We are activists representing and supporting civil society organisations in different countries, for South-South and triangular Cooperation, around the world, who are a vital third sector next to the state and the market. We believe in the sustainable growth of independent and accountable local civil society organisations, which provide humanitarian assistance and development support. Generally, we see such organisations also being committed to democratic societies with equality and social justice. This is in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We have been encouraged by the commitments made to ‘localisation’ under Agenda for Humanity, Grand Bargain and Charter for Change that came out of the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. We believe in healthy collaborative relationships that support the existence and growth of independent, sustainable and accountable local and national organisations, certainly in aid-recipient countries.
meet the team
Mr. Safi has been the Executive Director of Union Aid since January 2008. He has been representing Union Aid in meetings, workshops, seminars, symposiums and conferences in several countries. He is one of the founding members of Refugees Rights Network (RRN) established in Pakistan. He endeavours were instrumental for Union Aid to become a member of Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN). Union Aid (UA) is a Non-Governmental Organization established by the Afghan dedicated to refugees under the chairmanship of Dr. Toryalay Nassery in 1979 as a pioneer organization started working for Afghan Refugees in Pakistan. UA has been serving for the last four decades for millions Afghan vulnerable people both in Pakistan and Afghanistan in multiple sectors, like health, education, livelihood, wash and others. UA has been working as an operational and implementing partner of UNHCR, UN and other donor agencies. Currently UA working in four provinces of Afghanistan providing services in the field of health, education, livelihood, small scheme infrastructure, water schemes, capacity building and others. UA is committed to bring positive changes in the life of Afghan people, enabling them to take active role in rehabilitation of Afghanistan.
Email: unionaid@hotmail.com
Website: www.unionaid.org
Andrew Kavala, holds a Bachelor of Social Science and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), both from the University of Malawi. He currently leads Malawi’s age network, the Malawi Network of Older Persons’ Organizations (MANEPO) as Country Director. MANEPO is an umbrella body coordinating over sixty (60) civil society organisations whose aim is to help older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives in Malawi. Apsrt from being the Country Director. Andrew is also is the National Chairperson of the Malawi Civil Society Platform on Social Protection, a network of over 80 national and international CSOs and NGOs working on social protection. He is also one of the Founding Directors (Trustees) for Southern Africa Regional Age Network (SARAN).
Email: akavala@manepo.org
Website: http://www.manepo.org/
Angelina Nyajima Simon Jial is the Founder and Executive Director of Hope Restoration South Sudan. Hope Restoration is a Women-Rights organization it was formed on 23 March 2010 in Unity State. It advocates for the rights of women and children including ending gender-based violence and early child marriage; keeping girls in school; improving women’s standard of living; investing in food security and livelihoods; empowering women to be peacebuilders. Angelina has chaired the National NGO Forum for two terms and represents national NGOs on the UN Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in South Sudan. She is a member of the National Education Council; Strategic Advisory Group for the Protection Cluster Member; and the GBV Cluster in South Sudan. She was in New York to address Security Council on 8 of March 2019 on the issues of SGBV in South Sudan and lack of accountability particularly the Bentiu incident where over 150 women and Girls were raped during food distribution and most especially when going to collect firewood.
Anna Tazita is the founder and Executive Director of Women for Change, South Sudan a national organization in South Sudan. She is a procurement specialist with vast experience in the procurement and supply chain area, she also has vast experience in entrepreneurship as she has been training women and young girls on different entrepreneurial skills. Anna Tazita Samuel believes in working together in building the capacity of Women in the world to achieve a common and sustainable goal in society.
