Developmental Evaluation Pilot- Family Care First in Cambodia

USAID's Developmental Evaluation Pilot Activity (DEPA-MERL) project was one of the first attempts to introduce Developmental Evaluation (DE) to USAID. The DEPA-MERL project provided high quality DEs to interested Operating Units while also rigorously collecting and widely disseminating learning about how to conduct DEs in the Agency’s unique context.

Between 2016 and 2018, the DEPA-MERL team worked with the innovative Family Care First initiative in Cambodia, which leveraged a collective impact approach to “advance transformational solutions that considerably reduce the number of children growing up outside of safe, nurturing, family-based care.” Within FCF’s complex system of partnerships and processes, the DE sought  to better understand how partner relations impact implementation in order to optimize the program’s operational and engagement structure. DEPA-MERL worked closely with Save The Children (integrating partner), The Global Alliance for Children (backbone organization), and nearly 50 local and national partner organizations. These resources are intended for those interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of what a DE looks like in USAID, and associated learnings from implementing the DE.