Padma Buggineni, Sustainable International Development Program, Brandeis University, Mailstop 078 P.O.Box 549110, Waltham, MA 02454, 781-736-2770, padma@brandeis.edu

In recent years, ‘Participation’ has become a critical concept in development. With the increased recognition of the importance of participation in development, there is also a growing recognition that the monitoring and evaluation of development and other community-based initiatives should also be participatory.

CARE is one of the world’s largest private international humanitarian organizations, committed to helping families in poor communities improve their lives and achieve lasting victories over poverty. CARE began operations in India in 1950. The Integrated Nutrition and Health Program (INHP) is the pillar of CARE’s programming in India which aims to significantly improve the health and nutritional status of an estimated 6.6 million women of childbearing age and children under two, especially girls. To implement its programs, CARE partner with a multitude of local and national governments and NGOs.

Considering the effectiveness of participatory monitoring it is wise to see its relevance in the INHP. The final goal of INHP is “To improve women’s capacity to attain and maintain optimal health and nutrition for themselves and their children, especially girl children”. To achieve this goal, the program should ensure that the mothers practice positive health behaviors and demand and utilize preventive health services for optimal health and nutrition as majority of the behaviors promoted through INHP is related to utilization of preventive health services. In this context, if participatory monitoring and evaluation were adapted to track the practice changes at community level it would facilitate decision-making by the community and leads to empowerment of women.

Learning Objectives:

1.The participants would recognize that the process of participatory monitoring aims not to pass judgement on project performance but seeks to make it an opportunity for joint learning.
• The participants would develop an understanding that the task of monitoring is not left entirely to highly trained and experienced professionals but is designed as a widely participatory undertaking involving the relevant stakeholders of a project.

Keywords: Behavior Modification, Community-Based Health Promotion

Related Web page: care.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Care International, India
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.