Leadership

Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, a Congolese/Cypriot philanthropist and international model, is the Founder & CEO of Malaika. Founded in 2007, Malaika is a grassroots nonprofit that empowers girls and their communities in her home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Malaika’s community-driven ecosystem centers around five pillars: a school, a community center, vocational training, an agricultural program, and clean water and sanitation services. Today, Malaika impacts thousands of lives each year, and its programs are all offered free of charge. Crucially, Malaika acts as a local, community-led model that can be replicated on a global level. A unique and fearless spokesperson, Noëlla is a voice for the power of girls’ education worldwide. Noëlla has shared her insight at a number of world-class forums spanning the World Economic Forum in Davos to the university halls of Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, and MIT. She is an Ambassador for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an Advisor at Concordia, and a member of the Advisory Board of the Segal Family Foundation. She also sits on the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network and the L’Oréal Fund for Women Endowment Fund Advisory Committee, and has been a three-time judge for EY’s World Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She wrote the preface for ‘Mandela: In Honor of an Extraordinary Life’, published in 2023, after receiving an award at the 100 Years of Mandela celebration in 2018.

Charlotte is Head of Global Relations and External Affairs, ServiceNow, an organization that puts AI to work for people via an AI platform for business transformation that connects people, processes, data, and devices to increase productivity and maximize business outcomes. Charlotte is passionate about driving volunteerism and grant management in areas of STEM education, youth workforce development, and technology innovation.

Alain joined Malaika in 2008, after 14 years in the investment banking world, where he gained extensive leadership experience while maintaining a strong involvement serving in a number of local and national non-profit organizations. Born in the DRC and passionate about the power of education, Alain strongly believes that Africa must commit to improving education standards so that economic growth can be sustained. Alain brings his wealth of experience and passion to help shape Malaika’s strategic direction and structure in supporting and managing its futuregrowth. Alain works as a Managing Partner for Obsidian LLC, a specialty advisory firm he founded in 2015, which focuses on financial services in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to that, he held executive roles in Investments and Capital Markets for a Fortune 50 company.

Sanjay Rawal is a documentary filmmaker and human rights specialist with over 15 years experience in nearly 50 countries. His first film Food Chains, produced by Eva Longoria and narrated by Forest Whitaker, exposes the abuse of farmworkers in the United States. In addition to making films, Sanjay has started and run a number of nonprofit initiatives including the Voss Foundation, on whose board he currently sits. He has worked for a number of philanthropists, corporate leaders and entertainers in crafting solutions to pressing issues in emerging markets. Sanjay had the opportunity to work on healthcare issues facing the Democratic Republic of Congo and was privileged to accompany Khaliah Ali on her trip to the DRC to celebrate the 35th anniversary of her father Muhammad’s fight with George Foreman. Sanjay is a dedicated supporter of girls education and has been an admirer of Malaika’s work for almost a decade

Born in Toulouse in 1968, he was raised in the countryside (Tarn) until moving to Paris for studies. Currently, Christophe has been living in New York City and is married with four children. He studied and lived 17 years in Japan, 5 years in the US and worked all around the Asia Pacific region, including China, South East Asia, and Australia. ISG (Institut Superieur de Gestion) business school graduate (class of 1990). Exchange programs in Berkeley (1988) and Tokyo (1989). Joined the European Union ETP (Executive Training Program) 13 to stud Japanese Economics, Politics & Linguistics in 1993 & 1994. Christophe joined Tory Burch in June 2023 after working nearly 8 years for Clarins, first over North America and Asia Pacific, then on a global role. Between November 2009 and June 2016 lead Gucci business first in Tokyo – Japan – then in New York – Americas as President & CEO. Prior, he was CEO of Bluebell Japan, a luxury importer and distributor in Japan. Has been involved personally in several activities to feed homeless populations in Japan, and has been a sponsor for childrens’ education in Vietnam since 1991. He had the chance to be in touch with Noella through the CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) since 2013, and since then has been a very small contributor and supporter of Malaika. His heart remains in the South of France where he still has a family house and farm!

