PARTICIPATORY MONITORING

AND EVALUATION
Methodologies for Working with Children, Adolescents,
and Young People

ANEXO

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Contents

Appendix 1 – Sample Guides ..................................................................................................................... 2

Observation Checklist ........................................................................................................................ 2
Sample template for developing a simple observation checklist...................................................... 2
Sample template for recording observations.................................................................................... 3
How to Guide for Focus Group Discussions ...................................................................................... 4
Fishes and Boulders ........................................................................................................................... 6
Reflection Balloons ............................................................................................................................ 7
'H' Assessment................................................................................................................................... 8
Talking Mats ...................................................................................................................................... 9
Role Play and Drama ....................................................................................................................... 10
Appendix – A sample of SOS Children’s Villages guides and template ................................................... 11
Good and Bad .................................................................................................................................. 11
Interview to Get to Know the Opinion of Children ......................................................................... 15
Development Plan: SOS Children's Villages Uruguay ...................................................................... 16
Satisfaction Survey: Children in Family Strengthening.................................................................... 18
Satisfaction Survey: Primary and Secondary Education .................................................................. 21
Discussion Group ............................................................................................................................. 22
Qualitative Assessment: Children and Adolescents ........................................................................ 23
Focus Group Matrix Children, Adolescents, and Young People ...................................................... 24
Appendix 3: Bibliography and Other Resources ...................................................................................... 27

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Appendix 1 – Sample Guides

Observation Checklist
 A simple observation checklist includes a list of specific behaviours or items to be observed. An
Purpose anecdotal record is a simple way of recording a short narrative of what you observe.

How to use  Before starting your observation, you will want to determine what you will be looking at. The
checklist will help you to organise the areas under observation. An observation may well be
part of a routine visit to a child's home, school or other care setting, which may include
interviews with the child/carer or other professional body.
 Contact the site in advance, ideally a few weeks before visiting.
 Decide what other participatory methods you might want to use.
 During our observation you may wish to write up short points. However it's important that this
doesn't distract you from your observations. For example it is difficult interacting with children
when are in the process of writing notes. Ideally you should try and remember everything you
see, hear and observe and take notes once you've left the observation site.
 After the visit, summarize your observations and discuss with others.
 If you are working in a team you should compare notes and see if you are seeing the same
thing.
 The templates below are examples of a simple checklist format and anecdotal record template.
Age group  0-3 years
Materials  Checklist, paper and pen
required  A good memory
Time required  This will depend on the areas you need to cover and whether you are conducting interviews
with very young children involved and/or their carer.

Sample template for developing a simple observation checklist

Name:
Programme:
Child's Age:
Date of observation:
Observer:

Areas: e.g.
(This is a generic category SOS Children field staff should choose the domain/area they wish to observe)
Things to look for Notes
 Does the child interact with
its siblings?
 Does the child seem to feel
safe, secure and
comfortable? Can the child
explore and play with toys?
 Does the child interact with
the observer?
 Does the child engage in
imaginary role play? What

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 thoughts and feelings are
expressed through these
role plays?
 Etc.

Sample template for recording observations

Name:
Programme:
Child’s Age:
Date of observation:
Observer:
Narrative: (Provides an accurate account of the child's actions, behaviours and direct quotes from the child's
conversations. Includes responses of other children/or adults, in any are involved in the situation).

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 How to Guide for Focus Group Discussions
(Can be adapted for age groups 5 upwards)

Preparation: The tasks in organising a focus group are:

 Clarify the purpose and questions to ask.
 Think about the number of focus groups you might want to run.
 Decide on and invite participants.
 Make sure you send invites to the participants in good time and are clear in your communication about the
purpose of the focus group, the amount of time the participant will be expected to spend etc. and obtain the
necessary consents/and or permission.
 Ensure the time of the focus group suits the children and does not interfere with their school work (or other
important tasks).
 Book a room. It should be accessible, of the right size and private. The group should not be disturbed during
the session.
 Somebody needs to take notes of the discussion. You may want to consider involving someone other than
the facilitator to do this – in which case you will need to organise and brief the note-taker. It is important
they know the type of information that you want recording.

On the day:
 Organise the room. Ensure that seating promotes group discussion e.g. in a circle. If some people do not
turn up remove empty seats.
 Ensure the meeting starts and finishes on time.
 You might set some ground rules for the group, for example, there should be only one conversation at a
time and everyone should have a say, issues of confidentiality etc.
 It's always a good idea to give a short introduction on the purpose & aims of the focus group discussion and
how you will use the findings.

Role of the facilitator: How useful focus group discussions are is strongly affected by the skills of the facilitator.
 The facilitator should help to set the mood and climate of the group and keep energy high.
 The facilitator needs to know how to rephrase or reframe statements to enhance understanding, and to
highlight areas of agreement and disagreement as they develop.
 Similarly they need to be able to identify patterns among diverse ideas and synthesise them to move the
discussion forward.
 Other skills include redirecting questions and comments, giving positive reinforcement, encouraging
contrasting views, ensuring the participation of quieter people, and dealing with domineering or hostile
participants.
 Non-verbal techniques include things such as eye contact, attentiveness, facial expressions, body language,
enthusiasm and maintaining a positive outlook.
 Remember that the role of the meeting is to understand how the participants think and what matters to
them, not to reach a consensus.

In order to allow the facilitator full concentration on these tasks where possible it can help to have an additional
person to take the notes.

Format for focus group interview: A popular format for the focus group interview is a "funnel structure."
 The beginning section is broad and less structured. The goal is to hear children’s general perspectives.
 The middle section is more structured, and the goal is to lead into, or begin to cover, the topics of most
interest to you.
 The ending section is narrow and the more structured. The goal is to obtain answers to your specific needs
assessment questions.
 The final question in a focus group often returns to a broader, more general wrap-up.

Participatory tools & methods: When conducting focus groups with children, adolescents and young people it is
a good idea to use visual participatory tools to explore the key questions, for example using post it notes,
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happy/sad faces, pictures, fishes & boulders exercise etc. The idea is to make the session fun and interactive.
The section on creative participatory activities provides lots of good examples of tools you can use and adapt for
focus group discussions with young people.

