What you will learn
- Explain the role of MEAL in the humanitarian project cycle.
- Build a coherent theory of change and logframe.
- Formulate SMART indicators and write a complete MEAL plan.
- Choose the right data collection methods, calculate a sample size and ensure data quality.
- Set up a complaints and feedback mechanism, and prepare an evaluation using the OECD DAC criteria.
Course information
- Level
- Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
- Study time
- 30 hours over 5 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
- Format
- Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
- Assessment
- Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
- Credential
- Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
- Reference frameworks
- OECD-DAC · ALNAP (Buchanan-Smith, Cosgrave, Warner) · CHS Alliance, Groupe URD, Sphere
💼 Monitoring, evaluation and data jobs
Put this course into practice: the latest jobs in this field.
- Project Completion, Monitoring and Partnerships Consultant (Korean Language Preferred)International Trade Centre · Uganda
- MERL Officer- RosterPlan International · Ethiopia
- Expert(e) en Suivi-Évaluation et Pilotage de la Performance des Entreprises AccompagnéesONUDI / UNIDO · Comoros
- National Monitoring and Evaluation ExpertONUDI / UNIDO · Palestine
- Head of Section (Mathematics) / Senior Research ScientistUNESCO · Italy
A 3-level certification pathway
Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.
Level 1Beginner
Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass
Beginner certificate
By the end of this level, you will be able to:
- Explain the components of MEAL and the role of each.
- Read a logical framework and distinguish outputs, outcomes and impact.
- Formulate a SMART indicator with its baseline and target.
- Day1MEAL fundamentalsWhat does MEAL mean? · Monitoring and evaluation: the differences · MEAL in the project cycle · Reference standards · Ethics and data protection · Organising the MEAL function: roles, positioning and resources · Setting up a MEAL system in 90 days: a step-by-step method · Full example: launching the MEAL system of a multi-sector project · Data protection and data responsibility: the practice · The CHS in practice: what auditors and evaluators check · Adapting the system to the context · Interview questions and key references Scenario: First day as a MEAL officer
- Day2Theory of change and logframeFrom problem tree to objective tree · The theory of change · The results chain · The logframe · Facilitating a theory of change workshop: the complete method · Full example: from analysis to the logframe of a nutrition and WASH project · The results frameworks of the main donors · Quality control of a logframe: the reviewer's checklist · Adapting the theory of change and the logframe to the context · Interview questions and key references Scenario: The logframe for a nutrition project
- Graded case study : The first monitoring table Food security project, rural area · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate
Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass
Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate
By the end of this level, you will be able to:
- Build a complete MEAL plan (indicators, sources, frequency, responsibilities).
- Organise quality data collection (sampling, tools, checks).
- Set up complaints and feedback mechanisms.
- Day3Indicators and the MEAL planWhat makes a good indicator? · Baseline, target and reference sheet · The indicator tracking table · The MEAL plan · Choosing indicators: standard sources and reference thresholds · Counting people reached: rules, disaggregation and double counting · Full example: indicator reference sheet and indicator tracking table of a project · Writing an operational MEAL plan: a complete template · Common mistakes, donor expectations and context variations · Interview questions and key references Scenario: Indicators for a water project
- Day4Data collection, quality and analysisData collection methods · Sampling · Data quality · Analysing and using data · Designing a questionnaire and a digital form: a step-by-step method · Advanced sampling: clusters, probability proportional to size and comparing two surveys · Full example: organising a project endline survey · Checking quality during and after data collection · Analysing to decide: the example of post-distribution monitoring · Collecting data in difficult contexts · Interview questions and key references Scenario: A satisfaction survey that goes wrong
- Graded case study : Survey and complaints: what the data say Urban cash transfer programme · 20 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced
Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass
Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate
By the end of this level, you will be able to:
- Design and manage an evaluation using the OECD-DAC criteria.
- Interpret contradictory results and formulate recommendations.
- Turn learning into a driver for decisions (adaptive management).
- Day5Accountability, evaluation and learningAccountability to affected populations · The complaints and feedback mechanism · Evaluation · Keeping learning alive · Designing a complaints and feedback mechanism: the complete method · Sensitive complaints and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse · Full example: analysing six months of feedback data · Managing an evaluation: from terms of reference to the final report · From evaluation to learning: management response and adaptation · Interview questions and key references Scenario: A serious complaint in the suggestion box
- Graded case study : The uncomfortable final evaluation 3-year multi-sector programme · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass
Who is it for?
Project officers, MEAL assistants and officers, programme coordinators, staff of national and international NGOs.
The certificate
With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.
Key concepts
The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.
- Theory of change
- An explicit representation of how activities are expected to bring about the intended changes, with the assumptions.
- Logframe
- A matrix linking objectives, results, activities, indicators, means of verification and assumptions.
- Outcome indicator
- A measure of change among beneficiaries (behaviour, access, situation).
- Baseline
- The initial measurement of indicators, before the intervention.
- Counterfactual
- What would have happened without the intervention; the basis for attribution analysis.
- Triangulation
- Cross-checking sources, methods or enumerators to validate a finding.
- Accountability to affected populations (AAP)
- A commitment to inform, consult, collect complaints and act on them.
- OECD-DAC criteria
- Relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.
References and recommended reading
The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.
- OECD-DAC (2019). Better Criteria for Better Evaluation: Revised Evaluation Criteria Definitions and Principles for Use. www.oecd.org/fr/cad/evaluation/criteres-cad-evaluation.htm
- ALNAP (Buchanan-Smith, Cosgrave, Warner) (2016). Evaluation of Humanitarian Action Guide. www.alnap.org/help-library/evaluation-of-humanitarian-action-guide
- CHS Alliance, Groupe URD, Sphere (2024). Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS). www.corehumanitarianstandard.org
- Sphere Association (2018). The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. spherestandards.org/fr/manuel-2018
- United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) (2016). Norms and Standards for Evaluation. www.unevaluation.org