One key challenge in large, multi-country programmes is maintaining consistency and quality in training delivery. In 2024, the World YWCA addressed this by designing and rolling out a robust Quality Assurance (QA) Framework for the RiseUp! Leadership training.
This framework stands out as a best practice for its practical approach to sustaining long-term impact, ensuring that the content, experience, and monitoring of training remain strong, even beyond the lifetime of the YW4A programme. It also puts young women at the centre of accountability processes, giving them meaningful roles in validating training quality and data accuracy.
The development of the QA Framework followed recommendations from the Mid-Term Review and a participatory assessment conducted by the World YWCA. The review process identified gaps in standardisation, monitoring, and delivery of the RiseUp! training. Training quality varied across locations without a consistent framework, and the absence of clear safeguards risked uneven participant experiences. In response, the QA Framework was created to provide a common set of quality standards, ethical guidelines, and monitoring processes to ensure safe, inclusive, and impactful learning environments.
A core component of the framework is the QA checklist, which young women use to monitor sessions, validate participant data, and review endline study reports. This checklist not only improves oversight but also strengthens the role of the Young Women Reference Group (YWRG) in governance. Members of the YWRG conducted spot checks on participant databases in their respective countries, flagged inconsistencies, and supported corrective action by the implementing organisations
The framework draws from the World YWCA’s existing Safe Spaces Guide and integrates safeguarding protocols, particularly around sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH), as a key quality standard. These safeguards were further embedded in the framework to support implementation by WROs and ensure that protective measures are in place across all settings. To enhance accessibility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the framework is being translated into Arabic as part of its final rollout in 2025.
Before finalisation, the framework was reviewed with Country Leads, the MEL Working Group, and the YWRG to ensure it reflected diverse experiences and contexts. This collaborative process improved the framework’s relevance and built collective ownership among partners, another critical success factor.
By embedding clear, actionable standards into the RiseUp! training, YW4A has created a practical tool for sustaining high-quality leadership development. It also provides a model for how accountability and safeguarding can be embedded into programming in a participatory and scalable way.
