Monitoring & Evaluation
Our years of experience conducting monitoring and evaluation of projects related to peacebuilding and conflict resolution have led us to establish the following:
Fundamentals of Evaluation Research
1. Evaluation is a form of social research.
2. Evaluation has many facets.
a. Process Evaluation
b. Outcome Evaluation:
c. Impact Evaluation:
3. Evaluation ideally starts at the conceptualization stage of a project.
4. Evaluators have the ethical responsibility to report good news and bad news.
Principles of Evaluation in the Field of Peace and Conflict
1. Informed by conflict mapping and analysis frameworks
2. Captures information for both the contextual level (i.e., the conflict issues and dynamics), and the specific level.
3. Participation and Inclusiveness
a. Give voice to the voiceless
b. Empowerment
c. Gender Inclusiveness
4. Cultural Appropriateness
5. Multiplicity of Research Methods
6. Tangible recommendations informed by intervention frameworks
Since 1989, Dr. Abdalla started his career in the field of monitoring and evaluation with a project at the Sociology Department of George Mason University to prevent substance abuse among adolescents (Each One Reach One). This first step paved the way for a great career in project evaluation worldwide with focus on peacebuilding and conflict resolution programs. Several of In Peace, Amr associated contributed significantly to these evaluation activities.
In all these projects duties included the following:
§ Designing impact, outcome and process evaluation research; that includes conceptualization, design of instruments, and plan of implementation. Research and evaluation designs include quantitative and qualitative methods such as surveys, focus groups, interviews, and observations.
§ Implementing of various quantitative and qualitative analyses plans and methods.
§ Preparing and writing comprehensive reports of findings to funding and other collaborative agencies.
§ Training on program evaluation methods and skills to governmental, academic and private agencies.
Below is a list of some of evaluation projects conducted for the last three decades:
§ Evaluation of the UN Environment Project: “Promoting Peace over Natural Resources in Darfur and Kordofan.” Sudan. (January 2019- Present).
§ Evaluation of Soliya’s project: “Building Inclusive Communities through Virtual Exchange.” Conducted in the MENA Region. (October 2018-March 2019).
§ Evaluation of the University for Peace Workshops on Gender, Conflict and Disarmament. Cairo, Addis Ababa, Bangkok and Costa Rica. (October 2016-May 2017).
§ Evaluation of Soliya’s Public Square Project in Egypt. Cairo, Menya and Menoufiya, Egypt. (May 2014-April 2015).
§ Evaluation of Search for Common Ground’s Peacebuilding Project in Zanzibar. Zanzibar, Tanzania. (September-October 2013).
§ Evaluation of the American University and ARD Capacity Building Project for the Secretariat for Muslims in Sri Lanka. Colombo, Sri Lanka. (March-May 2013).
§ Research on the Social and Political Attitudinal, Knowledge and behavioral Impact of the TV Drama (The Team). Search for Common Ground and Various Local Partners. Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, and DRC. (April 2009-2012).
§ Research on the Social and Political Attitudinal and Knowledge Impact of an Egyptian TV Drama (El-Mahata). Search for Common Ground and Video Cairo Sat. (2007-2008).
§ Evaluation of the University for Peace’s “Peace Education in Africa” Program in South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria. (2003 – 2004).
§ Evaluation of the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program (Walsh Visa). U.S. State Department and George Mason University. (2002 – 2004)
§ Evaluation of Oxfam-Great Britain’s peacebuilding and conflict management project in Rwanda. (2002)
§ Research on civic education in Liberia. Conducted for the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and Search for Common Ground. (2002)
§ Research on human rights in Sierra Leone. Conducted for Search for Common Ground. (2002)
§ Research on HIV/AIDS in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Conducted for Search for Common Ground. (2002)
§ Evaluation of Search for Common Ground’s peacebuilding and conflict resolution programs in Burundi, Liberia and Sierra Leone. (1998 – 2002)
§ Evaluation of Prince William County’s Student Assistance Programs, including programs on racism reduction, peer mediation, violence reduction, substance abuse prevention and anger management. Funded by Virginia Governor’s Office. (1998 – 2004)[1]
§ Bi-annual survey research of Manassas City Schools students’ attitudes and behaviors related to conflict resolution, substance abuse and school social environment. Funded by Manassas City, VA. (1994 – 2000)
§ Evaluation of Law school students substance abuse prevention program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and conducted by George Mason University and Phi Alpha Delta in law schools nation-wide. (1994 – 1997)
§ Assessment of youth curfew laws in Virginia. Funded by Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. (1996)
§ Evaluation of African American adolescents’ violence and substance abuse prevention program, funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and conducted by the Everyday Theater of Washington. (1991 – 1996)
§ Evaluation of Conflict Mediation and Substance Abuse Prevention at Schools, funded by the Department of Education, and conducted by the Center for Health Promotion and the Washington Region Children’s Creative Response to Conflict. (1991 – 1994)
§ Evaluation of Each One Reach One Project. Funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and conducted by the Department of Sociology at George Mason University and the Fairfax County department of Human Development. (1989-1991)
[1] This evaluation project won the Evaluation/Research Award for exemplary research in the student assistance field, awarded by the National Association of Student Assistance Professionals (NASAP). New Orleans, March 2003.
Evaluation Reports
Terminal Evaluation of the UN Environment Project Promoting Peace over Natural Resources in Darfur and Kordofan, Sudan
The Team- Morocco: Baseline and Final Evaluation Report
Evaluation of Talking Drum Studio-Sierra Leone
Evaluation of Search for Common Ground Programs- Burundi
