Step Up Consulting Services recently completed a consulting contract with SIMAG Foundation based in Silay City, Negros Occidental. The Board of Trustees of the Foundation were thankful to Step Up for its work in clarifying the strategic directions of the organization.
The presentation to the Board was conducted last 12 January 2011 at Richmonde Hotel in Silay City.
Fundacion Ipade, a nonprofit organization based in Spain and implementing projects across the globe, hired Step Up Consulting Services to undertake the midterm evaluation of a project it is currently implementing in Southeast Asia. The contract runs from November 2010 and is due to be completed at the end of February 2011.
In line with the banner program of Gov. Edgar M. Chatto for transparent and accountable governance, the Provincial Government of Bohol, supported by the Provincial Roads Management Facility (PRMF), anAustralian Government Aid Initiative, conducted a two-day workshop at the JJs Seafood Village last Jan. 6-7, 2011.
About 35 provincial government participants attended the two-day gab to review and fine-tune the risk assessment matrices prepared by the Provincial Engineering Office (PEO), the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), the Provincial Treasurer’s Office (PTO), the Provincial Budget Office (PBO), the Provincial Accounting Office (PAccO) and the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC).
The workshop, according to Jerome Maniwang, Head of the Provincial Internal Audit Office (PIAO), aims at identifying risk zones in the business processes of the six pilot offices. These risk zones, once identified and accepted, will lead to particular risks that need be managed and controlled so that provincial government transactions remain open, transparent and accountable.
From this workshop, an Audit Plan for 2011 will be formulated based on an Internal Audit Operations Manual that will be formulated by the PIAO. The first office to be audited by the PIAO, once the Operations Manual is approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, is the PEO road maintenance activities for 2010.
Providing coaching and mentoring assistance to the PIAO staff is Consultant Michael Cañares, an international evaluation/assessment consultant and faculty member of the Holy Name University who was awarded as Most Outstanding Finance Instructor in the Philippines in 2009. (from Bohol Chronicle)
DISOP Philippines once again hired Step Up Consulting Services to conduct a baseline study update of its 10 partners in the Philippines. The contract was recently approved by DISOP office based in Brussels early this month and the work will be done up to April 2011.
DISOP, Dienst voor Internationale Samenwerking aan
Ontwikkelings Projecten or Organisation for International Co-operation on Development Projects, is a Belgian private non-stock, non-profit organisation established in 1961 and recognised as a Non-Governmental Organisation for Development Aid. In the course of the years, DISOP managed to build up a firm and dynamic supportive group in Belgium as well as in other parts of the world.
In the Philippines, DISOP has been assisting several projects geared towards “integrated sustainable development of disadvantaged groups.”
SIMAG Foundation of Silay, Negros Occidental hired Step Up Consulting Services to conduct organizational assessment of the operations of the foundation. SIMAG Foundation is a corporate social responsibility foundation of the Asociacion de Hacenderos de Silay-Saravia, Inc. (AHSSI) and Associated Planters of Silay-Saravia, Inc.
Mr. Canares, Managing Consultant of the firm heads the engagement team. The engagement runs from October to December this year.
Michael P. Canares, managing consultant of Step Up Consulting Services, upon invitation by the Vienna University of Economics and Business, attended a training on Evaluation of Sustainability of Development Assistance and Projects in Prague last 25 September to 2 October 2010. The training was held in the Czech Republic in the capital city of Prague and in the historic town of Slavonice.
Mr. Canares was the only Filipino of the 28 participants who attended the training. The other participants come from Vietnam, India, China, Spain, Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, and Turkey.
The opening and closing programs were done in Prague while the whole training activity was done at the building of the Institute for the Future at Slavonice. Workshop facilitators were renowned evaluation practitioners Wolfgang Meyer, Simon Bell, and Monical Lomena. In the class, Mr. Canares was the group animator of the one of the teams that proposed for the evaluation of a Mayan Reserve in Guatemala.
Mr. Canares said that the training was a very enriching experience for him. The last time that he attended an international training of this scale was last year when he was granted a fellowship by the International Development Research Center to attend a summer course on evaluation of peacebuiling programs in Ireland.
Michael Canares, Managing Consultant of Step Up Consulting Services facilitated the national forum of the Self-Help Approach promoters in the Philippines in Legazpi City last September 6-10, 2010. The forum was funded by Kindernothilfe (Germany) and was participated in by 12 SHA promoters across the country.
Michael Canares, the managing consultant of Step Up Consulting Services, assisted the Philippine Commission on Women in the re-scoping of the Great Women Project, a project that seeks to create a local enabling environment for women micro-economic entrepreneurs in the country. The re-scoping activity was done at Days Hotel in Tagaytay City last August 30 to September 3.
Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation – Integrated Development Center of Cebu City hired Step Up Consulting Services to conduct a midterm evaluation of its project in Bantayan Island, Cebu City.
The work team of this engagement included recent graduate of Queensland University of Technology, Ms. Doreen Lerin, and Ms. Joyce Barafon of GoDev.
During the Kadayawan Festival weekend (August 20-22, 2010), Step Up team headed by Managing Consultant Michael Canares was in Davao to launch the preliminary process of developing a guidebook on Child-Focused Community Development. The activity was funded by Kindernothilfe Germany and was attended by four organizations across the country – Pag-ugmad sa Kabataan Foundation (Davao), Ilog Kinderhome Foundation, Inc. (Negros), Tribal Leaders Development Foundation, Inc. (South Cotabato), Lipa Archdiocesan Social Action Commission (LASAC).
Step Up Consulting 