Curriculum Writing

Densley Awa Awafong is a humanitarian aid worker with over twelve years of experience in both the development and humanitarian sectors. He has always had focus on both programs and field operations; optimizing productivity, efficiency, and service quality across various environments. He is a holder of a Bachelor’s degree in the Social Sciences and a Master’s degree in international relations from the Protestant University of Central Africa. He is currently serving at the International Rescue Committee (Cameroon Program) as Senior Field Manager for the past four years. His position entails managing the IRC’s Northwest Region field office with an oversight of all operations and supply chain functions. This includes Safety and Security Protocols, Procurement, Finance, Warehousing and Asset Management, Fleet Management, and Office Administration. Through his leadership and dedication, backed by strong work ethic and excellent breadth of experience in aid programs, the visibility of the organization has met with much positivity. This, because of the highly impactful programs implemented which are geared towards meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. He is very passionate about integrating in a multicultural and multidisciplinary team of Humanitarian aid workers. His strives are to provide life-saving emergency assistance to people living in some of the most inhospitable environments. As a result, he has worked effectively with cross functional teams in local NGOs and International NGOs such as Plan International and INTERSOS in ensuring operational and service excellence.

Grace Namukonde Kayamba is a graduate from the University of Zambia, the National University of Ireland-Galway and the University of Lusaka. She is 43 years old and lives in Lusaka-Zambia. Grace obtained her Bachelor of Arts with Education degree at the University of Zambia in 2005. She later did the Cambridge International Diploma in Project Management with the University of Cambridge-International Examinations in 2009. Grace went on to do further studies at the National University of Ireland-Galway where she studied Gender, Globalisation and Rights and graduated in 2013 with the Second-Class Honours Grade 1. In 2019, Grace graduated with a Master of Science degree in Project Management at the University of Lusaka. Grace joined the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) in 2007 as a Program Officer-Education and has been climbing the ladder to Senior Program Officer, Training Manager, Education Manager and currently serving as a Program Manager. As a Program Manager, Grace plans, coordinates, and oversees the implementation of projects in Education and Young Women Empowerment programs. She provides technical support to the Monitoring and Evaluation team on project evaluations and research. Grace sat on the ZANEC Board as Vice Board Secretary and Gender and Equity Chairperson. Grace has over the years managed different donor contracts ensuring that projects are managed as per donor requirements. Grace represents the organization in various stakeholder high level meetings and networks with other Civil Society organizations and government ministries. Before joining CAMFED, she worked with HODI on a UNHCR Refugee Project as a SGBV/HIV/AIDS Coordinator.

Jacqueline Anena is a public health specialist and a technical advisor for vaccines and immunization at PATH, leading efforts to improve immunization coverage and vaccines supply chain and logistics. For the last six years Jacqueline has supported the Uganda National Expanded Program on Immunization (UNEPI) with providing technical assistance in program work planning and coordination, development of implementation strategies such as the National Immunization Strategy, the immunization supply chain strategy, Human Papilloma Virus vaccine coverage improvement plan among others. She is passionate about use of human centered design in designing approaches and strategies that focus on improving user’s experience. Outside her job description, she is a mental health enthusiast and taking on initiatives to improve mental health in workplaces and among the cooperate community. Jacqueline holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health and has over 12 years of experience in implementing Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programs. She was previously a Global Health Corps (GHC) Fellow and a staff at World Vision in Uganda.

Isaac Gonzales has four years of experience in the field of providing re-entry services to a population that is at high risk and underserved. During this time, he obtained an Associate of Arts degree in Sociology, an Associate of Arts degree in Behavioral Sciences, and an Associate of Arts degree in Humanities. Currently, he is actively pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology at California State University of Los Angeles. In his capacity as a Case Manager and Community Health Worker at Homeboy Industries, he has been responsible for providing re-entry services to individuals who are marginalized and disadvantaged. Isaac is a highly experienced system management expert who has worked with Homeboy Industries, the Justice Care of Opportunities Department of Los Angeles County, and IBM to create a platform that connects persons to social services. Through this platform, a wide range of people whose lives are negatively impacted by social injustices will gain access to a variety of services. Isaac’s primary goal is to achieve the empowerment and inspiration of individuals, ultimately challenging and overturning preconceived ideas and beliefs.

