GOAL has a strong commitment to learning and knowledge sharing and takes an integrated, systems approach to our work, recognizing that single solutions are rarely adequate to deal with the complexity of the challenges faced.
Underpinning this approach is a focus on the development of our monitoring, evaluation accountability, and learning activities, using the evidence and data from our program work to inform our strategy, decision making and contribution to the wider field of humanitarian and development work.
As part of our approach to learning and knowledge sharing, GOAL publishes a selection of its most important learning documents, reports and evaluations online, demonstrating programmatic achievements and learnings, and evidence of transformative change across our programs.
Where We Work
Impact in Numbers
13
countries of operation
14.6 million
people supported globally
3.6 million
benefited from access to safe water
2.2 million
people reached through emergency response
Evaluations & Learnings
Community Health Committees' Social Accountability Approaches And Tools Training Manual
The State Ministry of Health (MOH) of North Darfur has adopted a community engagement approach to strengthen local health systems in Sudan. The community committees involved in managing health services at the health centre level in Sudan are known as Community Health Committees (CHCs). CHCs play an important role in the sustainability of primary health care delivery through the health facility and achieve this by taking the responsibility of leadership, governance, monitoring and coordination at the facility level. This learning brief outlines the guidelines for the formation, working, and monitoring of CHCs, in addition to social accountability approaches and tools deployed by CHCs.
Programme Adaptation & Expansion During Global Crises (2023)
This Learning Brief outlines lessons learned from GOAL’s experience in expanding and adapting existing programmes during crises and implementing innovative approaches during this period. GOAL’s partnership with Irish Aid provided a strong, flexible, and sustained framework for achieving our programme objectives, which also supported the Government of Ireland’s commitments set out in ‘A Better World: Ireland’s Policy for International Development’ (2019-2025).
Supporting reproductive health choices and empowering adolescents: an example from GOAL’s Sierra Leone Programme 2018 - 2022
This Learning Brief looks at the achievements and learning from the implementation of an Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Programme by GOAL Sierra Leone, which was funded by Irish Aid and implemented in three districts: Kambia, Kenema and Western Area Urban (Freetown). The programme targeted adolescents and community members in a catchment area of 63 supported Peripheral Health Units (PHU) from 2018 to 2022.
Inclusive Programming with the Private Sector (2023)
This learning brief outlines how GOAL Uganda and private sector actors collaborate to strengthen Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) in the Young Africa Works in Uganda: Markets for Youth programme. This brief explores why gender equality and social inclusion are important for the programme and presents the key lessons learned.
Food and Nutrition Security Project Brief, Zinder Region, Niger (2023)
With support from UNITLIFE & Irish Aid, GOAL is implementing an integrated programme to improve food & nutrition security in Zinder Region in Niger, using Social & Behavioural Change methodologies and a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach. This project brief summarises the findings from the monitoring of sales in 2021 and 2022 and the findings of annual production assessments for the same years.
Supporting reproductive health choices and empowering adolescents, Sierra Leone (2023)
Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy in the world. 21% of women begin having children by age 15-19. This learning brief looks at the achievements and learnings from the implementation of an Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Programme by GOAL Sierra Leone, which was funded by Irish Aid and implemented in three districts: Kambia, Kenema and Western Area Urban (Freetown).
Safeguarding in Market Systems Development, Uganda (2023)
This Learning Brief outlines how GOAL Uganda takes responsibility for ensuring a safe environment for the young people who take part in the Markets for Youth programme. A safeguarding strategy and a community-led training manual were developed to clarify how staff and partners can take steps to ensure that prevention, detection, and response to harm and abuse are firmly embedded throughout our programming.
Making Strategic Decisions from Programmatic Results, GOAL (2023)
Over the past 3 years, GOAL has developed and deployed an information system capable of storing and processing any type of result from monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) - to maximise opportunities for evidence-based decision-making and adaptive management. This learning brief reviews the critical considerations made at the design, build, deployment, maintenance, and review stages to ensure the system was and continues to be fit for purpose.
Self-Reliance Index in Graduation Approach Programming - Syria (2022)
The Graduation Approach is an evidence-based approach to increasing self-reliance of the ultra-poor, IDPs & refugees. To inform a market systems aware Graduation Approach, a market assessment was undertaken in Northwest Syria in 2021. Findings were used to tailor the Graduation Approach methodology to the context.
Community Focal Persons for Accountability - Zimbabwe (2022)
This brief outlines lessons learnt in Zimbabwe on the use of Community Focal Persons (FPs) as an additional channel for eliciting communications to the Community Feedback Mechanism (CFM). The brief demonstrates the added value of leveraging existing and trusted community structures as CFM channels.
Partnership Effectiveness - South Sudan (2022)
In this brief GOAL outlines lessons learnt in South Sudan from its partnership processes and procedures, how they are perceived by partners in order to develop effective and efficient collaborations. Feedback from partners was gathered through a survey questionnaire.
