Research

Chibuzor Mgbeokwere is a dedicated and accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning, demonstrating a strong commitment to driving impactful outcomes in both development and emergency context, especially in challenging operational environments. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Education (BSc.) – University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria. Prior to her current role, Chibuzor was a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research, and Learning Specialist at Tonipash Energy from September 2022. She made substantial contributions to the improving clean energy initiatives, overseeing the research, development, and implementation of the Performance Monitoring Plan, and providing crucial leadership in M&E. Chibuzor’s career journey also includes her role as a Country Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer (Environmental Health) at the International Rescue Committee from Feb 2021 to September 2022. Here, she showcased her expertise in producing high-quality reports and played a pivotal role in ensuring M&E and reporting requirements were met for multi-donor funded projects in Northeast Nigeria. Furthermore, she has contributed her skills and knowledge to various organizations, including The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), Premiere Urgence Internationale, Achieving Health Nigeria Initiative – SIDHAS Project, and World Health Organization (WHO), leaving a remarkable impact in the field of monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Chibuzor’s core competencies encompass strategic MEAL management, proficiency in database development, statistical analysis, data visualization, consultancy services, and project. She is fluent in English, Igbo, and Hausa languages, enhancing her ability to collaborate effectively in diverse multicultural settings. Her commitment to inclusive data and her proactive approach make her an invaluable asset in any professional environment.

Host Organization: Development Gateway

Role at Host Organization: As a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Fellow, Chibuzor, in the capacity of an associate, would have a MERL focus and work on synthesizing and analyzing various pieces of key information collected on the programs. The Fellow is expected to contribute to writing of knowledge products and reports. Additional work may involve supporting other programs at DG should time allow.

Farida is a Data Professional with a diverse background spanning multiple sectors. Throughout her journey, Farida has honed her skills in research, data mining and analysis, and project evaluation. She possesses advanced proficiency in popular Python frameworks for Data Science, including Pandas, Numpy, Matplotlib, and Seaborn. Additionally, she is skilled in tools such as Alteryx, SQL, Excel, and Tableau, enabling her to effectively leverage business intelligence tools. Farida has a BS in Statistics and an MSc in Data Science.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As a Data and Impacts Fellow, Farida will gain an understanding of Generation’s data operations and impact metrics, and onboard onto multiple projects in a key supporter role. The Fellow will be proficient in accessing and analyzing D&I data and become comfortable executing independent projects such as research support, data analysis,and synthesizing findings. The Fellow may work on advanced projects as well as work to close-out and transition
ongoing work and initiatives.

Sharifah is a monitoring and evaluation practitioner with over ten years of experience in implementing and managing emergency response, developmental and social impact programs while working with non-profit, international, and private sector organizations in and outside Uganda. She has an Economics and Statistics degree from Kyambogo University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation and pursuing a Master of Arts in International Relations at Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom. Recently worked with ChildFund International’s Global operations unit as Lead Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor under the Come Play with Me Project implemented in Brazil, Honduras, Ethiopia, and Uganda aimed promoting playful parenting and COVID-19 practices amongst caregivers of children 0-8years. Over 60% of caregivers had increased playful practices and understood their role in children’s development, with higher recorded frequencies in playing with toys/games, reading a book or story book, sing songs with their child compared to the baseline period. 98% of caregivers could identify more than three practices to lessen the severity of COVID-19. While working with War Child Canada, she worked closely with Curriculum Development Centre during the development of the Accelerated Education Program curriculum for Lower secondary and piloted a roll-out project targeting out-of-school dropouts and refugees (16-35+yrs) youth in Adjumani district, Uganda. 83% of the 3,500 enrolled learners successfully graduated with the necessary competencies and scores to join the formal education program, 56% of the youth had been trained in life skills and vocational livelihood ventures and with 20% of them operating their small-scale enterprises.

Host Organization: Global Fairness Initiative

Role at Host Organization: As a Project Management Fellow, Sharifah will support GFI’s work to improve the working and economic condition of workers in the informal sector in multiple counties in Africa. The Fellow will support the Tunisia-based Regional Director and the US-based Program Manager to manage program activities and grant management of 2 separate initiatives in 6 counties. The Fellow will walk away with technical grant and management skills, including budget tracking and
project reporting, partner management, performance and project monitoring, and foundational knowledge on issues related to livelihood development and decent work for working poor communities in the informal economy.

Adriana is a researcher from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, with eight years of experience in the non-profit and international cooperation sector. She earned a Master ‘s in Communication from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, as well as a B. A. in Sociology from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Her work has been focused on the development of monitoring and evaluation tools of different types of public policy directed to vulnerable people and groups for nearly a decade. She has knowledge and experience of intercultural communication, particularly in relation to the ethnic and gender approaches for the attention and reparation of conflict victims.

