Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Timeline
Generic

AKABITUNGA SAJAS

Summary

I am a self-motivated, reliable, responsible and hardworking gender specialist with a Master's Degree in Human Rights and a professional certificate in Gender Mainstreaming. Competent with over eight (8) years of practical experience in the fields of gender-based violence prevention and response, women economic empowerment and child protection with national and international NGOs. Result-oriented with the best track record of effectiveness in leading gender analysis to define critical gender issues. Outstanding at mainstreaming gender into project initiation, implementation and monitoring, as well as leading community mobilization efforts for mindset change. Passionate about creating top-notch results through teamwork, inclusiveness, respect for diversity, professionalism, integrity, transparency, accountability, and continuous learning.

Overview

8
8
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Language

Work History

Project Officer

Social Behavioral Change Communication, The Lutheran World Federation, Wakiso District
10.2022 - Current
  • The Social Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) officer is responsible for providing on-site and remote technical support to the project team in the implementation of the UNICEF-funded project activities in Wakiso
  • District
  • The officer works loosely with district and sub-county-level stakeholders and other development agencies to ensure coordination and implementation of project activities in line with the international standards and best practices
  • Specific Roles
  • Provide technical assistance to the project Assistants and key stakeholders on SBCC interventions and ensure implementation of project activities in a gender-transformative manner
  • Collaborated with the district and community leaders to identify existing resources and potential channels for community mobilisation and scale-up of SBCC interventions
  • 2
  • Maintain compliance with the LWF principles and standard operating procedures throughout the implementation
  • Establish and maintain cordial and professional working relationships with the district local government and implementing partners
  • Coordinate regular meetings at the district level involving key stakeholders to review work plans, budget and implementation strategies
  • Participate in the collection, handling, analysis and reporting of data related to project activities
  • Key Achievements
  • I spearheaded the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) for the SBCC project and tracked them on a quarterly basis to determine how the project progressed toward its objectives and goals, which helped to keep the project on track
  • Through community mobilization, I identified 100 community members to form community health teams
  • Through capacity-building, the community members were equipped with relevant skills in social mobilization and community engagement
  • This enabled them to over 140,000 people in their communities with SBCC messages in a gender-transformative manner
  • I coordinated the preparation of a consolidated annual work plan for the SBCC project that helped to effectively prioritize and allocate resources and ensure quality implementation
  • I took part in the development and review of annual budgets for the SCBCC projects, which helped in keeping track of the progress of the project and ensured that activities were implemented in line with the allocated budge.

Project Coordinator

MenEngage | CARE, Kyangwali Refugee Settlement
08.2021 - 04.2022
  • The Male Engage Unit of the Access to Protection, Empowerment, Accountability and Leadership (APEAL) was a multi-sectoral consortium project funded by ECHO, implemented in Kikuube Terego Districts
  • The project provided gender-Based violence prevention and response services, as well as sexual and reproductive health services to
  • South Sudanese and Congolese refugees, alongside their host communities
  • The project implements 4 community mobilisation strategies, including MenEngage, SASA! Together, Women Lead in Emergency, as well as Gender and
  • Development (GAD)
  • Specific Roles
  • Spearheaded community mobilisation to identify male champions to participate in project activities
  • Took lead in organizing and conducting community dialogue meeting on gender inequality in unpaid care work
  • Coordinated capacity assessment for all male champions in relation to gender attitude, sensitivity and knowledge for capacity building
  • Integrated MenEngage strategy into all gender transformative activities
  • Coordinated participatory rapid gender analysis involving all project consortium partners to mainstream gender into all project interventions
  • Promoted adherence to Safeguarding policies and procedures and familiarization of the organizational policies among the project staff
  • Key Achievements
  • I reviewed the Engaging Men and Boys Guidance Note and the CARE Uganda Rocokwo Program Training
  • Curriculum and developed the unpaid care work-specific training manual that was used to train male champions in Masindi and Mbarara districts under the GROW Project
  • 3
  • I spearheaded the identification of women-led VSLA groups and equipped them with business and entrepreneurship management skills
  • This enabled them to identify and start different businesses that increased their financial security and control over their own lives, both within and outside their homes
  • I led a rapid gender analysis in Kyangwali refugee settlement and the host communities to identify critical gender issues with regard to the APEAL project
  • This guided the of a gender mainstreaming strategy that ensured that women's and men's concerns and experiences were integral dimensions of the project's design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, leading to equal participation of men and women in project interventions
  • I coordinated the community identification of 200 male champions under the GROW project in Mbarara and
  • Masindi districts and 100 for the APEAL project in Kikuube district
  • Through capacity building, they developed community mobilisation, GBV prevention and response skills that helped them to engage their fellow men to transform social and cultural norms that perpetuate GBV and gender inequity
  • I coordinated project sector heads for monthly joint monitoring and review of the APEAL project, which helped to timely identify performance issues related to implementation and burn rate and made effective adaptation and modification plans.

