Economic Development

Khalida Khalo Lazgeen brings over eight years of experience in the non-governmental sector, focusing on humanitarian initiatives. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Duhok in Iraq. Khalida’s career path led her to serve as a program officer within the social and economic empowerment program at Women for Women International in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. In this role, she dedicated herself to supporting marginalized women across various districts and villages, fostering their social and economic independence by helping them establish their businesses and amplify their voices. Back in 2018 she worked in a position as a protection project manager at a local organization, collaborating with NPA organization, Khalida furthered her mission by assisting survivors of war and conflict, particularly those affected by ISIS and gender-based violence in Nineveh. Throughout her journey, Khalida honed her project management and coordination skills, along with team collaboration and communication abilities. With a deep-rooted passion for gender equality, Khalida sees herself as an advocate for women’s rights, aspiring to witness all women empowered to live peaceful and fulfilling lives, enjoying their rightful place in society.

Onyekachi Ayevbuomwan is an Agricultural Economist with over ten years experience as a development expert, trainer, and lecturer. Onyekachi joined Heifer Nigeria in November 2022 as a Program Coordinator with skills such as employment creation, project management, stakeholder management, and capacity building working directly with young, vulnerable, and excluded groups including farmers. Onyekachi is skilled in using the M4P approach to deliver systemic, sustainable, climate smart and environmentally friendly interventions. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State in Agricultural Economics & Extension graduating with First Class (Honors) and emerged as the best graduating female in the faculty. She began her career as a graduate assistant in the Department of Agricultural Economics & Extension, was secretary to the Department’s Graduate Program and Editor of the Maiden edition of the faculty Magazine. She served as Course advisor for entry level undergraduates and supported in lecturing (microeconomics & rural sociology) and has a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics (2015) from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan. Onyekachi began active work in the development sector in 2017 as an Intervention officer and was promoted in 2018 to an Intervention Manager in the Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE) FCDO funded program. Onyekachi has experience as an entrepreneur and employer of labor managing an MSME for over two years between 2020 to 2022. Onyekachi is passionate about women’s economic empowerment and believes strongly that women in leadership positions will lead to economic growth. She enjoys singing, reading, photography and public speaking.

Zanke Norman Tem is a dedicated WASH practitioner with more than five years of experience in humanitarian and emergency contexts. Hailing from Cameroon, Zanke has committed himself to aiding vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, during crises. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, from the National Advanced School of Public Works in Yaounde and the University of Padova. Additionally, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Buea. Zanke’s expertise lies in project management, communication, leadership, and budgeting, enabling him to excel within the International Rescue Committee. Serving as a Senior Project Manager in Bamenda, North West Region, he effectively managed multi-sectoral projects, ensuring adherence to donor requirements and efficient budget management. Zanke’s skills in leading cross-functional teams, fostering effective stakeholder communication, and propelling continuous improvement initiatives have been pivotal in delivering projects successfully within stipulated timelines and budgets. Transitioning to the role of WASH Programme Manager in Buea, South West, Zanke showcased outstanding leadership by forging proactive partnerships with NGOs and government ministries to bolster project sustainability. He guided his team in executing water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives in demanding settings, monitored program advancements through data analysis, and adeptly handled emergency projects. Zanke’s unwavering commitment to instilling accountability, fostering high performance, and prioritizing the well-being of displaced individuals is palpable in his endeavors. His dedication to aiding communities in need, paired with his proficiency in WASH programs, positions him as a valuable asset in humanitarian and emergency response endeavors.

Jeanne Mukarukundo is a professional renowned for her expertise in climate smart agricultural development and sustainable farming practices. With a distinguished background in environment Jeanne has served in different positions at One Acre Fund where she now serves as the Tree and Outgrowers Program Manager, a leading organization dedicated to empowering smallholder farmers. Jeanne’s career is marked by commitment, armed with a Master’ Degree in soil and water management from Haryana Agriculture University in India and a wealth of practical knowledge gained through years of fieldwork, she has emerged as a driving force in the realm of rural development. Previous to the work at One Acre Fund Jeanne worked as a local expert for KCC a company from Southern Korea for the design of a multi-purpose Dam that will support smallholder’s community in the Eastern province of Rwanda. She also worked for the Ministry of Agriculture in 2010 to 2011 as Watershed officer supervising the implementation of land husbandly, Water Harvesting and Hillside Irrigation (LWH) a World Bank funded project before resuming her study in 2012. At One Acre Fund, Jeanne assumes a pivotal role in spearheading the strategic planning and execution of tree planting initiatives and Out growers’ program. At One Acre Fund her achievements include initiation of one of the biggest networks of local community trees nurseries which are led by the 2000+ local enterprises and are able to produce and distribute 20 Million trees on an annual basis. As of  2023, 96 million trees were produced and distributed to farmers.

