For Pact’s Daisy Kisyombe, evaluation and learning hold the key to life-changing development work

It was 2013, and Daisy Kisyombe was in the Mara region of Tanzania, meeting with women and older girls who were taking part in Pact’s WORTH program, a community banking model that brings community members together in small groups to save money, access credit, and start small businesses to lift themselves out of poverty. 

Kisyombe, who grew up in Tanzania and joined Pact in 2007, was there as a measurement and evaluation professional to assess WORTH’s impact. She was stunned when she learned the story of one participant, an older girl who had lost both of her parents by the time she was 14. 

“When I met her, she was in her final year of secondary school. She was taking care of her three younger siblings. Through her WORTH savings and income generating activities, she had managed to see herself and all of her siblings through school,” Kisyombe recalls. “Although she didn’t have great breakthroughs in terms of material gains that other members of WORTH groups would boast, she definitely had empowered her family to break out of vulnerability, had great support from being a WORTH group member, and learned valuable lessons through the group.”

Kisyombe remembers vividly what the girl told her. “She said she was passing on the lesson of the power of savings to her siblings. As she put it, ‘They must learn to save. I can’t afford to let them not do that. Whenever I have money, I give them something for their savings. The savings money is what took us to school.’”

Kisyombe couldn’t believe the girl’s resilience and the impact that WORTH had made. She still thinks of her often. 

“She is a reminder of what we are working for,” Kisyombe says. 

Today, nearly two decades after she began with Pact, Kisyombe serves as our Global Learning, Evidence, and Impact Manager. Beginning as a program officer, over the years, she moved progressively into more senior positions including Measurement and Evaluation Manager and Strategic Information Director. Her current role entails supporting programs’ data quality management functions, including systems development, data verification, and reporting. She also supports program evaluation, staff capacity building, and new business development.

Kisyombe believes that all roles in development are critical, but she has found special meaning working on program evaluation and learning. 

“This is how programs self-check. In implementing programs, we are stewards of scarce resources entrusted to us to deliver lasting impact,” she says. “Evaluation and learning give us the moment to assess whether we are moving in the right direction, achieving what was intended, and ensuring we are not spending resources on business-as-usual approaches. We have a duty to be as effective as possible.”

It's a responsibility that Kisyombe takes to heart. “Throughout my work, I have kept a constant reminder in my head that the numbers I process on my laptop are actually human beings whose lives are affected by my daily actions,” she says. “This is why we must always deliver with fidelity.” 

When she reflects on her impact, she feels especially proud of the difference that Pact has made in the lives of young people, especially girls and young women who take on family caregiving. “These are people who need services the most, where the impact is life-altering,” she says. She has also found meaning in mentoring young professionals working in measurement, evaluation, and learning. She sees those efforts as a way to pay forward the opportunities she has had in her career. 

“Beyond the fact that Pact’s mission resonates with my passion for being of service, I have loved working for Pact because of the growth and learning opportunities I have had over the years. I have experienced vertical and horizontal growth through the various responsibilities I have held. My work has not been stagnant and I have had to face new challenges that keep my work exciting.”

As she looks to the future, she believes the development and capacity gains that communities have made will continue to help them survive and thrive – just as they did for the girl in Mara who did so much for her siblings. 

“I hope community agency and the resilience of humanity will enable more people to rise above their vulnerability.”