Salama SHIELD Foundation

Monitoring data at the Ugandan Salama SHIELD Foundation revealed perfect repayment rates in its microfinance program. But rather than take these data at face value, a diligent program officer set out to determine if the data might be concealing other stories. In his efforts to investigate the truth behind the data, he made a number of decisions about what data to collect—and, importantly, what not to. But, as this case demonstrates, actionable data is only half the story; right-fit resources and systems are necessary to turn data into action. Readers will think critically about what data are necessary to answer key operational questions and will design data collection instruments to deliver these data. They will also consider ways of applying the CART principles to strengthen the data collection system and determine where the organization should focus its monitoring efforts.