Cohort 05 | Hilton Prize Scholars (Cohort 2021)

Adedapo Sijuwade is a social worker with over seven years of experience in humanitarian services, project management & community development. Adedapo has a degree in Sociology and professional courses in humanitarian works. He is particularly attracted to the quest of creating and enabling a safe environment for vulnerable groups. He believes in timely and collective action in response to the plights of marginalized groups, orphans, and vulnerable children to overcome their unpleasant situations through quality intervention, community engagement, and advocacy. He shares the vision of protecting the dignity of human lives and hopes for a just society for all with an emphasis on enhancing the quality of human existence. Adedapo is a social reformer, who is proactive about addressing social issues. His understanding of social issues, such as gender inequality, poverty, child rights, climate change, resulted in numerous achievements among the communities where he worked. He has been involved in various initiatives in his quest to improve the quality of life among vulnerable children to increase school enrollment and retention among teenage girls to avoid teenage pregnancy.

Allison Coady is a Senior Development Officer at Partners In Health Canada. Allison served as the Interim Director of Major Gifts at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières-USA (MSF-USA). She joined MSF-USA as the Development Officer for Foundations, responsible for managing strategic relationships with US-based foundation donors. She has extensive international experience working on the ground in 13 African countries in the field of human rights. Prior to working at Doctors Without Borders, Allison was based in South Africa representing Canada’s International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (Rights & Democracy) and served as Programs Manager for the Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI) in Pretoria. During her time with Rights & Democracy, Allison implemented projects aimed at strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations in their efforts to document human rights violations and protect the rights of Zimbabwean asylum seekers. At DHPI, Allison coordinated conflict management, good governance, and constitution-making training programs for local leaders in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. Allison is a member of the associate board of ALIMA (the Alliance for International Medical Action). She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Pretoria and a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.

Amanda Creary completed her graduate studies at Mercer University, gaining her Master of Public Health degree. She has been working for Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), a program at The Task Force for Global Health, a non-profit subsidiary of Emory University. She previously worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supporting grants, proposals, contracts, and the Office of Budget Services. At TEPHINET, Amanda provides project management, logistical and programmatic support for multiple projects and special initiatives. Most recently, she has worked with Polio Eradication efforts in Pakistan and supports the in-country Field Epidemiology Laboratory Training Program. She has a passion for healthcare, humanitarianism, and servitude and excitement to use knowledge, skills, and mentorship to continue a career in global health. During Amanda’s free time, she volunteers as a patient advocate, helping low-income families and individuals with medical debt forgiveness, which has also influenced her career in the public health sector.

Anna Rountree brings over a decade of experience in international affairs, women’s and children’s rights, and mental health. Anna’s expertise lies in developing large-scale programs and campaigns that create opportunities for underrepresented populations. As Director of Communications at Clubhouse International, Anna plays a crucial role in amplifying the organization’s impact on individuals living with mental illness and driving engagement by developing and overseeing campaign strategy and tactics. In her prior Development roles at Clubhouse International, Anna used her interpersonal and writing skills to develop initiatives that grew constituency, helped meet financial goals, and influenced stakeholders. Anna’s focus on a rights-based approach has been instrumental in strengthening the impact of the Clubhouse network. On the Advisory Board of ECHO, Anna helps to build global capacity for emergency medicine, and on the Clubhouse Racial Justice Committee, Anna addresses inequities experienced by people of color living with mental illness. Anna edited the Governance and Rights Framework for the International Rescue Committee; prepared analytical reports for the General Assembly and Security Council, helping to secure passage of resolutions; and scrutinized policing of poorer communities as Associate Producer at CBS. Anna earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, double minoring in French and International Affairs from Binghamton University, and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from The New School. Anna’s practicum, Bridging the Gaps: Implementation of Comprehensive Abortion Care in Ethiopia, inspired much of her subsequent focus on the voiceless. Anna loves to travel, read, and meet people. She is committed to promoting the voice of underrepresented populations.

