The “better future” is supposedly already here We are ostensibly living in an era with less poverty, better health and life expectancy and more access to human rights and education than ever. The progress in the last 200 years is undeniable and the extensive data by the likes of Max Roses (Our World in Data), … Read more
Education, the results rarely mirror the ambition Education accounts for about a fifth of our total budget expenditure in South Africa but it really is a case of high input, low output. Despite the large annual education spend, education outcomes in South Africa fall behind even our continental peers. By way of example, when you … Read more
I recently attended a conference on Bricolage in evaluation, organised by the Outcome Mapping Learning Community. Before I explain what I mean by bricolage, I want to trace something about my own development as an evaluator because I think it mirrors the journey of many African evaluators of my cohort. We learned by doing. When I started out 25 … Read more
New year, fresh take? The notion of a New Year has roots in many ancient cultures and rituals. In the Abrahamic traditions, it often aligns with the spring equinox where seeds were planted, it has now come to symbolise renewal and fresh starts. At Southern Hemisphere we like to think of it in those terms, … Read more
The World Economic Forum (WEF), specifically the Global Risks Report 2023 defines a polycrisis as: “A cluster of related global risks with compounding effects, such that the overall impact exceeds the sum of each part.” Perhaps never in history has there been as much talk about a global polycrisis: the urgency of the climate change … Read more
Together with SAMEA (the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association), we recently gathered to celebrate two milestone anniversaries, ours of 25 years at Southern Hemisphere, and theirs at 20 years. It was fitting that this was a joint celebration as Southern Hemisphere and SAMEA have a shared history, a shared vision to build capacity and … Read more
Creating learning organisations is at the heart of what we do At Southern Hemisphere, we’ve spent the last 25 years walking alongside organisations, helping them navigate change, reflect deeply, adapt thoughtfully, and grow with purpose. Through this journey, we’ve seen the learning organisation shift from being a conceptual ideal to an embodied, lived practice. In … Read more
You will often hear those in the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning space speak of Reflective Techniques and we’re no different. At Southern Hemisphere, we use the term regularly but a recent question has prompted us to expand on what exactly they are and when and where they are most useful In this blog, we look … Read more
Stories as Data For millennia, stories have been told throughout the world but those of us who live and work throughout Africa know the specific meaning and importance of storytelling on this continent. Throughout Africa, stories don’t only transmit information, they also preserve culture, connect communities, and validate experiences. Now through the use of Causal … Read more
With over 25 years and more than 500 engagements across the continent, Africa continues to teach us. It stretches our thinking, refines our practice, and deepens our respect for humanity. While no one can ever claim to fully understand its complexity, our experience has yielded valuable insights and practical tips for those undertaking evaluations across … Read more
Made in Africa evaluation (MAE) is often critiqued for not having implementation methods, approaches and tools. Much discussion has been focused on building Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) to inform the implementation of MAE. What possibilities does IKS have for developing types of data collection and analysis methods? Let us explore this idea. As part of … Read more
We were never in the dark Africa has long been painted with broad strokes, we are often seen as the “dark continent”, a place of unending challenge. And yes, we do know hardship. You could argue that the ubiquity of struggle has toughened us and has potentially made us more adaptable. But even by those … Read more