075. What Happens When a Start-Up Nurtures an Evidence-Based Culture: The Taimaka Project

Summary

What does the name Taimaka mean?

To what extent are there challenges, as an organization, when you aim for evidence-based decision-making?

What kind of culture is needed to truly live the aspiration of being evidence-based?

In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Dr. Umar Abubakar and Justin Graham, co-founders and co-directors of The Taimaka Project -- an NGO working in Gombe state, Nigeria, on what happens when a start-up nonprofit wants to nurture an evidence-based culture.

Umar Abubakar's Bio:

• Co-founder and director, Taimaka Project, an NGO working on child malnutrition in Gombe state, Nigeria
• Medical doctor, Ministry of Health, Nigeria
• Umar has degrees in clinical medicine as well as public health
• He runs the medical side of Taimaka’s malnutrition program
• Umar manages Taimaka’s team of nutrition care specialists, oversees hospital partners, and ensures that  patients receive the best possible standard of care

Justin's Bio:

• Co-founder and director, Taimaka Project
• Worked in the past for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
• Former intern at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
• Justin oversees technology, finance, and innovation at Taimaka
• He handles Taimaka’s tech portfolio and manages in-house digital case management database

We discuss: 

• Taimaka Project is a start-up NGO working on child malnutrition in Gombe state in N-W Nigeria.
• Taimaka Project stands out in how much attention it gives to rigorous evaluation of its program treatment methods (in this case with regard to child malnutrition related interventions). 
• Using this approach entails the following question: what is the most amount of impact we can ‘produce’ or contribute to, per dollar spent? 
• This can come across as utilitarian to some, and  a vigorous discussion about the ethical trade-offs of such an approach is always a good thing
• If you want to promote an evidence-based culture, what does this entail? One facet: when you are told you are wrong, whether you are a leader or staff, you should take this personally. 
• Taimaka regularly collaborates with academics on rigorous program evaluation. What are the ins and outs of working with academics, as a practitioner organization?
• Taimaka is also shifting from a start-up into a ramp-up phase and is currently experiencing fast growth. What does this imply for policies, systems, and processes that now need to be built or adapted, and how do we preserve what is precious about the org's culture? 

Quotes:

·       “We go a layer deeper in our measurement and evaluation”

Resources:

Dr. Abubakar’s LinkedIn Profile

Justin’s LinkedIn Profile

Justin’s Email

The Taimaka Project (sign up for their email newsletter if you want insight into their evaluation and (cost) effective measurement approaches)

Tamaika LinkedIn Business Page

YouTube video 

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