Ms. UWAMARIYA Josephine

Vice Chair Person

Josephine is Rwandan with a wide experience in strategic leadership, program development, policy analysis and promoting rights. She has served in various senior leadership positions in various organizations in Africa in Social and Economic Development sector.
Josephine has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) of Maastricht School of Management, specializing in Project Management and Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Social Administration (SWSA) of Makerere University. She has served in different capacities in the Social Development Sector with special focus on Women and Children’s Rights for over three decades. She is a member of the World Foundation for Children and Alumnae of Global Leaders Institute (2009). An Active promoter of Positive Living with HIV/AIDS and fight of HIV/AIDS as a Member of the International AIDS Society (IAS) and Activist in advocating for Women and Children’s Rights,
Josephine has extensive experience in Child Care and Protection of Vulnerable people including Refugees, People Living with Disabilities, HIV and AIDS through her work with Social Development and Childcare agencies, UNCHR and TASO (U). Promotion of people’s rights has been her passion as a Social Worker but also as a person that was directly affected by social cultural injustices as well a victim of 1959 genocide that culminated from divisive colonial tendencies and pre Independence crises. Promoting access to adequate financial services for women and girls is a basis for nation building.
Josephine is a Feminist and Women Rights Activist. She is a promoter of Girls’ Education and among the Founder members of Mary Hill Old Girls Association (MOGAR) that established a Girls School, championing Girl child education in Rwanda. She is passionate and committed to advocating for Gender Equality policies and change in practices that undermine women’s rights. She is a member of various Board of Directors including Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR-Rwanda), Pan African Heritage World Museum (PAHWM), University of Rwanda, Urunana Development Communication (UDC), Survivors’ Fund Rwanda (SURF), and Rwanda Institute of Sustainable Development (RISD).
Josephine’s Feminist leadership practice has supported the nurturing and sustaining a strong committed team driving the development commitments and promoting Women and Girls Rights using a Human Rights Based Approach. ActionAid Rwanda has also grown to become an organisation implementing women and child friendly environment policy establishing a Baby’s Room at the office to support mothers with young babies to work securely and happily.
Through her networking and relationship building, ActionAid Rwanda sustains stable and cordial working relations with government and other development partners at national, regional and global levels. ActionAid Rwanda has maintained its leadership role in the Network of INGOs in Rwanda as among the agencies that supported its founding more than a decade ago. Relationship building has enabled strong Partnerships and Recognition at national and regional levels.