By Olufunke Femi-Ojo
I am Olufunke Femi-Ojo, a graduate of Public Health from Babcock University Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State. I have a passion for studying human diseases and conducting clinical studies on how to improve the health of the public by collection and interpretation of public health information, data analysis, studying trends and making forecasts. In the near future, I intend to get a masters degree in Public Health with a focus on Biostatistics and Epidemiology as I would like to to work within the public health field, perhaps with a hospital, government agency or an international health organization. My passion for public health, led to my search for an organization suitable for jump starting my career. Then I found eHealth Africa.
I joined eHealth Africa (eHA) in September 2017 as an Intern with the Monitoring Evaluation & Research (MER) Department. The MER Department is responsible for assisting in monitoring and evaluation of eHA’s programmatic and project areas. Currently, the department assists with the development of outcome and output indicators in alignment with project’s outcomes. In addition, the MER department is responsible for monitoring and analyzing data that comes in from some of the projects, to ensure that activities and interventions done are contributing to the overall outcome and objective of the project. The department also provides support in generating and developing reports that are shared with stakeholders and donors.
Walking into the building I was a bundle of nerves with a blend of emotions: scared, anxious and also so expectant. Scared because I wasn't sure of what lay ahead of me, I thought I might have to struggle to fit in, anxious and expectant of the things I would learn and could add to the organization.
It did not take long for all my fears and anxiety to be laid to rest. The environment and people are not just welcoming but they are supportive in every way. eHA has a relaxed environment and just by sitting and observing I have learned the importance of teamwork as here there are different departments with varied roles but they all have to come together for a common good.
At eHA, I have gained a better understanding of my skill set and where my career may take me. Being a part of MER department has broadened my knowledge and expertise as I have learned to work with the programs department to collate and analyze data which are then used as internal quality assurance mechanism for project delivery. This is especially useful to me as I have acquired deep rooted knowledge about the methods and techniques of data collection and analysis which has taken me a step up my career ladder.
“... this hands-on approach is definitely priceless.
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Most of these experiences are knowledge I had gained in classroom but this hands-on approach is definitely priceless. It has served as a beneficial ending to my formal education. I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship thus far as the experience has been insightful and I now have very valuable experience under my belt.
We are hiring, come join us! We have several open position for interns in our offices. If you’d like to apply, or join the eHA team in any other capacity, head over to our Careers page to learn more about us.