Is there a point to an educational intervention if it doesn’t arrive at the destination it was created for in the first place? Dreaming up a vision to build into the lives of our future generations can be simple, especially in a country like South Africa, where there are so many young minds ripe with potential. It might even come naturally to develop solutions for such dreams. However, assessing whether our interventions are effectively taking us in the right direction can be a daunting task. This is where the BRIDGE National Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Community of Practice (CoP) comes to the rescue! The partners (1) recognised the importance of understanding the M&E process to ensure that we’re not on route to Durban when our plan was to got to Cape Town. This resulted in the development of a platform for practitioners to learn, share and grow in the practice of M&E.

We attended the first M&E CoP for 2019. There’s nothing like being in a room alive with people who share the same passion for education in South Africa! These were just a few of the highlights:

New insights were gained as experienced M&E practitioners, Asgar Bhikoo and Sive Nodada, generously imparted their knowledge on the topic;

A spirit of community and connectedness was established with opportunities to ask questions and share experiences.    

New and meaningful networks were created through exposure to people representing a variety of organisations.

Valuable tools, resources and references were shared to equip us in the practice of M&E and will be available at www.bridge.org.za.     

We are thankful for the clarity this CoP is bringing to M&E for The Philile Foundation! We feel assured that the insights and connections we have gained, and will gain in the future, will ensure we are headed in the right direction to our destination. If you’re involved with an educational organisation and you aren’t a part of this CoP, contact info@bridge.org.za to participate.

1. BRIDGE, Khulisa Management Services, Tshikululu Social Investments & SAMEA