Built in the Field. From crisis response to institutional reform.
The real knowledge is that kind of internalized certainty about what works and what doesn’t — not drawn from analysis, but from deep, lived familiarity. The kind that bypasses conscious reasoning because it’s rooted in consequential experience. The kind that only real hands-on work can unlock.
a look at some of what we worked on...
The projects and experiences listed here reflect only part of IRSAAN’s story. They represent work carried out directly under IRSAAN and its predecessor, MKM. But the people behind IRSAAN bring with them a much wider track record — years of professional experience with international NGOs, public institutions, and multilateral partners across diverse technical domains, countries, and sectors. This, combined with strong academic foundations and field-tested training, is what informs and sustains the quality of our work.
What follows is not a list of achievements — it’s a reflection of how we work. At IRSAAN, we don’t believe support is about checking boxes or producing outputs. We believe it’s about fit — between goals and realities, ambition and feasibility, structure and culture. Our work is defined by how well it holds up under real conditions: not just on paper, but on the ground.
These experiences weren’t built in conference rooms or refined in polished reports alone. They were built in classrooms and coordination halls, in field offices and policy meetings — and also under the sun, in the sandstorms, in the rain. They were built through hand work, presence, and the trust earned by doing what needed to be done, not just advising others to do it.
We don’t limit ourselves to consultancy. If something needs doing — and it fits our purpose, principles and ability — we are ready to do it ourselves. Every project listed here shows how we approach support: not as outsiders giving advice, but as partners taking responsibility. Not by promising impact, but by particiating and shaping the conditions that make it possible.
Nutrition Habits Survey in Saharawi Refugee Camps
Spanish Red Cross/ECHO
Location: Saharawi Refugee Camps
Date: 2016
In 2016, we led a landmark nutrition-related survey in the Saharawi refugee camps — the first large-scale effort focused not on biological indicators or consumption metrics alone, but on the underlying knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) shaping nutritional outcomes across the general population. Commissioned by the Spanish Red Cross and supported by ECHO, the project aimed to generate practical, actionable insight to inform food assistance design, nutritional messaging, and behavior change strategies.
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We developed a comprehensive instrument of 157 questions covering food frequency, household habits, hygiene practices, local perceptions, and barriers to dietary improvement. The survey reached over 1,250 households across all five camps. In addition to technical design and fieldwork coordination, our role included team training, data validation, and advanced analysis — linking behavior, access, and awareness to concrete dietary outcomes. Special care was taken to design indicators and questions that were both methodologically sound and culturally appropriate, navigating sensitivities that can influence how questions are received and answered.
The final report went beyond descriptive statistics to explore causal relationships and trend patterns — identifying key drivers behind poor dietary diversity and malnutrition, such as misinformation, social norms, access gaps, and household priorities. The findings were later used by partners to adapt their food basket strategy, community messaging, and program targeting — marking a significant shift toward integrated, behavior-informed nutrition programming in the camps.
Evaluation of Fresh Food Storage & Distribution Center (CAA)
Spanish Red Cross/Saharawi Red Crescent/ Oxfam/AECID
Location: Saharawi Refugee Camps
Date: 2019
In 2017, we carried out a comprehensive evaluation of the Centro de Almacenamiento y Abastecimiento (CAA) — a newly established facility designed to improve food quality and diversity through the storage and distribution of fresh products such as vegetables and fruits. Operated jointly by the Spanish Red Cross, Saharawi Red Crescent, and Oxfam, and funded by AECID, the CAA marked a significant innovation in the local food assistance landscape.
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The evaluation focused on institutional performance, operational viability, infrastructure and cold chain functionality, and the center’s contribution to broader food security objectives. It also assessed the alignment of the CAA with long-term economic viability and sustainability, particularly its ability to function effectively beyond its pilot phase.
Importantly, the review took place just as the center was concluding its initial trial period. The challenges identified — including cold chain fragility, cost inefficiencies, role ambiguity, and procedural gaps — were not unexpected but instead reflective of a system in early-stage development. Our work provided detailed recommendations for strengthening internal procedures, clarifying staff responsibilities, improving logistical coordination, and supporting the expansion of the center’s operations within its existing footprint.
The evaluation served both as a formal performance review and as a strategic tool for decision-makers seeking to stabilize and scale the initiative. It helped define a path toward operational maturity while anchoring the CAA more firmly within the overall food assistance architecture in the camps.
Design of Livelihood & Psychosocial Interventions (GLOBAL)
Location: Saharawi Refugee Camps
Date: 2017
In 2019, we were commissioned by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to design two distinct interventions — one focused on psychosocial support in primary education, and the other on youth-oriented livelihoods strategies — across three operational contexts: Saharawi refugee camps (Algeria), Mexico, and Colombia.