Tolulope Makinde is a career development expert and an experienced project manager passionate about entrepreneurship, education and youth development with over a decade of experience in planning, activity design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and supervising projects and programs that focus on improving the quality of life of vulnerable children and adults and helping organizations reduce costs and maximize results, including providing technical leadership, developing reports, prioritize, advocate and network with individuals and partner stakeholders. As a Project Officer for Youth Development at SOS Children’s Villages, Nigeria, he has led efforts to address the pressing issue of youth unemployment by coordinating career awareness and vocational guidance programs. His work involves establishing and maintaining effective relationships with various agencies, employees, and young people. He also plays a pivotal role in identifying the needs of young people in remote communities and developing strategies to address their social and emotional needs. He is the founder of Motivated Mankind, a network of entrepreneurs and volunteers who have a passion for impacting their society with their skills, knowledge, and innovation, and an initiative for youth development, education, and entrepreneurship. While working as the Programme Coordinator of the Motivated Mankind Initiative, he has helped thousands of youths to access relevant information for capacity building, career development, and professional development. His career goal is to utilize his skills and expertise in an organization to exceed projected revenue growth, build relationships with new people, influence people, and make a global impact.

Hayley Bisceglia-Martin has over ten years of experience working in international development. Since 2017, she has been working with One Acre Fund to raise funds for their mission to improve the harvests and livelihoods of rural smallholder farmers in East Africa. Prior to joining One Acre Fund, Hayley was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Ukraine and Samoa, where she worked to strengthen child literacy and help build local schools’ capacity. She has also volunteered her time with Americorps, at libraries as an adult literacy educator, and with programs designed to promote gender empowerment and HIV/AIDS awareness among youth. She is particularly interested in the intersection of gender and climate change, and ways we can leverage technology to support rural farm families.

Marta Skierkowska is a psychologist and a dedicated manager committed to developing outreach programs. With over 15 years of involvement in aiding children who have suffered from violence or sexual abuse, she co-manages one of Poland’s largest NGOs, the Empowering Children Foundation, affiliated with ECPAT International in the country. Since 2022, Marta has extended her efforts to humanitarian work, supporting the Ukrainian community seeking refuge in Poland, collaborating with organizations such as UNICEF and UNHCR. Having ascended through the ranks of the organization from assistant to board member, Marta is the architect of numerous child abuse prevention programs. Collaborating with her teams, she focuses on scaling these solutions and integrating them into Poland’s systemic activities, encompassing direct interventions, research, education, and advocacy. Marta recognizes the importance of addressing both child abuse and the well-being of staff who confront child trauma daily. She fosters personal development among her team members, ensuring they find roles that resonate with them, and cultivates a supportive environment that mitigates professional burnout. For Marta, combating child abuse is a calling—an honor she pursues with unwavering dedication, believing that well-executed actions can save countless children’s lives. It is this commitment that drives her to refine and standardize her management practices, drawing inspiration from others and striving for continuous improvement in her service to the cause.

Belinda Oluoch is a supply chain professional with nine years of professional experience in the industry. She is currently heading the Inventory department at SHOFCO, a grassroot movement across Kenya slums providing services, community advocacy platforms, education and leadership development for women and girls. A proud graduate of Maseno University with a Bachelor’s degree. She was inspired to pursue a career in Business Administration with IT, Supply Chain Management Option, since it offers a wide variety of opportunities for career advancement and also had a chance to create positive impact indirectly, in the urban slums of Kenya through SHOFCO. Her responsibilities in her current role include overseeing a team of inventory staff, managing an inventory tracking system, evaluating deliveries and stock levels, analyzing daily stock and supply, managing assets and ensuring the programs team members get their resources in a timely manner to support their daily activities. Her professional abilities also lie in Procurement and Logistics management. Besides her professional career, her passion is to fight stigma and discrimination against mental illnesses and people living with mental health conditions. She is also passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion. She is currently supporting SHOFCO in Mental Health awareness creation through trainings as a TOT and mentor under the Youth Voice Project, across the country. Her dream is to have a world free from mental illnesses, especially among the youth.

