Conduct a Post-Emergency Evaluation
Ongoing monitoring of relevant indicators is vital for early identification and correction of problems. The monitoring data however, is also important to generate information for evaluation, which must be carried out at the end of the emergency.
The aim of post-emergency evaluation is to assess the relevance, performance and success of the communication response. It should measure behavioral, organizational and social changes that contributed to ending the emergency as a result of SBCC activities. Key questions that post-emergency evaluation should attempt to answer include:
- Was the communication response timely and coordinated?
- Were the strategies adopted appropriate?
- Has the overall program goal been achieved?
- Have the behavioral communication objectives been achieved?
- Which desired behaviors were most important in curbing the emergency?
- What was successful about the intervention?
- How sustainable are the changes made?
- How did the communication response contribute to the overall emergency response?
- What were the strengths and weaknesses of the communication response?
- What are some of the lessons learned?
- What gaps, if any, exist and how should they be addressed?
Post-emergency evaluation should therefore aim to identify what worked effectively and why, what can be learned and improved, and how likely it is that a similar emergency can be prevented in the future.
Importantly, post-emergency evaluation should also gather information and lessons learned from partners and record these for future use. Perspectives from partners and stakeholders, including affected communities, should be captured. Including affected communities in the evaluation process and sharing the results with them can help the healing process and support communities to rebuild themselves from the aftermath of the emergency.
Post-emergency evaluation is likely to take time if carried out properly, and can provide valuable insights into how to respond effectively to similar crisis in the future. It should be conducted by experienced research and/or M&E personnel, and results should be shared with all national and international stakeholders to build global capacity to respond effectively to emergencies.