BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY

Mary Achilles Namatovu – (MA. SSPM – MUK/UZH)

Country Director
Mary Achilles Namatovu is an experienced professional and has served for over two and half decades in senior management positions in both government and the civil society. With a Master of Arts in Social Sector Planning and Management and training in Business Plan Development – Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) - (ILO), Disability and Technology (UZH/MUK), Ugandan Sign Language (UZH), Issues in Contemporary Terrorism and Radicalisation (UZH), International Economic Governance (UZH), Entrepreneurship Development (UIA), Strategic Planning of a Multi-Sector Response to HIV and AIDS (Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development (FASID) / Management Science for Health (MSH), Community Based Health Training and Monitoring and Evaluation, (Wellshare International/USAID), Strategic Planning & Management (Makerere University Consultancy Bureau), Youth and Adolescent Studies (UYDEL/UNFPA), TOT Life skills for Young people (UNICEF/MoGLSD), and Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children (OVC) Programming- (MoGLSD), she comes with vast experience to steer Humanitarian Aid (HA) to greater heights.
In the past, she has lead the transition of the transformation of the livelihoods of households of soldiers affected with disabilities from soldiers being the breadwinners to their spouses taking on the major role of providing for their households. She has played key role in the development and implementation of programmes geared towards steering voluntary resettlement for the households of the soldiers with disabilities in Uganda. Working with the Children and Wives of Disabled Soldiers Association (CAWODISA), Mary as the Accounting Officer has worked on several programmes and raised funds from: - UNICEF, Research Triangle Institute (RTI), McKnight Foundation, Insieme Sui Puo in Africa/Uganda, Mild-May Uganda, the Netherlands Development Agency (SNV), Children Rights and Violence Prevention Fund (CRVPF), the Civil Society Fund (CSF), Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and Uganda Government, just to mention. She motivated CAWODISA members to become self-reliant and have been the leading producers of the Elite Coffee Seedlings in Uganda selling to both individuals and government since early 2000s.
Before joining CAWODISA, Mary worked with; Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL, Foundation for African Development (FAD), The Straight Talk Foundation and Orphans Community Based Organisation (OCBO).  
As a Freelance Consultant in the areas of; disability and rehabilitation, business plan development, organisational capacity development, programme development, strategic planning, children learning assessments, training in life skills, community mobilisation and group development; Mary has offered services to several organisations including; World Neighbours – East Africa Region Office, Twaweza East –Africa (worked with; Tanzania and Uganda), Action Aid Uganda, Uganda Scouts Association, Buganda Kingdom (CBS- Ssagalaagalamidde Programme), National Teachers College – Mubende, among others.
She is a Member of the Disability and Technology Research Team of Makerere University Kampala – Uganda and University of Zurich – Switzerland 

BENJAMIN BYARUGABA
He is Ugandan national trained in Social Work and Social Administration- Makerere University, and a Diploma in Secondary Education from the National Teachers College Nkozi. Since 2002, He has worked with different Organisations in the Settlements where He Established a proven track record in Coordination and Implementation of humanitarian health Programs. These include International Medical Corps (IMC), Feed the Children Uganda, Real Medicine Foundation (RMF) and UNHCR to mention but a few.
Benjamin is a solution seeker and result oriented person with ability to work in a high-pressure multi-cultural environment. He commands excellent communication skills in English (written and spoken) and Swahili (spoken), Luganda (spoken) and Runyakitara (spoken). He is well versed with Uganda’s health regulations and policies and posses excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Powerpoint. Familiar with various Donor reporting formats and regulations including BPRM, USAID and PEPFAR.
Finally, he has the capacity to implement any health related project because through experience, he has adequate knowledge of the human resource management and project implementation.

Name: Agene Charles
Position: Counselor
I hold a Bachelor of Guidance and Counseling from Kyambogo University. I envisage a world where everyone is treated with due respect and i have great passion for humanitarian work. Creating a positive change is what motivates me to keep moving towards this career path and I achieve this by being highly disciplined, flexible, ready to learn new things and embracing team work.
I have desirable experience in the field of HIV/AIDS, TB, Mental health, education and social work having worked with reputable organizations and institutions and also receiving mentorship from highly professional and resourceful persons. I have an in born desire to quest for new knowledge and solutions to human and environmental challenges that drives me into deep research.