Fernanda Matsinhe is IYF's Senior Technical Advisor for Measurment, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL). Fernanda sits in the ASK Unit, works from Cape Town, South Africa, and provides technical leadership and oversight of MERL strategic approaches across IYF projects. She has extensive experience working at the intersection of technology and data for MERL from the private and international development sector. She has worked on projects in education, agriculture, and youth development in Mozambique and South Africa, and collaborated with teams in Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, and China. Her previous roles involved leading the implementation of MERL systems and data and information management solutions.

Fernanda is passionate about quality education and access to opportunities for young people, particularly young women, which led her to this position, and also to co-found a volunteer organization supporting young Mozambican girls and women from disadvantaged backgrounds to access opportunities in higher education. She is also an Obama Foundation Leader (Class of 2019), and part of a prestigious network of changemakers from over 100 nations working across public, private, and nonprofit sectors working to address a range of social impact issues. Fernanda has a master's degree in Information Systems from the University of Cape Town, and a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunication from the Northwestern Polytechnical University, China. She also volunteers for a Children Reading Club which encourages children and young people to get together and talk about books they have read and discover new authors.