Participatory evaluation:
I believe that evaluations work best when staff and beneficiaries are supported to assess, reflect on and improve their efforts. Working in this way also helps me to understand the complexity of the project, and so contribute more relevant observations and ideas to the process. However, if there’s insufficient budget to involve staff and beneficiaries in this way I can also perform a more traditional evaluation, using my outsider’s perspective to assess project processes and outcomes.
Monitoring and evaluation tools:
These important elements of any programme are often poorly done; sometimes rushed and undervalued, sometimes over-complicated and diverting resources from project activities. I can support you to create ‘good enough’ methods that make intuitive sense to those involved, and generate data that is easy to use to improve the effectiveness of interventions.
Mental health:
There’s a lot in life we can’t control, but my work with Stepping Stones with Children in East and Southern Africa and with Bloom in the UK focuses on what we can do; how we can improve our well being using practical methods to nurture resilience and protect our mental health. My evaluations of Butterfly Conservation’s project and of The Bay: A Blueprint for Recovery explored the mental health benefits gained by conservation volunteers.
Sexual and reproductive health rights:
Addressing this important issue is a theme that runs though much of my work, including writing advocacy documents and devising training methods for service providers or community members.
Mainstreaming:
My work on mainstreaming HIV and gender addresses the challenge of tackling problems with complex roots in a comprehensive rather than a simplistic way. This involves modifying work to fit the context, not necessarily addressing HIV directly, and establishing systems to maintain attention and effort for cumulative changes over the long-term.