Capturing the discussion points & writing up notes: It is better to write up notes from the meeting, or to read
over those taken by the note-taker, while the impressions are still fresh rather than some time later.
 Ideally the facilitator should write up a short on-site summary immediately following the session.
 The summary should be written in a question-by-question format to capture what the group had to say
regarding each topic – try and get direct quotes but bear in mind confidentiality issues – it is not usual to
quote names but you may want to check first with the participants.
 After conducting all of the focus groups, use the short on-site summaries to synthesize themes across all
groups.
 A single brief report summarizing the themes should be produced.

Case Study: Consulting in Schools Save the Children –Focus Groups and Graffiti Walls

A consultation exercise was commissioned by the Scottish Executive and carried out by Save the Children in
Scotland in October 1999. The consultation was carried out using a focus group methodology with 88 children
and young people between the ages of 5-16 years. The methodology was adapted according to the age and
setting of the group. The group sessions were audio taped and later transcribed. Games and exercises were
employed at the beginning and the middle sessions in order to promote a relaxed atmosphere. This was
particularly important when working with younger pupils, but secondary-aged young people also appreciated
this. As part of the consultation process, children were also invited to interview each other by asking the
following questions:

 What makes a good day at school?

 Why do you come to school?
 What would you change about your school?

The exercise was followed up with a 'Graffiti Wall' exercise, where pupils were invited to present their views
creatively on a large, paper, 'graffiti wall,' using coloured markers. Whilst the pupils were doing this the
facilitator was able to follow up points for discussion using prompt questions.

Source: Madden, S. (2001) Re:action Consultation Toolkit - a practical toolkit for consulting with children and
young people on policy issues, Save the Children.

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 Fishes and Boulders
Purpose  To illustrate significant milestones, successes and challenges over a time period
Ideal for  Suitable for annual reviews and other types of consultations
Age group 8+
Materials  Coloured pens and paper, coloured card/or shapes
Time  Approx. 1-2 hours
 The timing will depend on the number of groups and the issues you wish to explore in
more depth.
Key tips  Group size: 4-5 children per group
 For this exercise you might want to have groups of the same age/gender.
 It is important that you consider beforehand the key questions that you wish to explore
and additional information you may also want to add to the river.
 Remember to note down the key points and explore areas of change.
 Be aware of power relations within the groups.
 Allow sufficient time for children to also probe and question.
How to
 Divide children into groups. Give each group a large piece of flip chart paper (possibly 2 stuck together),
coloured card and pens.
 First ask individual each group to draw a river. The river can either represent a year in the children’s life
or a longer period.
 Explain that on the river you are going to include fishes and boulders [either on coloured card or draw by
hand straight onto the paper].
 First, ask each individual child in the group to think about and then draw:
o 3 different sized fish to indicate positive things that have happened, over the period (A
big fish = very significant change, a small fish = a small change or some progress)
 Then ask each individual in the group to include:
o 3 different sized boulders: These represent any key major challenges or issues they've
faced over the year. Large boulders will indicate a major challenge a small boulder a small
challenge. They may decide they have no boulders to add to the river.

 Then ask them to add 3 things along the river, which represent the things that have supported them over
the year/period. This might for example be a specific SOS intervention, personal support, a school project
etc. They could represent these as trees or flowers.
 You can also ask them to add a section towards the end of the river on things they would like to see in the
future. They could represent these as islands.
 Once each group has drawn their river ask each group to walk round and look at the rivers other groups
have drawn.
 When they have finished looking at each other's rivers, ask the children to share their thoughts of what
they discovered. At this point the facilitator may want to ask more specific questions about change, and
any trends observed to draw out patterns or major influences. For example:
 How they feel about what has been achieved or the challenges they have faced? What are the
similarities and differences?
 What are the things that have supported them or hindered them and why?
 What do they think needs to change or be improved?
 What do they see in the future? Where do they want the river to lead?

After the discussion explain to children how you intend to use the information. Document the results and
ensure this information continues to be carried into next steps e.g. annual plans.

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 Reflection Balloons
Purpose A simple visual diagram for a group assessment of a specific intervention that children have worked
together on
Ideal for  Focus group discussion session activity
 Assessing children's knowledge and understanding of a specific topic
 How children have engaged in a specific project or activity, what they have learnt
 Their satisfaction levels with the project
Age group 5-11 years old
Materials You will need paper (ideally in 4 different colours), scissors, glue, pens.
Time 30 minutes

How to
 Cut out large balloon shapes in different colours (as below).
 In groups, children discuss and write responses to the questions on the cut up shapes:
 What skills did you learn?
 How were you involved in the project?
 What was the impact on you / your school / your community?
(This can be can be adapted by changing the questions in the balloons)
 Then pupils should stick each shape onto a large piece of card or paper (A3+).
 During the discussion the facilitator should encourage the students and take notes.

If the activity/intervention did not go as well as expected, the following questions may be useful:
 Why didn't the action work as well as expected?
 Was the group too ambitious or not ambitious enough?
 Did the group have enough resources?
 Would it have been better to choose a different action?

 At the end of the discussion you may want to take away a copy of the reflection balloons as a record. Explain
to the children how you will use this information.

Changing me Working together

What did I enjoy the How did we work together?
most? Which tasks did we enjoy the
Did I learn any new skills? most?
Has this changed the way Were we happy with the
I think or behave? decisions we made as a group?

Next time
Making a difference
What worked well/not so well?
Have we made a
What was the most difficult
difference?
thing we did?
How do we know?
Is there anything we would do
What was our greatest
differently next time?
success?

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 'H' Assessment
Purpose  To explore strengths and weaknesses and suggestions for improvements to SOS Children
services and projects
Ideal for  It can be used with groups or individuals in a variety of settings e.g. recording ideas from semi-
structured interviews or focus group discussions, as part of an annual review, or evaluating a
conference or workshops.
Age group 8-18
Materials  Paper, pen, card
Time 1 hour (this will depend on the activity)
How to
Make an 'H' shape on large flip chart paper. In the left hand column draw a happy face and/or + sign, in the right
hand column a sad face or – sign and below the middle "H" bar draw a light bulb or a candle to represent 'bright
ideas.'

