Kennedy Odede

We are pleased to announce the inclusion of social entrepreneur and New York Times best-seller, Kennedy Odede, in this year’s DRC Global Forum on Local Innovation in Displacement Contexts. 

Odede is one of Africa’s best-known community organizers and social entrepreneurs. Growing up in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, he experienced the realities of extreme poverty from an early age. Driven and inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the Kibera community, Odede saved 20 cents a day to buy a single soccer ball in 2014. With this ball he began an extraordinary journey and took the first steps in founding Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO). 

Today SHOFCO has grown into the nation’s largest grassroots movement, tending to 2,4 million people living in urban slums across 50 sites in Kenya. SHOFCO is on the front lines of the COVID-19 response in Kenya’s urban settlements, delivering health care, WASH, food relief, and economic stability at scale. In 2018, SHOFCO became the youngest-ever organization to receive the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world’s largest humanitarian prize awarded to non-profits that have made extraordinary contributions to alleviate human suffering. Three years later Odede’s organisation won the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour. The prize was awarded for 

"Being a leading example of a community-led change to eradicate extreme poverty in Kenya’s urban slums." 

Odede accomplishments are furthered by being named to FORBES' “30 under 30” for social entrepreneurs in 2014 and winning the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Prize in 2014. He served on the United Nations International Commission on Financing of Global Education Opportunities In addition, he is a Young Global Leader (YGL) at the World Economic Forum, an Obama Foundation Africa Leader, a UBS Global Visionary, a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council, and a 2022 Schwab Foundation Social Innovator of the Year.  

In recent years, Odede has contributed to the literature on urban poverty in the New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, and Project Syndicate. His work has been featured by President Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and on multiple occasions by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times. Last, but certainly not least, Odede has co-written, with his wife, the New York Times best-seller Find Me Unafraid: Love, Hope and Loss in an African Slum.  

It is truly an honour to have Kennedy Odede join us on the main stage, and contribute to the discussion on localization, empowerment and innovation. 

Charlotte Slente

Charlotte Slente was appointed Secretary General of the Danish Refugee Council on December 1st, 2019. She comes from a long career in the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has held multiple senior management posts central to Denmark’s development and humanitarian policy, hereunder State Secretary for Development Policy and Under-Secretary of State for Global Development – heading the Danish International Development Agency DANIDA. She has also served in high-level diplomatic posts, including Under-Secretary of State for Global Politics and Security, as well as Under-Secretary of State for Consular Affairs.

Ms Slente has been Ambassador for Fragile States, as well as Economic Diplomacy and held several senior posts at Denmark’s bilateral Embassies. She started her career with the United Nations Development Programme and holds a Master of Science in International Business Administration and Modern Languages from the Copenhagen Business School.

Simon Nzioka

Simon Muteti Nzioka, Country Director. Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Kenya. 

Simon Nzioka has over 20 years progressive experience in humanitarian, development and Peace building work. He has been with the Danish Refugee Council since 2006 and has served in several capacities in the DRC EAGL region. He has held Country Director assignments in Yemen, Somalia and currently in Kenya. He has a passion for Organizational Leadership and Governance, Community resilience, Climate Change and Adaptation. Simon Holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Kenyatta University and a Master of Arts Degree from the same University. He also holds a Diploma certificate in Forced Migration from the University of York.  

Natasha Al-Hariri

Ms Natasha Al-Hariri, CEO of the DFUNK (DRC’s Youth Organization) since 2019. Ms Al-Hariri is a well-known figure in the Danish public debate and a keen advocate for improving young refugees’ access to services, education and the labour market. Ms Al-Hariri holds a master’s degree in Law specialized in migration and human rights, Copenhagen University.

Cecile Losamandjo Pango

I am Cecile Losamandjo Pango, founder and director of the organization Women for Action created by  refugee women, Director of Refugee Led Organization Network in Malawi and African Refugee Network Steering Committee member representing Malawi. From an educational point of view, I have a degree in Education and My professional experience is very consistent having worked for 20 years with several international organizations in my country of origin. 

Lomoro Emmanuel

Lomoro Emmanuel, Founder and CEO of Generous Designs, South Sudanese by nationality and a refugee in Uganda based in BidiBidi Refugee Settlement.

With the war that occurred in South Sudan many people were killed and lost there properties including my relatives, I sought refuge in Uganda, here in the settlement life where I was faced with different circumstances there was no access to jobs especially for single women and widows. No access to health facilities, schools, and even agriculture was a big threat.

I noticed a lot of plastic waste in our settlement community that was affecting crop yields, endangering livestock. Many people were burning the plastic as a way of disposal not knowing how toxic this can be for their health.

