Child-centred evaluations from child-friendly design to dissemination: Lessons from 5 African countries

Background: Child participation in evaluation and research is key to ensure horizontal accountability and respect the rights of the children to voice their opinions on actions that have a direct impact on their lives. The author uses illustrative examples to describe how child-focused evaluation and research can be implemented in practices and discusses the main challenges and lessons learnt. Objectives: To reflect on the current evaluation practices and identify clear ways to ensure children and other marginalised groups can meaningfully participate in evaluation and research processes. Method: Children from 8 years to 18 years were involved in various evaluation and research assignments through different data collection and dissemination methods in five African countries. Results: The experiences show practically how children can successfully be engaged in evaluation and research through meaningful consultations that are both safe and ethical and through adapted communication materials and channels to ensure horizontal accountability. Conclusion: Ensuring the meaningful participation of children in evaluation and research processes is not only a right for children but also a great opportunity to enhance the design of evaluation and research pieces to make them more engaging and human-centred. The use of child-focused approach brings its own set of challenges and questions that evaluators can navigate with the support from relevant stakeholders. It requires authors to think outside of the box, be creative and put ourselves in the shoes of our main audience to develop the most suitable engagement strategies. Contribution: This article represents the culmination of a comprehensive research endeavor, from conceptualisation to data analysis and findings interpretation, conducted solely by the main author. The different pieces were reviewed for quality assurance by Helene Juillard. The illustrations presented in the article were made by Clementine Guivarch’ based on the author’s guidance and inputs.