Write the question being discussed at the top of centre area of the "H" shape. The question must be simple and
focused e.g. What are the strengths of a specific intervention, project? or What are your views on services and
facilities for young people in your community?

 Give each person 3 post-it notes or coloured cards and ask them to write or draw any negative points. One
comment/picture per card.
 Then give each person 3 cards (a different colour) to write down positive points.
 Allow each group time to consolidate their cards and discuss their findings.
 Then ask each group to share the findings from their 'H' assessment. Ask for clarification if necessary. Keep
discussion of the points short and focused.
 Then depending on the objective of the exercise ask the children to write or draw ways/ideas for improving the
current situation. They can do this on cards or post-it notes.

Question for discussion: e.g. What are your views on the services and facilities for young people in your
community?

- Negatives Positives
Ways to improve

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 Talking Mats
Purpose  A visual tool for consulting with children and young people on specific topics or issues
 It is designed to help people with communication difficulties to think about issues discussed with
them, and provide them with a way to effectively express their opinions.
Ideal for  Can support children with communication difficulties to communicate about issues that are
relevant to them. However, can also be successfully used with children and young people who do
not have learning difficulties.
 Focus group discussions/consultation workshops
Age group 5-18
Materials  Pictures/object symbols that represent key areas in young children's lives
 Mats and material to attach symbols (e.g. Velcro or blu-tack, masking tape )

Other  Symbols can represent the main sections of a discussion (e.g. overall issue, different emotions,
considerations likes, dislikes and changes, etc.)
 Objects can also be used (often this works well with young children)
 Pictures/photographs can be collated by facilitator and/or children to represent different issues,
etc.
How to  Ask the child to pick an image that is relevant to the topic or issue important to them and/or you
are working on as a group.
 Ask the child to choose an image on the mat under the 'happy', 'don’t know' or' unhappy' mat.
 Once the topic for consultation is chosen (e.g. school), it is placed at the bottom mid-line of the
mat then the participant is given options one at a time and asked about how they feel about them.

Case study: Talking Mats – Activities for young people with learning disabilities
Researchers in the University of Stirling, in the UK have been using participatory tools in their work with young people
with learning disabilities who are making choices as they move from childhood to becoming adults. The researchers
identified 6 key areas in the young adult’s lives (accommodation, day activity, leisure (indoor/outdoor) people and
transport. Photographs and pictures were collated that represented every day activities and situations. A large number
of these were printed and mounted onto card. Six mats (one for each of the key areas) were divided using a three
point scale of happiness.

The scale was represented by symbols: a happy face, a pair of hands representing 'so-so' and a cross with an unhappy
face). Each pictorial representation was then shown to the young person and after discussion placed on the mat in one
of the three sections to represent the level of happiness with this aspect of life (e.g. family, youth club, minibus
transport, etc.).

This method helped to involve young people in making positive choices about their futures and to allow those with
communication difficulties to get across their priorities. The method is simple and non-threatening and provided the
basis for fuller discussion about the future. Significant issues came out on the researcher were mainly around
transport and in particular the dislike of travelling alone on buses as well as some concern about making new friends.

Source: Murphy, J. (1998) Talking Mats: Speech and language research in practice. Speech and language therapy in
Practice. Autumn 1998 11-14. In: Save the Children UK (2000), Children and Participation.

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 Role Play and Drama
Purpose  To support children and young people to explore positive or negative experiences, or portray life
histories or specific events
 Role plays can be used a participatory tool in a range of group processes/group workshops.
 Role play includes individual or group improvisations, mimes as well as plays written for
performance by the children themselves or using puppets.

Ideal for  For children who find it difficult answering direct questions in interviews

Age group 5-18 years

Materials Children may want to use props such as chairs or other furniture to represent or symbolise their
environment.
Other  It can be difficult to include everyone. Unconfident children may feel uncomfortable performing in
considerations front of an audience and their voices can be missed. Similarly older children may feel very self-
conscious about performing. Asking children to improvise or perform also requires careful
explanation and coaching. There is a danger that without this they may simply repeat stories or
dramas that they may have seen elsewhere.

 Notes should be taken during any discussions that are held with children observing the role play,
interpretations of role-plays– and about any observations made. Where possible, more than what
is said should be written down. The dynamics of the discussions, body language and emotions
should also be noted. It is important to ensure that details of dates, time, place and first names of
participants are recorded.

Drama or Role Play: Exploring the life of the poor child

Many children may not be able to express themselves verbally but may have very good knowledge (possibly first-hand
knowledge) of how it feels to be poor. A drama is one good way of having children show what it's like to be poor.
•Ask children to think about what it is like to be poor in their community. How do poor children spend their day - what
things does he/she do differently compared to other children who are not poor?
•Ask the children to get into small groups of 3 or 4 and act out a day in the life of a poor child showing what they do,
how they are treated by others, and how they feel.
•At the end of the drama, ask the children to talk about what they saw during the drama and to identify how poverty
affects children.

You could run a similar role play session and ask children to explore how it feels to be teenagers living in 'X' community
or a child facing prejudice/social exclusion, etc. You could also run a group drama assign different roles e.g. a
community member, SOS Children’s Village staff member/mother/carer.

Example role play session from O’Kane C./ Dolan, T (2008) We’ve got something to say! Promoting Child and Youth
Agency, A Facilitator’s Manual, Christian Children’s Fund International Programs.

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Appendix – A sample of SOS Children’s Villages
guides and template
Good and Bad
[Source: SOS Children Villages International]

Target groups:
Young boys and girls age 8 – 13
In-school boys and girls, age 14 – 17
Out-of-school boys and girls, age 14 – 17

Estimated time: 1 hour

Brief introduction to the exercise:

This exercise touches on more difficult issues for example discrimination. The topic is introduced in
the form of a game about good and bad plants. The children are introduced to the idea about the
forest with unknown good and bad plants. They are asked to name these plants with names that are
of the good things and the bad things adults do to children. There after they discuss in plenary why
good and why bad etc. Finally they discuss if some children are treated worse than other children
(discrimination).

Purpose:
This exercise supports children to discuss norms and practices in their community which are harmful
to children and also to identify who is responsible for these practices. The exercise will also touch
upon discrimination. The exercise is conducted as a kind of game.

