Marina Todesco

Marina Todesco is a senior Applied Research & Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) specialist with over 15 years of experience in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) programs. Her expertise spans coordinating, designing and conducting mixed-methods evaluations, building robust MEL frameworks, and providing technical advice on comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) curriculum development. She synthesizes research and evidence to deliver actionable recommendations for program design, implementation, and advocacy.

Grounded in cultural sensitivity, efficiency, and participatory practices - including feminist evaluation, realist evaluation, and meaningful youth participation - and exploring the technical potential and ethical implications of AI, Marina works across development and humanitarian settings. Her thematic expertise covers SRHR, CSE, youth-friendly health services, maternal health, and gender-based violence.

Previously, as a member of Le Planning Familial, France's leading feminist and reproductive justice federation, she participated in grassroots service delivery and advocacy in local and regional chapters, later becoming the organization's Executive Director. As such, she contributed to the development of the strategic communications campaign that led to enshrining abortion rights in the French Constitution.

Before turning to civil society, Marianne spent fifteen years as a journalist, including as a bilingual news editor at France 24, and remains a long-form writer at heart. She holds Master's Degrees in Public Health and in Political Science, and is completing a graduate diploma in creative writing at Université Paris 8.