At a recent workshop hosted by NuSocia, a group of CSR funders discussed a shared challenge: how to verify the accuracy of the programme monitoring data they collect and report to their boards. With small teams, limited budgets, and often…
On why we’re so good at counting what we do, and so bad at counting what we prevent There is a report sitting on someone’s desk right now — meals served, vaccines administered, households reached. Every number in it points…
We all know the feeling. You’re on a field visit, energized by the sight of a skilling program in action. The students are engaged, the trainers are passionate. But then you open the MIS dashboard, and the numbers… just don’t…
A Case Study from the Gulf of Oman The biodiversity of marine life in the Gulf of Oman, and indeed the broader Indian Ocean region, profoundly impacts the public health of Oman and its neighboring countries. As highlighted by the…
AI is a powerful ally in evaluation, best used to handle repetitive tasks like data cleaning and pattern recognition. However, it is just that, an ally alongside a sharp evaluator. AI cannot replace human insight—critical for interpreting data within ethical,…
The ingenuity of women in the realm of entrepreneurship stands as a testament to their remarkable resilience and creativity. Reflecting on history, it often occurs to me that while many groundbreaking inventions are attributed to men (at least as per…
The time for change is now! 10 years ago, the United Nations institutionalised the 11th of October as International Day of the Girl Child. In the last ten years, governments, nonprofits, policymakers and the general public have been looking for…
Engaging in on-ground social research brings many occasions when the respondent while sharing their details, gets emotional as the questions, howsoever carefully crafted, might touch some raw nerve. As a social researcher, I am always at a loss for how…
What is your land holding size? How much land do you own? We used to ask farmers during our survey and the reply used to get us “3 acres”, “I own 5 acres” and “One acre”. Then we used to…