Interview: Why monitoring and evaluation matter
How do humanitarian organizations know whether their projects are truly making a difference? Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) provide the answers. In this interview, Layal Ghamlouche, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager at Malteser International shares how MEAL helps us to measure impact, learn from communities, improve its programs, and ensure that people remain at the center of humanitarian action.
The NGO world loves its acronyms – what does MEAL actually stand for? Does it have to do with food?
Layal Ghamlouche: That’s probably one of the questions I hear most often. Unfortunately – or maybe fortunately – MEAL has nothing to do with food. In the humanitarian sector, MEAL stands for monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning. These four elements help us to understand whether our projects are working as intended and whether we are making a meaningful difference in people's lives.
Monitoring, evaluation, figures, tables … To most people, this will sound a bit boring. Why is this so extremely important, however, especially for humanitarian work?
Layal Ghamlouche: I understand why people think of spreadsheets and indicators when they first hear about MEAL. But for me, MEAL is really about people.
Humanitarian organizations work with limited resources in environments where the needs are enormous and huge. We therefore have a responsibility to make sure that our interventions remain relevant, effective, and responsive to the needs of the communities we serve. Data from MEAL helps us to understand very important questions, such as, are we reaching the people that need the help the most? Are we achieving the outcomes we promised? And are the people satisfied with the services that we are delivering?
Without monitoring and evaluation, we would be making important decisions based on guesswork. So yes, while the tools may be numbers and reports, the ultimate goal is to improve people’s lives.
How often during a project does Malteser International monitor and evaluate?
Layal Ghamlouche: Monitoring and evaluation are not activities that only happen at the end of the project. Humanitarian projects typically follow a project cycle, starting from assessment, planning, moving into design, into implementation, and then ending with the closure and review. Monitoring takes place continuously throughout the project cycle. Depending on the project and the needs, teams may monitor on a monthly basis, on a quarterly basis, and even more frequently.
However, evaluation often happen at key moments throughout the project, for example, at midline of the project or at the end of a project and sometimes they are conducted at other stages when important decisions need to be made.
Can you tell us about a surprising, inspiring, or particularly important evaluation or monitoring result you remember?
Layal Ghamlouche: During a needs assessment, we initially assumed that access to services was the main challenge faced by the communities because that’s what the stakeholder highlighted. However, when we spoke directly to the communities, we realized that they were facing a completely different challenge and that was reaching the services. They already knew about the services but they lacked safe and affordable transportation to reach those services.
That feedback changed how the project was designed. For me, this was one of the moments that highlighted why accountability in MEAL is such an important element. Sometimes the most meaningful learning comes from simply asking the people about their experiences and listening to them.
What are current developments in the field of MEAL work that will ensure quality humanitarian work even better in the future?
Layal Ghamlouche: The MEAL field is evolving rapidly, and that’s exciting. For example, one important development is the increasing use of digital tools for data collection and analysis. These tools help teams to make sure that they are collecting data very quickly and making evidence-based decisions rapidly. We are also seeing more focus on learning and adaptive management. Rather than simply asking about reporting results, organizations are increasingly asking how information can be used to improve programs in real time.
Finally, new technologies, including artificial intelligence, have the potential to process large amounts of data and information more efficiently. However, no matter what technology we use, the principle remains the same: keeping people at the center of our work.
(September 2026 )