Email: tazita.anna@wfcsud.org / tazitaanna@gmail.com
Website: www.wfcsud.org
Danny Singoma, Adminstrator of PRODDES Network and Director General of CENADEP Born January 9, 1974, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, trained as a Building Engineer, he quickly became famous in sociopolitical activism since the University! Anti-globalization activist, Danny SINGOMA, married and father of two, is a committed actor of Congolese civil society who has campaigned for the realization of the Congolese Social Forum and is a stakeholder of the African Social Forum Council. Currently Director of a large Congolese NGO, CENADEP (www.cenadepasbl.org), he is the Managing Director of the PRODDES Network and Administrator of the House of Laïcité of Kinshasa. He represents Congolese CSOs at LD Watch and A4EP. Danny SINGOMA dedicates his fight for the social and economic rights of urban and rural communities, marginalized by policies that do not allow them to enjoy the dividends of the exploitation of natural resources of the DRC.
FAREED ULLAH, Chairman of Participatory Rural Development Society (PRDS) (A National NGO in Pakistan Working for Humanitarian Relief and Development) Mr. Fareed has been engaged in the humanitarian sector since the 2005 disastrous earth quake in Pakistan. While responding to humanitarian needs of locals affected from the earth quake, he started his career as a Civil Engineer from a National Humanitarian Organization. Later on, he Joined UNDP in earth quake response where he worked in the project for 3 years. Upon the completion of UNDP assignment in 2009, he joined PRDS a national organization (in consultative status with UNECOSOC) working for the humanitarian relief and sustainable development. After his 4 years services with PRDS, Mr. Fareed was given a leading role to represent PRDS in capacity of the Executive Director. Currently, he is playing his role as a chairman of the PRDS. Mr. Fareed is a strong believer of networking and the value of collective voices, currently playing an active role in various networks i.e. National Humanitarian Network of Pakistan, Social Accountability Network of Pakistan. He is amongst the active member of NHN and currently Leading the KP and FATA chapter as Provincial Chair.
Email address: fareed@prdspak.org
Website: www.prdspak.org
Fatima Imam, Nigeria Founder Executive Director Rehabilitation Empowerment and better Health Initiative (REBHI) an organization that aims to promote and protect women’s rights, empower women and girls through livelihood and psychosocial support. Fatima is a member of FIDA and had served as Chairperson Borno Chapter where she advocated for women and girls, in particular survivors of Sexual and gender-based Violence. She is also the Director Legal Affairs Network of Civil Society Organizations in Borno State. Fatima has engaged extensively in the humanitarian response in the Northeast region, making presentations on region specific context in various national and international fora, She is the civil society representative on the Advisory board of the Nigerian Humanitarian fund.
Email: fatimaimambrussels@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/REBHINITIATIVE/
Gershom Kabaso is a Social human rights activist, developer, and agent of change. He has over twelve years’ experience working with people, communities, Social movements and organizations at all levels from national, regional and global. Working on issues related to peace building, human rights, Social protection, developmental work and Solidarity work. Thus, to transform human interactions in changing world’s view. Skilled in social mobilization, citizen journalism, social research, events management, team playing, and leadership strategies. Studied Social Work, Sociology and Project Management from the University of Zambia (UNZA) and Bachelor of Arts degree in Development studies at University of South Africa (UNISA). He has been trained in leadership and society by African Leadership King College in London and Kenya. Knowledge of human rights and law in Africa at the Centre of Human Rights based at University of Pretoria in South Africa. Gershom has participated in several professional training courses workshops and seminars globally related to his area of work. Current National Coordinator for the Zambia Social Forum (ZAMSOF) and Founding Executive Director of the ACEMS MISSION,Inc Interdominational development agency and Humanitarian services in metropolitan places. Effective Member and National Focal Point for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for Zambia Coordinated by the LDC Watch International secretariat based in Nepal and Belgium. Gershom served as the regional coordinator for Southern Africa Social forum (SASF) between 2009 to 2012.CSOs local mobiliser for Southern Africa Development Community People’s Summit that takes place annually in country where SADC Heads of State are meeting. Coordinator for Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum (ZSF) in Zambia coordinated by ACTION Support Centre based in South Africa. Chairperson for Network Coalition Building (NCB) under Zambia Civil Society For Poverty Reduction (CSPR), Board member for Media Network on Child Rights and Development (MNCRD).
