Learning while doing: a case study for successful application of the Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) approach in Madagascar

• In Event: Data use for improved programming and sustainable outcomes: case studies in applying the collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) approach

Proposal

The Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) approach has gained popularity among funders and practitioners in recent years for its instrumental role in enabling effective data utilization for adaptive management. The CLA approach is the ongoing process of formative evaluation for the purpose of learning and adapting a program to better fit the needs and realities of the context and beneficiaries. This approach goes beyond standard program monitoring and performance management in that data are used to make improvements to program delivery and adjustments to program activities. When it’s carried out effectively, it can lead to better results for program delivery, improved understanding of the program approach in addition to the context and beneficiaries’ needs, and increased program sustainability and local ownership. This paper will describe how the CLA approach was successfully applied to the seven-month, USAID-funded Mahay Mamaky Teny (MMT) or “I know how to read” program in Madagascar and the positive outcomes it sustained as a result of using the approach. Specifically, the paper will provide an overview of the data collection tools, their purpose and how they were employed, explain what made the CLA approach so valuable to ensuring the success and government and partner buy-in of the program despite its short duration, and share some tips that practitioners can apply to effectively carry out the CLA approach in their programs.

References: USAID, Understanding CLA, CLA Tookit. Found at: https://usaidlearninglab.org/node/14633

Author

• Nathalie Louge, FHI 360