A defining feature of GALVmed’s approach is its focus on market-driven impact. Unlike many NGOs, GALVmed does not subsidise or distribute products for free. Instead, SSPs pay full market value for vaccines and animal health products, ensuring long-term sustainability. The rationale behind this is that if SSPs recognise the value of these products, they will continue purchasing them beyond project timelines.

Given this market-driven approach, sales data provide the most consistent and comparable measure of impact across projects. As a reliable source of business intelligence, this data reflects both market reach and product uptake. Sales data are modelled using assumptions within GALVmed’s published impact model. Modelling is a core tool for estimating key impact metrics across a defined set of projects.

GALVmed’s early M&E efforts focused on assessing market context and farm-level vaccine impact within its market development. These efforts provided insights into market dynamics and an early indication of how livestock vaccination and other animal health inputs could improve SSP livelihoods.

GALVmed’s approach to M&E has evolved over time, expanding beyond its original scope to include both impact modelling and the collection and analysis of primary and secondary data, drawing on two complementary schools of evaluation theory: traditional evaluation and developmental evaluation. In some cases, GALVmed aims to replicate or scale up proven models — where impact pathways are well understood and anticipated, traditional evaluation methods are used to measure outcomes and assess impact. In other cases, GALVmed implements novel and adaptive solutions in complex environments. Here, a developmental evaluation approach helps inform adaptation, maximise impact, and advance GALVmed’s mission.

Lessons learning is important for informed decision-making, accountability, to gather and disseminate best practices, identify pitfalls, and adapt methods to create intentional and effective change. Regular touchpoints from project inception through its lifecycle ensure that lessons are systematically integrated, fostering continuous improvement and responsiveness to evolving circumstances.

To implement this effectively, GALVmed M&E follows a three-step process. First, accurately defining and diagnosing problems, distinguishing between logistical issues and deeper challenges. Second, categorising problems or best practices, ensuring comprehensive analysis and focused thinking. Third, defining what a solved problem looks like including necessary actions and success indicators. This structured process culminates in an action plan, enabling us to transition from collaboration and learning to practical adaptation.

Gender is a broad and complex topic with significant historic, cultural, and geographic considerations. M&E plays an important role in delivering a clearer evidence-based level of understanding, particularly relating to gender dynamics in the SSP segments.

Applying a gender lens in programme evaluation involves intentionally assessing how gender roles and norms affect programme implementation, and ultimately, how gender roles and norms enable or prevent programme beneficiaries from benefiting from a programme. This involves the deliberate inclusion of questions around how gender affects programme uptake and utilisation. Further, in evaluation, it requires that evaluators and fieldworkers be sensitive to power dynamics related to gender. Practically, this means that special efforts should be made to include women in the evaluation of programmes, as well as to ensure their voices are heard by creating safe spaces for women to respond to questions in data collection.

With this clearer understanding, progress can be monitored and interventions more accurately focused and informed.