The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Malawi Learn to Perform Activity recently concluded a data verification exercise for a key performance indicator for the Modern Cooking for Healthy Forests (MCHF) Activity. Through document review, statistical recalculations, and on-site spot checks across four districts, Learn to Perform helped confirm the reliability of data reported to USAID pertaining to financial penalties for forestry crimes in USAID-supported areas from October 2022 to September 2023.

Through a highly collaborative and participatory process, Learn to Perform also recommended adaptive management measures to strengthen data management for the activity. In close consultation with MCHF and its local partners, including Lilongwe Wildlife Trust, Magistrate Courts, Malawi Police Service, the Wildlife Action Group, and the Department of Forestry, Learn to Perform conducted two rounds of data field verification in Mzimba, Kasunga, Dedza, and Lilongwe districts and presented key findings to USAID and MCHF on May 27.

MCHF, implemented by Tetra Tech, aims to enhance sustainable forest management and promote clean energy in Malawi. These efforts to combat deforestation are a critical element of USAID/Malawi’s overall objectives to strengthen inclusive and sustainable growth. Learn to Perform supports the Mission by strengthening the USAID’s confidence in outcome-level data for key objectives as well as the data management systems that generate the data to drive decision making.