Economic Development

Sara Westerberg is a human rights professional with a broad range of experience from countries and organizations at the intersection of human rights and development. Sara grew up in Sweden and later moved to the UK to pursue a bachelor’s degree in International Relations. With stints in Turkey, Vietnam, France, and Sweden, Sara spent more than a decade in the UK. She later completed a master’s degree with distinction in International Development at the London School of Economics. In 2015, she returned to Stockholm to work for ECPAT Sweden, where she established and later led international programs. She has also recently taken on the role of Advocacy Manager and is a member of the organization’s strategic management group. These roles fit well with Sara’s experience in policy, advocacy, campaigning, and project management gained at organizations such as Amnesty International, Plan UK, and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. One particularly formative experience was working for the Helen Bamber Foundation. There, Sara had the great privilege of working closely with founder and director Helen Bamber, an iconic human rights champion and great inspiration. Sara gained further insight into the impact of human rights violations and the craft of advocacy for empowerment. Sara finds it very rewarding to volunteer for refugee and migrant rights, as well as women’s rights. Sara thrives in contexts where diverse people work together to achieve positive change.

Belete Hiruy Kellil has over ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector in Africa. He earned his master’s degree in Development Evaluation and Management from the University of Antwerp and a bachelor’s degree in Educational Psychology from Addis Ababa University. Belete is an International Certified Project Manager and a Fellow of the American Academy of Project Management. During his tenure as the Regional Partnerships Advisor at SOS Children’s Villages International in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, Belete significantly improved grant procurement, management, partnership building and donor relations in country offices in Mozambique, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. Previously, Belete established and managed Handicap International’s monitoring and evaluation systems in Ethiopia. He has extensive work experience with multiple donors in both development programming and emergency response. He is a board member of a nonprofit organization working with refugees and displaced populations, and a founding member of a local nonprofit organization working on peace building and conflict resolution in Ethiopia. Through these experiences, Belete has gained solid skills in leadership, coaching and mentoring, project management, M&E, donor engagement, and grant management. Additionally, Belete enjoys focusing on youth development and innovation.

Fredrick Iyamu is a planning, monitoring, evaluation, and program learning professional with more than eight years of work experience and demonstrated proficiency in results-based monitoring and evaluation, data and research analysis, and project management. He earned his undergraduate degree in Economics and Statistics from the University of Benin and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Project Development and Implementation at the University of Ibadan. Fredrick is very interested in how data can play a critical role in the advancement of developing countries. He believes that data, when harnessed and used properly, can have a tremendous impact on the development of countries and provide a pool of information for evidence-based decisions, policies, and frameworks. While working at SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria as the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Coordinator, Fredrick helped implement the results-based management approach, which involves making evidence- and outcome-based decisions in project initiation, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing. This has resulted in improved project performance, outcomes, and impact. Over the past eight years, Fredrick has gained extensive knowledge and skills in project planning and monitoring, research, and data analysis. He is experienced in using various data collection, processing, analysis, and presentation tools such as MS Excel, SPSS, ODK, Kobotoolbox, Google Forms, and MS Project, to name a few.

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.

Nawra Mehrin is trained in economics and political science and has six years of experience in nonprofit and intergovernmental organizations. Her areas of expertise include strategic program development, research and evaluation, and technical assistance. She has extensive experience in working across the international development spectrum, including BRAC, UNDP, and the World Bank. Nawra cares deeply about human dignity, the politics of underdevelopment, displacement, and children in crisis. She is constantly looking for new opportunities to improve her technical and interpersonal skills to become a seasoned development practitioner. Nawra has a 3-year-old toddler and baking with him is her favorite pass time.

Hugo Rodríguez Gutiérrez has over six years of experience in the development sector. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla in Mexico. Hugo has worked for Heifer International for three years, growing his position from Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator to Regional Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Coordinator for a coffee value chain project. Hugo’s work focuses on facilitating cohesion in the three countries where the intervention is implemented. Prior to his experience at Heifer, he worked for Chemonics International and Heartland Alliance International on projects related to crime prevention and labor rights with a gender perspective. While working with these organizations, he advised five social enterprises in the development of theory of change, and currently, he is a volunteer in a civil society organization in Mexico as an advisor on topics of M&E. Hugo is passionate about economic empowerment and poverty alleviation.

Edrisa Keita is from Sukuta in the West Coast Region of the Gambia. For the past five years, he has been the National Coordinator of Tostan Gambia, after five years of previous experience working with the organization as a partner and Assistant National Coordinator. He holds a postgraduate degree in Population and Development Studies at the University of the Gambia. He has also completed training in Entrepreneurship and Promotion of Income Generating Activities at The National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development in Uttar Pradesh, India. He holds a Professional Training Certificate in Project Planning, Management, and Evaluation from the Pan African Institute for Development West Africa; and a certificate in Business Management and Administration from the Institute of Commercial Management from the Nusrat Commercial Management Center. Before his current role at Tostan, he held positions as a teacher, an Accounts Clerk in the Ministry of Finance, a Regional Programme Officer at the National Women’s Bureau, a member of the Gender Action Team and Technical Advisory Committee, and a Chairperson in the Gambia Red Cross Society. He has also participated in development platforms with different agencies: the UN Development Assistance Framework for the Gambia (UNDAF) working group, the National Gender and Women Empowerment Survey, and the development process of the National Women’s Act of 2010.

