Meet the Faculty for DSROI - East Africa 2023

Perpetua Senkoro is a disability rights advocate experienced in engagement with local, regional, and international actors and human rights mechanisms to push for the recognition, public understanding, and policy reforms for the protection of human rights of persons with albinism in Africa. She currently works for the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) coordinating capacity building for human rights defenders in Tanzania, and as the Secretariat’s liaison for defenders with disability. She has a Master of Law from the McGill University in Canada, and a Bachelor of laws from the University of Dar-es-salaam.

Mirriam Nthenge holds an LLM in International and Comparative Disability Law and Policy. She has vast experience in research, advocacy, legislative and policy analysis, and is a strong advocate of human rights monitoring mechanisms as key agents of change. She has served in various capacities working with national human rights institutions, INGOs and the UN Special Procedures specifically the former Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Catalina Devandas. Mirriam is keen on evidence-based advocacy and has authored scholarly papers in the areas of accessibility, right to education, right to employment, legal capacity, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the role of national human rights institutions as independent monitoring mechanisms. She is currently a Human Rights Officer (treaty bodies) at International Disability Alliance.

Josephine is a disability rights advocate with over 20yrs experience in the disability movement. She has a wealth of experience on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, Gender Based Violence, leadership and advocacy. She acquired her vast experience from working in different countries including, Rwanda and Kenya. She is currently working at Kenya Deaf Women Peace Network as an Executive Director implementing different donor projects. She is also a Mobility International USA _ MIUSA Women in Leadership Institute (WILD) and DSROI alumni.

Dativa Mukashema is 2021 DSROI alumni and Executive Director of Rwanda National Association of Deaf Women (RNADW), a feminist deaf women organization since 2020. She came in at a time when the OPD was experiencing an acute management gap, and has since turned around its fortunes. She previously worked as a special needs educational facilitator for the learners who are deaf in the refugee camps with ADRA international. Astute, focused and determined to tackle the challenges facing deaf women and girls, she is profoundly deaf herself. Dativa is a graduate of development studies. Growing up in a large family with boys as well as girls, she learnt to fight for her rights. Her supportive parents made this easy as they stood by her in every sense, enabling her complete studies even when facilities were few.

Niluka Gunawardena is an educator, researcher and disability rights activist from Colombo, Sri Lanka. She is a visiting lecturer/ resource person at multiple universities and institutes. She serves on the Board of Women Enabled International and the Advisory Committees of ARROW, LIRNEasia and HYPE Sri Lanka. She is on the faculty team for DSROI Global.

Juliet Wbukkawo, Honours degree in social sciences. Deaf with low vision/Deafblind. World Federation of the Defblind(WFDB)Africa regional representative. Member of Nation Union of Women with Disabilities in Uganda(NUWODU)

Faith Njahira Wangari is a disabled scholar-activist who holds a Bachelor of Education in Special Needs education and a Master’s in Teaching and curriculum with a specialisation in Disability rights and inclusive education from Syracuse University. She has over 14 years experience in disability advocacy and about a decade in disability programming and inclusion. Njahira is an Open Society Disability Rights Scholar, 2017/2018 and has expertise as a researcher, trainer, inclusion advisor with a focus on inclusive education, disability accessibility, sexuality, accessible public spaces and transportation and health advocacy. She has given guest lectures at organisations, in undergraduate and graduate level university classrooms on disability in the areas of her expertise. Njahira has notable experience working with national, regional and international organisations as consultancy clients.Currently, besides being an independent consultant, she is a researcher in disability rights interrogating the narratives of individuals with muscular dystrophy and healthcare professionals’ experiences in Kenya on access to health rights.

A Social Worker with passion of contributing to creating an inclusive society for PWDs and specifically girls and women with disabilities to live dignified lives through a twin -track approach of building the capacity of girls and women with disabilities for equal participation with their able- bodied counterparts. She has a wide experience in building the capacity of girls and women with disabilities to lobby and advocate for inclusion within their communities. The women with disability groups have overcome low esteem and closely worked with their leaders to initiate, livelihood projects, manage bank loans to acquire resources which has contributed to reduction of SGBV and SRHR challenges.

The approach has seen the formation of four district UN-CRPD caucuses in the northern region to ensure inclusion of PWDs for effective implementation, monitoring and reporting of CRPD, implementation of the PWDs Act 2020. An initiative that has contributed to inclusion of PWDs in all district programs and cultural institutions.

Susan Aciro has over 9 years’ worth of experience in gender and disability and is currently working with National Union of Women with Disabilities of Uganda. As a budding disability and feminist activist, serving women and girls with disabilities has helped nurture her leadership and capacity building skills. She is passionate about Disability, gender equality and women empowerment so much that she dedicates her spare time to mentoring young women with disabilities interested in influencing social change in their communities.

Agness Chindimba has over 15 years of experience working with deaf children and young women with disabilities, Agness is actively involved in advocating for equitable rights, access, and opportunities for women and girls with disabilities. Among her many achievements, Agness was the coordinating the team that translated the national constitution into Sign Language in 2018. She is a Sign Language tutor for Zimbabwe Open University and lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University. She is a Mandela Washington Fellow (2016), on the Board of various nonprofits working on disability rights and access in Zimbabwe. She was awarded the Gender Champions Award by the Dutch Embassy in Harare (2020). Agness has attended coursework in human rights, leadership, and feminism, and continuing research interests include inclusive education, Feminism and disability, sexual reproductive health and rights, and access to information.

Phylis Mbeke is the founder and the executive director of Women Spaces Africa. Previously she worked as Program Manager working with adolescent girls on access to information and services on SRHR. She was involved greatly in community organizing to sensitize on SGBV She has over ten years’ experience working with grass root women led organizations, she seeks to integrate disability rights in the reproductive justice movement, she beliefs community lens is crucial for policy makers and is a diver to regional and international conventions.

