Our work

We believe in the power of collaboration. We partner with clients and communities to make development more impactful, effective, and inclusive. Our clients are governments, international development agencies, INGOs, multilateral organisations and businesses. They trust us to provide robust and evidence-based advice underpinned by deep sector knowledge and experience.

Driven by a participatory and evidence-based approach of what works and what could work better, we invest in collaboration and empowering clients and partners through training, workshops and knowledge sharing.

What we do

design, monitoring, evaluation, research and learning

Design: We lead and support designs of complex development programs and public-private initiatives. Our participatory design approach keeps local experts, rights holder organisations, and affected communities at the centre.  Recent designs include Investing in Women: Women in Inclusive Sustainable Economic Recovery (WISER), an $80-million multi-country women’s economic empowerment program in Southeast Asia funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australia-Laos Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program, implemented by the Australian Human Rights Commission and DFAT.

 

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E): As specialists in mixed method qualitative evaluation, we evaluate international development and humanitarian programs. We specialise in participatory methods and facilitating reflective processes to ensure team learning. The L4D team are M&E leads and thematic experts for programs working in Gender, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), public health and women’s economic empowerment. We specialise in program design, mid-term reviews and end-of-program evaluations, and also serve as long-term advisers to programs throughout the Pacific as GEDSI and M&E advisors.

 

Research and Learning: We provide research support to clients on a vast range of topics including Indo-Pacific vaccine equity, global standards and practice on PSEAH, the care economy in Southeast Asia, women in leadership in the Pacific, and neglected tropical diseases in Pacific Island countries. We draw on our network of specialists to provide clients with local expert assessments to feed into policymaking and program design. Learning within teams is a priority of every DMERL assignment for Learning4Development. In addition to facilitating reflective processes, we also create learning products, including e-Learning materials and digestible communications pieces, including infographics, and videos.  Recent trainings designed by Learning4Development include executive leadership training for Solomon Islands Senior Women in Business, and governance skills for the Papua New Guinea Institute of Directors.

  • Design of the Australia-Laos Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program (2023)
  • Design of the Australia-Vietnam Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program (2023)
  • Design of next phase of Investing in Women Program: WISER 2023 – 2027 (2022)
  • Design of the Australia-China Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program (2018)
  • Gender, Disability and Social Inclusion Advisors to DFAT’s MERL facility in Papua New Guinea – Human Development Monitoring and Evaluation Services program since 2021 (ongoing)
  • Design, Monitoring and Evaluation Advisors to the Australian High Commission in Suva (2018 – 2021)
  • Design, Monitoring and Evaluation Advisors to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s international programs (2018-ongoing)
  • Mid-term review of DFAT’s flagship $100m Investing in Women program (2021)
  • End-line review of UN Women’s Rohingya refugee response (2020)
  • Evaluation of The Fred Hollows Foundation Eliminating Trachoma Program in the Pacific (2019)

gender equality, disability and social inclusion

We believe that an intersectional Gender Equality, Disability Inclusion and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) lens makes development work better for everyone. We are long-term GEDSI advisers on programs across Asia Pacific for clients including the Asian Development Bank, the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

L4D’s GEDSI Analysis Tool can be used in evaluations, to review GEDSI policies and practice, and inform designs to advance transformative approaches.

We integrate GEDSI into every stage of a program’s lifecycle, from designing programs for women’s economic empowerment (WEE) in Indonesia, to analysing the effectiveness of GEDSI Approaches in health programs in Papua New Guinea. 

We strive to integrate GEDSI transformative approaches into our designs and evaluations. We see GEDSI as key to locally led development, and we partner with local experts to deliver transformative and locally driven approaches. We also work with organisations in assessing the effectiveness of their GEDSI policies and processes.

  • Gender and Social Inclusion Advisor to DFAT’s Business Partnerships Platform  (2018-)
  • Gender and Social Inclusion Advisor to MFAT’s Private Sector Development Program in Samoa (2019-)
  • Gender Advisor to the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (2020-)
  • Member of Economic Empowerment of Women Expert Panel for ADB’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (2021)
  • Design of DFAT’s new flagship women’s economic empowerment program (WISER) in South East Asia (2021)
  • Gender, Disability and Social Inclusion Advisor to DFAT’s Human Development Monitoring and Evaluation Services program in Papua New Guinea (2021-)
  • GEDSI Meta-Review, Caritas Australia (2022)
  • Member of SURGE Gender Equality Expert Panel (2023)

organisational effectiveness and global standards

Quality standards, organisational assessments and acceditations are core to Learning4Development’s contribution to the sector. As leaders in the development of NGO quality standards and assessment methodologies in Australia and globally for the past 20 years, we are the authors of DFAT’s NGO accreditation-related policies, criteria and assessment frameworks, the Australian Council for International Development’s (ACFID’s) Code of Conduct and Good Practice Toolkit, the CHS Alliance PSEAH Index and Verification Framework and revisions to DFAT’s due diligence assessment process for multilaterals.  

 

Our team has undertaken over 200 organisational and effectiveness assessments of Australian and international NGOs, and designs and delivers trainings to Core Humanitarian Standards auditors. 

 

Jo Thomson is a Board Director of Accountable Now.

