KGA and representatives from its 10 rural based partners had recently ended their quarterly planning meeting on Friday 26th March 2010.
The meeting coincides with a two day Monitoring & Evaluation training, starts on Monday 22 March and ends on Friday 26th March 2010. In his introductory remark, Program Coordinator Mr Jack Kalisto, reiterated the importance of participatory planning and monitoring & Evaluation. He said it is crucial for the involvement of KGA partners and stakeholders in the planning process, to enhance better understanding and ownership of the program and its activities. On the same note, it is equally important for the organisation to have an effective monitoring and evaluation system. A better M&E system will enable us to monitor and measure the impacts of the program consistently and effectively, which is what our donors would like to see, he added.
The Monitoring and Evaluati
on training was conducted by Mr John Vail, an M&E specialist from Teracircle Inc., which is providing a backstopping support to KGA. The training mostly covers the operation and use of KGA’s Information System Database, PMN system database, PMN baseline survey form and how to update the systems. This was followed by the introduction of the new KGA website (this site) and a one to one session with certain staff.
On Friday 26th March, a debriefing session was held for the officials from AusAID, which was attended by the Second Secretary for Australian High Commission Mr David Green and AusAID Senior Program Officer Mr Collin Potakana. The session was meant to update the officials of what the participants had discussed, planned and learnt during the week, as well as to keep our donors and stakeholders informed.
Commenting at the end of the debriefing session, Mr David Green says that KGA has come a long way to be up to this stage of maturity, both at the institutional and operational level. KGA’s evolving nature is a reflection of commitment by its staff and partners to see that the rural communities in Solomon Islands had improved crop varieties to sustain food security and their livelihood.
In thanking the visiting AusAID officials, Mr Clement Hadosaia- Program Support Officer says, that KGA appreciates AusAID’s continuous support and funding assistance for the program. It is our desire to encourange participation of our donors and partners alike where necessary, as well as to keep them informed.
