Report on Participation of Dr. Awuor Ponge - Part 2Day 4 – Thursday, 7 May 2026Keynote Panel 3: Centering Equity and Indigenous Knowledge in African Evaluation PracticeOn Day 4, I attended the morning plenary, which opened with Keynote 3, titled "Centering Equity and Indigenous Knowledge in African Evaluation Practice," delivered under Strand 3: Wellbeing, Equity and Inclusion in the Kisakye Main Hall. The keynote was delivered by Serge Eric Yakeu Djiam (Co-Chair, EvalIndigenous; Vice-President, IDEAS; and former AfrEA President), with a panel comprising Prof. Almas Fortunatus Mazigo (Senior Lecturer, Applied Ethics and Development Evaluation, DUCE, Tanzania), Ms. Rosetti Nabbumba Nayenga (Deputy Head, Budget Monitoring and Accountability Unit, and former President of both UEA and AfrEA), and Ms. Nurain Ahmed (Emerging Evaluator, Islamic Relief South Africa; SAMEA EE; AGDEN Scholar), moderated by Commissioner James Mugisha (Compliance and Enforcement, Equal Opportunities Commission, Uganda). The session made a powerful case for recentring African evaluation practice around equity, indigenous knowledge systems, and community-defined notions of well-being, arguing that mainstream evaluation frameworks rooted in Western epistemologies continue to marginalise the lived realities and knowledge traditions of African communities, and that meaningful progress toward inclusive and transformative evaluation requires not merely the addition of equity indicators but a fundamental rethinking of whose knowledge counts, whose voices define success, and whose priorities shape the questions that evaluations are designed to answer.  Dr. Ponge receiving a gift from Ms. Jane Kyarisiima Mwesiga, Deputy Head of Public Service Technical Session C: Powering Partnerships for Impact – VOPEs and EvalIndigenousOn the same Day 4, I was a presenter in a Technical Session on Governance, Learning & Accountability. This session was chaired by Ms. Jane Amuge Okello from The Uhuru Institute for Social Development, standing in for the scheduled chair Dr. Thina Nzo of Twende Mbele and CLEAR-AA. Other presenters in the strand included Ms. Rita Nakato Nayiga and Ms. Ruth Aber. My presentation wove together two related themes: the strategic role of VOPEs as institutional anchors in national evaluation ecosystems, and the landscape of Indigenous evaluation methodologies in Africa. On VOPEs, I argued that AfrEA’s network of over 45 national associations represents one of the most significant institutional achievements in African evaluation, serving as convening platforms, professional standard-setters, and advocacy vehicles for evidence-informed policy. On EvalIndigenous, I presented the African Chapter’s work across five thematic areas – Indigenous African ethics in evaluation, Made in Africa Evaluation and decolonisation, Indigenous knowledge systems and biodiversity, storytelling and Indigenous voices, and rights-based advocacy – grounded in frameworks including Ubuntu philosophy, the Kaupapa Māori framework (Dr. Fiona Cram), and the Indigenous African Ethical Protocol for Evaluations (EvalIndigenous, 2021). I drew on fieldwork with the Ogiek of the Mau Forest and the Mijikenda of Kwale County in Kenya, and invoked the Wolastoq Declaration on Indigenous Evaluation (2024) as the movement’s clearest demand that extractive evaluation – evaluation that takes community knowledge without returning accountability – must end. I invited colleagues to engage with the African Chapter’s ongoing work and its growing network of Indigenous evaluators across the continent.  Members of EvalIndigenous cutting a Cake to celebrate with UEA@25 Keynote 4: Building the Next Generation of African Evaluators: Pathways and PartnershipsThe Day 4 in the Afternoon, I attended a plenary session that featured Keynote 4, titled "Building the Next Generation of African Evaluators: Pathways and Partnerships," delivered under Strand 4: Capacity Strengthening in MERL in the Kisakye Main Hall. The keynote was delivered by Dr. Takunda Chirau (Director, Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR-AA), with a panel comprising Mr. Mohamud Ali Nur (President, Somali Evaluation Society – SOMES; and MEAL Coordinator, Save The Children, Somalia), Ms. Tebogo Fish (Programme Manager, Research and Learning, CLEAR-AA), and Ms. Faith Kuli Rombe (Vice President, Young and Emerging Evaluators), moderated by Dr. Bwanika Godfrey (Lecturer, Uganda Management Institute – UMI). The Keynote 4 session addressed the urgent imperative of deliberate, sustained investment in the next generation of African evaluators, arguing that the continent's growing demand for locally owned, contextually grounded, and methodologically rigorous evaluation practice cannot be met without structured pathways for emerging evaluators to enter and advance within the profession – through mentorship, institutional partnerships between VOPEs and academic institutions, targeted capacity-building programmes such as those coordinated by the Africa Gender and Development Evaluators Network (AGDEN) and CLEAR-AA, and the creation of enabling environments in which young and emerging evaluators are not merely trained but genuinely integrated into evaluation teams, policy processes, and professional networks across the continent.
Day 5 - Friday, 8 MayKeynote 5: Institutionalizing Evidence Use: Accountability Systems for Sustainable DevelopmentThe fifth and final day of the conference, Friday 8 May 2026, opened with a recap of the conference's key highlights and outcomes presented by Mr. Kepha Kawanguzi, and participant reflections and testimonials. This was followed by Keynote 5, delivered by Stephen Amperm from Ghana, on "Institutionalizing Evidence Use: Accountability Systems for Sustainable Development," with a panel comprising Ms. Caroline Makuvire (Director, Evaluation, Research & Learning, Office of the President and Cabinet, Zimbabwe), Mr. Timothy Msobor Chemonges (Executive Director, Centre for Policy Analysis – CEPA, Uganda), and Mr. Kevin H. Njuki from the MEL, State Department for Economic Planning, Kenya. The session was moderated by Ms. Elone Natumanya Ainebyoona (Co-founder, Development Eye Initiative). Closing Plenary – From Evidence to Action: The Way Forward for Evaluation in UgandaThe Closing Plenary in the Kisakye Main Hall, convened under the theme "From Evidence to Action: The Way Forward for Evaluation in Uganda." The session opened with remarks by Mr. Timothy Lubanga (Commissioner, M&E, Office of the Prime Minister, Uganda). A panel discussion on bridging the gap between evaluation evidence and policy implementation followed, was moderated by Dr. Josephine Watera (UEA President and Conference Chair), with panellists including Commissioner Mr. Timothy Lubanga, Mr. Matthew Lubuulwa (Senior Technical Officer, MoFPED), Dr. Takunda Chirau (Director, CLEAR-AA); and Ms. Anna Elsie Luyiggo (President, YEEs Uganda). The conference was formally closed by Dr. Josephine Watera, with a Guest of Honour Closing Speech delivered by Ms. Jane Kyarisiima Mwesiga (Deputy Head of Public Service, OPM), a Vote of Thanks by Dr. Julian Bagyendera (Provide & Equip Ltd), and a closing prayer and national anthem bringing five days of pre-conference and conference activity to a dignified conclusion. Jinja Excursion – Visit to the Source of the River NileIn the afternoon of Day 5, Friday, 8 May 2026, a group of conference participants embarked on a pre-arranged half-day excursion to Jinja, travelling approximately two hours from Kampala to visit the Source of the Nile – one of Africa's most iconic geographical landmarks and a site of profound historical and cultural significance as the point where the White Nile begins its long journey northward through Sudan and Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. This was a visit to the source of the longest river in the World where it touches the third largest lake in the World. The excursion offered a welcome opportunity for informal fellowship after the intensity of the intellectual intercourse of the preceding days, and the boat ride on the Nile was a particular highlight – gliding across the calm, expansive waters at the source, with lush green islands on either side, the gentle current beneath us, and the distant roar of Bujagali Falls carried on the breeze. It was one of those rare moments at a professional conference where colleagues from across Africa and beyond set aside their evaluation frameworks and simply shared the experience of being in a magnificent place together, conversations flowing as freely as the river itself. The Jinja excursion was, in every sense, a fitting close to a landmark conference – a reminder that the bonds built between evaluators in the corridors and session rooms of UEW 2026 extend well beyond the formal programme, and that the evaluation community is, at its core, a community of people who care deeply about Africa and about each other.
