On 27 September 2024, WE-Care’s Feminist MEAL Advisor Akumu Pamba led a training session for members of the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) on Feminist Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL). The session focused on feminist approaches to MEAL, emphasizing principles that challenge traditional power dynamics and gender biases. The training objectives were to deepen participants’ understanding of feminist principles in MEAL, increase their ability to design gender-responsive frameworks, and explore best practices in feminist MEAL.

Participants jointly defined Feminist MEAL not as a set of rigid tools but as a flexible and reflexive lens applied to all MEAL processes. The discussion acknowledged that the approach recognizes success as subjective, shaped by context and power relations, and prioritizes the inclusion of marginalized voices. Key discussions centred around Oxfam’s Feminist Principles, highlighting how power and intersectionality must be at the heart of evaluations. Feminist MEAL was also defined as participatory, political, focused on learning and driving transformational change in programs. The session also stressed that even if we do not label our work as feminist, it can still embody feminist values.

Participants appreciated the idea that Feminist MEAL is a continuous journey, with everyone actively working to incorporate feminist principles into their processes. The training concluded with a reflection on the importance of navigating power dynamics while adhering to the ‘Do No Harm’ principle to achieve equitable and impactful outcomes. The session was a valuable opportunity to strengthen the participants’ efforts in feminist-driven program implementation, evaluation, and learning.

For questions, reach out to Akumu Pamba at akumu.pamba@oxfam.org.