Mott MacDonald & UNICEF - Provision of technical expertise to the UNICEF education sector: early learning, gender education, inclusive quality - 2019

Project Description:

Mott MacDonald signed an Education Framework Contract with the UNICEF for 2 years, under which each UNICEF regional and country office can send Mott MacDonald requests for Technical Assistance (TA) work. Mekong Economics, as a part of the Consortium led by Mott MacDonald would provide support in responding to the requests as they arise and implementing the assignments.

E.Gen Consultants Ltd. / ADB - Second Upper Secondary Education Development Project - 2019

Description of the Project :

The Second Upper Secondary Education (USE) Development Project (the Project/USEDP II) is financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Viet Nam. The Project helps the Government promote its ongoing reform initiative for USE through upgrading of teaching and learning to international standards, improving student access and retention, and strengthening school management for USE. The Project is national in scope, with investments to improve access targeted to selected disadvantaged provinces. The objectives of the consultant’s services were to provide all necessary support to the Central Project Management Unit (CPMU) in ensuring the smooth and efficient implementation of the Project, as well as providing technical expertise in a variety of fields, including financial management, procurement management, staff development, monitoring and evaluation, and overall coordination support for the Project.

Mekong Economics provided an Expert on Capacity Development for USE Planning and Management to complete the following tasks under the lead of the international consultant:

• Undertaking an assessment of management capacity and planning capacity of managers in MOET, DOETs, USSs, complimentary education schools and CECs having complimentary programs for USE. The assessment will highlight constraints and weaknesses, where these exist, in the current system, and recommend remedial measures.

• Conducting a comparative study on management capacity development of educational administrators in various countries, and proposing initiatives and frameworks for capacity development of USE management in Vietnam;

• Assisting the CPMU in arranging in-country training for USS principals;

• Assisting the CPMU in arranging in-country training for CEC directors;

• Preparing monitoring and evaluation framework and evaluation indicators for capacity development for targeted groups;

• Assisting the CPMU in designing and implementing OST for core USS managers;

• Assisting CPMU in developing school mapping software for USSs.

• Assisting CPMU in implementing block grants for local government to develop management capacity, including: planning, implementation, M&E, etc.

• Assisting CPMU in evaluating the implementation of capacity development for USE planning and management in targeted provinces and proposing recommendations in capacity development for managers in order to improve USE quality

ICRW - Endline research for career & life skills program among Village Saving and Loan community members of SreAmbel district and Koh Kong province - 2017

Project Description:

ICRW served as an evaluation partner and strategic advisor for P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) a financial and life skills program that had been operational among female garment workers in factories. The program was now complete and had offered 254 female and 6 men from about 11 VSLA’s education and life skills training. The mission’s main objective was to conduct interviewer-administered quantitative surveys and qualitative in-depth interviews to obtain endline information on participant characteristics as well as knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding key learning’s and objectives of the program.

In this context, the mission designed quantitative and qualitative data collection approaches; selected and recruited investigators for data collection; trained investigators and led data collection missions; recorded clean versions of the data; analysed and interpreted results in a final report submitted to ICRW.

Care - Facilitation to enhance women’s participation, increased access to information and market in the Rubber Sector - 2016

Project Description:

The project aimed to conduct a series of pilot intervention activities, with the ultimate aim of determining the best method to support women and men small-holder farmers (SHFs) to increase their rubber productivity, quality and gain secured access to land and ultimately to increase their income through improved market actions.

MKE designed and conducted a feasibility study to determine app/phone usage in the area, interviewing target beneficiaries and conducting key informant interviews (KIIs) with rubber sector engaged organizations; interpreting the results and ensuring suitable iterative planning and implementation of the pilot training activities. MKE team discuss where shortcomings in the SHF exist and what broad types of trainings or apps would be most suitable and train activities to rubber farmers and to demonstrate certain tools are used or certain techniques.

MKE conducted all monitoring and evaluating of the use and uptake of apps and those of trainings; produced a final report analysing the results (achieved through “outcome harvesting”) from the pilot interventions, and provided recommendations and considerations towards upscaling such interventions on a region-wide level.

