Welcome to the 1^st National Gender Based Violence Prevention and Response Scientific Conference

Ms. Alberta Wambua has worked in the field of Gender Based Violence (GBV) for sixteen years; and currently works at the Gender Violence Recovery Centre a charitable trust as the Executive Director.

In her years at GVRC she has implemented programs on Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response. She was involved in the medical services and psychosocial support emergency response during the conflicts in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mt. Elgon, Tana Delta region, the 2007 / 2008 Post Election violence and the Drought Response Program in 2011 in Kenya.

She has coordinated a center of excellence in the management of Gender Based Violence through provision of free, quality, and comprehensive medical treatment and psychosocial support to more than 4,000 survivors annually.

She plays a critical role in developing skills and knowledge to different service providers in GBV management and child protection; this has resulted in developing training manuals, national management guidelines, policies and laws related to Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Ms. Wambua is also a co- chair of the national Gender sector working group under the State department of Gender.

Chi-Chi Undie is a Senior Associate with the Population Council’s International Programs Division. She directs and provides strategic and technical oversight for the Africa Regional SGBV Network – a multi-country, multi-partner, SGBV response, research, and research uptake initiative in the East, Horn, and Great Lakes Region of Africa. Her SGBV research has centered on developing evidence-based responses for different categories of survivors in the region (including women, girls and boys, and refugees) and promoting the utilization of these responses. She also currently directs a research program consortium on SRHR in humanitarian settings, and a regional program on FGM data and measurement.

Dr. Samuel Kimani is a health expert, researcher, and a Senior Lecturer at faculty of health, University of Nairobi & Africa Centre for Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (ACCAF). He has over 10 years’ experience in global health research, capacity building, training and teaching at university level. He has extensively researched on FGM/C-a worst form of human rights violation in Kenya and regionally for example health impacts of FGM/C, multi-site studies on medicalization of FGM/C and diagnostic study on health system response to FGM/C.

He provides training, capacity building, evidence communication and advocacy to health providers, researchers, policy makers, programmers and implementers on abandonment of FGM/C. He has published widely and presented in national and international meetings.

A highly self-motivated young medical professional with specialty in Pediatric Public Health with over 5 years of work experience in Maternal and New-born Health and in Clinical Pediatrics in Kenya. Worked in Pumwani Maternity Hospital new-born unit as a Medical officer for over 5 years then specialized in Public Health – Tropical Pediatrics. Currently working in Nairobi Metropolitan Services Health Directorate as a Sub-County Medical officer of Health hence coordinate GBV services in the sub-county together with the sub-county GBV coordinator.

Well-developed research and analytical skills with a broad knowledge of contemporary tropical Pediatrics challenges. Great interest in evidence-based medical practice through research, policy and program implementation. Passionate about mentorship in different aspects of life.

Jane is a graduate of The Durham University UK where she earned an MA in Counselling Studies and is a trained Nurse. She works as an Associate Director in charge of GBV at LVCT Health, where she has worked for over 20 years in different capacities. Jane is well known for her ability to translate research and evidence to programs and scale up and sustain new interventions.

She is a member of GBV task forces and movements both in Kenya and globally; she participated in the country’s adaptation, development, training, and dissemination of several GBV tools.

George Odwe is a Research Associate with Population Council, Kenya. He currently provides technical assistance to the SGBV programme and research initiatives under the Africa Regional SGBV Network and in humanitarian settings in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region. His SGBV work is focused on research, monitoring and evaluation of SGBV programs aimed at preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG) and children as well as strengthening the response to the needs of survivors.

He is also currently involved in the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme activities that aim to strengthen implementation, monitoring and reporting on the African Union human rights instruments related to ending violence VAWG and harmful practices.