Equality for All

Henrika

Henrika Amoafo is a Project/Programs Strategist at KonneKt World and a Senior Fellow at the Melton Foundation. She holds a graduate degree in Business Administration from Ashesi University, Ghana.

FemInStyle Africa

Being passionate about seeing gender equality achieved in Africa is a driving force behind
our magazine. Imagine a future where there is equal representation in politics, women who
break glass ceilings are the norm instead of the exception, women and girls have freedom to
live to their full potential, a greater number of women have achieved financial
independence and gender activism has reached newer and higher heights.
We at FemInStyle Africa can imagine such a future, but we believe it will be harder to
achieve this if we do not have enough spaces where women’s voices are amplified
exclusively and in a positive way. That is why, we are dedicating our publication to ensure
this happens. We are for women, by women, which means every step of the way, the voices
of women will be put at the forefront.
With six columns dedicated to politics, gender activism, profiling working women, health,
finance and travel and style, always written with women as the central focus, FemInStyle
Africa aims to encourage women to live to their full potential and bring about lasting impact
in the fight for gender equality.
Our mission is to encourage women of all ages to get involved in the fight for gender
equality.
Our vision is to create a world where women are safer, represented fully in spaces where
decisions that affect us are made. To create a safe space for girls and women to feel and be
heard.

Joans Arodi

Joans Arodi is an Actor and Content Creator with vast
experience in community mobilization and Sensitization work
through theatre for social change.
Joans Has participated in various projects where he got
hands of experience in Radio Theatre, Videography and
Photography
He a youth advocate and committed to championing for
development among Young people in the community
through Advocacy work and sensitization

Georgina Otieno

Georgina Otieno is a student in Nairobi technical training institute studying science
laboratory technology. She has worked in various artistic projects and has a well
vast knowledge of what art entails
In school she has participated in the Kenya schools and colleges drama festivals to
the national level. She participated in the oral narrative also known as story telling
and also cultural creative dramatized dance. She managed to get to the national
level. Through her hard work, she received several recognition of recognition of
best female narrator and dancer respectively. She also was the chairlady of the
drama club in her school.
She has participated in the sema nami theatre projects and Film Production project
where she did several plays and took the main roles and earned the trust of the
directors in the projects as one of the best actresses ever
She has also participated in the wetlands project where she did a spoken word. She
has also participated in malaria breakthrough campaign where she did skits during
the campaign.
She runs a production group called Cooliyo family where they do various comedy
skits. She also mentors young actors and actresses into becoming great
Apart from acting she also does marketing

Edwin Koga

Born On 10-12-1987 Edwin Koga is a Diploma Holder in Journalism and Mass Communication
a third born in a family of four children. Talent is a gift from God that if treated positively and
with passion can change the lives of many youths using it to advocate, sensitize and educate the
community reaching large numbers of people touching their lives towards being good leaders.
To this regard after realizing that i had an inborn talent, after clearing the O -level I became
interested in theatre with love of nature, socializing and making friends. This enabled me to be
the founder of Amazon Theatrics Ensemble (A.T.E) a registered youth led theatre group that for
the last five years have given me a platform of cultivating my potential as an artist thus giving
back to the community and capacity building fellow youths on leadership and good governance
through performing arts and Media within the Kisumu County
Through Performing Arts and media we managed to strengthen of citizen’s action of engagement
with governance process, promotion of peaceful co-existence and conflict transformation, Social
political Accountability and good governing process for good leadership.
In realization we have always employed the use of theater for social change to create awareness
and sensitize the community on various social factors. This is because Community and youths
like being informed and Educated on a participatory manner to create meaningful participation in
influencing mindset on how people view things.
All in all is a team player, ready to learn in community development undertakings since together
with different kind of ideas it’s our mandate to build and to shape our Skills for Communal
Sensitization through Theatre for social change in creating dialogue with young people on
matters affecting them.

Martin Nyawara

My name is Martin Nyawara, a 22 year Kenyan boy. I was born on the 14 th of January 2021 and
I am the first born in a family of 9 currently living in Kisumu, Kenya. I am a student at the
Asumbi Teachers College currently pursuing a diploma course in Primary Teacher Education.
At the moment, I am an actor, Scriptwriter, Film editor and I also double up as the Artistic
Director at Amazon Theatrix Ensemble: a youth led community based organization that uses arts
and media as a tool for advocacy and sensitization to communities on various thematic areas. I
have been able to address various issues affecting young people in different communities. Like
Sexual and reproductive Health, Gender Based Violence, Democracy and Governance, Climate
Change, Environmental conservation and many more.
I have also participated in various performances that include The Kenya National Drama and
Film Festival State Concert at State House Nairobi, Youth Voices in Action Virtual Youth
Festival and The Covid 19 and Malaria Sensitization Videos among others.
All in all I am a team player, ready to learn through community development initiatives. That
notwithstanding, developing ideas is our mandate to build and to shape our skills for communal
sensitization through theatre for social change in creating dialogue with young people on matters
affecting them.

