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8/3/2019 International Women's Programme (IWP)-Open Society Institute (OSI) Evaluation Training Report for Women Groups
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TAILORED POLICY ADVOCACY AND
ENGAGEMENT TRAINING FOR WOMEN
GROUPS AND NETWORKS IN LIBERIA
EVALUATION REPORT
VENUE: PALM SPRING RESORT, MONROVIA, LIBERIA
DATE: FEBRUARY 1 - 4, 2011.
TRAINERS:
MARGARET BREW-WARD AND MR. JASPER CUMMEH II
FEBRUARY, 2011.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction. 2
Overall Course Delivery. 3
Course Content and Recommendations 6
Assessment of Facilitators 10
Course Duration. 11
Analyses of Response.. 11
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Introduction
Over the years the Policy Advocacy Unit of the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) has
been building the capacities of CSOs in the area of advocacy. This was basically to enhance
their advocacy skills and create a networking platform to improve their ability to engage policy
decision makers. By observation, it was realized that the workshop records a low number ofwomen participation, thus in response, WACSI partnered with the International Womens
Programme of the Open Society Institute and with the support of the Local Government and
Public Services Reform Initiative, of the Open Society Institute (LGI-OSI) and the Open Society
Institute of West Africa, organized a four-day advocacy training workshop for womens groups
and organizations in Monrovia, Liberia.
The overarching goal of this workshop was to build the advocacy capacity of women groups
and organizations in Liberia, and deepen their knowledge and skills in planning and conducting
effective policy engagement, influencing and advocacy. A total of 20 women attended and
participated in the workshop.
Participants were handed over questionnaires to evaluate the overall outcome of the
workshop, that is, from the organization of the workshop, through to the facilitating/course
content and delivery.
Out of 20 participants, 19 of them answered the questionnaires representing 95% of the total
number of participants present. Below is a compiled response of the participants.
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Session A
I: Overall Course Delivery
This session sought the perceptions of the participants on the outcome of the overall outcome
of the workshop, thereby assessing the training materials and rating their satisfaction in terms
of meeting their expectations and building on their knowledge. Participants ratings ofsatisfaction and explanations to the ratings are tabulated and represented below respectively.
Table 1.0: Percentage Rating Outcomes of Participants/Areas of Assessment
Areas of Assessment
Percentage Rating Outcomes of Participants
Very Satisfied Satisfied Not Satisfied
What is your overall impression of the
workshop?
89% 11% -
Were your objectives for this workshop
met?
74% 26%-
Rate your satisfaction with the course
training materials
84% 16% -
Taking into account your knowledge of
policy advocacy before the workshop, did
the workshop help to build your
knowledge and skills in this area?
74% 26% -
How effective was
the methodology
used in the
workshop?
The Discussions 74% 26% -The Exercises 68% 26% 5%
Overall Impression
Organization and facilitation was top-notch and professional; Acquired knowledge and skills; The workshop is very useful to my professional growth and current responsibilities; Very satisfied because the objectives outlined were covered and well explained; Very satisfied with the outcome, it is a rewarding training for activists/advocates 2; Acquired very useful information and advocacy engagement skills;
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Understood the definition of writing a policy paper, the key characteristics to consider inwriting a policy paper and the differences and similarities between policy brief and study;
Extremely useful and well-presented workshop2; Very interactive and more rewarding; A bit satisfied with the outcome because of limited time; Catchy and very interesting and knowledge based; Satisfied with the upshot of the workshop except with the time factor; The presentations were clear and concise, and participatory;
Objectives
learned about strategies in advocacy and policy-process; Objectives were met beyond expectations as compared to other workshops attended (3); Learned about the differences and similarities between a policy brief and study; Learned how to develop effective strategies and communication tools for policy
advocacy;
Not completely, because policy engagement and advocacy is a process not an event; In-depth knowledge and understanding of policy papers (3); Acquired adequate knowledge on policy advocacy as a beginner; Enhanced knowledge and skills in advocacy (4)
Satisfaction with training materials
Very explicit and sufficient; Bulky but will be used as a reference material; Enhanced knowledge and skills in the area of advocacy; Satisfied with the training material and would be useful to my organization; Acquired in-depth knowledge on the subject and has enhanced my ability to develop
policy papers;
Very satisfied, the materials are comprehensive and simplified; The course training materials are satisfactory; The materials contains questions and exercises for clearer understanding of policy advocacy; The materials is very rich tools in providing a deeper understanding of the concepts; The materials are excellent (2); The materials and slides used were adequate and useful; The training materials are very good, very useful; The materials provided were good, but needs to have Liberian scenarios; Course was very intensive and the materials were in-depth and good; Very impressed with contents of the training materials.
