1. Monitoring & Reporting
Scottish Government

2. Reporting timescales Date Report 30 October 2013 Mid Year Report
30 April 2014
End of Year 1 Report
30 October 2014
30 April 2015
End of Year 2 Report
30 October 2015
30 April 2016
Final Report

3. Reporting templates Reporting against logframes SMART objectives
Aim for reporting to be clear and easy to read to enable quick processing of payments

4. Example End of Year Report - Activities
8. Please outline the activities that have taken place on the project during the reporting year as set out in your logframe, and comment on your progress towards achieving the relevant milestones during the year.
Activity (please specify number eg 1.1)
Milestone
(including date)
Progress (please specify % or number)
Activity 1.1 Training programme for Village Natural Resource Management Committees (VNRMC) in 4 Districts
4 District level workshops for volunteers/ district staff and VNRMC reps on ecosystems services approach, scenario planning to be delivered by April 2013
4 District level workshops have been delivered

5. Example End of Year Report - Outputs
9. Please outline progress on achieving the output indicators during the reporting year as set out in your logframe, and comment on your progress towards achieving the relevant milestones during the year.
Output indicator (please specify number eg 1.1)
Milestone
(including date)
Progress (please specify % or number)
Output Village Natural Resource Committees identify and implement water resource management activities
40 identified and mobilised VMNRCs set up in 4 Districts by April 2013.
40 VNRMCs have been mobilized in the four target and most vulnerable districts to identify and implement water resource management activities. 97 representatives from these VNRMCs attended District level Project Inception workshops

6. Example End of Year Report - Outcomes
10. Please outline progress on achieving the outcome indicators during the reporting year as set out in your logframe, and comment on your progress towards achieving the relevant milestones during the year.
Outcome indicator
Milestone
(including date)
Progress (please specify % or number)
Outcome Indicator 1.1 Achievable water adaptation plans are developed through a collaborative process in Four Districts enabling 40 villages to respond to climate change
4 District level workshops in Ecosystems Services Approach (ESAs) by James Hutton Institute (JHI) and Leadership for Environment and Development South East Africa (LEAD SEA) build knowledge and bring about good practice by April 2013
4 district level workshops have been delivered in the first year of the project which have mobilised 40 Village Natural Resources Management Committees (VNRMCs) in the target districts to achieve water adaptation planning through a collaborative process with the district planning departments. Representatives of the VNRMCs have been involved in Village Ecosystem Services Mapping as well as prioritization of Waters Resources Management issues and problems for their target districts and communities to be addressed through the WATERS Project

7. Example of End of Year Report - Impact
11. Please comment on the impact of your project to date as set out in your logframe, and comment on your progress towards achieving the relevant milestone during the year.
Impact
Milestone
(including date)
Progress (please specify % or number)
Impact Indicator 1 Civil society is better able to advocate for participatory planning processes to bring about sustainable water resource management which benefits poor groups and communities
40 Village NRM committees trained by July 2013
40 VNRM committees have been trained. The implementation of the WATERS Project activities so far has achieved direct involvement of community members in District level inception workshops. These have facilitated identification and prioritization of environmental issues in their respective districts and subsequent development of guidelines and criteria for selection and mobilization of Village Natural Resources Management Committee (VNRMCs) in their respective communities.

8. Highlighting Issues & Problems
13. If progress towards delivering activities and outcomes is slower than planned or there have been delays in the delivery of the project, explain:
a) What the issues/problems have been and whether they were highlighted on your risk register
b) What actions have been taken in response to these issues/problems
Issue/problem
Action taken
Some candidates who were recruited as Volunteer Climate Change Advisors failed to take up the placements at the last minute. The risk of failing to secure candidates in time was highlighted on the register.
Alternative candidates were quickly identified by the VSO recruiting bases to replace the candidates who failed to take up the placements. As a result, all placements have been successfully filled without significant disturbances to the project plan and activities.

9. Budget Reporting
15. Please fill in the budget spreadsheet to confirm actual spend for the year and programmed spend for next year. Use the box below to comment on any disparities between programmed expenditure and actual expenditure within the previous financial year and provide an explanation if you do not expect spending in the next financial year to be on track.
The project expenditure during period 1 was £87,349 against a programmed expenditure of £125, As explained to the Scottish Government in December 2012, our partner, the James Hutton Institute, was unable to carry out some planned activities in the first year, and their input was postponed until year 2, resulting in an underspend of £28k; these costs are the main reasons for the underspends within international staff travel, outputs 2 and 3.
The main reason for underspends in other budget headings was the exchange rate change. The exchange rate used in July 2012 was 400 Malawi kwacha per £1, but the rate was 520:1 in December 2012 and 550:1 by March This has had an impact on volunteer in-country allowances (budgeted at £238 per month, actual now £172 per month) and on costs of volunteer accommodation, costs of inception workshops and monitoring and evaluation.
The underspend will be made up during the next financial year and we expect spending to be on track to the end of the project.

10. Lessons Learned
16. What lessons have you learned during this reporting period?
The presentation of the WATERS Project to the district authorities during the District Executive Committee meetings and subsequent district level inception workshops were instrumental in the generation of a greater awareness and appreciation of the project by all sectors including the education, business community, media, civil society organizations, etc.
Facilitation of the district level workshops in local languages enabled the district planners and other staff to lead the facilitation of the workshops resulting into more sense of ownership of the project not just by the district personnel but more importantly by the village natural resource management committees, the traditional authorities and other community organizations.

11. Further Comments
17. Please make any further comments you feel might help illustrate your progress (not exceeding 250 words).
In the course of the year, collaboration was made with other Scottish Government, Climate Justice Fund, beneficiary Projects including Tearfund, Water for People, SCIAF-Trocaire. The collaboration was facilitated by Professor Robert Kalin from Strathclyde University. (Report from collaboration meeting attached below)
Through this collaboration, VSO and these other organizations in the same target districts will work closely with each other to avoid duplication but rather complement each other, share experiences and best practices as well as collaborate on research and information sharing.
To enhance this collaboration, representatives of these collaborating organizations and/or their partners on the ground participated in the WATERS Project Inception Workshop as well as the district level inception workshops.

12. Points to remember
The reports are designed to present an accurate picture of how the project is doing
Make sure you explain abbreviations!
If there is a problem you don’t have to wait until the report. We would rather be told as soon as possible
We are always approachable. Feel free to give us a call!

13. Project contacts Programme Contact Name Malawi
South Asia
Pakistan
Bangladesh/India