Our unique community of women come from a range of backgrounds – from countries to industries, we work everyday to ensure that African girls and women will live in dignity, are healthy, and enjoy equal rights free from fear of violence. Meet our amazing team who help make FORWARD’s vision a reality.
Naana is a social activist and the Executive Director of FORWARD. She has worked at the International Planned Parenthood Federation, where she investigated child marriage and poverty. She believes that to achieve gender equality the world must address violence against women and the socio-cultural norms that accept this behaviour. In 2009 she was honoured in the 2008 Birthday Honours for “services to Human Rights Issues for Women”. In 2014 Naana gave a TEDx talk about women’s rights and FGM. That year she was included in the Evening Standard’s list of London’s most influential people.
Toks is a vastly experienced professional within the not for profit sector. She is passionate about ensuring that individuals who are vulnerable or discriminated against are able to avail themselves of their rights and have a credible voice. Her professional roles have involved liaising with senior managers and key stakeholders, working to achieve desired outcomes by being a catalyst for change with a commitment to improve efficiencies and deliver value for money.” Toks is the Head of UK Programmes at FORWARD. She leads the UK Community, Training, Schools team as well as the planning and delivery of support casework and Psychosocial Educational risk assessments.
Mary Otuko is the UK Programmes Manager at FORWARD leading in the planning and delivery of multiple projects under our Communities and Youth & Schools Programmes. She is part of FORWARD’s Senior Management Team directly managing staff as well as our work relationship with partner organisations, other service agencies and FGM affected communities nationally. Mary has an MSc in Population and Development from London School of Economics and sits on the Board of Trustees for a new charity called TEST (Tanzania Education and Skills Trust) which is setting up a school and working with street children in Kigoma, North-West Tanzania. Mary is also a Committee member and Projects Lead for the Lango Association UK (LAUK), a community organisation set up by UK Diaspora Ugandans from Northern Uganda.
Amy specialises in behavioural insights and impact evaluations of health interventions. She currently heads Evidence and Knowledge Management team at FORWARD, using research and evaluation to develop evidence-based programmes and policy engagement. Previously, she was associate director at Kantar Public, where she led the impact evaluation of interventions for UK government departments and charities, including the Department for Education, Public Health England, the NHS, and the Wellcome Trust.
Amy has a post study degree in Social Psychology of Health Communication from the London School of Economics. She has wide-ranging knowledge in social marketing, community development and behaviour change research, including published academic research in the Community and Applied Social Psychology Journal.
Fosdicka is the finance and operations Lead at FORWARD. She is a finance consultant with over twenty years of experience working with community and voluntary sector groups in facilitating the smooth running of their operations and finance functions and supporting capacity building interventions. After her first degree in History and Sociology, Fosdicka trained as a company secretary with the Institute of Chartered Secretary & Administrators (ICSA) before commencing her training with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). She brings with her significant expertise and experience of working with the Board of Trustees, Directors and Committees to strengthen financial reporting and financial management and enhancing financial sustainability and governance issues.
Grace works as part of our Operations and our Evidence team. Within the operations team she works on HR matters. Involving, supporting staff and the management team, aiding in the recruitment of new employees and the onboarding of them.
Grace also supports on-going research within the Evidence and Knowledge Management Team including recruitment, preparing interview questions, summarising results and conducting literature reviews and further research.
Prior to working at FORWARD Grace completed her BSc in Anthropology, with a focused dissertation on Prison Culture. She then went on to complete her LLM in Human Rights and Legal Practice. Where she conducted her research project on the FGM legislation in place, in the UK compared to Europe, Somalia, Egypt and Sudan.
Rita joined FORWARD in 2011 and has been with FORWARD for over 8 years. She worked as a Fees clerk with Crown Prosecution Service and volunteered for Ethnic Alcohol counselling as Receptionist. She has gained good experience in her various roles as Receptionist/Office assistant, Executive assistant and currently studying AAT Level 3 Advanced Accounting to get a better understanding in depth to support her current role as Finance Assistant.
Yvette is the Training and Development Coordinator for the FORWARD and her lifelong occupation and passion has been training and empowering with special focus on improving the lot of the girl child and women. Her role in FORWARD also includes delivering bespoke courses for institutions and organisations around the country. She has vast experience in the field of education and was the Vice Principal of the Gambia College for over twenty years. Yvette progressed to further development oriented work in organisations such as Forum for African Women’s Educationalists, Young Women’s Christian Association and The African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies in Banjul, The Gambia.
Isha specialises in gender violence specifically Violence Against Women and Girls and its impact on their lives. She is currently Youth Programme Officer at FORWARD. Where she runs, youth leadership programmes, builds relationships with project partners, works on the implementation of the Tuwezeshe Young Women’s Leadership Programme and further work that is related to youth advocacy and social action programmes.
Prior to working at FORWARD, Isha completed her PhD in Gender Violence. Her research focused on analysing Integrational mindsets on the practice of FGM amongst Somalian and Somalilanders. Isha also completed in her Masters in Social Research Method where she evaluated the current support available for individuals who had faced violence and traumatic life events especially Violence Against Women and Girls.
Odunayo holds an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences from Royal Holloway University of London and a Master’s degree in Reproductive and Sexual Health Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is passionate about all areas surrounding women’s Sexual Reproductive Health and this begins with honouring their Sexual Reproductive Health Rights. Her work to date involves taking on various roles working within the youth sector and she strongly believes in removing the stigma that surrounds young people and instead sees the youth stage of life as the perfect time to engage in activism. Odunayo now works at FORWARD as the Schools and Youth Programme Officer, a role where she can combine both her passion for the youth and for women’s advocacy.