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Build knowledge and skills
Learned new policy skills and knowledge; Enhanced knowledge and skills on policy processes; Gained an in-depth understanding of policy advocacy; Need further practical skills and knowledge to enhance the acquired; Acquired new skills in policy engagement new skills in planning advocacy (3) ; Gained knowledge specifically on the important contents of policy papers; Enlightened on methods and strategies of public policy advocacy; Improved knowledge on advocacy but look forward to using the APF in the second phase; Acquired practical skills in policy advocacy.
The Discussion
Stimulating and lively; Effective and good (6); Rewarding and enriched the training; Participatory and active; Provided platforms to grasp concepts easily, and learn from other experiences; Provided opportunity to learn best practices, intrinsic advocacy challenges (2); The approach was participatory (2) The idea of having a group and individual discussion helped a lot Very effective, in that the methodology is feasible
The Exercises
Effective and thought-provoking
(3)
; Provided new skills in policy engagement and workshop facilitation and activity; Good and rewarding (2); Participatory and provided deeper understanding and clarity of issues; Provided practical sense of the concepts; Helped in developing more ideas; Did not understand all; Simplified each session for easy understanding; Practical and relevant; Good and educative; Good but more should be included; Helped to assimilate the lessons in each session because they were practical Helped to increase knowledge of the subject matter.
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Session B
II. Course ContentIn this session, participants assessed the contents of the course. By doing this, the participants
pinpointed the strengths and weaknesses of the workshop as well as the impact of the
workshop on their knowledge and skills. Participants also stated the different ways they intend
to make impact with their advocacy activities. Below is a tabular representation of their ratings
and responses respectively.
Table 1.1: Percentage Rating Outcomes of Participant on the Course Content
Policy Advocacy
Percentage Rating Outcomes of Participants
Very useful, am
very satisfied
Satisfied with
this topic, may
be useful
Not satisfied,
may not be
useful
Session 1: Understanding the context of
policy advocacy and writing
89% 11% -
Session 2: Structuring and developing a
coherent policy paper
79% 21% -
Session 3: Developing a targeted
advocacy plan using the Advocacy
Planning Framework (APF)
53% 47% -
What will you do differently in your practice?
Pay attention to target audience and problem description as well as in dissemination ofresearch findings;
The best way/time to engage the target policy debate, when to make contribution,engage key players, explore the problem, pay attention to mode of communication,
how to build support and momentum for advocacy network;
Practice the different stages of policy circle for an effective advocacy campaign;
Be coherent , straight to the point and be within context; How to reach out to the target group; Analysis and research; Find a way to involve decision-makers in an advocacy; Write my own policy briefs and papers; Improve on networking relations with other partners; Utilize all the elements of advocacy in planning, and adopt the usage of the best approach;
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Follow the policy making cycle accordingly; Involve community members, stakeholders and complete the policy making cycle; Enhance my advocacy skills; Persistently work to improve on my advocacy planning; Be persistent in advocating till the goal is met; Focus on the problem description, policy options, context analysis and dissemination; Conduct thorough research to get the fact right prior to starting the advocacy process; Write policy papers, send by e-mail for correction and show knowledge gained to
facilitators and WACSI and teach others about how to write;
Strengths of the training
Exercises and real life examples and the participatory style of the presentation; Developing effective strategies and communication tools for policy advocacy;
Session 1-3; Session 2-4; Policy brief and study session; All the sessions were excellent and important (5); Structuring and developing a coherent policy paper (2); Structuring and developing a coherent policy paper; Advocacy; The practical aspects of the training (the exercise and games); The Advocacy Planning Framework (APF) that was introduced; Developing a policy paper session was very educative; All of the sessions had a lot of strengths which strengthened my knowledge, skills and
experience;
Understanding the context of policy advocacy and writing.Weaknesses
More time needed for Phase One of the training; Time factor need for Phase One of the training; The number of days for the training; Trainers did not address participants by name; None; Lack of time and opportunity for the groups to prepare a real policy brief; Women cannot do it all alone; Limited timeframe for the workshop (2); Lack of transportation;
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The materials are very informative, educative but the timing for the work was short; Training starts too early; Structuring and developing a coherent policy paper.
Advice
Add more days (2) to the first phase; Resources documents should be made available in soft copies; Trainers should identify/address participants by their names; Longer timeframe for the workshop (2); Allow the participation of other male colleagues for a better advocacy; Improve on the daily timing of the workshop (2); The workshop should start at 8am in the morning and it should hold for five days; Recommend seven days for the workshop;
Include more practical approaches and more group presentation, assignment sessions; It is a well organized training, keep it up for the second phase; Increase the duration of the workshop (3).
