Response to Opportunities and Challenges

East Africa Regional Program Quality Group

March 2009

Program Quality in CARE: An Outline

A Short History of Program Quality in CARE

• 1996-2000 LRSP: Introduction of HLS and Partnership Focus. LRSPs introduced. New project design cycle and program manual. PSMI developed

• 2000-2006 LRSP: Introduction of RBAs

• 2003: RBA Characteristics become CI Program Principles

• 2004-05: Unifying Framework developed

• 2005: Women’s Empowerment SII begun

• 2007: Program Approach incorporated in new CARE USA SP. Already demonstrated in LAC

• April 2008: Istanbul conference launches learning lab and satellites strategy

CI Program Standards Framework

CI Vision and Mission

CI Programming Principles

Core Guidelines

CI Project Standards

Sector / technical guidelines

Unifying Framework for Poverty Eradication and Social Justice

Outcome Areas

Program Areas

Underlying Causes of Poverty & Social Injustice

Human Conditions

(Increasing Opportunity)

Social Positions

(Improving Social Equity)

Enabling Environment

(Improving Governance)

Gender Inequity

Social Exclusion

UnequalAccess to

Resources and

Services

WeakGovernance

Systems

Project Impact on Women’s Empowerment

WHY: Poor defining and measuring UCP No theory to address them Failure to build on gains Too much “CARE”, Organizational Amnesia – leak of staff and

knowledge Organizational norms of what constitutes success

SII on Women’s Empowerment

15% best in class 60% agency level impact 25% not so good

The Broader Critique

• Underlying causes of poverty not being addressed

• Short term projects do not address poverty

• Difficulty proving & measuring impact

• New development approaches & critique of INGOs (particularly around accountability)

• Social movements & influence on governments and donors

CARE USA AND CARE INTERNATIONAL NEW STRATEGIC PLANS

CARE USA’s strategic plan 2008-2015 puts the emphasis on enhancing program quality through:

• Becoming a more programmatic organization & P-shift ;• Developing and applying a new organizational performance measurement system (UBORA);• Enhancing knowledge generation and sharing in order to become a learning organization, • Signature Programs

CARE USA AND CARE INTERNATIONAL NEW STRATEGIC PLANS

Simultaneously, CARE International (Strategic Plan 2007-2012) recognizes the need to become more internally connected as a global organisation so that “organisational accountability, relevance and legitimacy, which are the preconditions for effective action through high quality programming, are enhanced”.

Definition of a Program

A program is a coherent set of initiatives by CARE and our allies that involves a long term commitment to specific marginalized and vulnerable groups to achieve lasting impact at broad scale on underlying causes of poverty and social injustice. This goes beyond the scope of projects to achieve positive changes in human conditions, in social positions and in the enabling environment.

8 Characteristics

1. A clearly defined goal for impact on the lives of a specific group, realized at broad scale.

2. A thorough analysis of underlying causes of poverty and social injustice at multiple levels with multiple stakeholders.

3. An explicit theory of change that is rigorously tested and adapted to reflect ongoing learning.

4. A coherent set of initiatives that enable CARE and our partners to contribute significantly to the transformation articulated in the theory of change.

8 Characteristics

5. Ability to promote organizational and social learning, to generate knowledge and evidence of impact.

6. Contribution to broad movements for social change through our work with and strengthening of partners, networks and alliances.

7. A strategy to leverage and influence the use and allocation of financial and other resources within society for maximizing change at a broader scale.

8. Accountability systems to internal and external stakeholders.

THE PROGRAM APPROACH AND P-SHIFT

• Program Approach is the process of moving the basic building block of CARE’s work from a multiple set of projects to a limited set of programs

• P-SHIFT is a pilot and learning and knowledge sharing strategy within CARE, aimed at learning how CARE can change and move the program approach through the organization more quickly, more effectively, more consistently, and at a global level, ie its about organizational transformation.

• This will be done through Learning Labs and Satellites.

What is a Learning Lab?

It is a site of “intensive learning” and knowledge generation regarding the holistic set of changes needed to work more programmatically

Where other CARE staff can come and observe/learn about specific practices

Produces knowledge/knowledge products for other COs about what works and does not work.

Promotes a learning culture of accepting mistakes

Pilots, tests new UBORA performance measurement system

(program quality and impact indicators).

What is a Satellite?

Sites committed to making the programmatic shift but not necessarily ready or able to take on the responsibilities of learning and dissemination as a learning lab.

Sites adapting and implementing initial conceptualization of the programmatic approach.

Sites that have the capacity to gain knowledge and insights from the Learning Lab COs and to apply it in their contest.

Learning labs, satellites and non-satellites

• Learning labs – specifically agreed with RDs (and CI members) $50,000 UNR ?!

• Satellites – countries committed to the program shift, not fixed

• Non-satellites – conditions mitigate against (political, structural

SOME PROGRAM APPROACH IMPLICATIONS

Different Finance, HR and other program support management systems

Working more in partnerships (IDOS capacity, etc)

Fund raising (develop new relationships with institutional donors and new sort of donors), be more aggressively “marketing” our programs.

HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND QUALITY AT CARE?

When have we achieved quality programs?

If anticipated/ beneficial social change has been achieved in a sustainable manner (meaning that change has occurred at three levels of our unifying framework) to the satisfaction of the impact group while respecting industry and technical norms, standards and good practices, as well as organizational policies & procedures (e.g. CI programming principles & program support policies)

HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND QUALITY AT CARE?

• Builds on knowledge, experience and good practice generated by CARE and others and relies on our capacity to be continually learning (through testing models) & our understanding of UCPs and of the (changing) environment.

• Quality is therefore a dynamic concept but always inherent & explicit in what we do.

• The working environment (support systems in place, evaluative practices rewarded, etc) must be conducive to good practice

CORE FUNCTIONS OF PQ&L IN CO

Ensure “industry” norms and standards are applied (e.g. CI programming principles, SPHERE in emergencies, technical standards and policies) and when necessary adapted to context and developed.

Impact measurement integrated in M&E system (UBORA + own needs) at country and individual projects/program level

Implications

Broad, multi-year

Initiatives

Program shift in COs: Skills, Knowledge, Policies, Mental Models

• Analysis, DME & reflective practice up to the task

• Global knowledge/learning capacity: Faster, more focused

• More focused sectoral and technical strategies; possible new foci

• Global impact measurement system to tell our story

Broad, multi-year

Initiatives

Asia Working Definition of Program Quality

Embeds the program principles into our organizational culture to achieve our vision and mission

Ability to make strategic choices that reflect the local reality and allow the program to focus on ‘doing it well and influencing

others’ rather than responding to external pressures and demands

Hold CARE and other duty bearers accountable for

effectiveness and impact of relief and development programs

Reflectivelearning

SharingAccounta-

bility

Organizational structure and staff capacity

PROGRAM QUALITY

Challenges of Building a Global Impact

Measurement System in CARE

• How do we tell a Global Impact Story

• Developing a set of 20 MD + targets and indicators

• Using a portfolio of methods to tell a story

• Building on the proven value of the SII

• Making critical reflection and learning part of our programming culture

• Being 360° accountable

Challenges of Building a Global Impact

Measurement System in CARE

Data

Information

K nowledge

Intelligence

Wisdom

A Program Approach

Data

Information

K nowledge

Intelligence

Wisdom

A Project Approach

In a future scenario under a program approach, CARE would produce far less data and information but derive more knowledge, intelligence and wisdom from this reduction, as compared with the project approach. Proportionally, the production of knowledge will exceed that of data and information.