Stunting is a chronic issue in Liberia, yet how to have a sustained impact on stunting is unclear. In October 2019 - May 2020, the Liberia WASH Consortium (LWC), composed of Action Against Hunger, Concern Worldwide, Water Aid, Tearfund and Oxfam started a 5 year program respond to the question of stunting. The first year of the project was a formative assessment to complete a deep dive into stunting and design a theory of change that builds on community priorities, an in-depth understanding of the context and a robust evidence base. The results enabled the LWC consortium to challenge the donor’s strategy that considered insufficient evidence for WASH to address stunting.

This formative research is therefore a promising example of using learnings specifically generated for the project to inform its design instead of relying on national or regional data produced for surveillance purposes. Furthermore, due to the multifaceted nature of findings, partners were forced to design a novel project and not repeat status quo programming. In-depth community consultation during the Link NCA meant recommendations reflected community priorities so that proposal activities could reflect those preferences. The MEAL strategy adapted from learnings of the various assessments will allow for active development of indicators as the program progresses, so the project can remain dynamic and flexible.