Mary Wandia

Wandia leads our program strategy and grant making in Africa. She brings twenty-one years of experience in grant making, resource mobilization, gender justice, governance, policy research, advocacy and campaigns, capacity building, networking and coalition building, programme design and implementation and regional integration.

Prior to joining Co-impact, Wandia was the International Policy Advisor on Civic Participation with ActionAid International where she supported staff, women and young human rights defenders in international policy advocacy, research, resource mobilization and capacity building to expand and defend civic and democratic space.  She represented ActionAid in international coalitions including VUKA! Coalition on Civic Action and #Feminist4BindingTreaty. Wandia worked with ActionAid’s Regional Office for Africa as Regional Women’s Rights Coordinator from 2005 to 2009 supporting international advocacy, programmes and campaigns on women rights in 22 countries in Africa.

From 2014 to 2017 Wandia was the Global Manager of the End Harmful Practices Program at Equality Now where, together with The Girl Generation coalition, she successfully advocated for the inclusion of an indicator on FGM under Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  From 2012-2014 Wandia worked as Program Officer with the Open Society Foundations Africa Regional Office, through which she supported effective civil society participation in regional integration, protection of human rights and human rights defenders in Africa and enhanced understanding of regional organizations by citizens.

Earlier, while working at Oxfam GB as Pan African Gender Justice and Governance Lead, Wandia contributed to the creation of the position of African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security by co-organizing the first direct interaction between women survivors of sexual violence in conflict and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council. She also facilitated the formation of the State of the Union (SOTU) Coalition and the Pan African Citizen’s Network (PACIN) to enhance African citizens’ engagement with the African Union.

Wandia also worked with the African Women’s Development and Communications Network (FEMNET) where she led the successful campaign for the adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and co-founded the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) coalition that advocates for African states to adopt and implement that Protocol to date.

Wandia has a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Nairobi and a bachelor’s degree in Education from Kenyatta University. She is a feminist pan-Africanist and a member of the African Feminist Forum Working Group and served on the Board of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). She enjoys forest walks, traveling, reading and volunteering to advance women’s and young people’s rights. She is based in Nairobi, Kenya.