Cebu City, Cebu – From June 5 to 7, 2024, the FISH Visayas Project team of AFOS Foundation, along with field and project officers from partner Business Membership Organizations (BMOs), convened for the quarterly Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Learning (MERL) Workshops. This three-day activity, organized under Knowledge Management, aimed to enhance documentation, reporting, monitoring, evaluation, and preparation for the upcoming project progress review.

The MERL workshops, a key component of effective project management for the FISH Visayas Project, focused on four main activities:
First, evaluating project performance. The first session is concentrated on understanding the project’s performance using the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Criteria. This approach ensures an equal level of understanding of the project’s relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability – a necessary preparation for the Project Progress Review.

Second, assessing project progress. The second activity involved assessing project progress against established targets and indicators and presenting plans for the third and fourth quarters of the year. This session included reviewing and tracking the submission and completion of means of verification (MOV) aligned with project indicators. Consequently, the team identified 25 action points with specified timelines to complete pending MOV submissions and achieve the remaining project targets.

Third, refining work plans and reports. The third session focused on reviewing and polishing work plans and activity reports within the AFOS Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System. All activity reports for each project area were reviewed and categorized into those ready for evaluation and those requiring additional work, ensuring thorough and accurate documentation.

Fourth, identifying project risks in sustainability. The fourth activity involved identifying hypotheses, assumptions, and risks affecting project sustainability based on outcomes, and developing actionable recommendations to mitigate them. The team identified sustainability factors and related risks and created strategies to address these challenges.

In addition to the MERL activities, a learning session titled “Uncovering Cebu: Exploring Culture, History, and Tourism with a Focus on Fisheries” was conducted. This session enhanced participants’ understanding of Cebu’s cultural, historical, and tourism context, particularly in relation to fisheries, enriching future project activities and strategies.

Significantly, partner BMOs actively engaged in the series of workshops. These included the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, DCCCO Multipurpose Cooperative, and the Siquijor Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Moving forward, the project team will continue to monitor the direction of project interventions, ensuring a significant and positive impact on partners and beneficiaries. The ongoing commitment to a seamless approach to M&E will further support the achievement of project goals and the sustained success of the FISH Visayas Project.
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The MERL Workshops aspire to achieve Result Area 1: Training for Fishermen and MSMEs, Result Area 2: Dual Training in Fisheries, Result Area 3: Market Access, and Result Area 4: Resource Protection of the FISH Visayas Project.