Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia
West Africa Region
Technical Guidance Document
2019
Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia
West Africa Region
Technical Guidance Document
2019
The Balanced Design, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (BalanceD-MERL) consortium under the U.S. Global Development Lab’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Innovations (MERLIN) program at USAID was testing how balanced integration across all aspects of D-MERL enables teams to rapidly learn and incorporate findings into program design. In May 2016, USAID’s Global Health Ebola Team (GHET) approached the BalanceD-MERL consortium (of which I4DI is a member) to request support with its monitoring, evaluation, and learning needs. As part of this engagement, the BalanceD-MERL consortium conducted: (1) a deep dive assessment of program and partner D-MERL and a high level review of GHET Strategy, MERL frameworks and performance monitoring systems to inform recommendations to improve the effectiveness of GHET’s monitoring and utilization of data for program decision making; (2) an endline performance evaluation of the GHET survivor-specific program; and (3) a data quality verification of 55 indicators against standard data quality criteria. The consortium also conducted an endline performance evaluation for the GHET within the USAID Global Health Bureau.
This infographic analyzes the consequences of USAID’s 2023–2024 restructuring, which led to the termination of 5,341 projects and the defunding of 2,353 implementing partners, many of whom lost 100% of their USAID support. Over 55% of recipient countries lost all funding. The analysis extends beyond the U.S. to consider concurrent budget contractions by other donor countries, indicating a systemic shift in how foreign aid is prioritized and delivered. The infographic visualizes these changes, offering insights into the scale, distribution, and potential implications of a more constrained and transactional development aid environment.
This article examines the Trump administration’s proposed restructuring of U.S. foreign assistance, which seeks to streamline agencies and align aid with investment-driven growth. The plan introduces promising steps to improve efficiency and expand opportunities for U.S. businesses abroad. However, the transition also brings important considerations, such as ensuring continued access to technical expertise, maintaining regional flexibility, and supporting financing tools that encourage investment in higher-risk markets. The piece outlines ways to maximize the benefits of these reforms while addressing potential challenges to ensure the new structure drives sustainable growth and impact.
