Bennet Kenyi, Education Advisor
Bennet is an Education Advisor with a background in education and training, governance and rural development. He has broad experience working for both the Government and NGOs in North and Southern Sudan, including Action Contre La Faim, Fellowship for Africa Relief, and the American Refugee Committee as a capacity building coordinator. He has worked with the Local Government at the county level as Acting Executive Director.
Bennet joined SNV in May 2007. At SNV his achievements include facilitating an enhanced Training of Trainers programme on Girls Education Movement [GEM] that was successfully accomplished in 43 schools, and assisting in the enrolment of 1290 GEM club members, which has resulted in a high visibility for SNV’s education advisory role in Eastern Equatoria. He helped develop a partnership with ICCO which has led to advisory work in education in Upper Nile.
His passion is the will and capacity to support and guide both colleague and clients to achieve set targets. His vision is a community/ society in Southern Sudan where children irrespective of gender, religion, creed and economic status go to school with full participation and involvement of parents in education programmes and activities.
Isaac Mark Iwa, Education Advisor
Isaac holds a Bachelor of Education. Isaac started his career as a primary school teacher in Northern Uganda where he was Director of Studies as well supervisor of national examinations. Isaac also worked with Mercy Corps as a Project Officer in strengthening capacities of civil society organisation and grant management. While with Mercy Corps, Isaac and his team conducted the first conflict mapping assessment in the three areas of Abyei, Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile. Isaac also worked for Catholic Relief Services in Eastern Equatoria State of South Sudan for three years as a Project Manager in Education. Here he worked closely with the State Ministry of Education Science and Technology in supporting the government effort in school constructions, establishing and reorganisation of Primary Teachers Association, teacher training and mentoring, community participation and ownership of schools.
He joined SNV Sudan in August 2009 as an education advisor. He has joined in the strengthening of Parent Teacher Association and school management committees. He is also working with State education officials to improve education quality by strengthening supervision and providing technical support to teachers.
Tawanda Matarirano Marx Madhangi, Senior Education Advisor
Tawanda Madhangi holds a Diploma in Education, Bachelor in Psychology (Honours) and Masters in Population Studies. He joined SNV Sudan in November, 2009 as Senior Education Advisor.
Tawanda is a qualified educator and administrator with more than 15 years experience in implementing education and other child-focused programmes focusing on building the capacity of relevant stakeholders at both macro and meso levels in Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, Zambia and Mozambique. Before joining SNV Sudan, he worked for International HIV/AIDS Alliance, United Kingdom, as Programme Officer for East and Central Africa. He was also Technical Advisor on children’s programmes in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. He brings vast capacity building experience of local institutions obtained across peaceful and post-conflict states in Africa and Asia. He has also worked on household livelihood programmes including community based natural resources management, trans-boundary natural resources management, and market linkages programmes. He also has vast experience in building the capacity of local institutions across various sectors. Among his achievements has been the management of education programmes in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe and in supporting the development of comprehensive interventions for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, in support of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child within the UNICEF framework.
His focus is on improving education quality and teacher training. He is also focussing on developing local capacity builders within the education sector. His passion and interests are in the area of participatory development and ensuring greater and meaningful involvement of affected stakeholders, including children and other marginalised groups
Joyce Sebit, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Advisor
Joyce joined SNV Sudan in November 2006 as a water and sanitation advisor. She has a degree in Development Studies and Rural Development. She has worked for various organisations in South Sudan and Uganda including with AMREF/GTZ, ACORD Uganda and Concern Worldwide. Before joining SNV she worked in Kapoeta, South Sudan with PACT as Senior Community development officer.
She has established water, sanitation and hygiene taskforces in three counties, supporting and advising departments of rural water supply and public health in service delivery and accelerated access to safe and clean water and the reduction of water borne diseases. She has contributed to the building of strong collaborative and coordinating mechanisms among all actors in supporting water, sanitation and hygiene within counties and ministries at state and Government of South Sudan level as well strengthening their analysis. She has developed strong partnerships with two local capacity builders to undertake Water Resources Inventory mapping and Knowledge Attitude and Practice assessments on hygiene and sanitation. She strongly believes in striving for improvement and results through challenging the status quo and positive thinking.
Katia Leber, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Advisor
Katia holds a Bachelors of Science in environmental engineering and a Master of Science in irrigation and water management. She specialised in social engineering, linking water technologies with social organisation and management. Katia joined SNV Sudan in October 2009. Before that she worked in the water and sanitation sector in Europe, Africa and Asia at all levels, such as the ministry of agriculture, municipality, indigenous and international non governmental organisations and research institutes.
Her past research has focused on water and sanitation in livelihood context, including gender, HIV/AIDS, behavior change processes and social learning. Katia contributed to a publication for Wetlands International on mainstreaming wetland management in water and sanitation projects for wetland dependent communities and a publication for Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC) on assessment criteria in baseline studies for community managed water supply systems in Mindanao, The Philippines.
Within SNV Sudan she works on improved water delivery services at state and county level. She also supports local non governmental organizations and capacity building organisations on community managed water supply systems and improved operation and maintenance processes. Her focus lies on empowerment of government and communities to increase their ability to take control and responsibility over their water resources and so to ensure sustainable access to safe water.
