Through its varied expertise, the Board of Directors guides the organization towards its Vision.
Mary Akugizibwe
Ugandan national, holds an LLM in Public International Law from the University of Nottingham, a master’s degree in Development Studies with specialization in Human Rights, Gender and Conflict, Social Justice Perspectives from Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands, and bachelor’s in laws (LLB) from Uganda.
She previously worked with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, The Netherlands, University of Nottingham Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Her specialties include International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Justice, Gender and Development. Full profile
Frans Wittermans
Dutch national, with over 20 years of international experience (including in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania) in economic development, including small and medium enterprise development and local economic development. Frans also co-founded Sengerema Foundation, Voorburg, The Netherlands, which has been actively operating youth entrepreneurship development programs in several districts of Tanzania since 2008. Full profile
Christopher Kiiza
Executive Director
Ugandan national, with expertise in Education and Development. Christopher has worked in these sectors for over 35 years with the Government of Uganda Ministry of Education, NGOs, and the Private Sector. He has a strong track record in education programs development and fostering students centred curriculum and student creativity in lower and higher institutions of learning in Uganda. Christopher is committed to extending his knowledge and experience to the advancement of GRI’s education program.
Sabrina Hackmann
German national, holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, a master’s degree in International Humanitarian Action with focus on Protection, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Has worked with international organisations in Uganda and in Germany. Full profile
Frances Namayanja
Ugandan national, has a master’s degree in International Commercial Law from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom, postgraduate diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre, Kampala, Uganda and a bachelor’s degree in laws degree (Honours) from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. She previously worked for the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Uganda, and several Civil Society Organizations in Uganda and Canada.
Clare Harriet Lekuru
For over 15 years, Clare served as a nursing officer in several government hospitals in Uganda under the Ministry of Health. She was enrolled as a nurse by Arua school of Comprehensive Nursing, a Government Institute and holds a diploma in Nursing and Midwifery from Masaka School of Comprehensive Nursing.
Pauline Bako
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Uganda Pentecostal University and a certificate in Conflict Management and Resolution by Whittaker Peace and Development Initiative. She has over 8 years of work experience as a finance and administration officer for her university, private sector, and NGOs in Uganda. Through Global Refugee Initiatives’ partnership and capacity strengthening arrangements with Save the Children in Uganda, Pauline in 2018 attained a 2-year traineeship on child protection with Save the Children. Pauline has also worked as a Protection Officer – Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Refugee camps in Northern Uganda.