Birara Chekol Tarekegn has 18 years of experience working for government agencies and the UN in Ethiopia. He has held several roles related to integrated watershed development, natural resource management, rural development projects, training, and monitoring and evaluation. Currently, he is a technical advisor for the UN World Food Program's Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transitions project.

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Curriculum Vitae
Name: BIRARA CHEKOL TAREKEGN
Residence: PoBox2317, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Cell phone: (+251)922 44 96 47 or 918 77 92 00
Office (+251)11 552 53 22
Email: birara123@gmail.com/birara.chekol@wfp.org
Nationality: Ethiopian
Birth date: 17/03/1973
Marital status: Married
1. Professional profile
I have 18 years professional as well as managerial experience at government and UN Agency in
different positions. Key deliverables that I had been involved includes: Coordination, Water
Harvesting, Soil and Water Conservation Technnologies, Integrated Watershed Development
Planning and Management Training, Integrated Rural Development Programs & Projects; Project
plan, Participatory planning process, development of Project Exit Strategy & implementation
guidelines, Training Materials Preparation, Monitoring and Evaluation of development projects
and Report writing.
2. Work Experience
1.1. UN World Food Program, Managing Environmental Resources toEnable Transitions for
more Sustainable Livelihoods (MERET) project, 03/01/2011 to date
 Technical advisor (outposted) for MERET project,MoA
 Provide technical support to the regions and field staff engaged in the planning and
implementation of MERET and Productive Safety Net Public works (PSNP) programs,
 Provide Training of Trainers (TOT)on techniques and technologies of natural resource
management, sustainable land management,water harvesting and Integrated
Watershed Development and Management including planning methodologies for
government partners,
 Design strategies andworking guidelines for undertaking MERET project phasing out,
 Prepare an integrated community based watershed management and development,
technical training materials.
 Provide training for government staffand technicalsupport in the area of Rural, Farm
Business Enterprises Management for improving the livelihoods of project
beneficiaries
1.2. ANRS, Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development (BoARD)

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 Regional MERET Project Coordinator,07/20/2007 to 02/15/2011
 Provide Training for Trainers (TOT) and implementers on Community Based
Integrated Watershed Management and Planning (CBPWD) and development
technologies including water management and water harvesting technologies,
 Prepare and facilitate the region’s physical & financial plan of the project,
 Designresources (finance and food grain) allocation criteria for the districts and follow
up the operational status at each point of intervention for undertaking performance
based reallocation,
 Design monitoring & Evaluation plan and facilitate/conduct performance
measurement and reporting,
 Promote diversified income generation activities for better livelihood improvement,
 Compile, analyse and prepare the project performance on output and outcome level,
and submit to World Food Program, Bureau of Finance and Economic Development
(BoFED) and for other stakeholders,
 Manage and provide leadership support to 23 districts and 118 community watershed
sites of MERET project activities
 Manage and coordinate activities of the 5 project staff,
 Coordinate , organize and conduct participatory watershed development trainings for
worried staff and community,
 Organize and facilitate regional level review meetings and follow up on action points,
 Facilitate inthe projectmonitoring,evaluationandexperiencesharing eventsandprogramme
oversightmissions,
 Liaise with concerned stakeholders at regional and national levels.
 Soil and water conservation and M&E Expert, 10/01/2006 to 07/30/2007
 Provide training in Integrated Community Based Watershed Development (CBPWD)
and watershed development technologies,
 Organize and facilitate community development training,
 Provide technical support on watershed planning and management, soil and water
conservation and water management and water harvesting technologies
 Provide Results Based Management(RBM) training for district level professionals
 District office of Agriculture and Rural Development
Head, 05/26/1998 to 07/11/2005
 Manage and coordinate district Agricultural and rural development activities,
 Provide strategic leadership for the district staff,
 Provide training and technical support to district experts, development Agents and
farmers in soil and water conservation technologies, planning, M&E, soil and water
conservation activities,

