Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar – The Regional Learning Session on Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) was held last September 18, 2016 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The learning session was organized by MyanDHRRA and AsiaDHRRA, and attended by MEAL Focal persons from DHRRA Malaysia, PhilDHRRA, InDHRRA, ThaiDHRRA, CAEV-VietDHRRA, MyanDHRRA, Cambodia partners Farmer’s Life Improvement and Future Light Youth Organization (FLIFLY) and Farmer Nature Net, LaoDHRRA platform members –
SAEDA and CDEA, and members of the AsiaDHRRA Secretariat. The learning session tapped the expertise of Mr. Randee Cabaces.
The regional learning session achieved the objective of providing a levelled understanding of MEAL and MEAL system components that is required in the implementation of projects such ReCoERDO Asia.
Specifically, participants were able to:
- Explain MEAL’s key concepts and principles as these relate to AsiaDHRRA’s work;
- Come to an initial consensus with regard to the common MEAL framework for AsiaDHRRA;
- Outline country plans for MEAL system enhancement and alignment under the ReCoERDO Asia program.
Among the highlights of this regional learning session are the exchanges of varying experiences from three DHRRA-member organizations that are currently implementing their own monitoring and evaluation system in place. Moreover, at the end of the learning session, MEAL Focal persons were requested to draft and send their MEAL country and regional MEAL plans to the Secretariat.
This initiative is part of an on-going project that aims to build an effective and efficient MEAL system to be implemented through a standardized data collection, processing, and reporting within AsiaDHRRA network. Likewise, it hopes to provide opportunities to all members and partners, strong and weak alike, towards complementarities that should strengthen the network eventually. Finally, it aims to build, enhance, and improve current MEAL capacities of the country DHRRAs as local agri-agencies is an important project component and strategy.
Regional Cooperation to Empower Rural Development Organizations in Asia (ReCoERDO Asia) is a regional program supported by the European Union and implemented in eight countries: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and, Thailand together with the national DHRRAs and other partners of AsiaDHRRA. It aims to contribute to the improvement of the socio-economic well-being of members of rural people’s organization in Southeast Asia through strengthened capacity of CSOs in responding to rural development issues.
