Projects and Clients

MCL, with its associates and partner firm, has experience in over 60 countries with over 50 clients. Below are a few examples of recent assignments.

Strategy Support and Mentoring for Habitat for Humanity to Build Inclusive Housing Markets

Habitat for Humanity International Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter
Philippines, 2019-2020

Habitat for Humanity's Terwilliger Center is developing market-based solutions to improve housing for low-income families in five countries around the world. MCL (through the Mazi Group) supported the Philippines and Kenya offices to formulate their strategies, particularly around construction labor practices. MCL also provided mentoring and technical assistance in implementation and monitoring and results measurement. MCL contributed to the Terwilliger Center's global learning initiative in construction labor for the low-income housing market.

Technical Support and Capacity Building for Enterprise Partners in Monitoring and Results Measurement

Enterprise Partners
Ethiopia, UKaid, ITAD, 2016-2018

Enterprise Partners (EP) is a DFID funded programme facilitating market development to create jobs and raise incomes of Ethiopians living with poverty, particularly women. EP works in garments, leather, horticulture, financial inclusion and investment. Aly provided regular, strategic support and capacity building to the monitoring and results measurement team. The support, provided in-country and remotely, focused on developing EP's results measurement system and enabling the team to address challenges in results measurement, such as monitoring the progress of investment activities and assessing results of labor subsector interventions. Aly's support helped EP to collect information more effectively, better explain its results externally and enhance the use information for management.

Team Leader for the MDF Independent Advisory Group

Market Development Facility
Fiji, Timor Leste, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Cardno, 2011-2018

Aly is the team leader for the Independent Advisory Group of the Market Development Facility. MDF is a multi-country market development program working in 5 countries with potential for expansion to others. MDF's goal is to create additional employment and income for poor women and men in rural and urban areas through sustainable and broad-based pro-poor growth. The Independent Advisory Group provides regular strategic advice and technical backstopping support to the project and DFAT in its management of the project, as well as leads DFAT's periodic reviews of the project.

Backstopping Samarth in Monitoring and Results Measurement

Samarth Nepal Market Development Programme
Nepal, UKaid, Adam Smith International, 2014-2016

MCL provides long-term backstopping support to Samarth in monitoring and results measurement. Samarth aims to reduce poverty in Nepal by making rural markets work better for the poor. The program, funded by DFID, works in a variety of rural economic sectors, including fish, vegetables and tourism. Samarth has a strong monitoring and results measurement system that has been through an audit according to the DCED Standard. However, the organisation faces some difficult results measurement challenges, such as assessing systemic change as work in sectors scales up and measuring results in the media sector. MCL provides Samarth with support in addressing these challenges in practical and credible ways. MCL also checks on the general health of Samarth's results measurement system to help the program improve the utility of the system as a key management tool.

Developing a Theory of Change and Monitoring and Results Framework for Australian Aid's Economic Programming in Sri Lanka

Economic Opportunities for the Poor Program
Sri Lanka, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2015

MCL assisted DFAT to develop an over-arching theory of change and monitoring and results measurement framework for its Economic Opportunities for the Poor Program, designed to stimulate inclusive, private sector led growth and poverty reduction in Sri Lanka. The program is starting with two components, the Market Development Facility (MDF) and Skills for Inclusive Economic Growth (S4G), with the potential to add more. MCL worked with the DFAT managers, MDF managers and S4G design team to ensure that the framework will both support the managers to maximize sustainable results from the program and to report clearly and credibly to relevant stakeholders, particularly the Australian and Sri Lankan governments.

Case Studies on the DCED Standard for Results Measurement

Donor Committee for Enterprise Development
International Finance Corporation, 2015

Hans Posthumus Consultancy and MCL led a consortium of consultants to prepare ten case studies that demonstrate how programs have developed and used effective monitoring and results measurement systems in accordance with the DCED Standard for Results Measurement. The case studies cover technical issues, such as how to assess attribution, as well as organizational issues, such as how to develop a learning culture that underpins effective results measurement as a management tool. Aly, Hans, Phitcha and Nabanita authored a number of the case studies. See the DCED website for all the cases.