Email: gersheek@gmail.com
Josephine Alabi is a Project Management / Business Development Consultant. She was trained on different fields with a First Degree in Pure and Applied Mathematics, Post Graduate Diploma in Economics and Masters in Economics. She has different professional trainings too on some other fields, both within and outside Nigeria to boost her expertise. Her objectives are: To engage people in conferences, workshops, seminars and training programs for capacity building & leadership promotion; To network with Professionals, Advocacy & Activists groups of both women and men; To promote equitable development, healthy communities& good governance; To promote world peace through interracial collaboration, dialogue, negotiation, participation; To promote sustainable development, social entrepreneurship skills, volunteering skills and solutions to environmental issues; Cross boarder issues on migration, trade, peace and security; Humanitarian support for the affected areas due to natural disasters such as floods, community clashes, farmers/ herdsmen clashes, insurgencies (Boko Haram),etc. Josephine Alabi is the Executive Director of Keen and Care Initiative, Nigeria.
Email: josephine@keenandcareinitiative.org
Website: www.keenandcareinitiative.org
Marie-Rose is the President of RMC-Romain Murphy Consulting, a nonprofit management and strategy firm that works with U.S and International organizations on community and resource development as well as on organizational development. Born and raised in Haiti, she’s the Founder of ESPWA, Inc. (Economic Stimulus Projects for Work and Action), a Haitian-led organization focusing on the long-term development of Haitian organizations working in Haiti. She’s also the Co-Founder of the Haiti Community Foundation, Haiti’s first community foundation. She has over 25 years of experience and a strong track record in community development, human services, humanitarian projects, philanthropy, marketing, executive leadership and social entrepreneurship. Her core interest is the creation of viable and sustainable pathways of development for low-income individuals, marginalized communities and developing countries. Over the course of her career, Marie-Rose has worked as an executive director, a deputy director, a senior director, a project manager and a consultant for local, regional, national and international organizations. She has served on several boards and advisory committees for organizations such the Boston Foundation, Respond and JVS Boston. She has received various awards from the City of Boston and other civic institutions. She’s also been the recipient of international fellowships from several institutions such as the Ford Foundation and Community Foundations of Canada. She is a current IARAN Fellow (Inter-Agency Research and Analysts Network), an international network of practitioners, focused on humanitarian analysis and foresight, and based in Europe. Marie-Rose has an MBA from Babson, an M.S. in Community Economic Development from New Hampshire College and a B.S. in Journalism with a focus on International Relations from Boston University. She also holds a Certificate in Asset Management from the Consortium for Housing Asset Management. She is fluent in French, Haitian Creole and English. A published author of two books, she’s written a number of articles and blogs for U.S and international organizations as well as.
Email: romainmurphy@gmail.com
Website: www.espwa-haiti.org www.espwa.haiti.org
Dr. AbiYaghi is a political scientist and works for the Centre for Social Science Research and Action. She is a founding member and the current director of the Centre for Social Science Research and Action, an interdisciplinary action-oriented research centre. She specialises in contentious politics, the sociology of public action, and the political economy of knowledge production in the MENA. AbiYaghi has held positions in academia (where she still teaches) as well as international organisations. Through her work at the Centre for Social Science Research and Action , she strives to create spaces for synergy between the scientific community and the practitioner field. The Centre for Social Science Research and Action aims to foster social change through innovative uses of social science, digital technologies, and publication and exchange of knowledge. The Centre for Social Science Research and Action offices are based in Beirut.
