Tearfund, Tanzania

How this story represents an international-local faith partnership in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL): International Evangelical Christian faith-based emergency relief and development organisation & partnerships with local church and community groups in Tanzania.

Driven by their Christian faith, Tearfund works in the areas of international development and emergency relief. The organisation aims to end poverty by offering people material and spiritual hope. Many of its local partners are churches whom the organisation supports in working with the communities they serve.

Tearfund’s work relies heavily on Church and Community Mobilisation (CCM), which aims to empower people to transform their situations holistically using their God-given local resources.

The CCM approach does not lend itself to traditional MEAL processes. Unlike typical development projects with set inputs and activities, in CCM the church and community mobilise their own resources and decide and lead their own initiatives. This means change is more organic and can be challenging to measure. Yet, the Tearfund team recognised the value in creating a culture of learning and reflection within CCM and holding oneself accountable to ensuring that the process is delivered to a high quality.

Tearfund developed the Light Wheel framework in 2013 to better conceptualise, achieve, and measure holistic impact through their work.

Click here for the Compendium of Good Practices on Conducting MEAL and Faith

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