In this episode, the Global Community Engagement Resilience Fund (www.gcerf.org) fails to evaluate its $ 5 Million USD received from the United States Agency for International Development. Although GCERF claims on its website to be achieving its 4 expected outcomes through funding its implementing partners in developing countries to deliver services to achieve those outcomes, they provide no evidence in the form of outcome indicators and any data related to those outcome indicators on its website. The 4 expected outcomes that GCERF claims to be achieving with this $5 Million USAID funding are:

1. Increased social cohesion
2. Increased ability to mobilize, organize, represent their own interests (agency)
3. Increased knowledge, skills, as well as subsequent increases in income/access to livelihoods.
4. Increased confidence, critical thinking, life skills, self-worth, resilience (sense of purpose).

In addition, letters from the USAID and U.S. State Department indicate that no records exist specific to results frameworks/outcome indicators and related data for these expected outcomes for this $5 Million USD given to GCERF from the US AID.

GCERF is falsely claiming to the American people on their website with their taxpayer funds that they are achieving these expected outcomes because they provide no evidence on their website of achieving these outcomes in the form of outcome indicators and data to show that these expected outcomes have been achieved.

As a result, the Improving Development Evaluation podcast has mailed a letter along with copies of the letters from the USAID and U.S. State Department to the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Brian Mast, requesting that he request GCERF to post all their results frameworks, including all outcome indicators and data for those outcome indicators that measure the achievement of their 4 expected outcomes, from all the grants/projects produced by GCERF in collaboration with their implementing partners that have come from the original $5 Million USD that GCERF received from USAID up to September 15, 2023 specific to Activity ID; 77266; Project #: SCTOOP21VC004; International Sector: Government & Civil Society; USG Sector: Counter-Terrorism; Managing Agency: Department of State; Funding Agency: USAID

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In this episode, Dr. Wand reviews the Government of Canada-funded $14 Million Doctors of the World https://medecinsdumonde.ca/ project entitled Access to health rights in Northern Burkina Faso. Details about the project can be found here: https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/P008979001

From a review of the project's Performance Measurement Framework (PMF), he concludes that Doctors of the World cannot claim that their project is responsible for achieving any of the 8 expected outcomes due to the absence of control or comparison groups as well as invalid or missing outcome indicators for some of the 8 expected outcomes for the project.

Dr. Wand has emailed the link to this episode as well as the PMF and summary Excel critique to the Minister of International Development, Doctors of the World, and the shadow critics for international development for the Conservative Party, the NDP, and the Bloc Quebecois.

Dr. Wand has also invited Doctors of the World to respond to his critique in writing and/or be attending his podcast.

Listeners can receive the PMF and summary critique by emailing [email protected].

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#international development

#evaluation

In this episode, Dr. Wand reviews the Government of Canada-funded $10 Million UNFPA Somalia project entitled Strengthening Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights through Midwives. Details about the project can be found here: https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/p007483001

He reviews the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) for this project and notes flaws in the outcome indicators whereby the UNFPA Somalia country office cannot claim that they have achieved the following project outcomes:

• Reductions in maternal mortality;
• Increased quality of midwifery training
• Increased skill of midwifery associations to lead and advocate;
• Increased knowledge and awareness of maternal nutrition.

However, properly designed outcome indicators in the PMF do support the opportunity to show the achievement of increased access to and use of sexual reproductive health services, although actual data needs to be provided.

Listeners can receive the PMF and the full summary of the Excel outcome indicators by emailing [email protected]. Those documents and this podcast will be shared with the Minister for International Development as well the shadow critics for the Conservative party, the NDP, the Bloc Quebecois, and the Green Party.

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#international development

#UNFPA Somalia

#evaluation

In this trailer, Dr. Wand outlines the following focus and changes in format and content for Season 2:

• The focus of the this podcast is to expose those Government of Canada funded international development organizations that are falsely claiming that their development outcomes are being achieved by reviewing their Performance Measurement Frameworks (PMFs). The podcast will not be reviewing charity or emergency projects such as the payment of school fees or cash transfers or the delivery of emergency services such as food, water, medical care, and shelter.
• Each episode will identify which of the following OECD Development Assistance Committee evaluation criteria have not been achieved: Relevance, Coherence, or Impact.
• The podcast will begin reviewing United States Agency for International Development projects by looking at Activity Monitoring Evaluation Learning Plans that are equivalent to the Canadian PMFs.
• Format changes will include: Combining the project description and a critique of its PMF/Activity MEL Plan into 1 episode; Focusing on a single international development organization with multiple projects that have poor evaluation design to invite to respond to our critique with evaluation experts.
• Dr. Wand invites experts in Outcome Harvesting, Most Significant Change, and Appreciative Inquiry to be interviewed to explain their contribution to proper evaluation by emailing him at [email protected].
• Dr. Wand will continue to email his critiques and episodes to the Minister for International Development and all other political parties as well as the international development organizations as proper evaluation is an issue for all Canadians.
• All PMFs/US AID Activity MEL Plans and their critiques are available upon request through [email protected].

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In this episode 8, part 2, Dr. Wand critiques the UNDP Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) for a $30 Million project in Cox's Bazar District Bangladesh entitled Fighting environmental degradation and promoting greener energy. You can learn more about the project here: https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/p010741001. He concludes that the PMF is flawed and that UNDP www.undp.org needs to improve the design of its outcome indicators since only 2 out of the 9 outcome indicators are properly designed.

He provides alternative indicators for the remaining 7 outcome indicators that are flawed that will actually evaluate the project properly. Finally, he suggests that even the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) should be replaced by either solar cookers or biogas which has been used in other refugee camps as an even greener energy compared to LPG.