Key Reflections and RecommendationsFour overarching lessons stand out from UEW 2026. Africa-led evaluation approaches have achieved genuine institutional momentum, with decolonisation and community ownership now central rather than peripheral to the profession’s self-understanding. Governance and political economy dimensions must be embedded in evaluation design rather than treated as background context. The evaluation profession is not yet adequately equipped to govern the risks of generative AI, particularly around evidence integrity and Indigenous rights. And universities, think tanks, and VOPEs are interdependent pillars of a functioning evaluation ecosystem, each requiring deliberate and sustained investment. On this basis, I recommend that the EvalIndigenous Global Network should continue strengthening support for Africa-led, context-sensitive evaluation approaches; integrate Indigenous knowledge systems into programme design and evaluation frameworks aligned with the Wolastoq Declaration (2024) and the African Evaluation Principles (2021); build partnerships with universities, think tanks, and evaluation networks; invest in AI literacy and ethical data governance capacity with attention to Indigenous data sovereignty; and adopt governance-sensitive methodologies capable of tracking power, civic space, and institutional accountability alongside conventional development indicators. ConclusionUEW 2026 was a landmark event in Africa’s evaluation calendar. My participation – as Keynote Panellist, three-time technical presenter, EvalIndigenous Dinner Co-Host and principal speaker, and two-time published contributor to the UEA Commemorative Handbook – gave me a comprehensive vantage point on the conversations shaping the evaluation profession across the continent. What I carry forward most strongly is the conviction that Africa’s evaluation future will be built not on any single innovation or institution, but on the depth and quality of the connections forged between knowledge systems, institutions, generations, and communities. UEW 2026, at its best, was precisely where those connections were made.  The EvalIndigenous Global Network Dinner official banner
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Report on Participation of Dr. Awuor Ponge - Part 1IntroductionI participated in the 9th Uganda Evaluation Week (UEW 2026), organised by the Uganda Evaluation Association (UEA)to mark its Silver Jubilee (2001–2026). My participation was made possible by the support of the EvalIndigenous Global Network through her Global leadership of Co-Chairs Dr. Fiona Cram and Serge Eric Yakeu Djiam. Special thanks to the Global Leadership and to the Network as a whole for this support. My engagement spanned the full five days of the conference – from pre-conference capacity development workshops on Days 1 and 2, through keynote and parallel sessions on Days 3 and 4, to the closing plenary on Day 5. This report highlights the key contributions I made and the principal takeaways from each session in which I participated.  Main Conference Media Briefing Platform Pre-Conference Workshops (Days 1 & 2)Day 1 – Monday, 4 May 2026On Day 1, Monday, 4 May 2026, I participated in a pre-conference Workshop on ATLAS.ti for Rigorous Qualitative Evidence. This full-day workshop, facilitated by Mr. Eugene Miheso Swinnerstone (Senior M&E and ICT Consultant, UEA Academia Representative), introduced ATLAS.ti as a platform for systematic qualitative data analysis in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) practice. The central message was that rigorous qualitative evidence demands appropriate digital infrastructure, not methodological intent alone. The workshop demonstrated how ATLAS.ti enables systematic coding, organisation of complex datasets, and the production of audit-ready analytical outputs – standards increasingly required by donors, governments, and evaluation commissioners. My key takeaway was the importance of investing in digital capacity for qualitative evaluation work across African development contexts, where qualitative methods are widely used but often analytically underdeveloped.
Day 2 – Tuesday, 5 May 2026On Day 2, Tuesday, 5 May 2026, I participated in a pre-conference Workshop on AI-Powered Digital Data Collection. This two-part practical workshop was co-facilitated by Mr. Kenneth Otikal (CEO, NATE Africa Consulting Ltd) and Mr. Eugene Miheso Swinnerstone, anchored in a live fieldwork case from the ADEFO Multi-Actor Partnership (MAP) Projectin Teso, Eastern Uganda. Session 1 demonstrated how AI tools can convert complex paper-based survey instruments into fully functional KoBoToolbox XLSForms in under 60 minutes, compressing a process that previously consumed up to three days. Session 2 introduced AI-powered interview agents for automating structured Key Informant Interviews, with a hybrid model in which AI handles factual and operational questions while human researchers manage sensitive and strategic exchanges. Both sessions were grounded in Uganda’s Data Protection and Privacy Act (2019), with strong emphasis on informed consent, data sovereignty, and the ethical limits of AI deployment. My key takeaway was that AI offers transformative efficiency gains in data collection, but only within a framework of ethical rigour, community consent, and continuous human oversight. Launch of the Commemorative HandbookThe Official Opening Ceremony on Day 2 (5 May 2026), presided over by Rt. Hon. Justine Kasule Lumumba (Minister for General Duties, OPM) and chaired by Dr. Josephine Watera (UEA President and Conference Chair), marked the launch of the UEA Commemorative Handbook, From Evidence to Impact: 25 Years of Evaluation Learning, Practice and Influence in Uganda. I contributed two chapters to this volume. The first, co-authored with Dr. Josephine Watera and appearing as Chapter 2, is titled: “The Evolution of Monitoring and Evaluation in Eastern Africa with a Focus on the Public Sector in Uganda and Kenya: From Aid Conditionality to National Ownership.” The second, my sole-authored contribution appearing as Chapter 12, is titled: “From Capacity to Credibility – Reframing Evaluation Capacity and Professionalizing Evaluation Practice in Eastern Africa within Global Paradigms.” This chapter advances a critical argument about the relationship between capacity development and professional credibility in Eastern African evaluation practice, situating the region’s trajectory within broader global frameworks of professionalisation and institutional accountability. Day 3 – Wednesday, 6 May 2026Keynote Panel 1: Harnessing AI and Big Data for Transformative Evaluation in AfricaOn Day 3, I was a Panelist in a Keynote Speech titled: Harnessing AI and Big Data for Transformative Evaluation in Africa. This morning plenary was keynoted by Dr. Fredrick Edward Kitoogo (Principal, Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology – UICT), who presented a compelling case for AI-enabled evaluation systems including automated reporting, predictive analytics, real-time dashboards, and a proposed “EvalGPT” model for evaluation intelligence. The session was moderated by Mr. Eugene Miheso Swinnerstone, with the panel comprising Dr. Rose Nakasi(AI Researcher and Lecturer, Makerere University), Dr. Steven Masvaure (Senior Researcher, CLEAR-AA), and myself. I used my panel contribution to engage critically with four dimensions of the AI agenda. First, I foregrounded the risk of AI hallucinations in evaluation practice – instances where generative AI produces outputs that appear credible but are in fact fabricated, including invented statistics, false citations, and misleading conclusions capable of distorting policy and funding decisions. I argued that AI must augment, not replace, professional judgment, and that all AI outputs require rigorous human verification before use in evaluations or donor reports. Second, I raised the question of Indigenous Data Sovereignty, pressing on three unresolved concerns: whether Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) is genuinely respected in AI evaluation pipelines; algorithmic bias arising from the systematic underrepresentation of Indigenous populations in AI training datasets; and the risk of privacy violation, cultural exposure, and surveillance of land rights defenders through AI-enabled data systems. Third, I acknowledged AI’s positive potential for Indigenous communities when deployed ethically and under community control, including for language preservation, land rights mapping, environmental monitoring, and remote healthcare access. Finally, I called for Africa-led AI governance frameworks in evaluation that centre justice, cultural integrity, and responsible evidence generation – frameworks that must be developed by and for African evaluation communities rather than borrowed wholesale from the Global North.  