Hear from ActionAid, which recognizes that the learning and knowledge that informs programmatic impact comes from the communities we work with. Learn about their participatory approach to Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL). Leave with a tool and methodology that can be adapted to your needs and context, and with insights on how to work together to value local voices and their contribution to MEL processes.

1. Valuing Local Perspectives: Lessons
Learned from Participatory Reflection
and Review Process
Stanley D. Wobusobozi
Stanley.Wobusobozi@actionaid.org/ sdwobusobozi@gmail.com
Tel: +256703545633 Skype: sdwobusobozi Twitter: @wobstan
February 7, 2018

2. Presentation Outline
• Introduction – what are PRRPs
• Why PRRPs and Key Achievements
• Tools
• Lessons Learnt from the PRRPs
• Looking forward

3. Participatory Reflection and Review Process
What are they?
 PRRPs – Central to ActionAid’s
Accountability, Learning and
Planning System (ALPS)
 Basis of AA’s accountability to
rights holders, their
communities, organisations and
alliances.
 PRRPs describe ActionAid’s
approach to:
 Ongoing participatory
planning and monitoring
mechanisms; and
 Periodic moments of in-
depth review and reflections
with key stakeholders.

4. What PRRPs are!
 Carried out by functions
and teams at all levels -
from local communities to
partners, national level up
to our boards.
 Use Reflection-Action
/Participatory
methodologies
 Bi annual processes
 Started in 2000 and
localized in Uganda as
Kanambut (Kupsabiny –
Chameleon)
 Revised in 2006, 2011 and
up for review

5. Accountability, learning and feedback loops through PRRP processes
ActionAid
Federation
Development
partners, funding
affiliates
Sponsors/
supporters
Rights holders
CBO/group
s/Partner CBO/grou
ps/Partner
CBO/grou
ps/Partner
Partners
Partners
Key:
Contractual Accountability
Commitment
Feedback and Learning from PRRPS
Allies

7. Tools
Power Analysis
• The peeling onion (visible,
invisible & hidden power)
• Power flower (Power to, power
over, power with and power
within)
• Access and Control Matrix
• Community Scorecards (relative
influence)
• Chapati diagram (influence)
http://www.networkedtoolbox.com
Other Reflection
Action Tools
• Body maps
• Problem tree

8. Key Achievements from PRRPs
• Relationship with key stakeholders enhanced
• Expand ActionAid Uganda’s reach
• Monitoring and corrective action- Ability to
identify projects and programmes that have suffered
some inefficiencies
• Feedback - Improving the dissemination of
information on our work:
• Cooperation with other CSOs and leaders:
Community Volunteers, Partners, Community
Intermediaries and Reflect Facilitators.

9. •Transparency and accountability in our work:
•Identified the limited skills and knowledge of
RA facilitators in RA methodology and tools –
•The declining interest of youth to participate in
community development processes
•Declining community ownership of community
projects and government facilities –
•General decline in the quality of service
delivery
Key Achievements from PRRPs

10. Lessons
• Understanding and appreciation of power and power dynamics
 Varies across context - Family level, community level,
gender, leadership
 Opportunity to test power shifts at family and community
level

11. Lessons Cont’d
• Understanding of patriarchy is central to rights violation,
poverty and breeding inequality.
• PRRPs facilitate learning from a wide spectrum of
stakeholders, and provide feedback on progress and
performance

12. • PRRPs improve communication and accountability to
the communities
• Enhanced visibility, rootedness and mutual
responsibility
• PRRPs help in improving rapport and inception for
new programs, campaigns and building a local
perspective to them
Lessons

16. Lessons Cont’d
• Running program and not projects -as a unique and a
very strong recipe for poverty eradication
• Resourcefulness of children and youth
 use of participatory tools to express the realties
affecting children, their families and communities
that adults sometimes miss.
• Strengthens and rootedness of our work - voices and
participation of the children, youth, women & other
groups.
• Government as a major partner - The technocrats and
politicians have a wealth of experience and knowledge of
the local context that informs our programming

19. Looking Forward
• Strengthening participatory methodologies
and tools across social movements and
groups
• Increased networking and knowledge sharing
on change and how it happens
• Documenting and learning from power shifts
at local level and the linkages to global trends
(Testing our TOC)

20. Asante Sana!