Remembering Dr Rosaine Yegbemey
Dear colleagues,
It is with great sadness that we share that our friend and colleague Dr Rosaine Yegbemey passed away on 29 January 2023. Rosaine had been a part of 3ie in different ways since 2015, first part of our evaluation team in New Delhi and, more recently, as a research fellow. Rosaine was an active collaborator, a beloved colleague and a friend to many at 3ie. He was passionate about his work, and an enthusiastic team player. His contributions to 3ie were immense, and his loss will be sorely felt. Please join us in sending our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones. We reached out to a few people who worked with him and were fortunate enough to call him a friend. We hope their memories of him bring comfort.
Dr. Rosaine Nerice Yegbemey was one of my closest friends and colleagues over the past 10 years. From the time we met back in 2009, we both realized quickly that we have a common passion for evidence production and use through evaluations. Since then, we have developed several research and capacity building projects together. We were committed to influence the ecosystem of policy evaluation in Africa with the highest quality and standard. We've been doing this together through 3ie, the African School of Economics, the University of Parakou, the University of Abomey-Calavi, the African Institute for Monitoring and Impact Evaluation (Le Barometre), the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP), Mathematica Policy Research project, and more, where we always make sure we work together in one way or the other.
Dr. Rosaine was also a good friend who would give me a call late in the night or early morning to say "Hi", to plan a visit, or request my advice. We know each other's family members very well. He was that second brother that I do not have.
We all agree that he is such a brain! Smart, calm and committed to deliver. His publications speak loudly though they represent a fraction of his intellectual achievements. The community of evaluators, Benin Republic, his friends, his family and I myself lost "a human asset".
My prayers go particularly to his wife, father and mother, and his four children. Rosaine, may your great and kind soul rest in peace!
Your friend and brother
Deo-Gracias Houndolo, Regional Coordinator WACIE - Senior Evaluation Specialist
It is painful to say goodbye to a loved one. I had the pleasure of having Rosaine as a senior colleague. I admired his academic and professional career and his devotion to conduct research in his home country Benin. My most vivid memory of this good-hearted human being was when we reviewed impact evaluation protocols as part of the Regional Training and Support Program for Impact Evaluation (PRéFA-EI), a joint initiative of CLEAR Francophone Africa (CLEAR FA) and WACIE/3ie Program. He was a smart person with deep knowledge of analytical tools. He made our working moments joyful and unique.
I pray for his children, his wife, his parents and siblings. May God assist them.
Dislene Sossou, Research Associate, WACIE program
When I think about Rosaine, all I can visualise is that genuine and heartwarming smile. He was one of those rare people who created a deep and lasting impression on me not just as an exemplary professional but also as a wonderful human being. It's incredibly difficult writing about him in the past tense. Rosaine, your tremendous spirit and zeal will continue to inspire us and live on!
Durgadas Menon, Manager, Online Communication and Marketing
It is so strange to talk about Rosaine in the past tense. I’m still in shock. Rosaine was a wonderful colleague and a gem of a human being. I worked with him very closely in some projects when he was in Delhi and was in regular touch when he moved back to Benin as well. He will be dearly missed as a colleague and friend. My condolences to him and his family, may they find the strength they need to get through this difficult time.
Monica Jain, 3ie Lead Evaluation Specialist, New Delhi
Rosaine was one of the most pleasant personalities I have met in my entire career. I never seen him without a smile on his face even though he was on a tight work schedule. We used to have fun talks, especially during our lunch breaks. He used to surprise us by speaking Hindi, and they were some very hard words! A few of us had chance to meet his family while they were in Delhi, our heart goes out to them. Rosaine, it is unfortunate that you have gone so early. May your soul rest in peace. May the almighty give the family the strength to bear this loss and pain.
Ditto Joy, Program Officer - Monitoring, Donor Grant Management and Reporting
Dr. Rosaine Yegbemey was a genuine, kind, and brilliant colleague and friend. As an early member of the WACIE team, he was one of the first coworkers I met at my start at 3ie, almost 5 years ago. He was always welcoming and lending a helping hand, and his guidance and friendship were deeply appreciated. It is with shock and heartbreak to accept that we will not meet again. He will not be forgotten. My deepest condolences and thoughts are with his wife, children, and family.
Anca Dumitrescu, Senior Evaluation Specialist
The kind, ever smiling, brilliant economist with a heart of gold. It is too late to say this but thank you for being an integral part of my professional journey and accepting me as your friend along the way. It feels strange to think that you are no longer a phone call away and we will not get to see your ever smiling face. You will be dearly missed, my friend. Your innate positivity and optimism will continue to inspire us to be better versions of ourselves everyday. My condolences to his family.
Avantika Bagai