Aoife Mccullough Email & Phone Number

Niamey, Niamey Urban Community, Ne

London, United Kingdom

I am currently doing a PhD on foreign military presence and state legitimacy

London, United Kingdom

www.aoifemccullough.com

London, United Kingdom

I worked on the Politics and Governance Team focusing on providing research and analysis on conflict, political settlements and how to support state legitimacy. While Research Fellow, I led a cross country research project on the link between public services and state legitimacy. The findings were published as part of the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (securelivelihoods.org) and helped shape the British Stabilisation Unit's strategy. I also researched and wrote on the changing political environment in Niger for USAID and the Office of Transition Initiatives.

Bristol, United Kingdom

I provided political economy analysis and policy advice to governments and aid agencies to inform governance and humanitarian programmes in conflict-affected areas. I led or contributed to a range of conflict and governance analyses including a conflict analysis in Mali for the Norwegian Refugee Council and a Country Governance Analysis in Pakistan for the British Department for International Development. As extractives became increasingly important for many post-conflict states in Africa, I used my political and social analysis skills to advise the French Development Agency (Agence Francaise de Développement) and the private sector on understanding the impact of extractives on local and national conflict dynamics. I also researched and wrote on the challenges of operating in fragile states, including a review of monitoring and evaluation techniques in conflict-affected environments and a set of recommendations for planning in fragile states for the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding coordinated by OECD.

As part of a team of 16, I conducted conflict analysis to improve understanding around existing and potential causes and triggers of violence in Southern Sudan.

Project Title: ‘The Cost of a Good Deed – Project Monitoring in Post-Conflict Environments and the Application of the Logframe’. I researched monitoring tools for stabilization and peace-building programmes in post-conflict situations and developed a set of recommendations for incorporating the tools into the revised DFID Logframe.

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

I evaluated a multifaceted education programme which aimed to increase student retention in formal education in disadvantaged outer areas of Dublin. The results informed the Tolka Area Partnership 2009-2014 education strategy.

County Meath, Ireland

Using results from a consultation process, I designed and coordinated a pilot training programme (€130,000) to promote empowerment and leadership among women living in disadvantaged areas. A key area of focus was on promoting participation in local decision making structures and improving understanding of political processes. I managed a needs-analysis and evaluation to inform further work in promoting leadership among rural women.

GOAL, DRC Mar 2006 – Dec 2006I designed new systems of accountability and standardized formats for GOAL DRC’s logistics to reduce corruption and increase efficiency. I coordinated the implementation of the new systems (including the provision of intense capacity building of logistics staff) and within the first nine months, succeeded in reducing programme support costs by 10%. I also coordinated seeds and tools distributions to IDPsGOAL, Niger Jul 2005 – Dec 2005I assisted in the design and implementation of Livelihood Fairs (€400,000) and managed a General Distribution (€150,000) to support the recovery of vulnerable households in the Zinder region in East Niger. I incorporated monitoring mechanisms into both programmes to track both intended and unintended impacts.GOAL, Head Office, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, IrelandJuly 2004 to July 2005I managed and promoted the Management Information System as a reference tool. As a result of the initiatives I promoted, the development and submission of project proposals across GOAL became more streamlined. As a member of the Gender Working Group, I participated in formulating a gender policy, a Logistical Framework Analysis and a Toolkit to mainstream gender in GOAL.

SST is a National NGO working for the empowerment of rural women in a volatile area of Andhra Pradesh.I carried out a needs assessment in 15 primary schools to determine their suitability for a Rainwater Harvesting programme. I then developed a proposal for the construction of 10 Rainwater Harvesting Structures in primary and secondary schools in the Anantapur area and was awarded a grant of INR10,000 from the Government of India. I set up and managed the Rainwater Harvesting Programme, including the recruitment and management of builders, plumbers and labourers; initiation of water committees that represented both men and women; and management of an awareness building campaign. I carried out quantitative and qualitative research to evaluate the impact of SST’s work on women’s economic status, political awareness and literacy levels. The results were used to re-evaluate SST’s role in the empowerment of women.