Our staff

Sara Ruto, Regional Manager – Uwezo East Africa

As the Regional Manager of Uwezo, Sara first started working with the Uwezo Kenya Office in 2008 before moving to the Regional Office in 2010. Sara’s chief responsibility is to steer an effective Uwezo in East Africa. Prior to joining Uwezo, Sara was a lecturer at Kenyatta University for more than fifteen years; a period during which she emerged as a key researcher in primary education and school reform. Alarmed at the growing inequity in her region, Sara has continued to conduct research and use evidence to magnify issues, writing extensively on the educational disadvantages of domestic child workers, children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, and pastoralist minorities.  She serves as an advisor to a number of projects that are experimenting on the best approaches to improve education and enhance learning, especially at the foundational levels. Sara believes that strong public school systems are key to unblocking the continued entrenchment of social inequity in the region. True to the fact that Sara comes from a ‘running’ nation, she makes at attempt to participate in at least two half marathons each year, and climb at least one mountain a year. In between, dancing is fun!

Zipporah Ongwenyi, Regional Program Administrator and Monitoring Officer – Uwezo East Africa

Zippy first joined Uwezo Kenya in 2009 before moving to the Regional Office in 2010 to assume the role of Program and Administrative Associate. Zippy moved into her new role as Regional Program Administrator and Monitoring Officer in January 2013. Zippy supports the Regional Manager by organizing, coordinating, managing and providing quality assurance for Uwezo across East Africa. Zippy supports the implementation of all Uwezo programming from Test Development through Training, to the publication of reports. She also undertakes and oversees the effective monitoring of Uwezo across East Africa. Zippy is key in helping with the management of partnerships and relationships created by Uwezo East Africa, and is diligent in fostering institutional memory and learning for all staff. Prior to working at Uwezo, Zippy was a Social Entrepreneur and served as the Executive Director of the Binti Africa Foundation – an NGO working to provide critical goods and services in order to elevate lives of poor rural communities in Africa, particularly women and children. Zippy holds an MA in Gender and Development from the University of Nairobi. In her spare time, Zippy is a keen athlete participating in marathons and half marathons all over the region!

Hannah-May Wilson, Communications Consultant – Uwezo East Africa

Hannah-May joined Uwezo in February 2012 and currently manages Communications for the Uwezo Regional Office. Based in Nairobi, Hannah-May is responsible for managing the effective communication of Uwezo in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Hannah-May is responsible for the overall monitoring and strategic planning of Uwezo communications across the three countries, ensuring that the organizational standards are maintained across the initiative. Prior to living in Kenya, Hannah-May lived in Canada where she worked for the Ministry of Community and Social Services in the Government of Ontario. Her previous work experience also includes working as a Research Assistant for both the British Red Cross and the Office for Civil Society in the UK Cabinet Office. Hannah-May holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Warwick in England, and will complete her MSc in Social Policy Research from the London School of Economics in 2014. In her spare time Hannah-May likes to play rugby, go running and explore the beautiful landscapes of East Africa.