Network Partners

Umu Kulthum Sesay is a dedicated legal professional with a strong educational background, having earned her L.L.B Hons. from the University of Sierra Leone – Fourah Bay College, and subsequently her B.L from The Sierra Leone Law School. She has gained valuable experience in various roles within the legal field, starting as a Legal Intern at Marrah and Associates Law Firm, then transitioning to a Pupil Barrister at the same firm before joining AdvocAid as a Lawyer. Umu’s career objectives are deeply rooted in addressing the injustices and discrimination faced by women and girls in Sierra Leone’s legal system. She aims to be an advocate for their rights, providing legal representation, advice, and support to ensure they have access to justice and resources to combat gender-based violence and discrimination.

Umu passionately works to promote women’s and girls’ rights and advocates for systemic changes within the legal system. She aspires to specialize in Human Rights law to further enhance her expertise and contribute to creating a more equitable legal landscape. Umu’s passion lies in her commitment to advancing women’s and girls’ rights, developing her research, writing, and advocacy skills. Outside of her legal pursuits, Umu indulges in her passion for baking, further highlighting her diverse interests and talents.

Mulenga Victoria Chilufya is a lawyer with a strong commitment to human rights, women’s rights, transparency, accountability, civic education and public interest law. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB.) from the University of Zambia (UNZA) and is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Zambia. Mulenga currently works as an advocate at Chapter One Foundation. Her legal experience spans five (5) years across private practice, academia, and civil society including Litigation, Corporate Law, Intellectual Property, and Human Rights.

Mulenga has worked at the Attorney General’s Chambers: Civil Litigation Department where she was engaged research, drafting court documents and appeared before Deputy Registrars. She also worked at Corpus Lega Practitioners where she was involved in conveyancing transactions, the registration of trademarks, preparation of legal opinions and research on numerous matters particularly on employment and corporate law. More recently, Mulenga worked as a part-time tutor of Legal Writing at the University of Zambia for two (2) years.

She is passionate about leveraging the law as a catalyst for positive change. Mulenga believes that through legal reform and good jurisprudence, the law can adequately reflect and meet the needs of the society that it serves.

Outside legal practice, Mulenga is an amateur baker who loves to create different sweet treats to share. She is also an avid reader who greatly appreciates fiction with strong and diverse female main characters.

Glory Mwende Kairi, Advocate, is a dedicated legal professional with a diverse background and a passion for social impact. Holding an LL. B from the University of Nairobi and having completed the Advocates Training Program in Kenya, she brings a robust understanding of legal principles and procedures to her work. Glory’s career objective is to contribute meaningfully to society while continually advancing her skills and knowledge. She seeks to engage in dynamic roles within innovative organizations to make impactful contributions, aligning herself with institutions fostering learning and intellectual engagement.

Currently serving as a research assistant and advocate at Kituo, Glory actively contributes to programs empowering marginalized communities through legal assistance and advocacy initiatives. Her work includes logistical coordination of events, publication assistance, monitoring, evaluation, and community engagement. With previous experiences in legal internships at the Supreme Court of Kenya and various law firms, she has honed her skills in legal research, documentation, and client communication.

Glory is dedicated to promoting access to justice and empowering marginalized groups. She is adept at community outreach, partnership coordination, and policy advocacy, evidenced by her contributions to legal empowerment initiatives and policy reform efforts.

Beyond her legal career, Glory is passionate about literature, documentary films, travel, volunteerism, and computing which she aims to feature in her upcoming podcast. She balances her professional pursuits with personal interests, demonstrating a well-rounded and multifaceted approach to life.

Leah Aoko Kanyangi is a lawyer with strong interest and experience in public interest litigation and policy development. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B) and a Master of Law (LL.M) in Law Democracy and Governance from the University of Nairobi. She is currently working as a Program Associate for Research and Advocacy at Utu Wetu Trust where she expresses her passion for enhancing equitable justice for vulnerable groups of people including women and girls during periods of instability and in humanitarian situations. She recognizes that during conflict, women and children are most vulnerable to abuse and neglect and thus, contributes to the advocacy and protection of the rights of these vulnerable groups through public interest litigation as a vehicle for change. Additionally, she has engaged in projects to enhance access to public and private services for refugees in Kenya with a dual focus on advocating against sexual and gender-based violence in refugee communities.

Leah has been keen on advancing her skills in public interest litigation overtime. As such, she was a fellow of the East Africa Public Interest Advocates Programme (Cohort 3) at the Centre for Strategic Litigation where she was awarded the prize for Best Overall Performer.

