MEAL that informs a decision, not just a report
MEAL systems built to inform decisions rather than only to report upwards, including feminist and power-aware approaches.
Why this is hard.
Most MEAL systems we review are built to report upwards. They satisfy a donor requirement and are consulted almost exclusively when a report is due. The organisation collects a large amount of information and changes very little as a result.
A MEAL system earns its cost when someone's decision depends on it: when indicators are attached to choices the organisation faces, when the reporting cycle aligns with the decision cycle, and when there is a defined moment where evidence is required to be considered.
We also work on what conventional MEAL tends to miss: who was counted, who was not, whose account of change was recorded, and what forms of change the indicators made invisible. This is the substance of feminist and power-aware MEAL, and it is a methodological position rather than a framing.
What we work on here.
- 01 MEAL framework and system design
- 02 indicator development
- 03 feminist and power-aware MEAL
- 04 theory of change and results frameworks
- 05 programme and thematic evaluations
- 06 learning reviews and after-action reviews
- 07 MEAL for safeguarding, accountability and governance systems
- 08 feedback loops between evidence and decisions
- 09 data collection tools and protocols
- 10 data ethics, consent and protection in monitoring
- 11 building internal MEAL capacity
How our services apply here.
This is a subject area, not a service. You commission one of the five below, applied to it.
| Service | Applied to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning |
|---|---|
| Research & Assessment | Evaluations, MEAL reviews, assessments against defined standards, learning reviews |
| Frameworks, Policy & Governance | MEAL frameworks, indicators, data protocols, reporting and review arrangements |
| Learning Design & Delivery | MEAL training, including feminist MEAL; preparing staff to use the system |
| Facilitation & Conflict Work | Learning and reflection sessions; end-of-programme synthesis; validation workshops |
| Advisory & Accompaniment | Support through MEAL implementation; review and adaptation of the system in use |
Questions organisations bring us.
- "We collect a great deal of data. I could not tell you what it has changed."
- "Our indicators measure activity. They do not tell us whether anything improved."
- "We need an evaluation, and we need it to be credible to a sceptical board."
- "What does feminist MEAL mean in practice, beyond disaggregating by sex?"
Selected work.
Bilingual digital learning on feminist MEAL
an English and Arabic self-paced course covering feminist principles and ethics, practical application, technical tools, research methods, indicators, risk assessment and contextual analysis. Released openly and supported by a live question-and-answer session.
Safeguarding MEAL for a multi-country system
indicators and feedback processes enabling an organisation to monitor how its safeguarding system was working and update it through its own staff and processes.
Talk to us about MEAL.
Tell us the issue, the decision or the change in front of you. We will tell you honestly which of the five services fits, whether you need more than one, and whether CTDC is the right organisation for it.
The first conversation is free and carries no obligation.
