IFA Data for Development Fellowship: Empowering Youth for the Future: The IFA Data for Development Fellowship is a transformative program designed to equip young people in Sierra Leone with practical skills in data collection, cleaning, analysis, and visualization, anchored in real-world, community-driven development projects. Rooted in the principles of citizen-led data science, the fellowship empowers youth to take ownership of development narratives and drive solutions grounded in evidence.
Fellowship Overview
- Cohort Size: 5–10 fellows per cycle
- Duration: 1 to 6 months (adjustable based on project needs)
- Eligibility: Recent graduates or final-year university students with an interest in development, statistics, ICT, or social sciences.
- Recruitment: A rigorous multi-step process including application screening, aptitude tests, and interviews
- Training Components:
- Introduction to data for development and citizen-generated data
- Mobile-based data collection tools
- Data cleaning and management using Excel and Python
- Basic data analysis and visualization using tools like Power BI or Tableau
- Ethics, data protection, and working with marginalized communities
Hands-On Learning Through Real Projects
Fellows will work on live projects in areas such as education access, health service gaps, youth employment, or disaster preparedness. These projects are implemented in partnership with community-based organizations, ensuring fellows’ work has a direct social impact and builds local capacity.
Fellowship Outcomes
By the end of the program, fellows will:
- Develop a portfolio of data work applied to real development challenges
- Gain mentorship and peer collaboration experience.
- Strengthen employability in research, M&E, and development roles
- Be considered for future roles within IFA or recommended to partner organizations