EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Anne Sweeney, Executive Director and Co-Founder – Nairobi Office
Anne Sweeney has committed the past thirteen years of her career advocating for the rights of refugees, both in Africa and in the United States. Previous to serving as Executive Director, Anne was the Co-Executive Director of Advocacy and Development for Heshima Kenya based in Chicago where she cultivated a network of donors and supporters. Anne has worked in the fields of refugee protection and resettlement, including as a consultant with UNHCR in Tanzania and with the US Resettlement Program in Nairobi, Kenya. She also served in various program management, research, and case management positions with community-based organizations and human rights agencies in Kenya and the United States. Anne holds a BA from University of Minnesota and a MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution with a focus in forced migration from American University. She has led trainings on refugee protection and spoken about the specialized rights of unaccompanied and separated children at various conferences and interviews, including the BPRM Conference on the Protection of Unaccompanied Refugee Children, the NPR Worldview radio show, and the Chicago Donor’s Network Conference on International Philanthropy.
Alisa Roadcup, Director of Advocacy and Development - Chicago Office
Alisa Roadcup brings ten years of experience in the field of human rights, strategic communications and fundraising to her position as director of US advocacy and development at Heshima Kenya. Alisa previously worked as communications director for The 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions and as program associate for Amnesty International's Urgent Action Network also serving as campaign coordinator for Amnesty's Stop Violence Against Women Campaign in 3 states. Alisa currently advises on campaign strategy and membership mobilization in support of the promotion and protection of women's human rights as a member of Amnesty International USA’s Women Human Rights Coordination Group and since 2010 has served as vice president of the board of directors at Rape Victim Advocates, Chicago's first and oldest first response direct-service provider for survivors of sexual assault. Alisa holds professional certification in Forced Migration Studies from Northwestern University’s Center for Forced Migration Studies, an MA in Comparative Religions and a BA in Humanities.
STAFF LEADERSHIP - KENYA
Heshima Kenya’s team in Nairobi is led by 26 staff, mainly female practitioners with diverse backgrounds who are dedicated to meeting the needs of vulnerable girls and young women.
Case Management Team:
Alice Eschuchi, Senior Program Manager
Alice brings over thirty years of experience supporting and counseling vulnerable populations on issues of sexual and gender-based violence, child protection, women’s empowerment and reproductive health. Alice has held leadership positions with Medecins Sans Frontieres, Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya and has served as an Adult Education Officer and Teacher with the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Social Services, Kenya. She is highly trained in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of HIV/AIDS and gender-based programs. Alice holds a degree in Adult Education and Community Development.
H. Tezera, Lead Caseworker
Osop Abdi, Caseworker
Hamdi Abdi, Caseworker
Safe House Program Team:
Caroline Sakwa, Safe House Program Manager
Caroline Sakwa is the Program Manager for the Heshima Kenya Safe House. Caroline is a trained youth counselor, a trainer for reproductive healthissues, HIV/AIDS, financial literacy education and served as a volunteer facilitator with the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA). Caroline has eight years’ experience working in key leadership positions in a number of NGOs including Carolina for Kibera- Binti Pamoja Center, the Nairobi Youth Counseling Centre, and National Youth HIV/AIDS Theatre Outreach Program (NYATOP). She has also served on the advisory board for the Nairobi Youth Center and the Kenya Voluntary Development Association (KVDA). Caroline has a BA in Social Sciences and Human Praxis from the Catholic University for East Africa and is in the process of completing her MBA at the University of Nairobi.
Agnes Kipruto, Lead Caseworker
Mary Chege, Caseworker
Ruth Guto, Medical Caseworker
Girls’ Empowerment Program Team:
Fatuma Abdullahi, GEP Program Manager
Fatuma oversees all aspects of the Girls’ Empowerment Program, managing and reporting on the education, life-skills, vocational, and income-generating projects. Fatuma brings a great deal of project management experience to the position, having served as Deputy Project Manager and Education Project Officer for Save the Children UK, as well as monitoring food aid distribution with World Food Program, and conducting media training with the BBC in Somaliland. Fatuma is also extensively trained in leadership and team building, HIV/AIDS education, and child protection. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Nairobi.
Beatrice Kiragu, Lead Teacher
Terry Kadaga, Early Childhood Teacher
Emmah Mong'ute, Teacher
Advocacy and Outreach Team:
Jane Abudho, Advocacy Officer
Jane Abudho is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with an LL.B degree from Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, India and a Post Graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law. She has a vast knowledge and experience in general law, and a specialized focus in refugee and human rights law. Prior to joining Heshima Kenya, she worked as an Assistant Program Officer with the Refugee Consortium of Kenya in Dadaab Refugee Camp, as well as in private practice and as a volunteer at the National Legal Aid and Awareness Program in Kenya.
Manal Ali Said, Community Outreach Coordinator
Manal Said has worked with community outreach in Nairobi with Mubarak for Relief and Development Organization and GIZ where her work focused on facilitating psychosocial support to vulnerable populations including refugees. With GIZ, Manal facilitated refugee support groups, conducted adult literacy courses, and conducted data collection. Manal holds a degree in Social Work from the University of Nairobi.
Finance and Admin Team:
Catherine Mugonya, Finance and Admin Manager
Catherine brings over 14 years of experience of accounting working with NGOs in Kenya such Enterprise Development Agency, SOS Children Villages-Kenya, and Kids Alive Kenya. Catherine holds a CPA and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Nairobi.
Phoebe Nvawira, Finance and Admin Officer
CHICAGO OFFICE
Advocacy:
Jessica Brown, Grants and Advocacy Coordinator
Jessica joined Heshima Kenya in January 2012 with over five years of advocacy and research experience in the field of nonprofits. She is responsible for Heshima’s advocacy work in the United States, as well as management of the grants portfolio. Jessica has a long-standing commitment to working on issues facing women and girls, both domestically and abroad. Jessica has served on the board of the Chicago Foundation for Women (CNOW), and was the CNOW Health Team Leader where she coordinated yearly activities for volunteer staff in order to impact and improve health of women and girls in Chicago. Jessica also holds a certificate for completing Northwestern University’s Center for Forced Migration Studies Summer Institute: Settling Resettlement. Jessica received her BA in Psychology from the University of Dayton, and a dual Masters Degree from the University of Chicago’s Harris School for Pubic Policy and the School of Social Administration.