GENOCIDE PREVENTION STRATEGIST AND OUTREACH OFFICER | GRASSROOTS RECONCILIATION GROUP

You’re the co-founder of Congo-Sourced, Conflict-Free (CSCF). Why did you decide to launch your own organisation rather than join one?

It happened completely organically; there wasn't really a deliberate moment of decision. I was already doing work that I really loved, working with shelter dogs and programmes for low-income dog owners in Los Angeles, when I first read about the civil conflict that was happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I had always tried to be aware of the relationships between commerce and conflict, but as I read on about the scale of the war that happening there – the biggest since since World War II, with more than 6 million casualties – and how Western demands for the minerals native to DRC were fuelling the conflict, and that rape was being used as a weapon of war, I had a sort of reckoning.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | THE GREAT INITIATIVE

What do you do as Executive Director for The GREAT Initiative? 

I manage the team, the projects, the budget and our overall strategy. We are a small organisation so we don't have the luxury of IT support, a HR manager, a finance team and so on... I do a bit of everything. In job speak it's known as 'a challenge.' But a fun one.

PROGRAM OFFICER FOR THE 2ND COMPACT OF MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION | MOROCCO

What do you do?

I currently work for the Government of Morocco on the development of the Second Compact of Millennium Challenge Corporation (USA)

VP, PACIFIC NORTHWEST & GLOBAL NON-PROFIT | INNOCENTIVE

What do you do as VP, Pacific Northwest & Global Non-profit for InnoCentive?

I’m responsible for developing our business in Canada, the US West Coast, and to non-profits around the world. I speak about crowdsourcing, present our services, and close deals with new clients.

CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR | CONNECTJUSTICE

What do you do as the Director of ConnectJustice?

ConnectJustice is a social enterprise working with communities, civil society and state agencies to build trust and collaboration around issues of social justice, with a focus on extremism and exploitation. We achieve this through research, evaluation, training and facilitation. This means I get to work with people from many different backgrounds and sectors, on a range of projects at any one time. This might include: research with academic partners, such as our study with former violent extremists and their families; our regular forums to facilitate learning and trust-building between different community organisations, activists and state agencies; and our training projects for young people around political and social engagement

CONSULTANT / FOUNDER & CHIEF EMPOWERMENT OFFICER | THE GLOBAL GIRLS PROJECT

You describe yourself as a bridge builder, collaborator and idea architect. How does that translate, career-wise?

Whether working on a long-term economic development plan, leveraging policy to create local economic opportunity or developing a large scale advocacy campaign, it’s about seeing points of connection between ideas/people/data, solving problems, cultivating strategic relationships with others, and leveraging them for collective impact. It’s figuring out where there’s a gap, a need or a problem, then harnessing resources to create new opportunities for growth and development.

GENDER, PEACE AND SECURITY ADVISER | SAFERWORLD

You advise Saferworld on gender, peace and security. What does that entail?

I’m a member of Saferworld’s policy team, based in our headquarters in London. I do research and analysis looking at the relationships between gender and conflict in the various countries where Saferworld works. I then use those findings to influence policymakers in governments and multilateral organisations like the United Nations in order to shape their approaches to building peace and security. I also advise my colleagues at Saferworld on how to include a gender perspective in their work – that is, I help them to think through how to take into account the different needs, interests and experiences of women, men, boys and girls and promote gender equality.

SENIOR CRISIS ADVISOR | AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

This interview was conducted whilst Lama Fakih was a Syria and Lebanon Researcher at Human Rights Watch. Lama has now left this position to become a Senior Crisis Advisor at Amnesty International.

SENIOR ADVOCACY ADVISER | CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

What do you do as Senior Advocacy Advisor for the Center for Reproductive Rights?

My position mainly involves lobbying States and UN staff on resolutions and decisions adopted by the UN bodies in Geneva, in particular the Human Rights Council. The Center for Reproductive Rights’ mandate is to use the law to advance reproductive freedom of women as fundamental human rights. This includes advocacy towards the UN as a critical space for recognising and advancing progressive norms and policies. I also develop advocacy strategies to influence international human rights mechanisms to include the most progressive language towards the realisation of women’s human rights and reproductive rights and respond to growing conservative opposition to women’s human rights at the UN.