Project Management - Child Protection

Toby Mayel

West Springfield, Virginia Telephone: 571-***-**** US **********@*****.***

SUMMARY:

Over 20 years of experience in international development, holding senior leadership posts, including Director, and Project Management roles, while successfully managing (75+ mil) multi-million-dollar programming initiatives funded by the US government. Most recently, as the Director of the Colombo Plan's Gender Affairs Program, a position I have held for the past six years. As a seasoned Gender Specialist with expertise in socio-economic development and women's rights, I have primarily held supervisory roles, focusing on child trafficking, human rights, and gender justice issues, with a particular emphasis on gender-based violence. My expertise includes managing multi-million-dollar program procurements, overseeing logistics and operations in post-conflict and challenging environments, whilst collaborating on research and development, gender mainstreaming, and program implementation across multiple sectors. I have extensive experience tackling complex challenges related to aid, gender justice, business, economic, and livelihood development in post-conflict environments.

PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Project management, program design strategy

Procurement/contract management

Global field experience

E-Learning Education/Project Development

Crisis management and risk mitigation

Policy and procedure development

Gender mainstreaming (GBV)

Monitoring, and evaluation execution

Financial management & Gender Budgeting

Fundraising, proposal/grant writing

Training and capacity building for staff

Maternal health care and education

Strategic project analysis, surveys, case studies

Donor relations and diplomacy

Strategic planning and collaboration

Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods

Network development& resource mobilization.

Institutional capacity development

Team building and visionary leadership.

Post-conflict and challenging environments

Sector-specific expertise (aid, gender justice, child trafficking, human rights, economic, humanitarian aid, and livelihood development)

High-level stakeholder engagement & negotiations

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Colombo Plan, Gender Affaires Programme (CP-GAP) April 2018- April 2024 (6 yrs.)

Director of Programs for Gender Affaires for CP-GAP 27 Member Nations

(Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, and in Indo-Pacific/South Asia regions)

Led and managed US-funded programs for Colombo Plan member nations, with a focus on child protection, child trafficking, and gender-based violence, overseeing contracts, program funds for local civil society organizations, and reporting, and managing multi-million-dollar grants to partner organizations.

Developed the CPGAP Gender strategy and theory of change, supervising project proposals and coordinating gender-related activities, child protection, and anti-trafficking initiatives with member nations and partners.

Managed US-funded programs in Afghanistan, including Women’s Shelters, Children’s Support Centers, and child trafficking prevention projects, collaborating with ministries and organizations, and overseeing administration, human resources, security, and finances. All funds followed both Afghanistan compliances and USG compliances/procedures.

Supervised project and financial reporting to donors and leadership, detailing activities, challenges, and solutions in child protection, child trafficking, human rights, and gender-based violence programs.

Represented the Colombo Plan internationally to promote gender-based violence prevention, child protection, and anti-trafficking efforts, leading new project development and ensuring positive public relations. Supervised the implementation of all projects across member states, in line with contractual obligations, and local legal requirements of CP’s mission and mandate.

Collaborated with Monitoring and Evaluation experts to establish benchmarks and assess program performance in child protection, child early and forced marriage, child trafficking, and GBV.

Contributed to policy development and implemented capacity-building initiatives to enhance stakeholder competencies and ensure sustainable results in child protection, anti-trafficking, and GBV programs.

Ensured positive public relations and sensitive handling of CP activities, respecting cultural nuances.

Collaborated with Monitoring and Evaluation experts to establish performance indicators and assess program results in gender and child protection. Participated in reviews with government and counterparts to determine necessary actions.

Contributed to policy and procedure development for CPGAP and implemented capacity-building initiatives to enhance competencies in child protection and gender-based violence programs.

International Development Law Organization (IDLO) June 2011- March 2018 (8 yrs.)

Kabul, Afghanistan

Program Technical Director/Sr. Gender Justice Advisor for National Justice Support Sector Program (NJSS) &

Supporting Access to Justice for Afghanistan (SAJA) under Rule of Law Programs

Supervised 22 women’s centers in Afghanistan, including Women’s Protection Centers (WPCs) and 4 Children’s Support Centers, ensuring deliverables and outcomes for the SAJA II performance measurement plan (PMP).

Established the Afghan Shelter Network (ASN) to support the Ministry/Departments of Women’s Affairs (MOWA/DOWA), building technical capacity and linking shelters to gender justice resources, including INL-funded programs.

