Cohort 02

Erina Nafula has eight years of experience in the IT systems Integrator sector and two in the business sector. Erina is pursuing a Master in Business Administration from Cavendish University Uganda and earned a Bachelor’s in Engineering (Hon) Electronics majoring in Telecommunications from Multimedia University, Malaysia. She is a member of ISACA and a Certified Information Systems Auditor. Erina is the Chief Operations Officer and co-founder at JjengoTech Limited, a tech startup incorporated in Uganda. JjengoTech Limited’s primary business is a fintech and an e-commerce platform that provides merchants with a virtual address and access to a vast customer base and allows for the convenience of contactless transactions. In this role, her responsibilities have included the design and implementation of business strategies, team leadership, performance measurement and management, daily operations, and financial management. She is also currently serving as a Solution Architect-IT at The Copy Cat Limited, where, for the last eight years, she has developed mission-critical infrastructure solutions for businesses effectively addressing the IT networking, server-builds, network, and cybersecurity pain points with significant financial yields for the company. She volunteers in Rotary serving in several leadership capacities from the local Club to the District as the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Vice-chair 2019-2021. Through these experiences, she has developed critical thinking and problem-solving skills and honed her creativity and innovativeness. She is passionate about technology, adult literacy, and youth leadership.

Bashar Timraz has eight years of experience in the nonprofit and government sectors. Bashar earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administrations from Al-Quds Open University in Palestine. Bashar has diverse work experience in administration, coordination, security, reporting, and project management. In his current role as Operations Coordinator in the Field Security and Risk Management at the United Nations for Relief & Work Agency (UNRWA), he provides emergency response to around 13,000 staff members working in 300 UNRWA installations, guarantees a safe work environment for the UNRWA employees, follows up and reports all security incidents as needed, and organizes and maintains security files on all issues related to assessments, security plans, and more. Through his work with UNRWA, Bashar works with staff from different backgrounds, experiences, and working styles. Thus, he has developed strong communication, teamwork, risk-management and problem-solving skills. Previously, Bashar worked at the Ministry of Detainees and Ex-detainees Affairs in the projects and planning department, and was responsible for preparing the Ministry’s projects, operational plans, and reports. Working with the government has enabled him to develop report writing skills, strategic thinking, and communication skills, along with the ability to organize media events. Bashar is particularly looking to challenge himself and learn new things focusing on the topics of humanitarian, operations, and economic development.

Nedaa AlAbadla has two years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Bachelor’s of English Literature from Al Azhar University in Gaza. While working as an Admission Officer for Doctors Without Borders, Nedaa organized the flow of the trauma and burn patients and supplied equipment in the clinics of the MSF. Previously, Nedaa worked with the humanitarian sector and civil society organizations for about three years to advance community development and promote human rights. Nedaa has volunteered as a peer educator on women’s rights and leadership for several civil society organizations in Gaza. She also volunteered to help elderly people and orphans, as well. Nedaa produces human-interest stories that elucidate humanitarian issues in Gaza. Most recently, she worked for the Mideast Group in Gaza. In this role, she served as a link between the private sector and civil society organizations through the fundraising unit, and was responsible for internal and external communication related to improving community services in Gaza. Nedaa has gained valuable experience in war reporting, digital storytelling, and international relations. She strongly believes in the power of strong communications and storytelling to show the real image in order to support vulnerable communities. Through these experiences, Nedaa developed project coordination and writing skills. She enjoys focusing on the topics of women and gender advocacy, and has a deep passion for women’s empowerment.

Aboud J. Al Ifranji has five years of experience in the nonprofit sector and three years of experience in the UNRWA education sector. A.J. earned a Bachelor’s of Teaching English Language from Al Azhar University in Gaza, Palestine. While working as an English teacher in different UNRWA schools, he helped improve his students’ academic achievement in English in prep schools. While working as a Project Coordinator in Japanese Campaign for the Children of Palestine, he helped improve the quality of education in local government schools across different areas in Gaza, Palestine. Through these experiences, he developed strong project coordination, planning, monitoring, implementation, reporting, and evaluation skills. A.J. also honed his abilities to work with computerized and office programs, use cameras for video recording and editing, and facilitate different types of trainings, workshops, and meetings, especially for teachers and school staff members. A.J. is also deeply skilled in translating oral and written English to Arabic, researching, working under pressure, multitasking, and leading teams. Throughout his career, A.J. has developed a wide variety of communication skills, along with best practices in data collection, validation, summary, and analysis. A.J. enjoys focusing on topics of education development, cultural variety, sports, animation, movies, and music, and has a strong passion for self development and youth empowerment.