RESTORE II, Syria (2022)
This evaluation is an assessment of the RESTORE II project, which was implemented in Northwest Syria and constituted a multisectoral intervention covering Food Security and Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (FS-MPCA), WASH, Nutrition, Shelter, Economic Recovery and Market Systems (ERMS), and Humanitarian Coordination.
Using Digital Platforms for Agriculture, Health and Nutrition - Niger (2022)
GOAL Niger conducted a study attempting to verify the relationship between the use of VIAMO digital platform and users’ socio-demographic characteristics in its programming. Results showed higher utilisation by younger age groups and males. The brief stresses the importance in understanding who is not benefitting from modern technologies and tailor roll out according to gaps.
Expanding Social Behaviour Change (SBC) boundaries to improve food and nutrition security - Niger (2022)
From May 2020 to May 2022 GOAL, with funding from UNITLIFE, has been implementing an innovative integrated approach to address three interlinked systemic drivers of malnutrition in children in Zinder region, Niger: inadequate consumption of diverse and nutritious foods, poor health-seeking and nutrition behaviours and limited decision-making power of women. This brief outlines learnings from this intervention.
Nutritionally Improved & Climate Adapted Seeds & Storage Technology - Niger (2022)
Findings from GOAL Niger indicate that nutritionally improved seeds can increase the nutritional value of what people already eat, that short maturing crops mitigate climate related risks and improved seed also increases production, all contributing to increased food & nutrition security.
Project Level Risk Assessment GOAL Syria (2022)
This brief outlines lessons learnt on how GOAL Syria took a preventative approach towards protection, safeguarding, inclusion, and gender-related risks to ensure safe, accountable, and inclusive programming (SAIP). The risk assessment highlighted the importance of collaboration between the areas of Accountability, GESI, Protection & Safeguarding, ensuring a more holistic approach to SAIP and its inclusion in programme design.
Growing a Community Feedback Mechanism - Lessons from GOAL Turkey (2022)
In this brief GOAL outlines lessons learnt in Turkey on the development, roll-out, and growth of a new Community Feedback Mechanism (CFM). The brief demonstrates that building trust with the target community is paramount in terms of the CFM gaining acceptance and wide usage. It also demonstrates the importance of gender.
Irish Aid Programme Fund, GOAL (2022)
GOAL received framework funding from IrishAid under the Programme Fund (IAPF) from 2017 to 2021. With IAPF funding, GOAL aims “to work with the most vulnerable communities to ensure sustainable early response in crisis and lasting solutions to poverty and vulnerability.” It operates in 10 countries – Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Niger, Iraq and Haiti – all of which can be considered fragile. This evaluation was commissioned to assess GOAL’s performance and delivery of the IAPF according to selected OECD DAC evaluation criteria.
Learnings from Cash Grant Support to Small and Medium Food Shops - Idleb Governorate, Northwest Syria (2022)
GOAL provided support to market vendors in Idleb governorate, in the form of cash grants and business coaching sessions to increase their resilience to market disturbances and sustain their functionality. GOAL Syria started implementing business support projects in March 2021. This brief outlines learnings from this intervention.
Barrio Resiliente - building resilient cities through resilient neighbourhoods, Honduras (2022)
This evaluation is an assessment of GOAL's Resilient Neighborhood (BR) “Building Resilient Cities through Resilient Neighbourhoods” project, which was delivered in Honduras between October 1, 2017, and
December 31, 2021. The project aimed to reduce disaster risk in Tegucigalpa with an emphasis on protecting vulnerable groups.
GOAL Clinical Mentorship Pilot Project in Kenema District, Sierra Leone (2022)
Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world. Lack of quality and uninterrupted delivery of maternal and child health services have been identified as the main contributing factors. GOAL designed and piloted an innovative on-the-job package of clinical mentorship to improve service quality and reliability at peripheral health units (PHUs) in rural Kenema. This evaluation was carried out to determine if the project met its specified objectives.
Preparing for and Responding to the Covid-19 Outbreak with a Focus on Vulnerable Populations of South Kordofan and North Darfur, Sudan (2022)
GOAL implemented an 18-month project, “Preparing for and responding to the COVID-19 outbreak with a focus on vulnerable populations of South Kordofan and North Darfur, Sudan”, with funding from BHA. This evaluation, which was conducted in October 2022, identifies the challenges and best practices while measuring the project's overall performance again the objectives, expected results, and impact on beneficiaries.
Engaging men as key influencers to improve healthy behaviours - Ethiopia (2022)
This Learning Brief from GOAL Ethiopia tests the hypothesis that increased engagement of males from targeted households with young children, on appropriate care and feeding practices of children and women, would create an enabling environment for active behaviour change and sustained positive practices in households.
