MEAL Planning in Practice (2026)

Self-Study Certificate Course
Start: Immediate Access
Time: Typically around 3 hours to complete

MEAL Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

You've been handed MEAL responsibilities but no one showed you how to actually do it. You know you need to track progress and prove impact, but the frameworks feel complicated and the jargon doesn't help. Most MEAL training assumes you have a dedicated M&E team and months to design systems. For smaller NGOs, that's not reality. Without a workable MEAL system, organizations face:

• Donors asking for evidence of impact you can't provide
• Data collection that buries your team without informing decisions
• No clear way to know if you're reaching the most vulnerable
• Missed opportunities to adapt when something isn't working
• End-of-project reports scrambled together from incomplete records

This practical training gives you a simple, working MEAL system you can build this week. You'll follow a program officer's journey as she builds her MEAL plan from scratch, facing the same questions you do: Are we reaching the most vulnerable? Are we creating real change? How do I prove impact to the donor? No complex frameworks designed for large agencies. Just what works when resources are limited and you need something functional. Through this training, you'll be able to:

• Build a MEAL Framework Table for any project using a 9-column planning structure
• Design indicators that measure both reach and quality
• Set realistic targets based on context, not wishful thinking
• Run monthly learning meetings that turn data into decisions
• Explain your MEAL system to donors with confidence

How You'll Learn

This self-paced course combines video lessons with practical tools you can use immediately:

• Video presentations following a realistic case study
• The MEAL Framework Table — a 9-column planning tool covering what to measure, how to calculate it, where data comes from, who collects it, and who gets informed
• The Monthly Learning Meeting template — a 4-part agenda that turns data into decisions
• The MEAL Plan Quality Checklist — a review tool to check your plan before you finalize it
• Knowledge check to test your understanding
• Certificate upon completion

Course developed and presented by Neil Kendrick, founder of ELD Impact, with 25+ years of experience training humanitarian professionals across 20+ countries

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