Cecilia Ochoa Email & Phone Number

Billund, South Denmark, Denmark

Provides grant management support and program oversight to partners working in Africa and Asia, including learning through play projects in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, and Vietnam

Billund, Denmark

Supported implementation and served as the partner node for the cohort of grants under the Play Accelerator Initiative, which works with implementing partner NGOs and governments in embedding Learning Through Play in teacher professional development systems for primary school teachers and leaders.

Supported the Connecting Play and Education programme's Play Accelerator Initiative

Philippines

Provided technical inputs to basic education program design and development, technical presentations, and new business development tasks, as needed

Pasig City, Philippines

Provided technical leadership and management support to K-3 early grade reading program implementation in the Philippines covering eight public school divisions and benefiting 1.8 million learners. This included oversight of public school systems-embedded materials development and provision, teacher and school leadership Continuous Professional Development (CPD), and the design and implementation of the project’s M&E, research and reporting systems--including two DepEd-requested innovations on… Show more Provided technical leadership and management support to K-3 early grade reading program implementation in the Philippines covering eight public school divisions and benefiting 1.8 million learners. This included oversight of public school systems-embedded materials development and provision, teacher and school leadership Continuous Professional Development (CPD), and the design and implementation of the project’s M&E, research and reporting systems--including two DepEd-requested innovations on Reading Remediation and ICT for Reading. Show less

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Provided technical assistance to Save the Children's global education programs with a focus on reading development and basic education access and quality.• Led and supported a team of education specialists to provide focused technical assistance to country offices in adapting and/or implementing Literacy Boost, Save the Children’s signature program to improve early grades reading, covering reading assessments, teacher training, and community action and reading materials development… Show more Provided technical assistance to Save the Children's global education programs with a focus on reading development and basic education access and quality.• Led and supported a team of education specialists to provide focused technical assistance to country offices in adapting and/or implementing Literacy Boost, Save the Children’s signature program to improve early grades reading, covering reading assessments, teacher training, and community action and reading materials development. • Developed additional training modules, materials or program components in support of literacy, mother tongue-based multilingual education, and learning outcomes improvement• Assisted in program/project proposal development to expand Save the Children’s literacy and learning outcomes-focused programming• Countries directly assisted include Rwanda, Nepal, Bangladesh, Mali, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Burundi, Uganda Show less

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Provided focused technical assistance to country offices in adapting and/or implementing Literacy Boost. Country programs assisted include: Mali, the Philippines, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh• Supported networking, advocacy and program development linked to Basic Education issues, with a focus on literacy, early grades learning, and language in education issues• Served as technical backstop for sponsorship-funded basic education… Show more • Provided focused technical assistance to country offices in adapting and/or implementing Literacy Boost. Country programs assisted include: Mali, the Philippines, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh• Supported networking, advocacy and program development linked to Basic Education issues, with a focus on literacy, early grades learning, and language in education issues• Served as technical backstop for sponsorship-funded basic education programs in Bangladesh and Afghanistan Show less

Manila, Philippines

• Led in programming and resource generation initiatives and provided overall direction to Early Childhood Development, Basic Education, School Health & Nutrition, Adolescent Learning, and Education in Emergencies programming.• Provided technical support and supervision to National Specialists for Early Childhood Development and Basic Education in the design, monitoring and evaluation of sectoral programming. • Provided technical oversight and supervision to grant-funded project teams… Show more • Led in programming and resource generation initiatives and provided overall direction to Early Childhood Development, Basic Education, School Health & Nutrition, Adolescent Learning, and Education in Emergencies programming.• Provided technical support and supervision to National Specialists for Early Childhood Development and Basic Education in the design, monitoring and evaluation of sectoral programming. • Provided technical oversight and supervision to grant-funded project teams in Mindanao, including the USAID-funded ASCEND Mindanao program and its successor grant under EQuALLS2 • Liaised and coordinated with education program partners such as the Department of Education, UNICEF, Council for the Welfare of Children, Education Network, among others. • Represented Save the Children in the National Early Childhood Care & Development (ECCD) Management Committee under the GRP’s Council for the Welfare of Children.• Major accomplishments: Facilitated the development of the Early Steps to School Success program, which provided for a continuum of early childhood development supports for children aged 0-8. Led in the development of the approved basic education successor program under EQuALLS2, effectively expanding Save the Children’s geographic coverage to a total of 17 cities and municipalities. Helped to secure and oversee the original ASCEND two-year US$2.6 million USAID cooperative agreement for basic education initiatives in Mindanao. Expanded education grants portfolio and geographic coverage into additional areas in Cotabato, Zamboanga Sur, Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Maguindanao. Established a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Education to cover Mindanao education program partnership. Assisted in global and regional discussions and direction-setting for agency-wide education strategy Show less