EVOLVE WASH Programme, Syria (2021)
GOAL contracted SREO Consulting Ltd in April 2021 to evaluate the EVOLVE Programme. Funded by the FCDO, the project supported four existing Water Units and 50 water networks across Idleb, Northwest Syria, and expanded the water network connections to reach more beneficiaries. This evaluation assessed GOAL’s performance and delivery against its stated objectives at the impact, outcome, and output level, the degree to which the theory of change was effective, and the project’s overall impact on the target population. Also, this study documented lessons learned and best practices
to inform future GOAL programming.
Increased Food Security and Livelihoods Resilience Impacted by COVID-19 Crisis, Iraq (2021)
This evaluation was conducted by GOAL to evaluate the impact of a multi-purpose cash approach on targeted households in Iraq, analysing their food quality intake and consumption, and the use of cash to meet other household financial demands, including debt repayment.
ECF-funded grantees projects and GOAL capacity building approach, Uganda (2021)
In 2019, GOAL sought to build the capacity of two Eleanor Crook Foundation (ECF) grantees to adaptively manage grants to achieve project objectives. The two grantees were: Partners for Community Health and Development Organisation (PACHEDO) and PALM Corps, which both aimed to reduce stunting among children up to 2 years old using a Social and Behaviour Change and Communication (SBCC) approach. This evaluation assesses the effectiveness of GOAL's capacity building.
RESTORE I, Syria (2021)
This evaluation is an assessment of GOAL’s delivery of the RESTORE I Project, with a multisectoral focus (Food Security, MPCA, Nutrition, Shelter and Settlements, and WASH sectors combined). This is to help GOAL to improve its future programming through the identification of lessons learned and best practices generated under this project.
Strengthening vulnerable communities post Cyclone Idai through integrated shelter, WASH and protection in Zimbabwe (2020)
After Zimbabwe was hit by Cyclone Idai in early 2019, GOAL and consortium partners, combined expertise to respond to the disaster. The purpose of this evaluation was to gather evidence to improve humanitarian actions in the areas of shelter, WASH and protection. The main findings showed that outcomes surpassed all intended targets.
Evaluation of GOAL Ethiopia’s emergency response for drought-affected and displaced communities in Ethiopia – Somali Region (2020)
With support from BHA, GOAL has been operational in Dollo Zone, Somali Region since 2017, implementing emergency response programmes addressing acute malnutrition among children under five and pregnant and lactating women, and improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene. This evaluation sought to examine the nutrition outcomes and assess GOAL’s performance in its community-based treatment of acute malnutrition (CMAM). The findings showed that the implementation of GOAL’s CMAM approach was appropriate and relevant for the targeted communities.
Elimination of child labour, trafficking and indecent work in Sierra Leone evaluation (2020)
With support from the EU, GOAL and our partners worked to address child labour, child trafficking and engagement in indecent work. This end-line survey found that the number of children engaged in child labour activities had reduced and awareness had increased. Although findings showed progress in many areas, there was a need for continuous efforts to bring more significant positive results.
Addressing the needs of vulnerable groups affected by floods in Blantyre City, Chikwawa District and Nsanje District Malawi (2019)
After heavy rains hit Malawi in early 2019 GOAL and our partners worked on addressing the lifesaving needs of over 20,000 people. This involved activities in protection, WASH, capacity building, cash transfers, health, non-food items, shelter, and food security and livelihoods. The purpose of this evaluation was to evidence good practice and identify learning for future projects.
Supporting the Transition From Humanitarian Crisis Through Recovery to Sustainable Economic Development: South Sudan (2019)
From 2016 to 2019, with funding from BMZ, GOAL South Sudan and HelpAge International, implemented a food security and livelihoods project in 16 villages in Agok and Twic states, South Sudan. This end-term evaluation by IPG found the project to be generally efficient, making use of existing systems to spearhead intervention using minimum resources.
Nutrition Impact and Positive Practise Evaluation Report, Sudan (2019)
GOAL developed the Nutrition Impact and Positive Practise (NIPP) approach in 2012 and has been implementing this programme in Sudan since 2013. The NIPP approach is a behavioural change programme that engages both male and female caregivers on a wide range of knowledge and behaviours that are identified as contributing to malnutrition, in order to instil positive practises in self-management of their health and hygiene. The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the impact of the approach on NIPP participants in North Darfur.
Evidence-based learning and accountability
GOAL is committed to having a culture of evidence-based learning and accountability. We have strong and robust Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) functions at HQ and country levels to support this.
The MEAL function systematically tracks and reports programme results to GOAL and our donors as well as supporting evidence-based strategic planning, innovation and organisational growth and adaption. MEAL drives programme quality through a mix of result-based and adaptive management, enabling the most effective use of funds to address the challenges facing vulnerable communities.
We welcome queries and comments on these or any of our wider work. To get in touch, please email info@us.goal.ie.
