Kholoud Al-Ajarma

Programs Manager, Lajee Center, Palestine

At the age of 14, I started working with refugee communities in Palestine. I combine education, arts, and youth development to create educational and training programs for refugee youth to raise their voices and tell their stories. I established Lajee Arts and Media center for media education, developed environmental projects, led cultural tours, and founded the Refugee Youth Forum, an innovative platform for active youth participation in human rights research, media, and social justice.

Lajee Center is a community-based grassroots creative cultural centre that works with new generations of Palestinians as they continue their ongoing struggle for justice. The primary aim of the center is to provide refugee youth with cultural, educational, social, and developmental opportunities. Programs are designed in response to the particular needs of the community and the skills and abilities of its members, whilst always remaining in full support and defense of all Palestinian rights.

I came to Coady to deepen my leadership knowledge and to exchange experiences with women leaders. I am hoping to take home inspirational ideas to further improve my work in gender equality, human rights, media, and social justice.

Farhat Asif

President, Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPD), Pakistan

As founder and president of the organisation, my roles are to provide the organization with the vision and leadership to carry out its mission. I work directly with community leaders, major donors, other leading philanthropists, and government while developing strategic and operational plans for management. I seek out opportunities to improve organizational operations, develop policies and strategies for academic and financial management, and work to strengthen the function of the organization.

Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies is an Islamabad based independent, non-governmental, and not-for-profit advocacy think tank that aims to provide strength to global peace through dialogue and diplomacy by sharing knowledge, research, analysis, and policy development in the areas of peace, conflict, sustainable development, and diplomatic studies. IPD is working toward being a higher education institution accredited by the United Nations.

I came to Coady to be engaged and to build strong collaborative networks with fellow colleagues, improve critical thinking, and sharpen my leadership capabilities.

Marjorie Chipofya

Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, Forum for African Women Educationalists in Malawi (FAWEMA), Malawi

As Monitoring and Evaluation Manager my roles include development of logical frameworks and performance indicators so programs have clear inputs, outputs, and outcomes as well as monitoring them throughout the duration of the projects. I have developed data collection tools and perform data analysis to track project and program progress against agreed targets. I also manage monitoring and evaluation work plans and budgets to ensure relevant milestones and expenditures are achieved.

The Forum for African Women Educationalists in Malawi (FAWEMA) is a registered non-governmental organization which promote girls’ and women’s education in Malawi. The goal is to sensitize and work with government, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to advance girls’ and women’s empowerment through education. FAWEMA’s vision is a nation in which every girl and woman enjoys her right to education and the mission is to promote gender equity and quality education.

I hope to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible to be an effective leader. I also plan to improve my leadership skills, broaden my knowledge on leadership theories, and to strengthen my confidence as a leader.

Rosa Marina Flores Cruz

Project Coordinator in women and environmental issues, Assembly of the Indigenous people in the Isthmus in defense of the land and territory, Mexico

I am a project coordinator and researcher (I am also one of the founders) of the women’s committee in the organization, through which we boost projects to empower women participating in the defense of the territory. Also, I am in contact with donors, other organizations, and responsible for communications.

We pursue the respect and the recognition of the Indigenous rights related to the land, territory, environment, and worldview. We work to strengthen community governance, Indigenous and women rights, socio-environmental justice, and the defense of our territory. Our principals goal is to build development capacity from the ground to improve the livelihood in our communities and enforce the Indigenous and women rights in our region.

At Coady, I’ll improve my skills and knowledge to make more inclusive proposals for the communities and to be a better leader in my organization. I’ll strengthen my personal walk by making friends with incredible women leaders.

Evelyn Vandhana Ariyaratnam Dissanayake

Executive Director, The Training Nest, Sri Lanka

I am in charge of planning, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing all programs as well as the overall management and administration of the human, financial, and material resources of the organization. I am involved in research, lobbying, human rights education, gender mainstreaming, gendered capacity development, economic empowerment of youth, community voicing, leadership training for women working towards self employment, income generating programs, and educating young girls as human rights defenders.

The Training Nest is a non-government, independent research and training organization which engages in monitoring, documenting, reporting, research, advocacy, and training for different groups which focus on human rights, peace, gender, women, children, education, undocumented migration, environment, and disaster risk reduction. The vision of the organization is ‘Life with Dignity’ and the mission is ‘change through education and developing competencies.

