Emily is a Program Manager responsible for the design, development and management of health system intervention programs at VillageReach. Emily is also responsible for building new relationships and opportunities for the health systems team at VillageReach.

Emily has over a decade of experience in program management, monitoring and evaluation, community-based assessment, health informatics, and program development. Most recently, Emily worked on health worker capacity building and health system strengthening initiatives in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda. Prior to joining VillageReach, Emily worked with the International Training and Education Center on Health (I-TECH), Physicians for Human Rights, and NPower. Emily has an MPH from the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine and a BA from Princeton University.

Patrick Phiri was hired as Malawi project manager, when VillageReach first entered the country in 2008. Patrick manages the Balaka district community health project, as well as helping VR establish itself in Malawi.
He comes to VillageReach with a long career in health services, having worked for the Ministry of Health as a hospital administrator and Management Sciences for Health as a management technical assistant. Patrick finds the experience of being part of VillageReach both challenging and interesting. He likes the challenge of setting up a proper foundation that will facilitate meeting the project objectives.

Stacey joined VillageReach in March 2011 as the Project Manager for the Innovations project. Prior to VillageReach, she worked with Tulane University School of Public Health as the Program Manager for the Mary Amelia Community Women’s Health Education Center and for the US Peace Corps in Guyana and in Kenya. Stateside, Stacey spent over six years working for the Louisiana Office of Public Health on diverse public health issues including family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and tobacco control. Stacey received her Master’s Degree in Biopsychology from the University of New Orleans in 1991.

Anstey Lwanda joined VillageReach in June 2010. Anstey is currently undergoing orientation on the job at Balaka district hospital and will soon be posted to Chikamana Village. The village has a population of 912. Prior to joining VillageReach, Anstey worked as a health surveillance assistant at Malawi College of Medicine in the Rota Vaccine Project for 2 years. In 1999 she was employed by Balaka Town Assembly as an HSA health Surveillance Assistant.
Anstey is a holder of Malawi School Certificate of Education. In addition, she holds a certificate as a trained health surveillance assistant from Mwanza Primary Health Care (PHC) Centre, obtained in 1999.

Bertha Dakar joined VillageReach May 2011 as an Administrative Assistant. She has over five years’ experience in the Administration field. She comes to VillageReach after serving as an Administrative and Sales Officer for the computer company in Lilongwe and Mzuzu. Previously, she worked as a secretary for Scandrill Limited, a Danish company specializing in borehole drilling, and with Nedbank in Lilongwe. She has a diploma in Business Management and certificates in secretarial studies. She has taken additional coursework in community development.

Catherine Kazembe joined VillageReach in April 2009. Catherine serves 2 Villages: Malunga and Gwaladi with a total population of 690.
She holds a Malawi junior certificate which she obtained in 2005. She also holds a certificate in Community Based Therapeutic Care (CTC), obtained in 2009. Catherine is one of the HSAs engaged in sanplat casting and installation in her catchment area. So far Catherine has casted 84 sanplats, i.e. for 84 households and of the 84 households 23 have so far managed to construct pit latrines and installed the sanplats.

Charles Isaac also joined Village Reach in April 2009. Charles is responsible for 2 Villages: Chipumi and Kasonya with a total population of 1168. Before joining VillageReach, Charles worked as an HTC Volunteer at the Kwitanda Health Center for 3 years. Isaac focuses on village inspections and promotion of sanitation and personal hygiene in the community he serves.
Charles holds a Malawi Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) certificate obtained in 1999. He also has certificates of attendance in: HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC), Community Therapeutic Care (CTC) and Basic First Aid.

Chrissie Katunga has worked as an administrative assistant since March 2010, and is responsible for providing secretarial, accounting and general office administration that includes stores management.

Chrissie has long experience in accounting work, having worked as a cashier at Comfort Clinic from 1997 to 2000, and accounts assistant with Prison Fellowship Malawi for 3 years from 2003 to 2006. She also worked as a stock controller at the National Small Holder Farmers Association of Malawi in 2007, as a matron at Bakhita Education Complex in 2007, and as a home craft worker with the Tiyende Women in Development Project from 2001-2002. Chrissie completed her certified accounting technician examination in June, 2008 at the Malawi College of Accountancy.

Davie Chimbalanga joined VillageReach as a Hotline Worker. He attends to calls/SMS on Maternal and Child Health from Kalembo, Phimbi, Mbera and Chiyendausiku communities in Balaka.  Before coming to VillageReach, he was with the Family Life and AIDS Education Ministry where he worked on community mobilization on family life and HIV/AIDS issues for 6 years. Davie obtained his Malawi School Certificate of Education in 1996 and attended TOT and TFT Courses at Mpemba Staff College.

