Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning


USAID supports countries to deliver evidence-based interventions and promising maternal and child health and nutrition practices. Our research identifies barriers and solutions to achieving coverage, equity, and quality of those interventions and key practices to prevent child and maternal deaths.


Efforts to increase the coverage, equity and quality of health interventions often do not fully achieve their intended results, especially in low- and middle-income settings facing complex challenges. This is why measuring results, reflecting on lessons learned, and adapting programs is critical to saving children’s and mothers’ lives. USAID uses lessons learned from each of our programs to design more effective, sustainable, and impactful programs in the future.

Our Approach 

USAID supports research and learning in the following three categories:

COLLABORATING, LEARNING, ADAPTING
USAID is strategic in its collaboration with key partners in the countries it supports, and engages these partners in continuous learning—including practical research to overcome persistent barriers, and selection of the right tools—to design, manage, and sustain life saving maternal and child health and nutrition programs and reduce preventable deaths for women, newborns and children.

INNOVATIONS IN DATA COLLECTION, QUALITY AND USE
USAID strategically collaborates with key global and country partners to advance the health metrics learning agenda leading to better measures, better data, better decisions, and eventually better health. We  focus our  data efforts on measures and analysis of the following: child and maternal mortality; the coverage, equity and quality of evidence-based maternal and child health and nutrition interventions; and, barriers to achieving high levels of coverage, equity and quality of these interventions. Improved data sources and analytical approaches allow us to access and link data in innovative ways that foster programmatic insights and decisions for targeted, efficient, and effective programs. The evidence generated through these efforts supports global and country level dialogue and promotes cross-country learning.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
USAID builds the capacity of country partners to improve strategic planning, measurement, analysis, reporting, and knowledge translation for enhanced decision making. By building capacity to translate evidence into action, USAID is creating more sustainable programs to effect lasting change. Additionally, USAID’s knowledge management efforts support identification, learning, and dissemination around best practices, connecting global and country level evidence, cross-country dialogues and support for systematic knowledge sharing.

Where We Work

USAID’s monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning investments focus on supporting 25 countries that represent more than 66 percent of maternal and child deaths.

Programs and Partnerships

Success Stories

Harnessing the Power of a Text Message to Save Lives

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In Kenya, the maternal mortality rate is almost 2.5 times higher than the average maternal mortality rate worldwide. Gaps in the quality of intrapartum care and delays in care seeking contribute to a significant number of maternal deaths in Kenya. Learn how USAID is improving access to health services with digital technology for mothers in Kenya. 

Making a Lasting Impact on Mothers in Africa

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women — and mothers in particular — have borne the brunt of hardships brought about by lockdowns, economic crises, and disruptions to food systems. The pandemic has limited access to essential health care, cost countless women their jobs, and closed schools around the world. Many mothers were challenged to find emergency health services and child care, as well as the means to feed their families. Learn how USAID is advancing quality, respectful, and accessible care for mothers and their families.

Fighting Malnutrition in Ghana

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Almost half of all deaths for children under 5 are attributable to malnutrition — this is why improving nutrition is imperative to achieving USAID’s global maternal and child survival goals. Climate change, conflict, and the lasting impacts of COVID-19 have all exacerbated rates of global malnutrition and contributed to the global food security and hunger crisis. Learn how health workers are leading the charge for change.

The Global Child Thrive Act Commemorates Its First Year in Action

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In Uganda, Joseph learns that playing with his children is critical to their cognitive, social, and emotional development. In Rwanda, Jeanne learns how to cook nutritious meals for her family and practice positive parenting. And, in Cambodia, 4-year-old Sreyno learns how to walk for the first time on new prosthetic legs.

News and Resources

A Decade of Progress Infographic

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Explore USAID's decade of progress on the road to increasing maternal and child survival around the globe. 

Getting to 2030: Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Technical Roadmap

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USAID works in partnership with host country governments, the civil and private sectors, faith-based organizations, and other key partners to save lives by ensuring women and children have equitable access to high quality, respectful care. The Getting To 2030: Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Technical Roadmap is a framework that guides USAID's maternal and child survival  programs.

Implementation Research Tips

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Implementation research (IR) can help stakeholders solve implementation challenges and identify needed programmatic adaptations to maximize results, using context-specific research findings. Moreover, IR can produce timely findings that provide good value for the money when used to improve the effectiveness of program interventions, and in turn, improve health outcomes. Findings are generally relevant to, and used by, policymakers, program managers, practitioners, and donors.