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To use ICT for development not only for SP projects but for any other DFID priorities in Kenya.


bmKimmy 3 / 4 1  
Nov 6, 2017   #1
Hello everyone. Please review my essay on Career Plans for the Chevening application. Thank you.

Chevening's Career Plan Question: ICT for Development



I am lucky to be working with one of the leading technology companies in Kenya that focuses on "increasing the effectiveness of social spending". Kimetrica does this by developing generic software solutions for managing humanitarian projects, conducting research to find solutions to humanitarian issues, informing decisions of key stakeholders through data and analytics and training on results-based management.

My immediate plan upon returning to Kenya will be to go back to Kimetrica. Kimetrica is currently working on a system specification that will upgrade their Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system by dividing it into four components namely; 1) indicator processing, 2) survey form design and data collection, 3) data visualisation and 4) results framework development. Work on the survey form design and data collection component is currently ongoing and I have been heavily involved in testing it, training on it, designing survey forms for clients and supporting clients using it to collect survey data. I will use the project management and user interface design skills I will have gained from my studies in the UK to manage the development of these components, to produce a fully tested system with a coherent flow between components and a gentle learning curve.

DFID is currently working with the Government of Kenya (GoK) on a Social Protection Programme aimed at protecting orphans and vulnerable children from hunger and under-nutrition and enabling these children to have an education and be healthier. In the month of September 2017, I co-facilitated a Social Protection (SP) workshop in three counties in Kenya, funded by UNICEF, whose mandate was to find synergies in SP programmes and harmonise tasks across SP programmes. Two of the major gaps identified were, 1) the use of ICT in SP programmes and 2) quantifying impact through indicators.

My next course of action will be to use the M&E skills I have gained working with multiple organisations at my present job, and the systems analytical skills I will have gained from my studies in the UK to work with M&E officers of SP programmes in identifying applications that they can use to collect and analyse data in order to better report on indicators.

To begin, I will reach out to officials involved in SP programmes in the local government of Machakos County, my hometown, in collaboration with DFID. Once a rapport has been established, I seek to understand how SP projects are run i.e. their data and reporting needs, budget, and challenges. I will prepare a systems requirement specification, which will be the checklist for settling on an application. Once a system is identified, I will prepare training materials and organise for a training of all stakeholders in using the application and provide post-training support. Machakos County will have set a benchmark for other counties in Kenya to emulate.

The Chevening scholarship will have played a major role in facilitating me to get adequate skills to use ICT for development not only for SP projects but for any other DFID priorities in Kenya.
isahmk125 3 / 5 1  
Nov 6, 2017   #2
Chevening want you to clearly explain your plans on returning to your home country and your long term objectives. That is, what you want to achieve after, for example,10 years. That's completely missing here.
yonas 2 / 5  
Nov 6, 2017   #3
@bmKimmy
You should explain what is ICT because not everyone know it.. :)
Holt  Educational Consultant - / 14,767 4770  
Nov 6, 2017   #4
Bilhah, this is a very impressive presentation. It is clear, it spells out how you will be helping your company upon your return, it shows how you plan to use what you learned for the betterment of your country, and finally, it depicts a usable UK government sponsored project. You covered all the bases required for this essay. However, the spacing between your being assigned to work with the DFID and your outreach project plan is too far apart. Please consider presenting them in a more fluid and interconnected manner so that you can gain the full impact of the fact that you surprisingly created a UK government sponsored connection long before you applied to become a Chevening scholar. This will certainly highlight your essay and quite possibly, gain you more consideration over the other applicants. the UK project is a pivotal decision factor in the final considerations so the fact that you have a long standing relationship with the UK sponsored project in your country, in relation to your profession, is sure to carry more weight in this instance.
OP bmKimmy 3 / 4 1  
Nov 6, 2017   #5
@Holt

Thanks a lot Mary. That is very encouraging :) I will make the necessary changes.


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