Through our detailed research and strategic advice, we help clients build their policies and programs on a solid evidence base. We base our work on the premise that people with little to no access to resources are often most vulnerable. In our work, we therefore put an emphasis on the issues of groups that are prone to be excluded, such as women, youth, migrants, human rights defenders and the rural and urban poor.

Areas of Expertise

Accountability for Human Rights Violations and a Thriving Civic Space

Accountability for human rights violation is critical for the prevention and for the achievement of inclusive development. Dimes believes that to achieve accountability, both an effective governance system and a thriving civic space are needed. We therefore support the development of mechanisms in which duty bearers (public or private) are accountable for human rights violations, and policies that are consistent with international human rights standards. In doing so, we work on efforts that combat the backlash against civil society and builds the capacity of women’s and human rights defenders.

Responsible and Inclusive Finance

Dimes is committed to advancing positive change in the financial sector. We envision this to be a sector in which corporations and investors contribute to financing public goods and services; financial service providers adhere to equal and fair treatment of clients; and governments and regulatory institutions implement oversight, thereby serving societal interests. We work on projects that aim to change the financial system so that it is more transparent, more inclusive, and more supportive of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. We therefore focus on on financial inclusion (financial capability and consumer protection); impact investing; and on the intersection of Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regulation with access to finance.

Socio-economic Empowerment and Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups

Globally, not only women, but also youth, migrants, and rural populations are more likely to be unemployed and to have no access to financial, economic and social security systems. In addition, existing education systems often do not correspond with the needs and skills development of children and young people. Therefore, Dimes works with a multitude of stakeholders, from government and multilateral organisations to private sector and civil society, on projects that aim to identify particular needs of vulnerable populations. These projects aim to empower women and youth entrepreneurs, close the existing finance gaps, in order to identify the relevant policy solutions, and develop appropriate (financial) products and services that serve the needs of these populations.

Women’s Rights and Gender Justice

Dimes enables clients to move women’s rights and gender justice to the forefront of their policy agenda. Worldwide, women have less access to economic resources and to the law and face more obstacles to organize, especially in fragile settings. For women and women’s groups to be empowered, they need both the ability to succeed economically and the space to defend their rights. Gender justice, women’s economic rights and empowerment, as well as gender-based violence are therefore a leading focus in Dimes’ research and consultancy work. We also support policy makers, funders and practitioners to develop policy frameworks and programs with a gender lens.

Services

Research and Documentation

• • Documentation and monitoring of human rights violations, through  interviewing, surveying, field research, and monitoring and documentation (MDR) trainings.
  • Policy research to better understand the environment in which social and economic injustice happens, especially for vulnerable populations. This includes stakeholder mappings, landscape studies, stocktaking exercises and conflict-, gender- and gap analyses.
  • Coordination of research projects on themes such as civic space, economic empowerment, financial education and financial inclusion, gender justice and human rights.
  • Management of field research in complex settings with teams of varying sizes (5-30). This includes coordination of research trainings and survey implementation, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews.
  • Assessments and external evaluations of programs focused on justice and inclusion, based on demonstrated knowledge of evaluation methodologies for development assistance and human rights projects. These include theories of change, survey techniques, focus groups, participatory methods, developing qualitative and quantitative indicators, and OECD-DAC evaluation standards.
  • Communication of research findings and research products to a broader audience of policy makers and practitioners, including via the development of summary reports, use of online and social media, visual communication and thematic events 

Knowledge Management and Multi-stakeholder Coordination

• Guiding the development and dissemination of practice-based publications and other knowledge products
• Organization of content and logistics for knowledge sharing meetings to build stronger policy/practice/research partnerships. We mobilize a consortium of local researchers and provide access to a knowledge brokerage via international experts. Theories of change workshops are a big part of this portfolio
• Documenting and sharing of best practices
• Creation and management of knowledge and research platforms, for multi-stakeholder initiatives, as well as for individual organizations
• Integration of research and practice-based evidence in organizational knowledge management and communities of practice
• Development, implementation and coordination of training and other capacity building initiatives
• Actively contributing to knowledge exchange and multi-stakeholder partnership development
• Coordination of multi-stakeholder networks and initiatives, and multi-sectoral partnership building
• Facilitation of organizational and peer-to-peer learning
• Large-scale multi-stakeholder event management and coordination 

Strategy and Policy Support

• Coordination of multi-stakeholder working groups, aimed at facilitating the implementation of national policies, at creating a “common language” on policy development and implementation, and at promoting the sharing of best practices
• Development of Theories of Change that help those implementing strategies and programs to understand assumptions and expectations that guide their decisions, actions, and accomplishments
• Advisory support on policy delivery and on the creation of strategies to target vulnerable populations, develop capacity, mobilize evidence, and advance its use
• Provision of National Strategy Trainings to policymakers and implementing institutions, in the fields of financial education, financial inclusion, and economic empowerment
• Development of thematic policy and program-specific frameworks that provide guidance to policy makers and practitioners in advancing financial inclusion, financial capability, and economic and social empowerment of vulnerable groups.