Easter Okech works with Kenya Female Advisory Organization (KEFEADO) and has a wealth of experience in gender mainstreaming and feminist organizing gained nationally, regionally and internationally through Panafrican framing on movement building. She is a women’s human right defender who pushes the conversation on building spaces for all persons to create and live their narratives through agenda setting, access and accountability in political, social and economic spheres. This ensures that at each moment one is able to ensure her presence in spaces transforms their spaces because of the latent and over influence they wield. Her vibe is who will fight for me if not me and you.

A Ugandan married woman holding BSC degree, PGD in Education, a post graduate certificate in Mental Disability Law in Practice from Central European University Hungary, an Alumina in Bridge CRPD- SDGs Training Initiative of the International Disability Alliance (IDA). As a woman with psychosocial social disability, Robinah Initiated Triumph Uganda Mental Health Support (TRIUMPH) using life experiences /stories to build hope and resilience. Robinah is a Disability Expert, Inclusive Mentor advocating for Community support services, Inclusive SRHRs and Justice for inherent Dignity.  Recognized with a WHO Swiss Award 2013 for significant contribution to mental health and 2019 appeared in New Vision as one of the Ugandan SHEROES for making meaningful contributions in the society. Robinah is an inspirational speaker at WHO, UN, UNCSW plus other forums, having a proven track record of Feminist Transformational leadership from grassroots to global level ;serving on different BOD in the Psychosocial disability movement. Presently is the President of Transforming Communities for Inclusion(TCI), Vice chair of the Africa Disability Forum(ADF), and Member of the Nairobi Principles/CREA working group for Sexual heath rights and Reproductive Justice.

Shamim is a young Queer disabled feminist and a human rights activist. She is an intersectional feminist and continuously create spaces for young women, women with disabilities, lesbians, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTIQ+) persons. Shamim’s work is centered on sexuality, religion and disability justice.
Shamim is the founder of henna space; an organizing for Queer Muslim Women and Queer Disabled folks creating visibility and advocacy on the intersectionality sexuality, religion and disability. Shamim’s work on disability justice is centered on bodily autonomy and integrity; and that disabled folks are diverse, living and affected by different forms of marginalization. She is also an advocate for inclusive and affirming faith spaces.
Shamim is also invested in resource young feminist organizing to support their work on pushing back on repressive systems.

Shamim is a young Queer disabled feminist and a human rights activist. She is an intersectional feminist and continuously create spaces for young women, women with disabilities, lesbians, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTIQ+) persons. Shamim’s work is centered on sexuality, religion and disability justice.
Shamim is the founder of henna space; an organizing for Queer Muslim Women and Queer Disabled folks creating visibility and advocacy on the intersectionality sexuality, religion and disability. Shamim’s work on disability justice is centered on bodily autonomy and integrity; and that disabled folks are diverse, living and affected by different forms of marginalization. She is also an advocate for inclusive and affirming faith spaces.
Shamim is also invested in resource young feminist organizing to support their work on pushing back on repressive systems.

Currently working on the holistic provision of support to indigenous peoples human rights defenders in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania; Sally has four years of experience in East Africa building on the visibility of people who have been structurally made invisible or marginalized on the basis of their gender - or lack thereof -, their choice of profession, sexuality, and disability - his combined with work on building cross-movement work between different social justice movements. She has two years of experience in refugee resettlement in Africa and a combined eight years working on different aspects of gender-based violence. Sally identifies as a dedicated cat mom and an African black feminist

Mildred Ngesa is a seven-time award winning journalist from Kenya with 24 years of experience as a human-interest journalist, columnist as well as media & communications expert. Mildred won her very first media award (the FAWE Award for Media Excellence, FAME) in 1998 when she was still a rookie and was based on her dedicated efforts to give a voice to the oppressed girl-child through her journalism work. She is exceptionally known for her “voice of the voiceless” kind of feature stories, championing justice for the poor through her work as well as advocating for policy change and social accountability through the media. Mildred has had the opportunity to work as a reporter and a columnist for all the three mainstream print media houses in Kenya; The Kenya Times (now defunct), The East African Standard and The Daily Nation where as a Senior special projects writer, she consistently reported on human rights social injustices and pushed for transparency and accountability in government through a weekly one-page column titled; Monday Mix- where wisdom comes quietly.

Mildred is a fiery and engaging media & communications facilitator and trainer and a notable moderator of motivational women’s spaces in Africa. She is the founder/director of media-based organization Peace Pen Communication (PPC) and co-founder of the regional women’s peace initiative UDADA. PPC is a media-based initiative that enhances and sustains capacity of media for positive change. She was the editor and publisher of Climate Change News under PPC. The UDADA movement stands in solidarity with UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace & security. Mildred has also served as the Chairperson of the board of the Coalition on Violence against Women, COVAW ( 2011 -2013 ). She is the author of the anthology; Black Tipped Nipples. Her political metaphor titled The President’s Toothbrush including her other works will be published in 2018. Mildred is a mother of two daughters.

Marayika is an award winning poet, a grant writer, and a feminist doing disruptive political work centering women’s liberation. She has worked for feminist organizations like Rwanda Women’s Network, Choose Yourself, & My Period Is Awesome. In 2019, she worked for the British Council’s program (New Narrative) as a Research Contributor – her work in the program centered around using HCD in making social movements accessible. Currently, Marayika does free consultancy work around generating funding for small feminist initiatives and facilitates conversations centering feminism, sexuality, and disabilities. Marayika is a woman with disability pursuing liberation and pleasure as a political resistance.