Rakiswendé Léon Ouédraogo

Executive Profile

Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning specialist with 20+ years of experience supporting USAID and other donor-funded programs across West and East Africa. Expert in designing MEAL and CLA systems for complex, multi-country portfolios, strengthening partner capacity, and translating data into adaptive management decisions in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

Core Competencies

MEAL • CLA • Knowledge Management • Data Quality Assurance • Partner Capacity Strengthening • Adaptive Management • Sectors: WASH; Resilience & Food Security; Disaster Risk Management; Governance & Social Cohesion; and Maternal & Child Health & Nutrition

Selected Achievements

• Coordinated the knowledge management, CLA, and MEAL strategy for the USAID-funded SCC Program ($16M), covering 42 RISE II implementing partners in Burkina Faso and Niger; produced 16 learning notes and scaled use of “Pause and Reflect” and After-Action Reviews across partners.
• Led baseline studies, rapid needs assessment, endline survey, ex-post survey, and final evaluations of projects funded by various donors: USAID, Conrad Hilton Foundation, EU, GIZ, and more.
• Developed and delivered CLA training curriculum, training 86 staff across six cohorts and institutionalizing learning processes for RISE II partners.
• Designed community-based online reporting platform with CNFA, Winrock, ACDI/VOCA, and ONBF, enabling local land-tenure monitoring when insecurity prevented field travel.
• Co-led Gates Foundation-funded INSPIRE Project knowledge systems ($21M), developing baseline assessments, national strategies, and standardized indicators for integration of FP, MNCH, and nutrition in seven countries.
• Produced and led regional learning platforms, including three regional webinars (50–120 participants each) and co-creation of the INSPIRE Info Santé regional knowledge journal.
• Led national WASH MEAL systems strengthening for WaterAid in Burkina Faso, including EU and UNICEF-funded baselines, annual data verification (DQA-style processes), and post-implementation reviews.
• Contributed to national WASH policy change in Burkina Faso, supporting advocacy that helped secure constitutional recognition of access to water and sanitation as social rights.

Professional Experience

• Knowledge Management, MEAL, & CLA Coordinator, SCC Program (USAID), Mercy Corps (Burkina Faso and Niger) (August 2020–October 2024).
• Documentation & Communication Officer, INSPIRE Project (Gates Foundation), IntraHealth International (Multi-Country) (September 2018–July 2020).
• Research, Documentation, & Follow-Up Management Officer, Burkina Faso Country Program, WaterAid (March 2013–June 2018).
• Farmers’ Organizations Lead, OCADES (Burkina Faso) (March 2011–February 2013).
• Program Assistant, Laboratoire Citoyennetés (BUCO/Swiss Cooperation) (November 2007–February 2011).
• M&E Officer, Réseau MARP (March 2005–November 2007).
• Short-Term Consultancies, MEAL, CLA, Knowledge Management, and Capacity Building (2003–2025).

Education & Certifications

M.S., Sociology (Anthropology of Development), University of Ouagadougou, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

B.S., Sociology, University of Ouagadougou, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Certifications: Participatory Decentralized Development (World Bank Institute), Results-Based Management (Apidon Institute, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso), Project Management (PM-DPRO,), CLA for Resilience (RCLA) (Mercy Corps)

Languages & Tools

Fluent: French, Mooré, English

Tools: MS Office, ArcGIS, STATA, SPSS, SPHINX, Kobo Collect, Ona.io, PMB, Google Workspace