Roseau, Dominica. April 22, 2025.The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services, in Dominica, conducted a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Data Appreciation Workshop, aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity in the use of data to inform decision-making, track project impact and foster continuous learning for sustainable development.
Twenty-six (26) officers from several government ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Blue and Green Economy, the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), participated in this capacity building event, which was held on March 24 - 25 and March 28, 2025.
These sessions were conducted under the technical guidance of Ms. Patricia Smith–Cummings, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, CARPHA, and utilised a combination of interactive discussions and practical exercises that focused on the fundamentals of monitoring and evaluation, results frameworks, data collection, and strategies for adaptive learning and decision-making.
Mr. Sylvester Henderson, Project Coordinator, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Regional Health Project, Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services in his opening remarks, highlighted “the need for collaboration among Ministries and its importance in promoting a culture of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) within the government system”.
While Dr. Lynora Fevrier Drigo, Coordinator, Non-Communicable Diseases (Ag.), noted that “monitoring and evaluation is critical for ensuring accountability, measuring impact, and guiding evidence-based decision-making in programmes and policies’’.
Ms. Patricia Smith-Cummings, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, CARPHA, stated that “having a strong M&E system is important because whether you’re working in health, education or another sector, it transforms data into action for strategic planning and resource allocation”. She also noted that M&E is a useful tool in assisting organisations to demonstrate the value of their work, strengthen credibility and garner support from international donor agencies and partners”.
In addition to the core training sessions, Ms. Smith–Cummings and Ms. Chelsea Antoine, Programme Support Officer, CARPHA took the opportunity to meet with Senior Technical Officers at the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services, to assess current M&E systems, identify gaps and provide practical solutions towards strengthening data management processes and build capacity among staff.
This Monitoring and Evaluation Workshop is beneficial to the Ministry and other key government agencies because it improves the accuracy and timeliness of data collection and reporting. Also, it supports the development of realistic, goal–driven public health programmes, enabling efficient tracking of performance indicators, health trends and service delivery outcomes, while facilitating early detection of challenges to allow for timely programmatic adjustments where necessary.
This Workshop was funded by the World Bank under the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Regional Health Project (OECS-RHP), an initiative which seeks to strengthen the preparedness capacity of Small Island Developing States, specifically Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in the event of a public health emergency.
Click below for more information about OECS RHP:
https://carpha.org/Projects/Ongoing-Projects/OECS-Regional-Health-Project