Participants attentive in a Conference session Technical Session A: From Ivory Towers to Innovation HubsOn the same Day 3, I was a presenter in a Technical Session on Capacity building. My paper presentation was titled: From Ivory Towers to Innovation Hubs: The Transformative Role of Universities and Think Tanks in Reimagining Evaluation Practice. This session was chaired by Ms. Tebogo Fish (Programme Manager, Research and Learning, CLEAR-AA), with other presenters in the strand including Mr. George Theuri Kingori from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)’s Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES), who presented on “Harnessing Innovative Finance for Agricultural Research for Development: Evaluative Learning from CGIAR’s Ways of Working.” In my presentation, I argued that African universities must complete the transition from isolated knowledge-producing institutions into innovation hubs that generate practically relevant evaluation knowledge, train emerging evaluators in applied and decolonial methodologies, and contribute directly to national evaluation systems. I cited the University of Pretoria, Makerere University, the University of Nairobi and the Open University of Tanzania as institutions making this shift, and highlighted the complementary role of think tanks – including the International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED), the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), and the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) – as essential bridges between evidence generation and policy engagement. I was candid about persistent constraints: donor dependency distorting think tank agendas, unstable funding cycles, weak research-to-policy uptake, and the inherent difficulty of demonstrating policy influence. My core recommendation was for deliberate collaborative partnerships between universities and think tanks, combining universities’ methodological depth with think tanks’ policy proximity, all underpinned by expanded investment in Africa-led evaluation infrastructure and the growth of networks such as AfrEA and national VOPEs.  The joy of taking part in cutting the Cake to mark 25 years of UEA Keynote 2: Strengthening Evidence Systems for Uganda's National Development Plan (NDP)In the afternoon of Day 3, I attended a plenary that featured Keynote 2, titled "Strengthening Evidence Systems for Uganda's National Development Plan (NDP) IV," delivered under Strand 2: Evidence for NDP IV Implementation in the Kisakye Main Hall. The keynote was delivered by Dr. Winne Mukisa Nabiddo (Senior Manager, Research and Development Performance, National Planning Authority – NPA), with a panel comprising Mr. Julius Mukunda (Board Secretary and Executive Director, Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group – CSBAG), Ms. Neema Noel Kilembe(Assistant Director, Performance, M&E, Office of the Prime Minister, Tanzania), and Dr. Joy Asiimwe Turyamwijuka (Lecturer, Uganda Christian University – UCU), moderated by Mr. Benjamin Kachero (Senior Economist and Head M&E, Judiciary Uganda). The session examined the critical role of robust, institutionalised evidence systems in driving the successful implementation of Uganda's fourth National Development Plan, arguing that NDP IV can only deliver on its ambitious national transformation agenda if monitoring and evaluation are embedded not as compliance exercises but as genuine learning and decision-support mechanisms across all government ministries, departments, and agencies – with particular emphasis on strengthening linkages between data generation, budget performance tracking, and policy accountability at both national and sub-national levels.
Technical Session B: Trumpfication, Trumpformation and Impacts for AfricaOn the same Day 3, I was a presenter in a Technical Session on Governance, Learning & Accountability. This session was chaired by Ms. Noeline Gwokyalya, with other presenters in the strand including Ms. Jackline Musuya, who presented on: “Institutional Feedback Loops and Adaptive Management in M&E Practice: A Case Study of Water Mission Kenya”; and Dr. Josephine Watera who presented on: “Evaluating Parliamentary Performance for Accountability and Learning: Insights from the Legacy Report of Uganda’s 10th Parliament My presentation titled: “Trumpfication and Trumpformation of Development Aid and its Ramifications for Africa”, introduced two original conceptual categories to analyse the effects of US foreign aid retrenchment on African governance and evaluation systems. “Trumpfication” describes the restructuring of aid relationships around loyalty, strategic alignment, and ideological compatibility rather than development performance. “Trumpformation” captures the deeper institutional changes that follow: the transformation of governance structures, civil society ecosystems, and accountability frameworks in response to altered aid dynamics. Drawing on case evidence from Uganda, Kenya, and the Sahel, I documented measurable consequences including declining enforcement of democratic norms, shrinking civic space, weakened pressure for electoral reform, increased vulnerability of women’s rights and LGBTQ+ organisations, and growing authoritarian resilience. My methodological argument was that traditional results-based evaluation frameworks are structurally incapable of capturing these dynamics, and that what is needed are governance-sensitive, Africa-led approaches capable of tracking citizen voice, power relations, institutional resilience, and the enabling environment for civil society and independent media. I concluded with a call for Africa to diversify its development partnerships, strengthen domestic accountability systems, and build independent evaluation institutions capable of tracking political economy realities over time. EvalIndigenous Global Network DinnerThe last event of Day 3 was the EvalIndigenous Global Network Networking Dinner. I served as Co-Host and one of the principal speakers alongside Co-Convenor Mr. John T. Njovu (Zambia). The dinner was attended by 25 guests representing nine countries, including evaluation leaders, Young and Emerging Evaluator (YEE) representatives, and government officials. The programme featured: Welcome Remarks by Dr. Josephine Watera (UEA President); my address presenting the African Chapter’s history and five thematic areas; an Awards Ceremony honoured by Dr. Josephine Watera (UEA President); YEE Speeches by Mr. Alexander Kisioi Koech, Mr. Rinji Lekyes Kwarkas, Ms. Nurain Ahmed, and Mr. Solomon Michael Gitau Waiyego; a Keynote Reflection by EvalIndigenous Global Co-Chair Serge Eric Yakeu Djiam (Cameroon); and Closing Remarks by Prof. Almas Fortunatus Mazigo (Tanzania). Goodwill Messages were coordinated by Mr. Matthew Lubuulwa (Vice-President, AfrEA), who also served as the Master-of-the-Ceremony. The Awards Ceremony honoured those who have made great contributions to the work that has had great impacts on the portfolio of the EvalIndigenous Global Network, including the founders and current leadership as well as the Young and Emerging Evaluators.  Members of EvalIndigenous pose at the close of the Network Dinner in Kampala, Uganda
Dr. Awuor PONGE |
| Special thanks to the Global leadership of EvalIndigenous, Dr. Fiona Cram and Serge Eric Yakeu-Djiam for the guidance throughout this development and to my various friends and academics who have gone through the article and given their feedback, to refine the article to its present published status. I also acknowledge the general guidance from EvalPartners Network, under which EvalIndigenous works. Last but certainly not the least, the support received from the Ford Foundation that has supported the various activities that I have been engaged in under the EvalIndigenous Global Network, namely:
|  Published in Journal of Climate Policy (JCP) |
- Ponge, A., Oduor, Wycklif Ochieng’., Odhiambo, Collins Oduka., Murigo, Grace Wanjiru., Awuor, Aisha Adhiambo., Nzai, B. T., & Kisioi, Alexander Koech. (2025). ‘Traditional Decision-Making as Evaluation: Developing Indigenous Evaluation Methodologies with Kenyan Communities.’ Nairobi: EvalIndigenous.
