Facilitation and writing of development – related reports, including design documents, grants proposals, baseline and evaluation reports.
Facilitation and writing of meta-evaluations, situation analyses and organisational reviews.
Leading baseline surveys, mid-term and end-of-project evaluations.
Guidance, training and support for consultation and design processes.
Guidance, training and support for project monitoring, including preparing monitoring frameworks, designing community-based and project-based monitoring templates and processes, training and supporting project management staff in collecting, using and reporting monitoring data.
Guidance, training and support for annual reviews and reporting, including preparing and leading annual review and planning workshops, advising on annual review and reporting processes.
Better Aid Outcomes is owned and managed by Stephen Collins, a bilingual (English and Vietnamese) Development Practitioner with 20 years’ experience in field monitoring, training and mid-term evaluations across a range of roles in 7 countries across Asia and Africa.
After completing a Master of Arts degree specializing in literacy and written communication in Vietnam, Stephen stayed on to work directly for poverty reduction and governance projects in rural central Vietnam. He prepared and guided the annual community consultation and planning process as well as the strategy for communicating with communities and government partners.
Upon returning to Australia, Stephen managed programs and projects funded by World Vision Australia, during which time he developed his interest and expertise in supporting project monitoring and evaluation. He led project evaluations and supported local staff to management, monitor and report on their work. Projects covered a very wide range of sectors, including economic development, maternal and child health, water and sanitation, and child protection.
Stephen left World Vision to found Better Aid Outcomes in mid 2017. Since that time he has carried out a wide range of assignments across Australia, Asia and the Pacific. He has worked with and/or evaluated projects in Afghanistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Uganda, Burundi, Iraq (Kurdistan), Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. He has directly led data collection or conducted monitoring visits to all but two of these countries (Iraq and Papua New Guinea).
Examples of his skills and experience include:
World Vision Australia
We have commissioned Stephen Collins to provide an evaluation meta-analysis for our ANCP program for the last four years (2018 – 21). We keep going back to Stephen, not only for his knowledge of process and quality principles, but also because of the clear social conscience he brings to his analysis and recommendations. He always wants his work to be used, to make a positive difference in how we program across vulnerable groups and challenging contexts. Over time he has helped us to understand our role as a funding office in supporting project impact. Katie Chalk ANCP Manager, World Vision Australia
WaterAid UK
In 2014, I had the opportunity to participate in a training titled “Theory of Change and Logical Framework” that was facilitated by Stephen Collins. It was an outstanding learning experience for me as I found Stephen is one of the friendliest and most humorous facilitator ever I met. In the context of Bangladesh, most of the development practitioners like me prefer to learn through practical examples and demonstration. Stephen Collins could trigger this point while transferring his vast knowledge on Theory of Change and logframes. I applied the learning that gained from that training during designing several projects. In a nutshell, Stephen Collins is a wonderful facilitator due to his outstanding capacity to engage people as well as explaining the critical issues with fun.
Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor
Better Aid Outcomes team supported Plan International Australia to document the change we have achieved with our programs. They proved to be a very reliable partner with highly practical and focused approach. Stephen from Better Aid Outcomes digested a vast number of documents in a short period of time and delivered a high quality of work. We really appreciated his willingness and ability to adjust to our specific timelines, procedures and requirements. Stephen’s exceptional MEL skills and program quality experience made communication very easy and pleasurable. Moreover, his knowledge about the international aid sector helped us to articulate and improve our approach in days to come.
Program Manager, Johanniter International Assistance, Myanmar
Mr. Stephen Collins served as the Monitoring and Evaluation consultant for our Area Development Program under World Vision International-Myanmar. Before he began his M&E tasks, he gave training for the program staffs regarding what is M&E. His two-way training was very impressive for us because it was very straightforward and user-friendly, especially in the topic of monitoring activities. Likewise, after we collected the field data, he discussed with staff how to analyze the information they had collected. This was very remarkable for all staff and his guidance enhanced the competency of the staff. He assessed the exercises and wrote the evaluation, which were enhanced by his qualitative methods to document emerging innovation observed in the exercises. His social science expertise and writing ability made him uniquely qualified to objectively evaluate the impact of our program.