Marisa Grimes has been working in the international development space for more than a decade, focusing primarily on serving smallholder farmers in East Africa with the trainings, tools, and inputs they need to increase their yields and access a stronger financial future. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from George Washington University and a Master’s Degree in Social and Cultural Analysis from New York University. Currently, Marisa serves as the Program Director of Tubura Strategy at One Acre Fund Rwanda where she leads a team of more than 35 individuals to design the strategic direction and implementation plans for marketing, enrollment, product sales and impact training for more than 750,000 farm families across rural Rwanda. Previously, Marisa worked on expanding One Acre Fund’s geographical presence in both Rwanda and Tanzania to include hundreds of additional villages and new jobs, and led the Tanzania field-facing management team for several years. She also has volunteered as a secondary school English teacher, has started her own nonprofit, and serves on a young professional advisory board for a NGO focused on improving maternal health in Nepal. In addition to her core work functions, Marisa is passionate about the professional development of her direct reports, team members and colleagues and has dedicated time to create trainings, host pair walks, and prioritize opportunities for others to grow.

Afiya Micah is a humanitarian worker with over six years of working as a social empowerment trainer, training marginalized women in rural communities in post-conflict areas of Plateau State. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in plant science and technology from the University of Jos. She is currently responsible for executing the one-year training curriculum, which comprises five modules: women’s solidarity, the value of women’s work, health and wellness, gender equality, rights and decision-making, and women influencing decisions in their communities and supervising program participants according to organizational guidelines. She is committed to empowering individuals to reach their full potential, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to change their lives, homes, and communities positively. She trained 150 women in advocacy and communication to prepare them to work as change agents in their community. She was part of the team that did a step-down training on gender and development for some of their colleagues. She has worked as an enumerator, collecting baseline data, and as a computer and data operator, conducting biometrics and data capture for the Plateau State ICT department. She is passionate about gender equality, poverty alleviation, social justice, education access, healthcare access, community development, human rights, mental health awareness, and community safety. She aims to empower individuals and communities to overcome challenges and create a more just and equitable society.

Jean de Dieu Izabayo Sekabanza has a keen interest in economic sciences and pursued his studies at the University of Goma, graduating from the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management with a focus on Financial Management. Having a passion for ensuring financial integrity and risk management, he embarked on a career path that led him to the non-governmental sector. For approximately four years, he served first as the Risk and Compliance Coordinator and now as Risk and Compliance Manager at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). In this role, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic acumen in overseeing the organization’s risk management framework, ensuring adherence to regulatory policies, supporting coordination of external audit, and conducting internal controls to mitigate potential risks effectively. Prior to his tenure at NRC, He gained valuable experience in the field of finance while working with Mercy Corps DRC. This experience provided him with a solid foundation in financial analysis, budget management, and in internal control, further enhancing his expertise in the field of financial management. Beyond his professional endeavors, he is deeply passionate about youth empowering. Recognizing the transformative potential of empowering youth through leadership, skill development, and civic engagement, he actively engages in initiatives aimed at promoting youth empowerment with his community and beyond. Through his diverse experiences and unwavering commitment to excellence, Jean de Dieu continues to make meaningful contributions to his professional field and society at large.

Malumbo Mkandawire has four years of experience in the non-profit sector and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Sciences from EARTH University in Costa Rica. Currently, she is working with CAMFED Malawi as the District Operations Officer, where her main role is to support the delivery of educational opportunities for girls and vulnerable children through the implementation of bursaries, Safety Net Funds, economic empowerment for young women, and other programs at the district level. Among her various responsibilities, Malumbo ensures the implementation and adherence to child safeguarding in line with CAMFED’s Child Protection Policy. She administers outlined support to targeted recipients such as clients, alumnae members, schools, and communities in line with CAMFED Procurement and stock management policies. She coordinates various projects while maintaining records for CAMFED operations in the district and supervises the CAMFED Association to transform their lives and become leaders of change. Before joining CAMFED Malawi, she was a fellow under the Ohio Fellowship one year program, where she was based at Meadow Creek Dairy Farm in Virginia, USA. She gained experience in dairy farm management, developed recommendations for a balanced diet feed for the cows to reduce milk fever and increase milk production, implemented new dry cow monitoring methods to optimize labor time and maintain strong, healthy calves, and directed soil sampling analysis, recommending soil nutrient quantities that produced good pasture quality and increased palatability of the same. Malumbo is passionate about climate-smart agriculture, the environment, rural girls’ education, and young women’s economic empowerment.