Turning Insight into Impact: Tailored Research & Evaluation Expertise for Social Change
We help national and international non-governmental organizations, universities and UN agencies focused on violence prevention and forced migration by providing technical advisory, applied research, needs assessments, and evaluation services that strengthen your projects, programs, and enhance your outcomes.
Mini guide: Research for Advocacy & Systemic Change
This Mini-guide enhances your research quality and impact by detailing five key principles for conducting qualitative policy and advocacy research using a participatory, intersectional, and decolonial approach.
Would you like to learn more about research for advocacy and systemic change?
Discover more about qualitative research through a decolonial and intersectional lens! Explore key topics such as child protection, gender-based violence, forced migration, and localization in Latin America and the Caribbean. Download these free resources and publications here!
See How Our Research Can Enhance Your Organization's Impact
LAMAS supports national and international non-governmental organizations, universities, and UN agencies across the Americas focused on violence prevention and forced migration by providing technical advisory, applied research, needs assessments, and evaluation services.
Our goal is to support your organization's strategies, projects, and programs that advocate for the human rights of populations at heightened risk of violence, exploitation, and discrimination. This includes children, women, refugees, LGBTQ+ individuals, survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), and the community-based organizations that represent them.
Applied research. Gain an in-depth understanding of critical issues through tailored qualitative and semi-quantitative research with the purpose of designing and improving programs, projects, and policies. This includes:
- Research design
- Conducting remote and in-country interviews and focus groups
- Facilitating participatory methods to conduct research and evaluations directly with those impacted by violence and the organizations that support them
- Ethnographic fieldwork
- Conducting qualitative surveys
- Analyzing and interpreting findings
- Producing reports
Strategic planning. Receive expert guidance in creating or revising your strategic plans, integrating a participatory, intersectional, and decolonial approach. This includes:
Evaluate the effectiveness and impact of your programs using a decolonial and feminist approach
Evidence-based assessments that prioritize intersectionality
Practical recommendations for program improvement and advocacy
Program Evaluation & Learning (the “E” and “L” in MEAL), needs assessments and contextual analysis tailored to your organization’s needs. Services include understanding internal and external factors impacting your projects or programs, gathering valuable lessons learned, and delivering clear, actionable recommendations.
Combining anthropology with MEAL delivers in-depth, actionable, and practice-oriented insights to improve organizations' projects, programs, and effectiveness and outcomes.
Advisory and training on applying participatory, decolonial, and intersectional frameworks to real-world situations—such as research, evaluations, and consultations—to enhance the quality and contextual relevance of your organization's projects, programs, and outcomes.
In 2024, I developed and began teaching the first-ever Spanish-speaking practical training on decolonization and intersectionality in international cooperation (here).
Outreach. Mara has delivered over 15 talks and podcast interviews to raise awareness and provide analyses on violence prevention. 📢
These efforts have focused on topics such as violence against children, gender-based violence, discrimination against forcibly displaced LGBTIQ+ individuals, and the role of community-based organizations in preventing these forms of violence in Latin America and the Caribbean.🌎
Cultivating Collaboration & Inclusive Research
1. Focus on Latin America and the Caribbean
We offer contextual knowledge, lived experience, proficiency in multiple languages (Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese), and a strong network within Latin America. All of this informs our comprehensive approach to research and evaluation work.
2. Violence Prevention
We focus on understanding the root causes of forced displacement in Latin America and the Caribbean and improving protection responses for social groups at a heightened risk of violence, exploitation and discrimination, including displaced children and families, women experiencing gender-based violence, and forcibly displaced LGBTIQ+ individuals.
3. Meaningful Collaboration & Participation
We employ participatory methods that foster collaboration with communities and research partners. Our vision is for UN agencies, international donors, and INGOs to address protection issues by collaborating beyond thematic sylos, sharing power and resources equitably with national and community-based organizations, and drawing on their initiatives to create inclusive, relevant, and impactful programs.
4. Practical solutions to complex human rights issues
We are committed to providing critical analyses and practical solutions grounded in human rights, equality, and evidence, acknowledging the interconnected systems of oppression that affect marginalized populations in the Americas.
Trusted by these organizations...
Hello! I'm Mara Tissera Luna, the founder of LAMAS.
I have specialized in Latin America and qualitative research since 2009. As an independent consultant, I have provided research, evaluation, and advisory services in 17 projects with 16 universities, NGOs, INGOs, and UN agencies across 14 countries in the Americas and Europe.
I'm a Research Fellow at Georgetown University's Collaborative on Global Children's Issues. I'm also a member of the Localization Advisory Committee of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (ACPHA), and the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO). 🌎
📝 My research and evaluations in the Americas and Europe have resulted in and contributed 25+ reports, guides, and short articles, in areas such as child protection, gender-based violence, forced migration, refugee protection, participation, community-based organizations, and localization, available here.
