DEPARTMENT OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEM AND PRACTICES OF THE ETHIOPIAN CATHOLIC

CHURCH SOCIAL AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION BRANCH OFFICE OF MEKI (ECC-
SDCBOM)

BY – 2015 – Extension Programme -Section-1 Group-I Members:

1. Abebe Getachew 2. Anteneh Defar 3. Endale Kassa 4. Gelan Abdurrahman

5. Geremew Degefu 6. Mohammed Hassen 7. Samrawit Bedelu

Submitted to Simachew Mulugeta (PhD)

November, 2023

Addis Ababa
Acronyms

ECC-SDCBOM Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Commission Branch

Office of Meki

MEAL Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning

IPTT Indicator performance tracking table

USAID United States Agency for International Development

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1. Introduction

The Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Commission Branch Office of Meki
(ECC-SDCBOM) is a faith-based charity organization founded in 1995 and operating mainly in
the Rift Valley area of Oromia Regional State. It has a monitoring and evaluation system termed
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL). The monitoring, evaluation,
accountability, and learning (MEAL) system is made up of people, processes, structures, and
resources that work together as an interconnecting whole to identify, generate, manage, and
analyze projects’, and programs’ data and provide feedback to inform management for decisions,
improve program quality, and meet stakeholder information needs.

The organization has been practicing the MEAL system adapted from its donor partner Catholic
Relief Service (CRS). Its MEAL system became fully functional and operational following the
implementation of big projects funded by USAID starting in the year 2010. After that year, the
ECC-SDCBOM started recognizing the critical roles of monitoring, evaluation, accountability,
and learning (MEAL) systems in program quality and impact. Quality MEAL systems collect
reliable and timely data. To optimize these MEAL functions, ECC-SDCBOM guided the MEAL
systems and updated data as the information needed is continuously evolving. To that end,
EECC-SDCBOM prepared an organizational MEAL system guideline and implemented it.

The MEAL system designed is implemented by its MEAL units structured at the corporate level
and its branch offices. Furthermore, the system is implemented in both respective projects and
programs the organization is implementing. The MEAL system it apples follows the CRS’s
SMILER and BHA’s Technical Guidance for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting for
Emergency Activities. However, the practice of MEAL system application varies from project
to project and program to program based on their respective donor compliance requirements.

2. The ECC-SDCBOM MEAL Purpose

The ECC-SDCBOM Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) system

aimed to ensure the availability of quality information and its use to improve planning, and
facilitate informed management decision-making, and assure programs and projects’ operation
quality across its structures. This will further support the fullness of donor partners and the
Government of Ethiopia's required standards.

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3. Objectives

The objectives of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) system of
the Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Commission Branch Office of Meki is to
have an independent monitoring and Evaluation system to monitor and evaluate the institution’s
program and projects comply to with the institution, donor, and government requirements.

4. Practices of Monitoring and Evaluation

4.1. Policies and Procedures of ECC-SDCBOM MEAL Systems

The ECC-SDCBOM has been practicing the MEAL system. The practice of the MEAL system is
guided by its MEAL policies and procedures. The institution has eight policies namely: MEAL
System Design, Project Monitoring, Project Evaluation, MEAL Budget, MEAL Human
Resource, Organizational Learning, and Networking, accountability to People we Serve, and
Accountability to donors and other stakeholders, 27 procedures, and eight principles. The
organization follows these MEAL principles: Systematic Inquiry, Honesty/Integrity, Respect for
People, Responsibilities to Stakeholders, Adherence to ECC-SDCBOM principles, values, and
norms, A balanced emphasis on learning processes and accountability, Ensuring evidence-based
conclusions and A participatory approach

4.2. MEAL Framework.

ECC-SDCBOM designed the MEAL system in projects; developed and implemented the MEAL
system through the below framework and thereby contributed to organizational and sectoral
learnings.

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 Project design
Theory of change (ToC) MEAL System
Results framework (RF) development MEALSystem
Proframe (or logframe) implementation
Step 1: plan
MEAL narrative Step 4:
Step 2: developmen
MEAL budget Collect, analyse and use
Step: 3lunch data

Figure 3: ECC-SDCBOM MEAL Framework

4.2.1. MEAL Design

The ECC-SDCBOM applied the MEAL design during the project design phase, several key
project decisions, and made the foundation for MEAL system development. The project theory
of change and strategy it used framed the MEAL system by mapping project logic and selecting
indicators and measurement methods required to track progress, monitor assumptions, and
understand contributions to project goals and sustainability. In this regard, it used the theory of
change, logical framework, and result framework for its MEAL system implementation.