Eiman Hussein is a qualified psychotherapist with an MSc in Integrative Psychotherapy. Eiman has a medical background with an MSc in Public Health and brings more than 15 years of experience working in the charity sector on issues of women’s reproductive health and rights and specifically on the issue of FGM. She currently provides psychotherapy support to women survivors of FGM and other forms of VAWG at FORWARD as well as being in private practice.
Eshraga’s role is based within the Community Programme to implement and deliver holistic culturally appropriate support services to vulnerable migrant women affected by Violence Against Women & Girls issues (VAWG) such as Domestic Abuse (DA) and harmful traditional practises such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The purpose of her role is to ensure that service users engage with our specialist support services and receive specialist advice, advocacy, support and consequently referring and sign posting to external support services.
Eshraga was graduated from London Metropolitan University with an honour degree in Business and combined studies (IT & Finance) this is relevant to her current role in so many ways: planning & forecasting ahead, promoting the project & building partnerships.
Eshraga is passionate about helping and assisting people who need for help and this is a motivating factor to motivate her to get involved in support casework. Eshraga loves reading fictional novels, watching historic and wildlife documentaries. and occasionally write poems.
Sahar is a passionate and dedicated Training Assistant at FORWARD. With her extensive knowledge and passion, Sahar plays a vital role in assisting the developing and delivering tailored training courses for professional institutions as well as communities across the UK. Sahar actively engages with communities to foster understanding and empathy, as she believes that knowledge and compassion are powerful tools for positive change.
Sahar holds BSc degree in Public Health from the University of East London, where she gained a comprehensive understanding of the complex challenges faced by individuals and communities. Her educational background equips her with the necessary tools to address various issues related to public health, gender equality, and social justice by raising awareness of harmful cultural practices among women and girls.
Parese works as a Floating Community Support Officer within the Community team. The role is extremely diverse and provides high quality by-and-for domestic abuse support. Some of the key roles involve; providing practical and emotional support to people experiencing forms of domestic abuse, establishing the risks to, and the needs of survivors of domestic abuse. The role also involves planning and delivering Community awareness sessions, taking part in outreach, and raising awareness of VAWG (violence against women and girls) Pan-London.
Parese has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Anglia Ruskin university. She then worked in the NHS as a health care assistant, supporting patients on the diabetes and dementia wards. Parese also has had experience working in a recruitment agency specified for nurses/health care workers. Parese has always had a passion for helping others, and working at FORWARD is giving her the platform she needs to help those who need it most.
At FORWARD, Amber covers the digital aspects of the charity. She oversees the social media channels, supports the website, builds the charity’s e-newsletters, and more.
Before joining the FORWARD team, Amber completed her undergraduate degree in Law, with a focus on Medical Law, Gender & Law, and Penology. She then completed her Master’s degree in Investigative Journalism, before working in social media and content marketing.
Amber is an avid fan of film and TV, and in her free time, enjoys writing, taking trips to the cinema, and watching women’s football!
Tigist recently joined FORWARD as a Community Support Worker, where she passionately undertakes key responsibilities in community development and well-being.
In her diverse role, Tigist focuses on providing support specifically for those experiencing domestic abuse. She offers practical help and emotional support to individuals facing different forms of domestic abuse, while also assessing the risks and needs of survivors. Additionally, her responsibilities include planning and delivering community awareness sessions, participating in outreach activities, and increasing awareness about Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) across London.
Tigist graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Addis Ababa University, establishing a robust academic background and diverse work experience that reflects her commitment to making a positive impact in the community. Beginning her career as a Customer Service Advisor, Tigist quickly showcased her versatility by excelling as an Accounts Payable Administrator in the finance department. Her proficiency in financial matters was further complemented by her venture into sales and marketing, where she distinguished herself as a Field Sales and Marketing Executive.
Hadeel Elshak works as a Project Assistant working on the new Q-Seed partnership led by FORWARD working with Black Men 4 Change, Clinks, Change Grow Live and Coding Black Females working with a cohort of BGM leaders in the Criminal Justice Sector to offer a bespoke and unique competency-based leadership programme.
Hadeel is a former theatre producer, youth worker, community organiser and journalist who has worked with the Jo Cox Foundation, Citizens UK, ITV and Gal-Dem. She studied International Development with Arabic at the University of Sussex.
Passionate professional driving impactful outcomes through strategic leadership and operational excellence. Currently, Head of Business Development and Strategy at FORWARD, I foster alliances, streamline policies, and optimise organisational structures. Previous roles include Strategy and Transformation Director at Barclays, leading seamless transitions across global locations. With a Diploma in Public Relations and a BSc (Hons) in Computer Systems Technology, my skills in strategic planning, problem-solving, and team management enable me to thrive in diverse industries.
Dounia works as a Fundraising and Research Intern and was previously working part of the Youths and Schools Team as a volunteer, helping to develop programmes educating young women in colleges and universities about VAWG. Her academic background also provided a foundation in the importance of the active participation of women in the policy process and development, particularly in combatting VAWG.
Dounia has an undergraduate degree in BSc International Politics from City, University of London and a Masters degree in Public Policy. With a key interest in evidence-based policymaking and research as well as policy evaluations, her previous experience includes being a Research Assistant at The Policy Institute focusing on key social issues such as youth unemployment and social mobility and education, where qualitative research methods, critical thinking and analysing extensive amounts of literature and evidence and ethical practices surrounding research were strengthened.
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