Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia
West Africa
Technical Guidance Document
2019
Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia
West Africa
Technical Guidance Document
2019
The purpose of this document is to help USAID staff plan for and implement effective and efficient programs and monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) systems in a post response recovery. This heuristic tool is a quick reference document developed to assist program managers and MERL practitioners navigate the process of building the balanced design-monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (D-MERL) system in this evolving context.
Six building blocks of a D-MERL system are presented below and associated questions that help to frame
Blocks are detailed in the publication
Building block 1: Partners and collaboration
Building block 2. Program strategy – the big picture planning
Building Block 3. Results frameworks and MERL plans
Building Block 4. Reporting system
Building Block 5. Data-based target setting
Building Block 6. Performance monitoring, evaluation and learning
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.
