Our Mentors

Meet our amazing mentors!

Gladys Mwamba (Zambia)

Founder at Plastic For Change Zambia.

Gladys is an export expert. Linguist, fluent in Mandarin Chinese, with vast experience in international trade

In 2019, Gladys saw a need after the Zambian government banned the use of plastic bags. She established an innovative waste recycling and collection organization that aims to alleviate the marginalization and large-scale disadvantages of informal waste pickers and their communities. 

Gladys has developed a human-centered business model that illustrates shared value at its best. Since establishing her recycling business, she has completed several projects and worked with a few well-known companies, including Trade Kings Zambia.

In 2021, Gladys was a keynote speaker at ‘The First National Symposium for Waste Pickers and Plastic Pollution in Zambia’, where she emphasized the need to recognize the pivotal role that wastes pickers play in the circular economy.

Turning plastic waste into value, fighting climate change, and creating employment opportunities for women and marginalized communities are some of the core values that she intends to bring to the new project to be undertaken by the Zambia Correctional Service. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Trade, specializing in Export

Nomvula Amanda Moyo (Zimbabwe)

District Environmental Officer, Lupane.

Nomvula Moyo is a District Environmental Officer with ten years of experience in climate change, sustainable development, and environmental conservation. She has a Master of Science degree in Environmental Health and expertise in a wide range of environmental thematic areas.

In her current role, Nomvula programs and implements climate change and sustainable development interventions, develops mitigation and adaptation plans, and conceptualizes climate change policies. She has also analyzed the impacts of climate change on ecosystem services and the food security sector.

Nomvula is also involved in the identification and implementation of environment-based projects that foster environmental conservation and improve livelihoods. She has a strong network of contacts in the environment sector and works closely with stakeholders to create synergies in environmental management and natural resource utilization.

Brigid Kachere (Zimbabwe)

Human Resources Practitioner, Sagner Human Resources Advisor.

She is a human resources practitioner with Sagner Human Resources Advisors; she holds a Masters degree in educational management and several diplomas and certificates, some of which are in community development and humanitarian work. 
Currently, I am a university counselor at Lupane State University. Before joining  Lupane University, I was with Manicaland State University for 6 years as a university councilor, in which I was the Vice Chairperson of the Council.  I am also a qualified high school teacher, and I taught for 14 years before joining the human resources field. 
I am the Director of The Flora Movement Trust, which was formed in 2010

We did projects in Domboshawa, Goronomzi District which included 

  1. 2x Organic Gardeners, one funded by VGIF and specifically for women  and the other by UNDP
  2. preservation of 1 wetland, gully reclamation, rope and washer wells, established woodlot, and  did homestead orchards.

We are a member of the Zimbabwe Climate Change Working Group as well as a member of the Climate Change Network (CAN)

Joanita Babirye (Uganda)

Green business Lead and content lizard at Girls for Climate Action formally worked with StartHub Africa as the Launchpad lead.

Joanita Babirye is a Co-founder and green business lead at Girls for Climate Action a movement that is putting young women and girls at the forefront of climate action. She trains young women and girls in rural communities and universities to start green businesses out of their local climate adaptation solutions and scale.

In the past, Joanita has led the Launchpad at StartHub Africa, where she mentored and trained early-stage entrepreneurs across 10 universities in Uganda and 2 in Kenya using design thinking and lean startup methodologies to see that they start their businesses and grow. She has also organized pitch events, and she has been a judge on mostly green businesses or technologies initiated or founded by women and young people. 

She is also a youth leader under the Feminist Action for Climate Justice AC under GEF and an ambassador at the Africa Youth Climate Hub.

She works to see that young women and girls are meaningfully engaged in climate policy and action planning at all levels, especially as advocates for funding of women-led “green” startups. She has been mentioned in 2021 as one of the 100 most influential young Africans in climate and leadership.

Nomvelo Bhehane (Zimbabwe)

Administration Secretary, Bambelela Arts Ensemble.

An eloquent theatre practitioner and administrator, Nomvelo Bhehane has worked and gained traceable experience with Bambelela Arts Ensemble in facilitating community development through theater for 7 years. 

Through the arts, she has trained as a creative entrepreneur and has a certificate for climate change and the right to health with Amnesty International Japan.

She finds it incredibly motivating to use her climate action skills through art-preneurship skills to effect change in communities and to be an exemplary leader for women and climate action.

She has personally found great benefits in implementing leadership and mentorship skills in her life through sports; she is a team leader and team player in a prominent community netball team.

Caroline Mutimbanyoka (Zimbabwe)

Director, Sprout Women Empowerment Trust.

Caroline is a young human rights activist, feminist, excellent facilitator, and community development pan-Africanist educator who has sought to amplify the voice of women and girls throughout her career. Caroline is the founder of Sprout Women Empowerment Trust, a community-based organization that has become a voice for underprivileged women in peri-urban and rural areas in Zimbabwe. In her work, she has continued to advocate for women’s rights, service delivery, and food justice in an effort to uplift women and girls in poverty, enhance their livelihoods, and better their communities. She is passionate about environmental awareness and turning waste into production.

Roselilly N. Ushewokunze (Zimbabwe)

Coordinator -Food Justice Network.

Roselilly is an ecofeminist and climate activist from Zimbabwe. She has interests in the intersectionality of climate change and socio-economic justice issues. She is a blogger and writer on various topics such as debt, climate accountability, climate financing, and natural resource governance, with a deliberate bias toward how these issues affect women. She is involved in the transformation of agriculture systems using agro-ecological principles for the attainment of food sovereignty. She is also a trainer and orator on accountability, social justice, and sustainable development.

Bernadette Ojao (Uganda)

Team Lead and Founder, Wabibi Pads Limited.

I am a self-driven and highly motivated fellow working to reduce inequalities and promote sustainable menstrual hygiene products through the work I do with Wabibi Pads Limited. I am a Young Water Fellow, a CXC Fellow, and a climate change agent.