Master of Arts (MA) in Gender Studies

i have a Master of Arts degree in Gender studies. This is a development course with the electives Agriculture and Environment. Research was done as a course on its own.

Bachelor of Arts BAed in Education; major Linguistics and minor Literature

I received my BAed in Education in 1989, majoring in Linguistics and a minor in Literature

Certificate in Science Education Cert Sc Ed

Certificate in Science Education - teaching of science in schools, science curriculum development

Field Crisis Manager

• Facilitate and coordinate the UN response at the district level
• Ensure the implementation of coherent crisis response strategies and operational plans at district level; identifying bottlenecks and gaps and developing proposals to improve response systems and mechanisms
• Establish effective contact mechanisms with UN and other partners in the district; with specific attention to affected areas and hotspots to monitor the situation and facilitate implementation of required actions.
Major Achievements
• Strengthened coordination of EBOLA response activities by bringing together the community response task force and government District Ebola Response Centre (DERC) that were not on working terms through dialogue.
• Provided technical support to the DERC to enhance proper coordination of field response activities.
• Facilitated development of the district Ebola Response Plan in tandem with the National Plan and together with WHO and other partners developed an implementation plan.
• Identified critical gaps in the response and provided early warning signals to sort prompt response for the national and regional offices.
• Did a joint Quick Impact Project (QIP) with Pujehun district that led to the Kenema, Pujehun (Sierra Leone) and Liberia Cross Border Conference.
• Did QIPs on enhancing Safe and Dignified Burials for the Kenema City Council and another on Information Management using modern IT equipment to help improve on information gathering and management for the District Health Medical Team surveillance officers and managers.
• Created a database of partners in respect of the 3Ws
• Reactivated the Joint UN Team meetings

• Establish and lead regular coordination meetings with UN and other relevant partners in order to ensure adequate response by the UN, jointly identify outbreak response gaps and solutions available at the district level (human resources, logistics, financial, security, information management, IT, training, etc.).
• Alert HQ & National Response Centre on identified gaps with no local solutions
• Support information collection, sharing and dissemination at the district and national level
• Assess and monitor the response activities related to the Ebola outbreak in line with the National Ebola Response Plan, Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) and the UNMEER operational plan.
• Collect and maintain information on partners and stakeholders working on Ebola response within the district and support information-exchange.
• Promote appropriate emergency response actions while at the same time considering the need for essential services as well as for early recovery.
• Promote and support DERC capacity development and, in collaboration with the UN country team and other relevant actors, develop an exit or transition strategy for continued support

Local Governance and HIV Programme Analyst - June 2012 to March 2022

• Local Economic Development (LED) governance functions, procedures and systems institutionalized at local government level
• Local governments are undertaking investments that enhance the local enabling environment for business in key productive sectors and value chains
• Local governments are leveraging critical private sector investments that can unlock the potential of key productive sectors and value chains
• Monitoring and Evaluation systems for LED established within local governments and lessons learned from programme experience documented
• Materials and Manuals for day-to-day implementation of LED activities in place within local governments and staff trained on their use
• Gender institutionalized in local councils and mainstreamed in all their local economic development investment ventures

Major Achievements
• Contributed towards mainstreaming gender in two Councils development plans 2013 – 2017
• Supported LCs in investing in four projects that seeks to promote the economic empowerment of women, improve on council’s capacity to earn income – 2 refrigeration rooms, an abattoir, a water purification plant, 2 guesthouses, a Day-care and Preparatory School, a microfinance program specifically for women (Kenema city and district) market stalls and lockable stores (Sembehun Moyamba district)
• Supervised UNDP commissioned research in area of local governance and Local Economic Development (LED) Mapping and strategies for the Kenema city and district councils, the Local Economic Development Strategy for four Local Councils (Kenema city/district, Moyamba and Tonkolili districts)
• Worked with the local consultant in developing the local government decentralization policy and its implementation strategy.
• Facilitated the validation exercise of the National Rural Development Coordination Policy in the provinces and the western area of Sierra Leone
• Facilitate the development and implementation of LED Strategies; monitoring, reviewing and evaluating local area economic profiles and policies
• Formation of LED committees in four LCs to support and coordinate the governance structures related to LED within the scope of the local authority.
• Facilitated the holding of the Provincial Coordination Committee meeting that should report to the Inter-Ministerial Committee that is headed by the Vice President.
• Together with the ministry of local government piloted the Citizens Engagement Forum in the jurisdiction of four local councils (Bombali, Makeni, Kenema city and Kenema district local councils).
• Working with the local councils of Kono and Kailahun 120 SME entrepreneurs were provided financial literacy skills and 50 of them received SME development grant.
• Together with the ministry of trade and industries, ministry of agriculture, PPP Unit, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency and the local content agency facilitated a SME/PPP dialogue in Kambia and Kailahun districts.
• Supervised consultancies in reviewing national policies in local governance (the decentralisation policy 2010 and local government act 2004) and HIV (national HIV policy (HIV policy of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces)
• Facilitated the roll out of the Global Partnership Recommendations on HIV (accelerate the elimination of stigma and discrimination with National HIV and AIDS Secretariat)
• Facilitated and concluded with the National HIV and AIDS Coordinating Bodies and UNAIDS the ECOWAS Baseline Strategy and Needs Assessment consultancy in Sierra Leone.
• Facilitated with the UN Gender Technical Working Group ethnographic and social research into the drivers of SGBV in the country and provide catalytic support to implement key recommendation of the study