Further, Leah is multidimensional in her legal profession. As a member of ARIN, she engaged in the Adaptation Research Alliance project on locally led adaptation and the Nairobi Risk Hub’s Tomorrow Cities Project, which focused on mitigating disaster risks in urban settings. Leah successfully completed the prestigious NDC Fellowship program on Climate Financing in Africa where she was honoured with the esteemed Spirit of Stetson award in International Environmental Law from Stetson Law University in 2018.

Leah is also skilled in public speaking and events coordination. She thrives in leadership.

Unknown to many, Leah is a singer.

Vitumbiko Mbizi is a lawyer devoted to the protection of the rights of women and children. With a Diploma in Management Information Systems from Malawi College of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Malawi, Vitu has a strong educational foundation. Her work experience includes internships at the Child Case Review Board and T.F. & Partners law firm, where he later served as a Legal Practitioner before joining the Women Lawyers Association as a Lawyer. Vitu’s objectives revolve around using the law to drive social change, particularly in policy, legislation, and judicial precedent affecting women and children. She aims to create a more equal society by addressing gender-based obstacles in accessing justice and empowering women and children with legal knowledge. Vitu specializes in providing legal assistance on matters of sexual violence, advocating for social and economic justice for women, and addressing discrimination through strategic litigation.

Outside of her legal work, Vitu finds fulfilment in writing on blogs.

GAUDENCE AKINYI WERE has a strong commitment to human rights and gender issues, working closely with human rights movements and civil society organizations. As a Campaign Officer at Amnesty International Kenya, Gaudence plays a pivotal role in leading campaigns aimed at reducing hate speech and hate crimes in the country. Her efforts include research and publishing of quarterly discrimination indexes to shed light on the multifaceted challenges experienced by marginalized communities and to provide a data – driven analysis of discriminatory practices across various sectors. This work has also involved coordinating the #HumanIsMyID alliance, a national anti-discrimination alliance.

Nyeleti Baloyi is a dedicated human rights advocate with a strong legal foundation. After completing her LLB degree, she gained invaluable practical experience through articles at Legal Aid South Africa and subsequent roles at the Nelson Mandela University Refugee Rights Centre and the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa. Currently, she works as a Junior Attorney at Lawyers for Human Rights.

Driven by a deep commitment to social justice, Nyeleti is passionate about using her legal skills to protect and promote the rights of marginalized communities. Her career objectives are centred around advocating for human rights, particularly those of refugees and migrants.

Beyond my professional accomplishments, Nyeleti possesses a unique talent that few may know about. She is a passionate cook and enjoys exploring different cuisines and creating delicious meals.

Zekhethelo Nokubonga Cele is a dedicated human rights attorney from the coastal region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, specifically from the towns of Richards Bay and Eshowe. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Zululand and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa at the University of Pretoria, in partnership with Addis Ababa University. As an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, Zekhethelo has been practicing with Lawyers for Human Rights, specialising in the Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme, Detention Monitoring, and Penal Reform. Her legal expertise has taken her up to the South African Supreme Court of Appeal.

Zekhethelo is deeply passionate about advancing the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers, safeguarding socio-economic rights in South Africa, and championing the rights of sexual and gender minorities.

Esther Akua Gyamfi is a woman with physical disability, whose disability has positively influenced and strategically crafted her profession. She was a player in Ghana’s formulation and passage of the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715). She spearheaded advocacy events with organisations of and for persons with disabilities which compelled the Government of Ghana to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).

Esther is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana and the first International and Comparative Disability Law and Policy lawyer with disability in Ghana. She delights herself in using the law to breakdown systemic barriers, demystify the unfounded beliefs which misrepresent disability in society and relegates persons with disabilities to the background.  She spearheads the adoption of appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the systemic embrace of diversity in Ghana ­designed and conceptualized Digital Acceleration for Persons with Disabilities Project under the GDAP, the National Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Management Guidelines (to augment existing humanitarian response framework in Ghana) among others.

Esther was a legal Fellow with Women Enabled International (WEI) Washington, where her advocacy skills were sharpened, advocating the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in the implementation of UN policies.

The Commission on Human Rights & Administrative Justice -Ghana, Open Society Foundation (OSF), Law Firms, part -time engagements with the academia and ECOWAS offered Esther the opportunity to drive systemic change through the interplay of the UNCRPD with other human rights treaties and national laws.

To Esther, access to justice for persons with disabilities cannot be realized without litigating their human rights.

Esther enjoys travelling and hosting visitors.