- Ponge, Awuor & Murigo, Grace Wanjiru. (2024). July 2023 – December 2024: Indigenous Evaluation: Chenda Chenda Celebrations 2024 – Traditional Decision-Making as Evaluation.
- Ponge, Awuor & Murigo, Grace Wanjiru. (2024). Indigenous Evaluation Blog: Chenda Chenda Celebrations 2024 – Traditional Decision-Making as Evaluation.
- January 2022 – December 2022: EvalIndigenous visit with the Mijikenda of Kwale County, Kenya 2022.
Indigenous belief systems are not peripheral, but foundational to sustainable environmental stewardship and climate adaptation
- Ponge, Awuor & Murigo, Grace Wanjiru. (2022). January 2022 – June 2022: Development of the Indigenous African Voices from Kenya Project: The Mijikenda of Kwale County in Kenya for EvalIndigenous Global Network and EvalPartners, in the capacity of Africa Regional Representative for EvalIndigenous Global Network.
- Ponge, Awuor., Oduor, Wycklif Ochieng’ & Murigo, Grace Wanjiru.(2021). January 2020 – June 2021: Development of the EvalIndigenous Network’s ‘Indigenous African Ethical Protocol for Evaluations.’ Ottawa: EvalIndigenous.
- Ponge, Awuor. & Oduor, Wycklif Ochieng’. (2020). January 2020 – December 2020: Development of the EvalIndigenous Voices Project (Africa) for EvalIndigenous Global Network and EvalPartners, in the capacity of Africa Regional Representative for EvalIndigenous Global Network.
The current article has just been published in the Journal of Climate Policy (JCP), Volume 5, Issue No. 1 (2026). It appears on pages 12 – 32 under the title: “Sacred Groves and the Supernatural: The Role of Indigenous Beliefs in Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa.” The article can be cited as follows, using the APA Style 7th Edition:
- Ponge, A. (2026). Sacred Groves and the Supernatural: The Role of Indigenous Beliefs in Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Climate Policy, 5(1), 12 – 32. DOI: 10.47941/jcp.3612
Sacred groves are biocultural conservation systems, outperforming state-managed protected areas in biodiversity and ecosystem services
In this study, I have drawn on comparative evidence across sub-Saharan Africa, to demonstrate that these sites sustain rich biodiversity, regulate microclimates, protect watersheds, and contribute to carbon sequestration, often outperforming conventional state-managed conservation models. This evidence underscores the central argument that Indigenous belief systems are not peripheral, but foundational to sustainable environmental stewardship and climate adaptation.
The EvalIndigenous Global Network Dissemination Mini-Grant has played a transformative role in ensuring that this research does not remain confined to academic circles. Instead, it has enabled the translation of complex findings into accessible, community-friendly formats, including a simplified report and digital dissemination across Indigenous networks. This approach reflects a fundamental shift in how knowledge is shared – moving from extraction and publication toward reciprocity, accessibility, and community relevance. It will ensure that the very communities whose knowledge underpins the research will engage with, validate, and benefit from it.
Indigenous beliefs and rituals sustain ecosystems and climate resilience through spiritual authority and community governance
At its core, this article challenges dominant conservation narratives by demonstrating that Indigenous belief systems – through taboos, rituals, and spiritual custodianship – are not obstacles to development, but powerful governance systems that often outperform formal conservation approaches. Sacred groves emerge not only as biodiversity hotspots but also as climate adaptation infrastructures: protecting watersheds, enhancing soil stability, regulating microclimates, and storing carbon. At the same time, the study highlights growing threats from modernization, cultural erosion, and policy neglect, calling for urgent integration of Indigenous knowledge into mainstream environmental governance.
In supporting this work, the EvalIndigenous Global Network is venturing into uncharted waters – redefining what counts as valid knowledge, who produces it, and how it should be shared. This is more than a dissemination effort; it is part of a broader movement to indigenise evaluation and reposition Indigenous worldviews at the centre of global conversations on sustainability and climate action. The Mini-Grant model sets a precedent for how research can be both academically rigorous and socially transformative, by prioritising culturally grounded dissemination and amplifying Indigenous voices.
Modernization and cultural erosion threaten sacred groves, calling for urgent integration of Indigenous knowledge into policy
This journey reaffirms that the future of climate resilience and biodiversity conservation will not be secured by external interventions alone, but through meaningful partnerships that recognise, respect, and elevate Indigenous knowledge systems. As we continue to explore these uncharted waters, the role of platforms like EvalIndigenous becomes ever more critical – not just in supporting research, but in reshaping the very paradigms through which knowledge, policy, and practice are understood.
 | Dr Awuor PongeSasakawa Fellowship Scholar, The Practice of International Development; Former Vice-President, African Evaluation Association (AfrEA); Africa Representative, EvalIndigenous Evaluators Network - EvalPartners; Senior Associate Fellow i/c Research, Policy & Evaluation, African Policy Centre (APC); Adjunct Faculty, Development & Policy Studies, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) |
Seeding Projects, 2025 Across Africa, Indigenous evaluation is not emerging as something new—it is being recognised, named, and strengthened through work that begins with communities themselves. Four 2025 AGDEN-led EvalIndigenous Seeding grant projects from Nigeria, Lesotho, and Liberia offer a powerful, collective insight: evaluation already exists within Indigenous systems of knowledge, practice, and relationship. What connects these projects most strongly is their shared commitment to participatory, community-led methodologies. Through focus group discussions, storytelling, observation, and dialogue, each project centres local voices—engaging elders, women, youth, and community leaders not as subjects, but as knowledge holders. |  |
In Liberia, for example, Misann Miapeh’s H-Live Project worked with communities across three counties using focus groups to identify Indigenous indicators of economic growth, social wellbeing, and environmental change. This approach reflects a broader shift: evaluation as something generated from within, rather than imposed from outside.
Across the projects, evaluation is revealed as embedded in everyday life. In Nigeria, Angela Inyang and Rinji Kwarkas’ project on the Ikom Monoliths shows how knowledge of governance, memory, and accountability is held in cultural artefacts—stone carvings that encode community values across generations. Similarly, Dr Dagwom Dang’s research with the Berom people demonstrates how Indigenous business systems operate through reciprocity, trust, and collective responsibility. Here, economic activity is not separate from evaluation; it is where fairness, contribution, and wellbeing are continuously assessed.
| In Lesotho, Nurain Ahmed’s project showed how Indigenous cultural practices—including initiation rites, storytelling, and communal life—function as systems of reflection and social regulation. These are spaces where communities teach, reinforce, and evaluate behaviour, ensuring continuity and cohesion across generations. | |
Germinating Projects, 2025
The Germinating projects offer a rich and critical engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems as living, contested, and adaptive foundations for evaluation. Across the Germinating projects, Indigenous practices—whether expressed through taboos, proverbs, governance systems, or cultural understandings of identity—are treated as dynamic frameworks that shape social order, ethical conduct, and decision-making within communities.
Findings highlight both the strength and complexity of these systems. For example, Solomon Waiyego’s project on taboos with the Agikuyu community in Kenya demonstrates how cultural norms continue to regulate environmental stewardship, leadership legitimacy, and social responsibility, while also revealing tensions where some practices reinforce gender inequities and exclusion. Similarly, Dr Almas Mazigo, Miss Miriam Mkombozi and Mr Patrick Mpedzisi’s study of Shona and Swahili Proverbs, and Francis Dago, Roger Apahou and Christelle Tetialy’s project on endogenous governance systems in Kagbès in Côte d’Ivoire demonstrate how knowledge is transmitted intergenerationally, embedding values of reciprocity, accountability, and collective wellbeing into everyday life. At the same time, the projects identify a generational shift, with younger community members engaging these systems selectively, prompting processes of reinterpretation and renewal.
