International Development Degree Grad Secures Position at EQWIP HUBs
Robin Sagi, a member of Humber’s first cohort of graduates from the Bachelor of International Development program, is currently the Monitoring and Evaluations (M&E) Officer for EQWIP HUBs Indonesia in their Semarang Hub. EQWIP HUBs is a capacity building organization jointly operated by Youth Challenge International and Canada World Youth. The organization works in 6 countries in 18 hubs, implementing international development projects through local partners. The project in Semarang is designed to build the capacity of local partner organizations to teach employment and entrepreneur skills to youth age 18-35 to improve the economy of the region.
Robin’s role is to conduct regular focus groups with beneficiaries in order to ensure success for EQWIP HUBs’ graduates. She conducts post-tertiary surveys and compiles best practices and lessons learned. Robin works alongside EQWIP HUBs’ local partners in teaching and designing M&E tools so projects can continue once EQWIP HUBs leaves. She also provides training in Results-Based Management, a tool she learned during her time at Humber.
During her degree, Robin accepted a placement with Uniterra in Sri Lanka as a Research Analysis Officer conducting preliminary research in the tea sector. The skills she learned on her placement have been directly applicable in her current position. “Analysing data and articulating the results is critical in almost every position in development,” says Robin.
Robin and her classmates at Humber also started the movement to make Humber a Fair Trade Designated College, a result Humber’s Lakeshore Campus achieved this year. For her efforts, Robin and two others were recognized as “Global Youth Changemakers” in 2016. “That movement taught me how important feedback is from the ground up. It was an effort that took almost 4 years to achieve but is one that makes me very proud. That's why I think the role of M&E is so crucial, I always want to see our beneficiaries feeling proud when finishing our programming.”
The M&E role wasn’t necessarily the role Robin saw for herself in development, but it’s now one she really values. M&E utilizes problem solving to create systemic change through data collecting for understanding a problem.
“When I accepted this position I would not have said that I was qualified to do M&E. We had one course at Humber in M&E, but after being in this position for 4 months, it’s crazy how prepared Humber actually made me to do this work. I’m the only M&E person in my hub. My boss is in the country office so I am in charge, with guidance from him. I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished essentially on my own here, and I wouldn’t have been able to say that if it weren’t for Humber and the community there. If I’m ever stuck in my position here, I still have my classmates and professors to lean on for advice.”
We’re proud of you, too, Robin.