Adriana has developed participatory tools and other research methodologies for the assessment of public policy that broadly fits into development and more specifically into peacebuilding and transitional justice. Through her experience in international aid, especially OIM, MSI, and FAO, where she has worked with topics as varied as rehabilitation and satisfaction measures, climate change, ethnic justice, public health, land restitution and food security, she has engaged with different conflict-affected regions.

Adriana has volunteered as a support link in the Colombian Red Cross during emergency situations, such as floods and earthquakes, in the Caribbean region and is trained in first aid assistance. Through these experiences, she developed strong research and communication skills in widely varied cultural contexts, allowing her to quickly develop rapport while implementing projects on the field. Adriana enjoys focusing on research with communities for peace building and policymaking, and has a passion for advocating for human rights and women empowerment.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: As a Research and Engagement Fellow, Adriana will work under the Knowledge Management Program Manager to conduct and coordinate research and learning activities of the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC). The fellow will gain hands-on experience in qualitative and quantitative research activities relating to disaster preparedness and cutting-edge technology innovations, as well as knowledge management, information dissemination, and learning outcomes. In addition, the fellow will assist with outreach and engagement with Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies and external partners to help raise the profile of GDPC’s work. An interest in and basic knowledge of disaster preparedness and international humanitarian assistance is essential and experience working in or with the Red Cross is preferred. Our fellows work alongside us as integrated members of the GDPC to carry out professional level work in a supervised atmosphere.

Shakir has over 5 years of experience in the non-profit sector of Pakistan. He has expertise in case management, communication, monitoring, evaluation, and research. He holds a Master’s degree in Muslim Cultures from Aga Khan University International in The United Kingdom. He worked at the Silver Jubilee Development Agency Pakistan (SJDAP) as a caseworker & mentor with ultra-poor families on their socio-economic upliftment. He worked with families on 7 quality of life indicators, i.e., education, health, livelihood, nutrition, habitat, access to finance, and community inclusion. He has facilitated 15 families through numerous interventions and has acquired micro loans of approximately 02 million PKR for them. Earlier, he was associated with the Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) as an M&E and communication officer. He overlooked 77 social action projects to assess and report their output, outcome, and impact. Before that, he worked with the Basic Education for Awareness Reforms and Empowerment/Basic Education for Afghan Refugees (BEFARe), an Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) on the ‘Capacity Building for Civil Society’ project with DAI and USAID, where he assisted in the data collection, reporting, management and designing of M&E tools. He has also studied the ‘Conflict and Development’ module from the Open University (UK), where he has analysed various conflicts through the conflict analysis framework and participated in a mock conflict negotiation simulation. Additionally, he has spent significant time volunteering for community schools, libraries, and welfare boards as a mentor, educator, and management personnel, where he gained project coordination and project management skills. Working in conflict, education, and social development contexts has honed his critical thinking, cultural sensitivity, rapport building, and monitoring and evaluation skills. Besides his professional and voluntary endeavours, Shakir loves sports and exploring new cultures.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: As a Business Planning Analyst Fellow, Shakir will be part of the Quality, Data and Learning team and will support planning, analysis, data visualization, and reporting functions for both the American Red Cross International Services Department (ISD) and the Service to the Armed Forces/International Services (SAF/IS) Department. Shakir will help senior leaders’ decision-making by providing accurate data, helping to identify trends and effective comparatives, analyzing key performance indicators, and creating data visualization and other reporting materials. The Fellow will bring expertise in business analysis, planning, and performance management concepts and a willingness to learn new systems and applications. Shakir’s contribution will allow the Business Planning team to provide superior reporting, analytics, and planning support.

Mai has extensive experience in project implementation through her coordination of various projects and her direct work with partners, vendors, refugee communities, and host communities in her former organization, Catholic Relief Services, in Egypt. Mai was also a Special Assistant to the Advisor to the Chairperson on strategic relations at the African Union Bureau of the Chairperson as an assignment of her AU Youth Volunteer Corps. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Cairo University in 2016 and is currently enrolled in a Euro-Mediterranean Master program in Cairo University. Furthermore, Mai has four years of experience in the fields of advocacy, program coordination and support. As an advocacy officer at the Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies, she worked on three projects that focused on the role of nonprofits in development in Egypt, business environment for SMEs, and budget transparency and disclosure. These projects were with multi-level stakeholders. Mai also succeeded in designing and facilitating 15 capacity building trainings for the parliamentarians’ staffers and workshops for young entrepreneurs with Friedreich Numan Foundation. Working on these projects developed her organizational and communication skills since working with different stakeholders on different levels paid off with much experiences in organizing conferences, capacity building, stakeholders meetings, international donors meetings and one to one meetings with government officials and public figures. As programs coordinator at Tahrir Lounge @Goethe institute, Mai was responsible for coordinating cultural programs in which she worked on creative expression for social issues like poverty and gender based violence, which resulted in seven productions of art materials and 10 short movies addressing gender related issues.