Material needed: Flip chart and masking tape

60 pieces of A4 paper (30 red and 30 yellow), which are cut into a flower

What to document:
 The names of the good and the names of the harmful practices that children come up with
(keep the flowers)
 Notes what children say in the discussion after they have named the flowers.
Process:
1. Gather the children in a circle.
2. Spread the paper flowers within the circle.
3. Introduce the children to the exercise.
4. Ask the children to decide which flowers are the good and which are the bad (the yellow or
the red).
5. If you're working with a mixed group of girls and boys it's a good idea to have 4 colours. A
colour for good and bad for girls and a colour for good and bad for boys.
6. Each child picks a red and a yellow paper flower.
7. Ask the children to think about the "names" for the two flowers.
8. When the children have decided the names they should come to the facilitator and tell the
names = a good and a bad practice.
9. The facilitator writes the name on the flowers and sticks the flowers up on the wall.
10. When all the children have named their flowers they should gather around the flowers.
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 11. Then the facilitator reads out, one by one, the names of the flowers – mix good and bad. For
each (category of) flower the facilitator asks questions.
12. End the discussion with the two more broad questions [See details below].

Details about the exercise:

Key words of instructions to the participants: Instructions for facilitator
Introduction: Before the introduction you have gathered the
Imagine you are in a forest. Imagine this children sitting or standing in a circle.
community [name of community] is the forest. In
the forest there are good and bad…………....

Imagine that is this forest [name of the

community] the plants are things that adults do
to children and also what children do to each
other.

Some of the things, just like the plants are good

and some are bad.

The good plants make you feel good, happy,

healthy, loved, appreciated and important.

The bad plants really hurt you and make you feel
unhappy, not loved, not appreciated and
betrayed.

Here we have good and bad plants.

Spread the paper flowers on the floor.
Which do you think are the good ones? The red
or the yellow? Make the children decide and stick to that
decision.

Now the problem is that we do not know the

names of any of these plants.

We need your help to tell us what these good

plants are called and what the bad plants are
called.

Each of you shall now pick a good and a bad

plant. The good one you should name with
something good that adults do to children or Write/draw on the flip chart:
something good children do to each other. [colour of the good] = [draw a happy face]
Something that makes you feel good, happy,
healthy, loved, appreciated and important. Write/draw on the flip chart:
And the bad plant you should name with [colour of the bad] = [draw a sad face]
something bad that adults do to children or
children do to each other. Something that really
hurts you and makes you feel unhappy, not
loved, not appreciated and betrayed.

Let me give you an example from another

community, another forest. There is a good plant.
The name of a good plant in that forest is:

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Parents give children food. And there is a bad
plant. The name of the bad plant is: Parents force
their children to work too much. Let the children think for some minutes, max. 5
min. and then gently encourage them to come
Think about it for a little while and then come and tell you the names. For those who are first
and tell me and then I can write the name on the encourage them to pick more flowers to name.
plant.
Write the name the children are telling you on the
flower. Keep the flower in a pile next to you.

When some flowers have been collected start

putting them up on the wall groups into good and
bad and try to group them as you put them up.
Discussion:
Thank you for putting all these names to the In particular where the children don't read any
flowers. Let us take a look at these names. English it is important that you read out in the
local language what it says on the flowers.
Now we should all learn something more about
these plants. Let us together examine each of Start with the good ones and probe into why
these plants to learn more. these are good.

Suggestions for Questions for probing: When you have finished the good ones move on
 Why is it good/bad? to the bad ones and probe into them.
 How does it influence your life?
 Who is doing (the good/the bad)?
 When is the good/bad mostly done?
 Who are mostly affected by the bad?
 Always probe into what they mean by
poverty, what they mean by defilement Use these questions to start discussion among
and what they mean by abuse. Get them themselves.
to explain a concrete example instead of
just using the words.
Discussion about discrimination:
 Are some children treated worse than When all the plants have been discussed finalise
other children by adults and fellow the discussion with the last two questions.
children?
 In which way are they treated
different/worse? End the exercise and thank the children for their
 Why do you think they are treated contributions and how you plan to use the
worse than other children? information. Remember to stress confidentiality.
Writing up findings Write up a summary of the exercise – you can use
quotes and examples from the flowers without
having to name a child. It might be helpful to see
if there are any.

Practical Matters
 Set the date of the workshop so that it does not interfere with the studies or the work of the
young people. Weekends might be more convenient.
 Check if there are any opportunities of inviting a young person that is trained on guiding or
helping at workshops.
 Make sure there is a person the young person can turn to when they have any problems.

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  Create an open, tolerant and nurturing environment that encourages young people to say
what they think. Give everyone the opportunity to express his/her opinion. An environment
must be created in which the young people feel comfortable and safe.
 Allow enough time for team-building. Be aware that bringing together a group of disparate
young people who may have never met before is difficult. It's often good to start off with an
energiser/participatory introduction session so that children can get to know each other and
build trust in the process.
 Plan enough breaks, which should be long enough.
 Be aware of your body language and feelings between each other: adults in the room and the
young people. Clear ethical boundaries need to be in place before this work is carried out.

[Adapted from: SOS Children´s Villages International (2010): Recommendations for Youth Participation
I matter campaign.

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Interview to Get to Know the Opinion of Children
( Source: SOS Children's Villages Peru)
Purpose  To get to know individual and collective opinion of children on services provided through
SOS family strengthening programmes (social centre, community centre, community home)
Expected  To collect qualitative information directly from children
results  Children express their memories and impressions of what they experienced in SOS family
strengthening programmes (social centre, community centre, community home) by
creative ways such as drawings
Execution  At the end of the questionnaires and after the first set of results and/or findings from the
questionnaires
Number of 4 children min.
participants 6 children max.
Profile of  Children participating in SOS family strengthening programmes (social centre, community
participants centre, community home) regardless of their time in the programme
 Age: 5-7 years old
 Parents may or may not have participated in previously applied assessment questionnaires.
Materials  Animated activity guide
 Room with working tables for children
 Coloured pencils and bond paper
 Coffee break for all participants
 Stereo
Leading role  Lead facilitator required and observer to eventually assist in recording the information

Average time 1-2 hours

How to  Introduction: The lead facilitator is introduced and asks children to have some time for
games and drawings.
 Playing children's music in the background to encourage spontaneous participation of
children
 Children are given paper and coloured pencils and asked to make a drawing of SOS family
strengthening programmes (social centre, community centre, community home).
 After all children finish drawing, the lead facilitator will show the drawings and ask each
child what the meaning of his/her drawing is, encouraging participation and opinion of the
other children.
 At the end of the activity, the facilitator will give each child a treat for participating.
 During the activity, children may have a coffee break.
 Findings from group activities with children according to social centre are described below.

