Liberia Accountability and Voice Initiative (LAVI) Fiscal Year 2016 Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan -- DRAFT

The program's overarching goal is to develop and implement a portfolio of initiatives with the potential for cumulative impact, clustered around issues that have the greatest potential for change and are responsive to locally-defined priorities. The four broad objectives of LAVI are to increase horizontal and vertical linkages among actors engaged in similar issues, increase organizational capacity of targeted Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to participate in issue-based reforms, promote the development of ongoing capacity development services on the local market, and ensure that learning and methodologies are shared and applied by other development actors. LAVI will be implemented across Liberia using an issues-based approach to address accountability and transparency. The program will support CSOs working on specific themes, and bring together actors across sectors to strengthen the vertical and horizontal linkages among communities and organizations. Based on capacity development needs identified through assessments, LAVI will assist each partner to develop and implement a capacity development plan. Capacity building interventions will include a combination of approaches, including specialized technical assistance, training, mentoring, and coaching not available locally, establishment of communities of practice or peer-to-peer learning for information sharing, and efforts to match organizations with appropriate donors to meet continuous funding needs. The program will also create an enabling environment for information sharing and continuous learning by promoting the development of the local market for capacity development. LAVI will strive to connect local demands for capacity development with local and regional suppliers. Monitoring, evaluating, and learning (ME&L) are at the heart of LAVI's approach and are central to the design and implementation of the project's objectives. LAVI's monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan serves two purposes: it is a tool for measuring progress toward meeting the expected results for LAVI's four objectives, and it is an instrument for ensuring continuous learning and adaptation. The M&E plan will be consistently reviewed and updated as necessary in consultation with USAID to rapidly and directly apply knowledge gained through implementation and to reflect the changing conditions that affect project activities. The LAVI ME&L Director will work alongside the Chief of Party to finalize the M&E plan following USAID's inputs, and will lead the development of integrated ME&L techniques to be used by LAVI and our partners to share knowledge and track progress. The M&E team will also coordinate with the Liberia Strategic Analysis (LSA) activity to share data and information gathered under LAVI. The ME&L Plan primarily includes LAVI's development hypothesis, results framework, and methodological approach to ME&L, which covers an explanation of data sources, collection, quality, and analysis. It also includes risk assessment and monitoring methodology, indicators summary table, and performance indicator reference sheets (PIRS). A schedule of ME&L tasks illustrates the specific ME&L activities that will be implemented under LAVI. The development hypothesis is based on the assumption that strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships and increasing organizational capacity of CSOs will lead to improved accountability and transparency in Liberia. The results framework outlines the expected outcomes and indicators for each of LAVI's four objectives. The methodological approach to ME&L explains the data sources, collection, quality, and analysis that will be used to measure progress toward meeting the expected results. The risk assessment and monitoring methodology outlines the procedures for identifying and mitigating risks, as well as monitoring progress toward meeting the expected results. The indicators summary table provides a summary of the indicators that will be used to measure progress toward meeting the expected results, while the performance indicator reference sheets (PIRS) provide a detailed description of each indicator. The ME&L tasks schedule outlines the specific ME&L activities that will be implemented under LAVI, including data collection, analysis, and dissemination. The schedule also includes tasks related to knowledge management, learning, and adaptation, such as the development of the Learning Lab and the sharing of lessons learned with Liberian and international stakeholders. Overall, the ME&L Plan is a critical component of LAVI's approach, and will play a key role in ensuring that the program achieves its objectives and makes a lasting impact in Liberia.