Methods of monitoring and evaluating M&E System

On 15/12/2016, Life Foundation for development and community integration held a 3 days training workshop to educate it’s employees on the methods of monitoring and evaluating. In the meeting, the executive manager, Ms. Nermeen Al Bahtyty, spoke for 30 minutes about project management. This allowed the staff to refresh their memories about the crucial steps of starting a project, continuing and ensuring that the project has met it’s end goals. Then a consultant, Ms. Tayseer Hossam, discussed the results of monitoring and evaluation and it’s indicators which allowed the staff present to gain knowledge and experience. Later on,  the consultant Ms. Yasmine Refaat has explained the tree of indicators and confirmed to the staff present that monitoring and evaluating is a part of management cycle program.

The presentation contained a large number of valuable information about the steps of monitoring and evaluating. Monitoring is to observe all work related matters and comparing the current stage of the foundation with the current goals set by the staff, while evaluating occurs once the monitoring is complete to correct the mistakes done during the project and to prevent committing these mistakes again. Furthermore, the consultants explained the indicators of performance, which will be used to measure the rate of productivity and performance, indicators are measurable, they show the impact and prove it, so it’s accurate and the SMART rule can be applied.

• S – Specific
• M – Measurable
• A – Achievable/ Accurate
• R – Realistic
• T – Time-bound

Scientific proofs establish the work showed by the indicators, then scientific study can be done to show progress and rate of productivity.

Indicators’ standards

• Simple – easy to understand for the people involved in the project
• Measures one thing at a time – can be confusing if counting more than one thing

On the second day (16/12/2016), Ms. Yasmine Refaat has presented a booklet done by her to the staff which contained the goals of prisoners who are about to be released, and how to reintegrate them back into society and to prevent reoffending. This gave the staff an idea on how to construct their own booklet to be distributed to the prisons in PortSaid, Damanhour, Banha and Zagazig. This will allow the foundation to easily identify the cases that fit the criteria and offer them the services they need.

Criteria:-

• Priority to women.
• If their sentence varies is from 6 months to 10 years.
• Prisoners, released prisoners and detainees can apply for the program.
• All sorts of felonies/offences accepted except the political and terrorist-related crimes.
• Offer services to any Arab nationality who resides in Egypt from the ages 18 to 45 years old.
• Aid given to those released minimum 3 months after imprisonment, while maximum is 6 months.
• The released prisoners should come from any of the prisons in PortSaid, Damanhour, Banha and Zagazig.
• Special cases ( Drug abuse )
• If the case was a drug abuser (used drugs once or twice) they would need de-tox sessions to be admitted into the program.
• Accept the addicts who stayed away from their addiction for a period not less than 3 months, and if they return to using drugs again they will be removed from the program.

On day three (17/12/2016), there has been some group debates and discussions done by the participants and supervised by the consultants. They also displayed a number of  group projects which were later on used to summaries all the skills gained in the previous days. Overall, this training workshop has benefited all of it’s participants and allowed the management to set a new set of criteria and rules for the participants to follow.