Hannah is Chief Impact Officer at Freuds, overseeing international projects linked to sustainability and development. Hannah was a prime mover in launching the UN Sustainable Development Goals to the world in a global campaign that reached over 3 billion people in 2015. More recently, she is the Founder of Goals House where she has worked with a number of businesses and Foundations including Google, Bloomberg, Gates Foundation, Estee Lauder, Bank of America, Reckitt, PepsiCo, HSBC, Community Jameel, Salesforce to focus their efforts on delivering against the Goals by 2030. Goals House has shown up at WEF, Cannes Lions, the UN General Assembly in NY, COP as well as Washington, Munich and Singapore for the Goals Night Out series. Hannah has previously led campaigns on behalf of Jamie Oliver in his fight against childhood obesity and for the Mayor of London promoting the capital across international markets for #londonisopen, the 2018 anniversary of women getting the vote, during Beijing 2008 Olympics and the 2012 London Games. Hannah has worked on partnerships and key moments for Bono’s (RED), Bob Geldof’s Band Aid, the campaign on maternal mortality, UN World Food Programme and UNCCD. Before joining freuds, Hannah worked in the Labour Government for Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP as his special advisor in DfES and the Home Office. In 2010 she worked for David Miliband on his leadership campaign. She continues to have an interest in politics. Hannah sits on the European Board of Global Citizen and the University of Southampton. 

Dorothy is a Program Lead at Richard Attias & Associates, a communications firm that designs live experiences, influential platforms, and advisory solutions to help governments and corporations drive societal and economic change. Since joining RA&A in 2017, Dorothy has had the privilege of executing projects across North America, the Middle East & North Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe, learning from inspirational CEOs and government officials along the way. She firmly believes that bringing together people of differing backgrounds and viewpoints can foster concrete progress across sectors. Dorothy admires Malaika’s ambitious model of community transformation, especially its focus on local solutions, workforce development, and expanding access to holistic resources. She is a graduate of Harvard College, where she studied French and Francophone Studies with a secondary focus in Global Health and Health Policy.

Sarah Kalumba is the country manager for Malaika. She is a skilled and passionate leader who believes that every girl has the right to achieve her dreams and get an education. Sarah was born in the DRC and traveled throughout Africa while studying to become a veterinarian, finally receiving her license at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Lubumbashi. She began leading the Malaika Community Center as a center manager in 2014. The Malaika team saw her potential and a year later, she was promoted to country manager and has been a major part of Malaika’s growth. Having been raised by a single mother as well as being a woman and mother of four, Sarah knows firsthand how hard life can be for those less fortunate and in particular, for women and girls. To Sarah, Malaika represents a refuge for all those who seek to overcome the various barriers in life that stem from a lack of education and self-esteem. In her role, Sarah uses her knowledge and life experiences to help empower a community in the DRC. She leads an amazing team of both staff and volunteers, regularly deals with Malaika’s local and international donors, and oversees all of Malaika’s programs on the ground.

Sylvain Koj Tshikut is Headmaster at the Malaika School. He was born in Kasaji and studied Computer Science at the Superior Institute of Statistics (ISS) in Lubumbashi. Sylvain has a passion for youth and music, and he plays many musical instruments (piano, keyboards, drums, etc.). He also has experience in choir directing and has managed a youth movement called Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade. In 2003, Sylvain and his family were living in Bunia but fled to Aru (a Congolese border territory of Uganda) to take refuge from the war. The death of his dear friends during the massacre in Bunia is a sad memory that he will carry with him always. Knowing personally the effects of war, he is passionate about investing in the field of education to help the Congolese youth. He hopes to use his life experiences and education to make a positive difference in the lives of the girls at the Malaika School. He counts the day that he received the call from Malaika announcing that hehad successfully passed the test at the School as one of the happiest in his life.

Adriana joined Malaika as CFO during its inception in 2007. She oversees all aspects of the foundation’s finances, including budgets, audits, preparation of financial statements and reporting to Malaika’s board of directors and the public. Adriana brings to the foundation over 20 years of management experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, with a focus on developing policies and procedures to improve revenue and performance. A strong advocate of STEM education for girls, she graduated with a Masters of Public Administration from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College and with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. She sits on the Board of Directors at Concordia.

