Studying human flourishing in diverse regional contexts

We are partnering with Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF) on the Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) of the Exploring Our Common Humanity (ECoH) initiative. Through this partnership, we work with grantees across three key regional contexts: Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia to synthesize insights from their landscape studies.  These insights will provide foundational guidance for developing research hubs focused on advancing human flourishing, inform strategic planning, and offer a framework for a Theory of Change (ToC) to support the hubs’ long-term objectives and impact aligned with ECoH’s goals.

Challenges

Human flourishing is uniquely understood and expressed in each region, influenced by distinct cultural, social, and economic factors. The grantee’s landscape studies explore the specific dimensions of human flourishing most valued within each region and examines how these aspects are, or could be, operationalized. The diversity of perspectives presents both a challenge and an opportunity, requiring an approach that respects local contexts while advancing ECoH’s broader mission.

Expertise

Encompassing the spirit of bottom-up collaboration, our team works closely with the grantees to design, tailor and adapt the required technical support they need under the ECoH initiative through the following core activities:

• Guiding learning and reflection: We facilitate regular individual and group learning sessions with grantees, fostering cross-regional collaboration and sharing best practices.
• Capacity-building support: We develop tools and frameworks to ensure high-quality, consistent data collection and reporting, aligning their work with ECoH’s overarching goals.
• Synthesis of insights: By integrating insights from landscape studies, we produce a comprehensive synthesis that highlights emerging trends, regional distinctions, and strategic recommendations. This synthesis will help shape the development of research hubs and lay the groundwork for a Theory of Change, guiding the hubs’ objectives and long-term impact pathways in alignment with ECoH’s vision.

Impact

Our work lays the foundation for regionally relevant research hubs by synthesizing diverse findings from the landscape studies. This synthesis provides TWCF and its grantees with valuable insights to guide the establishment of research hubs as sustainable knowledge centers. The insights gathered also support the conceptualization of a Theory of Change, helping shape the hubs' long-term objectives and impact pathways in alignment with ECoH’s mission.

Banner Image: Unsplash