Specialists in MEAL, Research & Community Engagement — Est. 2015

Evidence-Based Consulting
for Impact in the Horn of Africa

We help NGOs, UN agencies, and government partners design, evaluate, and improve programmes through MEAL systems, community engagement, and strategic advisory — across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the wider Horn of Africa.

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Nationwide Coverage — Somalia, Kenya & Ethiopia

Humanitarian & Development Sectors

Experienced Field & Technical Consultants

Evidence-Driven & Community-Centred

Our Approach

How We Deliver Results

Four principles embedded in every engagement — from the first brief to the final report.

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Context First

We design solutions based on realities — not generic templates. Every assignment begins with a thorough understanding of the local political, social, and operational environment.

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Evidence Driven

All recommendations are backed by data, rigorous analysis, and verified field evidence. We do not advise on what we have not substantiated.

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Community Centred

Communities are actively involved throughout — through AAP systems, structured consultations, and feedback loops that shape outputs, not just validate them.

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Quality & Speed

High-quality outputs within tight donor timelines. Our field networks and established systems allow rapid mobilisation without compromising rigour.

What We Do

Our Core Services

Specialists in MEAL, research, community engagement, and programme design — working across Somalia and the Horn of Africa.

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Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEAL)

Baseline surveys, endline evaluations, third-party monitoring, data quality assessments, and accountability systems — rigorous MEAL that informs decisions and satisfies donors.

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Research, Assessments & Data Collection

Needs assessments, market and value chain analysis, perception studies, livelihoods assessments — quantitative and qualitative research that drives programme design.

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Community Engagement & Accountability

Stakeholder consultations, community mobilisation, AAP systems, feedback mechanisms, and participatory planning — ensuring communities shape the programmes that serve them.

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Capacity Building & Training

Training workshops, Training-of-Trainers, institutional assessments, curriculum development, and coaching — building lasting capability in teams and organisations.

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Strategy, Policy & Institutional Advisory

Strategic planning, governance advisory, policy review, and institutional strengthening — helping governments and organisations navigate complex environments and drive reform.

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Project Design & Proposal Development

Proposal writing, concept notes, logframes, theory of change, and budget development — turning strategic priorities into competitive, donor-compliant funding applications.

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Feasibility Studies & Business Cases

Technical and financial feasibility studies, investment readiness assessments, cost-benefit analysis, and SEIA — giving investors and donors the evidence they need to commit.

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MARCO team conducting field work across the Horn of Africa

Who We Are

Embedded in the Region. Trusted by the World's Leading Institutions.

MARCO Consulting Limited is a professional research and advisory firm with a decade of verified delivery across the Horn of Africa. We turn evidence into decisions — working from inside the complex environments that matter most to our clients.

Operating across fragile and conflict-affected settings, we provide the 360° field access, contextual intelligence, and technical rigour that international organisations cannot source from the outside. Our work doesn't end with a report — it ends when your decisions are better informed.

10+

Years of Verified Delivery

50+

Assignments Completed

Federal States Covered

Our Approach & Team

Our Work

Selected Projects

A snapshot of what MARCO delivers — baseline surveys, third-party monitoring, and independent evaluations with real impact.

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📍 8 Districts, South Central Somalia

Baseline Survey Education in Emergencies

GERSI Girls' Education Baseline Survey — ADRO

Comprehensive mixed-methods baseline across 8 conflict-affected districts, delivered in 45 days. Covering enrolment, retention, and gender barriers across South Central Somalia.

Client: ADRO 2025 Read Case Study →

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📍 5 Federal Member States

Third-Party Monitoring Education Quality

Educate Project Third-Party Monitoring — SOS Children's Villages

60-day independent TPM verification across five Federal Member States, verifying enrolment figures, learning outcomes, and programme quality for a major education initiative.

Client: SOS Children's Villages 2023 Read Case Study →

Horn of Africa drought pastoral communities

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📍 Ethiopia · Kenya · Somalia

Humanitarian Evaluation UNICEF L3/L2

Horn of Africa Drought Response Evaluation — UNICEF

Cross-border OECD-DAC evaluation of UNICEF's emergency drought response across three countries — 60+ key informant interviews, mixed methods, multi-country field presence.

Client: UNICEF East Africa 2023 Read Case Study →

View All Projects & Case Studies

Why Choose Us

The MARCO Advantage

We bridge deep local knowledge with international technical rigour — delivering outputs that meet the most demanding institutional standards.

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International Quality Standards

Outputs structured to US DoS, ECHO, FCDO, and UN agency benchmarks on every engagement.

