Leake M. - freelancer/consultant

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Experience

Jan 2019 - Present

6 years 10 months

Nov 2016 - Dec 2018

2 years 2 months

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Advise regions in creation of community institutions and enable them to manage resources in a sense of ownership
Successfully advised the SLMP program in formulating guidelines for creation of communities’ institutions for sustainable development
Conducted trainings on institutional development to six regions’ partners
Advised regional partners in project planning and implementation

Feb 2009 - Oct 2016

7 years 9 months

Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Advise regional, zonal and woreda partners on the creation of community institutions and resource management in a sense of ownership
Assisted partners with annual and multi-year project planning
Supported partners in project fund utilization and implementation
Drafted the proclamation for establishment of watershed users’ associations in Amhara region and defended it until approval by parliament
Contributed to writing the directive of the proclamation and model byelaw
Conducted trainings to create awareness and understanding of legal documents among officials, experts and community leaders

Nov 1998 - Dec 2008

10 years 2 months

Debre Tabor, Ethiopia

Managed project administration and provided legal advice
Managed 65 project staff and 150 casual workers over 10 years
Prepared local financial subsidies for partners and followed up on implementation and settlement
Liaised the project with government partners and other bodies

Jun 1996 - Sep 1997

1 year 4 months

Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Liaised the project with chambers of commerce of Ethiopia and the cities of Addis Ababa, Nazareth, Dire Dawa, Bahirdar, Gonder and Dessie
Conducted need assessments of partner organizations
Prepared training and experience-sharing workshops, seminars and visits based on partner needs and project capacity
Worked closely with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and regional bureaux

Working in partnership with government ministries and bureaus at federal and regions level
Strong facilitation and training skill
Project management – planning, support in implementation, fund utilization, M&E…etc., focused with community engagement role
Empowerment of local residence/communities/ by creation of proactive community groups working to address local issues and influence decision-making in their community
Facilitate community engagement events and discussions to build self-sustaining community groups (like users’ associations, self-help groups…)
Provide training and coaching to SMS Service in order to mainstream community participation with their subject matters
Work with local elected members, external partners, internal partners across the six regions of the program and communities to develop solutions to local issues
Provide thorough trainings to experts and communities leaders on “how to manage development resources in a sense of ownership.”
Draft legal documents (proclamations, regulations, directives, guidelines and byelaws) which enable communities to act legally in administering their resources in a sustainable manner
Highly organized and efficient
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
High level of attention to detail