Dreamers
Executive
Dreamer
IRIS NXUMALO-DE SMIDT
Iris increasingly identifies as a feminist systems innovator, who leverages research, facilitation, and organisational development to support feminist movement-building to end GBV and systems change in philanthropy. She is the founder of Lorha Nakambe Consulting, a feminist philanthropy infrastructure organisation that works to co- create systems of healing justice, connection, care, and abundant resourcing for intersectional feminist movements. She has spent a decade supporting strategic grant-making and systems change initiatives through feminist movement-building, Pan-African youth advocacy, lecturing and conducting research in five countries spanning three continents.
She holds an MSc in African Studies from Oxford University, and is currently reading for a PhD at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business, focusing on feminist organising for systems change in philanthropy. Iris co-leads the Coalition of Feminists for Social Change (COFEM), a feminist network supporting efforts to end VAWG and is a Black Feminist Fund Fellow.
Associate
Dreamer
Bongiwe is a curious and motivated African Feminist seeking to make meaningful contributions to the African philanthropic and feminist organising spaces. She seeks to leverage her research, writing, and experimentation background to support organisations' dream and design transformative approaches to 'doing' philanthropy, informed by an Afrocentric praxis. She is the Founder of Bongiwe Mahlangu Academic Consulting (BMAC) and an Associate Dreamer for Lorha Nakambe Consulting, providing a range of writing, research, strategic support and organisational development interventions for feminist collectives and Pan-African feminist philanthropic actors.
Bongiwe holds an Honours degree in Public Administration and Management, and a Bachelor of Political Sciences in Political Studies. She is excited to be engaged in work that honours her values and commitment to advance social justice in small and massive ways.
BONGIWE MAHLANGU
Associate
Dreamer
ELMA OORO
Elma is a multi-passionate woman: an Acoustic Engineer by profession and now the Chief Thinker and Proprietor of Virtually by Elma, a virtual assistance service that works with women- owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to streamline their business processes and systems so that they can save time and focus on income-generating activities within their businesses.
She is an Associate Dreamer for Lorha Nakambe Consulting, focusing on systems development, productivity support, as well as operational and administrative support. She uses her engineering background and professional experience, paired with her quick learning and love for technology, to work with her clients and transform their businesses.
Associate
Dreamer
Jennifer is an international gender and development consultant with field experience in qualitative implementation research (design + intervention). Jennifer's educational background is in gender and development. Her PhD thesis was on the social effects of sexual violence among women of reproductive age in nine Local Government Areas in Rivers State, Nigeria. Jennifer is a collaborator with the Sonder Collective Osk as a gender expert and researcher, where she works on a formative study that optimises adherence for nutrition supplements in Northern Nigeria and human-centred design on the pathways project. Besides her consultancy role with Sonders, she supports the Coalition of Feminists for Social Change (COFEM) as the West Africa Liaison for regional engagements.
Previously, she implemented an Accelerated Scale-up of the Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Subcutaneous (DMPA-SC)/Self-Injection in Nigeria (RASuDiN). Her research interests centre around gender, sexual reproductive health and rights, gender and nutrition, mental health, gender nonconforming population, menstrual health. Typically, Jennifer brings substantial energy and personal commitment to her work. As a person, she holds dear intersectionality, self/collective care, gender equality, sexual reproductive health and rights.
JENNIFER CHINOYE AMADI
Associate
Dreamer
LUCKY KOBUGABE
Lucky is a Pan-African feminist, skilled convener, and story-teller, interested in feminist movement-building and organising. She is dedicated to exploring decolonial ways of organising and documenting feminist work.
Lucky has spent over half a decade supporting feminist approaches to ending Gender Based Violence, initially as a Programme Officer for Kutesa Foundation and as the Technical Manager for Raising Voices, coordinating the GBV Prevention Network with over a thousand activists, organisations, and stakeholders in the field of EVAWG.
She is the incoming Communications and Advocacy Consultant for COFEM and a Lorha Nakambe Associate Dreamer, focusing on the intersection of EVAWG, knowledge production, and shifting resource flows to African feminist movements.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ethics and Human Rights from Makerere University.
Associate
Dreamer
An award-winning feminist activist, consultant, and women's empowerment coach, Yasmina has dedicated her career to advancing gender equality and uplifting women's rights. As the visionary founder of @Politics4Her, she passionately champions the political participation and representation of young women and girls from Global Majority countries, with a keen focus on climate justice, forced migration, gender-based violence, and peacebuilding.
Yasmina's influential work has not only garnered international recognition, but it has also inspired change on global platforms, earning her features on HuffPost, Al Jazeera, and BBC, as well as the opportunity to speak at the United Nations. Her list of accolades is extensive, including Forbes 30 Under 30, MADRE Champion, and being named one of the BBC 100 most influential and inspiring women of 2023, in addition to her recognition as a UN Women Peace-builder in the Arab States.
With nearly a decade of experience in building bridges between various stakeholders, Yasmina now brings her invaluable expertise to Lorha Nakambe. Together, we're set to make significant strides towards transforming the funding ecosystem for African feminist movements.