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The psychosocial component targeted primary school learners facing educational vulnerabilities linked to displacement and hardship. The design focused on supporting students with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and attention-related disorders, as well as addressing issues of school dropout and retention. The intervention equipped teachers with low-cost, easy-to-integrate classroom tools that support inclusion, learning continuity, and early identification of learning barriers. It was developed with adaptation in mind for all three contexts — though final implementation took place in Mexico and Colombia.
The livelihoods component was designed for young people facing limited economic opportunity in displacement-affected and high-pressure settings — including the Saharawi camps and urban areas in Mexico and Colombia. In Mexico in particular, the intervention focused on communities either situated along irregular migration routes or hosting large numbers of transient populations, often marked by chronic underinvestment, exposure to risk, and limited access to sustainable income sources. In each setting, we designed pathways that balanced market opportunity, skills development, and psychosocial safety — ensuring that young people could access real, achievable options without being exposed to false expectations or additional vulnerabilities.
In both cases, we provided AIR with full project packages — from contextual assessments and theories of change to logical frameworks, budgeting tools, and adaptive delivery mechanisms. The designs emphasized feasibility, dignity, and the protection of young learners and workers — ensuring that good intentions translated into responsible, grounded interventions.
Training on Team Collaboration & Conflict Management
Location: Saharawi Refugee Camps
Date: 2019
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At the core of the training was a focus on team dynamics versus group structures — clarifying what distinguishes a functioning team from a collection of individuals. Modules explored team roles, leadership expectations, internal coordination mechanisms, and the attitudes necessary to build mutual trust and accountability.
Participants were introduced to frameworks for defining responsibilities, setting shared goals, and facilitating collective ownership of tasks.
A dedicated component focused on conflict management, embedded within the leadership training. It emphasized the leader’s role in anticipating and addressing interpersonal tensions, navigating workload stressors, and maintaining morale during operational strain. Scenarios were drawn from real field experiences, allowing participants to work through practical cases and explore response options in a low-risk setting.
Beyond individual development, the training contributed to strengthening organizational culture during a critical growth phase — helping embed shared principles and role clarity at a moment when Oxfam’s operational footprint in the camps was rapidly expanding.
Evaluation of WFP 2013-2017 PRRO Nutrition Component
Location: Saharawi Refugee Camps
Date: 2017
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Our role focused on methodology design and analytical oversight. We developed a mixed-method evaluation framework combining field verification, stakeholder interviews, comparative indicator analysis, and institutional mapping. The work assessed both program outcomes (malnutrition reduction, food security access) and internal dimensions such as supply chain reliability, prioritization accuracy, and partner coordination mechanisms.
The evaluation served simultaneously as an impact assessment, final evaluation, ex-ante input, and institutional review. It explored how WFP’s internal decision-making, partnerships, and resource flows affected nutritional outcomes on the ground. Special attention was given to how the program adapted to donor shortfalls, pipeline breaks, and shifts in prioritization criteria — factors that often tested the limits of operational flexibility.
A critical component of our analysis addressed coordination dynamics between WFP, implementing partners, and Saharawi institutions. We identified structural inconsistencies, unclear roles, and gaps in information flow that were contributing to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. Recommendations included strengthening partnership governance frameworks, improving real-time data systems, and clarifying responsibility chains across actors.
The evaluation helped shape WFP’s subsequent CISP and influenced its internal management adjustments — contributing to more grounded, context-responsive programming in a complex protracted crisis setting.
WSRC Emergency Response & Flood Recovery Coordination
Location: Saharawi Refugee Camps
Date: 2015
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Note: This intervention was carried out during the final stages of forming MKM. At the time, our founder was serving as a lead volunteer with WSRC, and the core MKM team — though not yet formally established — was already assembled and fully active. When the disaster struck, we set aside everything and collectively committed to the emergency response and recovery effort. While the intervention preceded MKM’s official registration, it reflects the same people, principles, and practices that would go on to define both MKM and, later, IRSAAN. It remains a foundational experience in our journey.
Working with a volunteer network, we supported the multi-agency coordination at the field level, including real-time information flow, prioritization of hotspots, and tasking of emergency teams. Over 7,000 displaced families were supported through mass distributions of temporary shelter and essential food and non-food items. We also managed evacuation procedures, temporary shelter placement, and early logistics hubs for food, water, and basic care services. In parallel, we helped establish emergency dispensaries and temporary classrooms in large tents to restore critical health and education functions after the destruction of adobe-built infrastructure.
We supported the operational structuring of WSRC’s crisis cell — composed of senior officials — and helped shape institutional decision-making protocols for disaster preparedness and early response. This work included the development of contingency planning tools, early warning indicators, sector-specific response protocols, and institutional coordination mechanisms designed to ensure a coherent response across humanitarian actors.