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#UNDP

#internationaldevelopment

#evaluation

In this episode 8, part 1, Dr. Wand critiques the UNDP Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) for a $30 Million project in Cox's Bazar District Bangladesh entitled Fighting environmental degradation and promoting greener energy. You can learn more about the project here: https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/p010741001. He concludes that the PMF is flawed and that UNDP www.undp.org needs to improve the design of its outcome indicators since only 2 out of the 9 outcome indicators are properly designed. He also describes the services that the project delivers and invites listeners to request a copy of the PMF and his critique by emailing [email protected] . Finally, he invites a UNDP representative to attend Part 2 of the episode to respond to his critique and provide solutions as to how to improve the evaluation of the project.

Donate here to increase the number of organizations that receive performance audits like this one: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/NE935D6QQ7WLU

Or at buymeacoffee.com/davidwand

#internationaldevelopment

#evaluation

In this episode 7, part 3, Dr. Wand continues his discussion with evaluation expert Yvonne Okeke about Equitas www.equitas.org Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) for a $18 Million project in Burkina Faso, Haiti, Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal entitled Achieving Equality through Human Rights Education. You can learn more about the project here: https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/P006852001 The experts conclude that Equitas cannot make the claim that their project is achieving its outcomes because only 1 of their 20 outcome indicators in their PMF properly measures the project outcomes.

This discussion focuses on why Equitas chose to promote gender equality in 5 countries that are not democracies, according to the 2023 Democracy Index with the 2023 Freedom House index noting that Kenya, Tanzania, and Senegal were only 'partly free.'

They recommend that this project promoting gender equality might wish to focus on democratic countries in Africa such as Ghana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana, according to the 2023 Democracy Index.

They also discuss the 2 outcome indicators that, in combination, properly measure and evaluate the achievement of improvements in leadership skills to mobilize communities in promoting gender equality.

The PMF and complete summary of all 20 outcome indicators for this project is available by emailing [email protected].

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#internationaldevelopment

#evaluation

In this episode 7, part 2, Dr. Wand discusses with evaluation expert Yvonne Okeke Equitas www.equitas.org Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) for a $18 Million project in Burkina Faso, Haiti, Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal entitled Achieving Equality through Human Rights Education. You can learn more about the project here: https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/P006852001 The experts conclude that Equitas cannot make the claim that their project is achieving its outcomes because only 1 of their 20 outcome indicators in their PMF properly measures the project outcomes. This discussion focuses on the flaws with the PMF and provides solutions to how the PMF and the overall evaluation of the project can be improved. In brief, those solutions include:

• Replace your self-reporting bias (i.e. perceived capacity, levels of confidence, transferring knowledge) from your project beneficiaries (i.e. women, men, women organizations, civil society organizations, others) with external, objective measures of their technical capacity to promote and lobby for gender equality.
• Replace your subjective and frequency measures reported by the duty bearers with objective behaviours such as increased expenditures on gender equality programs 0r legislation passed that reflects better gender equality. Your current measures of empowerment in the PMF are not valid measures of empowerment.
• Either introduce comparison groups or measure your target groups more frequently to support your claims that your project outcomes have been achieved due to the project.

The PMF and complete summary of all 20 outcome indicators for this project is available by emailing [email protected].

Donate here to increase the number of organizations that receive performance audits like this one: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/NE935D6QQ7WLU

Or at buymeacoffee.com/davidwand

#internationaldevelopment

#evaluation

In this episode 7, part 1, Dr. Wand critiques the Equitas Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) for a $18 Million project in Burkina Faso, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, and Haiti entitled Achieving Equality through Human Rights Education. You can learn more about the project here: https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/P006852001 He concludes that the PMF is flawed and that Equitas www.equitas.org cannot make the claim that its project services have achieved its project outcomes. He also describes the services that the project delivers and invites listeners to request a copy of the PMF and his critique. Finally, he invites a Equitas representative to attend Part 2 of the episode to respond to his critique and provide solutions as to how to improve the evaluation of the project.

Donate here to increase the number of organizations that receive performance audits like this one: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/NE935D6QQ7WLU

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In this episode 6, part 2, Dr. Wand discusses with evaluation expert Dr. Jenny Jorgenson Colleges & Institutes Canada www.collegesinstitutes.ca Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) for a $18 Million project in Senegal entitled A Thousand women: I am woman, I exist, I participate. You can learn more about the project here: https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/P006852001. The experts conclude that Colleges & Institutes Canada cannot make the claim that their project is achieving its outcomes because only 1 of their 17 outcome indicators in their PMF properly measures the project outcomes. This discussion focuses on the flaws with the PMF and provides solutions to how the PMF and the overall evaluation of the project can be improved. In brief, those solutions include:

• Replace your self-reporting bias of your project beneficiaries (i.e. vulnerable women) from your focus groups with measuring others (e.g. community members, others within their households) on awareness of the need for women to participate in decision-making bodies;
• Measure women's incomes and their ability to make decisions that show their power before you claim that your project women have increased their 'empowerment'. Your current measures of empowerment in the PMF are not valid measures of empowerment.
• Either introduce comparison groups or measure your target groups more frequently to support your claims that awareness levels or empowerment levels have increased. Currently, you only measure your target groups once per year in your PMF. This is inadequate to support your claim that your leadership training and entrepreneurship training are responsible for increases in women empowerment.

The PMF and complete summary of all 17 outcome indicators for this project is available by emailing [email protected].

Donate here to increase the number of organizations that receive performance audits like this one: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/NE935D6QQ7WLU

Or at buymeacoffee.com/davidwand