How can you measure success?

We believe in the work we do because we know that it works. Here’s how.

My name is María Fernanda and I am the Operations and Strategy Lead at Asylum Access. I work behind the scenes to help all parts of Asylum Access run efficiently, safely and effectively. A big part of this involves looking at what kind of an impact we are having on the communities we work with. 

But what does ‘impact’ really mean? Well, we can think of impact as an organization achieving or making progress towards its goal, and our goal is for forcibly displaced people to have full and consistent access to their human rights. If you’re reading this then I imagine that is a goal you care about as well. In practice, this means refugees having access to things such as the asylum process, safety, freedom of movement, education, employment, housing, healthcare, and equal treatment under the law.

At Asylum Access, we measure our impact on four main levels: individual, community, national, and international. On the individual level, for example, we might support a mother to be able to enroll her child in school. This has an impact in her life and her child’s life. We will then do thorough follow-up with the mother to learn how school has continued to affect their lives and their ability to access other rights.

On a national level, we measure the impact of our policy advocacy. One amazing recent example was when the Mexican Congress voted to outlaw the detention of migrant children. This policy change will not only help one child get out of detention, but it is a law that extends throughout the entire country and will protect all children, even in places where Asylum Access doesn’t have a presence. Asylum Access Mexico spent years using various advocacy tools to push for this policy outcome.

For me, it is important to measure our impact because it allows us to grow and fulfill our mission. When we achieve a positive result for one family, or for an entire community, it sets a precedent that makes it possible for many more forcibly displaced people to reclaim their rights, agency and power.

Your support makes you a part of this. This is the final email of our 2021 end-of-year fundraising campaign, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who shared our posts, spread our messages, and/or made a gift over the past few months. 

I also wanted you to know that it’s never too late to make a donation! If you’d like to start out the new year with a gift to forcibly displaced communities, please click on the link below: