Communications & Marketing

Mpho Marole is a passionate professional with over thirteen years of experience and an unwavering commitment to gender equity. Mpho has been an instrumental change agent at Partners In Health in Lesotho (PIHL) since 2016. Initially, Mpho served as an Executive Assistant, responsible for high-level coordination with internal staff and external stakeholders. Her strong verbal and written communication skills fostered institutional transparency and cross-departmental collaboration. Thanks to her flexibility and innovation, Mpho has led PIHL’s communications department as Communications Officer since 2020. She is responsible for organizing and developing content for internal and external audiences, writing and publishing digital content, annual reports, and other marketing materials. Her passion for storytelling is evident in her photographic documentation of PIHL programs and projects. In 2012, Mpho earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Sociology and Social Anthropology. Mpho then joined the public health sector at the Elizabeth Glasier Pediatric AIDS Foundation as a Qualitative Research and Data Clerk. She then supported technical transformation at Ingcongwane Investment Holdings through detailed budget management, client relations and supporting operations management. At Bafokeng Consulting and Projects, she combined her interpersonal and technical skills to improve the company’s public relations and client relationships. Mpho understands the social injustices affecting her community. She believes that the intersections between women’s health and unequal socioeconomic opportunities are systemic and therefore require a horizontal systems change approach in which storytelling plays a key role. Mpho aims to raise awareness of the determinants of health faced by women in Lesotho and the changes needed to address these challenges.

Bestone Banda is the founder of Ubuchingo DCI Zambia and the Executive Director at ECPAT Zambia. Bestone has a degree in Mass Communication, and he also studied Diplomatic Practice, Protocol and Public Relations. He is a child rights activist with over 19 years of experience in the children’s sector. Bestone Banda dreams of a world where children’s rights are respected and upheld. He is an expert in advocacy and people management. His name is associated with campaigns to end child sexual exploitation and child labor, and provide children with mental health and protection. He has participated in the formulation of national policies and laws such as the Zambia National Child Policy, the Zambia Child Participation Policy, the Child Safeguarding Framework and the Child Code Bill. Most recently, Bestone has been working on his mobilization and advocacy skills to make his organization more proactive. Bestone is also a passionate broadcaster and host of “The Right Joint” on One Love Radio. He is an accomplished musician with a number of albums to his name.

Murugaraj G is a copywriter and a graduate of Anna University in Tamil Nadu with a master’s degree in Business Administration. He is responsible for the creation and dissemination of health education materials and management of official social media pages in his organization. He also works on translating articles from English to Tamil. He is interested in digital marketing and wants to explore its possibilities to reach patients with healthcare messages. He is also passionate about reading and writing about the environment and wildlife. As an avid reader, he is committed to teaching others the habit of reading. To this end, he has started a Tamil monthly online magazine that focuses on literature and the environment.

Christopher Obasogie has over ten years of experience working with nonprofit organizations in Nigeria. He graduated from university of Benin, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in social work. He began his career as a volunteer counselor in an HIV/AIDS program implemented by FHI 360 and funded by USAID. He currently works in SOS Children’s Villages as a Community and Family Development Officer for vulnerable families. His goal is to support them achieve self-reliance through tailored interventions that will help shape their future.

Agaba Deogratias has more than sixteen years of experience developing, coordinating, and implementing large-scale advocacy, social and behavior change, and public health policy campaigns and programs. He holds a master’s degree in Public Health Leadership, a Bachelor of Arts degree, and a Diploma in Performing Arts. He has worked with PATH since 2015. Initially, he led both the communications and community empowerment aspects of the $20 million USAID-funded Advocacy for Better Health project, where he led successful campaigns such as the “Drug Stock-Out Kills, Stop It!” campaign, the “Sing for Change” campaign, and others. He later moved to the Advocacy and Public Policy project, where he serves as Senior Communications Officer, managing communications for a project in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, consisting of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa. The project focuses on primary health care, immunization, medical oxygen, reproductive health, maternal, newborn and child health, and research and development. Prior to joining PATH, Agaba worked as a Behavior Change Communication Advisor for the USAID-funded Strides for Family Health project, where he promoted demand for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health in up to 15 Ugandan districts. Previously, he worked as a journalist in both mainstream media and at a local youth-focused NGO, Straight Talk Foundation. There, he won the Nuffic Fellowship to train in production for radio, TV, and the Internet at the Radio Nederlands Training Center in Hilversum, the Netherlands.

