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Innovations in Human Rights Program Evaluation

This series of webinars is being developed by a AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition project team and is intended to provide useful information to human rights organizations in designing and executing systematic evaluations of their programs and projects (Team Leader: Oliver Moles).

Below, Recordings of all our webinars are archived. Also find two curated lists for Further Resources and Expert Assistance available for human rights program evaluations. As the series progresses, more resources will be added.

Do not forget to check out our past webinar series, Evaluation 101 for Human Rights Organizations.


Webinar Archive

Using Outcome Harvesting to Assess the Efforts to Reduce Early, Child and Forced Marriages in India

 

Margo Mullinax of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) and Ricardo Wilson-Grau, the developer of outcome harvesting, discussed their use of outcome harvesting to assess results achieved via AJWS’s child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) program in India. Speakers from AJWS talked about how its decision to use outcome harvesting aligned with AJWS’s approach to research, learning and evaluation, including a dedication to feminist research and meaningful measures of progress when addressing issues that have complex root causes. Ricardo elaborated on the process of harvesting and analyzing outcomes, and what those outcomes revealed about the CEFM program. Resources

Making Sense of Refugee Support: Using Narratives to Evaluate a Program to Protect and Integrate Refugees in Ecuador

 

Maria Veronica Gottret, Nicole Kast and David Leege of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) presented on their use of SenseMaker™ in evaluating a refugee support project aimed at filling critical gaps in the humanitarian response and integration of Colombian and Venezuelan refugees in Ecuador, as well as in assisting vulnerable Ecuadorians. SenseMaker™ is a research method that captures people’s experiences in the form of narratives, and uses them as a springboard for reflection to assign meaning to their shared experiences. The CRS evaluation assessed a pathway from emergency to recovery through scaled, long-term support to refugees and vulnerable Ecuadorians. Resources

Testing Participant-led Evaluation Methods for Measuring Shifts in Power in Favor of Women
Sarah Hénon from ActionAid and Eva Otero from Leitmotiv Social Consultants shared reflections on three participatory evaluations carried out in Cambodia, Guatemala and Rwanda, which tested participant-led methods for measuring the impact of ActionAid programs in terms of shifts in power in favor of women. The methodological framework, visualized as a “power tree”, focused on collective, individual, invisible and visible forms of power. The three evaluations tested participant-led methods, applying simple tools such as timelines and storytelling to contextualize concepts and explore the process of change. Resources


Further Resources

Using Outcome Harvesting to Assess the Efforts to Reduce Early, Child and Forced Marriages in India
Coming soon

Making Sense of Refugee Support: Using Narratives to Evaluate a Program to Protect and Integrate Refugees in Ecuador

Measuring Shifts in Power in Favor of Women

 


Expert Assistance

AAAS On-call Scientists
This program connects scientists, engineers, and health professionals interested in volunteering their skills and knowledge with human rights organizations that are in need of technical expertise. Over 1,000 volunteers are located around the world. 

Statistics Without Borders
Statistics Without Borders is an outreach group of the American Statistical Association. Over 2,000 members are available to provide pro bono assistance in planning and conducting evaluations.