Study on Child Labour in Vietnam, World Vision Vietnam
End-of-project Evaluation, Gender Equality Project, World Vision Solomon Islands
National start-of-phase baseline study (report only), World Vision Vietnam
End-of-project Evaluation, Stronger Education Together, World Vision Solomon Islands
End-of-project Evaluation, Equipping Vulnerable Communities in Solomon Islands, World Vision Solomon Islands
Lead Consultant, Environment and Climate Change Policy Self-Assessment, World Vision Australia
Interviewer and report editor, Advancing Community Empowerment in Southeastern Myanmar, L Sein Tun & Associates
Mid-term Review, Market Linkages Project - World Vision Solomon Islands
End-of-project Evaluation, Champions of Tomorrow Project - World Vision Solomon Islands
Baseline Report, Pikinini Rural Inclusion Care and Education Project (PRICE), World Vision Solomon Islands
Baseline Report, Stronger Education Together Project - World Vision Solomon Islands
Baseline Report, Safe Returns Project - World Vision Iraq
Baseline Report, Central Islands Province Livelihoods Improvement Project (CLIP), World Vision Solomon Islands
Baseline Report, Tawatana Conservation and Livelihoods Project (BIOPAMA), World Vision Solomon Islands
End-of-phase Evaluation, Technical Programs and CESP - World Vision Vietnam
End-of-project Evaluation, KPSI Cocoa Producers Project - World Vision Solomon Islands
End-of-project Evaluation, One Voice Project - World Vision Solomon Islands
Baseline Report, EPI Immunisation Project - World Vision Solomon Islands
Knowledge Product Management Consultant - USAID/Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Project, DAI
Needs Summary Assessment Report, Foster Resilience in Afghanistan through Multi-Sector Emergency Support (FRAMES) - World Vision Afghanistan
Ex-post Evaluation, Food for Education Program - World Vision Afghanistan
Data Collection Advisor - Mid-term Evaluation of Durable Peace Program (consortium led by Oxfam), Myanmar
Knowledge Product Management Advisor – Green Annamites Project, ECODIT Vietnam
Assessment of Digital Technology Use and Demand among Smallholder Farmers in Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia - Grow Asia
Meta-analysis of ANCP (Australian government-funded) project evaluations, annually from 2017-18 to 2023-24 (ongoing: Review and recommendations for evaluation and project quality - World Vision Australia
End-of-project Evaluation Report, Faith in Social Change Project - World Vision Afghanistan
Led data collection for Health Systems Strengthening Project - World Vision Solomon Islands
End-of-project Evaluation Report, Myanmar Cookstoves Pilot Project - World Vision Myanmar
End-of-phase Evaluation Report, Loikaw Area Development Program - World Vision Myanmar
End-of-project Evaluation Report, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition ANCP Project - World Vision Myanmar.
Design, Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity Assessment - World Vision Myanmar
Project Design Documents: 'Caring for Nutrition Project' and 'Access to Learning and Literacy for Children Project' - World Vision Papua New Guinea
Meta Evaluation, 2017 Evaluation Reports – Plan International Australia
Contributed to several baseline and end-of-project evaluation reports on Water and Sanitation, Youth Empowerment, and Mental and Physical Health (sub-contracted) - World Vision Kurdistan
Wrote findings section for Caring for Nutrition Baseline Report - World Vision Papua New Guinea
End-of Project Evaluation Report, Papua New Guinea Health and Nutrition Project – World Vision Papua New Guinea
Mid-term Evaluation, Child Project and Advocacy Project – World Vision Myanmar
Annual Reflections Workshop: Report and Recommendations – World Vision Bangladesh, Bangladesh annual review report
Monitoring Project Quality: Training course outline – World Vision Myanmar
Participatory Planning Process Report – Quang Ngai Rural Development Program: qnrdp-04-05-ppp-report.pdf
Communications Strategy – Quang Ngai Rural Development Program qnrdp-communications-strategy.pdf
stephen(at)betteraidoutcomes.com.au
Skype: stephen.collins215
linkedin.com/in/betteraidoutcomes
7/186A Derby Street, Pascoe Vale
Victoria 3044, Australia