Steasy Atieno

My name is Steasy Atieno a 21 year old girl. I was born on 26 th February 2000 and
in a family of three children. I live in Kisumu city-Kenya. I am Professional teacher
of Early Childhood Education (ECDE).
I am an actress, Secretary/Office Admin at Amazon Theatrix Ensemble. I love
acting since through performing arts I can express how I feel on issues young
women like I face in their daily lives. I have been able to address various issues
affecting young women in different communities. Like Sexual and Gender Based
Violence, Violent Extremism, Sanitation, Peace and conflict resolution, Democracy
and Governance among others
I have also participated in a virtual Story-telling Workshop with girls from
different parts of the world, where girl’s voices are heard in their stories. This was
a great experience and I got to share it around with girls from my community.
All in all is a team player, ready to learn towards community development
initiatives since together with different kind of ideas it’s our mandate to build and
to shape our skills for communal sensitization through theatre for social change in
creating dialogue with young people on matters affecting them.

Lars Dietzel

Director of Strategy – Melton Foundation

Lars first joined the Melton Foundation as a Fellow in 2002 and has supported the Melton Foundation in numerous capacities ever since.
Prior to joining our team, he served as a community worker in cross-community centers in Belfast (Norther Ireland). Lars also worked at Culture et Expression, an organization dedicated to supporting migrants in Le Luc en Provence (France), and he was part of the senior management team of one of the biggest international summer schools in the UK. He holds a M.A. in Education Science and Languages from Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz and Friedrich Schiller University, Jena (Germany).
Lars loves to try different foods and digests them by playing music, riding a bike or having conversations with friends and family. A glass of wine doesn’t hurt either.

Lirón Lirón

Lirón Lirón is an arts and social foundation based in Cuenca Ecuador. We aim to create respectful and polite care towards children, using scenic arts, literature and board games. Since 2016, Lirón Lirón has had a wide experience playing and working with children in different contexts (rural, scholar, in care, etc) and in different areas (arts, games, storytelling, social-work). In 2020 due the Covid pandemic “Cuentos Lironeros” (“Liron tales”) was born as a way to connect with kids and their families through internet, creating a safe space to talk about specific topics through written stories, such as feminism, gender, migration, human rights, mental health and more.

Kwabena Ankrah

Fellow – Melton Foundation
Works at the Office of the Vice President of Ghana

Harshinee Rajkumar

Fellow – Melton Foundation

Vigneshwar Shankar

Associate Vice President, Office of Management at Darashaw
A Senior Fellow of the Melton Foundation and a member of the MF Grant Committee with experience in Consulting, Corporate Strategy, and Performance Management in the Indian Financial Services Industry.

Alafia Stewart

Director of Learning – Melton Foundation

Alafia coordinates the Learning Program for the New Fellows and Junior Fellows of the Melton Foundation. She is also a Senior Fellow who joined the foundation in 2006. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from Dillard University, New Orleans, an M.B.A in Human Resources from Universidad Interamericana, Puerto Rico.
An Oakland California native, Alafia is a social activist, entrepreneur and educator. When not community organizing, she can most likely be found singing karaoke and/or trying all the amazing food the San Francisco bay area has to offer. Alafia lives by the motto: “2+2=4, but so does 3+1. There is almost never just one way to solve a problem so diversity in perspective is vital.”

Sonali KM

Program Manager – Melton Foundation

Sonali Keshwa Murti is a global citizen, program manager, gender equality advocate, messy baker and ancient civilization enthusiast. With a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering and Management, from BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore, her interest in renewable energy led her to begin her career at ABB India Ltd. As a Project Manager she was at the forefront of the solar-powered revolution that is fuelling India’s energy needs. Having worked with big machines and automated industries, she moved to the other end of the spectrum to work with micron level measurements and metrology in Anubis Systems as the Indian representative for Brunson USA. After journeying through the in the industrial world, she turned to her true passion: working with people for social impact! As a Program Manager for the Melton Foundation, Sonali coordinates the Global Citizenship Learning Program and works towards fostering cross-boundary collaborations for solving the most pressing global challenges under the umbrella of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. When she’s not working with diverse intercultural teams, you can find her whipping up her legendary brownies, lost in a thrilling novel, winning (always) at board games or spending precious time with her loved ones in Bangalore, India and Thuringia, Germany. She has been a Melton Fellow since 2011.

Camila Huecho

Senior Fellow – Melton Foundation
C0-Founder – Lighthouse Media

Ashitha Nayak

Head of Communications – Melton Foundation

Founder – Lighthouse Media

Ashitha is a Communications Media and Content professional with three years of experience in strategic communications planning, knowledge dissemination and outreach to key audiences. She is a Computer Science Engineer from BMS College of Engineering, and has worked with news media houses, tech startups and social impact organizations.
Ashitha also successfully runs her ‘Storytelling for Change’ blog with over 2000 readers. She joined the Melton Foundation as a Fellow in 2015 and has been actively engaged in Communications and Outreach for global conferences and events ever since.

Maroussia Klep

I always felt an urge to creating a more beautiful world, though this took very different approaches throughout the years.

After my studies at Sciences Po Paris, I was convinced that policy and international organisations were the most direct pathway to have an impact in the world. I started my career as a journalist at the UN, then as policy analyst at the European institutions and OECD. But after several years, I got exhausted of writing reports and of feeling so disconnected from real life.

