TL;DR: As a trainee then project consultant at GIZ, I contributed to a project supporting business continuity for MSMEs during the pandemic. I coordinated public-private collaborations for a mobile learning platform, developed tools, curated content, and explored private sector synergies. This experience fostered my growth and understanding of the power of public-private collaborations in promoting resilience.
Hitting the Ground Running
In March 2020, I embarked on a journey with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH as a trainee. Supporting the Policy, Partnership, and Business Development team of the Regulatory Framework Promotion of Pro-poor Insurance Markets (RFPI III Asia), I had the opportunity to engage with partners in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
The Pandemic had just hit Manila in March 2021. During this time, I was deeply involved in the project conception, proposal writing, strategic planning, and procurement process of a novel COVID-19 Response Project to ensure business continuity for MSMEs in the Philippines. This experience allowed me to deepen my understanding of risk finance strategies and solutions, and I felt privileged to contribute to a project that had the potential to impact millions of MSMEs across these countries.
The Leap to Project Consultant
Following my trainee period, I transitioned into a project consultant role in October 2020, a position I held for six months. My primary responsibility was coordinating the collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders for a GIZ-funded learning management platform. This platform, in the form of a mobile application, was designed to increase the resilience and business continuity of MSMEs during pandemics and extreme weather events.
Find a snippet of the Launch of the Mobile Application we developed with our partners below.
Fostering Collaboration and Innovation
A major part of my role as a project consultant involved facilitating bi-monthly stakeholder Task Force meetings. These meetings brought together key national ministries and organizations focused on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. The collaboration fostered in these meetings played a crucial role in shaping the learning platform, contents, and strategies to onboard MSMEs across the country.
Building Effective Tools and Strategies
As a project consultant, I had the opportunity to develop the Business Continuity Planning module, a tool designed to auto-generate business continuity plans for MSMEs. I also created an e-learning module on Risk Management and Insurance Awareness. These tools were instrumental in enhancing the platform's value for its users.
In addition, I developed a stakeholder engagement strategy and a sustainability roadmap for the application. These elements ensured the long-term viability and impact of the platform.
Curating and Digitizing Content
Another key responsibility involved supporting the content curation workflow. This included reviewing existing capacity-building materials on climate risk and disaster risk and coordinating the digitization of relevant RFPI III Asia-led training modules. Through these efforts, we created further knowledge products to equip the platform with the most effective learning resources.
Harnessing Private Sector Synergies
A significant part of my role involved exploring private-sector synergies and fostering industry linkages. This exploration allowed us to enhance the project activities through innovative approaches and collaborations with actors in the field of development cooperation.
Reflecting on the Journey
Looking back on my time at GIZ, from my start as a trainee to my role as a project consultant, it was a tremendous growth and learning period. I'm gratified to reflect on the impact we made through our work, supporting MSMEs in their quest for business continuity and resilience. The experiences and lessons from this role continue to shape my understanding of the power of public-private collaboration in driving change and creating a more resilient future.
My Personal Key Learnings
Value of Partnerships: I gained a deep appreciation for the power and potential of public-private partnerships in driving sustainable change.
Project Management Skills: Managing different aspects of our project honed my skills in planning, implementing, and evaluating development projects.
Effective Communication: Facilitating meetings and engaging with stakeholders improved my communication skills and taught me the importance of understanding various perspectives.
Risk Awareness: Developing risk management tools enhanced my understanding of the complexities of risk and how to communicate about it effectively.
Digital Transformation: Coordinating the digitization of learning resources gave me firsthand experience with the digital transformation of education.
Long-term Thinking: Creating a sustainability roadmap for our platform underlined the importance of considering the long-term impact from the outset.
Private Sector Innovation: Exploring private sector synergies showed me the innovative potential that businesses can bring to development projects.
Understanding MSMEs: Working directly to support MSMEs during a pandemic gave me invaluable insights into their challenges and importance in the economy.
Proposal Development: Writing project proposals and planning strategically underscored the value of clear, compelling communication in securing support for our initiatives.
Cultural Sensitivity: Engaging with international partners broadened my cultural perspective and highlighted the importance of cultural sensitivity in global development work.