Cara Raboanarielina, PhD
About Cara Raboanarielina, PhD
Cara Raboanarielina, PhD, serves as the Strategic Learning Lead for DFSA Maharo, where she oversees the collection and dissemination of best practices within the Maharo Learning Strategy. She has a diverse background in project learning, evaluation, and adaptation, with extensive experience in various roles across organizations such as the Peace Corps and Catholic Relief Services.
Current Role at Catholic Relief Services
Cara Raboanarielina serves as the Strategic Learning Lead for the DFSA Maharo program at Catholic Relief Services. In this role, she leads the collection, analysis, documentation, and dissemination of best practices and lessons learned within the Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation Framework. She facilitates strategic review meetings and activities to share findings and gather inputs for effective adaptive management. Her work focuses on enhancing the learning strategy to improve project outcomes.
Previous Experience at Catholic Relief Services
Prior to her current position, Cara Raboanarielina worked at Catholic Relief Services as a Regional Technical Advisor for Agricultural Livelihoods & Learning in the Southern Africa Regional Office. This role lasted for five years, from 2015 to 2020, and was based in Lusaka, Zambia. During this time, she contributed to the development and implementation of agricultural livelihood strategies.
Education and Expertise
Cara Raboanarielina holds a dual B.A. in Sociology and French from Washington & Jefferson College, earned between 1994 and 1998. She furthered her education at Penn State University, where she obtained an M.Sc. in Rural Sociology from 2005 to 2007 and a Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and The Environment from 2007 to 2011. Her academic background supports her extensive experience in project learning and adaptation strategies.
Professional Background
Cara Raboanarielina has a diverse professional background. She began her career as an Agroforestry Volunteer with the Peace Corps in Madagascar from 1999 to 2002. She then worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at The Pennsylvania State University from 2005 to 2011. Following this, she served as a Social Scientist at the Africa Rice Center in Cotonou, Benin, from 2011 to 2015, and as an Administrator/Project Assistant at ERM from 2002 to 2005.
Skills in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning
Cara Raboanarielina has developed significant expertise in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL). She has led MEAL staff and program management in developing and reviewing annual learning plans. Her focus on knowledge acquisition, management, documentation, and dissemination has been crucial in enhancing project effectiveness and fostering adaptive management practices.