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Table 1: ECC-SDCBOM Result Framework
Level of
change
Result Chain Result Description

Goal Long-term impacts, widespread beyond the life of the project

Outcomes

Change: Effect of intermediate results on target or beneficiaries

Evaluate

Specific Objective
by the end of the project
Benefits: Intermediate effects of outputs on target or
Intermediate results
beneficiaries
Outputs Deliverables: Products/services produced
Processes
Monitor

Activities Services: Tasks needed to reach outputs

Inputs Resources: Financial, human and material

4.2.3. Project Frame (Proframe)

4.2.3.1. MEAL Narrative

The proposal’s MEAL narrative documents the overall approach for monitoring, evaluation,
accountability, and learning by describing the principles and key activities associated with each.
It is an opportunity to refer to ECC-SDCBOM requirements, such as the MEAL Policies and
Procedures, and state how the MEAL system will meet donor requirements. The MEAL
narrative also provides a general description of the staffing structure in place to support quality
MEAL activities. The MEAL narrative should describe key approaches associated with each
element of the MEAL system as per the following:

 Monitoring: Methods of data collection for light monitoring to inform adaptive

management as well as methods that will meet more rigorous reporting requirements;
data management practices to ensure data quality and protect personally identifiable
information as per ECC-SDCBOM and donor partner’ Responsible Data Values &
Principles; and plans for use of data during a range of reflection opportunities.

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  Evaluation: Plans for establishing baseline data; the timing and purpose of midterm and
final evaluations or reviews; key evaluation questions to inform evaluation design; and
opportunities for stakeholder and community participation in evaluation events.
 Accountability: Feedback, complaints, and response mechanisms; approaches for
communication with stakeholders during the project cycle and closeout; and participation
opportunities for community members.
 Learning: Learning questions and associated indicators and information sources;
linkages to larger learning agendas; data visuals; and the timeline for meeting project-
level learning needs.

4.2.3.2. MEAL System Development

The ECC-SDCBOM used the listed steps in developing the MEAL system

 Plan the MEAL system development

 MEAL requirements planning checklist
 MEAL Plan
 Detailed Implementation Plan:
 Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT)
 MEAL system components checklist
 Data compliance checklist:
 FCRM planning worksheet

4.2.2. Design/development

4.3 MEAL System Implementation and Practices

During project implementation, the MEAL unit operates its MEAL system to track progress,
support learning, contribute to adaptive management, and meet larger stakeholder information
needs. Periodically the project/program teams undertake MEAL review meetings. During the
larger project review meetings, address any challenges or gaps, and evolve MEAL tools and
approaches to meet changing information and learning needs. At the end of the project, the
project team will close the MEAL system (as part of a larger project close-out) by archiving
datasets, conducting evaluations and reviews, meeting reporting requirements, and sharing

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lessons learned with internal and external stakeholders. To this end, the organization applied
below listed MEAL activities to ensure MEAL system applications during program and project
implementation.

 Data collection
o Data is usually collected in different methods of project data collection using
standard data collection approaches and techniques. The project/program data
collection methods can be categorized as:
 Beneficiary-Based Survey (BBS)
 Population-Based Survey
 Routine Monitoring Methods
 Census
 Secondary Data
 Data quality assurance
 Data use
 Annual MEAL system review
 MEAL system closeout at the end of the project or program implementation.

The above-listed activities are done through monitoring and evaluation of the program/project
activities by internal and external bodies. In the organization, monitoring is done to monitor the
performance of project/program progress and contexts. To this end, monitoring is undertaken
with internal and external stakeholders periodically. The program and project teams undertake
routine monitoring as required. Meanwhile, on one hand, it undertakes regular quarterly joint
monitoring and review with government signatory woreda-based offices, and semi-semi-annually
with zonal signatory offices. On the other hand, it also undertakes a donor project and program
monitoring as per the memorandum of understanding signed during the grant agreement.

The ECC-SDCBOM has a custom program/project evaluation. The program or project

evaluations are undertaken at the middle and end of projects. As per the standard set consistent
with the Ethiopian government's civil society law, any project with a project life of more than
two years is subject to midterm and terminal evaluation. But all projects below are completed to
undertake the terminal evaluation. There are four types of evaluation usually undertaken by the

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ECC-SDCBOM. The evolution includes Baseline surveys, online surveys, midterm evaluations,
and terminal evaluations. The baseline and end-line surveys are done by internal or external
consultants recruited by donors or the organization itself using the six evaluation criteria while
the midterm and terminal evaluations are undertaken by the regional government regulatory and
signatory line offices. The commonly used six program/project evaluation criteria are relevance,
coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. After completion of every
monitoring and evaluation, accountability compliance is ensured, and lessons learned are
documented and used as appropriate during the program/project designs and implementation. In
the end, monitoring and evaluations are undertaken, and lessons learned are drawn documented,
and shared with the stakeholders.

5. Conclusions

The ECC-SDCBOM has a working monitoring and evaluation system adopted by its donor
partner. The system is applied is guided by a living MEAL implementation manual. It followed
and applied the principles of monitoring and evaluation. However, it has limitations in its
application of the MEAL system across all its projects and programs, and in covering all its
donor donors and thematic areas since its manual is adapted from emergency project monitoring
and evaluation and mainly complies with the USAID requirements while giving lesser attention
to others.

6. Recommendations

The team has assessed the monitoring and evolution practice of the ECC_SDCBOM and
recommends the following:

 It should incorporate the MEAL system that accommodates all donor requirements
 It should apply to all programs and projects it is implementing
 It should update it’s MEAL manual

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References

Abe thank you for your un countable effort does refrence needed effort ??????