Mr Rutagewelera Mutakyahwa, Dr Almas Fortunatus Mazigo, Ms Forunata Mulekuzi’s Germinating project explored Bahaya wedding ceremonies in northwestern Tanzania as living sites of Indigenous evaluation practice, illustrating how cultural ceremonies themselves operate as evaluative spaces. In a similar vein, Arnoux Nopi’s project in Cameroun examines biological and cultural femininity within the Ngiembo’on community in Cameroon as a foundation for strengthening Indigenous evaluation practices. These projects highlight how evaluation operates not only at the level of actions and decisions, but also through the ongoing negotiation of identity, roles, and belonging.
Taken together, findings from the Germinating and Seeding projects confirm that Indigenous evaluation requires deep engagement with Indigenous knowledge as a source of evaluative criteria, ethical guidance, and governance. They offer more than case studies—they point toward a future where evaluation is accountable to communities, informed by their knowledge, and aligned with their aspirations, reflecting the strength of AGDEN’s mentoring and the commitment and the excellence of the researchers who have brought this work to life.
EvalIndigenous thanks you all
An excerpt from our 2026 January - March quarterly newsletter.
About twenty years ago I wrote some guidance for community people who were conducting life narrative interviews. Looking back, I realise that much of it still holds true, but I would say some things slightly differently today. Below I revisit and revise my advice. Please share your advice about being a good listener in the comments. Kindest, Fiona Cram, Co-Chair, EvalIndigenous
Titiro ki ō taringa; whakarongo ki ō whatu — Look with your ears; listen with your eyes
This whakataukī (Maori proverb) reminds us that listening involves more than hearing words. It asks us to pay attention to what is being said, how it is being said, and to the silences, emotions, and relationships that surround the story.
One of the most important skills an evaluator can have is the ability to listen.
This might sound simple. But listening—real listening—is not always easy. It requires patience, humility, and a willingness to set aside our own assumptions about what matters, what success looks like, and what questions should be asked. As Alice Kawakami and colleagues (2007, p. 332) write, "insights...can be found through humble and quiet observation and listening."
For many Indigenous evaluators and communities, listening is not just a professional skill. It is a relational practice.
Across Indigenous contexts, evaluation is grounded in relationships—relationships with people, with communities, with ancestors, with the Land, and with future generations. Evaluation therefore begins not with methods or indicators, but with listening to the people whose lives and knowledge shape the work. After protocols have been observed, and a project has been explained and people invited to participate, I often just ask people where they would like to start their story.
This might sound simple. But listening—real listening—is not always easy. It requires patience, humility, and a willingness to set aside our own assumptions about what matters, what success looks like, and what questions should be asked. As Alice Kawakami and colleagues (2007, p. 332) write, "insights...can be found through humble and quiet observation and listening."
For many Indigenous evaluators and communities, listening is not just a professional skill. It is a relational practice.
Across Indigenous contexts, evaluation is grounded in relationships—relationships with people, with communities, with ancestors, with the Land, and with future generations. Evaluation therefore begins not with methods or indicators, but with listening to the people whose lives and knowledge shape the work. After protocols have been observed, and a project has been explained and people invited to participate, I often just ask people where they would like to start their story.
| Too often, evaluation processes start somewhere else. A programme is funded, indicators are defined, reporting templates are created, and only then do evaluators engage with communities. By that stage, many of the most important decisions have already been made. Indigenous evaluation challenges this order of things. Instead of beginning with tools and frameworks, Indigenous evaluation begins with relationships and listening. It asks evaluators to slow down and to take time to understand community priorities, histories, and aspirations. Listening becomes the foundation for everything that follows. Listening also helps to build trust. Many Indigenous communities carry long memories of research and evaluation being done to them rather than with them. Reports were written, data was extracted, and findings rarely returned to the community in meaningful ways. In some cases, evaluation processes reinforced outsiders' deficit narratives rather than recognising community strengths and resilience. Listening helps shift this dynamic. |   |
When evaluators listen carefully—to community leaders, to elders, to youth, to frontline workers, and to those whose voices are often least heard—we begin to see programmes and outcomes through different lenses. We hear stories that statistics alone cannot capture. We learn about relationships, cultural responsibilities, and community priorities that may never appear in a standard evaluation framework.
Listening also reminds us that communities are not passive participants in evaluation. They are knowledge holders and decision-makers.
Indigenous evaluation approaches increasingly recognise this by supporting communities to shape evaluation questions, define indicators of success, interpret findings, and decide how knowledge will be used. In these contexts, evaluators are not simply technical experts—they are partners in a process of collective learning.
Indigenous evaluation approaches increasingly recognise this by supporting communities to shape evaluation questions, define indicators of success, interpret findings, and decide how knowledge will be used. In these contexts, evaluators are not simply technical experts—they are partners in a process of collective learning.
 | Being a good listener also means recognising that not everything can be rushed. Relationships take time to build. Trust develops through repeated engagement and through showing up in ways that demonstrate respect and accountability. Listening requires evaluators to be present, to be attentive, and sometimes to sit with uncertainty rather than immediately seeking answers. |
Let silence do its work.
Silence can feel uncomfortable, and a pause of only a few seconds can seem much longer when you're worried about keeping a conversation going. But silence often means someone is thinking, remembering or deciding how to tell their story. Interrupting can disrupt this process of reflection. Often the best response is to simply wait rather than fill the silence.
Silence can feel uncomfortable, and a pause of only a few seconds can seem much longer when you're worried about keeping a conversation going. But silence often means someone is thinking, remembering or deciding how to tell their story. Interrupting can disrupt this process of reflection. Often the best response is to simply wait rather than fill the silence.
Sometimes people appear to go “off topic'. It can be hard to know whether to intervene.
Occasionally what seems like a tangent will eventually circle back to something deeply relevant. At other times, the conversation may drift further and further away from the topic.
Part of interviewing is learning to sense the difference, and when you may need to offer a gentle prompt or reflection about what's been shared to reconnect the conversation back to the topic.
Occasionally what seems like a tangent will eventually circle back to something deeply relevant. At other times, the conversation may drift further and further away from the topic.
Part of interviewing is learning to sense the difference, and when you may need to offer a gentle prompt or reflection about what's been shared to reconnect the conversation back to the topic.
Listening to difficult stories
Sometimes people will tell stories that are upsetting or hard to hear. Even if your inquiry is not about a potentially 'sensitive' topic, sometimes the time is right for someone to share about a heavy experience or memory.
I received advice from an elder that has stayed with me. They said that when people share difficult experiences, they need the opportunity to retell their story, not relive it.
That distinction matters. When someone is retelling a hard experience, my role is not to step into the story with them or to try to connect through my own emotions. Often the most honest response I can offer is simply to acknowledge the weight of what they have shared, perhaps saying, "I can't imagine what that was like for you."
Stories like these can also stay with us. For that reason, it's important that we have opportunities to talk and debrief when needed, with an Elder and/or with a trusted colleague. Listening well requires openness and care for others—but it also requires care for ourselves.
Sometimes people will tell stories that are upsetting or hard to hear. Even if your inquiry is not about a potentially 'sensitive' topic, sometimes the time is right for someone to share about a heavy experience or memory.
I received advice from an elder that has stayed with me. They said that when people share difficult experiences, they need the opportunity to retell their story, not relive it.
