Scholars

Abiodun Emmanuel Ojo is a logistic manager and humanitarian worker with over four years of experience at Doctors Without Borders. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and a Master’s degree in Economics from Belgorod State Technical University. Emmanuel has worked with Doctors Without Borders as Logistic Manager in Haydan, Yemen to run a state hospital and research the challenges of sourcing water and fuel in this remote region. The United Nations constructed a 80KW solar power system and dug a borehole of 380-meter depth for the hospital based on his work. He previously worked for the same organization in Aweil, South Sudan, where he facilitated construction of two hospital buildings and renovated many buildings to enhance the quality of care. Overall, Emmanuel is passionate about using his engineering skills to achieve global health equity.

Anthony Akwenyu is an economist and development policy professional with extensive experience in the nonprofit sector. He currently serves as the Chief of Party for the Norwegian Refugee Council-led Resilience program in southern Sudan, overseeing a $30 million USD program focused on livelihoods and food security, disaster risk reduction, nutrition, gender-based violence, conflict resolution, and early warning systems. Previously, he held senior positions in programs implemented by Save the Children, World Vision, and worked as a consultant for organizations such as War Child Holland, and CARE International. Through his work, Anthony has gained expertise in program management, stabilization efforts, education, food security, and data analysis. He holds a Bachelor of Statistics and Applied Economics degree from Makerere University, Uganda, and a MIT MicroMaster’s certificate in Data, Economics, and Development Policy. Anthony’s areas of passion within the nonprofit sector include empowering children, women, and youth, and he currently resides in Juba, South Sudan, where he enjoys building strong relationships with his colleagues and sharing laughter.

Dione Sharon has five years of experience in peacebuilding and humanitarian coordination programming. She has a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Social Science from the Protestant University of Central Africa and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Buea. She is also Certified in Disaster Risk and Humanitarian Management from the Pan African Institute for Development – West Africa and is an alumnus of the Young African Leaders Initiatives (YALI). She currently works as INGO Forum Officer, fostering coordination initiatives, collaboration, joint research, analysis, and advocacy among 24 international NGOs advancing emergency relief and development response within complex security contexts in Cameroon. Prior to this role, Sharon volunteered with the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network as a Program Consultant where she facilitated joint program coordination, collaboration, and learning for effective peacebuilding by youth organizations within the Network in Cameroon. Sharon previously led as the program team lead for a National Peacebuilding NGO, implementing peace and conflict management initiatives including USAID-funded community peace and security initiatives, peace research and policy, as well as community dialogue, and mediation processes. She is a lifelong learner, passionate, and committed to supporting collaboration and partnership in delivering humanitarian assistance and peacebuilding.

Folashade Abimbola has over nine years of experience working with women, children, adolescents, girls, and other marginalized and vulnerable groups in society. Her expertise includes early childhood development, child protection and safeguarding, HIV/AIDS prevention, community and stakeholder engagement, and program monitoring and evaluation. Folashade has worked on various program teams who implemented projects and programs with Save the Children International, USAID, AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN), Positive Action for Children Fund (PACF), Mercy Corp, and Management Sciences for Health (MSH) among many others. Presently, she is on the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) team of Women for Women International (WfWI). Folashade is passionate about the rights of women, girls, and marginalized groups and continues to add her voice to ending biases, and long-seated social and cultural norms which impede these marginalized and vulnerable groups from living full and fulfilling lives.

Godiya Makama brings over seven years of experience in the humanitarian sector, complemented by a degree in Law from the University of Jos in Nigeria. Her tenure at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Northeast Nigeria involved providing crucial support to children and families affected by the Boko Haram crisis, ensuring the restoration of disrupted lives. Throughout her time at IRC Nigeria, Godiya served as the most senior female national staff, acting as a source of motivation for many women within the organization, particularly in the highly patriarchal context of Northeast Nigeria. Currently serving as the Deputy Director of Programs for the IRC Yemen Country Program, Godiya works closely with technical coordinators to uphold program quality in Yemen. In addition to her professional responsibilities, Godiya is dedicated to enhancing her leadership skills. She aspires to support other women, both within and outside the IRC, who are interested in developing their own leadership abilities. By strengthening her own capabilities, Godiya aims to empower and uplift women within the organization and the wider community.

Jarra Darboe has thirteen years of experience in administration and finance at Tostan Gambia. She holds an advanced diploma in Business Management Studies from the Gambia Technical Training Institute. She has developed annual project budgets, financial reporting, budget management, and managerial competences. Jarra’s work at Tostan focuses on empowering communities to develop and implement their vision for the future. Tostan’s transformative education program and the community empowerment programs have reached tens of thousands of participants in the Gambia. Her efforts alongside her team have supported a wide range of community-led impacts in education and beyond, including health, economic empowerment, environment, local governance and women empowerment.

Kris Reinhardt is a digital health and data science specialist with experience in the humanitarian and international development fields. Kris holds a Master’s degree in Development Practice from Columbia University. Kris currently works for Médecins Sans Frontières or Doctors Without Borders (MSF). In her work with MSF, she has gained expertise in the field of digital health through supporting the development, implementation, and use of multiple digital health platforms. She has extensive technical and implementation knowledge of DHIS2, a health management information system for the collection, storage, and analysis of data. She also has worked on and supported projects to analyze data from Bahmni, an Electronic Medical Record platform. Prior to working for MSF, Kris worked for an inter-United Nations initiative focused on governance, policy, and planning for nutrition. She supported data projects for several countries with the objective to provide multi-sectoral and geographical data analysis around nutrition to impact policy and government planning for nutrition.

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.