Frida's experience as a JPC in Dakar

I was placed in Dakar, Senegal. As a Junior Professional Consultant, I worked with the West & Central African Regional Office for UN Women. Senegal is a beautiful country that has diverse ethnic groups which has given me the opportunity to meet people of different backgrounds and cultures. The weather, music, cuisine, and most importantly the hospitality is one to behold. I feel grateful to have been chosen for this placement location.

 My work as a Junior Professional Consultant in the evaluation department has been a profitable learning experience. My responsibilities have included analyzing evaluation reports for the west & central African region, keeping the evaluation system  (GATE) updated, completing an e-learning course which focuses on how to manage gender-responsive evaluation, and assisting evaluation projects which has so far provided me with the opportunity to participate in the selection of several consultants and review the terms of references. This is the beauty of working in the evaluation department. During this time, I also had the privilege of attending a meeting at the Ministry of Justice which gave me the opportunity of meeting with important stakeholders.

I have done other type of evaluations in the past but with UN Women, it is totally different. The beginning was a challenge but as the time went on, I was able to understand a lot of things through the help of my supervisor and the other specialists around the globe. The evaluation handbook was also an asset I had because it helped me understand the more details of the evaluation processes.

 

 I am very thankful for this IDDIP opportunity.  It has given me the opportunity to grow in this field and better understand the United Nations system. Evaluation is essential and more organizations & enterprises will see the need to incorporate it into their annual responsibilities. The fact that I got the chance to experience it within a UN agency has been truly rewarding for me. This internship will be useful for my future career because I’ve gained relevant skills for the sector I would like to get into after completing my master’s degree. Overall, it was a rewarding experience and I would recommend this to future JPC’s.