In response to the humanitarian crisis triggered by the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH), a coalition of German relief organisations, launched a Joint Appeal. This collective action mobilised approximately €280 million in donations by early 2025, enabling member organisations to provide multi-sectoral assistance, including health, shelter, livelihoods, protection, and winterisation support across Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
A cornerstone of the response was the reliance on local Ukrainian partner organisations, who played a critical role in delivering aid. Given the scale of operations, the complexity of the context, and ADH’s commitment to quality and accountability, this independent evaluation was commissioned to examine the nature and effectiveness of these partnerships. The evaluation aimed to support internal learning and inform future programming by identifying best practices and areas for improvement in partner selection, partner engagement, capacity strengthening, and localisation.
The evaluation covered the period from 2022 to early 2025 and focused on how ADH member organisations selected, assessed, supported, and collaborated with their local partners in Ukraine. The analysis drew on data from 22 projects implemented by 12 ADH member organisations. Methods included a desk review of documents, 45 key informant interviews with a total of 67 participants, and an online survey (with 25 responses).
The evaluation was structured around two key evaluation questions:
- What procedures exist for adequate partner selection, assessment, and capacity building across ADH members? and
- How efficient and effective are the different capacity building approaches, and to what extent are quality standards and localisation objectives being met?
Evaluation results and recommendations are derived with regard to partner selection and assessments, power dynamics in partnership, capacity building approaches, strengthening partner organisations, sustainability and localization.