Assessment of the Effectiveness of Malaria Monitoring and Evaluation Regional Workshops and Online Training Course

Author(s): MEASURE Evaluation

Year: 2015

Abstract:

Substantial investments have been made in the last decade to improve the quality of services and coverage of major malaria control interventions and accelerate progress toward malaria elimination. As these investments continue and grow, sound programmatic decisions require strong monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems to document progress in malaria control and ensure accountability of resources invested. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the challenges M&E systems face sometimes impede efforts for generating evidence needed for informed decision making. In addition to the limited financial resources that malaria M&E systems in SSA face, they also must deal with poor access to technology and a lack of personnel with the required M&E knowledge and skills. Consequently, the quality of data generated by existing M&E systems has been questionable.

MEASURE Evaluation has been a significant supporter for M&E systems of national malaria control programs. One means of support has been MEASURE Evaluation’s efforts to strengthen malaria M&E capacity by offering M&E training targeting mainly M&E professionals who work on malaria at national, regional, and district levels; professionals who work on USAID projects; and employees of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The training has been through in-person regional workshops and online training courses. The two-week intensive in-person workshop format was used from 2010 to 2014 in annual workshops in Ghana (Anglophone) and Burkina Faso (Francophone).

To identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas that need improvement, MEASURE Evaluation undertook an assessment of the in-person workshops and online training course. This report provides the results of the training program evaluation, based on information from participants’ surveys at the in-person workshops, participants’ supervisors or referees who supported participants’ application to attend the M&E training course, and other stakeholders interested in malaria M&E. Additional information came from users of the online training course who did not complete the end-of-course certification exam and students who completed the online course and examination. MEASURE Evaluation and USAID PMI will use this assessment to guide the design and implementation of future malaria M&E training programs.