Enhanced IDLO WPC personnel capacity to achieve PMP targets by revising legal training materials from a gender perspective and developing new trainings for legal professionals. Conducted assessments like Maturity Capacity Model.

Developed and implemented Reintegration, Media, and Confidentiality Policies for WPC Guidelines, establishing compliance standards with MOWA’s WPC Regulation. Created a Media Network for Violence against Women and Children and connected shelters to gender justice resources, including US State Department-funded programs.

Supervised awareness campaigns and advocacy on Elimination of violence against women (EVAW), Child trafficking and collaborated with the Colombo Plan to build WPC sustainability. Maintained relationships with networks to include relevant governmental stakeholders, the UN and/or civil society actors.

Prepared monitoring and evaluation plans for the WPC component, including reports to the SAJA II Chief of Party, and coordinated financial forecasts and expenditures. Developed proposals for new initiatives.

Booz Allan and Hamilton / The Masy Group December 2009-February 2011 (2 yrs.)

Northern Virginia/Washington D.C/ Various US States

Sr. Instructor for Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Expertise Training Programs w/DAI-Defense Intelligence Agency

Designed and delivered comprehensive courses for the AFPAK Regional Expertise Training Program, covering Culture and Language, Economics of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Gender issues, with a special focus on Narcotics and Opium culture in Afghanistan.

Taught at various Military Base Units, CENTCOM, and the National Defense University, instructing military, government, and contract personnel, including intelligence professionals, deploying to Afghanistan, or working on related projects.

Developed and taught specialized courses for the Afghan Hands Program on preventing Islamic radicalization. Created advanced specialization courses on Infrastructure and Economic Development, focusing on Economic Donor Aid environment.

Project on Telecommunications for Afghanistan

Researched and wrote proposals for business development and technology advancement, including a special project with the US Telecom Industry to enhance Afghanistan's Telecommunication sector.

Co-authored and edited proposals for new projects in Afghanistan's Telecommunication Industry.

ARZU, Inc. Washington DC/Kabul, Afghanistan September 2005-December 2008 (5 yrs.)

Program Director of Development

Missions: Afghanistan Slovakia, Finland, Norway, Czech Republic, Turkey, and Bratislava

Carpet Industry

Led field projects to expand USAID-funded Arzu program, ensuring compliance and monitoring progress.

Conducted research and consultation with international institutions on emerging markets, gender roles, and quality assurance. Collaborated with regional research groups to analyze the carpet sector and income generation for Afghan women.

Education and Health

Expanded Arzu projects based on field work coordinating registrations, monitoring programs, and leading workshops for capacity building. Coordinated Community Health Worker programs, midwife training, and child and mother development workshops. Developed projects on vocational education, maternal and child development, and income generation, ensuring compliance with Arzu and USAID requirements.

Project expansion of Arzu’s project objectives, based on field work. Expansion would include coordination of registrations, monitoring existing programs, preparing workshops and seminars for capacity building of programs and staff while initiating new projects (i.e., water reservoir, a Hamam, water filter systems etc.) for the betterment of rural communities.

Coordinated programs of Community Health Workers and training of assistant Midwives. Worked closely with health officials on child-mother development workshops, post, and pre-natal care for mother- child, and immunizations for new borns.

Project development on vocational education, maternal and child development, while providing project leadership and monitoring to the regional offices, clinics, and local primary education for women and children. Conducting compliance with Arzu’s educational literacy requirements, maternal health care services, and as well as building capacity for the income generation programs within the rural communities. Led gender related project development on vocational literacy education, from primary to secondary schooling.

Verified compliances with Arzu’s education requirements, 3) obtain feedback on the health care benefits and services, and 4) Income generation program for rural communities. Regularly visiting schools, literacy, and fast track classes in order to monitor student attendance and (at the literacy/fast track classes) project quality.

Regularly worked with medical service providers in order to monitor project quality assurance and family participation/outcomes; provided local staff capacity and training programs.

Provided analytical research on programs to improve medical technology, dissemination, and adoption in the region through collective efforts, training, and capacity building of midwives; strengthening national health institutions by mobilizing human, financial and technological resources to implement and sustain demand-driven markets.

Agriculture

Analyzed emerging markets in Afghanistan's agricultural sector, including food processing and new technology. Participated in USAID and FAO training programs to identify access to markets for locally produced products.

