Kiden Gladys Robert Isaiah is a young female South Sudanese, currently volunteering with Community Empowerment For Rural Development (CEFORD), a local organization providing assistance to the refugees in West Nile region of Uganda. Kiden holds Master of Arts in Sustainable Development Practice from TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, India. Prior to joining her post-graduation studies, she has five years of work experience in the nonprofit sector and earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Adult and Community Education from Makerere University in Uganda. Kiden worked with Humanitarian Organizations in South Sudan to coordinate, liaise and promote beneficiaries’ participation in the projects. Her work as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Peace Building Project Officer, Community Empowerment and Accountability Officer and Community Development Facilitator exposed her to most of the peace, ethics and governance challenges that have ravaged South Sudan as a country. She possesses leadership qualities as witnessed from her community voluntary service, living a sacrificial life to benefit and change the lives of many citizens of South Sudan. Kiden enjoys focusing on the topics of Community Development, Governance, Civic Education, Youth Participation and Community-Led Leadership. She also desires to examine the development, challenges, and success of all aspects towards the creation of a better South Sudan and passionate about being part of the global community of practitioners.
Host Org: Street Sense Media
Role at Street Sense Media: As a Vendor Manager, Gladys oversees the sales department – a Monday through Friday, 9am–5pm operation where vendors purchase newspapers from Street Sense as independent contractors and then sell those newspapers to the public. The Vendor Manager also works closely with the SW to identify and support the delivery of case management.
Gladys is the Madeline Turin Memorial Fellow. The Atlas Corps: Madeline Turin Memorial, established in loving memory of Madeline Turin (1987-2017), supports this promising young leader from South Sudan as an Atlas Corps Fellow in the United States. Madeline truly wanted to affect change and to help people. Madeline’s passion for South Sudan was forged when she was assigned to a project in Juba, South Sudan, where she worked work side-by-side with the people of South Sudan, helping them build their capacity to govern and grow their economy. While South Sudan could never be considered an “easy assignment,” Madeline embraced the opportunity to help build the world’s newest country, and have an impact in a place that truly needed assistance. She was tireless in her commitment to developing the capabilities of her South Sudanese colleagues—one of whom became the very first Atlas Corps Fellow from South Sudan to the United States.