"The Mothers Union (MU) was beginning to feel its age. Founded 140 years ago it had grown into a social movement of more than 4 million members. But in many places their members felt it had become increasingly inward-looking and ineffective. A radically participative theory of change process, called ... MULOA (Mothers’ Union Listening, Observing and Acting), that listened to over 200,000 people in 36 countries between 2017 and 2019, helped breathe new life into this global movement. The learning from this experience has significant implications for development actors, whether faith-based or secular. MULOA showed it is possible to listen at scale. Theory of Change does not have to be a top-down, office-based, process. Participatory activities created safe spaces for mind and heart dialogue, engaging deeply with people’s emotions and faith to catalyse personal transformation. Changes in individual members catalysed major shifts in MU’s identity, strategy, structures and ways of working. It created a member-led evidence base for MU global strategy that reflected localised priorities. Together with concurrent shifts in MU governance, MULOA contributed to a genuine shift towards a more truly global and interconnected movement. Becoming a more listening, trusting and strategic organisation has since proved vital in helping MU be more agile and adaptable in responding to the COVID-19 crisis." (Introduction, page 3) more