The Wholistic Transformation Resource Center Foundation, Inc. (WTRC) has taken a significant step forward in strengthening its community development work by participating in a customized Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) capacity development and training workshop.
Facilitated by Step Up Consulting Services, the workshop was specifically designed to align with WTRC’s unique programs and long-term goals, focusing on enhancing internal systems for transparency, accountability, and stakeholder engagement. This initiative reflects WTRC’s commitment to using data-driven approaches to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of its interventions.
The training aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of core M&E concepts and frameworks, build their capacity to design and implement effective data collection strategies, and improve their ability to analyze and interpret results accurately. WTRC staff also learned to use various M&E tools—such as logic models, performance indicators, and dashboards—to monitor program success and make informed decisions. A key outcome of the workshop was the development of tailored M&E systems that align with the foundation’s mission and can support long-term monitoring and evaluation practices.
Throughout the training, WTRC staff engaged in intensive sessions covering a broad range of M&E topics, including the Logical Framework, Results-Based M&E, and Theory of Change. Participants were also equipped with practical skills in data collection and analysis using tools such as Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and structured surveys. To ensure high data quality and credibility, the Triangulation Method was introduced alongside modern digital tools like Google Forms, Tableau, and AI-powered platforms for data visualization and analysis.
By embedding strong M&E systems across its operations, WTRC aims to align its efforts more closely with the expectations of donors, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders. This capacity-building initiative not only strengthens internal processes but also reinforces WTRC’s dedication to continuous improvement and evidence-based development work. Ultimately, the foundation believes that more effective monitoring and evaluation will lead to deeper, more meaningful, and lasting impacts in the communities it serves.
Step Up was commissioned by the Wholistic Transformation Resource Center (WTRC) to facilitate Youth Development and Empowerment Training and Capacity Development on Project Management for the leaders of the Church of Nazarene—GMA as part of its ongoing partnership with the church.
Capacity Development on Project Management
The training, which took place from July 13 to September 14, 2024, was a key initiative to strengthen the project management skills of Church of Nazarene – GMA leaders. The blended sessions—face-to-face and online activities—focused on various stages of project management, including project conception, planning, execution, and monitoring.
The program followed a three-step approach to build the skills of project staff and volunteers:
Capacity Assessment: The first step involved evaluating the current competencies of project staff and volunteers to determine the skills needed for effective project management.
Project Management Strategy Development: In the second step, leaders and volunteers collaborated to create a comprehensive project management strategy detailing the tools and methods for successful project execution and monitoring.
Monitoring and Documentation: The final phase of the training focused on equipping participants with the skills needed to document project progress and assess the impacts of their initiatives to continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of their projects.
The training covered key topics like project initiation, planning, launching, and control, enabling participants to develop a structured approach to managing community-based projects. This initiative improved the leaders’ project management skills and reinforced WTRC’s mission of fostering holistic transformation through partnerships with churches, social enterprises, and other community-based organizations.
The completion of this training marks a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between Step Up, WTRC, and the Church of Nazarene—GMA. It reinforces the foundation’s commitment to developing leaders who can drive meaningful change in marginalized communities and support its mission of building stronger, more sustainable communities across the nation.
Youth Development and Empowerment
The training conducted from 20 July to 21 September 2024 focused on building leadership skills, fostering self-care, and enhancing confidence in public speaking. It equipped youth leaders to manage their activities effectively and lead with purpose. The workshop was designed around key actions to empower participants and create inclusive, supportive spaces for personal and collective growth. Among these strategies were discussions on the importance of self-care and empathy toward others, ensuring that participants felt encouraged to create welcoming environments within their ministries. A needs assessment conducted through focus group discussions revealed that participants were particularly keen on improving their public speaking abilities, especially when engaging with children and other youth in the ministry. They expressed a desire for leadership training that moved beyond traditional formats, advocating for more interactive, engaging, and meaningful activities. Participants were also eager to explore topics like mental health, online communities, and how to encourage youth participation in ministry. The training was structured around four main sessions, each designed to be participatory and centred on peer learning. These sessions included:
Session 1: Participation in an Inclusive and Safe Spaces (Care for Self and Others) – Emphasizing the importance of creating inclusive, caring environments where everyone’s voice can be heard.
Session 2: Safety in the Online World – Offering tools and strategies to navigate the complexities of online engagement while ensuring safety for both leaders and youth members.
