The anti-slavery movement is at an historic crossroads. We must do more than awaken the world to the fact that slavery still exists. We must convince the world that slavery can be overcome.
And to do that, we must prove that our work on the front lines is breaking slavery’s grip on the vulnerable communities where we work.
It’s a tall order for Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Sujata Bijou. But she’s never been one to shy away from a challenge. She’s already guided FTS through the process of refining our community-based model for fighting slavery.
Now, she’s begun a world tour to the trafficking hot spots where we’re helping our partner organizations combat slavery.
First stop: Haiti. Sujata traveled to Jacmel for a weeklong M&E workshop with Fondasyon Limyè Lavi (FLL). She explained the importance of rigorous monitoring and the different techniques we’ll be using to evaluate the effectiveness of programs. The goal is not only to demonstrate success; it’s to identify weaknesses in order to strengthen field programs over time.
“They enjoyed the training,” Sujata says, “they definitely learned a lot.”
How does she know? By formally evaluating the workshop, of course.
Next stop: Ghana. Sujata leaves soon to work with our Ghanaian partner Challenging Heights.
And true to form, she’s working to strengthen her M&E road show.
“We are hoping on taking the lessons learned during the training in Haiti and using them to make improvements in Ghana,” Sujata says. “I am really looking forward to it!”
