Ivan Rodriguez is the Programme Manager for PYMERURAL, an SDC funded e+i programme working in the rural areas of Honduras and Nicaragua, implemented by Swisscontact. His colleague Orlando Mejia, Monitoring Manager of PYMERURAL, is with him.
Can you tell us about your experience with the DCED standard?
When the project was designed, we had no idea about the standard. It was designed using 'traditional' indicators and no impact logics. However, the LogFrame was general enough to allow us to identify specific interventions in the different sectors. In 2010, Swisscontact promoted a new M&E system based on the DCED standard. We gathered information from the website and from the e-learnings, and we tried to proactively implement the standard. For new interventions, we directly applied the standard, and for existing interventions, we tried to adjust their monitoring after an internal gap assessment had been carried out. A lot of work was done with all our stakeholders and co-facilitators, and now we have results chains for all the interventions. A mock audit is planned for the 2nd quarter of this year. We hope it will help us improve what we have done.
What are your expectations with this seminar?
We still face some challenges to follow the standard. As we move to the top levels of the results chains, measuring attribution is difficult. I hope we can learn how other programmes are dealing with attribution. We really want to make sure our impact is due to us!
You and your colleague are the only representatives from Latin America, why do you think that is? Besides the distance…
Are lot of things are being done in M&E in Latin America, but the DCED's work does not reach the Spanish speaking community. Materials in Spanish are needed. There is also a need for backstopping. I think Latin America should be a target for the DCED.
Also, in Latin America, the multilateral agencies (World Bank, Interamerican Development Bank, etc.) are very much present, and they need to be brought on board.