Session 3: Building Interpersonal Relationships, Self-Confidence, and Communication Skills – Fostering stronger communication, interpersonal skills, and confidence to engage with others effectively.
Session 4: The Leaders We Hope to Become – Encouraging youth to reflect on the qualities they wish to embody as future leaders, helping them align their values with their leadership style.
The dynamic and hands-on nature of the sessions allowed participants to interact directly with their peers, share ideas, and engage in plenary discussions. With an emphasis on creativity, group work, and idea-sharing, the training ensured that each participant had the chance to discover their personal strengths and overcome challenges, especially those related to public speaking. “Interactive activities, group discussions, and peer-led sharing were key aspects of the training,” explained one participant. “It helped us learn from the facilitator and each other, making the experience much more meaningful.” The training initiative aligns with Step Up’s broader mission to develop young leaders who are capable, confident, and ready to make a lasting impact in their communities. As the Church of Nazarene – GMA youth leaders implement the skills they’ve learned, Step Up hopes to continue supporting their growth and empowerment through future.
The Step-Up team has successfully concluded the end-of-project evaluation of the Strengthening Local Stakeholders and Community’s Capacity to Improve Environment Management in Bilar, Bohol Philippines Project. Spanning over three years, this initiative aimed to transform Bilar into a model municipality for sustainable environmental management and conservation.
The project focused on enhancing local stakeholders’ involvement in karst education, landscape management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation. It sought to bolster environmental ethics while ensuring the sustainable use of resources within the community.
Key objectives of the evaluation included assessing the effectiveness of local stakeholders’ management plans for the karst landscape, improvements in local biodiversity, enhanced management of freshwater resources, advancements in solid waste management, reduced agricultural chemical use, and the promotion of eco-tourism.
Moreover, the evaluation examined the progress of partner barangays and communities in making informed environmental management decisions. It also evaluated the implementation and utilization of disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) plans, ensuring their functionality and effectiveness.
Particular attention was given to assessing the capacity-building efforts aimed at youths and local stakeholders who are advocating for environmental sustainability. The project aimed to empower the next generation with the knowledge and skills needed to champion environmental conservation in their community.
Step Up Consulting completed the terminal evaluation of the project Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives in Vulnerable Areas Toward Effective Governance and Resilient Communities (DRILLS) in the Municipalities of Loay, Loboc and Sevilla, Bohol Province, Philippines by BIDEF, Inc. with the funding support by MISEREOR.
The project intended to capacitate local communities especially those living in high-risk areas in disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. When they are capacitated through organized Community-Based Disaster Brigades (CBDBs), utilization of the approved DRRM and other relevant plans and early warning systems, communities are able to engage and respond to any disaster situations and reduce the impacts of risks and damages caused by disasters.
The evaluation involved triangulation of approaches: a combination of survey, focus groups discussions and key informant interviews and evaluation of program traces or documentation. Step Up Managing Consultant Hedz Paredes led the evaluation process.
Step Up’s strategy advisor, Michael Canares, was contracted by Common Ground Consulting to train civil society organizations (CSOs) on monitoring, evaluation, and learning. The training, which was held on 15-18 February 2022 via Zoom, is part of the various training programs conducted for Ugandan CSOs by the Civil Society Strengthening Activity (CSSA) training program funded by the United States Agency for International Development.
Twenty-two CSOs attended the training. The cohort included representatives from the Uganda Women’s Network, the National Coalition for Human Rights Defenders, White Ribbon Alliance, Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group, ICT Policy Center for Eastern and Southern Africa, among others.
Synchronous sessions took place from 1 to 5 pm Uganda time (5 to 10 pm Philippine time). Asynchronous sessions, on the other hand, took place every morning of each day through organization-based assignments that are required to be presented during the synchronous sessions each day.
The participants appreciated the training design and delivery. At the end of the training, most of them were excited to use their knowledge to improve the M&E systems of their organizations.
Step Up Consulting signed a contract with Soil and Water Conservation to conduct the end-of-project evaluation of its project implemented in Bohol, Philippines.
The project entitled the project “Strengthening the Capacity of a Farmers Federation and their Communities to Address Climate Change in Bohol, Philippines”, was implemented in the Province of Bohol with funding support from Misereor. The project aimed to continue to address the institutional strengthening of a farmer’s federation by providing (1) organizational management and technical training/workshops, monitoring, and evaluation; (2) further capacity building for members of the federation; (3) assistance for sustainable management and conservation of the environment including climate change adaptation, DRRM, biodiversity conservation and protection while strengthening environmental ethics in the local community, especially the youth; and (4) facilitation in formulating implementable Disaster Risk Reduction Management and Contingency Plan of the barangays.
