Evidence for Action to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Africa (E4A) was funded by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO, then DFID) in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Tanzania, and implemented by a consortium headed by Options Consultancy UK. E4A worked towards better maternal and neonatal health (MNH) services and outcomes by using evidence more effectively to generate political commitment by strengthening accountability and improving planning and decision-making at all levels. International and regional accountability frameworks were also part of the advocacy ask.

From MannionDaniels, Rolla Khadduri was contracted by FCDO to provide independent quality assurance on the monitoring and evaluation of the E4A programme. To do this she worked closely with FCDO as the donor and also with the consortium responsible for implementing the programme, ensuring that the data collected for monitoring was of high quality and used effectively, and that the evaluation of this multi-faceted advocacy programme was well designed and implemented.