Evelyne Opondo is a globally recognized advocate for human rights, reproductive justice and gender equality—with over 24 years of transformative leadership in international development. Currently serving as Executive Director at the International Center for Research on Women Africa, she skilfully forges partnerships with policy makers, activists, private sector innovators and academic researchers worldwide to power women and catalyse systemic change. Her career is marked by groundbreaking achievements. As Senior Regional Director for Africa at the Center for Reproductive Rights, Evelyne devised and implemented forward-thinking legal strategies that redefined the reproductive justice landscape across Africa. At Ipas, in her role as Africa Policy Associate, she advanced critical reproductive justice initiatives by strategically collaborating with African Union organs and driving reforms across multiple nations. Evelyne’s devotion to advancing women’s rights is further evidenced by her impactful work with the Federation of Women Lawyers Kenya and the Office of the Attorney General of Kenya, where she tirelessly advocated for legal and social reforms benefiting women. A respected thought leader, she has contributed incisive opinion and issue-oriented articles that continue to influence discourse on gender and human rights. Her academic rigor is underpinned by a law degree from Pune University, India and a Master’s in Gender and Development from the University of Nairobi. A distinguished alumna of WomenLift Health’s East Africa leadership journey, Evelyne now serves as a Program Advisor in WomenLift Health’s Thematic Leadership Journey in Family Planning and Contraceptive Access—strengthening the capabilities and influence of emerging women leaders in global health. Additionally, her commitment to advancing reproductive justice is manifest in her board memberships with FP2030, Ibis Reproductive Health, the Reproductive Health Network – Kenya and She’s the First. Through these roles, she continues to drive strategic initiatives that shape policy and empower women across Africa and beyond.

Josphat Njeru (he/him) is the Operations Director for ICRW Africa. He oversees the operations of the regional offices, working closely with ICRW Africa’s Executive Director. Josphat is responsible for budget management, financial and contract management, and ensuring alignment with global policies and procedures. Josphat also monitors overall project spending against budget and annual targets and reviews financial projections to ensure programs are completed within budget and generate targeted overhead recovery. As a key member of the leadership team, Josphat oversees Office Administration in the Africa Region, supervising and coordinating the efforts of all administrative staff. He also supports business development efforts to ensure alignment with global business development strategy and procedures. Josphat works with the Africa Regional Board and the board of ICRW Uganda to ensure adherence to all statutory requirements of the Government of Kenya and the Government of Uganda. Prior to joining ICRW, Josphat worked at Heifer International as Regional Finance and Administration Director, where he oversaw the financial management and administration of the organization across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Nigeria. He was also responsible for treasury and accounting, budgeting functions and systems, and formulation and implementation of financial strategies and policies. Prior to his work with Heifer, Josphat worked at KPMG Channel Islands (UK) and Ernst & Young (EY) for several years as an audit manager.

Dr. Chimaraoke Izugbara (he/him) is the Director of the Global Health, Youth & Development portfolio, based out of the ICRW-Africa office, where he provides strategic direction, thought leadership, resource and talent management, technical oversight, and quality assurance within ICRW’s global research platform. With over 20 years of experience working within and with research and academic institutes, Dr. Izugbara has designed and directed research and programmatic activities on the health and rights of girls and young women in most parts of Africa and has served on numerous expert and advisory panels on issues related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender equality. Additionally, his research addresses issues related to SRH services such as abortion, men, sexuality, LGBT rights, and social development. Prior to joining ICRW, Dr. Izugbara directed the Population Dynamics and Reproductive Health Program at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), after directing the institution’s Research Capacity Strengthening Division for nearly a decade. A professor-at-large at the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Dr. Izugbara has taught in universities in West and East Africa, Europe, and the United States. Dr. Izugbara is a leading international scholar and researcher on gender, youth, sexuality, and maternal, sexual, and reproductive health, with over 120 published scholarly papers and books. He has a forthcoming book on Sex Work Third Sector Organizations co-authored with Susan Dewey and Isabel Crowhurst. Dr. Izugbara is the recipient of the 2018 Reproductive Justice and Abortion Research Champion Award. In addition to his membership on numerous editorial boards, he also serves as a paper reviewer for over 40 international journals including the Lancet, Social Science and Medicine, Sexualities, Gender & Society, The Social Worker, and African Journal of Reproductive Health.

