Technical Expert Advisor – Training and Capacity Building

Caren OUMA is a Kenyan Organizational Development, leadership and Transformation expert,  curricula development and training specialist,  gender expert, Policy and Strategy formulation and development expert, with over 24 years of professional experience. I have participated in strategy formulation and development for various organizations and implemented needs assessments and developed training materials in the fields of agriculture, agri-business, value chain development, trade, health as well as gender research in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan,  Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Djibouti. She holds a Ph.D. in Organisational Development and Transformation, a Master’s of Business Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. Caren is fluent in written and spoken English and Kiswahili.

I poses long-standing experience as a researcher, consultant, and team leader in various internationally funded projects in Strategy development, Policy formulation, and development,  Training Needs Assessment, curriculum development, development of training Manuals,  M&E including baseline, midline & endline surveys and reviews, ToTs, and coaching and mentoring diverse groups of business and entrepreneurs, and ATVET and non-ATVET participants. All these activities have been done for various development partners including, World Bank, GiZ, the UN such as FAO as well as international NGOs, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GFA Consulting Group in Germany, Oxfam, IGAD,  EU, USAID, AUC, Corporate organizations, National and international Universities among many others. In October 2019 to May 2020, I was hired as a short term expert by GFA/GIZ as the organizational development expert to assist the Agricultural training Center (Latia Agribusiness Solutions) to conduct an institutional assessment, develop Strategic Plan and Integrated business Plans.

During March to August 2019, GFA/GIZ hired Dr. Caren as one of the short-term experts to conduct Life and Soft Skills (LSS) Training Needs Assessment, develop curriculum, develop training materials, and train ToTs for the Agricultural Training Centers (ATCs) in Kenya. The main aim of this mission was to equip the graduated Youth from the ATCs with LSS to be marketable in the job market. During the years August 2014 to October 2015, I was hired by GFA Consulting Group as the long-term curricula development, gender, and didactic expert in the development of five training modules for IGAD 8 member states for IGAD Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative(IDDRSI) GiZ funded project. The curricula were developed using the GFA Creation of Competence for Competition (C³) concept.

In the years 2007 to 2010, I participated as a consultant in the development of curriculum and Training Materials as well as conducted Pilot Training of the Demand Driven Extension Services (DDES) for the Decentralized Agricultural Support Services (DASS). The DDES course was part of the implementation of the NASEP Policy and also part of a bigger initiative which was called Nauchatel initiatives. During this period, in order to perfect my skills in this task, I was part of the team who underwent training on DDES in Denmark, Tietgen College for 3 Months which culminated into the development of DDES training materials. Among the materials developed were; trainers guide, and participants’ workbook for the extension services.

 In December 2018 to February 2019, I was the international expert on Midterm Reviewer (MTR) for the Uganda Skills Development Project (USDP) funded by World Bank.  The main objective of the USDP was to enhance the capacity of institutions to deliver high-quality and demand-driven training programs in the agriculture, construction, and manufacturing sectors for the Youth. The specific tasks included a review of; the project design (i.e. review the objective,  assumptions, changes in context, strategy, etc); Results Framework (indicators, baseline, and targets and suggest specific amendments or revisions to the targets and indicators as necessary); Project implementation in terms of; management arrangements, work planning, finance, adherence to GoU and World Bank fiducial core aspects, project-level monitoring and evaluation system, and reporting and communication; Institutional framework and governance in terms of; legal frameworks and policies, the capacity of the implementing agencies, governance structures, and processes; and Environmental and social risk to the project outcomes.

In addition to my broad didactic, regional, and thematic experience, I am also experienced in project development, manager, and implementer. Amongst other assignments, I demonstrated my skills as a team leader in 2013 within GIZ Kenya project in the ATVET sector and I am familiar with GIZ rules and regulations in the field of project administration, management, and reporting.

 During the years 2004 to 200, Caren was the gender focal point in Kenya for the International Labour organization Syndicoop project. My task involved the Management of the personnel and groups formed under the project. Specifically:

• Identification of the target groups to be mobilized within the Informal Economy groups and pre-co-operatives in Kenya.
• Gender Analysis and ensuring effective gender integration in the project activities.
• Assessing training needs for the mobilized groups and ensuring gender equality and equity.
• Developing Manuals to be used in training the Informal Economy groups and pre-co-operatives.
• Training Informal Economy groups on Co-operative Management and engaged in the production of gender-sensitive video clips for training purposes.
• Conducting Gender Mainstreaming workshops.
• Conduct HIV/AIDS training and Workshops, and Sensitizing the Informal Economy groups and pre-co-operatives to form Co-operative Organizations.
• Guiding the Informal Economy groups in the process of registering their groups as Co-operative Organizations and ensuring gender representation in the registration process.

In the year 2005, I participated in the development of gender-sensitive training materials for Co-operative Courses for the Ministry of Co-operative Development officers for the Republic of Rwanda in the years 2005 to 2006.  In addition, with the collaboration with Kenya Government and Nordic countries (Norway, Swedish, Finland, and Denmark), the College developed training materials on Co-operative Banking (Savings, Cash Handling, and Loans), Co-operative Accounting, Co-operative Merchandise, and Co-operative Management manuals for the co-operative organizations in Kenya.

I am experienced in undertaking Monitoring and Evaluations for the projects that I have managed such as; the ILO Syndicoop project and USAID funded project. In addition, during April to May 2016, I participated as a National Consultant Expert in the post-Mid term evaluation on GiZ livelihood project in Western Kenya.

Overall, I have developed several training curricula and modules for ATVET and non-ATVET materials. Equally, I have conducted several training of trainers using several training manuals that I have participated in developing.