I saw an opportunity to help reduce the plastic waste in our community at the same time giving women an opportunity to generate incomes to support themselves and their families.

Walter Liewald

Levent Bozgeyik

Levent has been working in Textile sector for 20 years and most of this time he has developed new markets for Sustainable denim products. Driven by the vision to create an overall business case for all partners in the supply chain, he combines sustainability expertise with a business and brand perspective. 

He holds a bachelor of science degree in Textile Engineering. He has been proactively working to enhance sustainable cooperation between suppliers and brands. 

Levent is Co-Founder of KAL company SSC (Sustainable Supply Chain) where he is consulting to iskur denim & Kayra Recyle and denim production companies and helps brands to create & trace sustainable denim production.

He is available for your question about Sustainability on denim production and private consultations. You may reach out at [email protected] 

Ezattullah Sediqi

Ezattullah Sediqi, the current Program Director in the Resilience, Emergency and Humanitarian Aid (REHA) organization, has been working in the areas of environmental management and governance, climate change, disaster management and humanitarian affairs over the past 17 years. A graduate of the M.Sc. in Geological Engineering and Exploration of Mines, Kabul Polytechnic University, Sediqi has held positions of Deputy Minister/DDG with the National Environmental Protection Agency (Afghanistan), and Senior Advisor to the state minister for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs. Further, Sediqi has worked as a guest lecturer at Kabul University since 2012, has contributed to numerous institutional development strategies, and several national programs in the areas of environment, industrial development, petroleum product quality control and certification, and mineral resources management. 

Ozcelik Oznur

TITLE: SUSTAINABILITY SOCIAL PROGRAM SPECIALIST; responsible for EUROPE REGION 

I have been working in H&M for 14 years; I have worked as compliance auditor and developer, for 7+ years and have been working on social programs for 5+ years. Major topics we have been working on are: Dialogue systems, Wage management systems, Migrants & refugees and Gender Equality. 

Nicolas Metri

Nicolas is a humanitarian veteran with 13 years of experience in complex emergency, conflict, and displacement contexts including Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tunisia and his native country Lebanon. He has worked with different international organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Rescue committee (IRC) and Oxfam. He is currently the Head of Programme for the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Turkey, based in Hatay.

Nana Heltberg

Nana Heltberg works as Innovation and Partnership Advisor at Danish Refugee Council (HQ), which she joined 3,5 years ago. Ms. Heltberg has supported the process on mission-driven innovation with the country teams in Afghanistan and Türkiye in the past 5 months. Previously Ms. Heltberg worked with UNHCR in Rwanda and Geneva, respectively, on sustainable development goals and durable solutions partnerships. Prior to this Nana Heltberg worked as Management Consultant with strategic turn around projects and further brings experience from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs – department for Asia and Latin America.

Marc Dumas-Johansen

Marc Dumas-Johansen is an agriculture and food security specialist with GCF since 2021. He leads and coordinates the review of agriculture, food security, food systems and food loss and waste and related natural resources projects from project ideas to full funding proposals and board approval. From 2018-2021 Marc worked as a Forest and Land Use Specialist with the GCF where he worked on REDD+ results-based payments and ecosystem projects and programmes. 

Prior to the GCF, Marc worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) from 2011-2017 in several positions, based both at Headquarters in Rome working on forests, climate change and GEF project design and implementation as well as in the subregional office for southern Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe focusing on REDD+, and climate finance. 

Marc started his development and climate change career in Cambodia and Viet Nam in 2008 working for a local NGO on agricultural development and resilient farming systems and later in Viet Nam working with the World Agroforestry Centre on climate resilient agroforestry systems in Northwestern Vietnam. 

Marc holds a Bachelor and master’s degree in Horticultural sciences with a focus on climate smart rice production, crop production and protection from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Marc is a Danish citizen with French and Vietnamese roots. 

Ayub Ayubi

My name is Ayub Ayubi from Afghanistan. I have a bachelor in Agricultural sciences from Afghanistan and master’s in food technology from Pakistan. 

Since my graduation in September 2017, I have worked with various national and international organizations in the field of Agriculture, food security, cash transfer programming and livelihoods. Currently I am working with Danish Refugee council as Economic Recovery Specialist and implementing Business scale up grants, cash for work and watershed infrastructures. 

Peter Vangsbo

Peter is Associated Director of the Climate and Sustainability Service in Arup Nordic.

Arup is an independent and multidisciplinary firm, founded in 1946 and comprising more than 16,000 designers, environmental and climate change specialists, planners, engineers, and technical specialists, working across 90+ disciplines, with 89 offices in 34 countries.

