BFM & ASSOCIATES

BFM is a Global South based and women lead dynamic consultancy established to build the knowledge and learnings from development interventions providing evidence-based innovative and intersectional approaches to address socio-economic challenges. Our technical expertise in programme development, research, monitoring and evaluation enables us to aid in the interpretation and application of complex project development and evaluation work. We believe that research, monitoring, and evaluation are integral parts of the overall planning and management of a programme and therefore support the notion of a utilization-focused and participatory approach that includes stakeholders, funders, project staff and project target group(s) in development, planning, research, monitoring and evaluation.

With a background in qualitative research on PhD level the BFM team members are confident in collecting, reviewing, analysing, and synthesising large amount of data and information to address specific challenges, concerns and phenomena. At the same time, the team works with civil society organisations and development agencies for practical learning and impact.

 

Core Team

 

Dominique Brand (PhD) is a postdoctoral fellow under the NRF SARChI Chair in Creation of Decent Work and Sustainability. She is the co-founder of BFM & Associates and a disability inclusion strategist,

with 15 years of research and consultancy experience in the disability sector. She holds a PhD in Disability studies. Her postdoctoral work focuses on co-creating sustainable pathways to promote the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the Global South. She specialises in qualitative methods, particularly the application of the biographical narrative interpretative approach in the context of research with persons with disabilities. Her work challenges conventional views of participation and inclusion. Dr Brand teaches on the Postgraduate Diploma in Disability Studies at the University of Cape Town (Monitoring Disability in Society) and on the Postgraduate Diploma in Disability Studies and Rehabilitation (Policy Analysis) at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

 

 

Karina Fischer Mogensen (PhD) is a research associate and director of BFM & Associates. She has 18 years of experience in the disability and development sector. Her doctoral research focused on skills development and transition to work/employment for persons with disabilities in the Global South. Dr Fischer Mogensen has worked with Global North and Global South partners in various capacities, including serving as organisational development advisor, and stakeholder engagement facilitator. She has extensive experience in providing technical support for the development of strategic frameworks for sustainability, partnerships and inclusive development.

 

BFM strives to follow some core principles across our work:

• “Nothing about us without us” by ensuring meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in the process. We appreciate that persons with disabilities are a heterogenous group with intersecting identities and agencies. They have resilience capacities as well as unique insights into what is essential for them to lead decent and sustainable lives. We recognise the critical role that OPDs play in all aspects of inclusive programming.

• Co-creation by using a bottom-up instead of an expert-led approach and leveraging on the expertise of a diverse range of actors, as well as existing organisational standards and toolkits to co-develop strategies, projects, frameworks and implementation plans anchored in local and programmatic realities.

• Localisation to ensure representation from local actors in the process, and work with a focus on strengthening local systems, and the responsiveness of local communities to be included.

• Accessibility in information, infrastructure, facilitation and dissemination for active participation and involvement of all for example by making sure written (electronic) material is in easy accessible formats for screen readers and Easy Read, that online meetings have interpretation as needed with for example closed caption and sign language interpretation and that use of illustrations for are narrated. 

• Evidenced-based perspectives by drawing on published meta-analyses of programmes for persons with disabilities from OPDs and other organisations and resources to inform the design of our work.

• To be cognisant of the intersection between humanitarian and development interventions, how/when specific approaches are needed in different contexts and situations, within different interventions and the overlaps in intervention types especially as protracted crises are increasing.