That distinction matters. When someone is retelling a hard experience, my role is not to step into the story with them or to try to connect through my own emotions. Often the most honest response I can offer is simply to acknowledge the weight of what they have shared, perhaps saying, "I can't imagine what that was like for you."
Stories like these can also stay with us. For that reason, it's important that we have opportunities to talk and debrief when needed, with an Elder and/or with a trusted colleague. Listening well requires openness and care for others—but it also requires care for ourselves.
| For those of us working in Indigenous evaluation, listening is therefore both a responsibility and a discipline. It asks us to remain open to learning from communities. It challenges us to reflect on our own assumptions and to recognise the limits of our own knowledge. And it reminds us that evaluation is not only about measuring outcomes—it is about strengthening relationships and supporting community wellbeing. As the Indigenous peoples of Australia remind us about their cultural practice of storytelling (Productivity Commission, 2020, p. 27), |  Mapuche women conversing |
"Yarning positions the evaluator as a listener and learner in the data collection process and respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the authority of their knowledges. It involves reciprocal relationships and is a two‑way process of learning and knowledge exchange."
At EvalIndigenous, we see listening as central to the Indigenisation of evaluation.
As Indigenous evaluators and allies continue to develop culturally grounded evaluation practices, listening will remain one of the most powerful tools we have. It is through listening that we learn what matters to communities, how change is happening, and how evaluation can better support Indigenous aspirations.
As Indigenous evaluators and allies continue to develop culturally grounded evaluation practices, listening will remain one of the most powerful tools we have. It is through listening that we learn what matters to communities, how change is happening, and how evaluation can better support Indigenous aspirations.
If you have the privilege to learn from Indigenous knowledge keepers about traditional listening practices, what you really hear may help you sharpen your own listening skills.
In the end, good evaluation begins the same way good relationships do.
By listening first.
In the end, good evaluation begins the same way good relationships do.
By listening first.
Bibliography
Kawakami, A. J., Aton, K., Cram, F., Lai, M. K., & Porima, L. (2007). Improving the practice of evaluation through Indigenous values and methods: Decolonizing evaluation practice—Returning the gaze from Hawai‘i and Aotearoa. Hülili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being, 4(1), 319-248. Find it here.
Productivity Commission. (2020). A guide to evaluation under the Indigenous Evaluation Strategy. Australian Government Productivity Commission. Find it here
Kawakami, A. J., Aton, K., Cram, F., Lai, M. K., & Porima, L. (2007). Improving the practice of evaluation through Indigenous values and methods: Decolonizing evaluation practice—Returning the gaze from Hawai‘i and Aotearoa. Hülili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being, 4(1), 319-248. Find it here.
Productivity Commission. (2020). A guide to evaluation under the Indigenous Evaluation Strategy. Australian Government Productivity Commission. Find it here
 | In November 2025, I had the privilege of speaking at the 5th Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA) Conference in Tokyo as part of the interactive panel session: "Advancing the Global Evaluation Agenda (GEA) 2.0: Pathways and Road-Maps for Action and Synergies" |
The session brought together leaders from EvalPartners, IOCE, APEA, UN agencies, youth networks, and evaluation associations across Asia and beyond. We were invited to respond to key questions: What are the focus areas of GEA 2.0? Why do they matter now? Who are the actors? What pathways and synergies are needed? and What challenges lie ahead? As Co-Chair of EvalIndigenous, my contribution focused on what GEA 2.0 means for Indigenous evaluation — and what Indigenous evaluation offers to GEA 2.0. This post talks about the GEA 2.0.
What is the GEA 2.0
The Global Evaluation Agenda 2.0 (GEA 2.0), launched in 2025, is a shared global framework designed to make evaluation “future-fit” in a time of polycrisis — climate change, widening inequality, conflict, democratic fragility, and accelerating technological change. It builds on GEA 1.0 but moves further: from strengthening evaluation systems to transforming evaluation so it can contribute meaningfully to:
People - Planet - Prosperity - Peace
GEA 2.0 is structured around four mutually reinforcing dimensions:
- Enabling Environment for Evaluation
- Institutional and Organisational Capacities
- Individual Capabilities
- Key Catalytic Actions and Synergies
Why GEA 2.0 Matters for Indigenous Evaluation
| In Tokyo, I suggested that for Indigenous peoples, the “transformation” called for in GEA 2.0 is not new. It has always been our starting point. Indigenous evaluation traditions are grounded in Relationships, Reciprocity, Collective Wellbeing and Intergenerational Responsibility. GEA 2.0’s four dimensions align strongly with Indigenous priorities. |  |
1. Enabling Environment
| GEA 2.0 calls for enabling environments that institutionalise evaluation, promote equity and justice, and protect Indigenous knowledge systems. From an Indigenous perspective, an enabling environment must:
|  |
2. Institutional and Organizational Capacities
| GEA 2.0 emphasizes strong institutions, partnerships, and ethical practice. For Indigenous evaluation, this means:
|  |
3. Individual Capabilities
GEA 2.0 calls for evaluators who are culturally responsive, ethically grounded, and systems-aware. Indigenous evaluation extends this further. Individual capability includes:
- Cultural humility
- The ability to walk between knowledge systems
- Commitment to intergenerational learning
- Accountability to place, ancestors, and future generations
4. Catalytic Actions and SynergiesGEA 2.0 explicitly includes support for Indigenous-led evaluation networks and culturally responsive evidence. This is significant. Indigenous evaluation is not a niche theme—it is identified as catalytic for the entire ecosystem. |  |
Conclusion
Taken together, these four dimensions show that Indigenous evaluation is not peripheral to GEA 2.0, but deeply aligned with its transformative intent. For Indigenous peoples, evaluation has always been about sustaining relationships — with People and our non-human relations, with Mother Earth, and across generations — so that collective Prosperity is shared and Peace is grounded in justice and decolonisation. Seeking to indigenise the evaluation system does not mean replacing one framework with another; it means embedding reciprocity, relational accountability, knowledge sovereignty, and intergenerational responsibility at the heart of evaluation practice. When these values shape enabling environments, institutions, individual capabilities, and catalytic action, evaluation becomes a force for restoring balance and guiding systems transformation. What works for Indigenous peoples—relational, rights-based, and regenerative evaluation—ultimately strengthens evaluation for all peoples and for the planet we share.
 | Fiona Cram, Co-Chair, EvalIndigenousI am an Indigenous evaluation scholar based in Aotearoa New Zealand. My work seeks to advance Indigenous-led methodologies and advocates for Indigenous rights, knowledge sovereignty, and relational accountability within global evaluation systems. |
| Indigenous food sovereignty is much more than a question of food security. It is a movement for self-determination, cultural renewal, and ecological balance. At its heart lies a simple truth: food is sacred. It connects people to land, ancestors, and future generations. To understand Indigenous food sovereignty is to understand how Indigenous peoples define, sustain, and protect our own food systems according to our cultural values, ecological knowledge, and spiritual relationships with the natural world. |  |
As described by the Indigenous Food Systems Network, food sovereignty rests on four interconnected principles:
- Sacred Responsibility – Food is a gift, not a commodity. Communities hold a duty to sustain relationships with the land, waters, and beings that provide nourishment.
- Participatory Practice – Hunting, fishing, gathering, and cultivation are living forms of knowledge that keep ecosystems and cultures vibrant.
- Self-Determination – Indigenous peoples have the inherent right to decide what they eat and how it is produced, free from colonial or industrial systems.
