Behind the scenes of a global project: my Journey with BIOFIN
Growing up in many different cities and tiny villages across my country gave me a front-row seat to nature’s diversity. I witnessed firsthand how plants, animals, and ecosystems enrich human life. When I joined BIOFIN—a global initiative to protect biodiversity—two years ago I was thrilled to learn that our work directly impacts the preservation and strengthening of these natural treasures.
While the strong motivation that brought me to BIOFIN never faded, my early days were a whirlwind of complex details that often left me wondering where to begin. BIOFIN is not just a global project—it’s a living ecosystem shaped by each country’s unique realities, priorities, and approaches. Our work went far beyond managing budgets; the real challenge was ensuring that countries could effectively implement, manage, and sustain the resources entrusted to them.
Acting as the bridge between the global team, donors, senior management, and national counterparts meant working on budget planning at odd hours—like with Latin America, where the eight-hour gap left me up late and them up early, always making sure we trade jokes to keep us both awake. It also meant sometimes getting lost in endless general ledger reports while monitoring financial performance closely and overseeing project delivery.
A Mosaic of Solutions
Over time, I came to see BIOFIN as a mosaic of small yet powerful initiatives across countries with vastly different geographies, cultures, and ecosystems. This diversity made creating a single, standardized approach very challenging. And yet, that very complexity is what makes BIOFIN unique: every time I asked, “How are we going to solve this?”, I was met with fresh perspectives, innovative solutions, and unwavering encouragement from global team members—things I could have not imagined on my own. We are in a constant dialogue, a constant process of learning and it reminded me that this work is not just about management, but about discovery.
One story that has stayed with me is from a country with hundreds of offshore islands—a geography that brings unique bureaucratic hurdles, complex government and international organizational dynamics. When I asked the national counterpart about the project’s financial activity, which had slowed compared to its usual pace, she explained that, on top of these struggles, she also faced the challenge of operating without a direct manager. What inspired me most was that instead of stepping back due to circumstances beyond her control, she leaned in—reaching out to peers from other countries to learn from their experiences, contacting officials, and pitching her own ideas to get the project moving again. In the end, she succeeded in establishing an alternative setup tailored to her country’s context. Her resourcefulness and refusal to say “that’s not my job” showed me how much one person’s persistence can keep an entire project alive.
This spirit of shared problem-solving and learning naturally extended beyond virtual calls and day-to-day coordination, finding its most vivid expression in the in-person capacity-building workshops we held throughout the year. We organized three capacity-building workshops—one in each of three major regions, across three different continents. In these trainings, I learned a great deal, taught a great deal, met incredible people, heard countless stories, saw innovative solutions, and encountered complex challenges.
These workshops were not just about a procedure, a budget template, or a software requirement. They were also about fostering a sense of connection—between participants, between countries, and among national representatives—reminding everyone that they are part of something bigger. They reinforced the idea that the collective gains we achieve serve a shared purpose, and most importantly, they reminded us that in this project, none of us is ever truly alone.
In the Kitchen of Global Work
Having expertise on project management, I’ve learned valuable principles and practices that I apply in real-life work. Theoretical knowledge is equally important, as it provides a foundation to plan ahead and stay grounded when challenges arise. Yet, in complex global initiatives, it is often flexibility, creativity, and the courage to try new “ingredients” that transform a stalled plan into a thriving solution. While established guidelines remain essential—they show us what has been tested and works—it is the willingness to adapt and experiment that ensures the future continues to grow.
Being “in the kitchen” of these projects meant experiencing the colors, flavors, and textures of the work from start to finish. Every day brought different ingredients, different recipes, but always the same goal: to protect biodiversity. Is it challenging? Absolutely. But navigating through these diverse channels, expectations, and conditions was also the most rewarding part.
Working at BIOFIN has shown me how ideas, solutions, and hopes from all over the world can come together to create real change. And I think the best part is that this story is still being written.