Francesca B.

Background

About Francesca B.

All I do is driven by genuine beliefs and an unstoppable urge to grow as human. If I don’t believe in the cause it relates to, I won’t be drawn to a certain job.Whilst for over nine years I have worked in emergency cash assistance, I am way more than just a Cash expert. First and foremost, I am a project and team manager, by both experience and training. In my 19+ years of professional experience, I led many projects and teams, be they small or large. If entrusted with a budget, I spend it conscientiously, fruitfully, and on time. When leading a team, my vision and work ethics are absolutely contagious. Per se, cash assistance in emergency responses is a no brainer. When I first started using cash assistance as intervention modality in 2010, I found it quite basic. Cash assistance in emergency responses became interesting to me because of the very resistance many opposed against it. This working experience thought me that I thrive where I can put my creativity, my tenacity, and my values to facilitate a transformation that is uncomfortable to many but that – to me and others – is the right way forward. That’s the revolutionary in my speaking, and Cash assistance is the quintessential way of devolving power to people and to break from the traditional paternalism of humanitarian aid. As a cash advisor, that is the cause I have been fighting for. Now, with cash assistance becoming business as usual in emergency responses, what makes me tick is the thought of the next mountain to climb and the next transformation to contribute to. Empowering local actors, transitioning from aid-agencies’ cash assistance to government-led social protection, and interagency collaboration that builds on healthy competition, is where you’ll find me next. Regardless, evidence and learning will always be a cornerstone and a fundamental part of my work and that of the future teams I’ll lead. In the last decade, I championed and managed several research projects and learning initiatives, and I led on the creation and piloting of innovative assessment and monitoring & evaluation instruments. I will continue engaging in research and M&E, because any new idea needs credible evidence to break through the unavoidable resistance it will encounter.Whilst I learn best when doing and being confronted with real-life challenges, I find it crucial to complement experience with formal training. I am hugely privileged for the chance of completing a diploma in project management at the age of 30 and an MS in Epidemiology at the age of 36.