Doreen joined VillageReach as a Hotline Worker in September 2011. Prior to joining VillageReach, she worked with Save the Children as a Health Surveillance Assistant under the Child Survival Programme, Malaria Programme, and Support to Family Health Programme from 1996 to 2000. She also worked with WorldVision Malawi as a Development Facilitator for Family planning and HIV/AIDS from 2001 to 2006. Doreen holds a Malawi Junior Certificate and has a Health Surveillance Assistant certificate and Community Based Distributor Agent Certificate for family planning.

Enoch Mainje is a Health Promotion Officer for the Malawi Kwitanda Project. His responsibilities include planning and managing health promotion interventions; monitoring and evaluation of the health promotion activities; training local level health promotion practitioners; and coordinating the development and implementation of all health promotion products and interventions in the impact area.

Enoch has experience managing various public health, Early Childhood Development and Psychosocial Support interventions, HIV AIDS and its impacts, subgranteeing to community Based Organizations, and in the use of behavior change interventions derived from working in the NGO sector and the Local Government in Malawi. He has worked as an Environmental Health Officer at Blantyre City Council, as a Field Trainer at Project HOPE-Malawi, as Project Coordinator at ADRA-Malawi, and as District Coordinator at Save the Children (US).

Enoch gets intrinsic gratification when he sees the lives of intended beneficiaries of interventions (usually vulnerable people) in which he was a key player in service delivery, improve.

Ganizani Chimwala joined VillageReach in January 2009. He serves as a security Guard, with the responsibility for providing security during day and night on shifts and any other duties as assigned by the manager and administrative assistant.

Ganizani holds a junior certificate. Previously, he worked with Group 4 Securicor (G4S) as a security guard for two years.

Gladys Kaselo joined Village Reach in May 2009. She is stationed at Dziwe area, managing 3 Villages: Sitima, Kasonya and Chipumi with a total population of 858. Gladys also operates a village clinic in her area.

Gladys received a Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE), which she obtained in 2006. She also has certificate in Participatory and Hygiene Transformation (PHAST), and certificates in First Aid (2008) and Community Therapeutic Care (2009). Gladys has recently been trained in maternal and neonatal health, which is aimed at reducing maternal deaths and new born children. The knowledge gained will be of help to the community in her catchment area, especially the pregnant women owing to the long distance which they cover (about 19 kilometers) to Kwitanda health centre to seek maternal health.
Before she joining VillageReach, Gladys worked as volunteer teacher at Nsambadzi Primary School in Balaka.

Joy joined VillageReach in 2009 as a driver and office assistant.

Joy has extensive experience as a driver, having worked for 14 years with Save the Children USA. His responsibilities include: driving VillageReach staff and stakeholders, vehicle, mail delivery, and other official duties as assigned may by the authorities.
Joy has a Malawi Junior Certificate and PGD Driving License He has also attended defensive driving and first aid courses.

Lastone Chipole joined VillageReach in April 2009. He serves as a security Guard (SG) with the responsibility for providing security during day and night on shifts and any other duties as assigned by the manager and administrative assistant.

He holds a junior certificate. Previously he worked with Group 4 Securicor (G4S) as a security guard for two years.

Lawrence Mtambo joined VillageReach in June 2011 as a Hotline Worker. He attends to calls/SMS on Maternal and Child Health from Kalembo, Phimbi, Mbera and Chiyendausiku communities in Balaka. Prior to joining VillageReach, he worked with the Clinton Foundation as a District Health Assistant Coordinator for two years and as a Psychiatric Field Researcher at Zomba Mental Hospital for one year. Lawrence obtained his Malawi School Certificate of Education in 2006 at Mtakataka Secondary School and has a Diploma in Rural and Community Development obtained from Soche Technical College in Blantyre.

Mackson Khalawako joined VillageReach in September 2008. He serves a population of 971 from two villages: Bakili and Makande. In addition to the health surveillance assistant’s duties, Mackson also manages a village clinic in his catchment area. His performance has won the hearts of many people in his catchment area. Since he started implementing a village clinic in May 2010, Mackson has managed to see 846 children. This is a clear indication that many mothers take their U/5 sick children to him for treatment.

Mackson is a holder of a Malawi Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) obtained in 1997.