Education: Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Health at Great Lakes University of Kisumu and holds a Masters in Community Health and Development from the same institution. She holds a Bachelors’ Degree in Statistics (Actuarial Science with IT) from Maseno University in Kenya. Expertise: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research and Learning. Language: English, Swahili and French (beginner level). Biography: Caroline is based at the ICRW-Nairobi office, where she oversees Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research and Learning initiatives for projects focused on empowering young mothers and enhancing early childhood development. For over 13 years, Caroline has worked in the public health sector with extensive experience in health systems research, RMNCAH & HIV programming and surveillance, project management, strategic partnership coordination, child protection, adolescent and young women empowerment programming, monitoring, evaluation, learning and knowledge management. Her work at ICRW includes designing, leading and managing comprehensive monitoring and evaluation frameworks for a multi-country project focused on preventing gender-based violence and promoting inclusive economic empowerment. She believes that no woman should lose her life while giving birth, and that every child deserves to celebrate their fifth birthday. According to her, women and children are the cornerstone of society and by empowering them, we empower the entire world . She firmly believes that “if we cannot measure our interventions, then most probably cannot manage them.” Prior to joining ICRW, Caroline worked as a MEL Specialist at Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Kenya Red Cross Society, Program Manager at the Centre for Health Solutions Kenya, Recency Program Coordinator at UCSF Global Programs for Research and Training and Research Officer at Amref Health Africa.

Chryspin Afifu Onkoba (he/him) is a Gender, Public Policy, Governance, and GESDI Specialist. He serves as the Gender Specialist at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) Africa. He brings close to two decades of experience undertaking multidisciplinary research, baselines, assessments, impact studies, evaluations, situational analyses, and systematic secondary data reviews across social, economic, health, and political sectors. His technical expertise spans women’s economic opportunity and security, care economy, social protection, childcare systems, informal economies, gender-responsive budgeting, reproductive health and gender-transformative policy and program design. Since October 2019, Chryspin has led and co-led flagship research and evidence-to-action initiatives at the ICRW Africa hub, including work on advancing the care economy, strengthening social protection evidence use in Kenya and Uganda, improving childcare ecosystems in Kenya, and expanding women’s participation in manufacturing and the energy sector. He also leads in the convening of the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Community of Practice, connecting a global consortium of over 90 organizations across academia, government, civil society, and the private sector. Beyond the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Chryspin has supported national and county governments and development partners to craft and implement gender-responsive policies, strategies, and action plans, and to strengthen institutional systems for inclusive governance and accountability. His portfolio includes engagements with the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the World Bank Group (WBG), the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), and other partners committed to dismantling structural barriers to women’s rights and economic agency.

Deborah Nakisuyi is the Associate Director of Program Management & Operations at ICRW-Africa, where she oversees the coordination of programmatic and operational functions across the continent. With a strategic trajectory from the corporate sector into NGO operations, Deborah has spent over a decade at the forefront of driving operational excellence and project performance within the international development sector. A seasoned and dually certified professional (PMP and PgMP), she possesses vast experience leading complex, innovative projects and fostering seamless collaboration among geographically dispersed teams. She excels at establishing environments of real-time information exchange and coordinated action. Leveraging a proven track record in supporting startups and administering sustainable development programs, Deborah has spent the last eight years instrumental in the establishment, growth, and administration of the ICRW Africa offices in Uganda and Kenya. In her current role, she provides leadership for program management, risk mitigation, and the oversight of projects and administrative functions across Africa. Her expertise lies in mobilizing multi-partner teams to achieve common goals and applying innovative solutions to sustainable development challenges, including the implementation of rigorous systems to track social impact. Prior to joining ICRW Africa, Deborah served at Catholic Relief Services, where she shaped the country program’s administrative and risk management processes. Previously, she led finance and administration functions for the Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN), ensuring compliance and operational integrity across eight countries in East, Central, and West Africa. Deborah also held impactful roles at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and Technoserve Inc., having launched her career at Barclays Bank Limited.