Developed and implemented regional research programs, adding value to national livelihood programs with donor support. Conducted programmatic consultation and information exchange between international institutions and partners on emerging markets within the commercial carpet industry.

Initiated joint sub-regional research projects focused on gender roles, defining objectives and priorities at the micro and macro-economic levels of the carpet industry, with due diligence in the analysis of quality assurance and skill set of women clients, child labor protection issues, transportation issues, acquisition of raw materials, and access to local commercial markets.

Collaborated among regional and national economic research groups for further analysis of the carpet sector and income generation for Afghan women, including access to international markets defining gaps and constraints within the commercial markets.

Provided effective implementation strategies and analysis of emerging markets of Afghanistan’s agricultural sector, including food processing mechanisms, equipment, and new technology effectiveness. Participated in training programs funded by USAID and FAO, targeted towards the analysis of identifying access to markets for locally produced dried fruits and processed vegetables.

Developed and ensured effective implementation of regional research for development programs. Added value to national programs on livelihoods with donor support on emerging markets within the agricultural sector, to include fish farms, dairy products, and potato storages.

The World Bank Group/World Bank Institute Washington, DC January 2002-August 2006 (4 yrs.)

Sr. Researcher and Program Coordinator Consultant (Microfinance)

Led an economic research project which demonstrated economic analysis in micro-finance effectiveness with women’s participation. Managing research teams, conducting qualitative impact assessments of micro-finance efforts in Afghan provinces, focusing on the role of women.

Worked with local and international microfinance institutions on improving portfolios and work programs. I have a solid understanding on Afghanistan’s micro-finance programs and have worked towards improving its challenges and constraints.

Published impact analysis study on, “The positive and negative changes produced by microfinance.” This study supported gender equality and provided information assisting in the design of rural and urban development programs.

Conducted numerous qualitative methods surveys of microfinance from inception to completion and delivery. This included household interviews, observations, case histories and focus group discussions.

Household interviews and on-site observation including case histories and focus group discussions as well as obtaining assessments from key informants. Survey was conducted in four regions of Afghanistan including Herat, Balkh, Bamyan and Kabul.

Supported gender equality study as a policy objective by providing the Ministry of Rural Reconstruction and Development, the Micro-finance Investment Support Faculty for Afghanistan (MISFA), the Micro finance Institutions and other development partners with information that will assist them in designing or realigning rural and urban development programs that enhance the economic and social empowerment of Afghan women.

The World Bank Institute March-2003-July 2005 (2 yrs.)

Afghanistan Project Coordinator/Consultant, Global Development Learning Network

Missions: Afghanistan and India

Video Conferences: Global Dialogue Series for Gender

Conducted a 12-part videoconference between Kabul and Washington based centers of the Institute’s Global Dialogue Series. Programs dealt with gender issues, governance, political participation, education, employment, legal, health, human rights, trade, media, and Information Technology.

Facilitated the exchange of information and technology among urban and rural institutions, promoting partnerships between public, private, civil society, and international organizations.

Governance, Leadership, and the Parliamentarian Elections in Afghanistan

Conducted skills training sponsored by the British Council for Afghanistan’s Parliamentarian candidates; this included training in leadership skills, media relations, and political advocacy. A separate follow up to the project included a written toolkit for Afghan Women leaders.

Health Poverty and Gender VC Training

Conducted a series of videoconferences and training workshops on health, poverty, and gender of the South Asia region for the World Bank which included NGO and Afghan government participation.

Conducted numerous training programs and assessments resulting in several comprehensive studies: “A National Development Framework and Budget;” “MoH Policy and Strategy Extracts from Securing Afghanistan's Future;” “Afghanistan's National Human Development Report.”

World Bank Institute -Central Asia Region October-2003-June 2004

Project Coordinator/Consultant, Global Development Learning Network

Supported knowledge sharing and understanding of gender dimensions of reforms in Central Asia in the areas of economic empowerment, social protection, and property entitlements.

Supported the development and implementation of strategies for gender-responsive legislative reform through country-focused programs.

Prepared content development for a series of distance learning dialogues for Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Brussels.

World Bank South Asia Region-Country Team Unit January 2002-February 2003

Database Development Consultant of Afghanistan

Conducted workshops, conferences and research on reconstruction and development projects for the Afghanistan Directory of Expertise.

Prepared briefs for WB’s Afghan country team on multilateral activities related to the international donor community and the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).

