[Last updated: 10 Dec 2019]

In 2018, we attempted to find charities that deliver evidence-based interventions, targeting preventable and cost-effective health issues affecting some of the poorest populations in Southeast Asia.

We reached out to a few charities which generously shared with us their work, mainly working on improving (i) water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and (ii) childhood malnutrition. However, the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) information that we received are not strong enough for us to be confident in making recommendations.

We want to thank the charities that were open to participate in the pilot research project when we called for interviews to learn more. Most organisations are keen to have stronger M&E processes but lack the resources to build their capacity in this area.

Data is important. It leads to better decisions and helps us create goals and measure progress. It also helps us differentiate the programmes that work well from those that are not effective. We encourage donors to consider supporting the M&E processes and not view them as an optional component — charities need to build up their capacity in this area to be informed of how to design and deliver better programmes.

Our aim is to help donors figure out how they can stretch their per-dollar impact, to be confident in giving towards programmes that are effective in Asia. We are learning and will be back soon.