Africa Women Rising (AWR) has announced new board of director appointments, which will continue to shepherd the mission and initiatives for the 15-year-old nonprofit organization.
Africa Women Rising was launched in 2006 in Santa Barbara and Uganda; it operates primarily in Uganda where it empowers women in post conflict areas by teaching technical skills and offering long-term support for success via education, regenerative agriculture, and microfinance programs.
The new board members are Bonita Birungi, Walter Okidi Ladwar and Kristin McWilliams.
Africa Women Rising’s programs offer on-the-ground solutions and opportunities for extremely marginalized people. The organization focuses on women, because according to the nonprofit, women carry the heaviest post-conflict burden, and are central to the daily work of repairing fractured communities.
When women are actively involved in decision-making, be it post-war reconstruction or small-scale civic action, their voices ensure vital societal priorities are upheld. Today, AWR works with 15,000 women, reaching 90,000 dependents and children.
“We are now at a point in our organization where we have established programs that we believe could benefit more people as well as other nonprofit agencies,” said Linda Eckerbom Cole, executive director/founder.
“Adding board members who have the professional skills we need to broaden our impact aligns with the strategic vision of our organization,” she said. “The caliber and experience of these new board members is a testament to the critical work and impact AWR is having in Uganda.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kristin, who brings a wealth of volunteer experience, and Bonita and Walter, who represent our first Ugandan board members, validating and strengthening our commitment to this region.”
Birungi is a native of Uganda, who has devoted her career and service to education, public health, and the wellbeing of children. She holds master’s degrees in early childhood development and public health, completing studies in the U.K. and U.S.
She began her career as a teacher in Uganda, then went on to serve as program manager and later technical advisor for Save the Children.
Birungi currently works as director of programs for ELMA Philanthropies’ East Africa division. ELMA Philanthropies invests globally in organizations with an emphasis on improving the lives of children in Africa.
“I am extremely passionate and deeply committed to contributing to the development of women and girls, and am so excited to join AWR as their work not only impacts women in the program but also effects the generations of women who follow,” she said.
“As a woman, as an individual, as a native of Uganda, and as someone who appreciates the hard work of development, I am honored to be part of an organization that truly invests in local leaders and directs funds to local communities; this is what truly makes a difference in changing lives,” she said.
Ladwar has been practicing law for 27 years and is a partner with Ladwar, Oneka, and Co. Advocates, based in Gulu, Uganda. He received his law degree from Makerere University, Uganda’s largest and oldest institution of higher learning.
Ladwar’s law firm specializes in land matters, community interests, and human rights. He has served as a legal advisor to Africa Women Rising for the last three years, and as a friend to the organization for more than a decade, making introductions and inroads in his native Uganda, on behalf of the nonprofit.
“I know what human rights means to these communities, and I am very happy to join the board of Africa Women Rising, as this will allow me to more directly help rural women,” he said. “The majority of women in this region have little or no education and lack the knowledge to protect their interests.
“Africa Women Rising empowers them to make a living so that they can safeguard their land, take their children to school and care for their families.”
McWilliams is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in Santa Barbara and formerly served as sales and marketing director at Islands Publishing Company. In this role, she traveled the globe, which inspired her volunteer commitment to international aid.
McWilliams played a key role in the impact of Direct Relief Women, which provides maternal and child health services worldwide. She was the founding co-chair of Direct Relief’s annual Mother’s Day event, co-chaired the Leadership Team, and co-chaired International Women’s Day for many years.
Under her leadership, Direct Relief Women raised $1 million, helped to leverage several multi-million-dollar grants, provided fistula dignity kids to hundreds of women, and helped to develop the international standard for midwife kits which was adapted by the International Federation of Midwifery.
McWilliams also traveled to Haiti to see Direct Relief’s impact firsthand. She graduated from the University of Washington with a political science degree. She has lived in Santa Barbara for some 30 years.
“I have been attending Africa Women Rising events for more than a decade and am grateful for the opportunity to now contribute on a deeper level,” she said. “Africa Women Rising is empowering women and changing lives and I am honored to work alongside such a dedicated, altruistic board.”
For more information, visit https://www.africanwomenrising.org.