Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning | A Guide for NHRIs in the Asia Pacific
Module 4: Learning from your MEAL work
Section 4.1.
Reflecting on, and learning from,
MEAL results
Throughout the MEAL process, you will have gathered significant amounts of information about the impact of
your work, such as what worked well, what did not work well and why. Spend time reflecting on this information
to discover what it means for your NHRI’s future activities.
The process of critically reflecting, learning from your reflection and then applying that to future activities is
fundamental to the success of your NHRI’s work. As shown in Figure 11 below, reflective learning is ongoing.
Reflect, learn, and act: consider your results, learn from them and apply what you learn to your work on an
ongoing basis.
Figure 11: Reflective learning cycle
Apply
Reflect
What worked
well? Why?
What did not
work so well?
Why?
How can we
build on what
worked well
and address
what didn't work
so well?
Learn
Etc
Etc
Apply what you
have learned to
future activities
Etc
Reflect
Critically reflecting on the results of your activities means going beyond recording whether change is happening
(or has happened) to asking why, what it means, what has caused the change, for whom, what your
learning is and whether you need to change anything about your activities going forward.24
As you reflect on your MEAL results, it is just as important to identify and report on failures as it is to note
successes. This can often be difficult to do, for cultural reasons, or if you are worried that external stakeholders,
such as donors, will view your work negatively if an activity does not meet the intended outcomes. Building a
healthy culture of learning in your NHRI requires effort at all levels, including management. Being confident to
learn from ‘what didn’t work’ contributes to this healthy work culture.
The learning component of MEAL is an opportunity to strengthen your NHRI’s ability to promote and protect
human rights. The questions in Table 14 may be useful as you reflect on your MEAL results.
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