Email: mabiyaghi@socialsciences-
Website: https://socialsciences-centre.org/
Marvin Parvez has twenty-eight years of experience in humanitarian relief, development, and advocacy in Asia, Europe and the Pacific. He is highly skilled in managing programs of large, multinational teams in multicultural, multi-faith and conflict-affected surroundings. He has been a part of successfully developing, designing, and implementing small to large scale emergency programs in multi-agency coordinated environments, with funding from a variety of government, foundations, and public sources. Marvin is also highly experienced in lobbying, advocacy, and resource mobilization. He has long-standing interests in setting quality and accountability standards, visibility and image building, as well as donor relations and networking. Marvin has been a strong & committed voice for just, dignified and equal partnerships between northern and southern NGOs. Marvin believes that if partnership paradigm is not changed & worshiping of brands & bottom-lines replaced by dignified & empowering partnerships, the whole sector and specially large northern NGOs will experience decline and lose credibility.
Email: Marvin@cyber.net.pk
Website: https://communityworldservice.asia/
Mr. Muhammad Amad has master degree in political science from Peshawar University. He has started his professional career as lecturer in political science and then was selected as assistant collector by provincial government. He had been a volunteer social worker in community since graduation and initiated social reform organization with fellows in college. He switched to social sector during his PhD research and started his carrier as program manager and then selected as an executive director in IDEA organization in 2008, he was extended as ED for the second turn. He served in all emergencies (natural, conflict and complex) in KPK & FATA, Pakistan. He designed and implemented a number of projects to reach out needy and marginalized segment of the society. He contributed in the establishment of National Humanitarian Network (NHN) since its inception in 2010; NHN is a network of 172 humanitarian organizations across Pakistan. He was elected to serve as provincial chair for the period of 2011-15,then central executive member from 2015-2017 and finally elected as Chair of NHN in July 17. He is an advocate of localization of humanitarian action; he is in the advisory board of UN Humanitarian Pool fund in Pakistan, member of Humanitarian country team and a regular contributor to UN strategic policies and Plans. He is a member of realization team for START Hub in Pakistan. He contributed to the civil military protocols in complex emergency and part of Humanitarian Access Working Group. Further more, he is endorsee C4Cs and member of GNDR and PHAP. He is co chair with Lieutenant General Omer Mehmood Hayath NDMA chairman for Pakistan Resilience partnership(PRP). He is director on the board of Omar Asghar Khan Centre for Development (OAKCD) and designated by provincial government as member of senior citizen council in 2016. He represents national civil society at different national and international forums and in meetings with government, UN and donors.
Email: amad@idea.org.pk
Website: www.idea.org.pk
Naomi Tulay-Solanke is a Liberian feminist, a human right activist, a humanitarian, and the Founding Executive Director of Community Health Initiative (CHI), a local non-governmental organization that is providing healthcare and social services to women and children in underserved and hard to reach communities in Liberia. Naomi has nurtured a career in female advocacy with a humble interest in working with underprivileged youths and slum dwellers through the provision of advocacy, awareness, and basic health and social services. She is passionate about local actors’ visibility in humanitarian and development spaces. She holds a master’s degree in Public Health with an emphasis on Community Health. As a social entrepreneur, Naomi launched the PAD4GIRLS project, a solution to menstrual health by training local women how to locally produce reusable sanitary pads making it more available and accessible to girls of school going age. Naomi is Dr. Fritz Raleigh, Humanitarian Award Recipient from Harvard University 2017. She is a 2018 ASPERN New Voice Fellow and as a Change Maker, Naomi is an ASHOKA Fellow. Naomi dreams of living in a world that is free of all forms of violence, embraces gender equity, and is peaceful.
Email: naomi.tsolanke@gmail.com
Website: www.chiliberia.org
Regina “Nanette” Salvador-Antequisa is the founding Executive Director of the Ecosystems Work for Essential Benefits, Inc. (ECOWEB) and convenor of the Community Led Emergency Action Response Network (CLEARNet) in the Philippines. She has been in peace and development work for over 25 years. She actively advocates for a survivor and community-led approach in crisis response. She has been engaged in local and national policy advocacy on the issues of disaster, poverty, conflict, environment and governance. At the global level, she was engaged in ensuring local voices in the SDG2030 and currently on the Localisation of Aid. She is also representing the Victims of Disaster and Calamities sector to the a member of the national council of the Philippine National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) which is under the Office of the President. She is co-chairing the Local Poverty Reduction Action Team in Iligan City – a body against poverty created by the government. She also represents ECOWEB in various peace and development special bodies from local to national level in the Philippines. Aside from founding ECOWEB, she has helped in organizing a number of developmental non-government organizations (NGOs), network of NGOs and sectoral organizations. Partnership building and pooling of resources to support peace and development programs and projects are among her strengths.
