Impact Assessment Seminar Phnom Penh, 2-6 December 2013 Who are you and what is the reason for your presence at the seminar? I’m Harisha VARATHARAJAH – Livelihood Technical Advisor for Asia programs, delocalized in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I took over this position in April I guess my presence is due to the fact that I was involved in the work done at HQ level (Impact, M&E Unit) over the last months on how to measure the “effects” of our projects on the Quality of Life of our final beneficiaries. And because I’m living in the host country and the organizers had no choice but to invite me … In Asia, a Quality of Life Assessment Tool had been designed by HI Cambodia for its livelihood project (TIGA) and then adapted by several other livelihood projects in India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, etc. Maybe an interesting tool to improve and replicate elsewhere … I’m eager to know more about the outcome of the Senegal study ;-) Photo

Have you ever conducted in the context of your activity, studies or impact assessment and evaluation? Not directly but I provided technical support to the livelihood projects using the Quality of Life Assessment Tool (mainly on the methodology and how to adapt the tool to the project context) Impact Assessment Seminar Phnom Penh, 2-6 December 2013

What are, according to you, HI’s challenges in terms of impact assessment and evaluation? Impact assessment based on Disability Creation Process (DCP) related tools vs. Impact assessment based on mainstream QoL tools; If we have DCP related tools, it will be difficult to use them in projects targeting vulnerable people in general; Define a common terminology, methodology and standard tools for so many fields of intervention; Develop a user-friendly methodology and tools for HI/partner field team; Increase the burden on the already cumbersome project evaluation process: cost of an impact assessment? (Not) in addition of the classic evaluation phase? Impact Assessment Seminar Phnom Penh, 2-6 December 2013

What questions would you like this seminar to answer? Does HI intend to develop a standard guideline on how to measure effects/impact? If so, how? For which projects are we supposed to conduct an impact assessment? In a systematic way in all our projects? Nooooo ….. How will we include this additional tool in our existing M&E process? We need to ensure that HI will not become a ‘gas factory’ in terms of M&E (  project budget,  cumbersome procedures,  time for project implementation leading to  impact) What do we expect of an evaluation itself? (OECD criteria ) Need to be discussed. Impact Assessment Seminar Phnom Penh, 2-6 December 2013