I came to Coady to develop my professional capacity in leadership, learn about how different women leaders work in their own communities in different situations, and to develop different skills for my leadership work in my country.

Tabemonso Bessem Elsie

Founder and Executive Director, Integrated Youth Empowerment Center (IYEC Cameroon), Cameroon

In my role, I am leading and managing the organization while engaging the external community by building essential relationships for the organization. I work within the organization’s vision to manage financial and fundraising affairs and keep the board of directors informed about how the organization is fulfilling its mission all while carrying out training, mass sensitization, and media communication to women and girls on political participation, sexual reproductive health, and rights.

IYEC’s mission is poverty alleviation for sustainable livelihood. Its vision is to have a society where women, youths, and under privileged groups are aware of their rights, participate in decision making, have equal access to resources and benefits, and become self-reliant within a supportive policy environment for sustainable development. The goal is to ensure these groups have increased access to, and control over, socio-economic and political resources for improved livelihood in Cameroon.

The Global Change Leaders program will increase my leadership skills and potential to help me manage my organization, create more networks, be able to effectively analyze, and integrate gender in development projects in my community, country, and Africa.

Rosalia Fatiaki

Coordinator Accounting (University of the South Pacific), Graduate Women, Fiji

My role as an executive council member and the treasurer in the organisation is to work collaboratively with other executive council members in mapping out the year’s activities, coordinate fundraising activities to support our scholarship fund, and provide financial reporting every month to the council.

Graduate Women is an organisation of women graduates who are committed to improving the education of women and girls beyond secondary school level, protecting human rights, and promoting peace.

While at Coady, I want to sharpen my leadership skills so I can reach out to less empowered women and girls in my society and to increase my ability to negotiate with other stakeholders for partnerships.

Randriamiarina Domoina Holiarifanja

Country Representative, Money for Madagascar INGO, Madagascar

I represent Money for Madagascar nationally to create opportunities for new collaborations and to help the organization respond to current needs in Madagascar. My duties include demonstrating the impact of our work by supporting its partner NGOs with implementation and reporting as well as providing capacity-building training tailored to the needs of the NGOs. I also am helping Money for Madagascar to develop its programmes by supporting partners, networking, and identifying new funding streams while supporting the organization’s United Kingdom team as needed.

Money for Madagascar is a British charity founded in 1986 by a group of friends of Madagascar wanting to fund local solutions and enable the Malagasy people to take charge of their own destiny. Our goal is to address the environmental and economic problems facing Madagascar through sustainable, community-led initiatives, conserve and replenish Madagascar’s unique habitats by working with the people who live in and around them, and alleviate human poverty in sustainable way.

I came to Coady to improve my leadership style, master strategies to influence, drive transformative changes within communities and national level authorities in Madagascar, and increase my knowledge in feminism concepts to transfer to my compatriots.

Mulu Berhanu Hundera

Assistant Professour of Management and Development, Haramaya University (HU), Ethiopia

I teach and research on topics related to management, gender, and development. In addition, I was a dean for the College of Social Sciences and Humanities of HU between 2012 and 2015; which made me the first female dean in the 60 year history of the university. I am a facilitator in the community on leadership, gender, and value chain topics. Moreover, I am an advocator of gender equality and inclusive development in my community.

Haramaya University (HU) is one of the oldest higher learning institutions in Ethiopia and a pioneer in teaching, research, and community engagement activities. The mission of HU is to produce competent graduates in diverse fields of study, undertake problem solving and cutting-edge research, disseminate knowledge and technologies, and provide demand-driven and transformative community services. HU has set the goal of being one of the leading African universities by 2025.

My aim is to be an inclusive and transformational leader. While at Coady, I want to acquire a better understanding of feminist leadership and build my leadership skills on inclusiveness.

Rebecca Bolatito Ibe

Principal Research Officer, National Horticultural Research Institute, Nigeria

I conduct socioeconomic research on the production, processing, storage, utilization, and marketing of horticultural crops through the collection, collating, and analysing of data with appropriate statistical methods and tools. I also recommend policies based on my research findings and communicate research findings to relevant stakeholders, conduct capacity building training and sensitization programs for farmers, provide consultancy services to farmers, and mentor and supervise junior researchers and students on internships.