Email: nanet.antequisa@gmail.com, nanet.antequisa.ecoweb@gmail.com
Website: www.ecowebph.com www.ecowebph.org
He has started development work with a job as a Field Coordinator in Mass Education Program of Noakhali DANIDA project during 1982, he worked in the project for 9 years, his last job as Training and Communication Advisor of Project Advisory Team of the project. In the name of same position he worked two years in RD9 project of EU in Rangpur. For a brief period he worked as Assistant Scientist in ICDDR,B, in Dhaka. During 1992 he gone to Charfassion, Bhola Island in Bangladesh with a job with a mission to make a project of INGO to make it nationalized and establish an independent NGO. Where the present organization COAST has formed during 1998, he is managing the organization as Executive Director till now. COAST (www.coastbd.net) is working in coastal islands and districts of Bangladesh including Rohingya response in Coxsbazar. COAST has especial consultative status with UN ECOSOC, and it has received certification from HQAI (www.hqai.org, ) Geneva.
Email: reza@coastbd.net
Website: www.coastbd.net
Steven Bwayo Wamono – Executive Director of African Women and Youth Action for Development (AWYAD)
Steven is currently the Executive Director of AWYAD which is a women and child rights national organization, based in Uganda. Steven is a humanitarian worker with over 15 years of experience in providing humanitarian assistance to people in emergencies and forced displacements. He has specialist training in International Humanitarian Affairs, Public Health and Nutrition as well as Gender, Women Empowerment and Refugee Protection.
Steven is a passionate advocate for localization and has been behind the scenes architect for all AWYAD’s campaigns on localization. He is a strong believer in the role that local organizations play towards responding to emergencies and believes that they should be given the opportunity: to raise their voices and be heard; to equitable share resources for responding to emergencies because they share the burden of responding to emergencies; and should be given the opportunity to sit at decision making table at all humanitarian decision making fora. He is also a strong advocate for transparency and accountability to affected populations, peers and donors.
As ED of AWYAD, Steven is a member of the Education Cannot Wait Consortium Steering Committee in Uganda, is a member of the IASC Results Group 3 on Collective Advocacy, is also a member of the Grand Bargain Workstream 2 on Localization.
Adv. Samar Muhareb is the cofounder and the CEO of Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development – ARDD, a Jordanian NGO which she cofounded in 2008, in response to the Iraqi Refugee Crisis. Having worked as a lawyer and aid worker in many international organizations, such as Oxfam-GB for many years prior, she realized that one of the most urgent needs refugees and marginalized individuals and communities face is access to justice regardless of status. With over 15 years of experience in working for the international aid community, she developed experience in the field of human rights, refugee affairs, humanitarian response and women’s empowerment in Jordan and the Middle East. In addition, she actively supports initiatives focusing on environmental justice in the region. She has been recognized for her efforts towards furthering social justice and strengthening the role of civil society, and was awarded the TAKREEM Arab World Young Entrepreneur Award in 2011. In addition she is currently a board member of the START Network, Greenpeace Mediterranean, the Southern Refugee Legal Aid Network, a member for the Scientific Committee for the Queen Aliya Award, a member of the special committee of the Royal Court’s Human Resources Development initiative, and was also selected as a delegate member to the Arab League under a new initiative to represent the work of civil society in the humanitarian field. She holds a B.A. in Law and a Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Human Development from the University of Jordan.
