OSA trains each CBO in Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E), a process through which the entire community is involved in assessing the programs within their community. From these monthly meetings, CBOs submit update reports to the OSA Malawi office, which then reviews and compiles them into quarterly reports to be submitted to the US Executive Director.

In addition, the OSA Malawi office has staff that monitor each CBO closely through regular site visits and interviews. These M&E staff reports are also reviewed by Program Officers and the Malawi Director, and compiled into the quarterly reports for submission to the US office.

 

To ensure the ongoing effectiveness of the OSAAP a three-tier mechanism is utilized to monitor and evaluate OSA’s programs.

  1. First, the CBOs themselves are responsible for monitoring their activities based on the submitted proposal.
  2. Second, OSA monitors the progress and impact of each CBO on the community and the OVC therein.
  3. Third, OSA is evaluated by an outside group to measure the effectiveness of OSA’s programs and provide a framework for continued improvements. (This evaluation was begun by a Gates-funded, three year program conducted by Tulane University.)

A unique feature of OSA is this three tiered M&E structure, as it provides ongoing feedback from three active perspectives on the effectiveness of the OSAAP, and in doing so keeps the program active in improvement and optimal impact.