Resource Library

The Resource Library serves as a broad resource hub, including over 1000 documents, training materials, wikis, and curated reports to increase readers' awareness, understanding, and proficiency of several topics in market systems development. Users have access to proposals, evaluation materials, and USAID policy updates, as well as training modules and wikis to boost skills and knowledge.

These resources are bolstered by the inclusion of curated USAID reports published on the USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) which serves as a repository of reports from completed or ongoing USAID development projects around the globe. The full USAID Development Clearinghouse website can be accessed here.

Case Study Series: Women-Inclusive Return on Investment (WI-ROI)

These case studies profile select small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have implemented a women-inclusive intervention and can demonstrate financial returns for that investment. The case studies help address a gap in evidence from firms in lower- and middle-income countries on the return on investment (ROI) from women’s inclusion and unpack themes from USAID’s Women Inclusive Return on Investment (WI-ROI) Framework.

The case study series features:

  • By: Erin MarkelSabine GarbarinoYaquta Fatehi
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6.8. Collaborate, Learn and Adapt to Advance WEEGE

Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) is a critical part of MEL and provides an opportunity to advance the learning agenda for WEEGE among the agency, Missions, and implementing partners. CLA must be integrated throughout each phase of the MEL process. It ensures that decisions being made are based on data that are accurate, and enables decision-makers to alter their course of action (or planning) in a manner that best reflects current realities.

6.7. Integrate WEEGE into the PMP or MEL Plans

All the work from the aforementioned processes must be codified into a PMP or MEL plan. The PMP or MEL plan contents will vary slightly depending on how planning is carried out (select this link to ADS 201 for specific requirements), but it likely will require outlining specific goals, objectives, context and data collection plans, as well as a results framework.

6.6. Develop and Select WEEGE-Specific Indicators

Once the results framework has been established, indicators must be selected or developed that measure each DO or IR and sub-IR. Selecting indicators is a lengthy process and often entails choosing relevant foreign-assistance standard indicators (F-indicators), as well as identifying other indicators that may better measure degrees of success (or failure).

6.5. Establish WEEGE-Specific DOs, IRs and/or Sub-IRs

The next step in the WEEGE MEL process creates DOs that speak to and address the ToC. The DOs at the CDCS or RDCS level also will inform how project- and activity-level IRs, sub-IRs and indicators are selected, so it is important to dedicate time to determine what the DOs will seek to measure. The DOs should address the goals and ToC put forward by the Mission and provide clarity around how it intends to achieve those goals.

6.4. Integrate WEEGE into the Theory of Change

After a thorough understanding of the WEEGE context has been established, the next step in the process is to develop a WEEGE theory of change (ToC), also called a development hypothesis. One way to begin this process is by thinking about what things would look like in-country when WEEGE is strengthened. Statements such as, “We will know that WEEGE has been strengthened when x, y and z conditions are present,” can be helpful to think through when creating a ToC that will best describe a WEEGE landscape.

6.3. Utilize WEEGE Resources to Inform a PMP or MEL Plan

After gaining an understanding of WEEGE challenges and opportunities, the next step is to integrate that learning into a PMP (at the CDCS or RDCS level) or MEL plan (at the activity level). When initiating MEL planning, it is important to understand the broader challenges and opportunities of working with WEEGE data and designing WEEGE programming. To begin, it is important to understand a Mission’s mandate, funding, geographic areas of interest and targeted sectors.

6.2. Understanding WEEGE Opportunities and Challenges in MEL

The first step in integrating WEEGE into MEL planning begins with understanding the current WEEGE context, the availability of WEEGE data, and the interventions that have been successful, piloted or untested. Many more organizations are now collecting and analyzing WEEGE data and have identified opportunities and challenges for advancing WEEGE. Significant progress has been made, with many organizations recognizing the importance of not only integrating gender into development projects, but also measuring their impact.

6.1. Overview

This monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) unit is based on the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Automated Directives Systems (ADS) 201 and ADS 205 (refer to Figure 1).

Unit 6: Integrating WEEGE into Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

Unit 6 addresses how to: understand WEEGE opportunities and challenges in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL); utilize WEEGE resources to inform a Performance Management Plan (PMP) or MEL plan; integrate WEEGE into the theory of change; establish WEEGE-specific DOs, IRs and/or sub-IRs; develop and select WEEGE-specific indicators; integrate WEEGE into PMP or MEL plans; and collaborate, learn and adapt to advance WEEGE.

5.3.5. Tool 4: WEEGE Integration Plan Template

This Integration Plan template is an optional tool to help implementing partners develop integration plans based on the findings of a gender analysis with a WEEGE lens. It is designed to create a consistent approach across activities, to help USAID better manage WEEGE integration across portfolios. It is a place to summarize an activity's initial research findings and to provide recommendations to turn those findings into actions.

5.3.4. Tool 3: Integrating WEEGE into Implementing Partner Collaboration

USAID Agreement Officer’s Representatives or Contracting Officer’s Representatives (AOR/CORs) engage implementing partners (IPs) both formally and informally throughout activity implementation. These interactions are opportunities to reinforce and facilitate continuous integration of WEEGE and to support interventions and adaptations that ensure successful achievement of WEEGE outcomes. This tool offers suggestions on how AOR/CORs can integrate WEEGE into their collaboration with IPs.

5.3.3. Tool 2: Integrating WEEGE into Solicitations

ADS 205 includes a helpful list of questions that design teams should ask to ensure that gender is well integrated in each major solicitation section. This tool lists these questions, along with additional suggestions for including a WEEGE lens in the process of solicitation development.

5.3.2. Tool 1: Integrating WEEGE into Activity Design

This tool helps design teams ensure WEEGE is integrated into an activity design. It assumes that a gender analysis integrating WEEGE has been done to ensure that the design team has relevant information about the WEEGE context of the activity.

5.3.1. Sample 1: Integrating WEEGE into an Activity Gender Analysis

This sample presents modified excerpts from a health systems activity-level gender analysis to illustrate how WEEGE can be integrated. The findings are presented in two different formats: organized by ADS 205 domains, and organized by the actors in the health activity value chain.

5.3. Resources, Samples and Tools

Each unit of the WEEGE Technical Guide includes resources, samples and/or tools. This unit includes one sample and four tools. In this Unit, you will find:

5.2. Applying a WEEGE Lens to Activity Design and Implementation

Integrating WEEGE at the activity level requires an understanding of the opportunities and challenges women face in their local context, in order to design effective approaches and strategies, allocate resources to support them and identify and troubleshoot potential challenges.

WEEGE Technical Guide

The Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality (WEEGE) Technical Guide was developed to enable USAID staff to design, procure, implement, monitor, and evaluate programs that increase women’s economic empowerment and gender equality outcomes.

Unit 1: Defining WEEGE

Unit 1 provides a broad overview of women’s economic empowerment and gender equality, outlining the barriers, opportunities and evidence to date and its relevance to USAID.