Meet Our Founding Executives

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Makalay Saidiatu Sonda is a feminist-activist, gender expert and communications professional whose work intersects at girls’ rights advocacy, women’s movement building and youth development.  Also an  agricultural extensionist and a lecturer at Njala University who dedicates her time to not just teaching but research, community service and development-oriented projects.  Has worked as consultant for key NGOs and international development partners such as Action Aid, Comic Relief, Christian Aid, WAVE ( West and Central African Virus Epidemiology) project etc. etc. 

She is one of the fiery and leading young African feminists’ voices that uses a blend of academia and communications to highlight critical issues of sexism, toxic masculinity, gender injustices and gender-based violence.

Activism: Founder of Moonteen- a community based organisation that focuses on rural teenage girls’ empowerment through mentorship, girls’ rights advocacy and sexual and reproductive health education. 

A team member of Feminists United Sierra Leone and Allies. 

Author and writer: She has written series of articles that are published in print and online, a contributing author to anthologies such as In Her Words: African Women’s Perspectives on Gender Inequality which featured 15 women from 7 African Countries. She has served as book editor, and reviewer for academic journals such as Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection (JPDP), a Springer Nature Journal. 

Education:

PhD student in Global Women’s Studies at University of Galway, Ireland. 

M.A. Gender, Globalisation and Rights, University of Galway Ireland 

M.Sc. Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology, Njala University Sierra Leone 

B.A. Hons. Mass Communication, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone