ELSA BERHANE
Silver Spring,Maryland
Summary
A seasoned global health professional with 18+ years of rich experience implementing and evaluating
diverse development programs in sub-Sharan Africa and the Middle East and with specialized skills of
managing United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded grants in
reproductive health/family planning; maternal & child health; Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Overview
2024
2024
years of professional experience
Work History
Sr. Program Manager
World Vision US, GAVI
Washington, DC
07.2022 - Current
- RAISE 4 Sahel project aims to reaching Zero-Dose Children (ZDC) and Under-Immunized Children (UIC) in conflict and cross-border settings with routine immunization to achieve increased vaccine coverage and saving children’s lives in the Sahel region
- Supported start-up activities between July and December 2022, including developing key project documents (e.g., workplans and desk reviews), engaging donors, and identifying partners Participated in several key discussions with donors and technical teams regarding identifying ZDC and UIC - a crucial step in the project execution process Served as the Senior Advisor for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), supporting formative research and conducting capacity building activities in the field Contribute to the creation of technical guidelines and documentation, such as micro plans, learning agendas, the GESI Guide, etc
- Participate in meetings and technical discussions aimed at advancing the project, primarily related to service delivery and program learning Preparation of quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports to record results, challenges, and lessons learned Managing the weekly donor calls to discuss project progress and address challenges Conduct field visits to analyze and monitor operational and management issues Consulting with partners, vendors, and consultants on contracting issues
Program
World Vision US
09.2020 - 04.2023
- 5
- Emerging Women in
- Leadership
10.2020 - 08.2022
- Gender Equality & Social
- Inclusion
Acting Program Manager/Deputy Program Manager
Food Security and Livelihood, FSL
02.2021 - 07.2022
- Seconded to the FSL team to manage projects located in fragile zones of the Sudan Managing the Recovery in Sudan for Improved Nutrition and Growth II project in South Darfur focused on improving livelihood and nutritional needs of vulnerable communities in the region Managed the final phase of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery and Emergency Delivery Project that provided a three-month food basket vouchers to vulnerable households in South Darfur, Global Health Support Initiative-II (GHSI-II)
- The GHSI-II project was a three-year, $79-million contract that provided institutional support to
- USAID
- Assistance was provided directly to USAID’s Bureau for Global Health, regional bureaus, overseas regional offices, and missions
- Provided management and leadership support to GHSI-II, and key achievements of the role included: Stepped into a leadership role due to the program manager’s departure from project; successfully5 and solely managed GHSI-II contract for six months, supporting 40 staff members Served as the primary interface between USAID and subcontractor on all management and operational issues Worked closely with the human resource specialist and subcontractor personnel to ensure maximum recruitment of institutional contractor employee positions, ensuring consistent hiring practices, comprehensive orientation, and the highest quality administrative support Implemented project improvement survey and work plan, resulting in enhanced customer and client satisfaction by introducing a number of quality improvements programs
- This included transitioning the paper-based payroll system to an online system, resulting in increased efficiency and flexibility for staff and key USAID points of contact Demonstrated knowledge and application of core HR polices, resulting in positive staff feedback and securing critical support, including continuous employment of a staff member Provided timely updates to USAID client on all position recruitments, preferred candidate security clearance process, on-boarding, and all active staff annual performance reviews Provided travel support for all staff under the project for approximately 220 TDYs
World Vision
11.2021 - 02.2022
- Deployed to, Ethiopia to support NECR programming
- Provided grant management oversight to over 10 projects in Tigray and Amhara regions focusing on WASH, Education-in-
- Emergency, multi-purpose cash, food assistance, etc
- Supported the development and advocacy for contingency operational plans, cost and “no cost” extensions, and budget amendments Liaisoned with UN agencies on programmatic and contractual issues Supported the engagement of key World Vision support offices to meet budget deficit for selected projects
World Vision US
12.2019 - 03.2020
- Training of Trainers
- Workshop
World Vision US
06.2017 - 01.2019
- Gateway to Grants (Grant
- Management Certification
- Program)
Program Manager
05.2016 - 06.2016
