Scholars

Mpho Marole is a passionate professional with over thirteen years of experience and an unwavering commitment to gender equity. Mpho has been an instrumental change agent at Partners In Health in Lesotho (PIHL) since 2016. Initially, Mpho served as an Executive Assistant, responsible for high-level coordination with internal staff and external stakeholders. Her strong verbal and written communication skills fostered institutional transparency and cross-departmental collaboration. Thanks to her flexibility and innovation, Mpho has led PIHL’s communications department as Communications Officer since 2020. She is responsible for organizing and developing content for internal and external audiences, writing and publishing digital content, annual reports, and other marketing materials. Her passion for storytelling is evident in her photographic documentation of PIHL programs and projects. In 2012, Mpho earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Sociology and Social Anthropology. Mpho then joined the public health sector at the Elizabeth Glasier Pediatric AIDS Foundation as a Qualitative Research and Data Clerk. She then supported technical transformation at Ingcongwane Investment Holdings through detailed budget management, client relations and supporting operations management. At Bafokeng Consulting and Projects, she combined her interpersonal and technical skills to improve the company’s public relations and client relationships. Mpho understands the social injustices affecting her community. She believes that the intersections between women’s health and unequal socioeconomic opportunities are systemic and therefore require a horizontal systems change approach in which storytelling plays a key role. Mpho aims to raise awareness of the determinants of health faced by women in Lesotho and the changes needed to address these challenges.

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.

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.

Simon Mwangi has more than five years of experience working on education, employment, disability, marginalization and inclusion. He is currently the Program Manager for the COVID -19 Recovery and Resilience Program, focusing on inclusive education and inclusive livelihoods. Previously, he served as Program Manager for the professional fellows’ program on inclusive development and as Project Assistant for the Inclusive Disability Employment Project at HI. He volunteered in inclusive education support in informal settlements in Kenya as a teacher support. Prior to joining HI, he was the chair of an organization he founded at Kenyatta University which advocated for the rights of people with disabilities and creates awareness in local communities. Through his strong leadership and interpersonal skills, he has built meaningful relationships with relevant stakeholders so that the projects and programs he has initiated and supported are successful and sustainable. He has awakened the spirit of volunteerism, innovation, advocacy, community service, and activism. His collective efforts in community service were recognized by the Kenyatta University student governing body and awarded Community Service Person of the Year. He recently participated in the Young Africa Leadership Initiative Fellowship in the Public Management track. He enjoys and aspires to focus on young people with disabilities. He believes it is important to put people at the center of development so that progress is equitable and broad-based and people can actively participate in social, economic, and political change.

Weamie Tahn is a graduate of a master’s degree program in Finance at the Cuttington University School of Graduate and Professional Studies in Liberia. He is a grant management and compliance professional with ten years of experience. He currently works for Partners in Health (PIH), an international nonprofit organization that provides life-saving health care to people in the Global South. As Grants and Compliance Manager, he has spent the last four years helping the Ministry of Health improve the health system in Liberia by managing more than ten public sector grants. He promotes and ensures compliance with internal policies and donor regulations. Previously, he has worked for various international organizations such as Development Alternative Inc. (DAI), Mercy Corps, and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as Senior Grants Officer, Subawards & Compliance Officer, and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, respectively. Weamie is passionate about mentoring and building capacity for grants management for nonprofits and civil society organizations so that their projects benefit historically marginalized communities. He has found his professional calling in training, developing, and managing long-term, impact-oriented projects.

Yesani Kapanda is a development worker with a master’s degree in Project Management from at University of Bolton. He has nine years of professional experience in implementing development projects. He has managed big projects on health, education, water and sanitation, gender, and social support. His special interest is in researching innovative interventions that address the needs of vulnerable people. Currently, Yesani is the Director for Strategic Partnership and Grants Acquisition at Partners in Health, where he strategically leads the organization in grants acquisition processes through business development, and develops strategic partnerships. Previously, he worked for Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) in different portfolios, rising to the position of Programme Manager. At VSO, he led implementation of an innovative Education Technology program aimed at improving literacy and numeracy levels among early grade learners, working hand in hand with the Ministry of Education. Yesani has also worked as a Program Manager for Marie Stopes International, where he was managing both clinical staff in the implementation of project activities aimed at reducing and preventing HIV infections, as well as increasing availability and choice of quality family planning services among young women. Yesani has also worked with Concern Worldwide and local organizations on sexual and reproductive health rights, safe motherhood, and water and sanitation. In his free time, he likes to offer pro bono services to Community Based Organizations (CBOs), especially on building their capacity in the areas of resource mobilization.