We design and run programs in agriculture, youth employment, WASH, climate resilience, and inclusive finance. Our designs are grounded in Market Systems Development (MSD, MSD4E) and incorporate Market Systems Resilience (MSR) to ensure durability under stress. Every engagement embeds adaptive management, live dashboards, and learning rhythms so teams can steer in real time and scale what works.
Program Design
Programs your teams can deliver and your funders can defend.
Designing a program is the easy part. Designing one that survives handoff — and one whose results you can hand to a board without caveats — is the work.
What you get
- Theory of change, results chains, and intervention logics grounded in MSD/MSD4E and MSR
- Pilots in agriculture, youth employment, WASH, climate, and inclusive finance
- Adaptive management routines with monthly learning reviews
- Live dashboards that route signals into management meetings within 48 hours
How we work
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Diagnose
System mapping, market actor interviews, and historical review to find the leverage point and the systemic boundary.
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Co-design
Theory of change, results chains, indicator sets, and intervention logics co-created with partners and beneficiaries.
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Pilot
Small-footprint pilots with risk-based sampling and contribution analysis so you know what worked and why.
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Scale and hand over
Documentation packs, dashboards, and training so the system runs without us.
Why Merstat
- DCED-aligned design with audit readiness built in
- Inclusion (gender, youth, disability, poverty) embedded from day one
- Climate MRV fused with MEL so climate and development outcomes are tracked together
Frequently asked questions
How long is a typical engagement?
Diagnose: 4–8 weeks. Co-design: 6–10 weeks. Pilot: 6–18 months. Scale: 2–5 years with handover milestones.
Do you take implementation contracts, or only advisory?
Both. We partner on co-implementation where our MEL/MSR value-add is highest, and we act as advisors where an in-house team already exists.
Which sectors do you cover?
Agriculture and market systems, youth employment, WASH, climate resilience, health systems, and inclusive finance.
Ready to talk?
Tell us about your context, your objectives, and your timeline. We will reply within one working day with a proposed approach and a partner call.