Page 15 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

Development Plan: SOS Children's Villages Uruguay
[Source: Method based on Nelson Ortiz Pinilla, UNICEF 1999

Name and last names:

Family:
SOS mother or mother trainee:
Date:
Plan Facilitator:

1. CURRENT SITUATION OF ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE:

(Psychophysical) Health
Motivation
Studies
Relationship with peers
Relationship with SOS mother
Relationship with other staff
Community and social
integration
Contact with family of origin
and personal story
Leisure
Community assistance and
preparation for work
Other

2. LIFE PROJECT:

Overall concept: How do you picture yourself at the age of 20 (What would you be doing?
Where? With whom? etc.)?

Professional development:

How would you see your leaving care process?

3. SWOT:

STRENGTHS (internal):

WEAKNESSES (internal):

OPPORTUNITIES (external):
Page 16 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation
THREATS (external):

4. COMMITMENT: SPECIFIC ACTIONS

By young person:

By SOS mother or mother trainee:

By another reference person:

Signatures:
Young person: ____________________ Mother: ____________________

5. MONITORING

Date:

ACHIEVEMENTS:

UNATTAINED GOALS:

Page 17 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

Satisfaction Survey: Children in Family Strengthening
(Source: SOS Children's Villages Colombia)

Programme: _____________________ Date of application: __________

Name: ________________________ Sex: _____________ Age: _________
Level: ___________
SOS Children's Villages Colombia is interested in getting to know your opinion as a participant in
the programme in order to provide you with better services. For this reason, it is important that
you give an honest answer.
The following 13 statements will help us know your opinion about your experience in community and
family strengthening programmes (CFSPs). Together with your facilitator, read each statement
and select the answer that best suits you by checking the appropriate box as follows:
YES You completely agree with the statement.
SOMETIMES You agree, but this is not always the case.
NO You disagree.
Remember there are no right or wrong answers here. This is about expressing your opinion.

Standard Answer Score

1. The food in the programme is healthy. YES SOME NO

TIMES

2. The place where I eat is clean and YES SOME NO

nice. TIMES

3. My teacher treats me well when I am YES SOME NO

eating. TIMES

4. My teacher takes care of me when I'm YES SOME NO

sick. TIMES

5. I like the activities and games I play in YES SOME NO

the programme. TIMES

Page 18 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

 Standard Answer Score

6. I learn from and have fun with the YES SOME NO

activities I do in the programme. TIMES

7. When I misbehave, my teacher kindly YES SOME NO

corrects me and explains why. TIMES

8. I am treated with love and respect in YES SOME NO

the programme. TIMES

9. Whenever I have a problem in my YES SOME NO

classroom or at home, my teacher helps me TIMES
solve it.

10. Do you know how to take care of YES SOME NO

yourself? My teacher is teaching me in the TIMES
garden how to take care of myself.

11. My teacher is always telling my YES SOME NO

parents to take care of me. TIMES

12. I can say what I think and feel YES SOME NO

whenever I want to. TIMES

Page 19 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

 Standard Answer Score

13. My teacher listens to me and asks the YES SOME NO

others to listen to me too. TIMES

SCORE
SATISFACTION LEVEL Satisfied Somewhat Dissatisfied
satisfied

Thank you!

Page 20 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

Satisfaction Survey: Primary and Secondary Education
(Source: SOS Children's Villages Colombia)

Programme: _____________________ Date of application: ___________

Name ________________________ Age: ______ Level: ___________

SOS Children's Villages Colombia is interested in getting to know your opinion as a participant in the
programme in order to provide you with better services. For this reason, it is important that you give an
honest answer.

The following twelve questions will help us know your opinion about your experience in high school.
Together with your teacher, read each question and select the answer that best suits you by checking
the appropriate box as follows:
YES You completely agree.
SOMETIMES You agree, but this is not always the case.
NO You disagree.
Remember there are no right or wrong answers here. This is about expressing your opinion.

Answer Score
Standard YES SOME NO
TIMES
1. Is your high school a nice place?
2. Are high school teachers teaching through
kindness?
3. Are my teachers assisting me when I need help?

4. Am I having fun with the different activities in high

school? What about teachers?
5. Am I learning from the activities I do in high school?

6. Whenever I have problems in high school, do my

teachers correct me through kindness?
7. Am I treated with love and respect in high school?

8. Whenever I have a problem in my classroom or at

home, do my teachers help me solve it?
9. Am I taught to take care of myself in high school?
10. Are teachers telling my parents to help me do my
homework and school duties?

11. Can I say what I think and feel?

12. Do my teachers listen to me and ask the others to

listen to me too?
YES ST NO Total
SCORE

Page 21 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

Discussion Group
(Source: SOS Children's Villages Honduras)

This methodology is used when defining a situation or problem with multiple positions to be analysed.
This is an effort to understand and value the opinion of others, to help take on a different approach to
any situation so that people are aware that the approach to a matter by somebody else may be
completely different from ours and yet equally valid.

Important requirements for group discussion:

 A relaxed atmosphere and nice work environment should be created to encourage free speech and
exchange of opinions, criteria and experiences of all participants.
 All group members should understand, be familiar, and agree with the objectives of the discussion.
 Input from every group member should be taken into account with respect.
 Any discussion should be developed on specific matters, criteria or opinions, never on people.
 Final decisions should be made collectively by consensus.