Faith Achungo Tsuma (she/her) is a Research Officer at ICRW Africa, based in the Nairobi office. She supports the design and implementation of gender-transformative research across women’s economic empowerment, childcare, social protection, unpaid care, and broader gender equality themes. Her work spans research protocol development, qualitative and quantitative fieldwork, data management and analysis, tools design, and evidence synthesis. Faith also plays a key coordination role across project teams—supporting work planning, documentation, cross-project learning—and supervising interns contributing to research and knowledge-generation activities.

Judith Otindo (she/her) is the Finance and Administration Manager for ICRW-Africa, based in the Kenya office. In this role, she partners closely with program teams and senior leadership to uphold financial integrity and drive strong financial and administrative management across the region. With over 15 years of experience managing multi-million-dollar portfolios in both the NGO and private sectors, Judith brings deep expertise in operations management, financial accounting and auditing, grants and contract administration, internal controls, reporting, and compliance. At ICRW, she leads the development and implementation of systems and procedures that strengthen financial discipline and ensure alignment with organizational goals. She also oversees Human Resources and Administrative functions, guiding policy interpretation, recruitment and retention, employee relations, and adherence to local employment laws—helping ensure ICRW remains a competitive and equitable employer. Before joining ICRW, Judith worked with Wetlands International in the Eastern Africa regional office in Nairobi, where she contributed to establishing and managing financial and operational systems across four countries, while supporting regional partners through capacity building. She also served as a Compliance and Operations Officer at IRnet Coop Kenya, a subsidiary of the World Council of Credit Unions, where she developed and implemented controls that strengthened liquidity and cash management and ensured compliance with Anti-Money Laundering requirements.

Kerryn Magak (she/her) is a Research Assistant based out of the Kenya office where she is currently working under the Economic Opportunity and Security program. She is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with keen interests in Human Rights, Research and International Law. For over three years, Kerryn has worked in the human rights and legal sector where she contributed to ensuring the marginalized in society have access to justice. Her current work at ICRW includes providing technical support in development of research proposals, supporting literature reviews and data collection amongst many other responsibilities. Prior to joining ICRW, Kerryn worked at Kituo cha Sheria (Legal Advice Center) as an Advocate trainee as well as Data clerk where she supported the implementation of various research projects and programs. She also served as a National Coordinator for UNESCO’s ‘Girls Back to School Campaign’ in Africa to ensure young girls continue with their education even after the Impact of Covid-19.

Kirabo Suubi (she/her) is a Research Scientist based at the ICRW-Africa office in Uganda. She leads portfolios of gender-focused, intersectional research, evaluation, and policy engagement across economic opportunity, social protection, health and reproductive rights, and social norms. With more than 12 years of experience across research institutions, NGOs, and international development agencies, she provides technical leadership in designing multi-method studies, generating high-quality evidence, and translating research into action for women and girls. At ICRW, Kirabo has served as Principal Investigator for the OAK Foundation–funded program on preventing sexual violence against children in Zanzibar and Western Uganda and as country lead for major initiatives advancing gender equity in social protection. She currently leads research on gender inequities in Uganda’s creative sector, part of a multi-country project spanning seven African nations. Her work has shaped policy dialogue on women’s economic opportunities, security, and gendered vulnerabilities, including during crises such as COVID-19. Kirabo has led and contributed to influential studies on Ending Child Sexual Abuse, child marriage, digital health, and women’s work in the informal economy. Before joining ICRW, she worked as a research scientist in Sweden’s health sector on digital health and held key research, monitoring, and evaluation roles at Marie Stopes Uganda and FIDA Uganda. Her experience spans East, West, and Central Africa, as well as parts of Europe. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Public Health at Umeå University, Sweden, and has published widely on gender, SRHR, economic justice, and GBV.

