Class 48

Willy has seven years of experience as an environmental activist, specialist in communication for development and social change (C4D), and researcher on inequalities and information poverty. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science, both at the University of Havana (UH). He also completed a Master’s in Latin American Studies at University College London. He has worked as an advocacy and actor articulation specialist, a C4D officer in international campaigns and projects, and has also been a researcher and data analyst. In addition, Willy has extensive experience in causes such as climate change, land degradation, ecosystem conservation, disaster risk management, and clean energy. Willy is very interested in continuing to work on environmental problems, especially climate change, which strongly affects small island states like his country.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As the External Relations Fellow, Willy will shadow external relations meetings and activities and begin to play a key supporter role in external relations planning and research. The Fellow will develop expertise in the various tools and measures for these activities. Willy will also work closely with senior staff to develop and execute external communications plans, develop writing skills in creating external content, and shepherd external opportunities (media and/or event) to fruition. The Fellow will understand the global/affiliate model Generation uses, and develop toolkits that can support affiliate communications.

Tafadzwa has six years of experience in the nonprofit sector. He holds an MSc International Relations degree from the University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, and a BSc in Media and Society Studies from the Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. He is a YALI Regional Leadership Center Southern Africa alumnus. Tafadzwa is an Operations Manager at Bayethe Development Institute, an SRHR and economic empowerment organization in Zimbabwe. He is a transformational leader and social change agent who believes in turning his vision into reality through strategic alliances and coordinated action. He is responsible for initiating and developing clear, concise proposals, grant writing, and implementing fundraising activities, donor cultivation, and stewardship. He has managed to raise US$ 800,000 from 2017 to date on advancement of SRHR access for young people, economic empowerment of LBTQI people, and child rights programming. He researches, writes, and edits time-sensitive program documents, budgets, activity reports, and cultivates relationships, including communicating with relevant local partners, stakeholders, and donors. Among the various duties in this portfolio is working in concert with the finance and administration team to oversee grant management, draft budgets, and disbursement of funds, including monitoring budgets and expenditures. Tafadzwa worked for the Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children (ZNCWC), a child rights coordinating and umbrella body in Zimbabwe as an Advocacy and Communications Officer. He organized and coordinated child rights actors and led successful advocacy and lobbying activities, chief among them establishment of the Parliament Caucus on Child Rights in 2020.

Host Organization: One to World

Role at Host Organization: As a Fundraising Fellow, Tafadzwa will help implement strategies to meet the organization’s annual fundraising goals, working closely with One To World’s Executive Director, Director of Development, consultants, and Board of Directors. The Fellow will support all functions of the Development department, including gift processing, management of donor data, special events planning and execution, cultivation and stewardship of donors, and private grant prospecting, writing, and reporting. Tafadzwa is a vital piece of a small team that generates revenue to support the organization’s direct services for K-12 youth and international scholars, and will contribute to meeting a fundraising goal of almost $1 million a year.

Menna is a creative consultant, with a focus on social impact. She has 10 years of experience working in corporate and nonprofit sectors. She developed and oversaw several marketing strategies in Egypt and Africa that combine effective advertising with data driven storytelling. Menna built more than 20+ viral campaigns and initiatives to assist organizations and companies to transform their visibility strategies up to 70%. Additionally, she worked at two of Egypt’s largest advertising firms, which gave her a leverage in her social development work from a business model perspective and provided her with a broader knowledge and hands-on experience in the media area.

Host Organization: HealthRight International

Role at Host Organization: As the Chief Operating Officer Fellow, Menna will develop strategic communication plans with metrics and goals that are aligned with the organizations’ mission, vision, and values. The Fellow will develop, maintain, and grow successful relationships with key media outlets on the local, regional, and national level. Furthermore, Menna will draft and publish press releases, organize press conferences, and develop strategies for press events and campaigns for, but not limited to exhibits, events, contributions, movies, etc. The Fellow will also act as the organization’s spokesperson, pitch, and arrange publicity opportunities such as speaking engagements, podcasts, appearances, and interviews.

