Scholars

Abdul Sammad was born in Multan, Pakistan. He has completed his Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgy & Materials Engineering from Institute of Advanced Materials, BZU, Multan, Pakistan. He has 5 years of experience in oil and gas sector, and community service projects with nonprofit organizations. Passionate about social change, he volunteered as a “Rahbar Mentor” for 4 months in underprivileged areas of Karachi for 4 months. He took on the responsibility to sow the seeds of positivity and inspire youth about the importance of education and creating one’s own destiny without fear. Abdul is also involved with Citizen Foundation as “Baghban Ambassador” to raise funds to support and provide quality education in underprivileged areas of Karachi. He was also part of “Amal Academy”, an education startup funded by Stanford University, which provided him with vocational skills. It was a 3-month fellowship in which he invested 150 hours to develop business skills such as communication, leadership, problem solving and teamwork, etc. Professionally, Abdul works for TUV Rheinland Arabia LLC as a test engineer. Previously, he had also spent two years working for Bureau Veritas Pakistan, a global company that provides a range of sustainability services and solutions. He is interested in bringing about social change in the areas of health, education and sustainable development for the people of Pakistan in line with the UN 2030 agenda.

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.

Belete Hiruy Kellil has over ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector in Africa. He earned his master’s degree in Development Evaluation and Management from the University of Antwerp and a bachelor’s degree in Educational Psychology from Addis Ababa University. Belete is an International Certified Project Manager and a Fellow of the American Academy of Project Management. During his tenure as the Regional Partnerships Advisor at SOS Children’s Villages International in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, Belete significantly improved grant procurement, management, partnership building and donor relations in country offices in Mozambique, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. Previously, Belete established and managed Handicap International’s monitoring and evaluation systems in Ethiopia. He has extensive work experience with multiple donors in both development programming and emergency response. He is a board member of a nonprofit organization working with refugees and displaced populations, and a founding member of a local nonprofit organization working on peace building and conflict resolution in Ethiopia. Through these experiences, Belete has gained solid skills in leadership, coaching and mentoring, project management, M&E, donor engagement, and grant management. Additionally, Belete enjoys focusing on youth development and innovation.

Brayan Torres has six years of experience in the non-profit sector and has earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua. Throughout the years, Brayan has inspired more than 600 volunteers from diverse backgrounds to become global leaders and change-makers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Brayan worked with a service-learning and youth leadership development program in the Dominican Republic, supporting community-based projects in order to improve the sanitation and public health of local rural communities. Previously, as a School Counselor, Brayan worked with Costa Rican youth in Monteverde by providing training and workshops about soft skills, leadership, and career advice. In addition, he was awarded a scholarship funded by the Senate of Hamburg, Germany to represent his hometown Leon, where he learned about youth mobility, cultural exchange, and conflict management. Currently, Brayan is based in Managua, Nicaragua, building technical skills in the outsourcing industry.

Cynthia Changufu-Kalaluka has over fourteen years of experience in public health. Cynthia has a Master’s degree in Public Health and a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Pharmacology which she obtained from Leeds Beckett University and the University of the Witwatersrand respectively. She has worked for large international organizations such as Population Services International (PSI) and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). She is currently working for PATH which she joined in 2016. Cynthia is particularly passionate about working with vulnerable populations that have been disadvantaged because of socio-economic status, gender, age, disability status, and those living with chronic conditions. Cynthia was born with Sickle Cell Disease (genotype: Haemoglobin SS), and she is passionate about raising awareness and advocating for improved services and management of the disease in her country of birth, Zambia.

Dennis Dias is a teacher with over a decade of experience in education. He is a 35-year-old resident of New York City. Dennis was born in southern California. He completed an undergraduate degree in history and English at the University of California, Riverside. As an undergraduate, Dennis volunteered with organizations supporting LGBT youth. After graduating, Dennis served as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Albania, contributing to youth development and English instruction. His experiences in Albania instilled an ongoing concern for international development and-cultural exchange opportunities. Dennis completed a master’s degree in Intellectual Disability/Autism at Teachers College, Columbia University, and is currently completing a master’s degree in International Policy Management at Kennesaw State University. Dennis works as a special education teacher for the New York City Department of Education. Dennis specializes in inclusive and literacy instruction as a special education teacher. Dennis is interested in international and comparative education, particularly institutional policies that promote access, equity, and inclusion for all students, regardless of their gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, home language, ability status, or migratory status. He believes that educational policies and practices are deeply entwined with matters of social justice. Although often regarded as a secondary concern, education is a central pillar in sustainable development.

Irina Bogdanova is a Chief Specialist in SamaraNIPIoil Ltd, ROSNEFT, Russia. She became a technical reference due to her specialization in environmental project development for gas and oil areas. Irina develops safety and environmental guidelines for important clients who are based in various cities. The expertise and knowledge associated with environmental safety gave Irina the recognition of her company, and she presented and shared her work in the “Environmental Protection in Oil and Gas Complex” journal as the co-author of the article “Methods of Utilization and Processing Oil-Contaminated Soil.” Irina acquired a deep technical background, leadership, and communication skills during her professional career in diverse projects, which required her to be flexible and adapt to new environments.

Kelvin Kapuya is a professional with over two years of experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Malawi. Currently, Kelvin works as an Health & Data Systems Specialist with Partners In Health in Neno, a remote district in Malawi. In his role, Kelvin focuses on Electronic Medical Records and mHealth Systems, working to digitize paper-based systems in clinical settings and operations. He has played a key role in improving data management by utilizing mobile health technology for data collection by Community Health Workers. Kelvin has also provided training to program teams on reporting visualization tools and online office tools, enhancing their productivity and efficiency. Prior to his work with Partners In Health, Kelvin served as an IT Specialist at Afrimax Ltd, a private internet service provider company. In addition to his professional experience, Kelvin has been actively involved in volunteer initiatives and youth and leadership development roles, which have further strengthened his leadership and management abilities. He is passionate about social justice and actively engages in discussions related to youth leadership, development, and personal and professional growth.