- Policy Transformation – True sovereignty requires embedding Indigenous values in laws and governance related to agriculture, fisheries, and health.
| From Food Security to Food Sovereignty Mainstream notions of “food security” focus on access and supply. Indigenous food sovereignty goes deeper, centring autonomy, identity, and the restoration of relationships disrupted by colonisation. Revitalising māra kai (Māori food gardens) in Aotearoa, seed-saving initiatives among First Nations, and the rematriation of heritage crops all reconnect communities with ancestral knowledge and ecological care. |  |
Why It Matters to Evaluators
For evaluators, Indigenous food sovereignty offers a living model of systems change. It challenges us to measure success not by yield or income, but by reciprocity, collective wellbeing, and ecological renewal. Evaluating Indigenous food systems means valuing relational accountability—how communities sustain balance, respect, and interconnection. The International Federation of Social Workers highlights this in its call to recognise food sovereignty as a pathway to climate justice and Indigenous self-determination. Evaluators have a key role in documenting how these practices strengthen resilience, restore knowledge, and uphold rights.
For evaluators, Indigenous food sovereignty offers a living model of systems change. It challenges us to measure success not by yield or income, but by reciprocity, collective wellbeing, and ecological renewal. Evaluating Indigenous food systems means valuing relational accountability—how communities sustain balance, respect, and interconnection. The International Federation of Social Workers highlights this in its call to recognise food sovereignty as a pathway to climate justice and Indigenous self-determination. Evaluators have a key role in documenting how these practices strengthen resilience, restore knowledge, and uphold rights.
Walking Alongside, Not Ahead
Indigenous food sovereignty invites evaluators to stand in solidarity with communities—not as inspectors, but as witnesses and learners. In doing so, we help ensure that evaluation contributes to life-affirming futures where food, culture, and land are inseparable, and where equity, dignity, and self-determination are the ultimate measures of success.
Indigenous food sovereignty invites evaluators to stand in solidarity with communities—not as inspectors, but as witnesses and learners. In doing so, we help ensure that evaluation contributes to life-affirming futures where food, culture, and land are inseparable, and where equity, dignity, and self-determination are the ultimate measures of success.
Also see the Indigenous Food Sovereignty section in our July-September 2025 newsletter.
Other Reading
Jernigan, V. B. B., Demientieff, L. X., & Maunakea, A. K. (2023). Food sovereignty as a path to health equity for Indigenous communities: Introduction to the focus issue. Health Promotion Practice, 24(6), 1066–1069. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399231190355
Jernigan, V. B. B., Demientieff, L. X., & Maunakea, A. K. (2023). Food sovereignty as a path to health equity for Indigenous communities: Introduction to the focus issue. Health Promotion Practice, 24(6), 1066–1069. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399231190355
- The authors introduce a special issue on Indigenous food sovereignty and health equity, highlighting community-led initiatives across American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations. It presents a conceptual framework linking food sovereignty, Indigenous knowledge, and decolonizing health systems.
- Through fieldwork with the Amadiba community in Mpondoland, the authors document Indigenous foodways grounded in interconnection, sacredness, and collectivism. It shows how the community’s resistance to mining and imposed “development” exemplifies Indigenous food sovereignty in practice—protecting land, culture, and local autonomy in postcolonial South Africa.
- The authors examine how Indigenous communities across Latin America use food sovereignty as a form of resistance to extractivism and colonial development models. Drawing on cases from Mexico and the Andes, the authors show how Indigenous agroecological practices, collective governance, and cultural knowledge underpin both food and health autonomy.
- The authors examine Indigenous-led food-production initiatives across the United States as pathways to strengthen food sovereignty, health, and community wellbeing. The authors highlight how locally driven projects reconnect people to land, promote intergenerational knowledge exchange, and reduce dependency on colonial food systems.
- The authors explore how Indigenous Food Sovereignty (IFS) can serve as a framework for Indigenous health promotion, particularly in urban contexts. Working with two Indigenous-led health centres in Northern Ontario, the authors show how land, culture, and self-determination are integral to wellbeing.
For generations, the Ogiek people have lived as caretakers and custodians of Kenya’s forests, especially the Mau Forest.
We belong to the forest
We protect the forest
We are the forest
There are no arrows on a map showing where the Ogiek came from — because we did not migrate here. We are the original roots of these lands.
We belong to the forest
We protect the forest
We are the forest
There are no arrows on a map showing where the Ogiek came from — because we did not migrate here. We are the original roots of these lands.
The Ogiek community has lived in harmony with the forest since time immemorial, deeply relying on it for food, shelter, and traditional medicine. The forest provided honey, wild fruits, and meat from animals like the gazelle nourishment that sustained generations.
 | This photo speaks for itself, capturing the breathtaking beauty of the home of Indigenous Peoples. It reflects the deep connection between the community and their ancestral land, where forests, rivers, and mountains are not only sources of life but also symbols of identity and resilience. The landscape tells a story of harmony with nature, nurtured and protected through generations. |
When illness struck, our people turned to the forest not to hospitals or clinics, but to the rich biodiversity around them. They searched for medicinal plants known to our elders, and within days, healing came through nature’s pharmacy. Our elders passed down this knowledge, and even today we trust in the healing power of medicinal plants. Nearly every Indigenous forest is a living pharmacy, holding remedies for health, wellbeing, and long life.
Even today, the Ogiek and many other Indigenous communities still believe in the healing power of medicinal plants. These natural remedies not only cure ailments but are believed to promote long life and a deeper connection to the environment. When you walk through the forest with Indigenous people, they will show you many medicinal plants you may have never seen before. It’s a powerful experience of learning and connection.
| Honey holds deep cultural and spiritual meaning. No ceremony is complete without it — it is unity, purity, and blessing. The honey and the beehive are therefore far more than sources of food they are symbols of heritage, survival, and harmony with nature. Honey is valued not only for its sweetness but also for its medicinal properties, used to heal wounds, soothe sore throats, and boost energy. The beehive itself represents community, cooperation, and the delicate balance of the ecosystem. Beyond its nutritional and medicinal value, honey is a bridge between generations. Elders teach the youth how to craft hives, read the seasons, and protect the bees from harm. In this way, honey becomes a living thread connecting the past, present, and future of Indigenous life. |  Honey |
For us, the honey bag is also more than a vessel; it is one of the most significant cultural items of the Ogiek community, symbolizing both livelihood and tradition. For generations, the Ogiek people of the Mau forest have depended on honey not only as food but also as a source of medicine, trade, and cultural identity. The specially crafted bag, often made from natural materials such as animal hides and plant fibers, is designed to store and transport honey safely from the forest to the homestead. Its unique craftsmanship reflects the Ogiek’s deep knowledge of their environment, as well as their sustainable practices in harvesting honey without destroying the delicate ecosystem that sustains them.
 Honey bag | Beyond its practical use, the honey bag carries deep cultural meaning, representing the Ogiek’s close connection to the forest and their resilience in preserving their traditions despite modern challenges. It is passed down through generations as a heritage item, reminding the community of their responsibility to protect bees, forests, and biodiversity. In a time when Indigenous knowledge is at risk of disappearing, the honey bag stands as a living testimony of Ogiek identity, resilience, and their rightful place as custodians of the Mau forest. |
Ogiek women play a very important role in our forest-based community. They are deeply connected to nature and help support their families through traditional knowledge and daily work in the forest. One of their main roles is collecting firewood, which is needed for cooking and warmth. They also know how to find and collect medicinal plants from the forest. This knowledge helps the community stay healthy using natural medicine.
