Tanzania

Isaya Gwindevya is a civil engineer registered by the Tanzania Engineers Registration Board (ERB) as a professional engineer, holding a Master of Science in project planning and management from the Institute of Accountancy Arusha in 2023 and a Bachelor of Science in civil and structural engineering from the University of Dar es Salaam in 2015. Isaya has worked with the Norwegian Refugee Council as shelter and infrastructure team leader for about three years, where he manages the shelter and infrastructure projects through project supervision, budget monitoring and expenditure, project design and needs assessments, structural design, bill of quantities preparations, proposal preparations, supervision of contractors’ contracts, and coordination with project stakeholders. Isaya has also worked with OXFAM to ensure the community has access to WASH services, particularly for the unprivileged, refugees, and the marginalized, requiring special attention. In addition, he worked with NCI Engineering Consultancy, where he managed consultancy services on structural designs, materials quality assurance in relation to materials tests, and site construction performance monitoring to conform to the designs. He is passionate about learning and acquiring knowledge, particularly about evolving technologies, which provides alternatives for solving WASH community problems and civil engineering at large.

Lilian Nyalusi is a human rights lawyer who specializes in International Human Rights Law, with emphasis on refugee law and guiding principles on internal displacement. She has proven experience and knowledge on gender-based violence (GBV) and women’s rights. With over eight years of experience, she has been working with the Women’s Legal Aid Centre and the Norwegian Refugee Council in Tanzania. Through her advocacy efforts she supported access to legal identity and documentation in Tanzania and women’s rights and GBV. She has engaged in various crossborder programs between Tanzania and Burundi in establishing effective partnerships with local organizations and other INGOs. She has also supported women’s housing, land, and property rights in Tanzania through provision of legal counseling and drafting. She provided capacity building trainings on Security of Tenure to the members of the Land Tribunals and relevant stakeholders, improved access to justice through a combination of support to traditional and formal develop programs that increase access to legal assistance and promote efficient use of alternative dispute resolution methods, especially related to land disputes, developed systems that link the informal and traditional systems to the formal legal system in the camps.

Masalu Luhula is a Land Tenure Specialist at Landesa’s Tanzania office and an advocate of the Supreme Court of Tanzania. He is the former coordinator of the National Working Group on Land-Based Investment in Tanzania. He has eight years of experience working on land rights, responsible investment in real estate and land, and has published on land rights and investment. Masalu is also serves as a lead ambassador for Tanzania for the Lex: Lead Group.

Khadija Mrisho is a lawyer with expertise in land tenure policy, legal and regulatory reform, customary land rights, land registration and titling, women’s and youth land rights, land-based investment, climate change, land-related institutional capacity building, conflict resolution, and project management. To promote the proper use of land and other natural resources through policy and legislation, Khadija conducted a number of interventions, such as youth land rights assessment to advance policy reforms in line with youth needs and priorities, and youth and climate change assessments. Furthermore, she assessed a range of proposed and existing laws and policies governing land and natural resources, as well as institutional capacity in managing bestowed resources. She also developed and implemented training materials on land rights, women’s and youth land rights, and the environment in general, and conducted capacity building trainings for youth, women, and communities on land rights. Khadija holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Dar es Salaam and a postgraduate degree in law from the Law School of Tanzania.

Esther Mutani is currently working as an Assistant Director of Finance for Heifer International Tanzania since June 2019. In this role she is responsible for coordinating operational planning and budgeting, preparing organizational financial reports, and assisting and maintaining strong internal financial controls. Prior to this, she served as the Senior Finance and Administration Officer for South West Cluster and North East Zone in Heifer Tanzania since January 2008. Thereafter, she worked as a Senior Accountant through May 2019 in the country program’s head office. While serving in various positions, Esther acquired vast experience in working with various donors, such as American Red Cross, Starbucks Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, EU, MasterCard Foundation, VSF Belgium, and Winrock International. Esther is very passionate about accounting and financial management, and trained and supported the Heifer Tanzania Finance team in this area, especially on the ERP Accounting System. While working with Heifer International, she participated in the co-mentoring program and provided capacity building on the internal review and planning exercises. She also supported the current ERP accounting system with Heifer Uganda, Heifer Kenya, Heifer Zambia, Heifer Malawi, and Heifer Zimbabwe, on-site and remotely. Esther is a strong believer in Heifer International’s mission, which is “to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth.”

Godfrey Massay is a land rights lawyer and currently works as a land tenure specialist for Tanzania with Landesa, a global nonprofit organization that partners with governments and local organizations to secure legal land rights for the world’s poorest families. The scope of his work is diverse which includes identifying, supporting, and collaborating with a multi-sectoral group of key stakeholders at the local, sub-national and national level on: (a) the importance of women’s and men’s land rights in Tanzania, (b) the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, and (c) the need to rigorously monitor progress towards the achievement of women’s and men’s land rights. He previously worked with Tanzania Natural Resource Forum and Hakiardhi, premier natural resource and land rights organizations based in Tanzania. He has written and published numerous journal articles and book chapters in both local and international journals. Most of his works have looked at the theoretical legal frameworks and the practice on the ground in different themes of land tenure as well as the social movements underpinning the agrarian change in Tanzania. His research interests are land tenure reforms, land-based investments, agrarian issues, and gender. Mr. Massay holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B Hons) from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and is based in Arusha.

Phelisters Marwa is a public health care professional with six years of experience in the Health Sector at the Ministry of Health Tanzania, Quality Assurance Department. She is a volunteer and the founder of Rural Women Empowerment Tanzania — a platform to empower rural women. Phelisters holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and an MBA, both from Beijing, China. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University and she completed a short course on Monitoring and Evaluation in collaboration with Boston University, Giesel School of Medicine, Muhimbili University. She has revised implementable guidelines in the ministry as National Trainer of trainees. She has also helped to improve health care delivery in rural areas by training health care workers in health facility assessment and quality improvement development plans. She has worked as a volunteer and research fellow in projects with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins (JHPIEGO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, FHI360, Pharm access International, Intra health, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), etc. Phelisters is also a team-leading volunteer and member of Youth of United Nations Association of Tanzania with members in schools and universities across the country; with over 35,000 members in Secondary Schools through 200 UN clubs and 35 UN chapters in universities. It is an important learning platform for young people to practice diplomacy, negotiate and implement nations’ international policies. It is a platform for innovative professionals to use their skills to create value and contribute to development by developing strong leadership, teamwork, and management skills. Phelisters is passionate about women empowerment, volunteerism, youth leadership, and development.