Dara - Evaluation

DARA promotes a culture of evaluation and learning in the humanitarian action and international development fields. For DARA, evaluation means learning, accountability – whether it is to the beneficiaries, donors, partners or implementing agencies - the improvement of organisational performance, the establishment of a participative processes and the empowerment of less fortunate.

DARA work in the evaluation field follows the ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF EVALUATION

1. Evaluation is a learning experience. Evaluations are designed to knowing the projects' successes and weaknesses, so that the partners understand which efforts must be redoubled and which ones may benefit from the suggested changes.

2. The evaluation must be based on a comprehensive knowledge of the conditions, interests and goals of the institution targeted by the project.

3. The evaluation should be flexible and adapted to each project's research work, time framework and goals.

4. The evaluation must involve every partner in the project as actively as possible.

5. The evaluation should be perceived by the stakeholders of a project as an opportunity to strengthen the existing bonds between the partners, as well as to create new relationships with the evaluators.

6. The evaluator will respect the needs and concerns of the interviewee.

7. The evaluation should allow for the collection of necessary data, to be shared in a transparent and understandable way with all partners.

8. The evaluation should collect data both through qualitative and quantitative indicators in order to measure the projects' successes and ask those responsible for them how do they weigh up their results.

9. The evaluation efforts should engage the partners in the discussion of the most burning issues, before, during and after the evaluation, so as to see how to use the evaluation's results.

10. The evaluation is based on relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, efficacy, impact and sustainability.