As the situation stabilized and moved from acute relief to sustainable recovery, our role extended beyond immediate operations. We supported the evaluation of the emergency response system, analyzing not only the speed but also the adequacy and alignment of interventions with ground realities. We also facilitated learning exercises, documentation, and after-action reviews between humanitarian and institutional actors — contributing directly to the national emergency plan later adopted by WSRC and its partners.
Institutional development & Strangthening for the Bulahi Said-Mati Center for Minors’ Reeducation and Reinsertion
Location: Saharawi Refugee Camps
Date: 2015
In 2015, we led a comprehensive, multi-phase intervention to support the Bulahi Said-Mati Center — the only facility in the Saharawi refugee camps dedicated to the reeducation and reintegration of minors in conflict with the law. The center operated under fragile conditions with limited structure, unclear procedures, and strained human and material resources. Our goal was to transform it into a functional, protective, and institutionally sound space capable of delivering real rehabilitative outcomes.
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We began with a full institutional and operational assessment, followed by the design of a structured reform process. This included the redefinition of internal roles, drafting of rules of procedure, and development of standardized workflows governing daily operations, reporting, and coordination with judicial, educational, and social entities. A set of administrative manuals and protocols was also developed to guide staff on case management, safeguarding, disciplinary procedures, and reintegration steps.
Recognizing the dual role of the center as an educational and protective space, we supported the continuation of formal schooling for residents and worked with local teachers to adapt classroom support. Parallel to this, we designed and initiated a livelihood and sustainability model for the center through the establishment of a small-scale garden and livestock project. These initiatives aimed to improve the center’s self-reliance and also served as part of the rehabilitation process.
In close coordination with the Ministry of Justice and the department for penitentiary affairs, we supported the integration of protection principles within the center’s legal and institutional framework. We assembled and coordinated a multidisciplinary team of educators, social workers, and psychologists, and developed a capacity-building plan that included training modules, mentoring systems, and performance follow-up tools.
The intervention concluded with a closure strategy, monitoring tools, and a roadmap for long-term institutional sustainability. It remains a unique example of how structured support — anchored in governance, protection, education, and livelihoods — can reinforce fragile institutions and strengthen child reintegration systems even in protracted displacement contexts.
Youth & Livelihoods & Policy Assessment for National Strategy Development
SADR Ministry of Youth and Sports
Location: Saharawi Refugee Camps
Date: 2016
In 2016, we led a strategic assessment for the Saharawi Ministry of Youth and Sports focused on understanding the landscape of youth in general and livelihoods specifically in the refugee camps — their challenges, existing coping strategies, aspirations, and potential pathways for economic participation. The goal was to inform the Ministry’s position ahead of the first National Conference on Youth Policies and lay the groundwork for a future national youth strategy.
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The assessment explored access barriers to employment, skills mismatch, dependency patterns, and the structural limitations imposed by prolonged displacement. Through participatory methods and gender-informed analysis, we identified key constraints and emerging opportunities for youth economic engagement. A special component focused on evaluating the feasibility and risk of replicating women’s cooperative models among youth, and assessing microcredit as a viable instrument for youth-led enterprise development.
The work also investigated gaps in coordination between youth-focused programs, the role of community-based initiatives, and the broader enabling environment. We engaged institutions, civil society actors, and youth groups in structured dialogue to ensure that the findings reflected lived realities and practical feasibility.
Our deliverables included a policy-oriented report with strategic options and programmatic entry points, tailored recommendations for institutional action, and a mapping of capacity and ecosystem gaps. The findings helped position further youth and livelihoods as a central policy issue linked to broader questions of stability, development, and state-building in protracted crisis settings.
there is much more we can help you with...
Each of these projects tells its own story — but taken together, they show what structured, context-aware support looks like in practice. They reflect not only what we’ve done, but how we do it: with clarity, flexibility, and a deep respect for the environments we work in. Whether you’re looking for strategic guidance, implementation support, or a partner to help navigate complexity from the inside, we invite you to take a closer look at our services — and see how our experience can help strengthen yours.
the real experience goes far beyond...
In addition to consultancy work, IRSAAN’s foundations are built on over a decade of direct experience in project and program leadership within humanitarian NGOs. From leading complex interventions in education, protection, and livelihoods to designing entire projects from scratch in response to donor-identified needs, this experience has shaped a deep understanding of what makes programs not only fundable, but functional, sustainable, and locally rooted. Many of these interventions were first-of-their-kind in the Saharawi refugee camps and involved navigating deep social and cultural complexities. Making them work required not only careful design and long-term community trust, but also a high level of alignment — finding creative ways to satisfy donor expectations, NGO systems, local authority priorities, and community realities without compromising quality or intent.