Research / Monitoring and Evaluation
Research and monitoring and evaluation are an important part of all the work we do at Heartlines. We use research in all aspects of our projects, from their design through to their implementation.
Each of our projects starts with extensive research. We use research to understand social issues and to plan and develop initiatives to address these issues. The research we do includes literature reviews, expert opinion gathering and focus group feedback.
We also use monitoring and evaluation to understand how effective our projects are in the real world. For this, we do dipstick analysis and ongoing reviews once our projects are underway. This helps us to strengthen and adapt our work and to make sure we are on track to meet our goals for the work we do.
Heartlines also partners with external monitoring and evaluation specialists to assess the impact of our work.
Fathers Matter
Heartlines' Fathers Matter project aims to promote the positive presence of fathers/men in the lives of children.
These interventions are based on the findings of a formative research process that was set up to unpack what it means to be a father in the South African context, as well as the perceived barriers and challenges to active participation from fathers, and the impact of this absence. The Heartlines Fathers Matter research report captures the voices of the research participants themselves and provides insights into their reflections, beliefs, behaviours and attitudes.
What's Your Story?
What's Your Story? is a tool for social change that is having a real impact on people who use it.
To understand how effective What's Your Story? is in helping to build connections and cultivate a stronger sense of community in churches through story-sharing, Heartlines commissioned Singizi Consulting Africa to do an evaluation of the project. Singizi produced an evaluation report and a number of case studies showing the impact of the project.
Values & Money
Our third project, Values and Money, has been rolled out churches, businesses and organisations in conjunction with our film Nothing for Mahala. We were funded by the Templeton Foundation to see whether the project would have an impact if rolled out to schools and youth organisations. Here is the independent evaluation carried out by Genesis Analytics on our Schools and Youth initiative.
Other research
Our first big programme rolled out from 2006, with the 8 Weeks. 8 Values. 1 National Conversation campaign. We were funded by the Templeton Foundation and the CDC (via Pepfar) to do a major R3m evaluation of the impact of the campaign. Here is a summary of the report; the full report is available on request.
Our second campaign, Values in Action, rolled out from 2009. Unfortunately, for this campaign, we were unable to secure a grant for a full-scale evaluation. Here is a brief summary of the series and its impact:
