Thirty three sisters and staff attended the Project Management Cycle I: Trends and Best Practices Workshop held in Good Shepherd Retreat House in Lipa City, Batangas on February 5-6 and in RGS Tuburan Farm in Kalilid, Agusan del Sur on March 9-10. The workshop is the first of the series of workshops to be provided by SMEIDFI to provide technical assistance to its member agencies. The workshops are designed to equip, review, and update the sisters and staff involved in center and community based programs with essential skills and information on implementing projects.

In the recent decades, SMEIDFI agencies have seen a dynamic change in the development sector which promotes greater accountability between donors and organizations and emphasis on evidence based approach, logical framework, institutional capacity, and commitment to contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Suddenly, our agencies found themselves in the realization that it is not enough to do good but to do well too. These changes are compelling: how equipped are our agencies in welcoming these changes?

The workshop was facilitated by Elias Jayson R. Tolentino, SMEIDFI Resource Development Manager. Drawing from his experience and expertise from managing different development and hmanitarian projects, the workshop included proposal development, monitoring and evaluation overview, finance and people management, and good practices in managing change. The other trainers were Sr. Ailyn Binco, RGS on RGS Child Protection Policy, Sr. Anya Borbon, RGS on RGS Standards and Essentials, and Sr. Joseph Olaguer, RGS who shared her expertise in Financial and Human Resource Management.