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 Compile Quarterly and yearly project progress reports and submit for all the
stakeholders,
 Manage project and regular budget utilization
 Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation&Development Fund (ESRDF)
Focal Point for District development fund, 2002-2004
 Coordinate and facilitate the planning, implementation and regular M&E of Rural
Development Activities (water resource development and management, farmers
training centre establishment and other agriculturaldevelopment activities supported
by ESRDF at district level.
 Prepare regular performance and activity report to the regional ESRDF office and to
other partners
 Facilitate and organize the monitoring, evaluation and experience sharing event of
the programme missions in the district
 Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) and Irrigation expert at district level, 1990-
1997
 Provide technical support for community level assigned development agents,
 Handle woreda level SWC & Irrigation agronomy disciplines being as a subject matter
specialist
 Provide practical based training in the area of SWC and Irrigation agronomy
 Take over and cascade skill and knowledge development trainings as required
 Prepare district level weekly, monthly, quarterly, biannually and yearly reports
3. Education
 MBA, Concentration in Project Management on progress
 MPS, International Agriculture and Rural Development, Cornell University, NY, USA,
(CGPA: 3.91/4.00)
 BSc, Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University,
(CGPA: 3.57/4.00, Great distinction)
 Diploma, Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Addis Ababa University
4. On job training
 Integrated Beekeeping by Holeta Bee Research Center, 15 July 2014 to 24 July 2014,
 E-Course: Sustainable Agricultural Land Management Projects: Soil Carbon
Monitoring; by the World Bank Intstitute, 3/24/2014 - 4/11/2014
 The World Bank’s MOOC on Turn Down the Heat: Why a 40c Warmer World Must be
Avoided, by the World Bank Institute, February, 2014
 Safe and Resilient Cities-E-Learning Course-Fall 2013, by the World Bank Institute,
05/11/2013-05/12/2013

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 Training of Trainers (TOT) on Community Based Watershed Development Planning,
Watershed development technologies, PSNP and Environmental &Social Mgmt
Framework (ESMF), 18th sept-02thoct ,2007
 Strategic planning and Management, March 24-28,2003
 Training of Trainers (ToT) on Integrated Community Based Watershed Management
and Planning, Kombolcha organized by the World Food Program and MoARD, MERET
Project coordination office, 24th Nov. to 07th Dec. /2008
 Farm and Rural Enterprises Business Management March 25-April 10,2008 organized
by the World Food Program and MoARD,
 Management Skill Development in the areas of integrated Rural Development,
development planning and Finance which was sponsored and delivered by the prime
minister of the government of Ethiopia, 1st Feb.1996 to April 30th April /1996
certificate,
 Integrated Regional Development planning, Debrezeit management institute, 15th -
26th July / 2002 delivered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Center for
international cooperation (MASHAV) certificate,
 Family Planning, Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS, Leadership, a collaborative
training Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation &Development Fund (ESRDF), International
Health Program, Packard-Gates fellows from International familyPlanning, Leadership
&Visionary leadership Program at Public Health Institute; 25th – 30th January /2003,
certificate.
5. Publications:
1. A saturation Excess Erosion Model, American Society of Agricultural Engineers
(ASABE), 2012:
2. Hydrological Controls on Gully Formation in the Ethiopian Highlands, 2013; paper
submitted for international workshop,Sudan,
Reference:
1. Professor Tammo Steenhuis
Cornell University
Email: Tss1@cornell.edu
2. Professor Angela Neilan
Community Involvement Specialist
at Virginia
Department of Environmental
Quality Charlottesville,
Virginia Area Environmental
Services
Email:angela.neilan@deq.virginia.gov
3. Gete Zeleke (PhD)
Director, Water and Land Resource
Center & Co-Leader, Landscape
Transformation Project
(RP12) of NCCR North-South – CDE,
University of Bern, Switzerland
Tel: +251 116 612236 or 612226
Mobile: +251 911 405930
E-mail: Gete.Zeleke@cde.unibe.ch
gete_2004@yahoo.com