Scholastica Kimaryo joins the GL Board

“I am truly honoured to welcome this veteran women’s rights activist to our board,” Dr Ndulo said. “Kimaryo brings to our team a wealth of experience and expertise. We are also delighted that through this appointment we continue to expand our geographical base and the diversity that we cherish so deeply at GL.”

 

Born in Tanzania, Kimaryo has 30 years of working experience with the United Nations System; 23 of within the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the other seven with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  Whilst in those positions, she served in Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Tanzania as well as a stint with UNICEF New York Headquarters.

 

At the time of her retirement from UNDP at the end of January this year (2009), she was Deputy Assistant UNDP Administrator & Deputy Regional Director for Africa.  Before that, she had served as UNDP Resident Representative (RR) and Coordinator of the UN System (RC) in South Africa (2005-2007), RR/RC for Lesotho (2001 – 2004), as well as having served as UNICEF Representative in Liberia (1998-2001) & South Africa (1992 – 1998). She also served as UNICEF Resident Programme Officer for Botswana (1984 – 1990). 

 

Kimaryo holds an MSc in Social Policy, Planning & Participation in Developing Countries from the London School of Economics & Political Science, a BSc in Home Economics & Nutrition as well as a post-graduate Diploma in Journalism. 

 

She has focused her career on supporting the African Governments and people in the countries of her assignment to addressing the challenges of making public institutions work, especially in facilitating access to basic services by the poor and marginalised in society; the majority of whom are women and children.

 

Kimaryo is the ninth GL Board member. Dr Ndulo, from Zambia is Professor of Law at Cornell University Law School, Director of the Institute for African Development at Cornell University, Honorary Professor of Law Faculty of Law Cape Town University and former dean of the Law School at the University of Zambia. Dr Athalia Molokomme, Attorney General of Botswana; a former High Court judge and former head of the SADC Gender Unit, is the deputy chair.

 

Other board members include: Ferial Haffajee (Editor of the Mail and Guardian in South Africa); Pat Made (Zimbabwe/USA, former Director General of Inter Press Service and an independent media trainer and researcher); Ruth Ansah Ayisi (Ghana/UK, independent media trainer and consultant based in Mozambique); Loga Virahsawmy (President of the Mauritius Media Watch Organisation); and Dr Pinkie Mekgwe from Botswana who works for the Council for the Development of Research in the Social Sciences in Africa (CODESRIA), based in Dakar, Senegal.   

 

Colleen Lowe Morna (South Africa/Zimbabwe), a former journalist and editor; Chief Programme Officer of the Commonwealth Observer Mission to South Africa and founding CEO of South Africa’s Commission on Gender Equality, is GL’s executive director. The organization has 26 staff from ten SADC countries and works with over 45 partners and 114 associates in 15 SADC countries. (For more information go to www.genderlinks.org.za or contact Mukayi Makaya on 011 622 2877).