Tool 4 : Activity Monitoring Table

Objectives: 

(i)                   Train community members to outline each of the steps necessary to implementing a OVC activity;

(ii)                 Establish monitoring and evaluation persons’ responsibilities in monitoring this activity;

(iii)                Reinforce the difference in roles between the Management Committee and M&E people; and

(iv)                Monitor sub-projects or other community development activities (Community members responsible for M&E)

Participants:  Management Committee, and community members charged with M&E, possibly children and youth

Materials needed:

ü       Paper

ü       Pens

ü       Ruler

ü       Log book, optional

Time:  1 hour initially, and 1 hour for the list for each development activity

Objective

Steps

Notes

Prepare the exercise

Draw a table similar to either of the two attached, to be used for monitoring OVC activity

·          Depending upon community preferences, an activity monitoring chart using the community’s agricultural calendar may be preferable to a list using a 12-month calendar.  Consult members of the community before deciding which calendar to use.

Train community members to outline each of the steps necessary to implementing OVC development activity;

·          Discuss the importance of planning, in common life situations.

·          Draw a comparison to highlight the importance of planning for community sub-projects.

·          Take one of the community’s planned sub-projects.  Ask participants to outline each of the steps necessary to implementing this sub-project.

·          Make an analogy to a planned event that community members might know well: saving for marriage, going to school, or putting enough grain aside from one harvest to plant for another.

·          You can also ask community members about development projects that they have had in the past, and whether they have been maintained.  Ask why/why not. 

·          In addition to sub-project implementation, planning lists can be equally valuable for sub-project operation or maintenance, or for any community development ‘to do.’

·          Identifying the activities necessary to micro-project implementation can be a difficult exercise initially.  In our field visit to Sonon, in Benin, we noted that community members had difficulty in identifying and evaluating planned activities.

Establish monitoring and evaluation persons’ responsibilities in monitoring implementation, and Reinforce the difference in roles between the Management and M&E Committees

·          Decide who will be responsible for each task, and when it will be accomplished.  Note these on the to do list, as well.

·          Discuss who will be responsible for keeping the to do list up to date, and ensuring that everyone is on track

·          Reinforce that the accomplishment of the tasks on the list is the responsibility of the Management Committee.

·          Ask the participants what the role of the M&E Committee should be.

·          Ask the participants how the M&E Committee can do its job: should it verify that the activity monitoring table is up-to-date, periodically?  Should it check the sub-project implementation site?  When?  What steps should the M&E Committee take if sub-project implementation is off-track?

·          By discussing the M&E Committee’s role, and the corrective measures that it could take, with both the M&E and Management Committees, the decisions represents the consensus of both committees.  If the Management Committee’s work veers off-track, they will be less able to point fingers at the M&E Committee and say, ‘We didn’t agree to their role!’

Monitor sub-projects or other community development activities

·          Keep the table in a safe place (e.g., the community logbook)

·          Support the person responsible for the to do list continues to respect it

·          Ensure that the M&E Committee follows up on its agreed-upon responsibilities

·          Repeat the exercise for each sub-project

·          Community empowerment does not mean setting communities up for failure!  It is the development worker’s job to provide support to communities, consistently, in their community development activities.  This means that the CDF may offer continual support to communities in this and other development activities.