Basimenye Nhlema is the Chief Operating Officer at Partners In Health, Malawi. In this capacity, she leads the operations department and heads seven sections including Supply Chain, Procurement, Distribution, Transport, IT, Infrastructure, Human Resources, and Administration. Prior to moving to Operations, Basimenye served as the Community Health Director for Partners In Health Malawi for four years. In that role, she managed the Community Health Worker (CHW) program, the Community Programs team, and the Program on Social and Economic Rights (POSER), interdisciplinary teams focusing on community health in a rural and impoverished population. The CHW program had 1200+ CHWs who focused on education and health screening at the household level; the Community Programs team runs an innovative integrated screening program for sexual and reproductive health and chronic conditions among adolescents, women of childbearing age, and the general population in remote areas; and the POSER team provided support to patients’ basic social and economic needs. Basimenye was also part of a team that worked on transitioning CHWs in two pilot sites of Neno district from a paper-based system to a digital platform called Medic Mobile. Basimenye holds a Bachelor of Arts-Humanities degree in Drama and Public Administration from the University of Malawi and a Master’s of Arts degree in Dramatic Arts from Witwatersrand University, South Africa.

Benny Katta is a Scholar of “Rural Economy and Digital Tools” with a study on Digital Agriculture, Rural Economy and Social Development. He has 17 years of professional experience in program management and project implementation on rural & social-economic development, corporate social responsibility projects, sustainable livelihood, women empowerment, digital agriculture, capacity building, and commercializing the FPOs. He is a good strategic planner, conflict manager, and social impact player. He has displayed skills in decision making, critical thinking, and demonstrated persuasive communications, team management, and leadership skills. He was recognized with the “Sitara Award” for setting up a benchmark for clean finance handling by Tata Group for DFID Project.

Bikash has 20 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sector with significant achievements in leading large scale multi-country humanitarian response programs, developing/institutionalizing humanitarian policies and strategies, leading organizational and community-centered Emergency Preparedness Plans, mainstreaming DRR, climate resilience, Comprehensive Safe School programs, and linking relief, rehabilitation and development (LRRD). He has led and supported more than 70 emergencies in several countries across the globe with Action Aid, LWS, CARE, ADRA, Tdh, and HelpAge International, as a humanitarian focal person and commendable technical experience in cash-based programs, nutrition, protection, education, WASH in emergencies, and food security & livelihoods in emergencies. Bikash has facilitated more than 100 training on various areas. He is a seasoned professional with expertise in PCM such as needs assessment, proposal development, log frame & budget preparation, monitoring and evaluation. Bikash currently working with HelpAge International as Emergency Response Manager. The key responsibilities are coordinating and managing the Global Emergency Fund (GEF) and supporting country offices, partners, and network members for humanitarian crisis response. Bikash received a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Utkal University in Odisha, a Master’s degree in History, and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the Utkal University of Culture in Odisha.

Ahmidu Barrie has over ten years of experience in non-profit administration, logistics, and management. Ahmidu earned his first degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone in 2010 and later pursued his post-graduate degree in public administration at the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM). His drive to help his country comes from seeing his parents work very hard to take care of their family, as well as his experience of being abducted and forced to be a child soldier during his country’s civil war. After working with Wellbody Alliance, a local NGO that helped care for amputees and others with war wounds, he knew his life’s work was to help the poorest of the poor. He established the Community Health Worker Program, which brought care to the doorsteps of people living with HIV and TB across Kono District. When Ebola came to Sierra Leone in 2014, Partners In Health began working with Wellbody, and they eventually merged. During this time, as lead Logistician, Ahmidu was tasked with creating Ebola care and treatment centers across two districts. Currently, as Chief Operating Officer for Partners In Health Sierra Leone, Ahmidu is helping shepherd the development of the Maternal Center of Excellence, which aims to improve health outcomes for women in a country with one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. Ahmidu is eager to learn from the experiences of his colleagues and hopes that sharing his experience in health systems strengthening in low-resource settings will be of use to others. The skills and training that he hopes to acquire will enable him to improve his capacities as a leader and be an even stronger advocate of social justice, health equity, and education.