Peter is have 15 years of expertise in climate change adaptation and mitigation, strategic sustainable development and in sustainable urban development. Peter has extensive experience in microclimate change impact assessment and mapping of different scenario related to variation of meteorological and air quality parameters. Mr Vangsbo has furthermore extended experience within developing sustainable infrastructure strategies, specific for promoting green mobility, green port development and monitoring of sustainability progress and the implementation of sustainable strategies in the planning, procurement and delivery of large scale and challenging infrastructure and buildings projects.

Peter has since 2012 work on a wide variety of circular economy related alignment in North America, Africa, Asia and Europe, ranging from test and validation of new circular solutions, managing accelerator program support marked development of circular product and material in the build environment to advise +20 public and private entity to develop circular strategies and implement decarbonisation strategies.

(Peter was previous the Executive Director of Innovation Centre Denmark (ICDK) in Seoul, South Korea focusing on sustainability and long-term collaboration, and on bolstering Denmark’s competitiveness, prosperity, and green transition in South Korea. Peter had further been the Business Development Executive, Global Green Growth Institute, Seoul, Korea. GGGI provides Government funding to the public sector to improve energy efficiency, reduce waste and carbon emissions and support lower energy consumption.)

Harriet Holder

Harriet Holder has been the head of programmes for the East Africa and Great Lakes region at Danish Refugee Council since June 2022, formerly the head of programmes for Kenya since May 2017. DRC implements Economic Recovery, Protection, Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding, Camp Coordination and Camp Management, Shelter and Settlements and Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience projects in support of displacement affected communities across 10 countries in the region, with almost 2,000 staff. In 2022, DRC EAGL launched a new 4 year strategy focusing on borderlands communities affected by displacement due to climate change and conflict. Harriet has worked in the East Africa and Great Lakes region since 2010.

Suzan Pasquale

Suzan Pasquale is the Founder and Executive Director of the women-led South Sudanese Community-Based Organization Women Advancement Organization (WAO) in South Sudan.  

WAO has been operating in South Sudan since 2012 and works to empower and support marginalized groups through gender transformative and integrated livelihoods, peacebuilding and protection programming. WAO employs more than 100 staff in cross-sectoral programs covering gender, protection, food security, livelihoods, education, nutrition and WASH. WAO is part of the consortium of community-based organizations, RISE-South Sudan - a platform that advances the role of South Sudanese humanitarian NGOs in humanitarian planning, implementation, implementation, funding allocation and overall decision-making in South Sudan.  

WAO received 7 awards for the most innovative social enterprising organization and most innovative women empowering program towards sustainable peace and development in South Sudan, from the NGOs Forum Exhibition in South Sudan, as well as from international EXPO in Beijing foreign trade corporation. 

Suzan is a feminist activist who contributes to building a resilient society in South Sudan. Despite being a survivor of early forced child marriage at 16, she rejoined school, and later established Women Advancement Organization to uplift the standard of women and girls.  

Suzan is a graduate of Social Science and Master’s degrees in Mental Health.    

Simon Levine

Simon spent many years working for NGOs in Mozambique, Cambodia, Tanzania and Burundi, before working as a consultant based in Uganda for nine years. He specialises in livelihoods and vulnerability analysis, land rights, and in early response in humanitarian crises.

Simon Levine is a Research Fellow at the Humanitarian Policy group at ODI, London, where he now worries most about livelihoods, protracted crises and resilience. He worked on a variety of development programmes for NGOs for many years, usually in war and post-war contexts such as Mozambique, Cambodia and Burundi. He then spent nine years living in Uganda, working across Eastern and Central Africa and the Horn of Africa specialising in livelihoods, vulnerability analysis and early response. In Uganda he also developed a passion for land rights, on which he worked extensively. Since returning to England in 2010 to work at ODI, he continues to want the humanitarian system to get fixed and wishes that more research was able to contribute something that actually helped that to happen.

Mustafa Othman

Mustafa Othman lives and works between Somalia, Somaliland and Kenya. Mustafa is currently the executive director of Shaqodoon, an innovative NGO founded in 2011 with 50+ staff members that specializes in youth employment, youth entrepreneurship, private sector development and technology for development (T4D). Mustafa introduced many innovative mobile technologies to humanitarian and development projects in Somalia. He has BSc in Computer Science and Organizational Leadership from University of Westminster and University of Oxford. 

