Stella Bahati Vally Mdahila
Dar Es Salaam
Summary
Accomplished Rural Development Specialist with 15+ years of experience in project design, planning, and implementation, focusing on rural development, gender, and HIV/AIDS response at facility and community levels. Contributed significantly to social change research in Tanzania, collaborating with organizations like Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), Plan International, Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Family Health International (FHI), Deloitte, VSO, CUSO International, and UPCODE. Currently serving as Gender and Safeguarding Coordinator at RIKOLTO International, leading gender mainstreaming initiatives in health, livelihoods, and education sectors. Champion of women and youth empowerment in Tanzania's SAGCOT corridor, supporting income generation activities and entrepreneurship while fostering collaborations with donors (USAID, SDC, EU, GAC), government bodies, financial institutions, and communities at all levels. Experienced with project coordination, ensuring tasks are completed on time and within scope. Utilizes strong planning and organizational skills to manage resources effectively. Track record of enhancing team collaboration and streamlining workflows to drive project success. Highly organized professional with proven track record in coordinating complex tasks and ensuring seamless operations. Adept at managing schedules, resources, and stakeholders to effectively achieve project goals. Renowned for fostering teamwork and adapting to dynamic environments, making contributions to organizational success.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Gender and Safeguarding Coordinator
RIKOLTO INTERNATIONAL
06.2024 - Current
- Responsibilities: To work closely with the Program team to integrate safeguarding and gender in all major component of the projects.
- Technical support to all project activities:
- Review and consolidated the existing work on social safeguarding, gender and inclusion and address the gaps including review and updating of Gender Assessment Action Plan and Indigenous People Plan (IPP)
- Develop Social Safeguarding, Gender and inclusion standards, guidelines, specifications and tools for all project components with focus on rural infrastructure construction/rehabilitation encompassing both technical and functional standards based on RIKOLTO and international best practices
- Lead on the preparation and implementation of the Social safeguarding, Gender and Inclusion components for all types of rural infrastructure.
- Refine the existing developed guidelines to be followed by project staff, municipality, contractors and other stakeholders to be followed during all phases of project cycle especially implementation.
- In close coordination with Project M&E Officer ensure that appropriate tools, indicators and resources are allocated for monitoring and reporting of social safeguarding, gender and inclusion such as gender disaggregated data
- Provide support for the write up of the reports and other publications on areas related to social safeguarding, gender mainstreaming and inclusion.
- Conduct research on areas related on social safeguarding, gender and inclusion through appropriate methodology and data collection tool
Project Manager School Improvement and Social Protection
Uplifting Community Development
07.2020 - 06.2024
- Responsibilities: To work closely with the Program manager, project coordinator and operations teams to support the coordination of the School Feeding and Social Protection activities
- Responsibilities include but are not limited to, the following:
- Coordinate and provide supervision, support, and evaluation for all community related activities
- Manage assigned activities in the plan and support the tracking of progress and deliverables from project partners.
- Coordinate and schedule community and government review meetings at regular cycles and prepare documentation of findings and recommendations
- Facilitate implementation of project activities in compliance with the policies and best practice standards of Nuru Njema project, working closely with consultants, colleagues and the project manager
- Liaise with government authorities and technical component leaders to ensure that gender and safeguarding considerations are assessed and accounted for.
- Support the M&E Lead to plan the collection and analysis of relevant data and assist in the collection and analysis of sex- and age-disaggregated data.
- Under the supervision of the project manager, conduct regular field monitoring visits of the activities conducted under the project by partners. Collect data and follow up with contracted partners to ensure timely submission of reports and prepare timely monitoring reports with findings and recommendations.
Training and Partnership Manager
Tanzania Local Enterprise Development (TLED) – (Agribusiness) Livelihood Projects
09.2017 - 06.2020
- Responsibilities:
- Project Management: Ensure proper planning and implementation of the youth & SMEs empowerment project in 6 regions within Tanzania.
- Project Management
- Provide technical support and leadership to project experts and officers to enable them effectively guide and support youth, gender, and SME activities in regions.
- Lead in the development of the project design and ensure compliance with CUSO and donor guidelines and standards.
- Ensure timely and effective implementation of all project interventions as well as the achievement of proposed outcomes and intended impacts.
- Ensure proper application of business processes, standards, and guidelines related to the project by the donor and national requirements.
- Ensure that all the activities are implemented and evaluated by CUSO and donor standards.
- Capacity building Lead the project in capacity-building initiatives for staff, communities, and partners to enable them effectively advocates for and implements project interventions.
- Ensure ongoing coaching and mentoring of project staff to ensure that they can perform and achieve the desired results.
- Engagement, Networking, and Resource Mobilization Ensure adequate representation with the donor, the government of Tanzania officials, the private sector, and civil society groups, including faith-based groups and youth, women, and SMEs associations.
- Map resource mobilization opportunities at the local level and develop concepts and proposals in collaboration with respective regional and national office teams.
- FUNDED BY GLOBAL AFFAIRS CANADA (GAC)
Project Manager
VSO TANZANIA
01.2015 - 12.2017
- Programme Development and Delivery: Ensure project outcome is delivered to the quality required by the program (with specified risks and benefits), to schedule within set budgets and scope. Provide a key coordination and implementation role, ensuring project management standards are followed and deadlines are met.
