Fahamu staff
Fahamu comprises a small core of highly skilled and experienced staff based in Oxford (UK), in Cape Town (South Africa), Nairobi (Kenya) and in Dakar (Senegal). We also have a network of associates located in Africa, UK and elsewhere. Fahamu also works with a wide range of international partners. Our work is also made possible through the commitment of volunteers and interns.
Hakima Abbas: Deputy Director, Fahamu
Hakima is an activist with a background in human rights in Africa and the Middle East. She has a postgraduate degree in international affairs and has worked for several NGOs and UN agencies.
Judith Charlton: design and production
Judith is a graphic designer for both print and electronic media. She has a degree in electronic publishing, and is responsible for much of Fahamu's design and production in printed and electronic formats.
Alex Free: publications officer and assistant editor, Pambazuka News
Alex joined Fahamu in September 2008 after completing an African studies MSc at Oxford over the 2007–08 academic year. He has spent a year working in northern Cameroon as a sports teacher trainer at the Malima Primary School, a position organised through the British NGO Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).
Alyxandra Gomes: editor, Pambazuka News, Portuguese language edition
Alyxandra is an Afro-Brazilian teacher and a Ph.D fellow at the Center of Afro-Oriental Studies (CEAO) in Bahia, Brazil. She has campaigned for African studies all over Brazil and believes that Portuguese is the cement which connects all the lusophone countries in Africa and the diaspora.
Victoria Goodban: assistant, refugee programme
Victoria joined the Fahamu Refugee Programme in January 2010 after completing an LLM in international humanitarian and refugee law at Nottingham University in 2008–09. She has previous experience working for a national charity in London in a marketing and communications capacity, and has undertaken voluntary work in the UK with the Rift Valley Institute (London) and overseas for NGOs in India (Development in Action) and Madagascar (Azafady).
Barbara Harrell-Bond: director, refugee programme
Barbara is a legal anthropologist. From 1982-96, she founded/directed the Centre for Refugee Studies, University of Oxford. Since that time she has begun the Refugee Law Project, Uganda, Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA), a legal aid NGO, and the Centre for Migration and Refugee Studies, at the American University, both in Cairo. She is director of Fahamu's refugee programme.
Carol Kulemeka: Programme and Finance manager from Malawi
Carol Kulemeka has joined Fahamu as the Programme and Finance manager from Malawi. Trained in Nutrition, Human rights and Social Sciences, she has previously worked as a technician, Programme Manager, advocate and activist on the right to food; climate change; disaster risk reduction; emergency response and women's land rights. She has previously worked for UN and donor agencies including WFP and DFID; NGOs including Action Aid, Emmanuel International and for university based nutrition research projects.
Hilary Isaac: office management
Hilary has previously worked in administration for the UK bookseller WH Smith and Helicon Publishing, a small, independent publishing company.
Martin Jones: director, research and training, refugee programme
Martin is a lawyer and legal academic. He practiced refugee law in Canada and has taught at the Centre for Refugee Studies (Canada), the University of East London (UK), the University of Michigan (USA), the American University in Cairo (Egypt) and the University of Melbourne (Australia). He has provided training to legal aid NGOs in Egypt, Hong Kong, Jordan, Malaysia and Turkey. He currently coordinates the Legal Aid and Advocacy Working Group of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network. He is Director, Research and Training for Fahamu's refugee programme.
Shereen Karmali: editor
Shereen is an editor with many years experience in the non-profit sector in the UK and Kenya. She is a director of Fahamu Ltd.
Winnie Kariuki: programme assistant
Winnie began working for Fahamu as a volunteer, assisting in the preparations for the World Social Forum in Nairobi. She has trained in management and PR and has worked mainly in the hotel industry.
Tidiane Kassé: editor, Pambazuka News French edition
Tidiane is a Senegalese journalist. Chief editor at the Senegalese Press Group Wal Fadjri, he is also a media consultant specialising in HIV and Aids. Since 1996, he has worked as a trainer and workshop facilitator in journalism and communication related to development issues.
Firoze Manji: executive director and editor in chief, Pambazuka News
Firoze, a Kenyan, is founder and executive director of Fahamu and editor of Pambazuka News. He has formerly worked as programme director for the International Secretariat of Amnesty International, CEO for Aga Khan Foundation UK, and regional representative for health for IDRC's office for Eastern and Southern Africa.
Stephen Marks: co-ordinator, China in Africa project
Stephen is co-ordinator of the Fahamu China in Africa project. A researcher and writer specialising in economic development and environmental issues as they impact on civil society, he has worked as a consultant for a number of international projects. He has been a visiting fellow at Goldsmith's College and the University of East London.
Helen Mukholi: technology assistant
Helen has a background in education and development. She is interested social issues that relate to youth empowerment and HIV/AIDS.
Edward Mundy: assistant, refugee programme
Edward has a BA in drama, having been a committee member of People & Planet and an active student member of Amnesty International. He has been a voluntary assistant for the refugee programme in Oxford from January 2010.
Sanusha Naidu: research director, China in Africa project
Sanusha is a South African researcher and writer. She specialises in the implications of China and India's engagements in Africa and the prospects for governance and sustainable development. Sanusha joined Fahamu in August 2008.
Yves Niyiragira: Program officer - AU Monitor
Yves is from Burundi and started working with Fahamu as a volunteer in the Nairobi office in 2006. He now works on the AU Monitor initiative.
Joshua Ogada: editor, links and resources, Pambazuka News
Joshua, from Kenya, is doctoral candidate in Mass Communication and Public Affairs at the Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University (ABD), currently based in Cape Town. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and has basic knowledge of Arabic.
Zanna Rodrigues: assistant editor, Pambazuka News
Zanna is a communications specialist with six years experience in research, writing and editorial on social and environmental issues for business and the not-for-profit sector in Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom. Previously she worked in corporate responsibility consulting as a researcher and as news and production editor of CSR journal Corporate Citizenship Briefing. She has a degree in anthropology and a postgraduate certificate in sustainable development.
Marina Sharpe: project coordinator, refugee programme
Marina is legal officer and deputy coordinator of the refugee programme. Prior to this, she was the International Refugee Rights Initiative’s legal officer in Kampala. Marina has also worked with the Refugee Law Project in Kampala, AMERA-Egypt in Cairo and Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York and London. Marina is a founder and serves on the board of Asylum Access, a refugee legal aid and policy advocacy organisation. She earned degrees in civil and common law from McGill University, a Masters of Science in development management from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and international development from McGill.
Mohammed Umar: Fahamu Books, sales and rights manager
Mohammed is a Nigerian who has worked in the book industry for over a decade.
Rebecca Williams: programme manager
Rebecca has worked for Save the Children Fund UK and with the resettlement of refugees in Coventry.