BENEFICIARIES, EXPECTED IMPACT, MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The immediate beneficiaries of this project are the BCWSE and the shareholders (from Mirri and Aldorot villages) who will sign up and invest (100 SDG) to join the cooperative. In addition, the training component which will target women in similar circumstances is expected to expand the cooperative reach and the variety of products from other skills that may already exist among trainees. The impact on the lives of these women is expected to enhance their capability to cover their living expenses and pay their children school fees which are among the prominent challenges facing displaced communities.

Drawing from literature on small business evaluation, the process attempts to find out about the efficiency and effectiveness of a project. Observation is commonly used as the main information gathering tool (especially for non-literate contexts), and to a lesser extent questionnaires are utilised to collect specific/structured information that is elicited through interviews.   For this project, four key areas are identified for inclusion in the monitoring and evaluation plan and reports templates:

        i.            Project Plan

This considers time, cost and productivity by monitoring the project timeline and measuring the actual output and use of resources compared to the planned productivity.

      ii.            Performance

This twofold assessment includes (a) the capacities and performance of the individuals making up the work force in terms of their suitability to the designated role and function, commitment to achieving their tasks, and their learning of new skills; and (b) the project performance towards achieving its objectives in terms of productivity, process improvement and lessons learned; as well as its impact on the surrounding community and the environment.

    iii.            Product

This assessment is concerned with quality of products, competitiveness in market, and the perspectives of consumers.

     iv.            Marketing

This involves monitoring product sales and the return on investment over a time period to assess the business growth in terms of its distribution/marketing capability.

Reporting on project progress to stakeholders will be monthly (in the first phase) and yearly (thereafter).