Last week, I went back and re-read our first ever Novel Hand Article. It reminded me why I started this, and I realized that I haven’t told the full story yet on our site.
Here’s why I started Novel Hand.
Novel Hand Started in Guatemala
During the summer of 2019, I volunteered at International Justice Mission’s field office in Guatemala City, Guatemala. As a member of the Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Team, I supported the full-time staff in measuring the impact of IJM’s programs. In Guatemala, IJM focuses on reforming the justice system to end violence against women and children, specifically sexual violence against children.
While the M&E team mostly worked with data to monitor and assess impact, my primary project was to measure IJM’s impact in Guatemala through stories. I worked with the staff to determine how IJM’s programs, work with clients, and cases had brought change to individuals’ lives and in the justice system.
I learned that impact can be influential and scalable, like a new digital database of all reported crime in Guatemala, but it can also be individual and narrative, such as the story of a survivor’s aftercare journey. Some changes are easy to evaluate—such as the number of convictions—while others are more difficult to measure—such as how many children have been protected from violence. I was challenged to consider and define impact in the justice system and the broader humanitarian sphere—how does an individual or institution know that they create sustainable, effective and equitable change?
I Had More Questions Than Answers
I left Guatemala with a conviction that my efforts and future career aren’t just well-intentioned, but effective. I wanted to learn more about how nonprofits, social enterprise, NGOs, and individuals measure their impact. Once I had learned about the process of impact measurement, I couldn’t forget its lessons about evaluating the impact of our actions.
As I started searching online and asking people I knew in the humanitarian sector about this topic, I found that it was pretty difficult to learn about which approaches to humanitarian issues are actually effective, not just well-intentioned.
I knew that so many of my friends and other people my age are also passionate about making a difference in the world. I was disappointed that it was so hard to make a difference while being confident that what you’re doing is creating sustainable and equitable impact.
I decided to search for answers, and to invite my generation into that conversation. As a student journalist for my college newspaper, I had experience writing and sharing what I learned with an audience. Because of this, the blog format came easily to me.
That Was Just the Beginning
Since Novel Hand launched in January 2020, so much has changed. I knew that 2020 would be an important year for me personally and professionally, and while it certainly has been, that has looked much different than I had imagined. Novel Hand has been a much bigger part of my life this year than I had planned, and I am grateful for that.
Thank you for joining us on this journey!
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