GESL TEAM
The GESL team is comprised of a dynamic group of African professionals, with teams in-country and abroad.
Moiyattu is Co-Founder & has served as Executive Director of Girls Empowerment Sierra Leone (GESL) since 2012. Through GESL Moiyattu has coordinated leadershipprograms targeted at over 200+ young girls to help them become social change agents in their communities and supervises the direction and strategy of the organisation as well as the in development of in country programs.
From working with rural women farmers in Sierra Leone, to training girl leaders in Uganda, Moiyattu has extensive experience in working in the international development organizations in Africa in the areas of Gender and Women's and Girls rights over the last 12 years. She holds an Msc in Social Entrepreneurship from Columbia University, New York with a focus on Gender & International Development.
She currently consults for international organisations focusing on women's rights and girls rights across Africa and teaches Women and Gender Studies courses at Temple University & Program Design and Proposal Development at Columbia University. She is a published writer who enjoys family time, travel and self care.
For more on her work visit www.moiyattubanya.com
IN-COUNTRY TEAM
Maryam Darwich, our country co-ordinator since 2014, has been living and working in Sierra Leone since 2010. Maryam has a strong background working with young vulnerable people which has included working with young refugees in the UK, young Palestinians in the west bank and with young girls aged between 11-18 as part of a women’s project bringing them back into education in Sierra Leone (Educaid). Her NGO experience, which has focused on women’s issues, has been complemented by her extensive teaching experience at both a school and university level as well as her training experience in Sierra Leone. Maryam first went to Sierra Leone in 2008 and since then and after making the decision to move there in 2011, she has been actively involved in projects and initiatives working with young people both in her capacity as country coordinator but also in her role as part of the board of G2G Empowerment (A Forward funded project working on teenage pregnancy and sexual health-related matters) and as part of her corporate social responsibility working with Schooling for Life as their work ethics trainer and curriculum developer.
Imran Kamara is a graduate of Applied Accounting from the University of Sierra Leone - Institute of Public Administration and Management (USL-IPAM). Imran is also a freelance bookkeeper and trained data analyst using several Accounting Software packages. He is a fellow of the Young Africa Leaders Initiative.
He is currently working for a leading petroleum gas company [AfriGas (SL) Ltd] in Sierra Leone as an Accounting Supervisor, and also at a soap manufacturing company [Cosmeline Products (SL) Ltd].
Imran currently operates on freelance basis and assists start-up businesses and traders with the bookkeeping process.
GESL ADVISORY BOARD
Rukayah is an experienced public policy professional who has acheived measurable outcomes and impact on global, international and national campaigns and public affairs.
Currently working at Save The Children, Rukayah Sarumi is a campaigner and advocacy specialist.
Rukayahis a lifelong Londoner who works on women's maternal and sexual health and rights. A committed community organiser, she is passionate about people, social inclusion and political education.
Stephanie is a film and television editor and producer living in Los Angeles, California.
With a deep passion for bringing a voice to social issues and telling stories of the unheard, she spends much of her spare time producing public social action campaigns, primarily focused on the rights of women and girls worldwide. Some of her notable campaigns include her work with the United Nations, International Labour Organization, and the US White House Task Force's It's On Us campaign to combat campus sexual assault. Her charitable work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, Telegraph UK, Yahoo, Al Jazeera, XWhy Magazine, and various others.
Stephanie's passion for working with young people has manifested worldwide, from the greater American community through the NFL's charitable programs, to working with Caribbean youth towards youth literacy and leadership, to fighting for girls empowerment and leadership on the African continent.
Stephanie's degree in Journalism/Film and Political Science from the University of Denver allow her to bring a unique communications and branding skillset to GESL.
Mahmoud Korma is a development practitioner with a specialization in monitoring, evaluation and gender and a deep knowledge of the MRU regional context. Mahmoud has more than five years of direct experience with capacity development, program development, planning and management.
He is the pioneering Team Lead for Governance, Leadership and Women’s Political empowerment in Liberia and has led and contributed to a number of studies and evaluations on women in Liberia and their participation in politics and the economy. As a former banker, Mahmoud has very strong financial management, corporate communication and branding skills. He is client oriented towards his work and environment. His last role in the bank was as head of Treasury and International Operations for Skye Bank Sierra Leone Ltd.
Mahmoud is a tourist at heart and enjoys outdoor adventures. He loves to explore new places and communities.
Mahmoud I holds amongst other qualifications, a Bachelor of Social Science Degree in Political Science from Fourah Bay College and an Executive Masters in Business Administration Degree from the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) both in Sierra Leone.