Bethany is a mother of 4 boys and a devoted activist for the rights of women and girls around the world. She has been a generous supporter of V-Day for over a decade and produced and directed a recent production of “The Vagina Monologues” in Philadelphia. Through Bethany’s work in the DRC, she came to know Noella and get involved with Malaika, and she is honored to sit on the Advisory Board.

Marjorie is the Project Manager and Digital Expert at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, in Switzerland. Through her work and throughout her career she supports and inspires school communities to create a sustainable and relevant digital culture understanding the different elements of a digital project, both computational and pedagogical. Marjorie believes that collaboration and collective intelligence are keys the success of a project. She has brought her passion for technology and pedagogy to Malaika and has had the chance to work directly with staff and students to help improve and expand our STEM program.

Hip-hop star and actress Eve Jeffers-Cooper is a longstanding Malaika Goodwill Ambassador. In summer 2023, she was named President of the First Cohort of Malaika Students and attended the 2023 graduation ceremony as the ceremony’s guest of honor, delivering a speech to all attendees and the class of ‘23 graduates. Eve was named Goodwill Ambassador in 2016 following her visit to the Malaika School with Founder & CEO Noella Coursaris Musunka to inaugurate the very first library on International Women’s Day. The award-winning musician and actress was the very first winner of the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2002 for the song “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”. In 2002 her album Scorpion was also nominated for Best Rap Album. In 1999, she released her debut album, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, which reached number one on the Billboard 200, making her the third female rapper to accomplish this feat. As an actress, she starred as Terri Jones in the Barbershop films, among others. More recently, Eve was named NYU Steinhardt School of Culture’s scholar-in-residence for 2024-25.

Sven Kaufmann brings over two decades of global experience bridging creativity, talent, and brand impact. Born in South Africa and raised in Switzerland, he later lived and worked in Paris, London, New York, and Los Angeles, building an international career in fashion, talent management, and creative production. He has led and scaled talent agencies and creative consultancies, representing leading photographers, designers, and cultural influencers. More recently, Sven has focused on purpose-driven brand activations and experiential storytelling, helping brands and communities connect through creativity and shared values. He believes deeply in Malaika’s mission that while it begins in the Congo, its message is universal. Education, dignity, and opportunity are the foundations of lasting change, and Sven is honored to support an initiative that embodies these values with such authenticity.

Laura Kupe is a national security professional and attorney, most recently having served at the U.S. Department of Defense. She is a former Obama presidential appointee and has domestic and foreign policy expertise in think tanks and the U.S. federal government, including the RAND Corporation, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Department of Homeland Security, and the White House. Laura was born in Germany to Congolese parents and was raised in Luxembourg before moving to the United States. She speaks German, French, and Luxembourgish, in addition to English, and is a self-proclaimed “Afropean-American.” Laura is also a co-founder of the Congolese Diaspora Impact Summit, which has hosted summits in the United States focused on technology, social impact, and entrepreneurship in the DRC since 2019. Laura graduated with a BA from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. She is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was recognized on The Root’s List of 100 Influential African Americans in 2021 for her contributions to U.S. national security.

Francois has been the vice-principal of Lycée Français de Zurich since 2019. Prior to this role, Francois was a teacher, teacher instructor, and the directory of a primary school. He is passionate about his work, particularly, teaching, pedagogy, and ensuring the progress of his students. After living in Vienna and Paris, Francois settled in Zurich in 2015 where he lives with his wife and three children. “I wish to participate in the Advisory Board of Malaika to continue to accompany the school’s pursuit for educational excellence at a higher level. I am very happy to belong to this great family which offers a huge opportunity for these young girls to grow up through education.”

Chris Lawrence works at J.P. Morgan as a Wealth Advisor, and advises wealthy clients and families on private wealth management. Chris is based in New York, but was born and raised in Switzerland. Growing up in a country where education is accessible has made him profoundly aware how it can drive greater opportunities, and he is passionate about enabling access for all. He also prides himself on financial literacy for those who need advice.

Philippe is an early supporter and active contributor to the Malaika effort since its conception. He has spent the largest part of his career in senior executive positions at a Belgian commercial bank, accumulating more than tree decades of experience in corporate finance. He has been leading the bank’s corporate division in Belgium and established new offices for the institution in New York and Hong Kong. Having also been active in several other financial centers around the world, he has acquired a keen sense of expertise for building international businesses. His experience has been very useful for Malaika’s constitution and expansion. Philippe is a Master of Science at the Antwerp campus of the K.U.Leuven University (Belgium) with a degree in commercial and financial engineering.