National Horticultural Research Institute’s mission is to develop improved, cost efficient, and eco-friendly technologies for sustainable production and utilization of horticultural crops in Nigeria. We want to help develop horticultural produce and products for local and export markets with attendant health, industrial raw materials, and employment and wealth generation benefits. The goal is to realize genetic improvement of horticultural crops while developing improved, cost efficient, and eco-friendly technologies as well as disseminating these technologies to end-users.

I came to Coady to enhance my leadership skills, improve my communication, facilitation, networking and writing skills, deepen my knowledge on gender issues, learn and share from experiences of others, and be mentored to become a better leader.

Aneeka Jacobs

Provincial Manager, Local Government Sector Education Training Authority (LGSETA), Western Cape, South Africa

I’m responsible in leading a team that provides guidance and support to 30 local municipalities to ensure they develop an integrated training plan, access funding from LGSETA, and implement training to address scarce and critical skills within the the province. I also foster and maintain partnerships with strategic stakeholders which is of the utmost importance in my work as we all contribute to a skilled and capable local government sector.

LGSETA works to build local governments’ ability to meet their development needs by engaging in innovative training methods, effective capacity building frameworks, and building strategic partnerships while striving to meet its vision of excellence, facilitating skills development at the local government level across South Africa.

I came to Coady to enhance my leadership capabilities, which will transform me into an improved leader; and to learn about tools, strategies, and best practices which can be utilized in my work to engage with women thought leaders so they can learn from my experiences.

Mitali Jahan

Project Manager, Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA), Bangladesh

As a project manager, I am responsible for leading a Gender Based Violence project which focuses on prevention of domestic violence and other human rights violence. The project aims to create a mechanism where people are willing to seek justice against those who commit rights violations including incidents of domestic violence. The project also focuses on legal reform as well as social reform in a comprehensive manner for ensuring justice. I am also responsible for maintaining networks with different actors.

Established in 1979, BNWLA is one of the largest and most prominent associations of women lawyers in Bangladesh. We work to ensure access to justice from grassroots to national level following three thematic approaches — prevention, protection and psychosocial rehabilitation, and reintegration. BNWLA has initiated several programs and activities to address violence against women and children to achieve its objective of ensuring women and children rights and social justice.

I am taking the Global Change Leaders program to sharpen my skills and traits through which I will be enabled to make differences at the individual, organizational, and community level. I hope my Coady experience will make me stronger and confident in exploring my leadership ability.

Iffat Jamil

Head of Programs, Human Appeal, Pakistan

I lead the program team in different thematic areas and provide the strategic guidance while ensuring the implentation of various programs are in accordance to the country’s strategic paper. My main responsibilities include developing links with other organizations, networking with donors and associations for exchanging ideas, and building collaboration for greater impact. Being a member of the country management team, I am also responsible for ensuring the implementation of organizational policies and guidelines.

Human Appeal is an international humanitarian and development organization working across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East delivering humanitarian assistance and emergency relief with the goal of bringing sustainable change with lasting effects on people’s lives in the world’s poorest countries. Our vision is to become a global agent of change for a just, caring, and a sustainable world with the mission to save lives, alleviate poverty, transform, and empower local communities.

Coady is an opportunity for me to meet with emerging women leaders from around the world who will not only inspire but will also discuss different theories of leadership,competencies, and journey with me while I explore unpacking my inner-self, beliefs, and potential.

Matika Noah Maiseli

Human Resource Management and Public Administration Officer, Ministry of Agriculture, Tanzania

Besides being a human resource officer, another of my responsibilities is to work with all departments and partners to ensure that gender equity principles are incorporated into all policies and activities. I also lead the gender desk in the Ministry of Agriculture by making sure gender equality is followed in the ministry.

The vision of the Ministry of Agriculture, as stated in our organization’s Client Service charter, is to provide policy guidance and services to a modernized, commercialized, competitive, and effective agriculture and cooperative system by 2025. The goal is to provide quality agricultural and cooperative services, a conducive environment to stakeholders, build capacity of local government authorities, and facilitate the private sector to contribute effectively to agriculture.

I expect my time at Coady will allow for positive career development and give me the ability to take leadership for important causes. The Global Change Leaders program will help me to lead change with more conviction and confidence and to improve my workplace and communities, while giving me a better understanding of various issues.