Brittany is a business development and grant management professional who has spent her career fundraising and advocating for vulnerable children and their families. The bilateral and cross-sectoral partnerships she has facilitated among large foundations, the U.S. government, and NGOs have driven sustainable impact through solutions in early childhood development, youth skill building, economic opportunity, health and nutrition, and education. Brittany has supported the development and growth of the foundation and corporate relations at SOS Children’s Villages-USA where she builds partnerships with US foundations and corporations and connects them with the program teams in 136 countries where SOS implements robust development projects. Before this role, Brittany worked at ChildFund International where she managed a donor portfolio of distinguished institutional funders supporting initiatives in 13 countries across the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Starting her career on Capitol Hill, Brittany left the U.S. five years later to work abroad in Hunan, China. When she returned two years later, she took a position advocating for children in the state of California before transitioning to the international development sector. As a foster parent in Richmond, Virginia, Brittany is living the SOS mission every day supporting and advocating for youth in her community. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations focused on World Politics and Policy.

As Senior Communications Manager, Courtney Calardo oversees the overall development and implementation of BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative’s (UPGI) communications strategy. Prior to joining BRAC UPGI, Courtney was the Communications Manager at Family Planning 2020, where she worked to promote greater access to and information on sexual and reproductive health for women and girls around the world. Courtney brings 10 years of experience in strategic communications with a primary focus on international development. Courtney has provided strategic communications and partnership development support to social entrepreneurs with innovative, evidence-based solutions for major global issues, as well as key implementing partners, and worked to promote the integration of innovation in development programming overall during her time at USAID. With additional experience in the private sector as a consultant, Courtney has supported the development and execution of communication strategies for academic institutions, international governments, NGOs, and the private sector. Courtney graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a B.A. in Journalism and International Studies, focusing on human rights and photojournalism.

Daniel Maweu is a midwife and a reproductive healthcare educator with nine years of cumulative professional experience working in clinical midwifery, perioperative nursing care, and nursing education. Daniel currently works with Partners In Health-Liberia as a midwifery coordinator/educator. He has been vital in improving maternal and neonatal care at JJ Dossen Memorial Hospital and Pleebo Health Center through continuous mentorship of midwives in Southeastern Liberia. Daniel also works as a visiting obstetrics faculty at the School of Nursing, V.S William Tubman University, where he played a key role in setting up the midwifery department. Daniel has worked in various institutions as a nurse-midwife, perioperative nurse, and educator in both Kenya and Liberia. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kenyatta University and a Master of Science in Nursing (Midwifery) from Mount Kenya University, Kenya. Daniels’ biggest passion is building resilient maternal health systems and he is a strong advocate of respectful, dignified maternity care for all women of reproductive age.

Diana Paola was born in Mexico City. She has experience working in the non-profit sector, nationally and internationally. She has a Bachelor’s degree in genomic sciences from the UNAM and a graduate specialization in criminalistics. She has always had a great interest in protecting those who have no voice, and that is why she has been involved in both animalistic and humanitarian organizations. She has collaborated directly with Ecpat México, from the Ecpat International network, where she has helped in different projects to prevent sexual exploitation of girls, boys, and adolescents in its different modalities, such as forced marriages and travel and tourism industry. She has trained several companies in the travel and tourism sector, in the prevention of CSE, and the application of “The Code”. Diana Paola also helped the organization to have a greater public presence, by implementing communications through social networks. One of the things that she considers most enriching about her work is the chance to empower girls, boys, and adolescents to be protagonists of their destiny. She also collaborates as a Corporate Relations Specialist at Mercy For Animals, to stop the worst practices in animal farming. Nowadays she is very interested in sustainability, CSR, and how this may lead to a better world for everyone.