Support to AIPD Governance to Upgrade its Monitoring and Results Measurement System

Australia Indonesia Partnership for Decentralisation
Indonesia, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Cardno, 2014-2015

The AIPD Governance program, funded by the Australian government, contracted MCL to assist them in upgrading their monitoring and results measurement system. The program realised that their current system was not adequately helping them to improve implementation and report on their results. MCL supported AIPD Governance to design and pilot an upgraded system in two of the areas in which the program works, using the principles of the DCED Standard for Results Measurement. AIPD Governance is one of a few programs testing the use of the Standard framework outside of private sector development. AIPD's upgraded system focuses on integrating results measurement with management and involving staff and partners in gathering, understanding and using information on results.

Cardno Monitoring and Results Measurement Capacity Building Initiative

Global, Cardno, 2013-2014

MCL worked with Cardno to design an innovative capacity building program to develop a cadre of monitoring and results measurement specialists to meet the high demand in this area. MCL directed the program and provided capacity building services to a group of selected Cardno consultants and project staff. Through active participation in a combination of training, distance learning, project placement, assignment shadowing, backstopping and mentoring, the Cardno consultants honed their skills to provide high quality advisory services to PSD programs in the design, establishment and improvement of solid monitoring and results measurement systems that meet internal management and external reporting requirements.

K-MAP DCED Standard Pre-Audit Review

Kenya Market Assistance Programme
UKaid, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, Kenya Markets Trust, 2014

MCL conducted a pre-audit review of K-MAP's monitoring and results measurement system according to the DCED Standard. K-MAP, funded by DFID and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, aims to strengthen the performance of key agricultural and basic service markets in Kenya so that they improve the lives of producers, employees and consumers who depend on those markets. Targeting small farmers, pastoralists and rural consumers, K-MAP works in economic sectors such as dairy, agricultural inputs and basic services such as water. MCL reviewed K-MAP's monitoring and results measurement system to identify strengths and gaps according to the DCED Standard. MCL also went further, helping K-MAP to identify underlying causes of the strengths and weaknesses in their system and use that information to develop plans to improve. MCL's thorough review provided K-MAP with detailed recommendations on how to close gaps in the system and improve the overall effectiveness and practicality of the system. K-MAP was successfully audited against the DCED Standard in 2015.

Supporting Swisscontact to Improve Results Measurement Globally

Global, Swisscontact, 2013-2014

MCL provided support to Swisscontact to improve monitoring and results measurement across its global portfolio of projects. The aims of the initiative were to improve results measurement for management and reporting and to assist projects to work towards compliance with the DCED Standard for Results Measurement. MCL designed and provided two training courses to project specialists and regional resource persons in various aspects of results measurement. MCL also reviewed and provided technical assistance to Swisscontact's Financial Services East Africa program to help the team improve their results measurement system.

Design of the Danida UNNATI Program

UNNATI Inclusive Growth Programme in Nepal
Nepal, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark, 2013

As the Results Measurement Specialist, MCL contributed to the design of the UNNATI Inclusive Growth Programme in Nepal. This five-year program has three components: value chain development, infrastructure and improvement of the enabling environment. MCL designed the results measurement system for the program including the results framework, projections, and relevant TORs. MCL also provided input into the overall program design including expected activities, intermediate and final results, human and financial resources, and program structure. As part of the assignment, MCL supervised and provided support to a national consultant and two research firms providing inputs into the program design. In addition, MCL assisted expected implementing organizations to design their results measurement systems in alignment with the overall program. The program is now being implemented; see Embassy of Denmark in Nepal website for more information.

Scoping the Feasibility of New Ways to Improve Results Measurement across Australian Aid's Portfolio in Indonesia

Indonesia, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2013

The Program Effectiveness and Performance Section of DFAT Jakarta has invested significantly in improving performance measurement across the Australian Aid portfolio. As part of this effort, MCL scoped the feasibility of conducting a pilot with a few programs to upgrade their existing results measurement systems to the point of being "auditable" using the principles of the DCED Standard. The output of the assignment was a plan for the potential pilot, a brief review of the results measurement systems and related issues in interested DFAT programs and lessons from the experiences of DFAT programs globally in using the DCED Standard for Results Measurement.

