'Learning to Let Go of Power in Our Evaluation Processes' with Saferworld

The session presents the process of a peer evaluation undertaken by community security action groups in Somalia. It is considered self-evident that security-building programs should be rigorously evaluated. Unfortunately, what a rigorous evaluation looks like, in terms of its purpose and process, is also all too often considered self-evident, and defaults to the perspective of the northern donor or partner.

Reflecting on this has led Somali Women Development Centre, Isha Human Rights organization, Somali Women Solidarity Organization and Saferworld to consider an alternative approach. Instead of designing the evaluation process themselves, they have asked the community groups they work with if they are interested in conducting a peer evaluation - setting their own questions and their own way of answering these questions.

This session presented the reasons and processes through which four partner NGOs in Somalia moved away from implementing a traditional evaluation approach to a peer evaluation approach, and the consequences of this choice.

This session featured panelists Hamse Haibe (Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Coordinator for Saferworld in Somalia), Ibrahim Ahmed Ali (Program Manager for Isha Human Rights Organization in Somalia) and Habiba Hussein Ali (Deputy Chair for Hawa Tako Social Affairs Committee).