Searching for outcomes in rural Tanzania: Harvesting directly from those influenced
Content type:
Presentations
Author(s):
John Mauremootoo, Richard Smith, Dunstan Kishekya
Theme:
OM Resources: Examples of Use
Language:
English
Published:
23 November 2015
A PowerPoint presentation by John Mauremootoo, Richard Smith,Dunstan Kishekya given at the 2015 American Evaluation Association Conference in the session chaired by Ricardo Wilson-Grau entitled: The strengths and challenges of Outcome Harvesting for Evaluating in Complex Situations. Experiences from around the World.
The benefits and challenges of using Outcome Harvesting to evaluate a short-term intervention are explored using the example of an 18 month social change project supported by the UK Department for International Development in Tanzania. The project was that was highly ambitious: it sought to influence changes in gender attitudes and behaviour of the general public in Tanzania. Challenges included the lack of outcome indications in project document and the lack of knowledge of outcomes among project personnel. Outcome Harvesting was adapted to allow the harvesting of outcomes using focus groups of those the project sought to influence directly. The concept of ‘proto-outcome’ was used for suggestions of attitude changes that may lead ultimately to behaviour changes. Substantiation of outcomes involved not only third parties but direct observation. The resulting descriptions of outcomes and the evaluation findings proved valuable for learning in the organisation, Search for Common Ground.