I am interested in the role that evaluation plays in population studies specifically in developing countries where population data may not always be up to date or accurate. I do not know much about population studies but because evaluation and data analytics is important to evaluation, I want to learn what this field of study has to offer my field of study.
Paidamoyo Chikate (Paida) is a PhD student in Evaluation Studies and Data Analytics in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She holds a BA in English Literature and Gender Studies from the College of Saint Benedict and a masters’ degree in Public Policy. Her background is in international development and evaluation. She has worked with international organizations in partnership with small scale West African female farmers, youth development in Morocco and mental health access for Syrian women during the Syrian civil war. She has also worked as an evaluator for the United Nations on Sustainable Development Goals 5 AND 6 in Africa. She is a community oriented evaluator who believes that the experiences stakeholders bring can improve programs locally and globally, when listened to and applied.