Empowering Girls through Participatory and Girl-Led Methods in Evaluation
Kore Global is dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable world where the voices of marginalised groups, including girls, are not only heard but are valued and actioned. During Global Evaluation Week 2024, we would like to highlight the transformative power of participatory and girl-led methods in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), sharing some of the insights generated as part of our MEL partnership with the Obama Foundation’s Girl Opportunity Alliance. These approaches take monitoring beyond simply gathering data about participants; they put the power of knowledge generation into the hands of those most impacted. These methods can build leadership, foster deeper community engagement and ownership of projects and programmes, and support transformative impact.
The Spectrum of Girls' Participation in MEL
Engaging girls in the MEL process can take various forms, each with distinct benefits and challenges. From minimal engagement, such as girls collecting attendance data, to highly participatory, girl-led approaches. The depth of involvement directly correlates with the potential for empowerment and quality insights.
Why Girl-Led Methods Matter
✅ Enhanced data quality and sensitivity: Girl-led methodologies, such as peer-led research, can capture nuanced and sensitive data that traditional methods often miss. Girls are more likely to share their authentic experiences with peers, resulting in richer and more accurate data.
✅ Leveraging local expertise: Involving girls in data analysis recognises them as cultural experts. Their insights help define relevant outcomes and indicators, ensuring that programmes are tailored to their specific contexts and needs.
✅ Leadership & research skill development: Participatory methods afford girls the chance to strengthen their data collection, analysis, research, leadership and presentation skills and capacities. When girls lead MEL processes, they also challenge traditional power structures, such as gender stereotypes about girls being quiet and passive, and gain confidence in their abilities to influence change.
Practical Strategies for Engaging Girls in MEL
To effectively engage girls in the MEL cycle, consider engaging girls from the outset in defining MEL questions and designing youth-friendly tools. Their involvement ensures that the evaluation process is relevant and accessible. In the data collection and analysis phase, participatory tools like photo diaries, community mapping, and storytelling can be used. These methods make the process engaging and meaningful for girls, allowing them to share their experiences creatively.
Girls can continue to stay involved by sense-making and developing recommendations. Their firsthand insights add depth to the findings and help shape actionable outcomes. Ensure that girls receive feedback on how their input is used. Engage them in presenting findings to their communities to promote transparency and demonstrate the value of their inputs.
Challenges and Mitigation Strategies
While the benefits of girl-led methods are significant, there are also challenges, including resourcing a participatory MEL process and safeguarding girls who lead and participate.
To implement the most participatory and girl-led processes, these methods require time and resources to ensure girls are properly trained and supported throughout the process. Organisations must be prepared to invest in these areas to ensure successful implementation.
Ethics and risk mitigation strategies in participatory and girl-led monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) methods are also essential considerations to ensure the safety and well-being of girls. Key strategies include working with community gatekeepers to gain trust and access, providing support and identifying referral pathways for any issues that may arise, and ensuring that trained and supportive adult mentors are available. Digital safety training and safeguards should be implemented, especially for mobile-based data collection. It is crucial to only collect relevant data and have a clear plan for its analysis and use, ensuring data is anonymised to protect personal information. Training for adolescent girls involved in data collection on ethics and utilising a trauma-informed approach is necessary, alongside inclusive and equitable recruitment processes, so that the most marginalised girls are represented. Consent is a vital component; true and repeated consent should be sought from the girls and their parents or caregivers, and girl researchers should be trained to seek informed voluntary consent from their peers.
Conclusion
Participatory and girl-led methods are more than just data collection tools—they can be powerful drivers of empowerment and generate impactful learnings that can lead to transformational change. By placing girls at the centre of the MEL process, we not only gather richer data but also promote leadership and create more responsive and effective programs. As we celebrate Global Evaluation Week 2024, join us in committing to amplifying the voices of girls and fostering an environment where they can lead the way towards a more inclusive and equitable future.
This blog was written by Becky Zelikson from workshop materials developed by Jenny Holden, Principal Consultant; Katherine Nichol, Principal Consultant; and Becky Zelikson, Analyst, Kore Global.