Program Coordinator – Western Area (Doubles as Country Program Manager Youth Economic Empowerment Project YEEP)

Program Coordinator – Western Area (Doubles as Country Program Manager Youth Economic Empowerment Project YEEP)
Job Summary
Responsible for the overall management of all projects in the Program Unit in accordance with Plan’s corporate policy and standards for accountability, ensuring that such activities are of the highest quality, and of relevance to the local and national context. Critical success factors include facilitating teamwork and maintaining close dialogue with project communities, partners and program unit project staff.
• Maintains regular and intensive dialogue with families, community members and community leaders in Plan operational areas, in order to identify, design and implement programs/projects that respond to their needs and aspirations of children and their communities, and promote their empowerment
• Manages and facilitates the design of high-quality programs and projects that clearly benefit and respond to the needs and aspirations of children, their families and communities and are in line with the Country Strategic Plan

01/2010–06/2012- Country Project Manager Youth Economic Empowerment Project (YEEP)
• Promote financial literacy and asset building through youth participation in the low-risk Village Savings and Loan scheme and pilot linkage possibilities of graduated individuals and groups to formal financial institutions.
• Provide training in life skills (i.e., basic numeracy/literacy, financial literacy, ICT, reproductive health, and others) to enhance the youth’s chances of business success and facilitate their transition from youth to adulthood.
• Document the results of the project for youth through an impact and program assessment and process documentation framework and disseminate learning to wider audiences
• To provide leadership to the project to achieve project results at the country level under the supervision from Country Management Team with support from, Plan Country, Plan WARO and Plan Canada’s technical team.
• To coordinate Plan’s efforts in order to achieve objectives established for the project and to advance learning about providing financial services to the youth and promoting sustainable economic development of the youth
• To build the capacity of local organizations working in partnership with the project to mobilize communities and promote effectively functioning VSLAs
• To produce several technical guides, position and discussion papers, impact studies and to promote wider learning.
• Represent the project within a Partnership Project Steering Committee, whose job it is to regularly assess the progress of the project, produce updated work plans and work on issues of common interest.
• Lead the process of research, evaluation and wider dissemination at the country level, and support Plan Regional and Plan Canada’s technical team for the same at regional and international level
• Support Regional and Plan Canada’s technical team to develop the second proposal on youth enterprise component through the planning grants.
• Work with Country, Plan WARO and Plan Canada’s to develop and implement methods for measuring the impact of project participation on individuals, children, households and communities.
• Define and implement a monitoring system to track the effectiveness and efficiency of local partners’ work. Consolidate and analyze partner MIS reports to inform Plan management and other organizations.
• Lead the preparation and implementation of yearly unit work plans. Coordinate this effort with project steering committee.
• Prepare project designs and partnership agreements that link Plan with local organizations in pursuit of common objectives.

Community Empowerment and Micro Finance Advisor

The Community Empowerment and Micro Finance Advisor is a technical support position within the program department of Plan Sierra Leone. S/he is a member of the technical support team of Plan Sierra Leone. The main focus is on Child Centred • Build capacity of communities & their leaders to participate in planning, mobilizing local resources, managing and monitoring projects.
• Help design and maintain current knowledge of policy and preferred practice of microfinance within Plan. Build technical capacity of staff in participatory processes and community microfinance.
• Proposal writing and project management
• Facilitate and support the planning and design of microfinance activities that focus on socio-economic benefit on women
• Represent Plan at national and international microfinance conferences and networks.
Plan Microfinance Project Coordinator
• Rolled out a Pilot program on Access to Financial Services for Youth – an 18 months pilot project implemented in 3 countries (Senegal, Sierra Leone and Niger) and participated in an international consultancy to do its evaluation
• Worked with Plan Canada on a four-year country proposal on Youth Entrepreneurship Skills Development for rural communities -supported by Master Card Foundation, three years proposal (Senegal, Sierra Leone & Niger) for the Youth Inclusive Microfinance Project, proposal on Access to financial services and adult literacy skills.
• Worked with Plan Netherlands and colleagues in Plan International offices in Liberia and Guinea in developing a 3 years cross border program proposal on Rights and Economic Empowerment of vulnerable Children and their Families – Sierra, Leone, Liberia and Guinea
• Conducted an evaluation of Youth Economic Empowerment Associations (79% female) for Plan International Senegal office in Dakar – 2010

