Event Summary:
Reviewing dozens of evaluation reports, extracting insights, and synthesizing evidence can take weeks of work. During GLOCAL Evaluation Week 2026, the PAHO Evaluation Team, in collaboration with PAHO Data Scientist Thiago Augusto Hernandes Rocha, introduced 44 participants to a practical approach for streamlining evaluation synthesis without compromisingthe quality of the analysis. Through a hands-on workshop that required no computer programming experience, participants built a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system using the AI platform Flowise to generate an evaluation summary in minutes. By the end of the session, participants left not only with a better understanding of AI, but also with a practical tool they can adapt to support future evaluations and evidence synthesis.
Participant Insights and Outcomes:
This session brought together evaluators from across the Americas, with participants representing countries such as Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru. Attendees came from a diverse range of sectors, including academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, private sector, and government agencies.
Despite the technical nature of the workshop, more than half of participants successfully built their own Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system during the session. Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, with participants highlighting the accessibility and practical value of the training. One participant shared that the workshop “helped me better understand the world of AI,” reflecting the session’s success in making AI tools more approachable and relevant to evaluation practice.