Reflections on COVID-19 and internal evaluation in a humanitarian non-profit

Abstract

This article uses reflective practice and social interdependence theory to unpack the ways in which our practice as internal evaluators was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, using the development of a monitoring and evaluation framework as a case study. The reflections are separated into six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan. Initial reflections on the impact of COVID-19 drew out the negative effects of the pandemic and associated restrictions, which limited our ability to build rapport and stretched our capacity to balance work and home commitments. Deeper investigation revealed that the disaster pushed us to develop new ways of working that will augment and improve our future efforts. We foresee that these learnings will enable a future with greater ability to offer hybrid online/face-to-face collaborative opportunities that will enhance inclusion and active participation, thereby promoting monitoring and evaluation with greater collective ownership and relevance to a wider audience.