Sarah-Jane Saltmarsh has sixteen years of experience in communications, specializing in global thought leadership, branding and storytelling, particularly in the areas of development and humanitarian aid. She began her career in Australia with a bachelor’s degree in Communications (Business) from Bond University, and worked with the Northern Territory Government and the Council for Aboriginal Alcohol Program Services. She spent ten years living in Bangladesh, visited more than 30 countries and worked with the International Labor Organization (UN) in Bangladesh and Thailand. Sarah-Jane now lives in Australia, managing program and corporate communications at BRAC – the world’s largest non-governmental development organization – and is studying for a doctorate in law at the University of Sydney. She is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper Alumni and an internationally published writer/ She is passionate about politics, indigenous affairs, the environment, and the arts.

Rêber Jahwar grew up in Iraq, a country torn by conflict. But that did not stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a “computer geek” in the traditional sense of the word and enrolling in computer science studies at the University of Duhok. Currently, Rêber works at Women for Women International and manages one of the departments of the country office. He coordinates various activities within the organization, such as monitoring projects, developing accountability tools, and contributing to research aimed at finding marginalized women who could be included in future projects. Previously, he worked at a German NGO, Welthungerhilfe, where he started as a Senior Database Office before rising to become a MEAL expert, managing M&E activities of more than six projects in different areas of Iraq. He has also worked as a software engineer in a private IT company. Rêber discovered his passion for humanitarian work after his country experienced yet another crisis in 2014 when the so-called Islamic State took over large parts of northern Iraq. Rêber has worked as a Database Officer and Analyst, as well as a Monitoring & Evaluation Officer for NGO ACTED and PIN. Rêber strives to connect technology, humanitarian aid, and communities in need and provide leadership to his community. Driven by his passion, he motivates his colleagues with his professional commitment and innovative mindset.

Keelia Sulak is a data analyst who is passionate about improving the world through data. Originally from Chicago, Illinois and now in Portland, Oregon, Keelia has a unique background that has brought her from boardrooms in New York City to organic farm fields in rural North America. After graduating school early with distinction she worked with ProWorld Volunteers in Belize, where she lived in a Mayan village and worked with community businesses. Once returning home, her business background led her to a position as a data analyst. There she had the rare opportunity to work alongside the Director of North American Analytics, which allowed her to gain a vast amount of knowledge and experience. She later transitioned to a position in project management working with schools and food pantries across the Midwest. For many years she worked with locations such as The Greater Chicago Food Depository and Chicago Public Schools with a mission to not only provide food for kids, but work toward equal access to organic and nutritious food for all. Keelia now works at Heifer International where she has found a home and is able to merge two of her greatest passions, data analysis and nonprofit work. Since joining the organization, she has helped expand the team’s analytics offerings and develop efficient methods of monitoring campaigns to help ensure fundraising goals are met. She looks forward to working with the team at Heifer International for many years to come.

Ankur has an entrepreneurial mindset with a blend of corporate culture (Processes) and startup experience (Result-oriented). He is passionate about analytics and creativity, with an expertise in understanding and managing the integration of marketing, sales, operations, customer service and analytics in order to create effective, meaningful and result-oriented business strategies. As a communications specialist, Ankur takes utmost care in the finer points of both oral and written communication. He finds it incredibly fulfilling to build excellent, high performing teams–individually, we can’t always be at our best but when camaraderie persists, a team can go far. Good teamwork makes every journey better. Ankur also loves to pursue innovation. And while he enjoys connecting the dots across seemingly unrelated information, his MBA has also refined his pragmatic business knowledge to implement explorative growth ideas.