The project is implemented benefitting the farmers federation composed of more than 10 cooperatives and farmers associations located in several towns in central Bohol, 15 Barangay Local Government Units (BLGUs) in the municipality of Batuan, selected elementary or secondary school students and teachers in the project municipalities, and community residents in barangay Bahi, Albuquerque, where the SWCF office is located.
Project evaluation is part of Step Up Consulting’s primary expertise. The team at Step Up will be lead by its Research Lead, Ms. Jean Celeste Paredes.
Step Up Consulting conducted the midterm evaluation of a disaster risk reduction and management project implemented by the Bohol Integrated Development Foundation in three municipalities in Bohol. The project, Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives in Vulnerable Areas Toward Effective Governance and Resilient Communities in the Municipalities of Loay, Loboc and Sevilla, Bohol Province, Philippines, is now on its third year and is funded by MISEREOR.
The project aims to increase the knowledge and capacities of the individuals and to comprehensively formulate a plan and budget for disaster risk reduction and management. The project intends to capacitate local communities especially those located in high-risk areas, to become more aware and active in disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
The evaluation involved triangulation of approaches: a combination of survey, focus group discussion, key informant interview and evaluation of program traces or documentation.
A review and analysis of documents specifically on project documentations, minutes of meetings, photographs, progress reports, ordinances and other relevant data were made to evaluate the extent of effectiveness in the other variables identified.
A survey was conducted to gather relevant data more particularly on two aspects included in the evaluation framework. This investigated areas of interventions versus need and results versus objectives. The survey included the barangay officials and members of the volunteer groups. The questionnaire was developed, validated and pilot tested prior to the actual conduct.
Jean Celeste Paredes, Step Up’s research chief, led the team that conducted the evaluation. The final report was submitted to BIDEF in February 2021.
Michael Canares, strategy advisor of Step Up Consulting, completed a four-month contract beginning September 2020 with the Transport Sector Support Program Phase 2 (TSSP2), a project implemented in Papua New Guinea with funding support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Mr. Canares works with the team based in Papua New Guinea to assemble the Program Implementation Plan for 2021, the Annual Program Report for 2020, as well as review the Monitoring and Evaluation Learning Plan. TSSP2 is currently being managed by the international engineering company GHD.
The Papua New Guinea – Australia Transport Sector Support Program 2 (TSSP2) continues the Australian Government’s long-term commitment to the PNG transport infrastructure sector. The shared long-term goal of TSSP is a safer, more reliable transport system in place enabling economic and social development in PNG.
Michael Canares, Strategy Advisor at Step Up Consulting is part of the implementation team of the Roads for Development Program Phase 2 (R4D2) currently implemented in Vanuatu by Adam Smith International, with funding support by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
R4D2 will support the Government of Vanuatu’s Public Works Department (PWD) under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (MIPU). The program commenced in June 2019 and will run to the end of June 2022, with an option to extend by two years, subject to DFAT approval. The program aims to contribute to the achievement of the Government of Vanuatu’s (GoV) National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2030 (NSDP) goals, more particularly the following:
A dynamic public sector with good governance principles and strong institutions delivering support and services to all citizens of Vanuatu
Sustainable and well-maintained infrastructure and services for all, through inclusive and effective partnerships
Mr. Canares is R4D2’s short-term Monitoring and Evaluation Adviser.
Step Up Research Manager, Jean Celeste Paredes, attends the Outcome Harvesting Workshop and Data Security training organized by HIVOS last October 15-17, 2019 at the Bellevue Hotel, Ortigas. The activity is part of the series of activities that HIVOS offer to its partners in the Philippines.
Outcome Harvesting is an evaluation approach in which evaluators, grantmakers, managers and staff identify, formulate, verify, analyse and interpret ‘outcomes’ in programming contexts where relations of cause and effect are not fully understood. Through Outcome Harvesting, organizations collect (“harvest”) evidence of what has changed (“outcomes”) for HIVOS grantees, and then, working backwards, determine whether and how HIVOS interventions (grant allocation and linking and learning) have contributed to these changes.
On the other hand, the Digital Security Training aims to introduce and understand the communications model as a framework for digital security and to identify areas how each partner, including Step Up Consulting, can strengthen digital security within each organization.
Step Up Consulting 