Host Organization: Save the Children

Role at Host Organization: As an Advocacy Officer Fellow (Child Rights and Participation), Mai will offer support to the Save the Children New York Advocacy Office (NYAO) in the areas of engaging children and youth to influence policy and political debate at the United Nations. The Fellow’s role is key to the office’s commitment to ensure the protection and rights of children around the world through strategic engagement in key moments, commissions, resolutions, and for a in the UN space. The Fellow will work alongside NYAO colleagues and UN-based coalitions to secure meaningful participation of children in the UN Space and to inform that issues that disproportionately affect children are clearly addressed in UN outcome documents and resolutions. This role will also work closely with the “Shift Power” program colleagues across Save the Children member, regional and country office colleagues to provide direct support to adolescent and youth from frigate context to participate in global advocacy.

Chibuzor Mgbeokwere is a dedicated and accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning, demonstrating a strong commitment to driving impactful outcomes in both development and emergency context, especially in challenging operational environments. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Education (BSc.) – University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria. Prior to her current role, Chibuzor was a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research, and Learning Specialist at Tonipash Energy from September 2022. She made substantial contributions to the improving clean energy initiatives, overseeing the research, development, and implementation of the Performance Monitoring Plan, and providing crucial leadership in M&E. Chibuzor’s career journey also includes her role as a Country Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer (Environmental Health) at the International Rescue Committee from Feb 2021 to September 2022. Here, she showcased her expertise in producing high-quality reports and played a pivotal role in ensuring M&E and reporting requirements were met for multi-donor funded projects in Northeast Nigeria. Furthermore, she has contributed her skills and knowledge to various organizations, including The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), Premiere Urgence Internationale, Achieving Health Nigeria Initiative – SIDHAS Project, and World Health Organization (WHO), leaving a remarkable impact in the field of monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Chibuzor’s core competencies encompass strategic MEAL management, proficiency in database development, statistical analysis, data visualization, consultancy services, and project. She is fluent in English, Igbo, and Hausa languages, enhancing her ability to collaborate effectively in diverse multicultural settings. Her commitment to inclusive data and her proactive approach make her an invaluable asset in any professional environment.

Host Organization: Development Gateway

Role at Host Organization: As a Monitoring, Evaluation, Eesearch and Learning (MERL) Fellow, Chibuzor, in the capacity of an associate, would have a MERL focus and work on synthesizing and analyzing various pieces of key information collected on the programs. The Fellow is expected to contribute to writing of knowledge products and reports. Additional work may involve supporting other programs at DG should time allow.

Farida is a Data Professional with a diverse background spanning multiple sectors. Throughout her journey, Farida has honed her skills in research, data mining and analysis, and project evaluation. She possesses advanced proficiency in popular Python frameworks for Data Science, including Pandas, Numpy, Matplotlib, and Seaborn. Additionally, she is skilled in tools such as Alteryx, SQL, Excel, and Tableau, enabling her to effectively leverage business intelligence tools. Farida has a BS in Statistics and an MSc in Data Science.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As a Data and Impacts Fellow, Farida will gain an understanding of Generation’s data operations and impact metrics, and onboard onto multiple projects in a key supporter role. The Fellow will be proficient in accessing and analyzing D&I data and become comfortable executing independent projects such as research support, data analysis,and synthesizing findings. The Fellow may work on advanced projects as well as work to close-out and transition
ongoing work and initiatives.

Sharifah is a monitoring and evaluation practitioner with over ten years of experience in implementing and managing emergency response, developmental and social impact programs while working with non-profit, international, and private sector organizations in and outside Uganda. She has an Economics and Statistics degree from Kyambogo University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation and pursuing a Master of Arts in International Relations at Liverpool John Moores University in United Kingdom. Recently worked with ChildFund International’s Global operations unit as Lead Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor under the Come Play with Me Project implemented in Brazil, Honduras, Ethiopia, and Uganda aimed promoting playful parenting and COVID-19 practices amongst caregivers of children 0-8years. Over 60% of caregivers had increased playful practices and understood their role in children’s development, with higher recorded frequencies in playing with toys/games, reading a book or story book, sing songs with their child compared to the baseline period. 98% of caregivers could identify more than three practices to lessen the severity of COVID-19. While working with War Child Canada, she worked closely with Curriculum Development Centre during the development of the Accelerated Education Program curriculum for Lower secondary and piloted a roll-out project targeting out-of-school dropouts and refugees (16-35+yrs) youth in Adjumani district, Uganda. 83% of the 3,500 enrolled learners successfully graduated with the necessary competencies and scores to join the formal education program, 56% of the youth had been trained in life skills and vocational livelihood ventures and with 20% of them operating their small-scale enterprises.