Host Organization: American India Foundation

Role at Host Organization: At American India Foundation, Ankur will be serving as the Executive Assistant Fellow to Chief Executive Officer. In this role, he will act as a key partner to the Chief Executive Officer, helping to brainstorm and identify solutions to challenges faced by the organization. He will develop relationship building skills while managing interactions with external volunteer bodies and board members, and also manage a variety of program design, resource mobilization, marketing, and communication projects across the US and India.

Catherine Menéndez is a passionate communications specialist who seeks to create a positive impact in the world through her work in media. With over 10 years of experience in the fields of marketing, communications and media, Catherine graduated in Journalism and Communications in 2014. She had the opportunity to coordinate and lead volunteers for FUNTER, a non-profit organization in El Salvador, that provides therapy for people with health conditions or impairments. Previously, she was the spokesperson for APROASA, the local dog shelter in her hometown. One of her most notable achievements was developing The Anual Fundraiser in 2010, which continues on to this day. Since then, she has had the opportunity to work with several organizations in the non-profit sector. Catherine has gained skills in marketing, advertising, public relations, creative writing, social media, storytelling and human resources through her years of work within the private sector. At the moment, Catherine remains committed to providing proper education and resources for the youth in El Salvador and supporting the efforts of local and international initiatives by assisting with strategies, communication plans, and creating compelling campaigns to raise awareness on how education is the key to enhance the quality of life for all human beings, especially the ones below the poverty line in El Salvador, where she grew up. At the same time, she supports the collaboration of local entrepreneurs and companies from her country in the development of social corporate programs, creating better opportunities for people and encouraging leadership in them and in their communities.

Host Organization: Glasswing International USA

Role at Host Organization: At Glasswing International USA, Catherine will be serving as the Partnerships & Marketing Fellow. She will work side-by-side with senior staff to gain practical experience in business development, client relations, and marketing by using customer questionnaires and focus groups to support Glasswing’s customer database, collaborating closely with the US Communications team and Strategic Partnerships team, and helping to develop and execute marketing strategies with target audiences. Catherine will play an important role in further developing relationships with key stakeholders at Glasswing, including partners and current/potential clients.

Chimezie Anueyiagu has five years experience in the public health sector. While working as a health education/risk communication officer with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), He led the development of risk communications strategies/plans, messages; engagement of key stakeholders and communities; and supporting research around social and behavioural change communication. He played a key role in Nigeria’s COVID-19 response by coordinating public communications throughout the pandemic. He has played a similar role for Lassa fever response, working across the 36 States in Nigeria. Chimezie holds a degree in Education Economics and is a member of the West Africa Social Science Epidemic Response Network (WASSERN). He is also a fellow of the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform, and a member of the Institute for Humanitarian Studies and Social Development (IHSD). Chimezie has attended Public Health conferences and professional courses across Africa and Europe.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: At American Red Cross, Chimezie will be serving as the Knowledge Management & Learning Fellow. Chimezie will be sitting with the Quality, Data and Learning team at ISD/ARC Headquarters and will be responsible for supporting the Knowledge Management and Learning efforts of the department. He will help facilitate access to, utilization of, and learning from existing data, evidence, and knowledge generated from past operations both within the American Red Cross and with the RCRC Movement Partners

Boluwatife Michael-Biyi is an International Development Professional with over 7 years of experience working with nonprofits, local and international organizations such as the African Union, identifying and leveraging partnerships and contract opportunities, delivering sustained results, and managing projects from idea to impact. Bolu’ specializes in social innovation, a passion that is driven by his belief that business should be used as a force for good. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Covenant University, Nigeria where he also served as the President of the Student’ Union, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Swansea University in the United Kingdom. Bolu’ is passionate about Impact and Learning, he thrives on initiating conversations that change mindsets and open up new possibilities. He also enjoys focusing on the thematic areas of civic engagement, education, and public health.

Host Organization: Steelcase Inc.

Role at Host Organization: At Steelcase Inc, Bolu’ will be serving as the Steelcase Social Innovation Fellow with a focus on Global Learning Community management. He will accomplish several strategic outcomes, including: fast-tracking the process of uncovering previously hidden opportunities for the adoption of new practices across the community​, increasing the number of total connections between previously disconnected partners, and strengthening the adaptive capacity of participating individuals and organizations to accelerate their personal and professional growth.