Madelene Nye – Sweet Sleep

• Program Overview: Sweet Sleep runs an economic development program in Uganda, providing startup capital and seed funding to women to create group and individual businesses. The program supports orphan care by empowering women to provide sustainably.
• Reason for Evaluation: Initially aimed at tracking metrics, the evaluation became about understanding who they were impacting and how, focusing on actual work rather than just outputs.

Evaluation Process:

• Iteratively identified the right focus (women rather than orphans).
• Used surveys and interviews adapted to the local context (oral, community-based culture).
• Applied visual tools (thumbs up/down) and oral methods due to limited literacy and technology access.
• Discovered dependence mindset among participants, enabling program adjustments.
• Interviews Insights: Long, narrative conversations revealed what drives participants and what matters most to them.

Future Application:

• Evaluation results help set realistic goals independent of funding.
• Simplified interviews and surveys allow ongoing data collection during program cycles.
• Embeds continuous learning into the organisation’s operations.

Advice for Leaders Starting Evaluation:

• Keep an open mind; let go of assumptions about how programs “should” work.
• Involve staff and listen to beneficiaries for fresh perspectives.
• Recognise program evolution and impact that may not have been initially visible.