Ogiek women also take part in beekeeping. They carry beehives into the forest, where men hang them high in the trees. But not just any tree is used the dobea tree is one of the special indigenous trees chosen for this purpose. Through their work, Ogiek women protect our culture, take care of the environment, and pass on valuable knowledge to future generations
Ogiek women also take part in beekeeping. They carry beehives into the forest, where men hang them high in the trees. But not just any tree is used the dobea tree is one of the special indigenous trees chosen for this purpose. Through their work, Ogiek women protect our culture, take care of the environment, and pass on valuable knowledge to future generations
For the Indigenous Peoples, this land is more than just a place to live it is a heritage, a source of culture, and a reminder of the responsibility to safeguard it for future generations. Preserving its beauty means preserving traditions, knowledge, and livelihoods that continue to inspire and sustain the community.
Walking deep into the forest, the songs of birds fill the air, hives hum with life, and every stream tells a story. This is where we find peace, connection, and identity. Let us honour these sacred spaces and the knowledge that sustains them. Let us continue to protect our forests not just as a source of heritage, but as a living pharmacy for generations to come.
 | Alexander Kisioi KoechEnvironmental Activist and Freelance Journalist, EvalIndigenous member, Kenya |
Voices from the Land: Indigenous Evaluation and the Global Movement for Relational Accountability
8/13/2025
At the recent International Janjatiya Gaurav (Tribal Pride) Seminar, Dr Fiona Cram, Director of Katoa Ltd. in Aotearoa New Zealand and Co-Chair of EvalIndigenous, shared a vision for Indigenous evaluation grounded in sovereignty, culture, and relationships.
Speaking from a Kaupapa Māori inquiry paradigm—that is, research and evaluation by Māori, for Māori, and with Māori—Dr Cram described how Indigenous evaluation resists external definitions of success. Instead, it centres mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), tikanga (cultural protocols), and self-determination, ensuring cultural vitality, sustainability, and even the return of land.
She challenged dominant evaluation models that overlook or distort Indigenous perspectives, impose outside measures, and too often operate without accountability to communities.
Introducing EvalIndigenous, a global network of Indigenous evaluators and allies, Dr Cram outlined its “seeding, germinating, growing, blossoming” theory of change. Across regions, from Aotearoa and the Pacific to Africa, Asia, Turtle Island and Latin America, EvalIndigenous supports Indigenous-led evaluation that is culturally grounded and community-driven.
Central to this movement is the Wolastoq Declaration on Indigenous Evaluation, created in 2024 by Indigenous evaluation leaders and allies. The Declaration asserts the right of Indigenous Peoples to define, conduct, and benefit from evaluation, and calls for honouring Indigenous rights, protecting knowledge sovereignty, and mobilising traditional paradigms.
Dr Cram emphasised relational accountability as the connecting thread — being answerable to people, lands, ancestors, and future generations; upholding reciprocity and respect; and sustaining connections across contexts. She highlighted Asia–Pacific projects in Fiji, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Mongolia, and the Philippines, including the APEA Toolkit for Indigenous Evaluation.
Closing her talk, Dr Cram reminded participants that “evaluation is not just about measuring change — it is about creating it.” When Indigenous peoples define success, she said, “we define our own futures.”
Her presentation with notes is available here.
Speaking from a Kaupapa Māori inquiry paradigm—that is, research and evaluation by Māori, for Māori, and with Māori—Dr Cram described how Indigenous evaluation resists external definitions of success. Instead, it centres mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), tikanga (cultural protocols), and self-determination, ensuring cultural vitality, sustainability, and even the return of land.
She challenged dominant evaluation models that overlook or distort Indigenous perspectives, impose outside measures, and too often operate without accountability to communities.
Introducing EvalIndigenous, a global network of Indigenous evaluators and allies, Dr Cram outlined its “seeding, germinating, growing, blossoming” theory of change. Across regions, from Aotearoa and the Pacific to Africa, Asia, Turtle Island and Latin America, EvalIndigenous supports Indigenous-led evaluation that is culturally grounded and community-driven.
Central to this movement is the Wolastoq Declaration on Indigenous Evaluation, created in 2024 by Indigenous evaluation leaders and allies. The Declaration asserts the right of Indigenous Peoples to define, conduct, and benefit from evaluation, and calls for honouring Indigenous rights, protecting knowledge sovereignty, and mobilising traditional paradigms.
Dr Cram emphasised relational accountability as the connecting thread — being answerable to people, lands, ancestors, and future generations; upholding reciprocity and respect; and sustaining connections across contexts. She highlighted Asia–Pacific projects in Fiji, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Mongolia, and the Philippines, including the APEA Toolkit for Indigenous Evaluation.
Closing her talk, Dr Cram reminded participants that “evaluation is not just about measuring change — it is about creating it.” When Indigenous peoples define success, she said, “we define our own futures.”
Her presentation with notes is available here.
Health evaluation has long been framed by Western scientific methods and priorities. However, for Indigenous Peoples, evaluation is not new. It has always been part of how we live, make decisions, and sustain wellbeing. What’s needed now is not simply more evaluation, but better evaluation: work that reflects our knowledge systems, honours our protocols, and is done with, by, and for Indigenous communities.
Indigenous evaluators are reclaiming the space of health evaluation and reasserting its rightful purpose: to support thriving Indigenous families, strengthen self-determination, and uphold collective wellbeing. This shift is grounded in protocols, bundles, and principles created by Indigenous communities, for Indigenous priorities.
 | Take, for example, the Three Ribbons consensus process in Ontario, Canada. Elders, Indigenous health leaders, and evaluators came together to develop a set of emergent principles for Indigenous health service evaluation, including concepts like minobimaatisiiwin (the good life), relational accountability, collective benefit, and the use of 'wise' (rather than 'best') practices that reflect lived experience and Indigenous logic. In Manitoba, the “Gathering a Bundle” guide reframes evaluation not as a linear, external measurement tool but as a personal and communal process of reflection, ceremony, and storytelling. This work critiques how dominant evaluation methods “fail to measure what is meaningful” (p.5) and advocates for indigenising evaluation by privileging Indigenous languages, ethics, and ways of knowing. |
The Indigenous Evaluation 101 Guidebook from Minnesota extends this further by offering practical strategies to funders and evaluators, from building good relations agreements and securing Tribal IRB approval, to adopting culturally grounded logic models and community-led methods such as talking circles. Crucially, it insists that Indigenous values shape the evaluation from start to finish, not just as a token add-on.
These approaches are not merely aspirational, they are already being used successfully in Indigenous health initiative evaluations. For example, the Aloha Framework, developed in Hawaiʻi, integrates Indigenous values of aloha, kuleana, and pono to centre cultural integrity and community wellbeing in health evaluation design. Likewise, Indigenous wellness indicator projects with First Nations communities emphasize cultural identity, intergenerational strength, and land-based wellness over narrow metrics like hospital readmission rates
What do these examples have in common? They are driven by Indigenous people. They reflect a commitment to sovereignty over data, stories, and outcomes. They challenge the field to move beyond cultural adaptation toward Indigenous self-determination in evaluation.
| This commitment is also captured in the Wolastoq Declaration on Indigenous Evaluation, endorsed at the 2023 Global Gathering of Indigenous Evaluators. The declaration affirms Indigenous evaluation as a sovereign practice rooted in ancestral knowledge, collective accountability, and the sacred duty to future generations. It challenges funders, institutions, and states to recognise Indigenous Peoples as the rightful authorities over the evaluation of their own lives, lands, and futures. |  |
For funders and commissioners, this means rethinking what counts as credible evidence, resourcing Indigenous evaluators, and ceding control to Indigenous governance processes. It also means understanding that good evaluation is not just a technical task: it is a relational, ethical, and political act.
If you’re funding an evaluation of an Indigenous health initiative, inquire about the outcomes but also ask “whose knowledge guides the evaluation and who does it serve?”
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