A commentary: Using a theory-based approach to guide a global programme of FGM/C research: What have we learned about creating actionable research findings?

The ‘Evidence to End FGM/C: Research to Help Girls and Women Thrive’ programme created a research consortium that brought together African institutions and the world’s leading and most experienced researchers in Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) abandonment. The priority countries for research were Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, and Sudan, given their stages of abandonment, the scale of the practice, and socio-cultural variations. Given the ambitious scope of the research component, the consortium outlined a theory of change (ToC). The ToC was designed to facilitate an exploration of the attendant complexities of researching a social practice underpinned with political and religious sensitivities and strong links to individual, family and community identity. Overall, we believe that efforts to encourage FGM/C abandonment would be more effective, more efficient and with greater value for money if a theory of change were used routinely to inform research, programming and evaluation design. This commentary contributes to this goal by documenting our experiences with using a theory of change in designing and implementing research to inform the uptake of research for the design and evaluation of FGM/C interventions. A substantial portfolio of robust evidence is now online. This evidence provides new knowledge, insights, methods, and tools that are valuable to diverse end-users such as researchers, programme implementers, the health, legal and education systems, governments, donors, and the media. A vibrant South-South and South-North collaboration has been built fostering strong working relationships with government ministries and programme/policymakers in the priority countries.