Page 22 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

 Qualitative Assessment: Children and Adolescents
(Source: SOS Children's Villages Brazil)

QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT: CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

TOTAL PARTICIPANTS IN FOUR PROGRAMME UNITS: 41
TOPICS TO BE ASSESSED
ORDER

GROUP 1: SOCIAL / PERSONAL INFORMATION / SOS

CHILDREN

Completely Somewhat
QUESTIONS agree Agree agree Disagree N/A
1 Do you like to participate in the programme? X
2 In general, do you like the activities in the CFSP? X
3 Have these activities made you feel better? X
4 Without activities in the CFSP, would your life be boring? X
5 Can you help improve the activities in the CFSP? X
6 Is your school in good condition? X
7 Do you like to study? X
8 Is your school performance good? X
9 Do you frequently have health problems? X
10 In general, how do you see life? Are you a happy child? X
GROUP 2: BONDING WITH THE FAMILY
Completely Somewhat
QUESTIONS agree Agree agree Disagree N/A
1 Participating in the CFSP has helped you at home? X
2 Are you more involved in household chores? X
3 Is your behaviour at home normal? X
4 At home, are you given advice or punished? X
5 Are you having more fun in school leisure time? X
6 Do you enjoy activities with your family? X
7 Is your family also participating in activities in the CFSP? X
8 Does your family enjoy the activities in the centre? X
9 Do you implement what you learn at home? X
10 Is your relationship with your parents good? X
11 Do your parents have problems communicating with each
other? X
12 Do they use dialogue to solve these problems? X

Page 23 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

 Focus Group Matrix Children, Adolescents, and Young People
(Source: SOS Children's Villages LAAM)

Purposes: To identify and analyse the processes and procedures associated with family reintegration of children, adolescents, and young people in every NA; to identify the strengths and
limitations of family reintegration processes and procedures identified by NAs in order to collect good practices and lessons learnt; and to analyse the current situation of those children,
adolescents, and young people who returned to their family of origin in every NA

Number of participants:

VARIABLE GUIDING QUESTIONS SCOPE OF ANALYSIS ANSWER/RELEVANT ITEMS QUOTES

1. General information of i. How old were you when you returned Start the meeting by introducing the
the child, adolescent of to your family of origin? participants.
young person
ii. How old are you now?
Look into the relationship with the
SOS mother.
Look into the relationship with the
iii. What did you like and dislike about
2. Living in an SOS family SOS family.
living in the village?
Look for any bonding with the family
of origin. What type? With whom? If
no bonding, why was it so?
Specify the frequency.
3. Relationship of Is contact virtual, by phone or in
iv. Are you currently in contact with your
reintegrated children, person?
SOS family? If no, please find out why.
adolescents and young
Otherwise, please move on to the What SOS relatives do they have the
people with their SOS
scope of analysis. most contact with (SOS mother, SOS
family and peers
siblings, biological siblings living in
the village) and why?

Page 24 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

4. Identification of most
v. Why are you or other children,
common factors or
adolescents and young people
causes to engage in Look into the causes.
returning to their families of origin?
family reintegration of
children, adolescents,
and young people
Identify who decided and how they
were told they would return to their
family of origin.
Find out if they were asked for and
5. Identification of involved in the decision to return to
processes and vi. How was the process of returning to their family of origin.
procedures associated your family of origin? Who was Look into how they felt when they
with family reintegration involved in the decision making found out they would be returning to
of children, adolescents, process? their family of origin.
and young people Find out if someone from the village
was visiting or calling them once they
started living back with their family
of origin and for how long (follow-
up).

vii. What are your recommendations for

a successful reintegration process?

viii. What were the strengths or positive

aspects found in the reintegration
6. Strengths and limitations process you went through?
of the reintegration ix. What were the problems or
process limitations found in the
reintegration with your family of
origin?
Find out if they have a good or bad
7. Current situation of x. Can you describe how your relationship with their family of
children, adolescents, relationship is with your family origin and why.
and young people today? Find out if they are supported in
terms of education, work and

Page 25 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

 personal matters.
Find out the level of participation in
the decision making process on
everyday aspects relevant to their
lives.
Find out what problems arise, how
xi. How are problems solved within
often they occur, and how they are
the family? solved.
Observations:

Conclusions and recommendations:

Page 26 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

Appendix 3: Bibliography and Other Resources

Sources cited in the guide

Bonati, Grazyna (2006), Monitoring and Evaluating with Children, A short guide, Plan International.
(http://plan-international.org/files/Africa/WARO/publications/monitoring.pdf)

Chapman, J./Mancini, A. (eds) (2005), Critical Webs of Power and Change, ActionAid.

Chawla, L./ Johnson V. (2004), “Not for children only: lessons learnt from young people’s participation”, en PLA
Notes 50 (www.planotes.org)

Canadian International Development Agency (2003), RMB and Children’s Participation: A guide to Incorporating
Child Participation Results into CIDA Programs. Canadian International Development Agency. Policy Branch. Child
Protection Unit.

Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (2011), The Report on Children’s Workshop, Abuja,
Nigeria, March 18 – 19, 2011.
(http://www.hciproject.org/sites/default/files/Nigeria%20Children's%20Workshop%20Report_2011.pdf)

Feinstein, C./ O’Kane, C. (2008), Participation is a Virtue that Must be Cultivated. An analysis of children’s
participation working methods and materials within Save the Children Sweden, Save the Children Sweden.

Flowers, Nancy (2009), Compasito. Manual of Human Rights Education for Children, Council of Europe,
Directorate of Youth and Sport. (http://www.eycb.coe.int/compasito/pdf/Compasito%20EN.pdf)

Burgard, Esther (2011), Ready for Change? Take the Plunge. In: Forum 43, SOS Children’s Villages’ International.

Murphy, J. (1998), Talking Mats: Speech and language research in practice. Speech and language therapy in
Practice. Autumn 1998 11-14. In: Save the Children UK (2000), Children and Participation.

Morris, J. (2002), A Lot to Say! A guide for social workers, personal advisors and others working with disabled
children and young people with communication impairments. London: Scope. Available at
http://www.communicationpassports.org.uk/Home/

National Day Nurseries Association (s/f), Promoting Positive behaviour NDNA (http://www.ndna.org.uk/advice-
information/publications)

Ortiz Pinilla (1999), Escala Abreviada del desarrollo, UNICEF.

O’Kane C./ Dolan, T (2008), We’ve got something to say! Promoting Child and Youth Agency. A Facilitator’s
Manual, Christian Children’s Fund International Programs.

