Md Arafat A.
Md Arafat A. Independent Consultant
Last update: Aug 7, 2024
Md Arafat A. Independent Consultant
Last update: Aug 7, 2024
Details
Citizenships:
Bangladesh
Languages:
Bengali, English
Highest Degree:
Masters
Experience:
17 years
Salary:
E-mail(s):
Sectors:
Education, Food Security, Poverty Reduction, Social Development, Monitoring & Evaluation, Research, Disaster Reduction
Address:
Cellphone(s):
Linkedin:
Sanctions:
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About

I have been working in the fields of Social and development programme research, M&E and policy analysis for various iNGOs for around twelve years in the different thematic areas related to poverty reduction, food security (innovation and scaled up projects), resilience, digitalisation, Social protection, climate change, education, governance and emergency. This career track has broadened my opportunity to work in all the geographical contexts of Bangladesh and in Afghanistan.

Currently I am working as an independent Consultant for a poverty reduction evaluation project. Earlier, I have worked as a Consultant for ICT division of GoB, Red Crescent, Oxfam and for University of Bath, UK to complete four projects. I have led poverty and social protection domain in Bangladesh team of OPM Bangladesh and activities related to both M&E and research in poverty and education. Earlier, in BBC Media Action in Afghanistan, as Country Research Manager, I have led several evaluation projects including a ‘’Governance’’ programme and supported country team in making strategic decisions. In the Governance programme participants from different strata of CSOs platform were involved. Keeping liaison with the different government agencies, donors, partner NGOs, and working with the project management team members were some obvious approach in leading programme quality activities throughout my track.

I have provided with technical lead in establishing ‘’department of Monitoring and Evaluation’’  from September 2017 to 2019 in BRAC Afghanistan and supervised and built capacity of 17 Monitoring staff throughout 3 different programmes/6 projects (on Education, Education in Emergency, Rural Development and Health). Additionally, as a country management team member, I have played a significant role in strategic decision making process for the organization and in inter-departmental business.

Earlier in Bangladesh, I have worked as Research Coordinator for Oxfam (Resilience through Economic Empowerment, Climate Adaptation, Leadership and Learning project) and as both Researcher and Monitor in several livelihood, and poverty reduction projects of Save the Children UK in Bangladesh, Concern Worldwide and BRAC and Kimetrica International where issues related to social protection, education, resilience, and gender were integrated focus. In Save the Children, I have co-ordained survey, conducted research projects related to environmental vulnerabilities and social protection in different geographical areas. Apart, social inclusion and protection was one of the major outcomes of the projects in Save the Children (Household Economic and Food Security/HEFS project), Concern Worldwide (Economic and Social Empowerment of the Extreme Poor/ESEP project) and in Oxfam (RE-CALL project).  My researches on disabled, elderly and with the climate vulnerable coastal people have highlighted the role of social protection programme in different stages of building resilience in hazards and shocks.

In that journey of my career, I have supervised Longitudinal Panel survey (Change Monitoring System-3), trained and coordinated Digital Data gathering (Change Monitoring System-2), Baseline, Midline and End line Survey, undertook longitudinal research projects using poverty trajectories and life histories. Social protection was one of the areas to understand it’s significance as shock responsive catalyst. As of today, I have managed maximum of 62 enumerators’ survey team and led survey a total of 8,000 households. I have examined ‘’Global resilience framework’’ for Oxfam UK in Bangladesh context and conducted poverty trajectory/Resilience study for five international organizations. As a member of Extreme Poverty Research Group (formed by Shiree/DFID), I have got a pathway to organize lesson learning workshops and to learn from and share with other stakeholders about spatial, social, political and cultural dimensions of poverty, livelihoods, nutrition, disaster, resilience, social protection and education in Bangladesh. The opportunity also provided me with leading both quantitative and qualitative research (With technical support from University of Cambridge and University of Bath-Centre for development studies/CDS, UK respectively) in the field innovation projects of other 17 iNGOs. I am comfortable in using SPSS and Nvivo to analyse quantitative and qualitative studies respectively.

In my student life, I have started my journey as a PhD research assistant of a former PhD student of Social Anthropology at University of York for a study on social forestry. In this study we use multi-sited ethnographic approach to collect data through participant observation in Chittagong Hill Tracts from different ethnic group of people (e.g. Marma, Mro, Tipra and Chakma).

I have provided oversight in program planning, evaluation and knowledge management using the Key performance indicators, and results outcome. I am very comfortable in managing data collection and database, in developing study proposal, designing tools, and study plan. Some of my research/working papers, related to resilience, food security, poverty reduction, have been published on Shiree/DFID website. Apart from these, as part of my academic assignment, I have conducted a research on ‘’building flood resilience’’ for perish council of Cornwall of UK.

As an Anthropologist and Sustainability Researcher, I am quite adaptive in stressful situation and comfortable in multicultural environment and keen to lead team in a new context. I do believe my education in MSc Sustainable Development at University of Exeter, UK (awarded with Commonwealth Scholarship) and earlier, Masters and Bachelor in Anthropology at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh and additionally; my work experiences have prepared me well to excel in leading larger studies.

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