Patricia Chimaliro joined VillageReach in February 2010, with responsibility for 3 villages: Ojesi Village (pop. 677), Piasi Village (pop. 187) and Chizimba Village (pop. 126).

Patricia Holds a Diploma in HIV/AIDS Management from Skyway Business College and a Malawi School Certificate of Education. Previously she worked with the Hope for Life Organization as a home based care officer and the Youth Development Advancement Organization (YOUDAO), as a Community Coordinator.

Jezman joined VillageReach in April 2011 as a Project Coordinator where he is responsible for coordinating community outreach, social mobilization, and health education activities pertaining to maternal and child health in the district of Balaka. Jezman comes to VillageReah with years of professional community health experience and clinical expertise. Prior to his work with VillageReach, Jezman worked on a variety of community health programs with groups such as the Clinton Foundation, Johns Hopkins, NANM, and the Mulanje College of Nursing. Jezman holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Malawi and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the Kmauzu College of Nursing. He is registered with the Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi, a standing committee member of the National Organization of Nurses of Malawi and a member of the Copyright Association of Malawi.

Leah has extensive experience in global health supply chain management; logistics and community health assessment; program design, management, implementation, and evaluation; and information systems. Leah currently manages VillageReach’s Mozambique vaccine distribution system national expansion project that serves over 450 rural health centers and nearly 8 million people, and she oversaw the Impact and Cost-Effectiveness Studies measuring the impact of the program. Leah brings a valuable last mile perspective with health systems strengthening experience in Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, and India. Prior to working in global health, she worked as a consultant for a software development firm. She holds an MPA in International Development and MA in International Studies from the University of Washington and BAs in French and Interdisciplinary Studies from Michigan State University.

Maria Gomes Afonso is responsible for all financial, administrative, legal, and regulatory matters for VillageReach in Mozambique. She coordinates planning and program implementation, oversees financial controls and reporting, and manages government and partner relationships.

Maria has over 25 years of experience in planning, finance and accounting, and program development with the government of Mozambique, local and international NGOs (non government organizations), and international development organizations. Prior to joining VillageReach, Maria was at VillageReach’s strategic partner, FDC, where she was responsible for financial and administrative matters. Maria is originally from Portugal but has lived most of her life in Mozambique. She is fluent in Portuguese and English.

Aida Marina Coelho holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and a Maters of Public Health from Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia. Having worked at the Ministry of Education for 10 years in various management capacities, her experience includes coordinating the national program of direct support to schools, implementing the Strategy to Prevent and Combat Alcohol and Drugs, and managing the national expansion of the Geração Biz project focusing on sexual and reproductive health. Her experience in planning, implementation, monitoring, and supervision for programs focusing on promoting good health and strong coordination with government, NGO, international organization, and donor partners is valuable in her role as VillageReach Mozambique’s Program Officer where she joined in 2011. As Program Officer, she is responsible for monitoring and supervising the Dedicated Logistics System in the various provinces with a focus on implementation planning and technical management.

Coming soon!

Born in Chuire District, Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique, Durão has worked in Mozambique’s health system since 1966. He began his career as an entry-level assistant at a rural health center assisting with cleaning and other support activities. He spent 23 years working at rural health centers and eventually worked his way up to a preventive medical technician, receiving his formal education in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo. He moved to health management at the Provincial Department of Health in 1990, where he began as the director of health education and then served as the provincial immunization manager for eight years.

He left government service to work with the Red Cross in Cabo Delgado for a year, and then began with VillageReach as the first Mozambican staff member in 2002. After serving as a field coordinator in Cabo Delgado for four years, Durão acted as the lead field coordinator for the Dedicated Logistics System implementation in Nampula province from 2006 – 2009. Today Durão serves as VillageReach’s field officer in Cabo Delgado, and travels to other provinces to support implementation of the system. Durão speaks Portuguese and Makua fluently with some skills in Swahili and Makonde.

Coming soon!

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Born in Quelimane in Zambezia province, Casimiro is a specialist in preventive medicine. He received his qualification as a technician in preventive medicine in Inhambane in 2002. He then went to Nampula province and worked as Director of Community Health in Memba District. After a year he was transferred to Niassa province to work as the Immunization Director in Ngauma District. After two years, he was transferred to Lichinga, the provincial capital, and posted as responsible for planning and statistics at the Provincial Directorate of health. After a year, he moved to the Red Cross and served as regional coordinator of the health program for the south zone, covering 16 districts.