Abeer Sheikhasan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Applied to Economics from Birzeit University in Palestine in 2012. Three years later, Abeer earned a Master’s degree in Statistics Applied to Economics from the same university,. She also had the opportunity to experience teaching in a private basic school for about three months, and research assistance in her university for another three months. Immediately after that, she became a government employee at the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics as a statistician, where she currently works. As a government employee at the National Statistical Office of Palestine, she participated in many international training courses: including in Belgium, Turkey, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Japan. She learned intensively in the field of statistical analysis in support of inclusive development policies and price indices, and moderately in data science and big data techniques for official statistics. During her amazing experience in Japan, she learned R programming as a new tool for data analysis and she conveyed that knowledge by conducting several training courses for her colleagues.

Hana Jasem possesses more than seven years of progressive experience working in universities and with NGOs. Hana’s professional history includes positions such as a Lecturer and Project Coordinator as well as an Undergraduate Students Mentor at University of Bedfordshire. She also worked at Juhoud for community and rural development as Project Coordinator. In this role, she was responsible for coordinating project sponsorship by the U.S. General Consulate. Hana’s professional experience at the university level has developed her skills in planning, training, and mentoring, along with providing workshops, advice, and support to students. In addition, studying at University of Bedfordshire was a remarkable experience to broaden her vision and understanding of project and business management, as well as celebrating diversity by working and teaching students from all over the world. Her supervisor during postgraduate study relied on her research, time management, communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills. Hana has always wanted to be in a place where she can be part of the solution through her innovation and positive impact. She is passionate about developing the leadership expertise that is necessary to make a difference by applying and developing leadership skills.

Wilfred Mukora is an engineer with a Bachelor of Engineering in Production Engineering from Chinhoyi University of Technology in Zimbabwe. Wilfred also holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Moscow State University of Mechanical Engineering in Russia, which he earned as a Rus-Zim Bilateral Scholar. Wilfred has worked in the manufacturing sector for over a year as a Production Engineer at Parracombe Packaging and in the heavy metals industry for two years at Craster International. At Craster International, he investigated the possible re-use of sand used for making moulds during metal casting, which reduced production costs and was adopted by the company. He has since published one conference paper for the Russian Academy of Sciences Mechanical Engineering Research Institute and three articles for LAP LAMBERT on several topics: “Computer Modelling of Corrosion in Heated Metals under Pressure,” “Moulding Sand Management for Improved Properties,” and “Reclamation in Metal Castings and Design of an Electrically Powered Heat Treatment Oven.” Currently, Wilfred serves as a Service Manager at Bison Agro Machinery, where he advocates for mechanization of agriculture to improve food security in his home country. He is also set to start his Ph.D. studies in Mechanical Engineering in 2021. Wilfred’s areas of interest in the nonprofit sector are education and environmental conservation.

Tariro Mhute is a communications and development practitioner and social change advocate who is passionate about HIV/AIDS programming, child rights, gender policy, and advocacy. Tariro holds a Master of Science in Development Studies, a Bachelor’s of Science with Honors in Media and Society Studies, and an Executive Certificate in Public Relations. She is currently studying to earn a Diploma in Digital Marketing. She has five years of communications experience in the nonprofit sector and two years in the private sector. As a communications practitioner, Tariro has played a pivotal role in advocating for sustainable development in Zimbabwe while working on projects funded by PEPFAR, USAID Zimbabwe, Pact International, and ActionAid International. Currently, she works for the Organization for Public Health Interventions and Development (OPHID) as a Programs Assistant for the Target, Accelerate, and Sustain Quality Care for HIV Epidemic Control Program funded by PEPFAR/USAID. Tariro has amassed a wide array of professional skills in social media management, desktop publishing, copywriting, editing, and photojournalism, with articles published by USAID International and various platforms. In addition, Tariro is a proud Rotary International Volunteer and Public Relations Chairperson for the Rotary E-Club of Harare. She enjoys interacting with communities regardless of their economic, social, or ethnic class. Most importantly, Tariro has great passion in representing marginalized groups, especially girls, women, orphans, and vulnerable children, for social change.