In 2015, I quit my job at OECD and founded Impact Storytelling. As a book lover, I always knew how far one single story can sometimes transform your entire life and vision for the world. The same applies to films, documentaries, and any type of medium that can together build up a new story for the world; one that is based on justice, solidarity, joy and respect for all living beings.

In the last five years, Impact Storytelling has developed and produced over thirty documentaries, web videos and books on a wide array of social and ecological topics distributed across the world.

Patricia Smith

Co-Founder: Melton Foundation

Founder: Peace X Peace | Playwright, Author

Three forces have driven Patricia Smith’s careers and life—the search for the underpinnings of existence, the imperative to create beauty, and the obligation to work for a better world. Each of these aspects must be connected—in communication with the others—for a harmonic world.

At 21, Patricia became the photographer for the Office of Economic Opportunity and created a photo archive of poverty and equity-building programs across the US. She taught photography at the Smithsonian Institution.

Patricia was an award-winning playwright and vintage quilt dealer with her collection of pre-1850 quilts exhibited by the Smithsonian American Arts Museum. In 2002 she founded the first social network non-government organization for women. Peace X Peace (“peace by peace”) connected women in the US for secure private conversations with women in more than 120 nations. She was editor, photographer, and interviewer for the book “Sixty Years, Sixty Voices: Israeli and Palestinian Women” and executive director of the documentary “Peace by Peace: Women on the frontlines” filmed in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Burundi, Argentina, and the US. The film debuted at the UN and was aired on PBS and throughout the world. Her social work continues now, trying to help threatened people out of Afghanistan.

Dave Graham :

Director, Stories for Change UK

Impact Storytelling

We are creative storytellers who transform abstract ideas into inspiring stories.
We are strategic advisors who bring together the worlds of philanthropy, social impact, and filmmaking. We are grown-up kids who continue to believe in a more beautiful world.

Our entire world is made of stories.
If we want to change it, let’s change the way we look at it.

We develop the entire project from its initial idea to its development, script, storyboard, shooting, and post-production.
We write and produce web videos, documentaries, TV series, animation series, short films, and editorial work according to a project’s needs.
We bring together the worlds of philanthropy and film production in order to leverage resources and talents for a more beautiful world.
We design impact and distribution strategies in order to ensure that the project reaches the right target audiences for sparkling the greatest outcomes.

Liron Liron

Lirón Lirón is an arts and social foundation based in Cuenca Ecuador. We aim to create respectful and polite care towards children, using scenic arts, literature and board games. Since 2016, Lirón Lirón has had a wide experience playing and working with children in different contexts (rural, scholar, in care, etc) and in different areas (arts, games, storytelling, social-work). In 2020 due the Covid pandemic “Cuentos Lironeros” (“Liron tales”) was born as a way to connect with kids and their families through internet, creating a safe space to talk about specific topics through written stories, such as feminism, gender, migration, human rights, mental health and more.

Fundacion Avina

To fulfill our mission we work from the Global South (Latin America and Africa), in line with the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations, to advance innovations that promote the care of the planet and the well-being of all people.
At Avina, we believe in deepening and strengthening efforts that promote human dignity, equity, environmental sustainability and our democracies. We promote collaborative change processes that allow us to understand the challenges and offer specific responses to each context, creating systemic and resilient changes. Nothing we do would be possible without our partners. At Avina, we understand that lack of collaboration is the greatest challenge to sustainable development.

Konnekt

KonneKt is a global, professional mentoring and coaching platform with personalized programs that seeks to develop its fellows in their educational journeys, career development and management, emotional/psychological well-being and relationship building. What is unique about KonneKt is that they hold your hand during your most difficult challenges and deepest fears. They help you develop unique strategies that can turn your challenges into tools that yield extraordinary results in any area of your life.

Stories for Change

Stories for Change is a global storytelling platform with the aim of having a positive impact on multiple human issues around the world. On a local grassroots level, Stories for Change is a community project. They partner with small local charities to tell the stories of people who have been affected by issues such as homelessness, food poverty, hygiene poverty and the refugee crisis. On a wider level Stories for Change is global. The video stories they produce help raise awareness of the issues we cover, change perceptions, ignite conversation and inspire change.

Vincent Aduda

Vincent Aduda is an accomplished media personality based in Kisumu Kenya. I am a seasoned specialist in camera work and editing. I have worked with different media houses based in Kisumu Kenya. They include Lolwe Television, Nam Lolwe Television and Radio Lake Victoria. I am passionate about telling
dope stories. I have also engaged myself with different community base groups to advocate for change through media mobilization and sensitization. One specific Theater group that I have worked with is Amazon Theatrix Ensemble. We have worked on many project with the group but more specific one for Stories for Kisumu that advocated for Gender Based Violence within our communities. I work to capture stories that inspire humans to consider their relationship with fellow human and nature to while promoting peaceful resolutions methods everywhere.
At the age of 30, I have established myself as an influencer through the works have I done. I am happily married with two kids, Marlin and Jayden.

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