Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University
From January 16th to July 16th, 2023, I conducted an online internship at Education Cannot Wait (ECW) at the UNICEF Geneva Office. During this enriching opportunity, I worked under the Grant Management team and participated in various activities.
One of my key responsibilities was to share project report templates with grantees worldwide. These templates were designed to gather information on grantees’ annual or final financial status, project activities, and achieved results. By sharing these templates, we aimed to simplify grantee reporting requirements and ensure uniform project documentation.
I worked with the grantees in my assigned portfolio and distributed the project report templates using the ECW contact list. Throughout the reporting process, I remained available to address any queries or requests from the grantees. Only approved reports were forwarded to the Monitoring and Evaluation team once the grantees completed and submitted their reports, ensuring their quality. Upon receiving the reports, I was responsible for reviewing their quality, focusing on financial, narrative, and results reports. I ensured that the reports adhered to UNICEF criteria, as agreed upon by ECW and the grantees. This rigorous examination ensured correctness, completeness, and conformity to standards.
Additionally, I was tasked with uploading approved reports into the ECW grant database. This step ensured that all relevant data was stored and accessible for future use. Timely and accurate database administration was essential to maintaining the structured nature of the grant-related data tracking system. Furthermore, I collaborated with my supervisors and fellow interns to maintain the Grant Database. This involved removing redundant entries, standardizing grant names and numbers according to the ECW naming convention, and ensuring data integrity.
In addition to the review and database maintenance processes, I contributed to improving the ECW knowledge hub. This platform serves as a central repository for resources and information related to ECW grants. By selecting and organizing relevant content, we aimed to facilitate the learning process for future ECW colleagues, thereby increasing information transfer and productivity within the organization. Moreover, I actively participated in the ECW mission trip to Tokyo, where I had the opportunity to showcase my internship experience and provide Japanese Parliamentarians (MPs) with insight into ECW’s activities. I highlighted the humanitarian work was undertaken by ECW to ensure that children affected by insecurity have access to education and a fulfilling childhood.
Overall, my internship at ECW provided valuable insights into grant management within an international organization. I gained expertise in database management, report examination, project documentation, and collaboration. By actively engaging in these tasks, I contributed to upholding high standards for data administration and reporting, and ultimately supporting ECW’s mission to deliver quality education in emergency situations.
I am grateful to Professor Keiichi Ogawa who supported me through this journey and for the opportunity to have been part of ECW and the UNICEF Geneva Office during my internship. The knowledge and experiences gained during this period will undoubtedly benefit my future career in the field of international development.
Authored by Abdoul-Karim SOUBEIGA (Doctoral Student)