I'm lucky to do what I love—researching, writing, and sharing knowledge—and I’m committed to using my skills to ease the workload of overwhelmed managers 💪🏻 (see the testimonials below).
Before becoming a consultant, I worked for 9 years in the non-profit sector and academia as a researcher, advocacy coordinator, and program manager.
Global Advocacy Rooted in Latin American Perspectives
I’m from Buenos Aires, Argentina, but I've lived abroad since 2015, first in Europe (France, Italy, Hungary, Portugal) and now in the United States. Growing up in Argentina during the 1990s and 2000s, I was inspired by groups like Madres de Plaza de Mayo, whose efforts led to over 1,200 former junta members being convicted for crimes during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. This showed me that human rights principles work when the demands of people’s movements and human rights groups become part of our governments’ political agenda.
I began my career in children's rights in 2009. While living in Hungary from 2015 to 2022, the government's hostile stance towards migrants and refugees motivated me to broaden my focus to include the protection of displaced populations and
I strongly believe in the power of international cooperation between governments, international human rights institutions, and civil society organizations to achieve systemic social change. This belief drives me to contribute to democratizing relations between local, national, and international actors (i.e., localization and decolonization).
(👈 I'm saving to buy an apartment in 'La Boca' neighborhood)
Anthropology & Latin American Studies meet Policy for meaningful research 👩🏻🎓
I'm a social anthropologist (Buenos Aires University) and public administration graduate (Central European University). To deepen my understanding of my region, I completed graduate diplomas in Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CLACSO) and Afro-Latin American & Caribbean Studies (Harvard University), with a focus on migration, race, class, and gender inequalities. 🌎
I'm uber-committed to lifelong learning 📚. I have earned certifications in refugee law, forced displacement and protection, child protection in humanitarian settings, and gender equality. My working languages are Spanish (native), Portuguese, French, and English.
See endorsements from former employers
“Mara is one of the most generous and collaborative spirits on the map!”
Gillian Huebner – Director, Collaborative on Global Children's Issues at Georgetown University
"Mara has an incredible capacity to move things forward – no matter the obstacles or the slim chance of success. During the two years in which we worked together, she showed me the importance of going for unusual and difficultly achievable objectives beyond one’s comfort zone as well as that of always dedicating time to retrospectively analyze what went well and what went wrong in a project, regardless of how busy your calendar may be. Her dedication to human rights is only surpassed by her firm commitment to finding creative solutions instead of going with the flow."
Gábor Gyulai - Hungarian Helsinki Committee (Organisational Development Director, Training Expert)
“Mara helped us secure funding from the European Commission for a project to prevent violence and protect children in Aruba and Curaçao. Without Mara's expertise, clear guidance, and EU project writing skills, it just would not have been possible to secure this funding.”
UNICEF National Committee staff
“We are immensely grateful to international researcher Mara Tissera Luna for her stellar work writing and researching this groundbreaking report for us.”
Kathleen Russell – Executive Director, Center for Judicial Excellence
"Mara is a talented researcher. Her work was considered highly supportive, well-executed, and of high quality. She maintained a high level of professionalism during the documentation process, including organizing key respondent interviews and focus groups. She has strong written and presentation skills. She showed that she is adept at innovating and using technology to enhance the communication of complex information. She quickly integrated with the UNICEF team in Kazakhstan."
Fiachra McAsey – Former Deputy Representative UNICEF Kazakhstan
"I know her since she started working for Relaf, the Latin American Foster Care Network as a student. Ever since she showed creativity in developing ways to develop the network further and engaging with children and youth to incorporate their voices, she operated at a worldwide platform and represented the network in global meetings advocating for Latin America to be heard."
Bep Van Sloten – International Alternative Care Consultant and Trainer
"Mara graduated in June 2017 from the two-year Master of Public Administration program at CEU in Budapest. Within this program, Mara came across as one of the most well-rounded talents of the cohort, since she combined sound professional skills with academic knowledge and curiosity. In addition to her academic achievements, I would like to highlight that Mara comes across as very dedicated to both learning and real-world impact."
Doctor Sara Svensson – Visiting Professor, School of Public Policy, Central European University
"For one and a half years, I directed Mara in the elaboration of her dissertation research, which resulted in a high-quality piece of research. She proved to be highly independent and diligent, and she tackled the research process with a high level of maturity, discipline, and critical thinking."
Dr., Prof., Carla Villalta – Buenos Aires University, Argentina
Here are some reader reviews of my publications:
Curious to learn more or explore a potential collaboration?
Let’s connect!
Thank you for visiting my page. Drop your email below, and I'll be in touch soon.
Thank you for getting in touch!
I will get back to you shortly.
Have a great day!