Every deliverable undergoes internal quality review before submission. MARCO's MEAL frameworks, evaluation reports, and assessment outputs are structured to meet USAID, ECHO, FCDO, and UN agency documentation requirements — zero revision cycles needed from our side.

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Full Programme Lifecycle

One trusted partner from project design through evaluation and capacity building.

From initial needs assessments and proposal development through implementation monitoring, mid-term reviews, final evaluations, and post-project learning — MARCO provides continuity across the entire programme cycle, eliminating the knowledge-loss of switching consultants.

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Rapid Field Mobilisation

Field teams deployed across all Somali regions within 48–72 hours, security-coordinated.

With established field coordinator networks, trained enumerator pools, and security protocols in all five Federal Member States of Somalia plus Kenya and Ethiopia, MARCO can mobilise within 48–72 hours of contract signature — no lead-time delays common with international firms.

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Ethical Practice

Safeguarding, Do No Harm, and data protection embedded in every methodology from day one.

Safeguarding policy, Do No Harm principles, data protection under GDPR-equivalent standards, and informed consent procedures are embedded in every methodology — not added as afterthoughts. Enumerator safety planning is a core methodological requirement, not optional.

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Transparent Pricing

Honest, realistic budgets. More qualified local expertise per dollar than any external competitor.

MARCO provides honest, itemised budget breakdowns with no hidden overheads. Local expertise, established systems, and no international travel costs means significantly more qualified field delivery per dollar than firms parachuting consultants from outside the region.

What Clients Say

Client Testimonials

The voice of our clients is our strongest credential.

★★★★★

"MARCO delivered a comprehensive MEAL framework for our 3-year food security programme. Their local knowledge and technical rigour exceeded our expectations. Deliverables were on time and met ECHO standards without revision."

Programme Manager

International NGO, Mogadishu

★★★★★

"We engaged MARCO for a market systems assessment in Jubaland. The depth of their field network and the quality of primary data collection was unlike anything we had received from previous consultants in Somalia."

Director of Programmes

UN Agency, Somalia

★★★★★

"MARCO's third-party monitoring gave our donors the confidence they needed. Their independent verification covered five states simultaneously and delivered exactly on schedule — critical for our reporting cycle."

Country Director

Development Organisation, Somalia

Strategic Focus

Our Six Focus Areas

Reflecting the most critical needs of Somalia's development, humanitarian, and governance landscape.

Corporate Development & Financial Management

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Supporting governance structures, financial systems, and organisational policies that help NGOs, government bodies, and private sector organisations operate effectively and sustainably in the Horn of Africa.

Education, Knowledge Management & Training

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Designing and delivering education programmes, knowledge management systems, training curricula, and institutional learning frameworks — from primary education through to organisational learning strategies.

Humanitarian and Development Nexus

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Bridging emergency response with sustainable development — integrating early recovery, resilience building, and long-term programming into cohesive humanitarian-development frameworks for fragile contexts.

Market Research and Analysis

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Conducting market systems analysis, value chain assessments, price monitoring, and feasibility studies to support private sector development, livelihood programming, and investment decisions.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)

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Designing and implementing end-to-end MEAL frameworks — from baseline surveys and third-party monitoring to final evaluations, real-time learning systems, and accountability to affected populations.

Governance, Strategic Planning & Reforms

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Supporting government institutions and civil society organisations with strategic planning, policy review, institutional reform, and governance capacity strengthening across the Horn of Africa region.

Evidence-Based Consultingfor Impact in the Horn of Africa

10+

50+

2,000+

500+

50,000+

How We Deliver Results

Context First

Evidence Driven

Community Centred

Quality & Speed

Our Core Services

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEAL)

Research, Assessments & Data Collection

Community Engagement & Accountability

Capacity Building & Training

Strategy, Policy & Institutional Advisory

Project Design & Proposal Development

Feasibility Studies & Business Cases

Clients & Partners

Embedded in the Region. Trusted by the World's Leading Institutions.

Selected Projects

GERSI Girls' Education Baseline Survey — ADRO

Educate Project Third-Party Monitoring — SOS Children's Villages

Horn of Africa Drought Response Evaluation — UNICEF

The MARCO Advantage

International Quality Standards

Full Programme Lifecycle

Rapid Field Mobilisation

Ethical Practice

Transparent Pricing

Client Testimonials

Programme Manager

Director of Programmes

Country Director

Our Six Focus Areas

Corporate Development & Financial Management

Education, Knowledge Management & Training

Humanitarian and Development Nexus

Market Research and Analysis

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)

Governance, Strategic Planning & Reforms

Want to Know More?

Ready to Work Together?

Evidence-Based Consulting
for Impact in the Horn of Africa