Capacity and Skills Building

Monitoring and Evaluation workshop:

A three days workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation was organized in partnership with a Network member, Youth Alive Zambia. It was held at ZAMCOM Lodge and took place from 4th to 6thSeptember, 2002. The Monitoring and Evaluation workshop was attended by 38 participants from various organisations in different provinces.

(i) Official opening

The workshop was officially opened by Mr Phiri deputy director of the department of youth in the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development. Some of the issues outlined by the director are:

• That the country is faced with developmental challenges such as corruption, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, poverty, environmental degradation and many others and that the most affected are women and children.
• The young people are the most affected by the pandemic hence the loss of young men and women at the peak of their lives.
• Many interventions have been instituted to try and stop the menace of HIV/AIDS. The most unique interventions that have been done are those mounted by young people who have refused to seat by and wait for the pandemic to consume them instead they have run to the battle front, armed with meagre resources but rich in energy, determination and a vision to create a health state of mind, body, spirit and environment for themselves and the generations to follow. The peer led approaches has given rise to interventions that put young people in the driving seat. The approach has led to the birth of innovative approaches of combating HIV/AIDS such as Youth Friendly Health Services, Peer Education, Popular theatre, Anti-AIDS and Anti Drugs, Youth Media, Edutainment etc. The Programmes are a testimony of how young people if given an opportunity can contribute positively to the development of our country.
• Looking at young people as a problem should become a thing of the past because they have shown that they have answers to the problems that confront the society.
• At first critics predicated doom, they said that young people could not govern themselves if left to themselves the only out come would be disaster. The young people gathered in this room are not disaster agents. They are agents of change and health, who need support and not antagonism.
• Zambia National AIDS Network in partnership with Youth alive Zambia have taken a big step by investing skills in young people through this Monitoring and Evaluation workshop instead of demanding that they show impact due to their activities.
• Young people need training in order for them to become more effective in bringing about positive change in the lives of Zambians.
• The message to the young people gathered is that they should take the workshop very seriously otherwise it will be in vain.

Workshop Objective:

The objective of the workshop was to empower youth leaders with Monitoring and Evaluation skills.

Participants brainstormed on the usefulness of monitoring and evaluation which included:-

• Achievement ,measuring progress , improve monitoring, identify strength & weaknesses, determine if effect is efficient, are we being cost effective, collecting information, sharing experiences and improve effectiveness.
• Identify gaps, establish needs for future projects, and raise credibility / profile of agency, a requirement of funding agency.

During the workshop it was noted that it is important to carryout a baseline survey before a project commences. A survey could be done in form of literature review, administering questionnaires, interviews or focus group discussions with the beneficiaries or target audience. A strategic plan and SMART objectives can only be done after problem identification and baseline survey have been done.

Workshop recommendations

Participants recommended that youths running programmes need more training in project management. A committee was put in place to design a project proposal and apply for funds to be used in training young people in project management and counselling skills.