Page 6 - February 2025

Strengthening Our Impact Through Collaboration

and Learning

Africa Youth Trust (AYT) joined consortium partners for a significant
gathering under the Shared Futures Project. Held at the Morning Star
Hotel in Diani, the Shared Futures Review Meeting and MEAL
Training brought together Cordaid (Lead Partner), Anglican
Development Services (ADS) Pwani, Jamii Action Center (JAC) and
Samba Sports Youth Agenda to reflect on progress, address
challenges and strengthen our collective efforts. This event was a
pivotal moment for the project, offering an opportunity to celebrate
successes, identify areas for improvement and equip partners with
the tools needed to enhance their impact.
Celebrating Progress, Addressing Challenges
The meeting began with a review of the project’s achievements.
Partners highlighted the success of collaborative referrals, which
have ensured that beneficiaries receive comprehensive support
across organizations. Community engagement was another key
strength, with local leaders and county officials actively supporting
the project’s goals.

The discussions also highlighted areas for improvement, including
low social media engagement, challenges in reaching female groups, AYT staff and partners explore a data management tool during the MEAL Training, aiming to improve
monitoring, evaluation and learning processes for greater project efficiency
difficulties with data collection in open areas as well as security
concerns in some regions. To address these, partners proposed
actionable solutions: enhancing social media outreach through
targeted campaigns, encouraging female participation via needs
assessments and women-only forums and improving data collection
methods while addressing security concerns through risk
assessments. These practical steps will directly enhance the
effectiveness of our work and the impact on our beneficiaries.

Strengthening Systems Through MEAL Training
A central component of the event was the MEAL (Monitoring,
Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) Training, which focused on
enhancing data collection, management and analysis. The training
emphasized the importance of customizing attendance registers to
include detailed information such as age, gender and disability
status. This level of detail will enable us to better understand who we
are reaching and ensure that no one is left behind.
Partners were also introduced to a tool that will streamline data
Participants at the Shared Futures Review Meeting and MEAL Training listen attentively during discussions
sharing and enable real-time monitoring of project activities. This
on project progress, challenges and strategies for improvement.
innovation will allow us to identify challenges early, adjust our
approaches and ensure that resources are used effectively to
maximize impact.
What This Means for Our Beneficiaries
The outcomes of this meeting and training will have a direct impact
on the communities we serve. By improving our data collection and
monitoring systems, we will be better equipped to understand the
needs of our beneficiaries and tailor our interventions accordingly.
Efforts to enhance female participation will ensure that young women
and girls have equal access to opportunities, while improved social
media engagement will help us reach more young people with vital
information and resources.
Moreover, the emphasis on collaboration among consortium partners
means that beneficiaries will receive more holistic support, as
organizations work together to address their needs. For AYT, this
gathering was a reminder of the importance of reflection, learning
and adaptation in our work. We are committed to implementing the From left: AYT Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer, Ms. Noreen Khaleji, and Shared Futures
recommendations and tools gained during this event, ensuring that Project Officer, Mr. Saidi Kingi, reviewing data on a laptop during the Shared Futures Review Meeting and
our efforts continue to create lasting changes in the lives of those we MEAL
serve.