Our approach for learning

Evidence and learning are at the heart of everything we do. We want to know if and how we are progressing towards our strategic goals, and what approaches are more or less effective – for who and in which contexts – in getting us there.

HCA-II Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) activity is co-designed with our partners. Each funded project gathers evidence and learning that is specific to their project focus and context, and regular learning and reflection sessions are held with adolescents and youth to inform project adaptations.

Collectively, we are guided by our programme Theory of Change, which we have iterated based on feedback and learning from projects, adolescents and youth. This provides an overarching framework for our project partners in their own project design.

Data and learning from projects are aggregated to build an understanding of programme-level progress towards our goals, and to inform collective learning around how to promote equitable improvements in priority health and wellbeing domains for adolescents in intermediary cities.

What we are learning

We generate learning that relates to our four strategic goals and delivery approaches to answer the following overarching learning questions:

• Our strategic goals:
  What are the key learnings about HCA-II’s strategic goals? How can these learnings be used by us to inform and influence local, regional and global policy and practice stakeholders?
• Our delivery approach:
  What works (or does not) in delivering and managing the HCA-II programme?

Please follow this link to view our programme and project learning resources.

Supporting our learning journey

We also have an external global learning partner (GLP) based out of the Institute of Development Studies, including a network of local researchers in our focus countries. The GLP supports and facilitates additional learning around emerging areas from programme delivery that require further reflection.

Global learning exchange across the programme

We hold a Global Learning Forum (GLF), which allows the HCA-II community to gather for generating and sharing lessons learned. Our first GLF iwas held in Bath (UK) in May 2024 . This focussed on exchanging project and programme-level learning, developing capacity, building a global community through multi-stakeholder dialogue, taking stock at the mid-term of programme implementation, and planning for the future. Our next GLF will be in February 2026 in Ghana.

We offer Learning Exchange Grants, intended to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and learning between HCA-II projects through funding in-person visits between HCA-II projects. Projects develop learning reports from each of these experiences.