  • Refresh of the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) Accreditation System (2023)
  • Review of DFAT’s Due Diligence Assessment process for multilateral organisations (2023)
  • DFAT due diligence assessments of Australia’s multilateral partners, including Global Fund, UNDRR, UN Women, IOM, UNAIDS, UNDCO, UNHCR, the World Bank, ASEAN Secretariat, Asian Development Bank, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNDP (2021-)
  • Team Leader of Accreditation reviews of Australian NGOs on behalf of DFAT since 2000 (ongoing)
  • Reviews of DFAT Australian NGO Cooperation Program Accreditation Criteria and Guidance Manual (2004, 2009, 2014, 2018, 2023)
  • Review and re-design of the Code of Conduct, Quality Assurance Framework, and Good Practice Toolkit for the Australian Council for International Development (2015-2019)
  • Senior Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative Auditors (2018-2023)
  • Authors of the CHS Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Index, Verification Framework, and Handbook (2018)
  • Contribution to the development of the Accountable Now Global Standard for CSO Accountability

child safeguarding and preventing sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment

We are global experts in child safeguarding and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in the international development and humanitarian sectors. We have collaborated with DFAT, the CHS Alliance, and ACFID to develop child safeguarding and PSEAH components of international humanitarian and development sector standards, including the ACFID Code of Conduct and the CHS PSEAH Index). We contributed to the development of DFAT’s Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy.

 

L4D provides end-to-end PSEAH and child protection policy design, implementation, training, monitoring and consulting domestically and internationally to empower organisations to meet and exceed PSEAH standards in a survivor-centred, trauma-informed and sustainable way. 

 

Recent work in Safeguarding includes a sector review on the effectiveness of child safeguarding approaches, commissioned by ACFID, and organisational reviews of the effectiveness of safeguarding policy and practices for major international Australian NGOs, in their development and humanitarian work.

 

  • ACFID Child Safeguarding Learning Review (2021)
  • PSEAH learning review for the Australian Red Cross and RedR Australia (2021)
  • PSEAH policy and practices review of UN agencies as part of DFAT multilateral due diligence exercises (2021-)
  • Training auditors on the application of the PSEAH Index for the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (2021)
  • Development of e-learning courses on child protection and PSEAH for DFAT (2020)
  • Review of the global PSEAH Index for the Core Humanitarian Standard Alliance (2020)
  • UNICEF/CHSA review of PSEAH practices in Palestine (2020)
  • PSEAH/safeguarding revision of the ACFID Coe of Conduct and development of PSEAH Policy Guidance Tool for the Australian Council for International Development (2019)
  • e-learning package on Child Protection for the Australian Council for International Development (2018)
  • ACFID sector consultations on PSEAH (2018)
  • DFAT PSEAH policy discussion paper to inform DFAT PSEAH Policy (2018)
  • Australian NGO safeguarding policies and practices review as part of DFAT accreditation processes (2008-)
  • ACFID webinar on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (2019)

public health and health systems strengthening

Jo Thomson leads our public health and health systems strengthening (HSS) practice, working with government and NGO partners. L4D has extensive experience evaluating and designing pubic health and HSS programs, advising on health policy and planning, leading consultations with governments and heath institutions, and managing program implementation.

Recent work includes scoping neglected tropical diseases in Pacific Island Countries for The Fred Hollows Foundation, capacity assessments of Ministries of Health and Health Workforces in Pacific Island Countries for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and our work on Human Development Monitoring and Evaluation Services, supporting the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby to assess the gendered impact and effectiveness of Australia’s health investments. 

  • Member GAVI Independent Review Committee (2020-)
  • Evaluation of The Fred Hollows Foundation Eliminating Trachoma Program in the Pacific (2019)
  • Health systems assessment of 13 countries in the Pacific for Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (2021)
  • Scoping exercise of Neglected Tropical Diseases in eight Pacific Island Countries for the Fred Hollows Foundation (2022-2023)
  • Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance (ARIA) GEDSI Review and Action Plan (2022-2023)
  • Australian Expert Technical Assistance Program for Regional COVID-19 Access: Policy, Planning and Implementation (AETAP-PPI) GEDSI Review and Action Plan (2022-2023)
  • GEDSI Advisor to DFAT’s Health Program Portfolio in Papua New Guinea, through Human Development Monitoring and Evaluation Services (2021-)
  • Member of Abt Australia’sSpecialist Health Service Panel (2022-)
  • Organisational due diligence assessment of WHO, UNAIDS, and Global Fund for DFAT (2021-2023)

women's economic empowerment and inclusive development

Over the past three years, we have been rapidly scaling up our women’s economic empowerment and inclusive development portfolio as part of our commitment to inclusive economic recovery. Belinda Lucas advises programs and organisations on private sector development and gender lens investing in Asia Pacific in her long-term adviser roles to DFAT’s Business Partnerships Platform, the ADB’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative, and MFAT’s Private Sector Development Program.

Belinda led the mid-term evaluation of Investing in Women, DFAT’s flagship women’s economic empowerment program, and the design of WISER (Women in Inclusive Sustainable Economic Recovery). Belinda has an ongoing research interest in the care economy in Asia Pacific. 

  • Care economy policy analysis for DFAT’s Gender Equality Branch (2022-)
  • Design of DFAT’s new flagship $80-million women’s economic empowerment program (WISER) in Southeast Asia (2022)
  • Gender, Disability and Social Inclusion Adviser to DFAT’s Business Partnerships Platform (2018)
  • Gender and Social Inclusion Adviser to MFAT’s Private Sector Development Program in Samoa (2019-)
  • Women in Business Leadership Specialist to the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (2022-)
  • Member of Economic Empowerment of Women Expert Panel for ADB’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (2021-)
  • Publication: Measuring the Impact of Gender Norms Campaigns in South East Asia – Quantitative Analysis (2023)
  • Publication: Gender Equality Matters 2022: Social norms, attitudes and practices (SNAP) of urban millennials in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam (June 2023)


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Learning4Development acknowledges all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Custodians of Country and recognises their continuing connection to land, sea, knowledge, culture, and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

 

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