Many thanks for prompting this discussion and, as Paul said, for the links to specific examples. Really helpful.
I liked the example of the work with Financial Services Deepening Kenya (FSD) Kenya in Marsabit and how it involved FSD Kenya brokering partnerships with CARE and Equity Bank [link here] (It would be interesting to find out, given this all started in 2016, to what extent the groups in Marsabit are faring and whether they remain dependent on CARE's sub-contract with FSD Kenya. For Equity Bank, i wonder whether the savings products they sold to the groups have found "markets" beyond Marsabit.)
Moving on, i wanted to share my first experience of using visual tools back in the early 1990's in Bangladesh on an irrigation project, lessons from which i still take heed of. They respond to your first two questions.
I am doing this for two reasons. First, i agree with Silva Ferretti that use of visuals tools are not just about communicating the "result" of an evaluation, but also an integral part of the process - as Kombate says re: data collection and analysis . Second, reference made by Harvey on the use of GIS and Landsat TM imagery.
We "measured" the area of land irrigated in specific communities through 'pictures' / Landsat images of the country over a three year period. We found out how irrigated areas varied significantly between communities in the same year and over time for the same community. We wanted to find out why. Rather than staying in the office, we took hand drawn maps for each community down down from the landsat images and took them with us. Through focus group discussions we presented these maps to each of the communities. The discussions focussed on us listening to the groups discuss why and how the demand for irrigation water varied so much. The 'results' from these discussions informed not only lessons for the community in managing irrigation facilities, but also for local upazilla govt support and the implications for national policy. For me, it was a lesson as to how if you want to find out why and how people respond to national level interventions, just go ask them and learn from them how they make decisions and why. Far better this, than staying in the office and further manipulating data.
I hope the above is not too terse and crude a contribution, and thanks again.
RE: Can visual tools help evaluators communicate and engage better?
Dear Harriet,
Many thanks for prompting this discussion and, as Paul said, for the links to specific examples. Really helpful.
I liked the example of the work with Financial Services Deepening Kenya (FSD) Kenya in Marsabit and how it involved FSD Kenya brokering partnerships with CARE and Equity Bank [link here] (It would be interesting to find out, given this all started in 2016, to what extent the groups in Marsabit are faring and whether they remain dependent on CARE's sub-contract with FSD Kenya. For Equity Bank, i wonder whether the savings products they sold to the groups have found "markets" beyond Marsabit.)
Moving on, i wanted to share my first experience of using visual tools back in the early 1990's in Bangladesh on an irrigation project, lessons from which i still take heed of. They respond to your first two questions.
I am doing this for two reasons. First, i agree with Silva Ferretti that use of visuals tools are not just about communicating the "result" of an evaluation, but also an integral part of the process - as Kombate says re: data collection and analysis . Second, reference made by Harvey on the use of GIS and Landsat TM imagery.
We "measured" the area of land irrigated in specific communities through 'pictures' / Landsat images of the country over a three year period. We found out how irrigated areas varied significantly between communities in the same year and over time for the same community. We wanted to find out why. Rather than staying in the office, we took hand drawn maps for each community down down from the landsat images and took them with us. Through focus group discussions we presented these maps to each of the communities. The discussions focussed on us listening to the groups discuss why and how the demand for irrigation water varied so much. The 'results' from these discussions informed not only lessons for the community in managing irrigation facilities, but also for local upazilla govt support and the implications for national policy. For me, it was a lesson as to how if you want to find out why and how people respond to national level interventions, just go ask them and learn from them how they make decisions and why. Far better this, than staying in the office and further manipulating data.
I hope the above is not too terse and crude a contribution, and thanks again.
Best wishes,
Daniel