Value of ‘theory of change’ for community-based organisations

Three organisations in the Western and Northern Cape used this approach to improve violence-prevention interventions and strategies.

A theory of change is a strategic planning approach that communicates a programme’s goals and underlying logic. Supported by the Institute of Security Studies, three community-based organisations working to prevent violence developed a theory of change for their interventions. The aim was to facilitate strategic reflection and co-create a conceptual tool to guide their work in communities, support impact tracking, and enable organisational learning.

About the authors

Jessica Horler is an independent monitoring and evaluation consultant based in Cape Town. She works primarily in youth development and early childhood development, and is currently pursuing her PhD in programme evaluation at the University of Cape Town.

Jenna Joffe is a monitoring and evaluation specialist based in Cape Town, who holds a masters in programme evaluation. She specialises primarily in the health field. Jenna is currently working full time as a programme evaluation associate at a consulting firm.

Image: Charmone Bewee at school, Proof Communication