February 2020 Perennial Fellows
FIRMESK RAHIM, KURDISTAN
Firmesk is committed to developing democracy in Kurdistan and Iraq. She is a social and political leader, that has worked with several international non-profit organizations such as Mercy Corps, Reach, Oxfam GB, and ACF with the Iraqi displaced population. Firmesk has a strong academic background and, as a young woman, she had to overcome multiple challenges to become a political leader. Her work was recognized as she was invited to be the personal assistant of the president Barham Salih in Baghdad.
ESTAHAPPY MARIKI, TANZANIA
Estahappy is passionate about inspiring and motivating young girls to step out of poverty cycles. As a youth trainer, counselor, play-coach and advocate she has large experience dealing with the challenges that prevent youth from reaching their full potential. Estahappy is the Executive Director, Board Member and Treasurer of The Girls Foundation of Tanzania, a non-profit organization that supports girls with learning opportunities and scholarships.
REBECCA MIREMBE, UGANDA
Rebecca is an education-focused leader who believes that every child has the potential to learn. She brings about this vision by empowering teachers to deliver content according to the abilities and expectations of the learner. Rebecca is the founder and the Director of the Active Learning Project at The African SOUP.The African SOUP is an educational organization that works in tandem with the community to address its most vital needs.
CATHREEN NGANISYAWO, MALAWI
Cathreen is an advocate of mindset change. She is fully committed to working for the vulnerable people in Malawi, both refugees and the host community, providing them with education, business and leadership development opportunities. She is the Deputy Executive Director of There is Hope, an organization that focuses on promoting a sense of dignity by empowering this population to achieve their full potential and become self-reliant. She believes that entrepreneurship training should be mainstreamed in all programs so that beneficiaries could not only think about getting employed but also think of starting small businesses to improve their socio-economic status.
MUSTAFA HASAN, IRAQ
Mustafa Hasan is a human rights defender who uses the power of storytelling to bring about change and unity. As a writer and a journalist, he has dedicated his life to capturing stories of people whose voices are often forgotten. Mustafa is currently an Associate Researcher at the London School of Economics and the Deputy Editor in Chief at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). IWPR gives voice to people at the frontlines of conflict and transition to help them drive change.
BETTY IKALANY, UGANDA
Betty has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and an innovative profile that has been helping women in Uganda to obtain income. She is the founder of TEWDI UGANDA (Teso Women Development Initiatives), a local non-profit focused on human rights for women and children and, also, the founder and CEO of Appropriate Energy Saving Technologies (AEST), a women-led social enterprise that creates livelihood opportunities for women.
EDUARDO GUSTALE, PARAGUAY
Eduardo is a leader with experience in scaling programs internationally. He is a committed professional with the ability to combine creativity, business skills, and an enthusiastic mind to support the growth of triple impact initiatives. He currently leads the team at the Poverty Stoplight, a metric and methodology developed by the Paraguayan Foundation that seeks to change the way poverty is measured and eliminated worldwide.
JAYA LUINTEL, NEPAL
Jaya believes in the power of communication and storytelling for social change. She brings out her vision by creating a safe space for vulnerable women to boost their confidence and share their lived experience to seek justice. Jaya is the founder and CEO of The Social Kitchen in Nepal, which aims to amplify women’s voices and their stories by utilizing both traditional and new media tools.
JULIUS MUJUNI, UGANDA
Julius firmly believes that access to clean energy is central to improving the quality of one’s life. He is the Country Director for ENVenture, a New Energy Nexus chapter that supports last mile entrepreneurs to launch successful clean energy enterprises in Uganda. Through this work, ENVenture generates new jobs for women, brings clean energy technology to the communities and has a positive impact on the environment.