Nyiriwa Golver

Nyiriwa is a Program Manager at Active Youth Agency - a youth-led community-based organization working in South Sudan. Nyiriwa is a protection and peacebuilding specialist with more than 12 years of NGO experience in community-led humanitarian programming in South Sudan. Nyiriwa holds a Master degree in Humanitarian and Conflict Studies from the University of Juba, South Sudan and a Bachelor degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Cavendish University in Uganda.

Active Youth Agency (AYA) was founded in 2004 in South Sudan by youths of Greater Mundri Countries to build the capacity of conflict-affected people of the then Southern Sudan in issues pertaining to peace and development. AYA envisions a healthy, harmonious and vibrant society in South Sudan, and operates integrated community-led humanitarian programs across the country. AYA has developed innovative methods to positively engage hard-to-reach conflict-affected and disaster-affected communities on sensitive topics such as Gender-Based Violence, peace, and climate change, and has tested innovative livelihood approaches, such as self-help groups, to promote the individual and community resilience of marginalized groups, especially women, youth, and people with disabilities. 

AYA is the chair organization of RISE-South Sudan, a consortium of youth-led and women-led humanitarian community-based organizations. RISE-SSD advocates for a paradigm shift in localized humanitarian practice, and as such, aims at turning international discourses on localization into local action and leadership.

Reem Goussous

As Chief Growth Officer at Village Capital, Reem leads organizational revenue and demand generation, shapes mission-related messaging and storytelling, and oversees the management of the strategic plan, all focused on growing Village Capital’s capacity and financial wherewithal to widen and deepen its global impact and achieve its mission. 

Prior to joining Village Capital, Reem was the Managing Director of Endeavor Jordan where she engaged rigorously with high-impact entrepreneurs, business leaders, disruptors, and investors from 40+ markets around the world, giving her solid exposure to global best practices on how to scale ventures, access capital, and expand into new markets.  Prior to that, she was the Senior Manager and Lead Economist at Al Jidara, a regional consulting firm in MENA that provides economic, development, and management consulting services. She also spearheaded the establishment of several research and reporting units, as well as worked as a policy advisor for the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation in Jordan. 

She’s a graduate of Boston University where she got both her BA in Economics and MA in Economic Development and International Trade. 

Anders Hvid

Anders Hvid is the Co-founder & Partner of DareDisrupt where they set out to empower a million minds. Understanding technology - how it evolves and converges has never been more important. At Dare Disrupt they teach technological intuition. We do public speaking, workshops, education and consulting. 

Anders says

"I am truly fascinated about the many possibilities that arise from new technology. I work, live and learn in the space where technology, people and social systems meet. I am fascinated about disruption or creating new solutions to old problems."

He does talks on new technology, consulting and advisory and bringing people together.

His specialties include: Digital Business Development, Futurist, Speaker

Thomas Bisballe

Thomas Bisballe is the Cofounder of Pozzle Planet, a social app that enables user to join activities via video that make a real-life positive impact here on Planet Earth, whilst at the same time earn POZ tokens and generate a PozzleVerse full of planet positive and yield generating NFTs called Pozzles.

Thomas is also Chapter Lead at Zebras Unite, where they catalyze community, capital, and culture for people building businesses that are better for the world. They are both international and intersectional and are a founder-led movement for and by founders, investors, thought leaders, and practitioners of all different stripes.

Thomas has 15 yrs+ working at the intersection of social impact and entrepreneurship. A background in research, management consulting, as an ecosystem builder, and entrepreneur. 
 
Areas of expertise: business development and business strategy, sociology, decentralized finance, impact tech and consumer socials.  
 
He is also a creative at heart and a music producer with 15+ million streams on Spotify.

Giulia Spagna

Giulia is the Regional Head of Programme for DRC Europe Region and the Country Director of DRC operations in Italy. She has been working in humanitarian and displacement context in Europe, East Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East for the past 10 years. Alongside management roles, Giulia is a published researcher in social psychology, mixed migration and the evaluation of humanitarian activities. She is the co-founder of the Impact Housing Foundation (IHF) and has been working on innovative solutions and impact investing for displacement contexts across her career. In her free time, she contributes to climate justice activism and enjoys rock-climbing. Giulia will moderate the panel on Enabling local innovation in humanitarian contexts.

Mujahed Waisi

Therese Marie Uppstrøm Pankratov

Therese Marie Uppstrøm Pankratov is the head of the Humanitarian Innovation Programme at Innovation Norway. The programme supports humanitarian organizations in entering into innovation partnerships with the private sector, with a focus on green response, protection, innovative financing, and health and sanitation. She is a strong believer in that partnerships are worth the effort, when working towards ambitious goals.  She has previously worked for the Permanent Mission of Norway to the UN in Geneva, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).