Catherine Klepacki

Country: Rwanda
Organization: Resonate

Resonate inspires women and girls to become leaders and individual agents of change in their families and communities by teaching them to leverage their personal stories to build confidence and realize their own worth and potential. 

Catherine: "Working with Resonate provided an incredible opportunity to gain experience at the local level in an unfamiliar international context. I learned important lessons about the challenges a small start‐up or NGO may face as this type of organization works to create a sustainable platform for lasting and impactful social change. I gained a unique appreciation for program implementation and evaluation challenges associated with the push by donors and foundations to provide concrete data reflecting a measure of organizational success. These insights impacted how I think about program structure, the importance of clear and measureable goals, and data collection and analysis. The impact of local stakeholder partnerships on organizational success was also clearly demonstrated. Although I learned a great deal from this experience, the opportunity to work in a post‐conflict context with local stakeholders provided greatest personal impact. I am extremely grateful for the Rwandan women with whom I worked who imparted a wealth of wisdom and insight. The opportunity to work with Resonate this summer was extraordinary. Sincere thanks to the Blakeley Foundation for making it possible!"