Cohort 13 | Hilton Prize Scholars (Cohort 2023)

Nyanshi Mbua is a humanitarian and development professional. Nyanshi earned a Master’s degree in International Cooperations, Humanitarian Action and Sustainable Development. Currently, he is with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as the Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance Program Coordinator. He manages and implements the ICLA program in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon in line with strategies and donor requirements, ensuring high technical quality of the programme. He has also served for four years as Child Protection Officer and Case Worker respectively with Plan International where he effectively managed over 300 child protection cases. Mbua worked with Support Humanity Cameroon as the Programme Coordinator. In this role, he engineered strategic partnerships with funders and other organizations.

Linus Neufville is a public health and monitoring and evaluation professional with over nine years of experience in nonprofit programming and data systems management. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from William V. S. Tubman University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Development Dimensions Africa School of Distance Learning, and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management from UNICAF University of Zambia. Linus is a champion of women’s rights and empowerment through sexual, reproductive health, and rights (SRHR) programming by showcasing evidence-based results for programmatic and policy change. His advocacy for continuous SRHR/family planning (FP) services contributed to an increase of 69.1% rate of FP needs met among married women and a decrease of 18.9% rate of teenage pregnancy among adolescents in Maryland County. Presently, the Reproductive Health and Monitoring and Evaluation Program Manager at Partners In Health. He facilitated advocacy and led the coordination, planning, and implementation of SRHR/FP programs that enhanced women’s services, increasing their confidence in social change. These advocacies have secured about $500,000.00 U. S. dollars to support ongoing SRHR/FP programs effort in 2023. He also implemented an integrated maternal and child health (MCH) outreach program that helps reach adolescents, pregnant women, and children in remote sites, increasing access to MCH services and has led to a 67% reduction in maternal mortality from 2018 to 2022. With these experiences gained and passion for promoting women’s rights and empowerment, Linus seeks to achieve social impact by reducing health inequality in marginalized communities.

Zainab Oluwabukola Atta has eight years of experience in the humanitarian aid sector and nine years in the developmental sector. She holds an LLB from Ahmadu Bello University, a Bachelor’s of Law from the Nigerian Law School, a Postgraduate Diploma in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from the National Open University of Nigeria as well as certifications from the London School of Economics, Harvard Business Publishing, and Humentum. Zainab currently works with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization she has worked with since 2015 as a capacity building officer, a senior protection officer, a protection manager, and now a protection and rule of law coordinator. She works to ensure that the human rights of affected populations in Northeast Nigeria are protected and they receive support when they experience harm. Zainab serves as the Coordinator of IRC’s Women at work platform that promotes female IRC staff’s career growth and emotional well-being.

Becs Brocken is an experienced fundraiser with experience working for and volunteering alongside non-profit organizations and leaders in the UK and North America. With a particular interest in youth activism, access to education and gender equity, Becs joined CAMFED, the Campaign for Female Education, in 2021. While at CAMFED as the Senior Manager of Corporate Relations, Becs has developed opportunities for entrepreneurs, small business owners and global corporations to engage their teams and customers with global social impact goals. Becs earned her bachelor’s degree in Arts Management from the University of Leeds, where she explored how non-profit organizations motivate employees. Since then, Becs has worked to build philanthropic partnerships with forward-thinking organizations and their leaders to support the long-term sustainability of non-profit organizations committed to making the world a fair and equitable place for everyone.

Hoda Al-Haddad possesses four years of experience in the nonprofit sector and holds a Master’s degree in Arab Studies and a Diplomatic Studies Certificate from Georgetown University. Presently, Hoda serves as the Global Programs Coordinator at Women for Women International (WfWI), where her responsibilities include managing the Global Programs Unit across the organization and providing support to the Chief Program Officer with various programmatic responsibilities. Hoda is also engaged in the Country Power Journey project, which concentrates on strengthening the authority and accountability of WfWI country offices while maintaining a unified global vision, mission, and strategy. Hoda’s passion lies in devising sustainable projects that not only create economic and social impact but also act as a roadmap to peace-building and a sustainable future.

Mercy Njogu is an experienced HR professional currently serving as the Human Resource Manager for Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) in Nairobi, Kenya. With over eight years of experience in Human Resource Management, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a specialization in Human Resources from Moi University, a Higher Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Institute of Human Resource Management, and a Diploma in Business Administration from the Nairobi Institute of Business Studies. Her role revolves around ensuring that SHOFCO’s HR policies and procedures align with its goals and objectives. One of Mercy’s significant achievements at SHOFCO was spearheading a comprehensive HR review that resulted in organizational restructuring, job evaluations, and the successful implementation of a new pay structure. This initiative significantly enhanced employee engagement and satisfaction within the organization. Prior to her role at SHOFCO, Mercy worked as an HR and Administrative Assistant at the Kenya office of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and also dedicated her time as a volunteer HR professional at The Aga Khan University Hospital. As a leader, Mercy places a strong emphasis on the value of human capital and is deeply passionate about mentoring and empowering young girls, recognizing the transformative impact it can have on their lives and communities.

