Evaluations and program analyzes
Terre des Hommes generally implements its funded projects in collaboration with local partner organizations, but also supports the proper execution of the work and the documentation of project success. Local experts advise project partners on implementation. The results are reviewed and documented on-site.
For large projects or specific issues, external evaluations and program analyses complement the internal impact assessments conducted by Terre des Hommes staff. They can bring specialized expertise and fresh perspectives to the work. Evaluations are more rigorous in nature, whereas program analyses are intended to create a systematic overall picture and, above all, to further develop the working method.
Terre des Hommes distinguishes between different types of evaluations: Formative evaluations, which are conducted during the course of a project, serve to advise on and improve the measure; final evaluations focus on the results; ex-post evaluations, which are conducted years after the end of the project, are intended to show whether the results have persisted after the project's end or whether they have had an even broader social impact.
The content of an evaluation includes the analysis of the problem and the context, the quality of planning and implementation, the methods used to achieve the project objectives, and the project's impact. All of them share a common interest in learning from both good experiences and mistakes and making the knowledge gained available to others. Terre des Hommes strives to conduct exemplary evaluations for all project regions and all relevant fields of work.