DEVELOPMENTAL TALES

Development work, rather, its impact cannot be measured fully through merely quantitative and conventional methods of evaluation. Some might argue that such type of evaluation is the ‘best’ form of assessing a project’s performance. At one level, quantitative evaluation may seem an ‘appropriate’ way to judge, for example, an income generation project’s performance through numerical illustrations of a rise in levels of income of targeted communities in the middle, or end, of that project. However quantitative data does not capture complex processes or behavioural and attitudinal changes that might have influenced the target community to strive for higher levels of income. It is critical to explore these processes and behavioural changes if we are to comprehend more fully the complex parameters that influence a community to achieve higher standards of living or constraints that restrict it from achieving the same. Developmental experts, donor agencies, civil society members have realised the need to capture these complex processes and changes in behaviour through the illustration of simple, and yet detailed, anecdotes or case studies that highlight the struggles, limitations and successes communities face while trying to achieve higher standards of living. The purpose, therefore, of this page is to allow the reader to view WORLP’s project performance not only through conventional monitoring and evaluation tools, but also through stories told by individuals or groups who achieve small, and yet significant, levels of success in trying to better their quality of life by accessing opportunities and learning lessons. More...