Not every organisation needs to train a team. Some need a deliverable produced now, to the standard a donor expects.

A midline evaluation due in six weeks. A dashboard to present at the next steering committee. A database that was never properly structured. A field survey across three regions, with no team available internally.

That is exactly what Helpazone's consultancy offer covers: we produce the deliverable with you, or for you, depending on what your organisation needs.

Our approach: deliver, then hand over

Most consultancy assignments end when the report is submitted. We work differently, and it is a deliberate choice: every assignment includes a skills transfer to your teams.

In practice, this means that at the end of an assignment your team does not simply receive a dashboard: it knows how it was built, how to update it, and who to turn to if something breaks. A system nobody can maintain once the consultant leaves is not a deliverable, it is a dependency.

This logic explains why training and consultancy coexist at Helpazone. They are two answers to the same need: making your organisation capable of steering with data.

Three levels of engagement

Not every assignment needs the same level of involvement. Some organisations want to be shown the method. Others want to build together. Others simply lack the internal capacity to carry a function day to day. The three formats below answer these three realities.

Advisory

We show you how.

  • Organisational or programme diagnostic
  • One-off strategic advice
  • Individual or team coaching
  • Performance reviews

You stay in control of execution, we bring the outside perspective and the method.

Guided Support

We work alongside your team.

  • Co-building MEAL systems or dashboards
  • Mentoring throughout an assignment
  • Documented skills transfer
  • Hands-on workshops with your teams

Your teams build capacity by building, not just by watching.

Managed Service

We do it with you, or for you.

  • Fractional MEAL or programme management
  • Covering a vacant position
  • Surge support during peak activity or a transition
  • Donor reporting handled directly

Available roles: Fractional MEAL Manager, Fractional Programme Manager, Fractional Data/BI Lead.

No MEAL specialist on your team? A Helpazone consultant steps in for a few days a month (fractional support), without you having to hire a full-time position.

Where we work

Madagascar remains our operational base. Our teams work in person in Fianarantsoa, Antananarivo and across all regions, including field data collection assignments requiring extended travel.

Across the Indian Ocean (Comoros, Mauritius, Réunion, Seychelles), assignments are conducted mainly remotely, with occasional travel depending on the needs of the assignment and the agreed schedule.

For the rest of Francophone Africa, we work remotely with distributed teams, a way of working now well established in the development sector. Close time zones make weekly check-ins and real-time collaboration straightforward.

The format of an assignment is always discussed upfront: some phases benefit from being on site (enumerator training, field supervision, feedback workshops), while others work perfectly remotely (database structuring, analysis, dashboard development).

Our areas of work

Program & Organizational Consulting

Improving the design, steering and organisation of programmes.

Program designWork plans & planningProgram performanceGrant managementOrganisational diagnosticInstitutional strengtheningGovernanceProject recovery
Expected deliverables
  • Annual work plan and budget tracking framework
  • Written organisational diagnostic with action plan
  • Donor compliance report

MEAL, Performance & Research Consulting

Measuring, demonstrating and improving performance, producing reliable evidence.

MEAL design / redesignTheory of ChangeLogframeIndicatorsData Quality / RDQABaseline / Midline / EndlineQualitative studiesAccountabilityLearningCapitalisation
Expected deliverables
  • Complete, documented MEAL system
  • Evaluation report (baseline, midline or endline)
  • Cleaned and analysed survey dataset

Data, BI & Information Systems Consulting

Turning data and systems into decision-making tools.

Data managementData analysisData architecturePower BI / TableauDashboardsDatabasesKoboToolbox / CommCare / DHIS2AutomationData governance
Expected deliverables
  • Functional, documented dashboard
  • Structured database
  • Automated reporting pipeline

We also offer professional websites, fast, search-optimised and suited to limited connections, with hosting and maintenance, useful for organisations that need to give visibility to their results.

How an assignment works

1. Scoping. An initial conversation to understand the real need, schedule constraints, donor requirements and available internal resources. This conversation is free and without commitment.

2. Proposal. We formalise the scope, deliverables, timeline and budget. You know precisely what will be produced, when, and by whom.

3. Delivery. The assignment runs with regular checkpoints. You do not wait until the end to see the work: interim deliverables are shared as they are produced.

4. Handover. Before closure, a transfer session with your teams: how the deliverable was built, how to maintain it, and what its limits are.

5. Follow-up. Post-assignment support to answer the questions that come up once the system is in real use.

Why work with a team based in Madagascar

Context knowledge is not a marketing argument. A team that has already run surveys in hard-to-reach areas, worked with intermittent connectivity and dealt with the logistical realities of the field designs systems that actually work, not just on paper.

Add to this structurally more accessible costs than international firms, a time zone compatible with both Europe and Africa, and routine use of both French and English in deliverables and donor communications.