Introduction to Sahel Resilience

Learning Project (SAREL)

The Mitchell Group, Inc. (TMG) Team

March 2014

Purpose of SAREL

• Monitoring, evaluation,

collaboration and learning

support to USAID resilience

programming in the Sahel

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Rationale: Resilience Programming and SAREL

• High cost and the ineffectiveness of current efforts to

address symptoms of chronic vulnerability

• Downward economic spiral of affected populations

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Breaking the cycle requires

More deliberate collaboration and coordination among

actors at all levels:

• Shared learning on what works

• Leveraging of resources

• More coherence between HA and DA.

The PROBLEM: Collaboration, learning, adapting are not built into

the way most actors traditionally work .

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SAREL Theory of Change

• IF principles of collaborating, learning, and adapting

are employed by SAREL and REGIS implementing

partners and stakeholders, and data is collected in a

timely manner and shared with decision-makers,

• THEN resilience strategies and innovations will be

based on local demand, evidence-based, and

conducive to adoption.

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SAREL Mandate

SAREL is a temporary assistance package boosting

the collaboration, learning, and adaptation of

resilience practices in the Sahel; a shot of

grassroots organization for the people of the Sahel

to mitigate future shocks.

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Mandate – (cont.)

• Provide M&E services to implementers (REGIS-ER

and REGIS-AG);

• Catalyst for sharing of information, best practices,

proven technologies

• Accelerate learning, encourage innovation

• Help Sahelian institutions build CLA into the way they

work

• Widen circle of stakeholders using CLA to advance

and sustain resilience programming.

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Specific results to be attained by SAREL

1. Test, expand and accelerate the adoption of proven

resilience-enhancing technologies and innovations

already underway;

2. Develop, test and catalyze widespread adoption of

new models that integrate humanitarian and

development assistance;

3. Promote ownership, build the capacity of national

and regional institutions, and coordinate

humanitarian and development interventions in the

zone of intervention;

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Specific results to be attained by SAREL – (cont.)

4. Address Gender Issues Key to Resilience and

Growth; and

5. Create a knowledge management database that will

house a baseline assessment, ongoing monitoring

data, and impact evaluations for REGIS-ER and

REGIS-AG.

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TMG Approach -- Some fundamental elements

Three interacting cycles: Learning, Doing, Sustaining

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TMG Approach: Fundamental Elements

• Close consultation and interaction with REGIS-ER

and REGIS-AG as first-level partners, clients

• Peer review of thought pieces and vetting with

advisory council (regional, international) to ground

SAREL in reality

• Strengthen capacity of national and regional

institutions to adopt and drive CLA

• High quality mixed-methods monitoring and

evaluation

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TMG Approach: Fundamental Elements – (cont.)

• Local partner (CESAO) at the forefront of all

engagements. Handover in Year 5.

• Mobilize expertise and commitment of volunteers,

mentors (grass-roots movement).

• Seek private contributors to enlarge funding base

beyond the project.

• Promote use of improved digital technology where

appropriate.

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Some key activities by component

Component 1: Test, expand and accelerate the adoption of

proven resilience-enhancing technologies and innovations

already underway

• Collect examples (university-led)

• Produce thought pieces

• Convene actors to analyze best practices and adjust

• Publish and share findings

• Summit” on resilience led by Atlantic Council (translate into

programming)

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Some key activities by component – (cont.)

Component 2: Develop, test and catalyze widespread adoption

of new models that integrate humanitarian and development

assistance and promote resilience and growth

• Thought piece on the “Humanitarian to Development Complex

• Examine transitions from foreign assistance to the development of

sustainable economic activity through agricultural and other primary

sector economic activities

• Facilitate broad-based review, exchanges, info sharing on promising

models with strong beneficiary participation.

• Use “Quick Win” fund to support innovative solutions to layer, integrate

and sequence aid programs

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Some key activities by component – (cont.)

Component 3: Promote ownership, build the capacity of

national and regional institutions, and coordinate

humanitarian and development interventions in the zone of

intervention

• Support selected institutions (e.g. CILSS, ECOWAS, UEMOA, 3N) to

build KM capacity and identify, develop resilience interventions

• Prepare five-year strategic growth program for the SAREL local

partners (spot training, mentoring) in M&E, surveying, etc. and track

their growth

• Build capacity and create collaborative learning relationships with local

universities (based on Sister Schools Mentoring model)

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Some key activities by component – (cont.)

• Design indicators/databases so the information is useful to practitioners

at all levels of program implementation

• Realistic four-year strategy for organizational capacity building of

CESAO to enable it to continue strengthening resilience networks via

CLA model

• Coordinate with USAID/Senegal JPC to engage larger network

Key objective: Getting partners, beneficiaries to continue using CLA

as a vehicle towards enhanced resilience after the program ends

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Some key activities by component – (cont.)

Component 4: Address Gender Issues Key to Resilience and

Growth

• Gender audit to identify barriers to adoption of new technologies and

innovations

• Community-level, ethnographic research

• Coordinate regional community of practice (strategies)

• Promote cross learning from REGIS programs to USAID’s AGIR family

planning program

• Ensure equal participation of women in every intervention of the

program

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Some key activities by component – (cont.)

Component 5: Creation of a knowledge management database

that will house a baseline assessment, ongoing monitoring

data, and impact evaluations for REGIS-ER and REGIS-AG

• Design and supervise the REGIS-ER/AG baseline, mid-term, and final

impact assessments using mixed methods

• Propose comprehensive indicators to measure progress on the overall

impact of the Sahel Joint Planning Cell Strategy, and monitor them

• Establish a Resiliency Center of Excellence Portal (or Resilience.Net)

accessible to USAID and USAID’s Sahel resiliency partners

• M&E services will increasingly be performed by stakeholders and

development partners

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Promotion of innovative, sustainable, digital

technologies

TMG and SIMLab will advise and support REGIS on the

use of new tools for data collection and analysis

capabilities in rural areas

- Supports participatory, decentralized M&E

- potential cost savings

- improvements in real-time information accessibility.

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The Mitchell Group, Inc. (TMG’s) SAREL Team

Subcontractor

Engility/IRG Leader in CLA innovation and technology

Resource Organizations

OASIS Initiative, Univ.

of Calif. Berkeley

Develop key thought pieces; Lead university

capacity building & gender research

University of Pittsburgh Community resilience

Search for Common

Ground Youth-based conflict prevention expertise

Social Impact Lab

(SIMLab)

Lead development of innovative applications

of mobile technology

Tech Change Pro-bono mentor, expert in on-line learning

Atlantic Council Leads International Advisory Council

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The Mitchell Group, Inc. (TMG’s) SAREL Team – (cont.)

Local Partners

CESAO - The West African Centre for

Economic and Social Studies

Principal local partner.

Thought leader on

resilience

CILSS Designated regional

resilience lead

- AGRHYMET

Members of local/regional

Advisory Council

- INSAH

CPF (Farmers confederation, Burkina)

PFPN (Farmers’ platform, Niger)

CRESA (Univ. Abdou Moumouni, Niger)

ROPPA

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