoring on Women's Rights

A few days ago I shared a link to AWID's recent publications on monitoring and evaluation for women's rights. To tell from the enthusiastic response it received, it fills a gap. You can find the publication by clicking on its title: Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation for Women's Rights: Thirteen Insights for Women's Organisations.  It is part of an eminently legible and commendable series written by Srilatha Batliwala and Alexandra Pittman. They have also published Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation for Women's Rights: Twelve Insights for Donors and a broader critique of monitoring and evaluation in development co-operation on women's rights, Capturing Change in Women's Realities.

Now, do not expect to find a "pick-up-and-go" monitoring framework that any organisation can just slot into its systems without pain or effort. Anyone who promises such one-size-fits-all solutions should be distrusted.

The "Insights" booklets focus on basic principles that should guide organisations when building monitoring and evaluation systems - which should be crafted to the needs and resources of the individual organisation, in its specific context. The booklets can also come in handy when an organisation draws up TOR for external evaluators or other consultants involved in planning, monitoring and evaluation. Capturing Change includes a rich section that exposes the advantages and shortcomings of frameworks and tools commonly used in monitoring and evaluation in development work on women's rights.

Try also AWID's interactive M&E "wiki" - click here to get there.