Diouma Cisse has over seven years of professional expertise in the field of monitoring and evaluation. With a degree in agro-economic engineering and a master’s in agribusiness and value chain development from the École Nationale Supérieure D’Agriculture (ENSA) in Thiès, she has a solid academic background. In addition, she has enhanced her qualifications by obtaining a certificate in monitoring and evaluation from the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation in 2021. Diouma’s work is to help organizations adopt a data-driven approach, using evidence and technology to demonstrate the impact of their programs. She has conducted a wide range of studies, from site surveys to baseline, mid-term and final evaluations. Her skills extend to all stages of the research process, from methodological design to data collection, processing and analysis. With extensive experience of working with international organizations, Diouma has made significant contributions to a range of sectors, including food security and nutrition, gender-based violence, education and gender transformation.

Farida is a Data Professional with a diverse background spanning multiple sectors. Throughout her journey, Farida has honed her skills in research, data mining and analysis, and project evaluation. She possesses advanced proficiency in popular Python frameworks for Data Science, including Pandas, Numpy, Matplotlib, and Seaborn. Additionally, she is skilled in tools such as Alteryx, SQL, Excel, and Tableau, enabling her to effectively leverage business intelligence tools. Farida has a BS in Statistics and an MSc in Data Science.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As a Data and Impacts Fellow, Farida will gain an understanding of Generation’s data operations and impact metrics, and onboard onto multiple projects in a key supporter role. The Fellow will be proficient in accessing and analyzing D&I data and become comfortable executing independent projects such as research support, data analysis,and synthesizing findings. The Fellow may work on advanced projects as well as work to close-out and transition
ongoing work and initiatives.

Morine has four years of experience in the humanitarian and nonprofit sector. She has earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the International Relations Institute of Cameroon, (IRIC). While working remotely as a Community Development and Resilience Officer at the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development (NISPED), she collaborates with UNDP, the Israeli Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s Ministry of Planning, and local/national partners to promote sustainable livelihoods and resilience in the East region of Cameroon. Morine has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills by successfully training and empowering over 1000 youths and refugees in host communities through financial literacy, education, and peace building projects. Previously, Morine worked with a community-based organization as a Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant, where she provided support to over 150 adolescent girls and young women, empowering them to raise their voices against gender-based violence, facilitated training in financial literacy for 100 young people living with HIV, helping them establish savings association groups for self-growth. Morine’s versatility shines through her previous role as a Corporate Communication Assistant at the Embassy of Israel in Cameroon. There, she managed public relations for the embassy and facilitated partnership opportunities between Israeli entrepreneurs and their Cameroonian counterparts in areas of start-up companies, agriculture, and water. She also played a vital role in supporting the embassy’s communication strategy during campaigns and key events. Passionate about humanitarian relief, community development, youth and women’s empowerment, Morine is dedicated to helping young people realize their full potential.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: As a Movement Transformation Fellow, the Fellow will sit within the Movement Transformation/Collective Impact & Partnerships Engagement (CIPE) team at the American Red Cross. The CIPE team works to ensure strong partnerships between the American Red Cross and other national societies, and provides support to national societies (NS) through work with the IFRC to be effective, local actors that can reach scale and deliver sustainable disaster management services to its communities. The team achieves this by developing long-term plans in support of the NS goals and in alignment with ISD objectives, as well as furthering the ways in which we work as a distributed network. The Fellow will primarily be focused on the development of the new IFRC Certification & the New Way of Working files in coordination with the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and other Movement partners. The Fellow will coordinate between the American Red Cross and IFRC to ensure quality representation at the most important events, whether at the global, regional or country levels.