- Spearheaded the implementation of USG-funded Social and Behavior Change Activity in Uganda aimed at transforming households, communities, and systems for improved health and development outcomes through social and behavior change Supported HQ and field staff to implement the global Core Group Polio Project in 7 countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, Nigeria, and India) to improve vaccine uptake for polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and COVID-19 Led the implementation of USAID-funded WASH projects in Ethiopia and Kenya that resulted in improving water access to over 330,000 people living in fragile context as well as enhancing sanitation and hygiene practices Provided strategic support to the DFID-funded South Sudan Health Pooled Fund project (Lot 23) that aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality, ensure universal coverage, and improve health status and quality of life of South Sudanese population Facilitated M&E Capacity Strengthening training for HQ and field staff to improve results reporting5 Successfully lobbied to film WASH activities in Kenya to document WASH service delivery in a fragile context highlighting women’s journey to self-reliance and empowerment Negotiated and secured private funding of approx
- 450K to meet budget deficits for projects in
- South Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia Provided focused support to acquisition activities, including pre-positioning for follow-on opportunities and technical review of proposal drafts to provide historical knowledge and content from program experience Managed the preparation, review, and approval of annual workplans, annual performance reports, quarterly narrative reports and ad-hoc reports as requested by donor and/or Prime Provided high-level review and contributions to World Vision US health sector strategies and countries’ strategic plans Participated and contributed to key World Vision US meetings and events (e.g., annual retreats, newsletter, quarterly review meetings) Worked closely with the finance team to review, monitor, and track project progress against budgets and projected burn-rates as well as formulate solutions to improve proper and timely spending
- Special Assignments
- World Vision International and World Vision US
- Northern Ethiopia Crisis Response (NECR)
Senior Program Officer
JHPIEGO/Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland
08.2014 - 05.2015
- Provided management and technical oversight to three USG-funded projects related to malaria
- HIV/AIDS, and MCH in Rwanda Co-led the design and planning of Rwanda’s $19-million Maternal and Child Survival Project Collaborated with and supported Rwanda’s interim country director in strategic planning with implementing partners, namely Ministry of Health, USAID, and Department of Defense Worked collaboratively with Rwanda field staff to ensure resources for effective and timely program implementation were available, including technical assistance and external consultants Mentored Rwanda field staff to assume responsibilities for developing and managing the program at the field level Provided technical reviews and edits of country work plans, annual reports, and other technical reports
Senior Program Officer
John Snow Inc
Washington, DC
11.2013 - 08.2014
- The Maternal and Child Health Integrated Project (MCHIP) was the USAID/Bureau for Global
- Health’s flagship maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) program
- MCHIP addressed the barriers to accessing and using focused, evidence-based MNCH interventions from pre-pregnancy to age five
- The program was designed to achieve impact at scale by maximizing the contributions of each level of the health service, from the community to the national level
- Key responsibilities of the role: Participated in and contributed to technical discussions during the initial strategic meetings for the new Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (RMNCH) award
- This included the identification of broader ideas/best practices/lessons learned in order to inform the development of the new project
- Participated in brainstorming sessions with USAID/Washington and project staff to delineate the new focus for child health (CH) within the new award Assisted in the development of CH RMNCH year 1 work plan Drafted and managed the initial submissions of the CH end-of-project report Successfully organized and delivered a two-day meeting in Ghana for CH country advisors to highlight MCHIP’s contributions to moving the CH agenda forward in country programs Participated in routine meetings with USAID/Washington to review program progress and address implementation challenges Provided focused technical support to CH-related activities in Kenya and Yemen Managed the child health team’s workflow to ensure MCHIP was continuing to achieve, track, and document results for activities with integrated community case management and Oral Rehydration
- Therapy/Zinc Mentored and acted as the day-to-day supervisor for the CH program coordinator and a consultant Acted as a primary point of contact between the CH team, USAID, and other partners in MCHIP regarding work plans and budgetary issues
Senior Program Manager
Camris International
Bethesda, MD
07.2008 - 11.2013
- Global Health Technical Assistance (GH Tech) Project, GH Tech Bridge 2, and GH Tech Bridge 3 Projects
- The GH Tech Project was a five-year indefinite-quantity contract that provided support to the USAID