Mahbuba Mamadatokhonova

National Gender Officer, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Tajikistan

I work as a National Gender Officer in the Gender and Anti-Trafficking Unit. I am responsible for drafting project proposals, self-evaluation, monthly and quarterly reports, as well as implementing project activities and liasing with goverment and civil society organizations to eliminate violence against women, empower women, promote gender equality, and gender mainstreaming into project and programmes. I also conduct awareness raising campaigns and develop information materials.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has a comprehensive approach towards security, which includes politico-military, economic, environmental, and human aspects. Gender equality and women’s political participation, women’s empowerment, and fighting violence against women are among the priorities of the organization which consists of 57 participating states who make decisions by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

I am very keen to be at Coady to learn about leadership theories, analysis of gender, citizenship, and power as well as women’s economic empowerment and the practical understandings of these concepts and their application for women leaders.

Tatevik Martirosyan

Teacher trainer, English specialist, National Institute of Education Lori Branch, Armenia

As a teacher trainer and English specialist, my responsibilities are implementing and conducting annual qualification courses of English teachers, sharing the innovations of education such as inclusive education for school staffs, developing standards and programs, developing textbooks, and helping teachers with lesson planning taking into consideration the special needs of students in inclusive classrooms.

National Institute of Education (NIE) has branches in different regions of Armenia and I work at the NIE Lori Branch. We focus on strategies for education system management and accordingly work on education standards and curricula of public schools as well as create methodological manuals and textbooks. Specialists of NIE conduct teacher training qualification courses, seminars, on-line courses, and implement innovations in the sphere of education including inclusive education.

I am at Coady to sharpen my leadership skills, gain the necessary techniques to overcome problems existing in our inclusive schools, and to share and grow with these amazing and empowered women from all around the world and from Coady.

Mary Katunguah Munyao

Director, Connect Families Ability, Kenya

I manage the running of the organization with responsibilities in strategic planning, designing and implementing of projects, and creating partnerships.

My organization aims to improve the lives of children with disabilities and their families by providing services, programs, and activities which connect them to the society and enhance social acceptance and inclusion. We want to create an all-inclusive society for children with disabilities and their families by empowering families of children with disabilities, enhancing holistic development of children with disabilities, and partnering with like-minded organizations.

I hope to gain knowledge and skills that will sharpen my leadership ability, build positive networks with Coady family, and re-think and redefine my leadership as well as set new personal goals.

Adah Mbah Muyang

Executive Director, Mother of Hope Cameroon (MOHCAM), Cameroon

I am the founder and executive director of MOHCAM and responsible for the overall function and management of the organization. I ensure the objectives and mission of the organization are achieved through the effective handling of resources, donor management, volunteer engagement, fundraising, networking and partnerships, community mobilization, project implementation, and communications. I am also member of the board of directors.

MOHCAM is a human rights, women, and youth led organization which promotes the sexual reproductive health rights, education, and leadership development. We also provide psycho-social support for victims of domestic violence. Our mission is to empower women and youth in leadership development and sexual reproductive health rights while advancing gender equality and promoting peace and security. We want to give hope to the hopeless and propagate a culture of justice and peace with the goal of establishing a women’s shelter.

I came to Coady to enhance leadership skills and techniques in organizational management. I want to benefit from the pool of experienced women leaders and build supportive networks around the world while improving my listening and communication abilities.

Oluseyi Olutoyin Olugbire

Research and Extension Officer, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria. Nigeria

I’m involved in research, extension and outreach, and organizing communities including men, women, and youth for sustainable forest and environmental management. I organize training and outreach activities for the institute.

Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria is involved in sustainable production, utilization, and management of forest resources for conservation, livelihoods, and poverty alleviation. We also provide environmental education, awareness, sensitization, and policy.

I hope to strengthen my leadership skills and improve my knowledge as it relates to gender and community development.

Nargiza Ozguzel

Board Vice-President, SYGD, Turkey

As a board vice-president, I take a part in the everyday operations of my organization such as management, planning, project development, fundraising, project implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting. I organize and conduct women awareness groups helping women to escape domestic violence, enhance their self-esteem, and increase employability skills. I also lead youth groups by providing them training and supporting them in implementation of various projects for community development.

SYGD is a non-profit organization that contributes to the development of society by creating projects providing concrete solutions for the country’s existing problems. SYGD develops and implements various programs for raising awareness on gender equality and gender mainstreaming, training of women and youth to boost their self-esteem and leadership qualities, and providing social, psychological, and educational support to disadvantaged groups to improve their life standards.