Reproductive Health Project Officer

GBV and Sexual, Lutheran World Federation, Obongi, District
07.2019 - 08.2021
  • The GBV and Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) Project Officer was in charge of planning, implementation and monitoring of UNFPA-funded Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Project activities in the West Nile and Acholi subregions of Uganda
  • The project contributed to cutting-edge women economic empowerment, gender transformation and sexual reproductive health using SASA! Together and MenEngage community mobilization strategies
  • Specific Roles
  • Coordinated with the responsible district local government personnel, local leaders, religious leaders and established community structures to identify and address the root causes of GBV
  • Took lead in the establishment of community-based Male Action Groups (MAGs) that became champions of change for GBV prevention, gender transformation and promotion of SRH
  • Scaled up the SASA! Together community mobilisation approach to transform community attitudes, norms and behaviours around gender, violence against women and the risk of their vulnerability to HIV infections
  • Led baseline and continuous rapid assessments during implementation to track and compare gender related information and issues, and ensured that data was entered into the IMS
  • Supported the development of IEC materials to increase awareness on GBV and SRH
  • Participated in the development and implementation of the project communication strategy to keep the project on track
  • Key Achievements
  • I organized community mobilization and carried out a participatory gender analysis that led to the identification of specific risk factors that increase the likelihood of GBV
  • This helped to map and contextualize the local resources, competencies and capacities that mitigated them
  • Collaborated with the District Community Development Officers (DCDOs) in Obongi, Moyo and Yumbe districts to identify and train local activists and community leaders on SASA! Together methodology
  • This caused a shift in their perspective, leading them to explore violence against women, support women experiencing violence and hold violent men accountable
  • I participated in the GBV working group meeting and contributed to the review and development of GBV
  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which mitigated the duplication of services and increased coordination of GBV prevention and response efforts among partners and other stakeholders.

Protection Assistant

Lutheran World Federation, Adjumani District
06.2016 - 07.2019
  • The Protection of Human Dignity (PDA) was a Church Sweden-funded multi-sectoral project implemented in
  • Adjumani and Kamwenge refugee settlements and host communities
  • The project aimed at increasing protection, preserving human dignity and reducing dependency among Congolese and South Sudan Refugees and their host communities using child protection, BGV prevention and response, psychosocial support and livelihood interventions
  • Specific Roles
  • Coordinated the establishment and strengthening of sustainable of enterprise for women economic empowerment
  • Contributed to the establishment of an enabling environment for women entrepreneurship and access to economic opportunities
  • Took lead in the capacity building and strengthening of duty stakeholders and duty bearers to prevent GBV and provide psychosocial support to GBV survivors
  • Strengthened the capacity of women to participate in planning and decision making of their community development interventions
  • Key Achievements
  • The contextual needs of individual women, girls, men and boys were addressed through participatory needs assessment with relevant partners
  • This was accomplished through collecting disaggregated data using Age,
  • Gender and Diversity (AGD) approach, which supported effective planning and implementation
  • Contributed to the effectiveness of LWF Uganda program interventions through learning and sharing innovative approaches
  • This was achieved through representing LWF in protection regional meetings in Djibouti and
  • Nairobi
  • The meetings were organized by Act Church of Sweden for its East and Horn of Africa implementing partners to share learning, best practices and experience in using Community-Based Psychosocial Support (CBPS) in GBV prevention and response
  • Demonstrated effective coordination with stakeholders in Adjumani, including the district's local authorities, local leaders, and religious and cultural leaders
  • Conducted awareness campaigns that enhanced gender transformation and women's participation in community and household decision-making as well as access and control of resources
  • Ensured the implementation of the LWF gender mainstreaming action plan by supporting the project staff to design and implement gender mainstreaming activities in all project sectors
  • Provided relevant support to the project team to conduct a safety audit, the results of which helped to mitigate the risks and vulnerabilities of the Persons of Concern.

Human Rights Investigations Officer

Uganda Human Rights Commission, UHRC
Kampala
01.2015 - 06.2016
  • Reporting to the Director of Regional Services, the human rights investigations officer was responsible for the implementation of human rights interventions in 4 districts in Central Region of Uganda
  • Specific Roles
  • Led research and documentation of human rights violation trends
  • Built and maintained partnerships and coordination with relevant partners and stakeholders
  • Participated in policy analysis and contributed to strategic recommendations
  • Conducted human rights advocacy and awareness campaigns in Central Region District
  • Developed strategic reports that informed the management’s decision-making
  • Key Acheivements
  • Conducted research about human rights abuses in the Central Region of Uganda and developed an analytical report that informed the human rights advocacy strategy in the central region office
  • 5
  • Built and maintained working relationships with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other human rights agencies, including the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) and Legal Aid Project (LAP), which led to the implementation of coordinated responses.

Education

Master of Arts Degree - Human Rights

Uganda Martyrs University
01.2013 - 04.2015

Bachelor of Arts Degree - Philosophy (Education and Social Ethics

Uganda Martyrs University
01.2011 - 04.2013

Skills

Skills and Competenciesundefined

Accomplishments

  • Protection Mainstreaming, Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation (2022)
  • Result-based Management, UN Women (2022)
  • Male Engage for Gender Equality, CARE International (2021)
  • Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, CARE Academy (2021)
  • Protection Induction Program, UNHCR (2019)
  • Age, Gender and Diversity Protection Programming, UNHCR (2019)
  • Gender Mainstreaming, The Lutheran World Federation (2018)
  • Practice Oriented Professional Certificate in Child Protection, Makerere University (2017).

Timeline

Project Officer

Social Behavioral Change Communication, The Lutheran World Federation, Wakiso District
10.2022 - Current

Project Coordinator

MenEngage | CARE, Kyangwali Refugee Settlement
08.2021 - 04.2022

Reproductive Health Project Officer

GBV and Sexual, Lutheran World Federation, Obongi, District
07.2019 - 08.2021

Protection Assistant

Lutheran World Federation, Adjumani District
06.2016 - 07.2019

Human Rights Investigations Officer

Uganda Human Rights Commission, UHRC
01.2015 - 06.2016

Master of Arts Degree - Human Rights

Uganda Martyrs University
01.2013 - 04.2015

Bachelor of Arts Degree - Philosophy (Education and Social Ethics

Uganda Martyrs University
01.2011 - 04.2013

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AKABITUNGA SAJAS