Email: muhareb@ardd-jo.org
Website: https://ardd-jo.org/
Smruti Patel is the founder of Global Mentoring Initiative (GMI), focused on promoting localization and on creating mentoring platform to accompany organisational capacity strengthening of local and national NGOs. She has been working in and on humanitarian action since 1995. Formerly, the Head of Services and Certification at Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International, she has expertise in accountability and quality management in humanitarian action. She was one of the authors of the Tsunami Evaluation Consortium’s study on the Impact of International Response on Local Capacities. In the run up to the World Humanitarian Summit she lead the engagement of local and national NGOs in Asia, Africa and the Middle East to create a global network to raise the profile of their role in humanitarian and development work, and demand an equal voice in the global policy debates and increased funding. She was appointed as Interim Executive Director of the network (NEAR), which was launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.
Email: spatel@gmentor.org
Website: www.gmentor.org
AFD is a non- government, independent organization, not affiliated to any religious, political or individual ideology and was 23rd Fab 2004, officially registered with the Ministry of Interior (MoI) on May 3rd, 2006 and the latest amended on April 19th 2017. AFD has continued working with vulnerable households and communities reliant on natural resources as their main source of livelihood in natural resource and environment management, climate change adaptation and disaster resilience. The themes of gender equity and good governance are cross- cutting themes integral to all projects. AFD works in partnership with civil society groups and local authorities, specializing in providing grass-roots education, training, practical skills and building capacity within the communities to increase democratic influence on decision-making and improving family livelihoods. The AFD team consists of a core group of committed paid and volunteer staff from diverse backgrounds with many years of practical experience working on developmental issues facing Cambodians. The AFD Board provides oversight and guidance for the effective operation of the organization and continuous improvement. Participate protect biodiversity and use natural resources sustainably for improve livelihood. Participate communities to strengthen knowledge on natural resource management, biodiversity and improve livelihoods. Improve living income and environmental communities. Transparency, Accountability, Participation, Equality and Honesty.
Email: sopheak@afd-cambodia.org, sopheakSM@gmail.com
Website: http://www.afd-cambodia.org
Sudhanshu S. Singh, an Indian humanitarian and development professional with over 28 years global experience, is founder and CEO of Humanitarian Aid International (HAI). HAI aims to become first Indian organisation, working outside India with the Indian identity on poverty alleviation and disaster management. Sudhanshu has worked with several international organisations at the Asia-Pacific level, and has been involved in managing responses to almost all major disasters in the Asia-Pacific region since 2001. Sudhanshu has been engaged in many key global processes defining and reforming the humanitarian architecture. Presently, Sudhanshu is closely engaged in the localisation process, which has been triggered through Grand Bargain, one of the key outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit, held in Istanbul in May 2016. Sudhanshu is also member of the coordination group of Charter for Change, which is another international process to strengthen local and national humanitarian actors. As CEO of HAI, Sudhanshu is also trying to develop an alternative humanitarian architecture in India, which is based on Indian resources and independent of international assistance.
Email: sssingh@humanitarianaidinternational.org
Website: www.humanitarianaidinternational.org
Tirtha Prasad Saikia is a young and dynamic civil society leader recognised for his work on humanitarian response & advocacy, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, human rights and sustainable development. He is one of the frontline development activists associated in a wide range of community based interventions in the floodplain of Brahmaputra river basin. Presently, Tirtha is the Joint Director of North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), a grassoot development organisation which is working with poor people in their struggle against humanitarian crisis, exploitation & poverty primarily in Assam and North-Eastern region in general. He has been rooted in the civil society sphere with his grassroot experience, passion, visionary leadership and his commitment for pro-people development justice. He has been extensively engaged with his efforts in institutionalizing the flood and river bank erosion risk-prone communities living in the plains of Brahmaputra. Tirtha is committed to the cause of promoting and defending disaster affected communities’ rights where people live their life with dignity, find scope to enhance their sustainable management systems on their lands, water and resources to prevent, mitigate and prepare for disasters.
Email: neads_jorhat@yahoo.co.in
Website: http://neadsassam.org/
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