Major Achievements
• Worked with Plan International Finland National Office to develop a Youth Economic Inclusive Empowerment project proposal that incorporates financial services, participatory advocacy through networking, sexual and reproductive training, contemporary vocational skills training, ICT4D and a youth employment observatory to document and monitor the provision of decent jobs to youth by public/private sector and other development actors and popularization of the tool.
• As country project manager for the youth economic empowerment project, I was co-signatory to the financial report working with the grants and finance departments and ensured the efficient management of the donor funds (Master Card Foundation and the Plan International national offices in Finland, Norway, Germany and England.
• Together with Plan International Ireland Office developed proposal on Innovative Approaches to Food Insecurity in Moyamba District SL- An EC project implemented in Moyamba District
• Trained 55 youth volunteers (32 female) in Life skills in Freetown urban and rural areas– Topics: AIDS Competence and Gender and Development
• Supported the process of doing a Rolling Baseline for the Youth Microfinance Project
• Produced several documentaries on the impact of the Youth Microfinance Project on girls and young women – these documentaries were put online on “Development Alert and other Plan Intl supported social networks by the Plan International HQ and supporting agency – Plan Canada and the donor Master Card Foundation of Toronto, Canada.
• Worked with and prepared 2 female youth that represented Sierra Leone at the UN Commission on the Status of Women – New York USA in 2010
• Partnered with 4 implementing partners implementing economic empowerment and rights projects for Plan Intl SL. Facilitated formation of over 320 youth savings and life skills (gender and development and AIDS Competence trainings) associations with about six thousand female and male youth in Freetown Sierra Leone
• Facilitated research in the areas of Labour market skills demand, value chain opportunities assessment and in-country technical and vocational institutions skills audit and youth training needs assessment.
• Facilitated training of youth enumerators on data collection and analysis using the Financial Diaries technique for the Youth Savings and Loan program participants
• Built the capacity of the Youth Advisory Board President to manage a youth and child advocacy network organization that is now partnering with INGOs in Sierra Leone.
• Prepared the Youth Advisory Board President to become a Youth Fellow for the UN AIDS program in Freetown for one year (he competed with about some 500 other youth around Africa.
• Led a team of 6 youth (2 female & 4 male – 4 from youth associations and 2 from partners staff) to the1st Regional Youth Conference “Investing in the African Youth” in Dakar, Senegal in May 2012. The Youth Advisory Board President again made a presentation at the conference. He was invited to apply to the donor ‘Master Card Foundation’ Toronto Canada for a fellowship to be a member of their “Youth Think Tank” which he won and served the Foundation for eight months in the 1st instance.
• Trained and coach a project Youth Advisory Board to play an advisory and monitoring role to the Youth Financial Services project.
• Facilitated the training of 53 youth volunteers in Financial Literacy through Freedom from Hunger USA
Community Development which requires improving community and children’s participation in programs and projects to ensure quality programming within Plan Sierra Leone. The Advisor will be responsible for identifying and coordinating various trainings for Plan staff, local partners and communities with whom Plan Sierra Leone works for their effective involvement and facilitation of Communities implementing and managing of projects. The Advisor’s responsibilities will include developing initiatives and strategies that will ensure quality management of projects by communities working with Plan and an impact-oriented micro finance program for rural people.

Livelihoods Operations Manager

• Provide leadership to programme development and stewardship of livelihood resources
• Assure that the most vulnerable people have access to the livelihood programme
• Contribute towards partner identification/appraisal and capacity building through training workshops.
• Building and fostering local alliances and networks that enhance sharing, learning and collaboration among actors on livelihood
• To support the team in integrating HIV-AIDS, WATSAN, Protection and Gender into the Livelihood programme.
• Establish and maintain an appropriate data collection system that ensures partner and community participation.
• Share strategies, procedures, successes and lessons learnt with appropriate partners and with Oxfam GB. This includes facilitating inter-department and – agency learning.
Major Achievements
• Developed a strong women’s network – the TORTOMA WOMEN’S NETWORK – in Kailahun for the promotion of women’s rights to access and control over resources and into leadership positions – 2006.
• Supported the Gender Unit and facilitated Gender Analysis trainings both at office level and community level. Carried out quick research on Gender Exploitative practices for food provision to working officials in rural communities
• Championed gender issues in the workforce and at program levels as a focal point for the Livelihood department. Represented Oxfam GB (OGB)at inter-governmental and inter-agency network on gender
• Developed a quick reference guide for OGB savings and loan programme
• Did cross study tour of CARE Sierra Leone Links Program in Kabala to draw lessons for female focused LVH program development Oxfam GB. Results shared widely among Oxfam GB networks
• Developed a gender friendly proposal on sustainable management of water point facilities
• Oxfam GB 2006- Conducted consultative workshop on “Diversity in the Workforce” for 24 staff (including managers and deputies) in Oxfam GB – in support of OGB Global policy on Diversity
• Worked as a volunteer for Oxfam GB as Livelihoods Expert (at end of service)- April – May 2007.

