Dr. Mbarou Mbaye Gassama

Dr. Mbarou Mbaye Gassama

About:

Holding a Master’s degree in Economics and a PhD in International Education, Dr. Mbarou Gassama Mbaye is a specialist in Adult Education and Alternative Education Models.

She served as a Regional Planning Advisor at the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Planning in Senegal from 1996 to 2001.

Between 2001 and 2004, she conducted research on alternative education models in Mali, Egypt, and Latin America, which led to her doctoral thesis on Community Basic Schools (Écoles Communautaires de Base – ECB) in Senegal. Her research focused on ECB models, as well as initiatives by Aide Action, PAPA, and Plan International.

In 2006, Dr. Gassama Mbaye worked as a specialist in community-based approaches to education for learning improvement under the USAID Guinea Education Program (http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDACH432.pdf
).

In 2008, she led the evaluation of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) support program and their integration into the school system, as well as vocational training programs in Burundi, funded by Care International.

In 2010, she directed the evaluation of a project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the withdrawal and reintegration of children working in mines into formal schools and workshops (carpentry, bicycle and motorcycle repair, sewing and hairdressing), funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.

From 2009 to 2011, Dr. Gassama Mbaye was an Associate Researcher at the University of Sussex (UK), leading a research team on initial and continuous training of elementary school teachers in Senegal in mathematics and literacy.

In 2012, she conducted a formative evaluation for the NGO ARED to scale up a bilingual pilot project covering reading and math from 14 to 100 classrooms. Later, she led the System Strengthening component of the “Reading for All” program, aimed at improving early reading in Senegal through the use of national languages as the medium of instruction.

Dr. Gassama Mbaye also worked for five years at UN Women, where she led projects on women’s entrepreneurship and the integration of gender into public policies and national budgets. She is recognized for her exceptional listening skills and ability to facilitate learning and collaboration.

Among her personal initiatives, Dr. Gassama Mbaye founded and led a business incubation center for women and youth, using non-formal education to help them develop entrepreneurial skills.

Since 2018, she has served as the Executive Director of the Pathfinder Foundation for Education and Development.