Farida is a Data Professional with a diverse background spanning multiple sectors. Throughout her journey, Farida has honed her skills in research, data mining and analysis, and project evaluation. She possesses advanced proficiency in popular Python frameworks for Data Science, including Pandas, Numpy, Matplotlib, and Seaborn. Additionally, she is skilled in tools such as Alteryx, SQL, Excel, and Tableau, enabling her to effectively leverage business intelligence tools. Farida has a BS in Statistics and an MSc in Data Science.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As a Data and Impacts Fellow, Farida will gain an understanding of Generation’s data operations and impact metrics, and onboard onto multiple projects in a key supporter role. The Fellow will be proficient in accessing and analyzing D&I data and become comfortable executing independent projects such as research support, data analysis,and synthesizing findings. The Fellow may work on advanced projects as well as work to close-out and transition
ongoing work and initiatives.

Morine has four years of experience in the humanitarian and nonprofit sector. She has earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the International Relations Institute of Cameroon, (IRIC). While working remotely as a Community Development and Resilience Officer at the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development (NISPED), she collaborates with UNDP, the Israeli Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s Ministry of Planning, and local/national partners to promote sustainable livelihoods and resilience in the East region of Cameroon. Morine has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills by successfully training and empowering over 1000 youths and refugees in host communities through financial literacy, education, and peace building projects. Previously, Morine worked with a community-based organization as a Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant, where she provided support to over 150 adolescent girls and young women, empowering them to raise their voices against gender-based violence, facilitated training in financial literacy for 100 young people living with HIV, helping them establish savings association groups for self-growth. Morine’s versatility shines through her previous role as a Corporate Communication Assistant at the Embassy of Israel in Cameroon. There, she managed public relations for the embassy and facilitated partnership opportunities between Israeli entrepreneurs and their Cameroonian counterparts in areas of start-up companies, agriculture, and water. She also played a vital role in supporting the embassy’s communication strategy during campaigns and key events. Passionate about humanitarian relief, community development, youth and women’s empowerment, Morine is dedicated to helping young people realize their full potential.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: As a Movement Transformation Fellow, the Fellow will sit within the Movement Transformation/Collective Impact & Partnerships Engagement (CIPE) team at the American Red Cross. The CIPE team works to ensure strong partnerships between the American Red Cross and other national societies, and provides support to national societies (NS) through work with the IFRC to be effective, local actors that can reach scale and deliver sustainable disaster management services to its communities. The team achieves this by developing long-term plans in support of the NS goals and in alignment with ISD objectives, as well as furthering the ways in which we work as a distributed network. The Fellow will primarily be focused on the development of the new IFRC Certification & the New Way of Working files in coordination with the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and other Movement partners. The Fellow will coordinate between the American Red Cross and IFRC to ensure quality representation at the most important events, whether at the global, regional or country levels.

Hoda Al-Haddad possesses four years of experience in the nonprofit sector and holds a Master’s degree in Arab Studies and a Diplomatic Studies Certificate from Georgetown University. Presently, Hoda serves as the Global Programs Coordinator at Women for Women International (WfWI), where her responsibilities include managing the Global Programs Unit across the organization and providing support to the Chief Program Officer with various programmatic responsibilities. Hoda is also engaged in the Country Power Journey project, which concentrates on strengthening the authority and accountability of WfWI country offices while maintaining a unified global vision, mission, and strategy. Hoda’s passion lies in devising sustainable projects that not only create economic and social impact but also act as a roadmap to peace-building and a sustainable future.

Samanta Farahnaz is a development professional with eight years of experience and a Master’s degree in Economics. She has experience working in projects with multiple stakeholders, including the government, non-government organizations, and the private sector. She has led the design of holistic and inclusive development and humanitarian projects with cross-cutting teams and partners in South Asia. As a process-oriented and results-driven person, she has a proven track record in effectively managing large-scale projects.

Immer Bello Ruiz is based in Yucatán, México. He is a changemaker and a certified development professional with over ten years of experience. He holds a Master’s degree in Rural Agroindustry, Territorial Development, and Agritourism from the Autonomous University of México State (UAEMex) and a Bachelor’s in Marketing from the ITESM (Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education) in México. He has worked at Heifer International México since 2013, growing his position to Project Manager with successful experience in designing, formulating, planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating community-based rural and social-economic development projects in Southern México to move smallholder farming families toward a more sustainable and prosperous future by strengthening social capital, women’s empowerment, and environmental awareness. Immer is passionate about ending poverty, hunger, and gender inequalities.