The Development Gateway- Afghanistan Reconstruction Focus January 2002-January 2003

Editor

Developed content for the gateway website highlighting Afghanistan Reconstruction; subjects included: Gender, Refugees & IDPs, Culture and Religion of Afghanistan.

AMC, (National Advocacy Group) Washington, DC March 2000 –May 1998

Director of Chapters /Grassroots Outreach/Lobbying

Promoted grassroots organization and citizen empowerment by providing necessary information and training for citizens throughout North America.

Organized numerous press conferences and participated as a national conference speaker to educate citizens on voter registration and political participation.

Developed and implemented fundraising campaigns. Lead communications, media, and public relations outreach.

American Task Force for Bosnia (Coalition of Human Rights) July 1996- December 1997

Legislative Assistant

Organized national grassroots outreach projects and worked closely with members of Congress and other key staffers. Researched and drafted language for Bosnia related legislation proposals.

EDUCATION:

Master of Administration in Education Distance Learning and Adult Training, University of Arizona 2006

Bachelor of Arts in International Relations- George Mason University, Fairfax VA 1996

Minor in Global Systems, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 1996

Certification Yale School of Management- Yale University Executive Education June 2021

Women’s Leadership Program

Certificate, Program of Peacekeeping Policy George Mason University, Arlington, VA 2000

RESEARCH PROJECTS AND PUBLICATIONS

The Challenge of Implementing Gender Responsive Legislation in Central Asia-(The World Bank)

Microfinance and Gender Roles in Afghanistan-Research and Assessment Report- 2006 (World Bank and Microfinance Support Investment Agency of Afghanistan)

Afghan Women’s Protection Center’s Guideline- International Development Law Organization (IDLO)

https://issuu.com/idlonews/docs/women_s_protection_centers_guidelin (Dari, Pashto, and English)

Women’s Professional Participation in Afghanistan’s Justice Sector: Challenges and Opportunities (IDLO)

https://issuu.com/idlonews/docs/idlo_afghan_report

AWSF IV Afghan Women’s Shelter Fund, Final Closure Report- 2024 (The Colombo Plan)

Link AWSF IV (closure report)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nzvuxydmgbsSvJtGtM-fjaI1Z70mPJWD/view?usp=drive_link

SPECIAL SKILLS: Native Fluency: English, and Persian Dari; Very good in Urdu/Hindi languages; familiarity with Arabic, and French languages

SPECIAL PANELS:

International Congress of Women at Work, Ankara, Turkey

Honorary Speaker to the Embassy of Finland, Norway, Bratislava, Slovakia, Czech Republic.

Persian Gender Network, Harvard University and the World Bank-Boston, MA

American Task Force of Bosnia- Washington DC- Special Report on Sanjak

Debriefing at the White House on Afghanistan Washington, DC

George Mason University Program of Peacekeeping Policy- Arlington, VA

World Bank Seminar: Afghanistan Directory Expertise & Repatriation Efforts

Rebuilding a Nation: Afghanistan Reconstruction and Reconciliation- University of Connecticut

Mobilization and Civic Empowerment (WAMA) Conference, Westchester, New York

Effective Grassroots Strategy: Political Enfranchisement and Muslim Activism

Americans for Tax Reform- Washington, DC-Special Topic Women in Afghanistan

Vital Voices- Georgetown University- Wash. DC- Global Voices for Development for Afghan Women

Supporting Access to Justice in Afghanistan (SAJA) – Women’s Protection Center (WPC) Study Tour India

RECOGNITION AWARDS

Award of Service from the US Afghanistan Embassy

Recognition and Speaker for US Embassies of Finland, Norway, Czech Republic, Bratislava, Slovakia

Recognition for contributions to women’s empowerment in Turkey’s International Congress by the Prime Minister- Ankara, Turkey.

Award of Appreciation from Sarah Lawrence College for the WAMA conference in NY

Global Literacy Conference, New York (Achieved recognition with the US Administration), NY

Recognition of Work with Afghanistan for Arzu- CEO Conference in NY

Recognition and Special mention in First Lady’s Speech on Global Literacy for Afghanistan- NY

Recognition & Participation of The Closing Bell on New York Stock Exchange with US’s First Lady.

HONORARY BOARD MEMBER:

AMFI-CHF International-Afghanistan’s Microfinance Institute (2007-2010)

Afghans4Tomorrow (2002-2014)

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