Through the 5-year Monitoring and Learning Support Contract (MLSC), EnCompass holistically assists the USAID Regional Mission for Ukraine and Belarus in addressing its overall monitoring and collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) needs during the implementation of the 2019–2024 Country Development Cooperation Strategy and beyond. In partnership with our subcontractor, NORC at the University of Chicago, we support USAID in strengthening links within Ukraine’s development community, whereby the Ukrainian government, USAID staff, USAID implementing partners, and civil society stakeholders come together to learn from each other and apply data for adaptive, evidence-based programming.
The MLSC reflects USAID’s commitment to a CLA approach, which EnCompass and its partners share, that will ensure strong participation in the achievement of an “independent, democratic, prosperous, and healthy Ukraine united around core European values.” Our work emphasizes the need to embrace new systems and processes to facilitate data collection, use, and application for learning and to develop partnerships informed by trust and shared visions for Ukraine’s development. Through MLSC, USAID/Ukraine can also leverage new technologies and timely analysis to advance learning and knowledge transfer.
In March 2020, EnCompass started MLSC operations in Kyiv, Ukraine, with six local staff members working virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will open a physical office when conditions allow. Additional partners (as of August 2020) include the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures at the University of Denver (for scenario planning).