Sandeep Thullimalli is a public health professional with an interest in the development sector. After receiving his medical degree, Sandeep decided to pursue a path apart from clinical medicine in order to develop a broader understanding of the concept of “Health.” This motivated him to pursue a Master’s degree in Global Health from University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, where he finally got a glimpse of health from an economic, sociological, and cultural perspective. He volunteered at a nonprofit organization focused on human rights and advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. After earning his Master’s degree, Sandeep joined the organization Swasthya Swaraj based in India, where he worked for tribal communities located in some of the most remote districts in India for two years. Here, he provided primary medical services, training and facilitation about Malaria and nutrition, and regular assessment of the status of nutrition, malaria, and anemia in the community. He worked on a cross sectional descriptive study of intensive screening of children with presumptive TB across 70 villages in Kalahandi. Sandeep also worked with the organization Dakshas in Hyderabad for 8 months, where he helped with design and improved the efficiency of operational processes of various programs. Sandeep has experience of working in diverse settings and is eager to learn more about the development sector.

Samah Dahhou has approximately six years of work experience, including two years serving as Senior Program Officer for USAID Career Center Program in Morocco. At USAID, Samah enhanced the employability of Moroccan youth and introduced career services in Moroccan universities and vocational training institutes through the implementation of pilot Career Centers. She was responsible for capacity building and reinforcement for pilot and future Career Centers in Morocco. Prior to this experience, Samah worked in education for “Campus France” in Morocco as a counselor and in human resources management in the private sector. Through these experiences, Samah was able to utilize her background in human resources management and her work with students to support youth workforce development in Morocco and to develop her skills in program implementation and management. These experiences confirmed Samah’s strong interest in workforce development and her desire to help make a change in this area. She is currently serving as Technical Advisor for a program on labor migration governance and labor mobility in North Africa. Samah holds a Master’s degree in Management from Clermont Auvergne University in France and a Vocational Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management. She speaks French, Arabic, and English.

Rhotkinen Parradang has four years of experience in the nonprofit sector and has earned a Bachelors of Science in Marketing and Management from Manhattan College in New York. She works with Ventures Platform in Nigeria, where she designs and implements entrepreneurship support programs for young African innovators. While working as the Partnership Analyst at Ventures Platform, she wrote proposals and grants that funded several organizational programs and startup endeavors. Previously, she worked as a Special Programs Assistant on the Integrated Humanitarian Assistance in Northeast Nigeria (IHANN) program, a USAID-funded program. Through this program, Rhotkinen had the unique opportunity to provide health, nutrition, and gender-based violence support to victims of the Boko Haram crisis. This program empowered beneficiaries to find alternative sources of income and become entrepreneurs. The youth-focused businesses she has supported have allowed young Nigerians to take control of their economic and social circumstances. They have also allowed beneficiaries to become employers of labor. Through these experiences, she developed strong leadership, grant writing, critical thinking, and project implementation skills. Rhotkinen is passionate about youth development and supporting the growth of youth-led businesses.

Rachit Sharma has 10 years of diverse experiences in live events and campaigns for the nonprofit sector. Rachit is a Hotel Management graduate and holds a Master’s degree in Business Management with a specialty in Marketing. He is currently a Campaign Manager with Save the Children and has delivered successful campaigns with a focus on gender and children’s rights that have mobilized over four million people online and offline. He has led, overseen, and delivered the prestigious Centenary campaign for Save the Children with a focus on early childhood care and development. In 2015, as the National Consultant for Action/2015, a global platform of 4,000 organizations from 170 countries, Rachit delivered on the organizational ambition of spreading grassroots level awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals within India and globally. His introduction to the nonprofit sector was as a consultant with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization Doctors Without Borders, where he guided their strategy and delivered their communication and fundraising-focused campaign activities in India. His professional experience started while working on delivering international sports events like the Commonwealth Games, Arab Games, and Hockey India League. Through his diverse experience in managing projects ranging from large-scale sporting festivals to cause-based marketing campaigns, he has developed a keen ability to analyze a situation from all angles, foresee challenges, and build appropriate solutions. Rachit is a storyteller who enjoys strategizing on communication and mobilization initiatives and loves to cook in his free time.