The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi)

2.1 ENABLING ENVIRONMENT

2.1.7 Institution and capacity strengthening on IE

Recommendation: 4. Ensure that there is great clarity of roles and responsibilities of project partners and other the stakeholders affecting project implementation on IE programming and related social inclusion:

• Promote mapping of relevant institutional stakeholders and their roles, gaps and opportunities with regard to project outputs and outcomes.
• Ensure that training is based on partners’ collective needs and priorities.

Reference: Rodríguez, Abelardor; Engels, Jeffrey; Mucha, Noreen; Malunga, Chiku, 2015, The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi) Performance Evaluation Final Report, Final evaluation, USAID, Washington, DC.

Evidence sample:

The evaluation found that all training is based on USAID priorities and partners’ collective capacity development priorities. The courses were helpful in raising partners’ awareness and developing their capacity. However, the evaluation concluded that the partners had higher capacity levels than they actually had. Because of this, partners’ capacities were pushed to the limit and they became slow in to implement project activities.

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2.1.7 Institution and capacity strengthening on IE

Recommendation: 8. When developing capacities to provide support to people dependent on the IE, use a broad range of organisation development approaches beyond only providing training. These may include organisation analysis to determine strengths and gaps and providing direct technical support to build on strengths and address gaps.

Reference: Rodríguez, Abelardor; Engels, Jeffrey; Mucha, Noreen; Malunga, Chiku, 2015, The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi) Performance Evaluation Final Report, Final evaluation, USAID, Washington, DC.

Evidence sample:

The evaluation noted that most implementing partners called for a holistic approach to their own capacity development, following a schedule and objectives aligned with their organizations, including coaching.

The evaluation further determined that training courses hinged on addressing and guiding on issues of governance, administration, finance, and programming for overall capacity development. These issues, however, require more than knowledge acquired in a training workshop. Partners may need closer, hands-on support. Therefore, training must be intentionally linked to coaching and mentoring support in each organisation.

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2.1.7 Institution and capacity strengthening on IE

Recommendation: 12. Promote use of methodologies such as the Service Quality Check for Supporting Female and Male Operated Small Enterprises (FAMOS) or USAID’s Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) for organisation needs analysis and progress monitoring. The FAMOS Check is an organizational development tool that enables organizations that provide services to small enterprises to carry out a gender self-check to identify improvements in their operations, in particular in respect to the needs of women entrepreneurs.

Reference: Rodríguez, Abelardor; Engels, Jeffrey; Mucha, Noreen; Malunga, Chiku, 2015, The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi) Performance Evaluation Final Report, Final evaluation, USAID, Washington, DC.

Evidence sample: The evaluation determined that the use of the Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) was beneficial but only part of the methods that should be used. It also summarised the elements identified for a capacitated organisation, notably;

• Vision: The sense of focus and the change the organization wants to bring about in society
• Culture: An organization’s norms and values, and how these help or hinder the organization
• Relationships: How well people in the organization and the partnership relate
• Strategy: How the organization intends to accomplish its mission
• Structure: How roles and responsibilities are shared within and among organizations
• Policies, systems, and procedures: How to bring about consistency in decision-making in the organization
• Skills: Whether the organizations have sufficient skill sets or ability to develop them
• Financial and material resources: The adequacy of things such as finances, equipment and office space.

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2.1.7 Institution and capacity strengthening on IE

Recommendation:

16. Ensure that monitoring and evaluation of coaching and mentoring on IE related issues is result-based and well implemented. Ensure that coaching and mentoring is well organised and ensure that mentors:

• Understand their roles
• Can determine needs of learners
• Are able to impart learning well.

Reference: Rodríguez, Abelardor; Engels, Jeffrey; Mucha, Noreen; Malunga, Chiku, 2015, The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi) Performance Evaluation Final Report, Final evaluation, USAID, Washington, DC.

Evidence sample: The evaluation concluded that the project invested a great deal of time in coaching and mentoring. Though partners acknowledged the benefit of this effort, they observed that the coaching and mentoring was not well organised. There was no properly documented program for the mentoring activities. This includes a lack of organised monitoring of these activities.

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2.1.7 Institution and capacity strengthening on IE

Recommendation:

20. Raise awareness of stakeholders on basic capacity issues in organisational management so that they can assess their own learning needs. For example, when determining institutional training needs, stakeholders need to have a basic understanding of organisation management methods including on change management, knowledge management, stakeholders’ involvement, new opportunity development and how they work in their organizations on IE issues.

Reference: Rodríguez, Abelardor; Engels, Jeffrey; Mucha, Noreen; Malunga, Chiku, 2015, The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi) Performance Evaluation Final Report, Final evaluation, USAID, Washington, DC.

Evidence sample: The evaluation found that project partners need more awareness on capacity issues in organizational management, including on change management, knowledge management, stakeholders’ involvement, new opportunity development and how they work in their organizations. To be able to assess their own competencies in this area a basic awareness of these issues is needed.

The evaluation also found that the Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) contains all the dimensions of a well-capacitated organization. It further determined that projects need to raise awareness on what these dimensions mean and how important they are to the organizations.

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2.1.7 Institution and capacity strengthening on IE

Recommendation:

21. Ensure that the use of tools and guidelines are adequately disseminated to project field offices for internal use and for capacity strengthening of local stakeholder partners on IE issues.

Reference: Rodríguez, Abelardor; Engels, Jeffrey; Mucha, Noreen; Malunga, Chiku, 2015, The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi) Performance Evaluation Final Report, Final evaluation, USAID, Washington, DC.

Evidence sample: There were no mechanisms on how the perceived benefits of the Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) would trickle down to the field offices.

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2.1.7 Institution and capacity strengthening on IE

Recommendation:

22. Ensure that projects provide capacity strengthening of partners instead of micro-managing or taking over the roles and responsibilities of the partners when providing support to people dependent on the IE. Ensure that partner roles and responsibilities during implementation is clear and agreed upon.

Reference: Rodríguez, Abelardor; Engels, Jeffrey; Mucha, Noreen; Malunga, Chiku, 2015, The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi) Performance Evaluation Final Report, Final evaluation, USAID, Washington, DC.

Evidence sample: The evaluation found that the project partners cited lack of clarity on roles and responsibilities, and micromanaging. They complained that the project sometimes took roles they felt they should be handling or gave these roles to consultants (e.g., for district-level training workshops and procurements).