MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE PROCESS

MSC WORKSHOP AGENDA DAY Time DAY 1 : Topics of Discussion 8:30 -9:15 Session 1: Introduction of process for the day 9:15-10:15 Session 2: Overview of the process 10:15-10:30 Coffee/Tea Break 10:30-12:00 Session 3: Story telling in pairs 12:00 -1:00 Lunch 1:00-2:00 Session 4: Development of themes and sorting of stories by theme 2:00-3:30 Session 5: Sharing and selection of stories In the group 3:30-3:45 3:45 - 5:00 Session 6: Discussion and practice for validating stories DAY 2: Validation Process in Communities

What is the Most Significant Change Methodology (MSC)? A participatory monitoring and evaluation that involves: Collection of significant change stories from the field Selection of the most significant of these stories by staff or other stakeholders

What Can We Learn from an MSC Process? Understanding of significant changes in women’s and men’s lives Understanding of social and economic impacts on individuals, producer and self-help groups, and on communities Identification of key domains and areas of focus for the evaluation

Steps in the Process Formulate an open question about change, such as: Looking back over the last 3 years, what do you think is the most significant changes in women’s and men’s lives as the result of their involvement in the LGI Project? Think of a story about an individual or group that illustrates the change Share your stories in a group Identify the different domains that the stories illustrate For each domain, select the story that the group believes best illustrates the most significant change in the domain Compare these changes with expected outcomes from the project

MSC Process

Evaluation Question: [Edit as Desired] In the last three years, what do you think is the most significant change that has taken place in the roles of women compared to men as a result of LGI Project?

How Do We Start? Instructions for Storytelling For fifteen minutes, write down or make a drawing of two stories you think illustrate the most significant changes as the result of the LGI Project. For example: Individual changes in men and women Changes in women’s and men’s participation and leadership of producer/farmer and self-help groups Changes in communities and value-chains Break into pairs and tell your first story to another person who will write it down as you tell it, then switch roles. After you have both told your first story, switch partners and repeat process with second story.

Themes: Instructions for Session Themes are different areas in which change is expected or unexpected They can be in: Access to and control over resources/assets Beliefs Practices or participation Institutions/organizations or rules/policies Think about the project to identify the themes or areas within which change has taken place List the themes on a piece of flipchart paper Come to agreement on the themes Categorize the stories by theme In plenary, write these themes on a flipchart. Then discuss which stories fall under which themes.

Telling and Selection of Stories: Instructions for Story Selection Tell both of your own stories to the whole group Tell the group which theme the stories belong in and why As a group, discuss the changes represented by the stories Decide as a group, which two stories are most significant You can make decisions in any way you want to, including: Developing criteria to score the stories Discussing what you think are the most important expected and unexpected changes that have happened as a result of the project Open or closed voting Discussing until reaching consensus

Picture 2 Picture 1

Story Validation: Instructions for Validation First, write up your version of the story. It should be a page or less in length. Then, look at the form for validating the stories. Practice interviewing using the form for validating the stories. Ask the interviewee about: Information in the stories and about the events that are described Sequence of events—what happened and in what order What the story means to the person who it is about. This can be different than what it means to the storyteller.

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ? QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

This presentation is made possible by a grant from The Technical and Operational Performance Support (TOPS) Program. The TOPS Small Grants Program Improvement Award (PIA) is made possible by the generous support and contribution of the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of the materials produced through the PIAs do not necessarily reflect the views of TOPS, USAID, or the U.S. Government.

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