Jackson Wandera, Senior Advisor, Water Sanitation and Hygiene
Jackson Wandera holds Bachelors in General Agriculture, Master of Science in Range Science and PhD in Range Ecology. Prior to joining SNV, Jackson worked for Kenya Agricultural Research Institute for 14 years as the Head of the National Pasture and Fodder Research Program in, Kenya. The pastures and fodders that sustain the dairy industry in Kenya are a product of the program.
Jackson joined SNV in July 1997. In his 12 years in SNV he has served as an advisor for community based natural resources management in Kenya, as a senior local governance advisor in both Kenya and Ethiopia and as a senior water, sanitation and hygiene advisor in Ethiopia. During his tenure in Kenya he also served as a portfolio coordinator. Jackson is the Water Sanitation and Hygiene knowledge network leader for SNV East and Southern Africa since July 2009. Jackson moved to SNV Sudan in November 2009 as a Senior Water Sanitation and Hygiene Advisor.
Jackson is convinced that the primary cause of low access to basic services in Africa is poor governance at all levels. He has a passion for working on the challenging sector issues of improving sector integration and collaboration, fostering community led processes, enhancing knowledge development and management and turning the theoretical training programs into practical programs that deliver high quality professionals. His vision is that poor governance in water sanitation and hygiene, in his lifetime is eliminated.
Beauty Jiji, Senior Economic Development Advisor
Beauty holds a Masters in Agronomy and has more than 20 years experience working with local, national and international organisations and institutions, including the International Resources Group, WWF and as a consultant for UN and bilateral agencies and the private sector in Zimbabwe and many other sub-Saharan African countries. She has worked with refugees and internally displaced persons, natural resources and agro-based enterprises, farmers and rural communities. She has extensive experience in community based natural resource management, networking and project coordination, enterprise development, and participatory practise.
Beauty joined SNV Sudan in 2008. She is the responsible economic development sector leader. She is also responsible for resource mobilisation, establishing relationships and networking with partners at State and National levels. Beauty’s achievements with SNV include establishing effect partnerships with UN FAO, World Bank and NGOs as well as the Government of South Sudan Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry and Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries. She helped mobilise resources for the Ministry’s of first Gum Acacia Multi Stakeholder workshop, for which she was rapporteur. The workshop brought together actor local and international in the gum business and has led to the setting up of an Inter-ministerial Committee on the gum trade.
Her passion as a practical person is to get beyond the talk and make planned activities happen and have a positive impact on people’s lives.
Tesfaye Dargie, Economic Development
Tesfaye is a veterinary doctor. He also holds a Masters degree in Rural Development. He has 14 years experience in livestock production and health, research and pastoral development, working for different organisation in Ethiopia (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, National Animal Heath Research Centre, Save the Children UK). Tesfaye joined SNV in 2005 as an economic development advisor where he worked organizations dealing in pastoral development, education, and the honey and milk value chains. He conducted a number of surveys and researches on animal mortality, livestock production and pastoral livelihoods.
He joined SNV Sudan mid 2009. His focus is on mainstreaming pastoralism into water, sanitation and hygiene and education. He is also involved in the design of a livestock economic development programme in the Upper Nile. He is passionate about working in teams, enjoying the magic of difference.
Andrew Emilio, Economic Development Advisor
Andrew is a Livestock value chain advisor who holds a Bachelor Degree in Social and Economic Studies. He has experience in Finance, Administration and Human Resources.
Andrew joined SNV in 2007. He has worked with various organisations in North and South Sudan including ADRA, Dorcas Aid Sudan and FOCUS Sudan. Before joining SNV, Andrew worked as a Human Resource and Admin Officer for Tearfund’s South Sudan Programme. His achievements include data collection from various sources for the development of livestock strategy for Eastern Equatoria, and for a livestock marketing survey. He played a key role in relationship building between SNV and the directorate of Animal Resources and Fisheries, which has increased the visibility and influence of SNV within the Ministry of Agriculture both at State and National level. He has spearheaded activities in the Livestock sub-sector, including the developing strong linkages with local partners.
His vision is to dedicate his personal and professional development to improve and change the conditions faced by the people of South Sudan.
In SNV Isaac has joined a team of education advisors in contributing to school base quality improvement, increasing enrolment of pupils with focus on girl child and supporting government structures at Payam, County, State and National levels.
Engorok Obin, Senior Economic Development Advisor
Engorok holds a MA in Gender Analysis in Development and post-graduate trainings in financial and business development services, conflict management, programme design, monitoring and evaluation, and leadership.
He joined the Sudan team in 2009 from CARE International where he had worked as Economic Development Sector Manager in Uganda and as Program Strategy Advisor in Somalia. Engorok had earlier worked with a UK-based international charity that empowers disabled people to claim their rights.
In Uganda, he designed a pilot project on warehouse receipting approach to agricultural marketing. He also set up a ‘forward-contract’ agricultural marketing initiative where low-income smallholders from northwestern Uganda could produce sesame for pre-agreed export markets in Europe.
At SNV, Engorok is a member of the livestock team. He is leading the design and documentation of programmes that are intended to reduce conflict and promote peace building by expanding economic choices in conflict and post-conflict communities, especially in pastoral communities. Engorok’s other programming interests include business development services market development approach; gender, disability and conflict sensitivity, value chain analysis, and community-based savings and loans programmes.
Engorok has a vision of viable pro-poor producer and marketing groups that can effectively interface with the private sector for access to credit and markets, as well as engage government on pro-poor policies and accountability.