Azari Foundation
Measure what helps a programme make better decisions.
Azari Foundation approaches monitoring and evaluation as a learning and accountability function. The purpose is to understand implementation, outcomes and unintended effects without reducing complex work to a single number.
Start with the decision the evidence must support
Different questions need different evidence. Programme teams may need to know whether participants are being reached, whether delivery quality is consistent or whether an outcome is changing.
Indicators should be chosen because they answer a useful question.
Use mixed evidence where appropriate
Administrative data, participant feedback, qualitative interviews, observations, partner records and external datasets can each reveal different parts of performance.
No one method should be treated as automatically superior.
Protect data and participants
Monitoring can create privacy and safeguarding risks, especially when information concerns children, health or vulnerability.
Collect only what is justified, explain the purpose and protect access.
Interpret results carefully
Changes may be influenced by factors outside the programme.
Evaluation should distinguish evidence from attribution claims and avoid overstating certainty.
Feed findings back into the work
A monitoring system that produces reports but never changes delivery is incomplete.
Review points should connect findings to decisions about continuation, adaptation or closure.