Recently, I received congratulatory messages on LinkedIn for my 5th year anniversary working with L-IFT. This made me realize how time just flies when you are enjoying what you do and have wonderful colleagues.
I joined L-IFT when it was working on the YouthStart diaries project in Ethiopia and Togo by analyzing the data and writing reports for the project. From then on, I was able to participate from the inception to the completion of various projects.
I have grown with L-IFT both on a professional level and a personal level. L-IFT, with its international team, gave me an opportunity to meet and work with people from different backgrounds and cultures. I got a chance to travel to Uganda and Nigeria and had the opportunity to do recruiting, training, and field visits in these countries. Even though I am a shy and quiet person, I learned to step out of my comfort zone in giving training and managing people. I developed my skills in data analysis and writing from different research projects. Within the variety of responsibilities I have with L-IFT, I genuinely love converting the mass data collected into written text that will make sense to readers and do justice to the findings. It gives me a thrill knowing that also, these go to the right decision-makers and possibly could change lives.
One of the perks of working with L-IFT is the ability to work from home. Although, I must admit working remotely has its own challenges such as the feeling of isolation and sometimes finding yourself working all the time as there is no clear distinction between work and home. The greatest advantage for me was that it allowed me to be there for precious moments of my little daughter and see her grow up. I also learned to manage my time effectively and balance every aspect of my life to manage deadlines.
All in all, I am forever grateful for all the adventures and opportunities provided to me. Looking forward to the next 5 years.
By: Mahlet Alemayehu