Participatory Evaluation for action. TECHO experiences in Chile and Mexico

An online seminar was held on 6 June to share participatory evaluation experiences from the ‘Mesas de Trabajo’ (Working Groups) run by TECHO in Latin America and the Caribbean.

More than forty people from different countries in the region participated. They shared the common strategy designed to evaluate these experiences, highlighting aspects such as the results, process, methodologies, difficulties and achievements.

TECHO is an organisation which works to eradicate poverty in human settlements in Latin America. This is achieved through the combined efforts of residents living in poverty and exclusion and young volunteers.

By working together, they implement projects that respond to the main issues identified in the community such as the need to construct emergency housing, manage access to essential services or construct shared spaces.

One of the main pillars for community development is the ‘Working Group’, a regular space where volunteers and neighbours meet to connect and work on issues. Here, they dialogue, reflect and make decisions regarding community interests which increase wellbeing in the settlement and strengthen community capacities.

For TECHO, evaluating work is vitally important to discover strengths and identify improvement opportunities. This enables us to learn and work more transparently each day. Information is key for organisation in terms of facilitating evidence-based decision-making which contributes to social transformation.

For this reason, together with FOCEVAL, the Working Groups designed six participatory evaluation projects in Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

En este seminario virtual se compartió la experiencia de dos de los casos; uno de la comunidad Santa Teresa en Chile, y el otro de la comunidad San Mateo en México.

You can access the virtual seminar recording via the following link. You can also access the initial presentation and case studies presentation (PDF) shared in the seminar.

You can also access the reports for both evaluations by ‘clicking‘ on them.

For more information, you can contact María Jesús Silva Rozas (maria.silva@techo.org), Director for the Social Research Centre, TECHO International and/or Fernanda Arriaza López (fernanda.arriaza@techo.org), Director of Community Management, TECHO International.