I came to Coady to strengthen my capacity as a change leader and to enhance my knowledge and skills in community development. I hope to learn various approaches for women empowerment, gender mainstreaming, and social innovation.

Kurnia Ramadhani

Manager of Health and Nursing Services, RSUD Tongas (Government Hospital), Indonesia

I am responsible for ensuring all health and nursing services are given by health professionals and received by patients with satisfaction. These services include; in-patient and out-patient, medical and emergency, laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, and nutrition and health promotion. My duties include improving and ensuring quality of services, innovation of services, and improving the community’s accessibility to hospital services.

RSUD works to provide professional, responsive, sincere, quality, and acceptable services to achieve a hospital that is modern, affordable, and accessible for the community. By improving the quality of services and resources, satisfaction, and accessibility of community, we wand to increase the number of patients, minimizing the number of patients that check-out from the hospital despite doctor’s advice, improve health promotion, and increase our human, facility, and technological resources.

It is important to build a supportive environment where everyone is aware about equality in accessing health services, making decisions related to health, and living a healthy life whether they are a mother, infant, or child.

Dr. Sr. Sunirose I.P

Assistant professor, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, India

I teach post graduate students. My subjects are related to children and family, community development, and gender issues. I am the coordinator for field education and provide exposure and skill development to students by working in clinical settings, family and child settings, community development settings, advocacy, and policy development. I also network with government agencies for evidence based research. I am amember of the board of studies for different colleges and a monitor for government programs.

Established in 1955, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, was accredited in 2000 and re-accredited in 2007 and 2013 with a grade CGPA of 3.70 on four point scale by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. The college strives to be a centre par excellence in social work education, unique in experience, value based in approach, and pioneering in efforts for enriching and fulfilling life. We value dignity and worth of individuals, social justice, integrity, respect to diversity, sustainability, service, and the pursuit of excellence.

I came to Coady to prepare a personal and organizational plan of action and to develop skills and strategies to be a transformative servant leader and ‘gender analysis specialist’.

Nina Somera

Programme Coordinator, Io International (formerly Isis International), Philippines

As programme coordinator, I facilitate the development and implementation of an organisational transition and sustainability plan that features changes in our program direction, funding strategies, partnerships, and name, that reflects the organisation’s history, integrity, and relevance to the shared aspirations and challenges of feminist movement-building especially in the south.

Io International is a southern feminist network that facilitates feminist approaches and spaces for conversations, analyses, movement-building, and actions. It runs the Feminist Archives which digitises the materials of feminist movement in the south since the 1970s and the Feminist Activist School which has facilitated conversations and collaborations on feminist facilitation, gender, climate, justice, peace-building, and community radio among others.

While at the Coady, I would like to gain knowledge and inspiration from the stories and experiences of extraordinary women leaders. I would also like to develop sophistication in managing challenges while ensuring integrity and authenticity.

Anita Thapa

Executive Director, Hamro Palo (Her Turn), Nepal

I lead Hamro Palo as the head of the staff. As an executive director, my major responsibilities include leading and managing the organization by developing the organization’s strategy and operational plan, preparing annual budgets, designing programs, fundraising, developing communication, and advocacy strategy. I am also responsible for building relationships and collaborative networking with stakeholders, government, and non-government agencies, funding organizations, and partners.

Hamro Palo is a non-government organization established in early 2016. Our mission is to empower adolescent girls, boys, and women and equip them with skills and knowledge that allow them to create their own safe and healthy futures. We envision Nepali girls having access to education and information and having an equal say in their schools, families, communities, and in their country. We want girls to live in the world where they realize their potential as community members and change makers.

Beatrice Uwayezu

Founder and Legal Representative, Family Harmony Builders Organization (FHBO), Rawanda

As founder and legal representative of a newly created non-government organization, I am responsible for building partnerships, networks, and looking for alliances as well as drafting proposals, searching for possible funding opportunities, and building technical capacities for members of the organization.

FHBO is a non-government organization promoting family cohesion and harmony by contributing to the prevention of domestic and family gender based violence against women, girls, children, and other vulnerable persons. We believe if women, girls, children, and other vulnerable persons have access to health and well-being, quality education, and equal opportunities in an equitable manner we can claim being on the right track to poverty eradication.

At Coady, I hope to gain knowledge and skills on gender dimensions and analysis, gender and power dynamics, women’s rights and citizenship, equality and women’s empowerment, and exchange experiences with colleagues.