Save the Children (2000), Children and Participation: Research, monitoring and evaluation with children and
young people, Briefing Paper.

Madden, S. (2001), Re:action Consultation Toolkit - a practical toolkit for consulting with children and young
people on policy issues, Save the Children.

Save the Children (2003), So you want to consult with children. A toolkit of good practice, International Save the
Children Alliance, London.
(http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/rb?q=cmis/browser&id=workspace://SpacesStore/8dd62cc6-3fcd-
43e7-9e01-658257a924ec/1.19)
Page 27 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation
Stephenson P. et al (2004), Child participation, by Roots Resource 7, TearFund. Facilitators Manual, Christian
Children’s Fund.
(http://tilz.tearfund.org/webdocs/Tilz/Roots/English/Child%20participation/Child_participation_E.pdf)

UNICEF Evaluation Office (April 2002), Evaluation Technical Notes No 1, UNICEF

Waters K. et al (2004), Pay attention to me! Documentation and child participation. In: Early Childhood Matters,
Bernard van Leer Foundation (Also published in Spanish: Espacio para la Infancia).

SOS Children’s Villages – Materials

SOS Children’s Villages International (2008), Child Protection Policy, Innsbruck (Austria)
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/What-we-do/Childrens-Rights/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/What-we-do/Childrens-Rights/Protect-Empower-
Children/Pages/default.aspx

SOS Children’s Villages International (2009), Putting the Child First – SOS Programme Policy, Innsbruck (Austria)
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/What-we-do/Pages/default.aspx

SOS Children’s Villages International (2008), Valuing Diversity – Valuing Differing ability, Policy on the inclusion of
Children with Disabilities, Innsbruck (Austria)
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/WHAT-WE-DO/CHILD-CARE/Pages/default.aspx

Lill-Rastern, Barbara/ Babic, Bernhard (2010).Tracking Footprints, Global Report, SOS-Kinderdorf International
Innsbruck (Austria)
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/What-we-do/Research/Documents/Tracking%20Footprints/100624-TF-
GlobalReport2010-final-en.pdf

Internal resources available upon request: [email protected]

Advocacy and child rights based approaches (Advocacy Toolkit, SOS Intranet)

Aldeas Infantiles SOS Honduras (2010), Derechómetro. Una estrategia para el fomento de la participación de los
niños y niñas. - Manual para su aplicación, Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar – ICBF Fundación
Colombiana de Tiempo Libre y Recreación – FUNLIBRE.

Aldeas Infantiles SOS Internacional (2006), Lineamientos continentales para las investigaciones en las Aldeas
Infantiles SOS.

Schachinger, Claudia (2011), Review and Analysis of Family Strengthening Programme External Impact
Evaluations, SOS-Kinderdorf International.

Aldeas Infantiles SOS Internacional (2009), Sistema Integral de Monitoreo y Evaluación (Sime), Oficina Regional
de Sudamérica (LASO), Primer Borrador

Mödlagl, Claudia/ Burgard, Esther (2008), Listening to Children - project evaluation (English, Spanish, French),
SOS-Kinderdorf International, Innsbruck (Austria)

Participation within Baking, the strategy process 2009 – 2016 (SOS Intranet)

Qualitative tools and guides for children’s participation

Stakeholder Analysis, https://intranet.sos-

kd.org/areasofwork/PD/Content/Programmeinterventions/Improvepolicy/AdvocacyToolkit/Documents/0910-
Page 28 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation
Stakeholder-Analysis.doc>

Capacity Analysis Matrix (CRSA) https://intranet.sos-

kd.org/areasofwork/PD/Content/Programmeplanning/CRSA/SOSDocuments/Tool-CapacityAnalysisMatrix.doc>

Info Sheet: Focus Group Discussion https://intranet.sos-

kd.org/areasofwork/PD/Content/Programmeplanning/CRSA/SOSDocuments/Infosheet-FGD.doc

Organising a focus group discussion with a group of teachers https://intranet.sos-

kd.org/areasofwork/PD/Content/Programmeplanning/CRSA/SOSDocuments/Tool-FGD-withteachers.doc>

Organising a focus group with a group of parents https://intranet.sos-

kd.org/areasofwork/PD/Content/Programmeplanning/CRSA/SOSDocuments/Tool-FGD-withparents.doc

Organising a workshop with children – good & bad https://intranet.sos-

kd.org/areasofwork/PD/Content/Programmeplanning/CRSA/SOSDocuments/Tool-WSwithchildren-
goodandbad.doc

Organising a workshop with children – community care & protection https://intranet.sos-

kd.org/areasofwork/PD/Content/Programmeplanning/CRSA/SOSDocuments/Tool-WSwithchildren-
communitycareandprotection.doc

Organising a workshop with children – ranking of powerful people & institutions https://intranet.sos-
kd.org/areasofwork/PD/Content/Programmeplanning/CRSA/SOSDocuments/Tool-WSwithchildren-
rankingofpowerfulpeopleandinstitutions.doc

Spanish Literature (Compiled by Rosario León: [email protected])

 Alfagame, Cantos y Martínez. (2003), De la participación al protagonismo infantil: propuestas para la

acción. Madrid.

 Alianza Internacional Save the Children. (2003), ¿Así que quiere consultar con los niños y las niñas? Paquete
de herramientas para la buena práctica. United Kingdom. In:
http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/content/library/documents

This book includes information on how to get started organising a consultation, planning a preparatory meeting
with and for children, having children on your delegation, the role of adults in creating an enabling, ensuring
quality follow up and guides to other resources.

 Ames Patricia, Rojas Vanessa y Portugal Tamia. (2010), Métodos para la Investigación con niños: lecciones
aprendidas, desafíos y propuestas desde la experiencia de Niños del Milenio en el Perú. Niños del Milenio.
Grupo de Análisis para el Desarrollo (Grade). Peru. In: www.ninosdelmilenio.org

This publication, similar to a handbook, is comprised of 17 child participatory methods of data collection
developed and applied in Peru for two years by Niños del Milenio ('Young Lives'). The document also describes
the process of adapting these techniques to the local language and cultural conventions, as well as ethical
guidelines for qualitative work. In addition, the publication includes a theoretical basis for the methods used.
Most are group methods, although some are also individual. Each method is outlined, type -group or individual-,
age group, instructions for implementation, and necessary materials. The explanation of each tool ends with a
brief critical assessment of their performance.

