We are happy to announce the launch of the Middle East Hub on Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) and Faith.
On Monday, 4 July, 2022, the JLI launched the Middle East Hub after 9 months of continuous preparation, networking and consultations with practitioners, researchers and local faith actors in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. Funded by Islamic Relief USA, the Middle East hub comes as the third regional joint learning hub, in addition to the East Africa Hub and Syria Hub, that were brought to light in 2022 by JLI Fair and Equitable Initiative.
The launch event brought together 24 participants from diverse faith-based and secular backgrounds from Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. Local faith actors, researchers, and practitioners from the humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding fields were gathered in an interactive 2-hour meeting to reflect on the hub’s priorities and action plan.
The Middle East Hub will run through 2024 and it hopes to expand a far-reaching and locally-rooted evidence base, strengthen the capacity of local development-humanitarian organizations and actors, and deepen understanding and partnerships, all in the area of MEAL and faith in the Middle East.
In the coming two years, the hub will focus on the below priorities:
Increase the visibility of and discussions between local secular and faith-based organizations and their perspectives and approaches on MEAL and faith in the Middle East through regional and global expert panels, web presence and social media .
Generate and expand the evidence base on MEAL and faith in the Middle East through producing local research-based guides and tools.
Enhance local ownership and influence on context-aware and faith-sensitive MEAL approaches in the Middle East through seed-funding small projects.
At this early stage, hub members will start to interact together through a series of interactive and regular thematic discussions, titled MEAL and Faith Talks Series. In parallel, hub members will work collectively on producing research-based guides and tools on MEAL and faith stemming from the three countries and in Arabic language. At a later stage, they will implement their own learning projects within their communities via seed funding from the JLI.
If you want to learn more about the hub, please contact Zainab Chamoun, Regional Coordinator, at [email protected].