The South Sudan Crisis. Is there Hope?
Political conflict, drought, and economic turmoil have for the most part ensured that South Sudan is always swimming in the deep end of massive human displacement, violence, and food shortages.
To know more about the crisis, we have compiled a couple of pointers that will help you understand what is and what has happened in the country since they gained independence in 2011.
·       Where it all began.
After attaining independence in 2011, cracks begun to show in the top echelons of power when President Salva Kiir accused his former Vice President, Riek Machar of attempting a coup. President Kiir dismissed Vice President Riek from the office which led to the ex-Vice President forming the SPLM-IO (Sudan’s People Liberation Movement in Opposition) to fight the government forces.
The conflict became bloody leading to the deaths of over 400,000 civilians in over 5 years.
·       Where it currently is
30,000 plus people are facing famine as others face starvation. The government however denies the number citing that only 11,000 people are facing starvation.
The conflict has decreased mainly due to the peacekeeping missions by the United Nations and the continuous signing of peace deals and a formation of a coalition-based government between the warring parties. Although things look promising, there is still political violence especially targeting the most food-insecure places.
·       Humanitarian Aid Situation
2 million-plus Sudanese have fled the country and are now refugees in neighboring countries.
Over 7.5 million people are in need of humanitarian aid.
More than half of the population does not have access to basic health care.
Desert locusts, floods, and the coronavirus pandemic have not spared the country either.
The European Union and the United Nations have been among the main donors of Humanitarian Aid.

Key Take-Aways
Since obtaining independence, South Sudan has continued to be a land of conflict that knows no stability or peace owing to political instability, falling oil prices, and climate change.
Years of political instability have taken a toll on the youngest country in the world leaving its people devastated and broken.
However, recent peacekeeping and humanitarian aid are helping bring the crisis-prone country back on its feet.
Humanitarian Global hopes a silver lining is closer than further.

1. The conflict involves the Ethiopian Federal Government forces against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front
2. Even before the fighting, Tigray was home to as many as 200,000 refugees and displaced people, according to United Nations agencies.
3. Around 2.2 million people have been displaced in the Tigray region with women and children among the most vulnerable.
4. Some areas of the Tigray region have resumed essential services but medical supplies and food are still largely scarce.
5. Humanitarian workers have been able to access areas that were so far inaccessible, particularly in cities.

Is Monitoring and Evaluation Important?

Over the last decades, the projects carried out in the humanitarian sector have transformed significantly and there is a higher need for eliminating errors that might be experienced. As a result of these evolving trends and practices, there are heightened expectations from donors in search for enhanced accountability and transparency which serves as proof of the effectiveness of all projects that are being undertaken. To address these dire needs, the role and significance of monitoring and evaluation cannot be underestimated. The figure below summarizes the main importance of Monitoring and Evaluation in the NGO world.

These advantages are discussed in the following subsections:

• Greater Transparency and Accountability

Through M&E, organizations are able to easily track, analyze and report on relevant information as well as data throughout the project cycle of a given project. As a result, the project team is able to provide robust evidence for all their actions and decisions to key stakeholders.

• Improved Project Performance

By using a well-planned M&E approach, a project team stands a better position of understanding the needs of the target population. This is essential in defining the scope of a project and develop objectives that are relevant, measurable and attainable.

• Effective resource allocation

M&E plays a big role in the allocation of funds through the project cycle. This is achieved by providing the estimated value, impact and worth of all project components thus enabling the project team to establish areas that need the money and manage resources more effectively. Additionally, M&E helps in making appropriate changes in financial plans on a regular basis hence helping in avoidance of unfavorable contingencies.

• Promotes Learning & Data-driven Decision Making

Using the data generated by M&E, quantifiable results are attained and they help the involved parties to learn from project successes as well as challenges hence making them to be more adaptive. Furthermore, the team is able to make well-informed and effective decisions that are crucial in improving the implementation of a certain project.

• Systematic management of an organization

Through M&E an organization is able to gather, disseminate and utilize the gathered information and data which are all critical in improving the internal operations of an organization and adding value in their endeavors. This leads to enhanced performance, increased innovation, sharing and integration of acquired lessons that result in the betterment of projects overall.

Linking MEAL Components

By now, you must be familiar with the new MEAL paradigm which is a shift from the old approach of  M&E. MEAL comprises of key components namely, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning. All these components are critical and they are linked to each other. Wondering how! Sit back and check out the following.

All MEAL components are cross-cutting and crucial in ensuring that quality standards have been met when carrying out a given project. This is by providing input to each other and providing feedback for overall improvement. For instance, carrying out a baseline or a pre-evaluation plays a critical role in designing and framing programme interventions during the planning and design stage. The resulting input is sufficient in defining theories of change and results frameworks which assist in the development of key performance indicators as well as for settling of baseline figures and aiding in collection methods.

By conducting day-to-day monitoring exercises mainly through the desk and field-based monitoring in a given programme assists in providing regular insights that lead to timely accomplishments of interventions, partner’s performance and work quality thus leading to timely and informed decision-making processes.

Through periodic evaluations, execution of necessary adjustments in adaptive programming becomes possible and stakeholder suggestions, lessons learnt and any other changes can easily be incorporated in a given project.

Accountability cuts across all levels of a project such as management, interactions with key stakeholders among others. For instance, through the use of complaint-handling systems, timely input that calls for a design change or course correction is established and responsive mechanisms are developed. Additionally, through accountability, beneficiaries are provided with updates and key stakeholders are able to make more informed management decisions based on the accrued insights.

Lastly, all MEAL components contribute hugely to learning. Monitoring is responsible for providing data, identifying knowledge gaps and offering suggestions on the best course of action to be undertaken. Evaluation offers a highlight of the broader issues while capturing learning and contributing greatly towards programme changes and offering a revision strategy where needed. Finally, accountability provides important aspects which are identified through suitable mechanisms and this facilitates towards adaptive programming for the future.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Monitoring and Evaluation popularly abbreviated as M&E are two terms that are often used together. Many people may tend to think that these two terms mean the same or they are used interchangeably. However, these terms have different meaning and specific uses. Amazed? Let me try to make this clear for you.

What is monitoring?

To get a full grasp of what is monitoring consider the dashboard of the car which helps you in knowing the speed you are moving with, the gas left and whether the doors of your car have been left open. See the image below to help you relate.

In development organizations and governmental projects, monitoring has been used to refer to a regular and systematic collection of data which is followed by analysis and reporting with an aim of using the derived information to run programmes in a more effective manner. Some of the key concerns that are covered through monitoring include assessing the performance of a programme, service or policy. This is an internal endeavour which can therefore be conducted by staff or members of a given organization. A key point to consider is that monitoring is a continuous process which is carried out non-stop throughout a project cycle or in rare cases it is carried after. This becomes extremely important in helping organizations and governments to manage their programmes, services and policies more effectively while managing risks suitably and effectively.

What is Evaluation?

Following the car example, evaluation can be discussed as the occasional check-up of a car. Liken this to going for a car service which is an activity that is done occasionally.

Thus, Evaluation is a term that is used to refer to systematic and impartial assessments of expected and achieved accomplishments. By conducting an evaluation process, we are able to understand the value of a programme, service or policy. This process can be conducted externally thus playing a big role in eliminating biased judgement. As a way of getting the most from this process, independent evaluators of specialists who do not have any links to an organization are sought. As opposed to monitoring which is a continuous activity, evaluation is a one-off activity. This activity is carried out during or at the end of an activity.