Food Aid Monitor, 09/2001–12/2003 Officer-In-Charge Sub Office

• Manage Sub Office administration, finance and logistics
• Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and support with more complex analysis and queries.
• Carry out assessments (vulnerability, food security, market survey etc), supervise and monitor programme activities (School Feeding VGF (nutritional, IDPs / Refugees), food for work/ food for agriculture). Focal point for FFW / FFAg
• Contribute towards development of programme strategic work plan/ progress report (quarterly / yearly)
• Attend technical subcommittee meetings (Agriculture, infrastructure, medical, education & food aid)
• Ensure adequate contingency planning and preparedness for new emergencies
• Participate in and support meetings with relevant partners; prepare background
papers, take notes, share meeting readouts and other key information, and support
joint information programmes to increase WFP’s profile and protect its interests.
• Ensure WFP Gender policies are incorporated into all programmes
• Monitor security environ/attend security management meetings, produce timely reports & implement appropriate security procedures as agreed with the UN Security Management Team
• Identify and monitor appropriate sources to maintain awareness of political and social
trends, current activities and events of UN and other multilateral bodies/governments.
conduct analysis to understand how they may impact WFP activities and
programmes and provide timely information to WFP staff to inform and enable decision-making.

Major Achievements
• Provision of timely food/non-food assistance to needy beneficiaries
• Preparedness plan in place to address all food requirements of beneficiaries in case of escalation of the emergency situation in the Kenema and Kailahun districts eastern province.
• Worked closely with UNHCR, UNOCHA, Government line ministry and security and other NGOs in putting preparedness plans in place.
• Led the inter-agency ”Food for Peace” donors mission to Kailahun district in eastern Sierra Leone in 2000 to mobilize required resources for affected communities.
• Achieved zero seed loses by initiating a women’s projects for seed bank creation through a Food-for-Work seed loan recovery and
• Agricultural training program that helped women support their households while in refuge and on return to their original place of domicile. (WFP-2000/03)
• Championed gender issues in the workforce and at program levels as a focal point with the WFP
• Facilitated and supervised cross border transfer of logistics between WFP Liberia and WFP Sierra Leone – one month.
• Worked with National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (NCDDR), LWF and other humanitarian agencies to resettle thousands of Sierra Leoneans in three districts in Sierra Leone (Kailahun, Kenema and Pujehun districts)
• Worked with the NCDDR and LWF in the reintegration of ex-combatants in the Kenema and Kailahun districts.

Assistant Field Relief Coordinator

• Coordination with national/local authorities, State institutions, local civil society and other relevant actors
• Organize and supervise registration and verification of refugees and IDPs. Ensuring illegible vulnerable women and children are registered
• Establish and maintain beneficiary database disaggregated by gender
• Ensure all genuinely registered beneficiaries receive food and non-food entitlements ensuring women receive their fair share of rations
• Attend emergency preparedness and food aid meetings
• Liaise / coordinate with WFP, Government ministry and other emergency relief actors
• Overseeing the management of and facilitating relief activities (food & non-food items) in 3 camps of over 8,000.
Major Achievements
• Conducted assessment of influxes of displace persons to support provision of required assistance.
• Supported the ICRC as coordinator during peak emergencies to provide wet feeding assistance to over 16,000 displaced persons in the Kailahun and Kenema districts in Eastern Sierra Leone.
• Lead the conduct of registration of influxes and created a database of all eligible beneficiaries and maintained a register that was regularly updated to ensure those in need were provided the required support.
• Managed the vehicle fleet to ensure their readiness at all times.

Registrar UNHCR/Njala University College Liberian Refugee Project Sierra Leone

• Take the lead in planning, organizing and supervising registration/verification of Liberian refugees
• Establish & regularly update beneficiary database
• Responsible for making sure the target number, of genuinely registered beneficiaries receive humanitarian support
• Prepare monthly distribution report to be shared with partners
• Provide required refugee information to relevant embassies supporting refugee resettlement effort