Opeyemi Oguntomi is a Programme Development and Strategy Specialist with seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector. He holds a Higher National Diploma and a postgraduate diploma in NGO management from Lagos, Nigeria. He has attended various capacity building trainings in the area of development programs and health and youth-related projects. Opeyemi attended international training on business research methodology and data analysis at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Ahmedabad in India. Opeyemi is currently working with SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria, a child-focused organization, as a Youth Development Coordinator, and where he coordinates the implementation of the Johnson and Johnson Catapult project, Grieg Gender Challenge Programme, and the Next Economy program, a Dutch government-funded project in a multi-cultural community. These programs address the root causes of poverty, youth employment, girl-child education, gender equality, and marginalization of children through investment in the socio-economic development of communities and families, by enhancing the capacities of individuals, local groups and parties that impact most on child wellbeing. Opeyemi believes that young people must be supported to live up their full potential.

Patrick Rumanyika is a community development practitioner from Rwanda with three years of experience working in the nonprofit sector. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Development Economics from the University of Rwanda and a master’s degree in International Development with a specialization in Community Development from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He utilizes his skills and knowledge in the areas of project management, economic development, youth empowerment, and capacity building. He is particularly interested in empowering rural youth and bridging the linkages between community development and agriculture. Previously, Patrick worked with PPIZ in Tanzania as a project leader. In this position, he played a key role in project designing, planning, and documentation processes, as well as developing all essential project documents.

Host Organization: CorpsAfrica

Role at Host Organization: At CorpsAfrica, Patrick will be serving as the Alumni Association Fellow where he will work to build a system that supports former CorpsAfrica Volunteers in their personal lives and professional careers. Patrick will develop a solid framework of communication for CorpsAfrica Volunteer alumni, create opportunities for alumni to stay involved with CorpsAfrica and provide professional support services to alumni, including hiring events and professional development opportunities.

Rebecca Castello is a public employee at the Federal University of Pará, where she has been an administrator for eight years. She has worked in nonprofit sector for over three years as a volunteer. She obtained a PhD in Social and Environmental Development from the Center of Higher Amazonian Studies in Brazil, focusing her studies on public university management. She also has an MBA in entrepreneurial education from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro-PUC, as well as in public and people management. She works in social projects in her own community, organizing events and actions focused on the distribution of food and clothing in areas with vulnerable people, assisting newcomers in nursing homes, and distributing toys to low-income children. She participates as the manager of a start-up project that aims to reduce food waste in the Brazilian Amazon region, combining sustainable development and greater access to low-cost food for the local population. In addition, she has worked in an institution for children for adoption, where she developed storytelling and children’s games. Through these experiences and her academic background, she has developed skills in project management, monitoring and evaluation, and research, always focusing on sustainable development, economic development and philanthropy aimed at distributing food to low-income people.

Yi Jun Mock is Co-Founder & President of Advisory Singapore, a fully youth-led nonprofit dedicated to empowering young Singaporeans from all walks of life to make informed career and further education choices. Since its establishment, Advisory has engaged over 156,000 students and youth. Outside of his work with Advisory, Yi Jun is an Advisor to The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, Curator of the Singapore Hub of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community, an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society, and an alumnus of the US State Department’s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative. He has volunteered as an Asia-Pacific Youth Representative to the Jury for the UN Environment Young Champions of the Earth, as a Reader for the Mandela Washington Fellowship, and as a member of Singapore’s Films Consultative Panel. For his work in education and overcoming inequalities, Yi Jun has received the Queen’s Young Leaders Award from Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace; the Diana Award, in honour of Princess Diana’s lifetime of service; and a Deloitte-One Young World Scholarship. His research and academic writing has received awards from the likes of Foreign Affairs Magazine, the Credit Suisse Research Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United States Naval Academy. He holds a Master’s of Global Affairs from Tsinghua University, where he studied as a Schwarzman Scholar and BP Fellow; as well as First Class Honours in a Bachelor’s of Politics and International Relations from The London School of Economic and Political Science.

Suhaimi Zainal Shah has 5 years of experience in the education sector. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics (Distinction/2:1) and a postgraduate diploma in Education, he taught Mathematics and the English Language at a secondary school before going for a stint at the Ministry of Education Headquarters. His interests lie in interdisciplinary learning and one of his focus has been where education intersects with technology. He blogs about his EdTech explorations at the Sg Edtech Blog and his innovations have gotten him a Google for Education Innovator accreditation too. Beyond work, Suhaimi supports Project Refresh as a volunteer leader through Young National Trade Union Congress (YNTUC) and he also plans programmes for minority youth via MENDAKI Club. He has more than five years of experience as a community leader and his newer projects are to develop future leaders with succession planning in mind. Suhaimi is also interested in futures thinking and he believes that as youth leaders, one would need to be able to apply foresight and look out for signals to prepare themselves for the future world. He hopes to be able to contribute meaningfully as a global citizen by thinking global but first start acting locally.