Save the Children's REDI Team is composed of staff from various country offices worldwide. It provides “surge capacity” technical assistance to requesting field offices or emergency response operations. As an Education Specialist on the REDI Team, I undertook the following tasks:• Served as Georgia Country Office ECD and Education Advisor on temporary duty assignment, November – December 2008• Led in the development of an emergency education program response to the Philippine Country… Show more Save the Children's REDI Team is composed of staff from various country offices worldwide. It provides “surge capacity” technical assistance to requesting field offices or emergency response operations. As an Education Specialist on the REDI Team, I undertook the following tasks:• Served as Georgia Country Office ECD and Education Advisor on temporary duty assignment, November – December 2008• Led in the development of an emergency education program response to the Philippine Country Office Southern Leyte Mudslides in February 2005• During the Pakistan Emergency Response Team deployment from October to December 2005, provided the following technical assistance in the wake of the October 8 earthquake: Drafted a Training Module for Safe Play Spaces Child Facilitators; Trained SC education/protection staff in conducting safe play spaces training, and supervised initial training sessions conducted by staff; Drafted a community mobilization guide for setting up Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS); Conducted initial school-community assessments and TLS community meetings, trained/supervised staff in conducting these TLS community mobilization processes; Drafted a three-day Teacher Training Module for the TLS program, and assisted in the conduct of the first teacher training session for the teachers of three GGPS (government girls primary schools); Drafted a workshop session guide for training School Management Committee members recruited to manage/monitor temporary learning spaces Show less

DEPTH stands for Decentralized Professional Technical Help Team. The team provides additional technical assistance to requesting field offices and participates in strategic direction setting for the global Save the Children education programs. Members were chosen competitively from applicants coming from Save the Children's 40+ country office education teams. As a member of the DEPTH team, I undertook the following specific tasks:• Conducted a mid-term technical assistance program… Show more DEPTH stands for Decentralized Professional Technical Help Team. The team provides additional technical assistance to requesting field offices and participates in strategic direction setting for the global Save the Children education programs. Members were chosen competitively from applicants coming from Save the Children's 40+ country office education teams. As a member of the DEPTH team, I undertook the following specific tasks:• Conducted a mid-term technical assistance program review for Save the Children’s Vietnam Country Office in January 2007, focused on their ADB/Japan Social Development Fund Early Childhood Development Project in Quang Tri province• Participated in the US Programs sponsorship review of Southeast Area Office (SAO) programs, March 2008, to help assess technical/program design aspects of sponsorship-funded programming in partner elementary schools and districts• Co-facilitated sessions in the 2008 Asia Area Education PLG focused on Literacy, held in Hanoi, Vietnam Show less

• Provided technical inputs in the design and development of basic education and life skills education-related programs in Save the Children (SC) impact areas in Metro Manila and West Visayas. • Led in the design and development of Secondary Education interventions for adolescents, including school motivation/drop-out prevention programs, life skills-based life planning and citizenship workshops, youth-led community service projects, among others• Led in the design and facilitation of… Show more • Provided technical inputs in the design and development of basic education and life skills education-related programs in Save the Children (SC) impact areas in Metro Manila and West Visayas. • Led in the design and development of Secondary Education interventions for adolescents, including school motivation/drop-out prevention programs, life skills-based life planning and citizenship workshops, youth-led community service projects, among others• Led in the design and facilitation of multi-stakeholder School Improvement Planning processes with SC’s partner public elementary and high schools, in support of the education decentralization thrust of the Department of Education (RA 9155). • Provided oversight in the design, implementation and evaluation of the Reading for Kids program, a reading remediation intervention fostering strong parent and community involvement in improving the skills of struggling readers from Grades 1-3. • Led in the monitoring and evaluation efforts for the Elementary/Secondary Education subsector, including the tracking of key education data and performance indicators of partner public schools.• Led in the implementation of curriculum enhancement and materials development processes with partner public schools, focused on integrating health-related behavioral messages (Summit Project) and life skills in the delivery of elementary and secondary education competencies. • Designed and facilitated the Asia Area Workshop on Life Skills and Citizenship Education for Save the Children staff and partners from various field offices, held in Kathmandu, Nepal, November 2002. Show less

• Provided oversight in the conduct of policy research on agrarian reform and rural development. • Managed the different communications and public education initiatives of the institute, including the Rural Broadcasting program, the Community Communications Training program, and Rural Publications and Media Liaison program. • Provided technical inputs to the institute’s field office education and communications programs in the Visayas and Mindanao.

• Taught History of Journalism (Journalism 100) and Introduction to Journalism (Journalism 101) classes at the Department of Journalism.

• Wrote and edited articles for the institute’s in-house publications. • Prepared project proposals and progress reports on community communications initiatives. • Served as facilitator to the institute’s community communications outreach training programs.

Diploma In Language And Literacy Education

Master Of Public Administration, Public Policy And Program Management

Dean's List graduate, November 2000

Ba Communication, Journalism

Activities and Societies: Senior Editor - Philippine Collegian (1987-1989), Internal Secretary - UP Journalism Club (1986) Graduated cum.