BGH M

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BGH ME Working GroupUpdates

• Siân Curtis

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Brief History PRH ME WG

• 2004 evaluation of OPRH ME recommended
  establishing a CA ME WG
• OPRH ME WG established in early 2005
• Vision
• Community of practice of people working in ME of
  OPRH projects to learn from each other, share
  experiences, and collectively address common
  problems in order to strengthen the ME of OPRH
  programs.
• Objectives
• Raise level of understanding of and increase
  commitment to ME
• Improve the technical quality of ME

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Brief History Expanding to BGH

• 2007 USAID review of ME in the agency included
  recommendation to establish a BGH ME working
  group.
• Suggestion to expand OPRH group to all BGH
  offices
• Discussed with PRH ME WG in November 2007
• Informational meetings held with HIDN and OHA in
  July 2008 to gauge interest in BGH ME WG
• Conclusion Interest in establishing a BGH ME WG
  but with some caveats

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Opportunities for BGH ME WG

• Information sharing/exchange of ME ideas between
  offices and between projects
• Two-way communication between BGH and CAs on ME
  issues
• Training and skill building
• Coordination between ME initiatives in different
  offices and between global, USG, and CA levels
• Potential forum to influence ME thinking in BGH
  and more broadly

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Challenges for BGH ME WG

• Managing the potential size and diversity of
  interests of the group
• Maintaining clear mandate
• Balance in office interests/issues
• Membership balance between inclusiveness and
  manageability
• Logistics
• Engaging field perspective and participation
• Networking the networks
• Funding (and time) for participation

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Lessons Learned from PRH ME WG

• Requires active participation from across CAs and
  USAID
• Consistency in participation important
• Rotate technical leadership of meetings
• Plenty of coffee breaks!
• Time and funds are constraints to producing
  specific products
• There is benefit in meeting to exchange
  information and experience but can be a challenge
  to keep momentum
• High demand for skills building

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Proposals for Structure

• One full annual meeting, possibly with office or
  element-specific break out sessions
• More frequent smaller meetings for special
  topics, task forces, or focus areas
• Open space at full meeting to get ideas for
  future activities
• Rotating secretariat to handle logistics and
  organization
• Steering committee with USAID/CA balance
• Flexibility for offices to determine who should
  participate in the WG and steering committee

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Next Steps

• Invite HIDN and OHA CAs to November PRH ME WG
• Identify Steering Committee (SC) members
• Initial tasks for SC
• Develop TOR for WG, including how it relates to
  other ME WG
• Plan first WG meeting
• Develop draft scope of work for the WG and
  determine funding needs
• Working Group meeting
• Finalize and approve TOR and scope of work
• Identify initial activities/meeting topics

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• MEASURE Evaluation is funded by the U.S. Agency
  for International Development (USAID) through
  Cooperative Agreement GPO-A-00-03-00003-00 and is
  implemented by the Carolina Population Center at
  the University of North Carolina in partnership
  with Constella Futures, John Snow, Inc., Macro
  International, and Tulane University.
• Visit us online at http//www.cpc.unc.edu/measure.