Dr. Linet Arisa (she/her) is a Senior Research Scientist, Women & Youth Economic Opportunity & Security portfolio, based out of the ICRW-Africa office. She leads in proposal development, research design, quality control and implementation. With over a decade of experience spanning the financial sector, academia, and development, Dr. Arisa specializes in micro-econometric research methods and collaborative, interdisciplinary research. She has led and designed research on forced displacement, financial inclusion, maternal health, gender and youth employment. Her primary focus is on improving the livelihoods of young people and women through action research, capacity building and advocating for robust projects that promote youth and women’s economic empowerment. In her current role at ICRW, she oversees the Women and Youth Economic Opportunity and Security program, leading research design, the dissemination of evidence, and policy advocacy across Africa. Dr. Arisa is also a highly engaged member of the academic and policy community, holding membership in the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and the Innovation for African Universities Community of Practice. Furthermore, she contributes to scholarly work as an Editor for the Wellbeing, Space and Society Journal. Prior to joining ICRW, Dr. Arisa worked in critical roles at the Kenya National Assembly, Youth Enterprise Development Fund Board, focusing on enterprise development, market support and linkages, credit management, research, and policy analysis. Her experience also includes business development at the Kenya Women Finance Trust, education and research at institutions including Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya Methodist University, and The University of the Witwatersrand. She has also served as a peer reviewer and consultant in financial inclusion research for key institutions such as the Central Bank of Kenya and Financial Sector Deepening Kenya (FSD Kenya).

Matilda Sang (she/her) is a Research Officer based at the ICRW Uganda Office, where she supports the design, implementation, and evaluation of multi-country research projects focused on youth, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, and women’s empowerment. Her work bridges rigorous research, participatory methodologies, and policy-relevant evidence generation, with a strong focus on centering lived experiences and amplifying youth and women’s voices. At ICRW, Matilda contributes across the full research cycle from research design and tool development to data collection, analysis, reporting, and knowledge translation and also supports business development through proposal writing and donor engagement. She has worked on diverse projects including a comprehensive needs assessment with UNFPA, gender- and youth-focused research consultancies with the Mastercard Foundation (Uganda), Médecins Sans Frontières (Cameroon), and Ilara Health, as well as participatory, youth-led, and gender-transformative research initiatives across East and Southern Africa. Matilda brings strong expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methods and is proficient in analytical software including SPSS, STATA, and Dedoose. Her technical strengths include evaluation design, theory of change development, program logic, and the facilitation of participatory and gender-responsive research processes.  Outside of work, Matilda enjoys traveling, immersing herself in new cultures, and reading widely particularly African literature

Sam Kirabo (he/him) is a Business Development and Administrative Assistant based out of the ICRW-Africa office. He works on a wide range of projects, such as helping to drive the successful delivery of ICRW’s ICPD25 side event in Nairobi. Prior to joining ICRW, Sam worked with CivSource Africa (a philanthropy organization whose mission is refining the footprint of philanthropy for effective civic engagement in Africa) as the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer. He also provided logistical and administrative support to the senior management team. Sam is an author, and is passionate about supporting and helping others achieve their goals as he also journeys toward achieving his own goals. He has a background in administration, operations, and logistical support. Sam is a graduate of the Harvest Institute (a leadership institute in Kampala), and upon graduating published his book entitled “Fund Your Dream.”

