This course is designed for professionals who are directly responsible for, or accountable for, monitoring and evaluation performance across social protection and development programs.

This course is designed for:

• M&E Officers and Specialists responsible for designing evaluation frameworks for social protection programs
• Program Managers overseeing cash transfer, social insurance, or livelihood intervention implementation
• Social Protection Specialists managing multi-component programs serving diverse beneficiary populations
• Gender and Social Inclusion Advisors developing inclusive programming strategies and accountability systems
• Research and Evaluation Coordinators conducting impact assessments and learning studies
• Program Directors are accountable for demonstrating equitable outcomes to donors and government partners
• Policy Analysts translating evaluation evidence into program design and policy recommendations
• Development Practitioners managing community-based social protection and resilience programs
• Grant Management Officers ensuring compliance with gender-responsive reporting requirements
• Anyone accountable for demonstrating inclusive impact and equitable access in social protection programming

This course equips you to design, implement, and manage gender-responsive M&E systems that measure inclusive access, demonstrate differentiated outcomes, and generate actionable evidence for program improvement.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Understand the theoretical foundations and practical implications of gender-responsive M&E in social protection contexts
• Measure baseline conditions using gender-disaggregated data collection and intersectional analysis methodologies
• Design comprehensive indicator frameworks that capture access, participation, benefit levels, and transformative outcomes
• Apply participatory evaluation methods that meaningfully engage diverse beneficiary groups in assessment processes
• Develop stakeholder feedback systems including beneficiary accountability mechanisms and community-led monitoring
• Assess program implementation processes for gender-responsive service delivery and barrier identification
• Set realistic targets and benchmarks for inclusive outcomes based on context-specific gender analysis
• Communicate evaluation findings effectively to donors, government partners, communities, and program management

Participants should have at least 2 years of experience in social protection programming, monitoring and evaluation, or development project management. Basic familiarity with gender concepts and M&E frameworks is helpful but not required. No specific software skills are prerequisites, though comfort with data analysis and Excel is beneficial.

When you lead social protection M&E with credible gender analysis and inclusive evaluation practices, you become a trusted driver of program effectiveness and organizational accountability.

As a participant, you will benefit by:

• Build technical expertise in gender-responsive evaluation methodologies and international best practice frameworks
• Gain confidence in designing M&E systems that balance rigorous evidence standards with practical implementation constraints
• Strengthen your ability to facilitate participatory evaluation processes with diverse and potentially vulnerable populations
• Enhance credibility with donors and partners who increasingly require demonstrated gender-responsive programming evidence
• Develop skills in translating complex evaluation findings into actionable program management and policy recommendations
• Position yourself as a specialist in inclusive development evaluation as demand grows for gender-responsive programming expertise
• Expand career opportunities in international development, government social policy, and civil society program management

Organizations that embed gender-responsive M&E into social protection programming reduce implementation risks, demonstrate inclusive impact, and build sustainable competitive advantage in development funding.

Your organization will benefit from:

• Direct program improvement through systematic identification and addressing of access barriers and implementation gaps
• Enhanced compliance with donor gender requirements and international development effectiveness standards
• Stronger organizational reputation for inclusive programming and evidence-based impact demonstration
• Competitive positioning for funding opportunities that prioritize gender-responsive programming and accountability
• Reduced risk of program failure, beneficiary exclusion, and negative unintended consequences on vulnerable populations
• Improved stakeholder relationships through transparent, participatory, and responsive program management practices
• Higher program effectiveness and sustainability through continuous learning and adaptive management systems

This is a practical, outcome-driven course designed to turn gender-responsive M&E aspirations into measurable evaluation systems and credible impact reporting.

Methodology includes:

• Guided indicator development exercises using real social protection program logics and theory of change frameworks
• Participatory evaluation simulation with role-playing scenarios representing different beneficiary group perspectives and power dynamics
• M&E system assessment checklist for evaluating current organizational practices and identifying improvement priorities
• Stakeholder mapping and engagement template development for inclusive evaluation design and implementation
• Case study analysis from diverse contexts, including conditional cash transfers, public works programs, social insurance, and integrated programming
• Group evaluation framework design exercise balancing donor requirements, program objectives, and beneficiary accountability under realistic resource constraints
• Reflection prompts that challenge assumptions about gender neutrality and encourage critical examination of current M&E practices