Most Significant Change

1
Most Significant Change

• War Child Holland Afghanistan
• Program Review 2006

2
Happiness

• In fact this picture is my picture, but I was
  doing
• nothing other than work. But in the next picture
  you
• can see I am playing. Previously I was working
  and
• I was visiting my friends less. But now after
  work
• we come to the playground and play which is a
• happiness for me. In my point of view, this is
  the
• most significant change.
• MSC drawing, male youth from Jaya

3
The Context

• 2006 Mid term review of WCH projects in Herat,
  Afghanistan WOCO, CAP and PEPA (started in
  2004)
• To increase insight in
• Expected and unexpected results, signs of effects
  and output
• Efficiency and effectiveness of projects,
  activities methodology
• The capacity of staff
• The best way forward increasing quality of
  projects, and insight in integration prospects of
  projects and with regards security
• Capacity building of staff in review methods

4
The Methodology

• Most Significant Change (MSC) methodology (during
  sessions and in interviews)
• Participatory and creative evaluation sessions
• ORID method (Objective/Observation Reflection
  Interpretation Decision)
• Interviews informal conversations
• Observation (not systematic)
• Document review

5
Why Most Significant Change

• To pilot/test a new review method.
• Participatory nature of the method
• Insight in expected and unexpected change only
  partly visible MSC an opportunity for
  stakeholders to express what has really changed -
  either positively or negatively.
• Only CAP project given intensity of MSC method
  and the more straightforward nature of other
  projects.

6
How Most Significant Change

• Children Drawings about MSC in group session
• Youth CWG Group discussion
• Adults and Shura members individual interviews

7
Defining Domains

• Pre determined domains based on set up of
  project, but had to be changed based on stories
  told
• Changes on different levels (equal to domains)
  did not say anything about content of change
• Several changes in one story
• Possibility to place story under more than 1
  domain
• Placing of negative changes separate domain or
  not?

8
Selection Procedure - 1
9
Selection Procedure - 2

• Pre-selection of stories by review team
• To win time
• To filter out of selection process similar
  stories
• Choose for non-hierarchical selection
• To keep and show all important stories
• Different levels all same stories (creating
  insight in priorities and values)
• Preference ranking as a group
• Insightful discussions showing preferred
  direction of project
• No individual voting, but discussions on why one
  story preferred over another (eliciting
  criteria).
• All stories remained in the selection

10
MSC in combination with other methods

• MSC generates a lot of data, but not
  systematically on results/indicators of project
  other methods can.
• MSC mainly used as general understanding about
  results achieved and changes made.
• MSC helpful in cross checking findings made
  through other methods.
• Selection of stories made clear priorities and
  preferred directions of team members.
• Interesting quotes for report.

11
Time constraints

• MSC in only 1 of 3 projects
• Limited training/coaching in interviewing and
  facilitation skills
• Pre selection of stories by review team
• Team members only did preference ranking for one
  of the domains

12
Activities

• I have five daughters and they are all involved
  in War Child
• activities. They are all in different courses and
  they are
• learning things like tailoring and English. We
  have an
• activity now. We did not have any when we were in
  Iran,
• because they looked down on us because we are
  Afghans.
• Now I am happy that with the help of War Child my
  
• daughters can learn things that I could not. We
  want to
• open first aid and beauty classes. We are also
  learning
• table tennis and I am happy that War Child has
  changed my
• simple life, now I have activities to do.
• MSC Interview with female adult from
  Khatimulambea

13
Acceptance

• Before the creation of this playground nobody
  paid
• attention for the children to play, especially
  disabled
• children. There is a disabled child living in our
  
• neighbourhood. His mother was preventing him to
  go
• out because other children were bothering them.
  After
• the construction of the park he is going to the
  park and
• feels the space is secure and hes playing. His
  mother also
• thinks it is a safe place to let her child to go
  and play. I
• think building the park is the most significant
  change
• because it is available even for disabled
  children.
• MSC interview with 24-year-old woman from
  Khatamul