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This paper provides a reflection on a pilot experience of using the ‘Most Significant Change’ (MSC) methodology to evaluate the capacity building services of CABUNGO, a local capacity building support provider in Malawi. MSC is a story-based, qualitative and participatory approach to monitoring and evaluation (M&E). INTRAC and CABUNGO worked collaboratively to adapt and implement the MSC approach to capture the complex and often intangible change resulting from capacity building.
The paper shows how CABUNGO has achieved significant impacts on the sustainability and effectiveness of the NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs) with which it has worked. These impacts were felt not only on attitudes, skills, knowledge and behaviour, but also in relationships and power dynamics. The key advantages of using MSC to evaluate capacity building are assessed in relation to its ability to capture and consolidate the different perspectives of stakeholders, to aid understanding and conceptualisation of complex change, and to enhance organisational learning. These advantages are considered in light of the potential difficulties around adopting a qualitative approach in an environment in which donor requirements are focused on measuring achievements against specific quantitative data.
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