MAKING VOICES COUNT: Gathering community feedback in times of remote evaluation Johanna Pennarz, PhD, Lead Evaluation Officer, Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD Prashanth Kotturi. Evaluation Officer, Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD [First published on EvalForward.org]
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n 2020, IOE undertook a project evaluation of the National Programme Community Empowerment in Indonesia. This was a Community Driven Development (CDD) project in Papua and West Papua provinces in the eastern-most part of Indonesia. These provinces are characterized by geographic remoteness, lack of infrastructure, scant presence of government structures, civil unrest in some parts and large indigenous populations.
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, international travel was not possible. As a result, the evaluation had to adopt a methodology for remote data collection. Whilst the methodology provided some useful findings, it affected the scope and inclusiveness of the approach. The approach: a vertical sampling and data collection The evaluation adopted a bottom-up approach. It did this by examining the experiences and perceived benefits of community groups, first through interviews and then triangulating these with the perspectives and views of project staff such as village facilitators, district facilitators and regency facilitators. The interviewing and data collection strategy followed the vertical facilitation structure, composed by community groups, village, district, regency and provincial facilitators.
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Vertical sampling approach following the project’s facilitation structure