 Arnillas Traverso, Gina y Pauccar Meza, Nelly. (2007), Monitoreo y Evaluación de la participación infantil
en proyectos de desarrollo. Guía elaborada por Save the Children Suecia y la Escuela para el Desarrollo que
ofrece herramientas para la construcción de indicadores de participación infantil. Peru. In: www.scslat.org

Page 29 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

A Guide prepared by Save the Children Sweden and Escuela para el Desarrollo ('School for Development') with
tools to develop child participation indicators.

 Corona, Yolanda y Morfín, María. (2001), Diálogo de saberes sobre participación infantil. México,
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana.

 Crowley, Peter. (1998), Participación infantil: para una definición del marco conceptual. In: La participación
de niños y adolescentes en el contexto de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño: Visiones y
perspectivas. UNICEF. Florence, Italy.

 Crowley, Peter. (1998), Participación infantil: para una definición del marco conceptual. In: La participación
de niños y adolescentes en el contexto de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño: Visiones y
perspectivas. UNICEF.

 Cussianovich, Alejandro y Márquez, María. (2003), Hacia una participación protagónica de niños y niñas.
Save the Children Sweden. Peru. In: www.scslat.org

This research is based on experiences mainly from Paraguay, Venezuela, and Peru. It consists of three chapters.
The first chapter addresses the views and notions of the different stakeholders on participation, including the
directors of institutions working with children, regular co-workers, and particularly, children whose opinion is a
valuable contribution. The second chapter is about the multiple activities to promote the key participation of
children and adolescents. Researchers presented two case studies in the concluding section. The first case study
was conducted in an Andean rural area, and the second case, in a social movement organisation for children and
adolescents.

 Evans J.L, Myers R.J y Ilfeld E. (2002), La evaluación en programas de desarrollo infantil temprano. Working
Papers No 29. Bernard van Leer Foundation. In: www.bernardvanleer.org

When developing early childhood development programmes, various and different components must be taken
into account. Preparation, planning, funding, follow-up, and evaluation are all important when it comes to
designing and implementing a programme. In this publication, we focus on evaluation not because it is the most
important aspect but because it might shed some light on how others are developing. As such, this evaluation is
the first tool to obtain the results for any project work. In addition, it shows how some practices or processes
can be improved, acting as a learning tool or showing others the work.

 Espinar A. Angel. (2008), El ejercicio del poder compartido. Estudio para la elaboración de indicadores e
instrumentos para analizar el componente de participación de niños y niñas en proyectos sociales. Peru.
Save the Children Sweden. In: www.scslat.org

Based on a study on child participation in development projects, this research provides a theoretical framework
to analyse child participation in social projects.

 Horna Castro, Patricia del Pilar. (2007), Del dicho al hecho. Participación de niños, niñas y adolescentes en
eventos con adultos. Save the Children Sweden. Peru. In: www.scslat.org

A review of the different approaches, conceptions, and myths on children and adult participation in training
workshops, seminars, discussion roundtables, etc.

 Landsown, G. (2005), ¿Me haces caso? El derecho de los niños pequeños a participar en las decisiones que
los afectan. Working Papers No 365. Bernard van Leer Foundation. In: www.bernardvanleer.org

Participation enhances children's self-esteem and confidence, promotes their overall capacities, produces better
outcomes, strengthens understanding of and commitment to democratic processes and protects children more
effectively. It is also a matter of social justice and human rights: all people, however young, are entitled to have
their views respected and valued. This paper makes the case for children's participation and discusses how it can
be put into practice and measured.

Page 30 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

 Salazar Ximena, Arias Rosario, Pareja Victoria y Aramburu Carlos. (2006), Dando Voz a los Niños. March.
In: www.ninosdelmilenio.org

The children's voices were compared with the opinions of adults who have power and influence in their
everyday lives. The authors emphasized the local context, on the grounds that it had the greatest effect on
children's quality of life, in both private places (the home) and public spaces (school, the street, the
neighbourhood, parks, etc.). This level was also stressed because of the opportunities offered by the
decentralisation of public policies and resources in Peru.

 Vásquez de Velasco, Carmen. (2002), Percepciones de niños, niñas y adolescentes frente a la pobreza y sus
efectos. Niños del Milenio. In: www.ninosdelmilenio.org

 Zimmermann, Robert (Editor). (2005), Historias que vivimos, historias que aprendimos. Books and
Monographs No 007S. Bernard van Leer Foundation. In: www.bernardvanleer.org

The Effectiveness Initiative (EI) was undertaken by the Bernard van Leer Foundation in 1999 with the announced
purpose of exploring the attributes and the sources of the effectiveness of a small group of early childhood
development programmes. Teams were put together to observe the programmes close up and talk with
personnel and members of the beneficiary populations. After several years of this activity, which included the
collection of a great deal of raw data and substantial documentation on the programmes, the teams drafted and
submitted reports to the Foundation. Historias que Vivimos, Historias que Aprendimos ('Stories we have lived,
Stories we have learned') has been prepared on the basis of those reports, as well as other documentation
created by the teams and the Foundation during the course of the EI exploration. It is solidly grounded on the
philosophy that gave rise to the EI: if effectiveness is tied to a programme's impact, then a fruitful approach to
the examination of effectiveness would be to provide programme stakeholders with the time, the space and the
means to reflect on and give expression to their perspectives and opinions about the programmes.

 Zimmermann, Robert (Editor). (2005), Pequeñas ideas que funcionan. Books and Monographs No 008s.
Bernard van Leer Foundation. In: www.bernardvanleer.org

Small ideas that work portrays several of the many straightforward, practical schemes implemented through the
programmes of the Bernard van Leer Foundation's Effectiveness Initiative to achieve very specific goals within
particular contexts. This publication, a companion piece to 'Stories we have lived, stories we have learned,' may
be called a 'primer' on some of the innovations originating within the programmes. By communicating this
information, the Foundation hopes to encourage fresh thinking and enhance collective learning about practical
problem-solving among other programme stakeholders in the field.

Page 31 of 32 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation