Monitoring at non-governmental organisations Madri Jansen van Rensburg

Monitoring and evaluation of the activities and impact of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) are crucial for continuous learning and decision making. Monitoring of activities is viewed differently by grassroots organisations and donor organisations. Monitoring should be a continuous process, which should begin at the planning phase of a project or programme. A case study approach is used to illustrate key concepts and share important insights into monitoring and evaluation systems, as well as tool development. Project Support Group (PSG) has been working in nine Southern African countries. A peer education prevention model was developed as part of the PSG HIV prevention strategy. The ten modules of the PSG model include various monitoring processes and tools. In this article, the experience of PSG and the PSG Model is used to describe the importance of, and practicalities in developing monitoring and evaluation systems and tools for projects. The importance of monitoring efforts and their contribution to decision making is highlighted. Key lessons, formulated after more than 25 years experience with grassroots NGOs and various donor funding organisations are shared to raise awareness of the importance of monitoring and evaluation and to enhance monitoring efforts.