Zainab is a gender equality & women empowerment specialist with over 8 years’ experience developing and managing programmes and interventions supporting ending child marriages, positive masculinities, child rights, women economic empowerment, political inclusion and gender based violence themes. She is experienced in programme management, adaptive learning, knowledge management and development communications. As a programme officer, she manages implementation of Firelight’s Ending Child Marriage programme in Malawi.

She joins Firelight from GIZ Malawi where she worked as a technical advisor for communications, M&E and value chains, and supported inclusion of women in the aquaculture value chain in Malawi. Previously, she held managerial and leadership roles with the Palladium Group and the NGO-Gender Coordination Network secretariat, a leading network of local organisations working across the gender equality and human rights sector in Malawi.

She currently serves as the national vice chairperson for the Muslim Sisters’ Youth organisation (MUSYO), a women-led faith based organisation advocating for girls’ education in underrepresented communities in Malawi in her volunteer capacity.

Zainab is a 2021 alumni of the Training and Leadership Programme of the AIDS & Rights Alliance of Southern Africa (ARASA). She holds degrees from the University of Iceland in Iceland, Mzuzu University, Malawi and is completing another one at Kurukshetra University in India.

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