The timely conversation on how Savings Groups are actively supporting climate resilience, featured an experienced panel of SEEP members and WS4R Innovation Fund recipients working in Mozambique, Uganda and Senegal.
James Robinson
Practice Lead: Inclusive Growth and Climate Change
Itad
James Robinson leads Itad’s work on inclusive growth and climate change. He provides senior leadership on a number of complex evaluations and learning partnerships across Itad. He works with partners to support evidence-based decision making and data collection analysis at the programme and organisational levels. He has experience working with governments, foundations, private sector companies and NGOs in delivering programmes and strategies. Previous to Itad, James was the Country Director for Christian Aid in Burundi.
Kelly Lavelle Nwachuku
Founder & CEO
ElleSolaire
Passionate about enabling women's economic and social empowerment for a sustainable future, Kelly is an innovative leader who, following a first career in investment banking and financial services, connected with a deep purpose in relation to gender-based discrimination and violence. Kelly is inspired by a clear vision of social change through entrepreneurship for women facing gender discrimination in developing country contexts. Kelly is an alumnus of Miller Centre's Global Social Benefit Institute and D-Prize Award Winner.
Prior to her work in gender and sustainable development, Kelly led a successful career for ten years in finance, investment banking and international business with Arthur Andersen, Deutsche Bank, Financial Times and Thomson Reuters. Kelly is British-Irish and has spent most of her working life as an expatriate including 7 years in Senegal, 5 years in Saudi Arabia and many years in various European countries. Kelly is fluent in French, Spanish and Italian.
Chris Prottas
Executive Director
The Water Trust
Chris has led The Water Trust for more than five years after previously working at Trickle Up as its Director of Operations and Planning. Across these roles Chris has supported the scale up of savings group programs and the integration of savings groups into livelihood and water and sanitation programming, respectively. Chris leads The Water Trust’s expansion efforts and coordinates with research partners to pilot and evaluate interventions – from poultry management training to earthen flooring -- that aim to leverage savings groups to improve household well-being. Chris has a master’s degree in public administration from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College.
Simon Mugume
Senior Community Development Officer
The Water Trust
Simon brings to his role more than five years of experience training and supporting rural communities to improve sanitation and form savings groups in western Uganda. Simon leads training and quality assurance for a team forming more than 200 savings groups per year, each maintaining water access to more than 300 people. Simon has a bachelor's degree in development studies from Makerere University and a post-graduate diploma in project planning and management from Uganda Management Institute.
Ana Pinto
Outreach Specialist
Zoological Society of London
Ana’s background is in addressing the social dimensions of conservation challenges, currently focusing on integrating protected area establishment, sustainable livelihood development and access to financial services. She’s part of the Our Sea Our Life programme, developing equitable and scalable solutions for community-based marine conservation and working with local communities in Mozambique to conserve their marine environment, promote sustainability and contribute to the protection of biologically important ecosystems essential for human development and wellbeing. Ana holds an MSc. in Education for Sustainability from London South Bank University, and a BSc. in Ocean Science from the University of Plymouth in the UK.
Ornila Matuca
Natural Resource Management and Environment Officer - Gender
Our Sea Our Life, AMA
Ornila facilitates linkages between NGOs working in natural resource management and the civil society representatives, supporting technical staff in their training needs and conducting capacity diagnosis of civil society district platforms. Ornila has recently contributed to the definition of the UN women agenda, action plan 2022-2025, arduously defending the rights of communities affected by the extractive industry, gender inclusion in the area of biodiversity conservation and importance of valuing the role of women in the management of natural resources and environment.
Ornila advises Our Sea Our Life on implementing a gender-based approach in community-based activities and monitoring the results.
Surshti Patel
Technical Specialist
Our Sea Our Life, ZSL
Surshti advises Our Sea Our Life on evidence and evaluation and is an interdisciplinary conservation practitioner, with eight years’ experience working with NGOs, business, academia, and scientists. Surshti works on developing and applying socio-ecological approaches to a range of environmental health issues, with a strong interest in pro-environmental behaviour and nature benefits at individual and societal levels. Surshti aspires to understand and leverage achievable, fairer, and equitable decision making and action, for shared human and environmental well-being.
Jeremy Huet
Project Manager
Our Sea Our Life, ZSL
Jérémy Huet manages Our Sea Our Life at ZSL, a community-led conservation programme which seeks to diversify local livelihoods and protect threatened marine biodiversity in northern Mozambique. Jérémy's main focus is to operate locally managed marine areas to protect marine biodiversity hotspots including coral reef and mangrove habitats while establishing bivalve farming units to diversify income sources and reduce fishing pressure. He has worked with local communities on the protection of sawfish in Guinea-Bissau and endemic wild plants in the Balkans.
Maida Lobo
Marine Biologist and Researcher
Our Sea Our Life, AMA
Maida works on the implementation of co-managed marine resources approaches, carrying out underwater surveys and monitoring of coral reef ecosystems in communities where Locally-Managed Marine Areas are being implemented.
She is currently also working on socio-ecological research, to develop strategies to improve marine resource conservation, sustainability and to contribute to the protection of biologically important ecosystems essential for the development and well-being of communities that depend directly on fisheries resources.
Maida has a degree in Biological Sciences and a masters in Ecology from Lúrio University, Pemba - Mozambique.
This webinar was organized by the SEEP Network as part of The Mastercard Foundation Savings Learning Lab — implemented by Itad in collaboration with the SEEP Network.
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