Nay Win Myint has over twenty years of experience working in the UN and other international non-governmental organizations. He is currently working for Norwegian Refugee Council in Myanmar as an Area Manager. He oversees the humanitarian activities and supports functions in South-East regions of Myanmar. He is also interested in reading and playing tennis.

Jessica Sanchez was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and at a young age, she was sent to live in South Central Los Angeles, California, which became her home. Currently, she is working towards earning her High School Diploma at Twilight Charter High School with the intention of attending UCLA, where she plans to major in psychology. For the past six years, Jessica has been a Social Justice Advocate in the Government Relations Department of Homeboy Industries, focusing on serving the formerly incarcerated and underserved minorities in Los Angeles County and beyond. Her work revolves around empowering marginalized communities by facilitating the transfer of power to them. Notably, Jessica has led advocacy coalitions to successfully pass bills like SB731, which will provide over one million Californians with increased employment, housing, and other crucial opportunities. Through her efforts, she has established essential relationships with influential political figures who support Homeboy Industries’ mission as the world’s largest reentry organization for formerly incarcerated and gang-involved individuals. In addition, Jessica has managed voting flex centers, educating individuals on candidate research and policies to enable informed voting decisions, resulting in hundreds of first-time voters. She has also taken the lead in developing and facilitating educational classes that empower individuals and communities to advocate for their rights and navigate the legislative process.

Victoria Ayodele Fajinmi is currently working as an Advocacy Associate at Women for Women International, where she passionately advocates for women’s rights. With 17 years of working experience, she has developed a strong expertise in various areas including women’s participation and decision-making, reproductive health, education, advocacy, and economic empowerment. Originally from the Southwest of Nigeria, Victoria now resides in the Northeastern part of the country. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling Education at the National Open University, Bauchi Center. Previously, she earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Education and a Higher National Diploma in Microbiology/Virology from the Nigeria Institute of Science Technology, Ibadan, and ATBU Bauchi campus, respectively. Victoria is actively involved with a group of women called Change Agents within Women for Women International. Together, they strive to bring about social change in their community, focusing on empowering women and promoting gender equality. Victoria is dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of women in Nigeria. Victoria’s professional journey has involved the successful implementation of various projects in Bauchi state. She has also been involved in improving access to HIV/AIDS prevention among female sex workers and pregnant women, managing projects for the Bauchi State Agency for Tuberculosis, Malaria, and HIV/AIDS as part of the World Bank project. Furthermore, Victoria has actively addressed the education crisis through a USAID project, managing 28 centers for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 14 communities of two local government areas in Bauchi, providing basic education and vocational training. Aside from her professional pursuits, Victoria finds joy in meeting people and traveling, enriching her experiences and perspectives along the way.

Indiana Siu holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy and a Master’s in Arts with focus in Asia at Chengchi University in Taiwan. She currently serves as Regional Director for Operation Smile in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Her interests are to further Operation Smile’s impact in rural sites, build local capacity, and ramp up programs to promote health access and timely quality care. Indiana strongly believes that more than ever nonprofit health organizations have a duty to support their beneficiaries and become more centered around patients’ needs; how to overcome their barriers to care and avoid catastrophic health expenditure. Before being promoted to Regional Director she served as Executive Director for the Nicaragua chapter, becoming one of the strongest foundations of Operation Smile in Latin America by providing completeness of care for patients born with cleft and expanding programs to impact the public system.

Monica Nyaga graduated from Moi University with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a Master’s degree in Gender. Her passion lies in education and nurturing youth leadership skills. Currently working as a Program Officer at SHOFCO, Monica leads the access to education and post-secondary scholarship program. Her primary responsibility is to oversee the successful transition of girls into high school, with the goal of empowering them to become change-makers in their communities. Additionally, Monica served as a program officer with JCCP Kenya, where she organized training sessions and awareness-raising events in Eastleigh—a region prone to violent extremism and other forms of radicalization. She addressed the high rates of mental illness and gender-based violence through her work. Monica is deeply passionate about education and girls’ leadership initiatives. She firmly believes that early access to education for girls breaks the cycle of poverty, prevents child marriages, child labor, period poverty, and other forms of gender-based violence, thereby allowing girls to reach their fullest potential.

Originally from the Washington DC area, Bernard Wiseman received his Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of New Orleans. He is currently completing his master’s degree in Humanitarian Practice MSc from the University of Manchester UK, as part of the MSF LEAP program. Bernard’s international career began with the United States Peace Corps, where he worked as an environmental education extension agent in Senegal, West Africa. After gaining experience in environmental issues, he returned home to contribute to sustainability initiatives for the US government. In this role, he focused on reducing the environmental impact of government building operations and became a LEED accredited professional. Since 2015, Bernard has worked with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in various capacities, including Logistics Manager, Coordinator, and most recently Head of Mission. He has served communities in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, and most recently Ukraine. Currently, Bernard has transitioned back to the United States and works full-time with MSF in the New York City office as the US Association Coordinator.