Systematic, methodical evaluation and assessment of the international projects is playing an increasingly greater role at medica mondiale. In recent years, medica mondiale has started contracting external evaluations with independent reviewers to supplement the continuous monitoring and observation of the projects by its own project leaders. These evaluations involve more than just performance review and reporting. An evaluation is also supposed to uncover potential weak areas and enhance learning processes. Evaluation thus contributes to the continuous improvement of medica mondiale's work and provides key information for project and program management.

In an external evaluation, independent consultants contracted by medica mondiale investigate how effective, efficient, relevant, and sustainable the medica mondiale projects and programs are.

Frequently asked questions include:

• Were the program goals achieved?
• What is the significance of the project for women and girls?
• What concrete benefits do they gain from the project?
• Does the team work with professional techniques?
• How well is the progress of the project being documented? For example, are data on the numbers of women seeking counselling, their psychological and medical problems, their material situation, etc. being collected, analyzed, and applied to the running of the project?
• Are the medica mondiale projects providing sustainable support to women that will continue even after the actual projects themselves are completed?

The results of the evaluation will be summarized in a evaluation report which should address the aforementioned criteria, reveal strengths and weaknesses, and generate recommendations as to how the quality of the project can be improved. This provides a basis for discussions by local medica mondiale staff and project leaders on how to implement the recommendations.