On May 8, 2025, during the closing day of the Metrics from the Ground Up conference in Nairobi—focused on climate action and circular economy solutions—Luisa Tesch from ICDI and Jeff Otieno from VSO jointly presented insights from the innovative Waste to Work (W2W) project. The initiative empowers vulnerable youth and women in the informal waste sector to establish sustainable, environmentally friendly enterprises.
Organized by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), this annual conference is a key event for stakeholders committed to advancing impact measurement, evaluation practices, and fostering sector-wide collaboration.
The session, “Participatory Evaluation in Action: Enhancing Impact and Ownership in the Waste to Work Project,” highlighted the effectiveness of inclusive evaluation methodologies. Presenters showcased W2W’s participatory evaluation approach, emphasizing active involvement of local waste workers, community members, and project staff in continuous learning and informed decision-making. By integrating Learning Spaces, regular field engagements, and adaptive programming workshops, the W2W project successfully promoted local ownership, gender-sensitive feedback mechanisms, and sustainable outcomes.
This participatory evaluation aligns closely with ICDI’s broader commitment to Meaningful Youth Participation, where young people take a central role in the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs. By transforming participants from mere data sources into active co-creators of knowledge and solutions, the methodology not only amplifies marginalized youth voices but ensures interventions are dynamically tailored to community needs and realities.
Participants of the ANDE conference responded positively to the presentation, appreciating how the approach highlighted the importance of psychosocial considerations in enterprise development, particularly for youth in vulnerable situations. Attendees also praised the project’s commitment to inclusivity within the waste sector, noting that W2W serves as an exemplary model of effectively implementing a participatory, multi-stakeholder learning pilot.
