By plexinovativa l May 2024
Plexinovativa developed the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan of Project “Oportunidades” (opportunities, in Portuguese), working to promote the socioeconomic integration of migrants in Brazil. This initiative is implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Project Oportunidades supports migrants on their path to autonomy and long-term integration in their host communities. The Project counts with dozens of implementing partners in thirteen Brazilian states, as well as the Federal District. These include civil society organizations (CSOs), faith-based groups (FBOs), public and private sector actors and academic institutions. Migrants are offered entrepreneurship training, Portuguese courses, job placement and diploma revalidation facilitation, among a wide range of activities. Recruiters and employers, for example, are offered training in ethical recruitment principles, among other actions.
The MEL Plan provides guidance that facilitates the use of evidence in tracking progress towards objectives, supporting decision-making and informing implementation, which in turn helps the Project achieve results more effectively and efficiently. This set of tools enables the Project and its partners to systematically collect, analyze and use a wide variety of data for monitoring, and recognize whether as well as which adjustments are needed. The MEL Plan also helps the Project ensure data quality so that decisions and reports are based on accurate information, thus “promoting accountability and transparency, as well as offering a sound basis for future evaluations”, according to Joao Vilella, the Project’s M&E Coordinator.
The tools geared towards generating learning allow the Project to reflect on its work by identifying and applying lessons learned so it can continuously adapt and enhance its relevance and effectiveness. All of this is done through a participatory approach that collects feedback and engages migrant, stakeholders, the Project team and its numerous partners in the field in understanding results from a local perspective.
