Last year, we put out an enrollment call for CROWN’s Mentorship Program, and over the next few months mentors and mentees were vetted and we matched ten mentor and mentee pairs.

Starting in May 2024, mentee-mentor pairs began conducting mentorship meetings. Through a survey conducted by the CROWN team, the top competencies most important to CROWN mentees to develop  were: 1) promoting professional development, 2) building independence, 3) maintaining effective communication, and 4) skills and knowledge necessary for success.

This month, we specially invited mentor Farrukh Ishaque Saah, a Public Health Officer at the Rwanda Ministry of Health who originally hails from Ghana, and mentee Jane Nkolika Ezeonu, an Implementation Research/Data Officer with CROWN partner Nutrition International, to share their experiences with the mentorship program thus far!

Select the photos below to read more about Farrukh and Jane.

      

Interview:

Ciyana: What motivated you to become a CROWN mentor?

• Farrukh: For me, it comes from the kind of mentorship I received during my undergraduate studies – [my mentor] was someone who acted like he was a part of you, your growth and everything is a part of him. The type of person who shapes you to become who you want to become. Since we meet, every time he is encouraging me!  What motivated me most to join as a CROWN mentor, was looking on the website at the protégés – I thought, this is the change I expected to see in the field because it showed the evolution of the field from data to solutions.

Ciyana: Thank you! To follow up on your own mentorship experience, what does mentorship mean to you in a few words?

• Farrukh: For me, it’s a team! We grow each other and have an impact on each other. You don’t just mentor people because you know much, you mentor to build their skills, expose them to what they need to know and work together.

Ciyana: Jane, what motivated you to become a CROWN mentee?

• Jane: I attended the annual convening last year in Nigeria. The hall was filled with potentials from where I am from.  I believe there is always room for improvement no matter what you have achieved. Looking back on some of the successes and growth I’ve been able to accomplish in regard to my profession and career [there is a] linkage to someone lending a helping hand and support. What I found at the convening was, that one can improve what they’re doing by working with a mentor.

Ciyana: I agree with that! So, what does mentorship mean to you in a few words?

• Jane: Support!

Ciyana: Yes, I love that! So, how have you both been able to connect this far?

• Farrukh: So far, we’ve been able to establish a connection and from the baseline decide what we want to do, understand each other, and the expectations we have for the role. The fact that I get to know who Jane is, what she works for, what she is looking forward to doing – it is inspiring and at the same time it makes me feel proud to be a part of her journey.

Ciyana: Yes, that’s so awesome! Jane, would you like to add anything on how you all have been connecting so far?

• Jane: Yes, we’ve met twice. The first meeting was just to familiarize ourselves, so it was more like an introduction and then understanding our professional background. Then, incidentally we were able to find some similarities in our background and establish some common areas of interest especially, with regards to implementation research. An example is getting to learn that he has been part of designing and implementing implementation research. I think that is actually what has motivated this mentorship program from me. Having someone who fills the gap of your capacity needs.

Ciyana: Yes! Thinking about that, what would you all like to accomplish together as a pair?

• Farrukh: In our last meeting we established the competencies we are looking forward to build. So we’ve created our mentorship schedule in terms of what we want to cover. Based on our last discussion, we have established more specific tasks to be able to meet those competencies. I expect that at the end of the mentorship all her goals regarding managing diverse stakeholders in research and making publications from implementation related research [being completed will] mark having done a good job. If possible, by the time we are done we should be able to get some publications together!

Ciyana: That’s exciting. Jane, would you like to add anything?

• Jane: Yes, same here! The last meeting we held we were able to come up with next steps and the expectations out of those next steps. I am also interested in research on women and children, which Farrukh has experience. So, I am looking forward to the opportunity to work together and develop a research proposal in that area and come up with work to publish.

Ciyana: Thank you! For our last question if you can share something you find joy doing in your spare time?

• Farrukh: I like reading but, mostly I like rewatching movies or shows. I will go back and watch episodes from years ago just because something in it intrigues me. I was learning something about epidemiology when COVID started and it related to Game of Thrones, so I felt like I had to go back and rewatch every episode to understand.

Ciyana: Do you have a favorite show or movie that you always rewatch?

• Farrukh: That would be Sleepy Hallow. I like that they are investigating something, that it’s a mystery!

Ciyana: Thank you! Jane, yourself?

• Jane: I like to travel and go to places I have not been. I love to dance as well!

Ciyana: Yes, I love both of those too! Where’s a destination you would recommend us to go?

• Jane: Seychelles Island! It’s not the usual, it’s quiet and peaceful.

Ciyana: Thank you both so much for your time, that’s all from us!

Farrukh, Jane, Ciyana and Daryl during their July interview!