Innovations for Poverty Action's research and policy work was highlighted in a pair of panel sessions at the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Annual Conference in Mexico City this month.In the first panel, IPA participants shared their experiences working with Ministries of Education in Peru, Ghana, and Zambia to equip policymakers and educators to create, understand, and apply rigorous evidence to their education practice.

From March 20-22, the Zambian Ministry of Health, with support from USAID, DFID, and the Population Council, convened the first national Evidence for Impact research symposium.​ The theme of this year’s symposium was “Translating Research into Gains in Primary and Community Health in Zambia.” The focus of the symposium was on reproductive, maternal and newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition services (RMNCAH-N) in primary care and community settings.

On March 19, The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative team, represented by Dr.Vandana Sharm and Rebecca Hemono; and the IPA Myanmar team, represented by Alexander Fertig and Thein Zaw Oo; hosted a workshop for the validation of the preliminary results of external evaluation of the multi-country Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Program (DEPP) with the implementing partners and other relevant stakeholders.The presentation included findings from the different countries where evaluations took place but focused the discussion on Myanmar.IPA Myanmar was in charge of the evaluation, conducting two surveys, each having two rounds of data collection.