MEL Practitioner Guide: Engagement and Inclusion in Theory of Change Design - Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Descendants in Latin America

This guide provides practical guidance for ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendants are engaged and included in theories of change (TOC) for democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) activities in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The guide focuses on Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendants, as people from these groups are often affected directly or indirectly by USAID’s programs in LAC. However, the guidance could be adapted to apply for other marginalized ethic or racial communities. The guide regularly returns to a fictitious TOC that aims to address high youth crime rates in Ecuador through alternative rehabilitation centers (ARCs), in order to illustrate techniques for engagement and inclusion; details about development challenges related to youth in Ecuador are not based on real figures. This example, adapted from training materials provided by USAID’s LAC Bureau, is purely illustrative and not intended to be used for a real activity. However, the broad contextual elements of Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in Ecuador are real.