By: Sarbani Kattel, HomeNet International Programme Coordinator

HNI organized a three-part online training series on Outcome Harvesting, an approach to Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE). Facilitated by MLE expert Barbara Klugman, the sessions took place on March 5th, 17th, and 20th and were conducted in English. 

The training was designed for affiliates from Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia who had previously attended the May 2024 Outcome Harvesting Training in Mauritius, led by WIEGO. Organized in response to affiliate demand, this series focused on deepening participants’ understanding of outcome harvesting in practice.

Rather than focusing solely on writing outcome statements, the sessions explored affiliates’ work, how far they had progressed, and the challenges they faced along the way. Participants were introduced to “Climbing a Mountain” as a metaphor for telling a story of change, emphasizing key stages in a journey: setting expectations and assessing preparedness at the start, facing challenges and adapting strategies along the way, reflecting on progress at the midpoint, and gaining clarity on achievements and lessons learned near the summit.

Participants were encouraged to select a goal—whether in progress or achieved—and use guided questions to articulate their story of change. Stories from three affiliates were reviewed in detail, and through this process, key outcomes were jointly extracted from the stories. Gaps in information and challenges in collecting information were discussed.

To integrate storytelling into monitoring and learning, participants emphasized its role in encouraging participation, collective brainstorming, and generating insights for future action. Suggested strategies included:

  • Regional and country networks gathering stories routinely, starting with affiliates who had attended training.
  • Visual storytelling tools, such as drawing a mountain in offices to track progress.
  • Encouraging all staff to be storytellers and designating someone to document stories.
  • Exploring digital tools, such as using WhatsApp voice recordings and AI text-generating tools to transcribe audio stories into text.

As part of the learning process, participants were encouraged to actively practice storytelling using the “Climbing a Mountain” approach and submit their stories to HNI Programme Coordinator Sarbani, who offered guidance and refinement support with additional assistance from Barbara Klugman if needed. Each organization was asked to document its stories, contributing to a collective learning journey.