- Bureau for Global Health offices, regional and other bureaus, and field missions with ready access to high-quality, external technical expertise to design, support, and evaluate programs contributing to the achievement of U.S
- Government global health initiative targets
- Oversaw the implementation of key global evaluations and assessments for USAID/Washington and overseas missions in the area of reproductive health and family planning, HIV/AIDS, and TB Managed over 50 GH assignments, valued at more than $6 million, and fielded over 100 consultants to all regions of the world Participated in strategic meetings with the USAID project management team to prioritize requests, review assignments budgets, and address implementation bottlenecks Assisted clients in USAID country missions and USAID/Washington offices with identifying and refining priority evaluation questions, expectations, and deliverables for GH tech assignments Participated in team-planning meetings and contributed to evaluation methodologies, planning of field visits, and revising data-collection tools Managed report-editing process and ensured all public reports were posted on the project website and on the USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse
Senior Program Officer
Pathfinder International
, Washington
01.2003 - 06.2008
- Provided technical assistance and management support for the Extending Service Delivery (ESD), a five-year, $135-million global project aimed at delivering community-based RH/FP services to poor, hard- to-reach, and underserved populations
- Key achievements in the role included: Contributed to proposal development efforts by contributing to the project design of two winning proposals: Pathfinder International/ESD ($135 million) and Pathfinder International/Egypt
- Takamol ($47 million) Spearheaded a $1.5-million initiative to mobilize Muslim and Christian religious leaders for
- RH/FP in Egypt, Yemen, Bangladesh, and Indonesia; organized and carried out field assessments and secured local missions’ agreements Managed a portfolio of country activities for Egypt, Yemen, South Sudan, and Kenya in the areas of
- RH/FP, MCH, and HIV/AIDS prevention Participated in the development of the first family-planning technical guidelines and infection- prevention guidelines for South Sudan, as well as the strategy for FP-HIV/AIDS integration Supported the management and technical capacity of grassroots organizations in Egypt and Yemen Identified, documented, applied, and disseminated promising and best practices (P/BPs) in
- RH/FP and MCH Successfully organized and implemented a regional RH/FP best practices conference for over 400 participants; assisted with country work plans for scaling up RH/FP practices shared and disseminated during the conference Advanced the implementation of key P/BPs in field activities and participated in the dissemination of P/BPs in international forums and networks Assisted in the documentation process for quarterly/annual portfolio reviews, reports, and evaluations documenting program progress against expected results
- Selected Professional Development Courses and Training, Life and Leadership Coaching for Religious Women
- Online
Humanitarian
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- And Emergency Affairs (HEA), 2022
- Seconded to the HEA team for four month to manage projects located in fragile zones of the Sudan Managing the Sudan Multi-sector Response project in Blue Nile, South and East Darfur -$3.6M project plans to reach 240,000 people with health, nutrition, WASH services among others Overseeing baseline and endline surveys for selected projects
World Vision US
01.2023 - 1 1
Education
Master’s - public health, International Health
Tulane University, School of
Public Health and Tropical Medicine
2004
Bachelor of Science - Health Education, Community Health
University of Maryland, College
1996
Skills
- (WASH);
- And Social and Behavior Change Successful history in community-based health
- Programming in fragile/conflict settings, strengthening data quality and performance improvement
- Documenting promising and best practices, achieving strong donor relationships, and cultivating long-
- Term solutions Special aptitude for gender equality and social inclusion programming
- Speak
- Well
- Computer: Proficient in
- Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
Timeline
World Vision US
01.2023 - 1 1
Sr. Program Manager
World Vision US, GAVI
07.2022 - Current
World Vision
11.2021 - 02.2022
Acting Program Manager/Deputy Program Manager
Food Security and Livelihood, FSL
02.2021 - 07.2022
10.2020 - 08.2022
Program
World Vision US
09.2020 - 04.2023
World Vision US
12.2019 - 03.2020
World Vision US
06.2017 - 01.2019
Program Manager
05.2016 - 06.2016
Senior Program Officer
JHPIEGO/Johns Hopkins University
08.2014 - 05.2015
Senior Program Officer
John Snow Inc
11.2013 - 08.2014
Senior Program Manager
Camris International
07.2008 - 11.2013
Senior Program Officer
Pathfinder International
01.2003 - 06.2008
Master’s - public health, International Health
Tulane University, School of
Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Bachelor of Science - Health Education, Community Health
University of Maryland, College
Humanitarian
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