The Women Of Windle: How our female alumni go on to change the world
International Women's Day is a time to celebrate and recognise female achievement. In East Africa, education for women and girls is still particularly underserved, with women underrepresented at all levels of education, but especially in postgraduate education. As we celebrate International Women's Day 2023, we want to take a moment to highlight the achievements of some of the female alumni of Windle Trust International's Postgraduate Programme. These individuals have not only excelled in their academic pursuits but have also made significant contributions to their home countries in East Africa since returning from their scholarships.
At Windle Trust International we have supported women in East Africa with tertiary education scholarships for over 3 decades. Through our Postgraduate Programme, we have provided scholarships to many talented women, enabling them to pursue higher education and make a difference in their communities. Their stories serve as an inspiration to many, showcasing the power of education in transforming lives and communities. Let us celebrate these remarkable women and the impact they have had on their societies.
Mrs Aguek Maluel
Having graduated from the University of Liverpool in with an MSc in Architecture and Town Planning, Mrs Aguek Malual returned to her native South Sudan in 2010, to work as an architect and urban planner; a pivotal time as the country began to rebuild after the civil war. She joined the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) in South Sudan as an urban planning analyst in the Return and Reintegration Project, working on issues pertaining to land management. She also co-founded Sudarch & Associates Co Ltd, with offices based in Juba and Khartoum. Now her company offers personalized professional consultancy services in architecture, construction, engineering and project management. In 2021 her company was contracted to design the new Windle Trust Offices currently under construction in Juba, South Sudan.
“Winning the WTI scholarship in 2008 and my travel to study in the UK has really changed my life and career. During my stay in Liverpool, I was exposed to a different social and academic environment. Having been to one of the best urban planning institutions in the UK, I gained all the knowledge and skills needed that have paved my way and prepared me for the life challenges ahead.”
Irene Ocan Arach
Irene Ocan Arach is a very passionate woman who is adept in gender and womens’ empowerment. She studied MPH Public Health (International) at the University of Leeds, graduating in 2020. Since then she has been contributing to the response and prevention of gender-based violence in Uganda; including in refugee and asylum seeker contexts and in post conflict Northern Uganda.
Her work has included activities such as awareness raising and community education on prevention and response to gender-based violence, female empowerment through skills trainings, establishment of community-based protection structures, the training of local authorities and leaders to respond to gender-based violence, and training adolescents and women on sexual reproductive health rights.
This has impacted the lives of women, men, boys and girls who have been survivors of gender based violence to report incidences and access the necessary support to enable them to recover and live a dignified life. Moreover, some of the societal norms that underpin violence against women and girls are being challenged for possible change.
“The scholarship I have attained has enabled me to acquire analytical skills which I am using in my daily work. I have also got the opportunity to network with some of my classmates even after the scholarship.”
Celine Kiden
Celine Kiden is a Public Health expert. With more than 14 years’ experience she has worked for various international organizations implementing mainly WASH & Health activities in South Sudan. She now holds an MSc in Public Health from Oxford Brookes University which she graduated from in 2014, as well as an Advanced postgraduate Diploma in Global Health Management & Policy from James Lind Institute Singapore, on top of her BSc in Social Science from Nkumba University, Uganda.
She is currently the Technical WASH/SBC Advisor for USAID Afia WASH project and before this worked for 7 years with the Crown Agents Health Pooled Funds Project, and a further 6 years with European-based NGOs.
Celine feels that the scholarship she was awarded with Windle Trust International has increased her skills and knowledge in articulating & programming health and WASH Project.
“I can proudly say, the scholarship has made me empowered, and over all I have been able to encourage women and girls to be creative and think positive regardless of difficulties, priories their health, encourage women and girls to go to school, my daily slogan is ‘’Educate a woman, Educated a nation” Long live Windle trust, you bring hope to the hopeless.”
Jokudu Grace Lesuk
Since graduation from the University of Westminster in 2020, Jokudu Grace Lesuk used her MSc Biomedical Sciences (Medical Molecular Biology) to resume work almost immediately at the National Public Health Laboratories in South Sudan. Working as a Laboratory Technical Advisor she managed the National HIV Reference Laboratory (HRL). She spearheaded the HRL to attain International Accreditation status in 2022, making it the first laboratory in the South Sudan to achieve this prestigious status. This has not only promoted the visibility of the laboratory sector but also showcased its contribution in generally improving the health systems in the country.
It hasn’t been all work though, Jokudu also picked up the hobby of travelling and expanding her horizons and thinks that it’s been wonderful so far.
“With the Windle Trust International Postgraduate Programme Scholarship, I got the opportunity to earn my master’s degree in London without any financial burden, which was itself a dream come true. It has boosted my career and made me a valuable candidate for higher positions. My self-confidence has greatly increased and I have learnt to be more resilient in high-pressured situations at work and in my social life. I made exceptional friends that have been a huge support system till date and it is amazing how we managed to stay close. Most of all, it’s been incredible seeing how this experience has inspired friends, colleagues and family to pursue their own career growth.”
Since 1988 Windle Trust International have supported more than 200 East African women to achieve postgraduate education, on top of the thousands we have supported through undergraduate education and the tens of thousands we reach each year through our Access to Education and Quality Education programmes. This article forms part of series of articles published to celebrate International Women’s’ Day 2023 and you can learn more by reading:
“Education Empowers a Woman. I am a voice for other girls” - the story of Jackline Pido, a South Sudanese refugee and WTI alumnus living and working in Khartoum.