Page 10 - GDG Annual Report 2021

Annual Report 2021 10 Global Development Group

Key Learnings from 2021

The GDG team connected with partners via Zoom calls throughout the year, sharing updates, brainstorming challenges, and delivering training.
Here, Project Officer Makara Kin meets with the team from J1033N Recruitment and Training of Disadvantaged Youth in Cambodia.

Despite the challenges of the past year, Global Development Common key learnings included:
Group remains committed to continuous improvement.
• The importance of remaining flexible in order to increase
Projects have had to adapt their activities in response to
effectiveness.
restrictions and lockdowns in order to continue to operate
and remain focussed on the immediate needs of the • An increased understanding of how cultural symbolism
communities in which they work. and anecdotes play an important role in motivating and
connecting with staff and beneficiaries.
GDG undertakes evaluations periodically for each project,
• Finding the right balance between the number of
generally at the completion of a project term, however they
beneficiaries reached verses quality of provision,
can also be done more frequently if required. This allows us
particularly in emergency or desperate situations where
to capture the learnings from all projects, as well as reflect
resources tend to spread thin such as COVID-19 response.
on the effectiveness of the project to inform the planning of
subsequent project objectives and desired outcomes of the • Improved efficiencies through collaborations with
next project phase. various levels of government and other civil service
This past year has seen a disruption to our normal evaluation actors. One project found that in teaming up with the
process due to restrictions associated with COVID-19. Despite local government unit they were able to better identify
this, GDG has continued to conduct evaluations for all projects communities outside of their local beneficiaries who need
that concluded in 2021. the most urgent assistance, as well as coordinate the flow
of relief goods distribution in an orderly fashion.