Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
Hello! I’m Lengnan Mipo Dadang, an evaluator working in fragile and faith-sensitive contexts in Nigeria. Today, I’m reflecting on how we used complexity-aware evaluation to respond to a humanitarian crisis in Plateau State—and how that changed not just our process, but our posture. I presented this work at the 2025 DC Consortium Student Conference on Evaluation and Policy, now known as the DC Emerging Evaluators Exchange (DCE3).
In mid-2024, an agrarian village in Plateau State was hit by a violent attack rooted in extremist religious ideology. Over 100 families were displaced overnight. The government swiftly set up an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp, and our team at Africa Services deployed emergency aid: food, hygiene kits, medical supplies, trauma counselling, and child nutrition support. On paper, our response followed global humanitarian standards. But our post-distribution assessment told a more complex story.
Although grateful for the aid, community members emphasized they didn’t want to remain in camps or become dependent. For them, the most pressing concern was to regain access to their farmland, which held profound significance; it was not merely a source of income, but a vital part of their cultural identity, emotional stability, and future aspirations. The stark contrast between the assistance we provided and the real needs they articulated prompted us to critically reevaluate our understanding and assessment of what constitutes “need.” This reflection challenged us to align our efforts more closely with the community’s aspirations, thereby fostering a sense of empowerment and self-sufficiency.
Rather than simply asking, “Did our intervention meet the checklist of requirements?” we shifted our focus to a more comprehensive question: “How does this action integrate into the broader, dynamic system that influences people’s lives?” This change in inquiry allowed us to recognize that our original approach, though well-meaning, was operating in a vacuum. It failed to engage with the rich tapestry of local aspirations, the complexities of political landscapes, and the intricate power dynamics at play within the community. By considering these factors, we gained a deeper understanding of the context in which our actions were taking place, enabling us to better align our efforts with the needs and realities of the people we aimed to serve.
We began using a systems-aware evaluation framework, engaging not just affected individuals but also local leaders, church networks, and government officials in renewed conversations. This helped us adapt the intervention from being charity-driven to community-shaped. For instance, instead of increasing food distributions, we prioritized safe land access and trauma-informed farming cooperatives.
To navigate the complexity, we found insights from developmental and realist evaluation frameworks invaluable. They encouraged us to embrace uncertainty, look beyond linear cause-and-effect models, and treat feedback as an asset—not a threat. Resources like Dealing with Complexity in Development Evaluation and Aid on the Edge of Chaos pushed us to challenge assumptions and lean into complexity.
Our experience reaffirmed that evaluation isn’t just about measuring outcomes—it’s about learning, evolving, and building trust in uncertain environments. When evaluators take complexity seriously, we become facilitators of meaningful, adaptive, and context-sensitive change.
Interested in seeing more work like this? Join us live for the 2026 DC Emerging Evaluators Exchange conference on Friday, April 24th! Students, new evaluators, or seasoned professionals are all invited to register for this virtual conference or in-person networking event.
If you are a graduate student or recent alumni of a university within the DC region, you are also eligible to submit a proposal to present. See the Call for Proposals for full details.
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