In 2009 he worked for a year at the Adventist Development Agency, ADRA, as Program Supervisor in the Pebane District of Zambezia province. He started with VillageReach in June 2010, and speaks Portuguese, Chuabo, Makua, and Yao.

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

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René Círlos Afonso Nhantumbo joined VillageReach as the Administrator at the national office in Maputo in 2011. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management, and has been trained in teaching English. He brings significant experience of more than seven years in general organization administration and project management, having served as project administrator for a de-mining project in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, bank credit manager in Mozambique’s central provinces, and projects director for an American NGO in the central province of Manica. Prior to VillageReach, he most recently worked in administration and finance at Health Alliance International where in addition to managing administrative and finance operations, he trained and built the capacity of health system staff at the district level in financial management, human resources, procurement, logistics, planning, monitoring and evaluation, and in the process of decentralizing operations. His career has focused on community development and health projects based in the field, which has given him the opportunity to work in most districts of Mozambique. At VillageReach, Rene is responsible for all administrative and financial operations for the organization in Mozambique.

Coming soon!

A native of Maputo City, Timóteo holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Management. His education and experience includes both technical computer science and practical use of information for decision-making. His career began as a Systems Analyst and Programmer at SisLog, a computer science company, which was followed by a position at the Commercial Union of Banks (UCB) in Maputo. Timóteo then switched to public health,  working for the World Health Organization as a Data Analyst and Manager in Gaza Province. His worked focused on training, mentoring, and technical assistance for the provincial ministry of health (Direcção Provincial  de Saúde). With a career firmly established in public health information systems, Timóteo then worked as the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Pathfinder International in Gaza where he applied his skills to a project in infant survival and maternal health. At the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Timoteo used his skills to support the care and treatment for HIV-positive patients in Gaza Province. Anxious to return to Maputo City, continue to improve health in his country, and take on the challenges and constant learning in public health, Timóteo started  as VillageReach’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in mid-2011. Based at VillageReach Mozambique  in Maputo, he is responsible for managing the vrMIS logistics management information system, training users, system requirements development, testing, ensuring data quality, and building the capacity of our staff and partners to use information for decision-making.

Libby brings to VillageReach more than fourteen years of experience in supply chain optimization, design, costing, and assessment in low-resource environments, including the development and strengthening of logistics management information systems in central warehouses, regional hospitals, and rural health facilities. An accomplished curriculum developer and trainer, Libby has extensive capacity building experience, including developing and delivering on the job training programs for pharmacy and logistics staff in stock management, supply chain management courses for health professionals, and public health and computer science courses for graduate and post-graduate students.  With the vast majority of her work occurring in the field, Libby brings a rare mix of academic rigor and practical experience to her work.   Most recently, Libby has worked with Health Action International, World Health Organization, MIT, the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria, Partners In Health, International Rescue Committee, and Medecins sans Frontieres, across a wide range of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.  Libby has a Ph.D. in Computer and Information Science from the University of Pennsylvania, an MPH from Boston University and a BA in Mathematics and Romance Languages from Bowdoin College.  Libby is fluent in French.

As Program Associate, Jessica Crawford is responsible for the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of VillageReach programs. She has extensive experience in designing and conducting health program evaluations including; process and impact evaluations, epidemiological studies, and needs assessments. Prior to joining VillageReach, Jessica worked in various public health settings internationally and domestically specializing in quality improvement, data analysis, and evaluation. She has worked on projects in Malawi and Mozambique and previously served as a community health educator in Tanzania with the Peace Corps. Jessica holds a MA in Policy Studies and MPH in Health Services from the University of Washington as well as a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology and BA in Sociology.

Erin joins us for the summer as an HSG intern.  Erin holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of Washington and a BS in Community Health from Western Washington University.  She is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Health from UW.

Prior to joining VillageReach, Erin was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda working as a Community Health Worker.  She’s also served as a public health intern at King County Public Health where she supported programming and evaluation for the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Coalition.  Erin has extensive volunteer experience which includes time with the Community Schools Collaboration, YMCA Center for Young Adults, and Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services.

As an HSG intern, Kassia Binkowski is responsible for supporting the work of our Health Systems Group in Malawi, Mozambique, and Seattle. She has extensive experience in maternal and child health programming in resource-limited settings, including independent research in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Prior to working with VillageReach, Kassia worked as a project coordinator for AED-SATTELIFE, as a research assistant on the Global Health and Justice Project at UW, and most recently as a grant writer for Global Visionaries. Kassia holds a BA in integrative physiology and international development from the University of Colorado, and is currently finishing her MPH at the University of Washington.