What We Offer

Our Core Services

Specialist consulting across MEAL, research, community engagement, and strategic advisory — supporting NGOs, UN agencies, donors, and governments throughout the Horn of Africa.

What We Offer

Integrated Consulting Services

Each service operates independently or as part of a fully integrated engagement — giving clients one accountable partner across the complete programme lifecycle.

01
Service 01 of 07

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEAL)

Programmes without robust MEAL systems cannot demonstrate impact, satisfy donors, or improve over time. MARCO builds and manages rigorous MEAL systems that give organisations real-time visibility over what is working — and the evidence to prove it to funders.

From baseline design to final evaluation, our approach combines quantitative rigour with qualitative depth. We have led third-party monitoring for UNICEF, SOS Children's Villages, and USAID/IBTCI engagements across all five Somali Federal Member States, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

  • Baseline, midterm, and endline surveys
  • Third-party monitoring (TPM) and output verification
  • Data quality assessments (DQA) and triangulation
  • Real-time monitoring system (RTMS) design and management
  • Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) mechanisms
  • Feedback, complaints, and response mechanisms (FCRM)
  • OECD-DAC compliant programme evaluations
  • Learning briefs and evidence-to-action reports
02
Service 02 of 07

Research, Assessments & Data Collection

Decisions without evidence lead to misaligned programmes and wasted resources. MARCO delivers the field-based research and high-quality data that enable organisations to understand needs accurately, design programmes that work, and make investments that deliver returns.

Our data teams use CAPI platforms (KoboCollect, ODK, Geopoll), SPSS, STATA, R, and Power BI — and can mobilise across remote and insecure areas within 72 hours through our embedded enumerator network.

  • Multi-sector needs assessments (MSNA) and rapid assessments
  • Market, value chain, and livelihoods assessments
  • KAP surveys and perception studies
  • Post-distribution monitoring (PDM)
  • Quantitative and qualitative primary data collection
  • Questionnaire design, translation (Somali/English/Arabic), and piloting
  • Statistical analysis and data visualisation dashboards
  • Geospatial mapping and GPS-verified field data
03
Service 03 of 07

Community Engagement & Accountability

Programmes that do not genuinely engage communities produce poor data, poor outcomes, and poor accountability. MARCO designs and manages participation processes that are meaningful — not performative — ensuring communities shape the decisions that affect them.

With deep cultural competence across Somalia's diverse clan and community structures, and established facilitator networks in Kenya and Ethiopia, MARCO navigates sensitive engagement processes that external consultants cannot replicate.

  • Stakeholder consultations and community dialogue platforms
  • Focus group discussions (FGD) design, facilitation, and analysis
  • Participatory needs assessments and community mapping
  • AAP system design and implementation
  • Feedback and complaints mechanisms (FCRM)
  • Social cohesion and conflict-sensitive engagement
  • Community mobilisation and participatory planning
  • Community-based monitoring and social accountability tools
04
Service 04 of 07

Capacity Building & Professional Training

Generic training produces generic results. MARCO designs programmes that target specific capability gaps, apply adult-learning principles, and track measurable improvement — ensuring training translates into real, lasting performance change across organisations and teams.

We have designed national curriculum frameworks for the Somali Ministry of Education (MoECHE), delivered MEAL training to 200+ practitioners, and facilitated Training-of-Trainers programmes for partner organisations across all states. Every programme is built to fit the gap, not the catalogue.

  • Institutional and organisational capacity assessments
  • MEAL, M&E, and data training programmes
  • Training-of-Trainers (ToT) facilitation and certification
  • Curriculum development and learning material production
  • Proposal writing and project design coaching
  • Government and ministry staff development programmes
  • Mentoring, coaching, and on-the-job support
  • Workshop design and learning event management
05
Service 05 of 07

Strategy, Policy & Institutional Advisory

Institutions navigating fragile governance environments need advisors who understand the political economy — not just the policy frameworks. MARCO provides strategic advisory that is technically rigorous and contextually grounded, helping clients make decisions that are both sound and achievable.

We work at federal and state levels with equal competence — familiar with the institutional relationships, stakeholder dynamics, and decision-making processes that determine what actually gets implemented.

  • Organisational strategy development and strategic planning
  • Policy analysis, review, and reform advisory
  • Governance diagnostics and strengthening roadmaps
  • Institutional restructuring and transformation support
  • Public financial management (PFM) advisory
  • Stakeholder mapping and political economy analysis
  • Regulatory review and compliance advisory
  • Government-NGO coordination and partnership facilitation
06
Service 06 of 07

Project Design & Proposal Development

Winning proposals are not just well-written — they are strategically positioned, technically rigorous, and precisely aligned with what donors are looking for. MARCO brings deep knowledge of donor requirements across ECHO, FCDO, USAID, UN, and bilateral funding streams to every proposal engagement.

From concept note to full technical proposal, we support every stage — including consortium building, partner identification, and pre-positioning advisory to improve competitive positioning before tenders are issued.

  • Full technical proposal development for tenders and grants
  • Theory of Change (ToC) with explicit causal logic
  • Logical framework (logframe) and results framework design
  • Budget development, financial narrative, and cost modelling
  • Concept note writing and expression of interest preparation
  • Donor compliance guidance and narrative alignment
  • Partner identification, consortium building, and MOU drafting
  • Donor engagement strategy and pre-positioning advisory
07
Service 07 of 07

Feasibility Studies & Business Case Development

Before investing in a programme or capital initiative, organisations need evidence that the idea is viable — technically, financially, and operationally. MARCO delivers rigorous feasibility assessments that meet the standards required by institutional investors, bilateral donors, and development finance institutions.

Our feasibility work combines field-based intelligence with financial modelling and risk analysis — producing findings that are analytically robust and contextually realistic, not optimistically biased.

  • Technical feasibility studies for infrastructure and programme investments
  • Financial feasibility analysis and cost-benefit assessment
  • Investment readiness assessments and due diligence support
  • Business case writing for programme and capital investments
  • Social and environmental impact assessments (SEIA)
  • Risk analysis and mitigation planning
  • Pre-feasibility rapid assessments for concept note development
  • Comparative options analysis and scenario planning
How We Work

Our Approach & Methodology

Four foundational principles embedded in our methodologies, quality assurance processes, and client communication.

Mogadishu Somalia context
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Context Before Template

Every assignment begins with a deep understanding of Somalia's specific political economy, security context, community dynamics, and donor environment — before any solution is designed.

Evidence field research Somalia
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Evidence Before Recommendation

We do not recommend what we have not substantiated. Every advisory output is grounded in primary data collection, rigorous analysis, and triangulated evidence.

Community participation Mogadishu
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Participation & Accountability

Communities and stakeholders are not subjects of our work — they are partners in it. Meaningful participation and accountability to affected populations are embedded in every methodology.

Quality fieldwork Somalia

Quality With Timeliness

High standards and rapid delivery are not opposites at MARCO. Our quality assurance processes are designed to maintain rigour without sacrificing the responsiveness that operational environments demand.

Our Experience

Sector Experience

Direct, documented, and deployable capability across Somalia's most critical development and humanitarian sectors.

Food Security & Livelihoods
WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene)
Health & Nutrition
Education
Protection & GBV
Shelter & NFIs
Governance & Rule of Law
Private Sector Development
Cash & Voucher Assistance
Durable Solutions & Displacement
Peacebuilding & Social Cohesion
Climate & Resilience

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