Community Voice in Shifting the Power

Mary Wanderi - Founder, Living Positive Kenya

Mary Wanderi is the founder of Living Positive Kenya (LPK), a community-based organization located in Ngong hills, Kajiado North County, Kenya. She has over 30 years of professional experience in social work and community development. Her main aim is to empower communities, especially mothers and women who are affected and infected by HIV live healthy and long lives, provide programs that equip economic empowerment skills to these women, as well as support orphaned and vulnerable children. Over the years, she has been able to support hundreds of women to gain economic empowerment and become self-reliant and provide various support programs to orphaned and vulnerable children.

Elizaphan Ogechi - Executive Director, Nguzo Africa

Elizaphan Ogechi is the Executive Director of Nguzo Africa, a nongovernmental organization based in Narok Kenya which seeks innovative solutions to address the world’s most pressing issues on participatory governance, building economic opportunities and climate change crisis.

Elizaphan works at the intersection of governance, sustainable development and community philanthropy and has more that than 18 years experience in the non-profit sector.

Robert Wiggers - Deputy Director, Programs and Policy Development, Wilde Ganzen

Robert Wiggers is an initiator of innovative programs like Action for Children - capacity strengthening on local fundraising in the Global South); Reframing the message - training, advocacy and debate program on the frames donor organizations in the Global North; and Change the Game Academy - blended learning program on domestic resource mobilization and lobby and advocacy for CSOs in the Global South.

Robert is currently the Deputy Director, Programs and Policy Development at Wilde Ganzen.

Jessica Horn - Regional Director Ford Foundation-Eastern Africa

Jessica Horn is the Regional Director in the Ford Foundation’s office for Eastern Africa. She oversees all of the foundation's grant making in the region and leads the Nairobi-based team.

She has dedicated the past two decades of her professional life to the process of advancing justice, challenging inequalities, and building both the knowledge base and practice towards inclusive democracies - with women’s rights as a focal commitment - primarily in Africa.

Irungu Houghton - Executive Director, Amnesty International

Irungu Houghton currently serves as Executive Director for Amnesty International Kenya. As Amnesty’s spokesperson and chief strategist in Kenya, he leads a team of committed investigative researchers and campaigners working to end human rights abuses and realize the rights and freedoms captured in the Constitution of Kenya.

Over the last 30 years, Irungu has worked and volunteered with some of the most influential international organizations in the world including ActionAid, Equality Now, and Oxfam International. In these capacities, he has advised several African Governments, the African Union, and the G8 among others. He has also voluntarily chaired the Kilimani Project Foundation for over six years.

Grace Maingi - Executive Director, KCDF

Grace is a Human Rights Lawyer and Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with extensive work experience in the governance sector spanning over the last nineteen years. She has worked at the national, regional, continental, and international levels in key governance and civil society organizations. She has wide experience in social justice and societal transformation work.

For most of her career, Grace has focused on the advancement of human rights, gender equality, access to justice, governance and democracy, civic education, and engagement, civil society strengthening, community development, and transitional justice issues. Grace has a deep passion for human rights, environmental conversation, and social justice.

Jenny Hodgson - Executive Director, Global Fund for Community Foundations

Jenny Hodgson has been the Executive Director of the Johannesburg-based Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF) since it was established in 2006. She has overseen its emergence as the leading global voice on community philanthropy as a core strategy for people-led development and shifting power closer to the ground. Based variously in Uganda, Kenya, Russia, Singapore, and Thailand, Jenny has been involved in philanthropy development in emerging markets and developing contexts for the past two decades. She is a Board member of the African Philanthropy Network and a Trustee of Comic Relief.