CDN - Baseline Study: Improving the incomes and nutrition outcomes of rural poor in Northern Kayin State - 2016

Project Description:

This project was focused on Thandaunggyi Township, the northernmost township in Kayin State. It covered three sub-townships (Leiktho, Thandaunggyi and Bawgali). The baseline study focused on baseline data collected for a set of indicators outlined in the project’s M&E plan. The baseline study report was used as a measurement to monitor the project progress against the set indicators and achievement over the course of the project implementation.

MKE led the overall design of approach and survey questions for the baseline study and trained enumerators in conducting a baseline survey. MKE cleaned and analyzed the collected data and information obtained from the baseline survey. Finally, MKE delivered a final baseline survey report with statistical testing of the Theory of Change causal pathways and a set of 36 recommendations.

BTC - Facility To Capacity Building Project (Vie 1188811) - 2016

Project Description:

The Facility to Capacity Building (FCB) aimed to improve the quality of human resources of Vietnam through strengthening the innovation and management skill capacities of both individuals and institutions by taking into account a broader setting including master degree trainings, traineeships, alumni fellowships, net-working, coaching, and professional development activities. The Consultant's mandates is to

(i) Identifying, attracting, and facilitating participation of beneficiary organisations

(ii) Evaluating beneficiary and training supplier proposal

(iii) Provide target groups with tools, instruments, expertise and support for effective training

(iv) Provide quality control and support for delivery of trainings

(v) Support the formation and implementation of a specified monitoring and evaluation system. 

Care Myanmar - Baseline Assessment for Comprehensive rural households food security programme - 2016

Project Description:

The project was aimed to assist approximately 21,000 persons living in over 3,900 households across 32 target villages in Rathedaung township to develop sustainable livelihoods; meaning that they would become food secure and have higher incomes, be more resilient to economic shocks and natural disaster, and be better able to manage intra-communal tensions that presently hold back community development.

MKE conducted quantitative household survey and qualitative focus group discussions to produce below outcomes

1. Increased sources and level of income of target households;

2. Increased capacity of target communities to manage forests, water resources and preparation for/response to disasters;

3. Improved conditions for sustained livelihoods through increased social cohesion between and within communities.

Friedrich Naumann Foundation - Workshop for Drafting of Chin State’s SME Development Roadmap - 2016

Project Description:

“Workshop for Drafting of Chin State’s SME Development Roadmap” was organized by FNF (Friedrich Naumann Foundation) together with the Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Municipal, Electrical and Industrial of Chin State and CAD (Community Agency for Rural Development) in Hakha, capital city of Chin State (poorest State in Myanmar). The purpose of the workshop was to create a roadmap with an action plan for the development of SMEs in Chin State.

MKE provided trainings focused on  SME development policy and law, consultation on SME rules and regulation awareness raising, competition law awareness raising, entrepreneurship, intellectual property rights, SME strengthening; strengthening the capacity and knowledge of project cycle management, project proposal writing, leadership, and moderating and organization development.

Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF Myanmar) - Workshop for Drafting of Chin State’s SME Development Roadmap - 2016

Description of the Project :

“Workshop for Drafting of Chin State’s SME Development Roadmap” was organized by FNF (Friedrich Naumann Foundation) together with the Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Municipal, Electrical and Industrial of Chin State and CAD (Community Agency for Rural Development) in Hakha, capital city of Chin State (poorest State in Myanmar). The purpose of the workshop was to create a roadmap with an action plan for the development of SMEs in Chin State.

MKE provided trainings focused on SME development policy and law, consultation on SME rules and regulation awareness raising, competition law awareness raising, entrepreneurship, intellectual property rights, SME strengthening; strengthening the capacity and knowledge of project cycle management, project proposal writing, leadership, and moderating and organization development.

Canadian DFTAD - VIETNAM SKILLS FOR EMPLOYMENT PROJECT (VSEP) - 2015

Project Description:

Provided performance monitoring (including performance monitoring systems, the achievement of results; CEA management effectiveness; the ongoing relevance of the project; risks or evolving risks; the effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies; and the degree of sustainability of results achieved). Also provided technical advisor services, including providing recommendations and propose solutions when required for the appropriate execution of all project activities in order to achieve the expected outcome.