USAID/Jordan's Gender Mapping for Collective Impact

USAID’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MELA) project supports the Mission’s effort to integrate collaboration, learning, and adaptation (CLA) across its portfolio and Development Objectives (DO) in addition to providing technical support and capacity development in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and generating rigorous data to assess and improve program performance.

This CLA support was developed to address key evidence gaps identified in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) integration and measurement, and implementation overlap across programs. Support also responded to activities’ requests for a Gender Community of Practice (COPR) that provides regular reviews, knowledge sharing, and analysis of gender integration and measurement across the USAID different activities.

MELA mapped GEWE interventions across activities and facilitated workshops where the Mission, Implementing Partners (IPs), and key government entities reflected on gaps in GEWE-specific interventions. This guided the identification of collaboration and coordination opportunities under each of the Mission’s Technical Offices with focus on GEWE integration. Additional reflection sessions led to the development of collaboration interventions within the Gender COPR around key objectives enhancing GEWE knowledge, integration, collaboration, and coordination.

To encourage a culture of collaboration, USAID/Jordan took over the Gender COPR (now integrated in the Tawazon GEWE activity) and facilitates CLA events. It has also initiated a monthly bulletin to share GEWE learning products and resources and made accessible on USAID’s Knowledge Management (KM) portal.  Although IPs sometimes feel that CLA activities distract from their everyday work, collaboration with the Mission, the commitment of the Mission and IPs to address GEWE gaps, and collaboration to optimize contributions for the improvement of the conditions for women, youth, and disabled groups in Jordan have resulted in positive outcomes stemming from MELA’s CLA support.