The World Bank - National Community Driven Development Project - 2013

Project Description:

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar had received a grant in the amount of US$ 80 million from the World Bank toward the cost of its National Community Driven Development Project, which was being implemented by the Department of Rural Development (DRD). The objective of the project was to enable poor rural communities to benefit from improved access to and use of basic infrastructure and services through a people-centered approach, and to enhance the government’s capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency.  This approach would empower villagers to manage and participate in their own development.

The objective would be achieved through: (i) financing community-identified rural infrastructure investments; (ii) strengthening the capacity of communities in partnership with local authorities to effectively identify, plan, and implement their development priorities; and (iii) facilitating the participation of the poor and vulnerable, both women and men, throughout the project cycle at the community level.

MKE played the role of local partner in the consortium with Agriconsulting and Inacon. MKE provided three out of ten experts for the team, covering the following areas; Management of Information Systems specialist, Training Specialist, and Grievance Handling Specialist.  The team worked in close partnership with the DRD to sustainably increase capacity to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate participatory development projects at the township and centralized-government level.

Private Client - Market research into the high-end camera and fine wine market in Yangon - 2013

Project Description:

A Private Client commissioned MKE to conduct a comprehensive sectoral review of the market for high-end cameras, related accessories, and fine wines in Yangon, Myanmar.

The review included a Strengths and Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis and allowed the Client to make informed decisions about market entry in Myanmar, with a view to opening specialist retail shops that sell high-end cameras and accessories, and other specialist shops that sell fine wines. The analysis was based upon market research conducted in Yangon and incorporated the information and opinions from existing retailers in the same market as well as consumers.  A legal review was also conducted and incorporated into report.

Peace House Shelter Project (AECID) - Development of Result-based Evaluation Indicators and Strategy for the Peace House Shelter Project - 2012

Project Description:

The assignment aimed to support the settlement of the weaknesses and constraints faced during Phase I and II of the Peace House Shelter Project – Supporting Victims of Trafficking in Persons by defining an adequate mechanism of planning, monitoring and evaluation, setting adequate management structure and procedures and defining a medium-long term sustainability strategy involving Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and others relevant actors in the national system.

Key deliverables included a log-frame matrix of Phase II with a set of result-based indicators, M&E system to monitor the project performance, internal working mechanisms to ensure effective implementation as well as a sustainable strategy of the shelter operation with various scenarios for the sustainability of the shelter.

POSCIS Secretariat & GI - Chief Technical Adviser to the Program on Strengthening Comprehensive Capacity of the Inspectorate System in Vietnam - 2012

Project Description:

The objective of the Program on Strengthening the Comprehensive Capacity of Inspectorate Sector towards 2014 (POSCIS) was to build the ethical, strong, professional and modern inspectorate system capable of good performance of tasks as provided by laws in the areas of inspection, complaint and denunciation settlement, and anti-corruption.

MKE provided a Chief Technical Advisor who performed the functions of support the management, coordination and provision of technical leadership to enhance the capacity of the Inspectorate system to implement the Program and support the Program and Project Components to handle difficulties and short-comings arising during their implementation, provide policy advice on strengthening the capacity of the inspectorate system, especially in prevention and suppression of corruption, and give advice on training works, suggest the international experts who can support and share experience on the inspectorate profession.

CIDA - Facilitation for South East Asia Regional Forum on Sustainable Economic Growth - 2012

Project Description:

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) was organizing a Southeast Asia Regional Forum on Sustainable Economic Growth (SEG Forum) that would bring together government officials, researchers, civil society organizations and bilateral and multilateral cooperation institutions from around the region. MKE prepared for facilitating the Conference and facilitated it.

UNDP Myanmar - Assessment and Development of Beneficiary targeting methodology for programme formulation - 2012

Project Description:

UNDP had implemented three phases of the Human Development Initiative (HDI) programme, with its fourth phase ending in December 2012. In the spring of 2012 UNDP Myanmar began formulating a new, post-2012 HDI programme. This consultancy was one of those to be fielded by the country office to explore targeting methodology options for household/ beneficiary selection in the new programme. As such, the UNDP Myanmar required an assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the current HDI beneficiary targeting procedures for household and village as well as an analysis of different targeting practices in Myanmar and international best practices.

International Center for Research on Women - Longitudinal study of a workplace education and life skills program in a Garment factory in Cambodia - 2012

Project Description:

Our Client was serving as an evaluation partner and also providing strategic guidance for a workplace education program for young women in selected garment factories. In each factory, the program offered female garment workers education and life skills training in critical areas such as communication, problem solving and decision making as well as health, financial and social entitlements. MKE conducted an interviewer-administered longitudinal end-line survey to obtain information on long-term effects of the program on participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding key learnings and objectives of the program in a Phnompenh factory.

The World Bank - Agriculture and Rural Development Public Expenditure Review - 2012

Project Description:

The objective of this Agriculture and Rural Development Public Expenditure Review (PER) was to contribute to the preparation of the proposed poverty reduction and rural development operation in the Central Region through consolidating lessons learned from the recent period Public Expenditure Management (PEM), and making recommendations on how selected provinces and central agencies in charge of the implementation or coordination of related programs can effectively and efficiently use available financial resources for achieving the rural development and poverty reduction goals set out in core strategies/development plans for the forthcoming period. MKE completed the following tasks:

(i) Providing a broad description of the dynamics and patterns of allocations and spending and the overall PEM system in the ARD sector.

(ii) Conducting a broad assessment of allocative efficiency for the sector as the whole and a more in-depth one for the selected provinces.

(iii) Carrying out an in-depth analysis of technical efficiency in the selected provinces and the influencing factors

(iv) Providing an assessment of growth and poverty reduction impacts of selected ARD programs in the region.

(v) Producing a report presenting findings and recommendations of the PEM and its summary to be included in the synthesis report of the above-mentioned series of analytical works.

The Program on Strengthening the Comprehensive Capacity of Inspectorate Sector (Kien Giang)- Human Resource Development Plan for Provincial Inspectorate of Kien Giang - 2011

Project Description:

The overall objective of POSCIS was to “build and Inspectorate sector that is ethical, consolidated, step-by-step professionalized, modern and capable of effectively implementing inspection, complaints and denunciation handling and anti-corruption tasks assigned by the Communist Party and the State.” The assignment was to provide technical support for Kien Giang CPMU to build human resource development plan for Provincial Inspectorate in the period of 2012 – 2015. MKE’s consultants completed

(i) reviewing draft and providing comments on survey questionnaires

(ii) reviewing draft and providing comments on Report of survey results

(iii) reviewing draft and provide comments on Human Resource Development Plan

(iv) participated and presented a speech at a workshop organized by Kien Giang Component PMU to contribute ideas on building human resource development plan.

Irish Aid (Irish Embassy in Hanoi) - Review of the Irish Development Experience Sharing Programme (IDEAS Programme) - 2011

Project Description:

Carried out a review of Irish Aid’s IDEAS programme which provided Master degree scholarships and support to Economic Management and Governance. This involved a survey of the partners organizations in Vietnam to ascertain the satisfactions levels of the exchange programmes to date; Drawing up a report for the Steering Committee; input to the development of the new Irish Country Strategy Paper with the international consultant; and presenting the findings to the Irish Aid, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, VCCI and other government agencies.