Storytelling as an evaluation method – challenging injustices and gender equality

They say if you want to know about the world, ask a woman to tell you a story. From the Philippines to Nigeria, Nepal to Togo, Uganda to Colombia, the women and men of Women2030 program came together to give us a glimpse into their world and how they are challenging injustices and gender inequality.

The Women 2030 consortium chose storytelling as an evaluation method because we wanted to challenge ourselves to do things differently. The participatory storytelling end evaluation was designed to celebrate this growing network. We wanted to showcase the impact of the program through an alternative lens. Storytelling enabled us to give visibility to the people who were engaged in the programme and who drove it. In this way, we were able to portray the tangible solutions and impacts to the problems they responded to through the inherent humanity of sharing experience.

In order to build a movement, we must learn and connect with each other. The gender justice movement today is characterised by intersectionality, and it is a fundamental part of the evolution of the radical change that feminism wants to bring. International NGOs need to keep up with the times.

Today, we are excited to share with you the booklet of the Women2030 program evaluation in collaboration with Recrear International : “The Seeds We Plant Grow Roots, A Booklet of Impact Stories”. This booklet, through stories, gives insight to the different contexts where the stories are based and gender equality. 

The program involved women’s rights organisations from more than 189 women’s rights and feminist partner organizations from 62 countries. All came together to challenge injustices and inequalities and raise their voices through three main impact areas: capacities built, policies improved, and mindsets changed.

The seeds that were planted in the Women2030 program are rooting, and in this booklet we can see how they grow and enrich the dialogue between organisations working towards gender justice across the globe, create spaces for their voices to be hears, and influence policies.

Through this process, we ensured the partners could shape the narrative, while building their capacities to tell their stories.  By listening and sharing many stories we also discerned patterns and invited the participants to make sense of their experiences.

Let us know if you need more information about the method or the evaluation booklet.

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