Testimonial by Rita Baramu about "Decolonizing M&E and Research"

This blog post was written by Rita Baramu from Body & Data about her participation in the course, Decolonizing M&E and Research with Dr. Michelle Lokot.

A recently organized "Decolonizing M&E and Research" training by Cynara and facilitated by Dr. Michelle Lokot was a treat to my pursuit of critical thinking and learning.

I was familiar with some of the tools and approaches discussed in the training because I work with an organization that carries a feminist value and approach. However, there were other new aspects I learned in the training about monitoring, evaluation, and research that any entity, researcher, or even the funder  should reflect upon, which could help to make their programmatic works, research and evaluation process decolonized and feminist.

Throughout the training, the theoretical aspects on how we can decolonize M&E and Research was explained clearly with contemporary examples, which made the discussion more interesting. It was also participatory and the group works also helped to bring diverse personal and professional experiences while unpacking our existing practices of monitoring, evaluation, and research. This training will guide me in my work related to monitoring and evaluation from feminist approach. I am also excited to apply the things I have learned practically in my upcoming action plans. 

~Rita Baramu, Body & Data