- Prepare management products - including project outcome description, benefits review plan, project initiation documentation, exception plans, and project controls. Establish and manage project procedures – risk and issue management, change control, and communications.
- Budgeting and Forecasting: Manage project financial budgets and targets, providing accurate and timely information on expenditure.
- Stakeholder Management and Communications: Build effective working relationships with project stakeholders including volunteers, engaging them at each project stage, and ensuring communications have appropriate content and tone.
- Internal Reporting: Ensure project activity, outcome progress, issues, risks, and exception reports are available to Stakeholders and management teams as appropriate.
- Project Team Management: Establish, lead and motivate the project team, ensuring regular progress review meetings are in place and behavioural expectations are established. Liaise with external suppliers as necessary.
- HEALTH SYSTEM STRENGTHENING PROJECT 2015 To Dec 2017- Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC)
Ass. M&E Manager
Deloitte Consulting Limited
10.2012 - 01.2014
- Design and Operationalize high-quality Monitoring and Evaluation System that allows staff, partners, and other stakeholders to monitor program activities, and outputs, evaluate effects and impact and compare performance results across programs and implementation periods. Conduct thematic monitoring visits that facilitate improvement in program deliveries.
- Lead, manage and develop team members and the organization.
- Develops system-wide plans, including collection development, facilities, staffing, and technology.
- Provide technical oversight and quality control of the TUNAJALI program.
- Lead budget development and resource mobilization within TUNAJALI operating areas.
- Engage the team in planning and leading the implementation of project policies.
- USAID FUNDED
M&E OFFICER HBC & OVC PROJECT
FHI & DELOITTE TANZANIA
01.2008 - 01.2011
- Support local implementing Partners in the implementation of the program Monitoring and Evaluation system Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation of evidence-based HIV and AIDS Intervention programs
- Assist and build the capacity of LGAs and RSS to appraise projects as formulated by villages, communities, or community groups
- USAID FUNDED
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FACILITATOR
PLAN INTERNATIONAL TANZANIA
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Coordination of Health, education and livelihood programs planning and implementation ;
- Facilitate Community Based projects and Community managed sponsorship
- Supervise Sponsorship communication in allocated communities;
- Create, maintain and nurture close working relationships with local government leadership, communities, and partners;
- Build the capacity of ward development structures/committees to manage their inclusive planning process and have a Community Development Plan (CDP) as well as ownership of the programs and projects.
Education
Master in Management for Development - Rural Development and HIV/AIDS
Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences
Wageningen 10.2012
BA Sociology - Social welfare and Population Studies
University of Dar Es Salaam
Dar Es Salaam 11.2005
Skills
- Project Planning & Management
- Stakeholder Engagement & Coordination
- Gender & Social Safeguarding Integration
- Monitoring, Evaluation & Data Interpretation
- Volunteer Management & Capacity Building
- Strategic Leadership & Team Management
Certification
- Certificate on Monitoring and Evaluation course conducted by International Management –MIS International & USAID TANZANIA- Dar es salaam Tanzania 2007
- People Management and Leadership Training VSO, December, 5-12, 2014
- Certificate: National Facilitators’ Training for Implementation of the National Guidelines for Improving Quality for Care, Support and Protection, and Child Status Index Tool for Most Vulnerable Children (MVC) organized by MoH &SW University Research Co and MEASURE Evaluation Project Futures Group International, March 22-27, 2010, EDEMA Conference Centre, Morogoro Tanzania
- USAID Financial Management and Compliance Sustainability Solutions, Dar es Salaam, October 2010
- MEASURE Evaluation Monitoring Of HIV/AIDS programs certificate Measure Evaluation & University of Pretoria-Pretoria South Africa 2011
- MVC Data Management System Training Morogoro Tanzania conducted by TUNAJALI November 2009
- Certificate on Data Management Conducted by MUHAS, September 2008
- Training on Monitoring of OVC /MVC Programs REPSI-Johannesburg South Africa 12-28 November 2009
References
Godfrey, Hongo, Secretary, godfreyhongo@gmail.com, Catholic Diocese of Ifakara-UPCODES
Consultancy
- 1. USAID-FINTRAC Inc. M&E Consultant: Mboga na Matunda project – Baseline survey June 2017
- 2. USAID –Land Tenure Project. Social Impact Advisor January – May 2019
- 3. Good Neighbours Tanzania EQSSE-Z (Education) Project – School leadership and Teachers induction Consultant ) -2024 to 2025
Languages
English
Advanced (C1)
Timeline
Gender and Safeguarding Coordinator
RIKOLTO INTERNATIONAL
06.2024 - Current
Project Manager School Improvement and Social Protection
Uplifting Community Development
07.2020 - 06.2024
Training and Partnership Manager
Tanzania Local Enterprise Development (TLED) – (Agribusiness) Livelihood Projects
09.2017 - 06.2020
Project Manager
VSO TANZANIA
01.2015 - 12.2017
Ass. M&E Manager
Deloitte Consulting Limited
10.2012 - 01.2014
M&E OFFICER HBC & OVC PROJECT
FHI & DELOITTE TANZANIA
01.2008 - 01.2011
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FACILITATOR
PLAN INTERNATIONAL TANZANIA
01.2006 - 01.2007
Master in Management for Development - Rural Development and HIV/AIDS
Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences
BA Sociology - Social welfare and Population Studies
University of Dar Es Salaam
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