Host Organization: Global Fairness Initiative

Role at Host Organization: As a Project Management Fellow, Sharifah will support GFI’s work to improve the working and economic condition of workers in the informal sector in multiple counties in Africa. The Fellow will support the Tunisia-based Regional Director and the US-based Program Manager to manage program activities and grant management of 2 separate initiatives in 6 counties. The Fellow will walk away with technical grant and management skills, including budget tracking and
project reporting, partner management, performance and project monitoring, and foundational knowledge on issues related to livelihood development and decent work for working poor communities in the informal economy.

Adriana is a researcher from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, with eight years of experience in the non-profit and international cooperation sector. She earned a Master ‘s in Communication from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, as well as a B. A. in Sociology from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Her work has been focused on the development of monitoring and evaluation tools of different types of public policy directed to vulnerable people and groups for nearly a decade. She has knowledge and experience of intercultural communication, particularly in relation to the ethnic and gender approaches for the attention and reparation of conflict victims.

Adriana has developed participatory tools and other research methodologies for the assessment of public policy that broadly fits into development and more specifically into peacebuilding and transitional justice. Through her experience in international aid, especially OIM, MSI, and FAO, where she has worked with topics as varied as rehabilitation and satisfaction measures, climate change, ethnic justice, public health, land restitution and food security, she has engaged with different conflict-affected regions.

Adriana has volunteered as a support link in the Colombian Red Cross during emergency situations, such as floods and earthquakes, in the Caribbean region and is trained in first aid assistance. Through these experiences, she developed strong research and communication skills in widely varied cultural contexts, allowing her to quickly develop rapport while implementing projects on the field. Adriana enjoys focusing on research with communities for peace building and policymaking, and has a passion for advocating for human rights and women empowerment.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: As a Research and Engagement Fellow, Adriana will work under the Knowledge Management Program Manager to conduct and coordinate research and learning activities of the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC). The fellow will gain hands-on experience in qualitative and quantitative research activities relating to disaster preparedness and cutting-edge technology innovations, as well as knowledge management, information dissemination, and learning outcomes. In addition, the fellow will assist with outreach and engagement with Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies and external partners to help raise the profile of GDPC’s work. An interest in and basic knowledge of disaster preparedness and international humanitarian assistance is essential and experience working in or with the Red Cross is preferred. Our fellows work alongside us as integrated members of the GDPC to carry out professional level work in a supervised atmosphere.

Nyanshi Mbua is a humanitarian and development professional. Nyanshi earned a Master’s degree in International Cooperations, Humanitarian Action and Sustainable Development. Currently, he is with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as the Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance Program Coordinator. He manages and implements the ICLA program in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon in line with strategies and donor requirements, ensuring high technical quality of the programme. He has also served for four years as Child Protection Officer and Case Worker respectively with Plan International where he effectively managed over 300 child protection cases. Mbua worked with Support Humanity Cameroon as the Programme Coordinator. In this role, he engineered strategic partnerships with funders and other organizations.

Linus Neufville is a public health and monitoring and evaluation professional with over nine years of experience in nonprofit programming and data systems management. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from William V. S. Tubman University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Development Dimensions Africa School of Distance Learning, and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management from UNICAF University of Zambia. Linus is a champion of women’s rights and empowerment through sexual, reproductive health, and rights (SRHR) programming by showcasing evidence-based results for programmatic and policy change. His advocacy for continuous SRHR/family planning (FP) services contributed to an increase of 69.1% rate of FP needs met among married women and a decrease of 18.9% rate of teenage pregnancy among adolescents in Maryland County. Presently, the Reproductive Health and Monitoring and Evaluation Program Manager at Partners In Health. He facilitated advocacy and led the coordination, planning, and implementation of SRHR/FP programs that enhanced women’s services, increasing their confidence in social change. These advocacies have secured about $500,000.00 U. S. dollars to support ongoing SRHR/FP programs effort in 2023. He also implemented an integrated maternal and child health (MCH) outreach program that helps reach adolescents, pregnant women, and children in remote sites, increasing access to MCH services and has led to a 67% reduction in maternal mortality from 2018 to 2022. With these experiences gained and passion for promoting women’s rights and empowerment, Linus seeks to achieve social impact by reducing health inequality in marginalized communities.