CISR Implements Monitoring and Evaluation for Peer Support in Burundi
In partnership with the British NGO Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), CISR staff created a system to monitor and evaluate the impact of a psychosocial support program for victims of armed violence in Burundi. The program, operated by the Center for Development for Ex-Combatants (CEDAC), a Burundian NGO, has been in operation since 2009 but has recently received significant funding which will allow it to enlarge its administration and implement a new system for monitoring and evaluation.
Starting with a baseline survey of the target population, data is collected by the peer support workers (PSWs) who are trained in counseling but who also have a broad impact on community development. CEDAC now has four community animators and eight supervisors who will oversee the collection of information and data from the program’s beneficiaries. This will permit fine-tuning of the program by assessing the impact of peer support activities, such as peer support groups, income-generation, vocational training and peer counseling.
In August, CISR completed a training program for CEDAC’s program supervisors on how to collect, analyze and interpret data they receive from the PSWs.
“We have already started to see many positive outcomes from our psychosocial interventions,” said Eric Niragira, CEDAC’s president and CEO. “Victims of armed violence who believed that they would never recover from their experiences are now regaining their confidence and adopting a positive outlook on life. Information from the field gives us a clear view of what works and how to improve our program.”