Topic/information to include
None, the course is tough enough; Writing an advocacy paper; The training seemed holistic; Resource management; The topics treated were appropriate; Include more practical writing (3); Resource mobilization for Policy Advocacy; The topics treated were very adequate for the workshop
A sentence to describe what you learned
In order to effect change one has to be persistent and persevere in their policyadvocacy and disseminate information appropriately;
How to effectively develop strategies and communication tools for policy advocacy; How to write effective policy paper and plan an advocacy The importance of a network community in moving an advocacy process forward; How to advocate effectively to achieve the set objective; The difference between policy brief and policy paper (2); How to write an effective policy paper; Defining policy paper and public policy including differences and similarities;
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The policy cycle session enlightened me on what I was doing wrong; An effective policy paper must posses all of the elements, that is, precise, analytical,
pervasive and appeal to the interest of the target audience;
Learned that it is valuable to complete the policy making cycle because they aremutually inclusive;
Developing an admirable policy paper, understanding the policy making cycle andwriting effective policy paper;
Learned that policy makers are busy people, and it is essential to be persistent andidentify new methods in advocacy;
Learned that advocacy is a tool for change, and the differences policy briefs and policystudy;
Persistently engage target audience in terms of enacting legislations on the preventionof domestic violence;
Learned about the content of the elements of a policy paperAdvice for the training team
continue to use practical examples to enable participants to relate and understandconcept;
Need more days to cover the entire handbook, The training team did an excellent job; Continue to conduct the workshop using the same methodology but let it be held for
five days instead of four days and begin at 8:30am;
Samples of the various types of policy be given to participants to aid in their practical work;
Include more energizers and additional facilitators because the workshop is toointensive for two facilitators;
The training should hold in a different location other than Monrovia; Increase the duration of the training; Application should be sent to participants a week before the workshop; Continue with the good work.
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About the Workshop
Table 1.2: Percentage Rating of Participants Impression about the Workshop
About the Trainers
Table 1.3: Percentage Rating of Participants Impression about the Trainers
Course Duration
Table 1.4: Percentage Rating Outcome of the Duration of Workshop
Percentage Rating Outcome of Participants
Too Long Too Short About Right
- 68% 21%
Percentage Rating Outcome of Participants
Impression of the Workshop (form lowest to highest) 1 2 3 4 5
1 The difficulty level was about right 11% 5% 16% 16% 42%
2 Applying the information and skills in on-going/ future
advocacy planning
5% - 16% 16% 53%
3 Presentation met professional educational needs - - 11% 16% 63%
4 Information, strategies, and instructional methods
shared were helpful
- 5% 5% 16% 58%
5 Facilities and amenities were suitable for the
workshop
- - 5% 37% 47%
6 Confident in my capacity to engage in practical policy
advocacy
5% - 16% 5% 63%
7 The workshop was well organized - - 5% 21% 63%
Percentage Rating Outcome of Participants Impression
about the Trainers 1 2 3 4 5
1 Trainers expertise in all sessions 5% - 11% - 68%
2 Trainers clarity in delivery 5% - 5% 16% 63%
3 Cultural appropriateness of trainers - - 16% 21% 63%
4 Trainers time management - - 11% 16% 63%
5 Trainers responsiveness throughout the training 5% - 11% - 74%
6 Did trainers actively involve you in this training 5% - 5% - 74%
7 Would you say the trainers were well prepared 5% - - 5% 74%
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EVALUATION SYNOPSIS
The participants assessed the overall outcome of the four day Policy Engagement and
Advocacy Workshop, from organization, facilitation to the contents of the course and the
materials. The main objective of this assessment is to aid in restructuring future courses to
meet the demands of the participants.
With this backdrop, it can be inferred from the tabulated responses that the importance of the
workshop was highly acknowledged by the participants. Table 1.0, indicates that the ratio of
participants who were very satisfied as against satisfied ranges from 68-89% and 11-26%
respectively. The overall impression of the workshop recorded 89% very satisfied response as
against 11% satisfied and nil for the not satisfied. This implies that the participants appreciated
the outcome of the workshop.
In table 1.1,which presents the participants impressions on the contents of the course, it is
obvious here also that, they valued every bit of the content which is evident in their responses.
They acknowledged the usefulness of the materials and the value of the methodologies used
in delivering the workshop. Phrases such as excellent, stimulating, rewarding, participatory,
effective, practical, feasible among others were used to describe the methodology adopted.
Furthermore, stating how different they engage in advocacy after the training, the responses
of the participants were positive and encouraging. It gives a picture of the shortfalls that were
existing prior to the workshop and positive impact of the training on their skills and
knowledge. Interestingly, participants who had less or no knowledge about advocacy and
engagement seemed to have been fired up to be better advocates.
As mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, the responses of the participants were positive;
however this represented the views of the majority. Without trashing the minority views, it
was obvious that, the workshop had weaknesses which were pinpointed by the participants.
This ranged from timing/duration which the participants indicated that was short and
inconvenient, logistics, and location. Participants therefore requested for additional days;
change in the starting time; and change in location.
In sum the participants at the end of the workshop were impressed about the workshop
specifically on the information, knowledge and skills acquired.