MIRA: A Context Monitoring and Resilience Analysis Tool for Adaptation

In 2021, Ethiopia’s RFSA started implementation while the country grappled with multiple natural and anthropogenic shocks. Following reflections from the preceding activity which highlighted the need for frequent context monitoring and learnings from other CRS Country Programs, CRS Ethiopia implemented the Monthly Interval Resilience Analysis (MIRA). MIRA is a high frequency resilience monitoring approach used to measure household response to shocks and stressors to better inform food security and resilience programming. MIRA uses community embedded enumerators to collect monthly data on shocks experienced by a household and subsequent coping mechanisms. As a tool for continuous context monitoring and adaptive management, MIRA allows CRS Ethiopia to gather and analyze granular data on a monthly basis as well as pause and reflect as a project to inform activity adaptations. In less than a year of implementation, MIRA data has led RFSA to have a clearer understanding of shocks and guided activity adaptations in drought impacted communities and revealed the need for stronger internal sectoral collaboration during implementation. It is also serving as a tool to engage key government stakeholders and influence decision making. In addition, MIRA’s potential for predicting future shocks and stressors with continued data collection is an advantage as it allows ample time for RFSA to reach target households prior to experiencing such events.