Mai has extensive experience in project implementation through her coordination of various projects and her direct work with partners, vendors, refugee communities, and host communities in her former organization, Catholic Rrelief Services, in Egypt. Mai was also a Special Assistant to the Advisor to the Chairperson on strategic relations at the African Union Bureau of the Chairperson as an assignment of her AU Youth Volunteer Corps. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Cairo University in 2016 and is currently enrolled in a Euro-Mediterranean Master program in Cairo University. Furthermore, Mai has four years of experience in the fields of advocacy, program coordination and support. As an advocacy officer at the Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies, she worked on three projects that focused on the role of nonprofits in development in Egypt, business environment for SMEs, and budget transparency and disclosure. These projects were with multi-level stakeholders. Mai also succeeded in designing and facilitating 15 capacity building trainings for the parliamentarians’ staffers and workshops for young entrepreneurs with Friedreich Numan Foundation. Working on these projects developed her organizational and communication skills since working with different stakeholders on different levels paid off with much experiences in organizing conferences, capacity building, stakeholders meetings, international donors meetings and one to one meetings with government officials and public figures. As programs coordinator at Tahrir Lounge @Goethe institute, Mai was responsible for coordinating cultural programs in which she worked on creative expression for social issues like poverty and gender based violence, which resulted in seven productions of art materials and 10 short movies addressing gender related issues.

Host Organization: Save the Children

Role at Host Organization: As an Advocacy Officer Fellow (Child Rights and Participation), Mai will offer support to the Save the Children New York Advocacy Office (NYAO) in the areas of engaging children and youth to influnce policy and political debate at the United Nations. The Fellow’s role is key to the office’s commitment to ensure the protection and rights of children around the world through strategic engagement in key moments, commissions, resolutions, and for a in the UN space. The Fellow will work alongside NYAO colleagues and UN-based coalitions to secure meaningful participation of children in the UN Space and to inform that issues that disproportionately affect children are clearly addressed in UN outcome documents and resolutions. This role will also work closely with “Shift Power” programme colleagues across Save the Children member, regional and country office colleagues to provide direct support to adolescent and youth from frigate context to participate in global advocacy.

Angela possesses four years of experience in both the nonprofit sector and media space. Currently, she is the Chief Operating Officer at Jela’s Development Initiatives (JDI) where she supervises project implementation, organizational operations and communications. She manages diverse teams to provide access to clean water as well as sanitation and hygiene facilities, mental healthcare, voluntary blood donors through an artificial intelligence called J  Match and promotes youth empowerment through volunteering. Most recently, she co-designed and implemented advocacy campaigns on mental health inclusion for PWDs and voluntary blood donation. She is also a writer and solutions journalist, whose work has explored maternal mortality, anti-corruption, climate change, mental health and food security, amongst other themes. As a World Literacy Foundation Ambassador (2020), she raised awareness on how illiteracy affects daily life by curating 112 ‘literacy stories’ which she shared on social media. Previously, she worked as Media and Communications Officer at Skills Outside School Foundation (SOSF) focusing on securing relevant partnerships and creating publicity for the Foundation’s work in life skill education through digital media and production of media materials. In the time she worked with SOSF, she raised the organization’s profile by increasing social media followership by over 80% and initiated partnership discussions with various organizations. She is certified by the University of California through Philanthropy University in developing Advocacy campaigns. Angela is most interested in improving inclusion in education, good governance and mental healthcare.

Host Organization: Medici Road

Role at Host Organization: As a Communications Analyst Fellow, Angela will assist in shaping, and executing, the audience engagement strategy and she will lead digital storytelling efforts for the organization. The Fellow will work side-by-side with senior staff to gain practical experience learning how to turn data and stories into infographics. Angela will also learn how to use software like Adobe InDesign and Photoshop and practice storytelling and community engagement skills with diverse stakeholder groups including residents and peer organizations.