Venantius Bbaale Kirwana (he/him/his) is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, based out of ICRW Africa office. He leads the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research, and learning of projects focusing on sexual reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, and inclusive economic empowerment. For over 12 years, Venantius has gathered experience in the design, execution, and quality assurance of multi-partner monitoring, evaluation, and research frameworks. He has mastered documentation of project results/outcomes/impact and utilizing this evidence to inform advocacy and policy actions to enhance social justice. He believes that through studied methodologies and approaches, women in their diversity, can use evidence to lead actions that promote just societies; free from violations, structural and systemic exclusions. He is an experienced academic and action researcher, with a focus on breaking systemic and structural inequalities. He has special skills in collaborative learning, adaptive management, knowledge management, resource mobilization, quantitative and qualitative data analysis using STATA, SPSS, Atlas Ti., Dedoose, Epi-Info, Epi-Data, R, and Python. He has particular strengths in building and managing diverse, multi-disciplinary teams to create unimaginable results. Before joining ICRW, Venantius worked at the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance Uganda in Monitoring Evaluation Research and Learning role where he worked on several programs including GetUp Speak Out (GUSO), Transform SRHR (TSRHR), Enhancing Access to Justice for SGBV Survivors (ENAJUS), Right Here Right Now (RHRN2), We Lead, Make-Way, ACT SRHR, and many others. He also worked as an Academic Registrar at Mildmay Institute of Health Sciences and as a Research and Evaluation Manager (Part-time) at the Innovation Program for Community Transformation (INPACT)- Uganda.

Catherine Ombima is an Administration and Programme Management Specialist based in the ICRW Africa office in Nairobi. For over two decades, Catherine has worked in the international health sector and has extensive experience in supporting office administration, operations, budget management, program management and implementation in the SRHR sector advancing the rights of women and girls. Her current role at ICRW includes providing executive support to the Africa Director, fund raising and resource mobilization support, administration support as well as providing program management support to the Programs teams in Nairobi and Kampala. Prior to joining ICRW, Catherine worked at Ipas Africa Alliance as a Programs Associate and later as a Policy Associate where she supported the management and implementation of policy and programs activities in East Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa. She also worked at Kids Operating Room (KidsOR) as the Program Administrator for Africa working to save the lives of children by supporting and managing recruitment, onboarding and training of pediatric surgeons; and scoping for hospitals and managing renovation and equipping of pediatric surgery rooms in 32 countries in Africa. Education: Catherine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Communication from University of Nairobi and a Certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation for Population and Health Programmes from the same university. In addition, she has a Certificate in Project Management for Development Professionals from the APM Institute in England and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Project Planning and Management at the University of Nairobi. Languages: English, Kiswahili, French A2 level

Bachelor of social work and social administration from Makerere University and currently pursuing a post graduate diploma in administration and management at the Uganda Management Institute. Languages. English,Lusoga,Luganda Nabirye Vanessa is an operations scholar at the ICRW Uganda office who has administration and management as her areas of focus. With three years experience in administration and entrepreneurship support, Vanessa has developed strong skill sets in entrepreneurship instruction, human resource management as well as the use of digital management tools such as the Microsoft package and excel. Before joining ICRW, She was an administrative assistant at Work for Life Uganda an entrepreneurship support organisation where she ensured proper documentation of organisational processes and supported entrepreneurship trainings. She is passionate about poverty alleviation and supporting individuals to achieve their God given purposes while supporting operational efficiency in her line of duty.

Mercy Bridget Alupo is a Research Scholar at ICRW-Uganda, where she contributes to the development and execution of research that advances gender equality, youth wellbeing, and evidence-informed policy. Her work spans qualitative and quantitative methods, community-engaged research, and translating evidence into actionable insights for program and policy improvement. Mercy brings rich experience from roles at Makerere University School of Public Health, the Luigi Giussani Foundation, and BRAC Uganda, where she supported large-scale field studies, coordinated youth engagement initiatives, and collaborated with government and civil society partners. She has led menstrual hygiene campaigns reaching schoolgirls across multiple districts, designed capacity-building sessions for young leaders, and contributed to policy communication strategies aimed at strengthening gender-responsive programming. As a passionate advocate for youth economic empowerment, Mercy is also the founder of Butter & Love Cakes, a social enterprise that not only provides high quality baked goods but also creates employment opportunities for young people particularly women without formal education through skills development and dignified work in the baking industry. Education: Mercy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Health Science from Makerere University School of Public Health and has additional training in Good Clinical Practice and research ethics. Languages: English, Luganda, Swahili, Japadhola