Strategic Advice and Technical Backstopping to M4C

Making Markets Work for the Jamuna, Padma and Teesta Chars
Bangladesh, SDC, Swisscontact, 2012-2013

MCL provided strategic advice and technical backstopping in monitoring and results-based management to the innovative "Making Markets Work for the Jamuna, Padma and Teesta Chars (M4C)" project. This project, funded by SDC, aims to assist very poor rural farmers and producers on river islands to profitably integrate into mainland markets. MCL assisted M4C to develop a clear overall theory of change and translate that into a practical logframe. MCL provided backstopping to M4C in the design and operationalization of its monitoring and results measurement system, ensuring not only that the program is able to communicate credible results to stakeholders but also that the program has a conducive culture and systems to use information on results to improve strategies and implementation.

Australian Aid's Expert Panel on Rural and Market Development

Australia International Development Assistance (AusAID)
Global, Springfield Centre for Business in Development, 2009-2013

Aly was a Member of AusAID's four-person expert panel on Rural and Market Development for five years. She provided advice, training and technical assistance on improving results measurement and results based management in AusAID's rural development portfolio globally. She assisted AusAID's Food Security and Rural Development Group in program design and strategic decision-making regarding upgrading AusAID's rural development portfolio. As part of the assignment, MCL participated in design and review missions of AusAID rural development programs and provided a help-desk function to AusAID Posts working in rural and market development. Examples of specific assignments MCL undertook include:

As a member of the Sector Monitoring Group for the AusAID Cambodia office, periodically reviewed AusAID Cambodia's rural development programs, with an emphasis on the Cambodia Agricultural Value Chain Program (CAVAC), and provided strategic advice on the rural development portfolio. Contributed to the mid-term review of CAVAC as the results measurement specialist.
Assisted in the design of the Multi-Country Market Development Facility.
Provided training and technical assistance to AusAID's Enterprise Challenge Fund program to improve results measurement.
Member of the design team for the Solomon Islands - Australia Rural Livelihoods Program.
Provided training and technical assistance to the Solomon Islands Agricultural Livelihoods Program to progressively adopt more sustainability principles and practices.
Conducted a comparative assessment of the Pacific Financial Inclusion Project (PFIP) results measurement system with the DCED Standard for Results Measurement and made recommendations for improving PFIP's system.

Technical Support and Training to the Katalyst Project

Katalyst
Bangladesh, Swisscontact, 2003-2004, 2005-2007, 2008, 2010, 2012-2013, 2015

MCL has had a long association with the Katalyst project in Bangladesh. Katalyst is one of the oldest and most successful market development projects. Indeed, Katalyst has been a key contributor to the market development approach as well as to the DCED Standard for Results Measurement. MCL has provided technical support, training and backstopping in the development and implementation of Katalyst's results management system. Prior to that, Aly prepared a case study for Katalyst on its work in marketing services for SMEs. Early on in Katalyst's implementation, Aly provided regular technical assistance on market assessment, information analysis, intervention design and monitoring for the project's component on cross-sector services.

Training with the Springfield Centre in Market Assessment and Impact Assessment

Making Markets Work Training Programme
Springfield Centre for Business in Development, 2000, 2003-2012

Aly was a part of the training team for the Springfield Centre's Making Markets Work Training Programme for 10 years. In 2009-2012, she prepared and delivered a training module on Impact Assessment in Market Development Projects. Participants in this module learned how to integrate impact assessment with the internal monitoring of market development projects, using the guidelines provided by the DCED Standard on Results Measurement, and demonstrated improved skills in designing and implementing an internal results measurement system. In 2005-2010, Aly prepared and delivered a module on Assessing Markets and Using Information in Program Design and Implementation. The module equipped participants with the knowledge and skills to conduct and manage useful market research and to use the resulting information in program design and implementation to help small enterprises and poor people integrate into, and benefit from, markets. In 2003-2004, Aly prepared and facilitated a module on Monitoring and Evaluating BDS Market Development. This module equipped participants with knowledge and skills to make sensible choices on how to monitor BDS market development programs well before this topic emerged as a key issue globally. Finally, in 2000, Aly co-authored the core curriculum module on market assessment and intervention choice for the Springfield's first iteration of the course.