James Masters has worked in the IT industry for over 30 years, most of which he spent at LRS, Inc., a U.S. based software firm. During his time as the company’s EMEA VP, he has grown their EMEA operation to 100 plus staff with a turnover of over $35 million. After a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo with his wife Noella, the founder of Malaika, James found a passion for the cause and decided to utilize this same professional drive to help the girls of the DRC. Since this time, he has leant his professional expertise, contacts, and copious amounts of his time to our fundraising goals.

Jonathan is a Congolese mathematician working on the geometry of string theory. Trained around the world (College Boboto, ULB, Cambridge University, Leiden University, Stanford University, Harvard Math and Harvard Physics), he is currently Professor of Mathematics at Northeastern University after being a Benjamin Peirce Fellow at Harvard, working with Fields Medalist Shing-Tung Yau. Jonathan has solved important problems in mathematical physics and won several prestigious awards (Wiener-Anspach Fellowship, Ford Fellowship, Marie-Curie Fellowship, Benjamin Peirce Fellowship, NSF research grants). Jonathan was recently named a Next Einstein Fellow for 2017-2019, an award that celebrates the best young African scientists and technologists. Jonathan is a passionate advocate for African excellence in the sciences and African women’s access to education. Education in STEM is an absolute necessity to bring Africa to its full potential. We cannot do it without a special focus on our young girls and women. They are our hope and our future. They deserve the best of us, especially in the smallest villages of the Congo.

Josuel Musambaghani is a Software Engineer at Microsoft, working in the cybersecurity division. Previously, Josuel worked with Silicon Valley startups and organizations, including Code2040 and Slack. Josuel’s team at Microsoft won the 2019 and 2020 CSO50 Awards, a prize for cybersecurity projects and initiatives that demonstrate outstanding business value. Josuel serves on the Advisory board for the Microsoft Aspire Experience and is the Co-Chair of the Employee Network Africans @ Microsoft. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, with degrees as valedictorian in both Mathematics and Computer Science.

Karina Nagin is a non-profit and social impact leader. For the past 15 years Karina has worked with non-profits, foundations and philanthropists to build social impact programs around the world from New York to Tanzania. Karina currently runs an assistive technology non-profit based in New York, while also managing North America’s longest running all documentary film festival in Hot Springs, AR. Karina has lead several global health non-profits and previously worked at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) as the Head of Response & Resilience. At CGI Karina consulted corporate, philanthropic and government leaders on issues of disaster response and post-conflict reconstruction around the world. While at CGI Karina launched the Democratic Republic of Congo Action Network, facilitating cross-sector partnerships and highlighting the opportunities in the region. Karina became familiar with Malaika’s work in 2011 and in 2014 she visited the school in Kalebuka and saw first hand the impact the Foundation has on each student, as well as their families and communities. Karina believes with her whole heart that Malaika is educating the next generation of leaders, and therefore the future of the country is bright! Karina hails from Arkansas, lives in Brooklyn and is always trying to return to the DRC!

Rosie Rafferty is a strategic communication consultant currently advising a range of multi-nationals on their Communication, Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility strategies. She is an active board member at Mafisa, a not-for-profit in Zambia focused on building livelihoods and reducing poverty. She also serves on the boards of the Nick Jenkins and iAfrica Foundations. Rosie has 30 years experience in strategic communication, crisis management and corporate social responsibility working in South America, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal and Egypt. She worked as Vice President Communications for a FTSE100 company and as a founding partner in an award winning crisis and reputation consultancy. Rosie has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Edinburgh University and a post-graduate degree in journalism from Cardiff University.

Purva is Senior Programs Director at V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls where she has helped to develop and grow programs, global spotlight campaigns and safe house networks as well as fundraise and establish partnerships including launching and managing V-Day’s DRC campaign and establishing City of Joy, a leadership center for survivors of sexual violence in South Kivu, DRC. Purva’s career has been devoted to social justice. She was a Program Officer for Safety and Youth at Ms. Foundation for Women, where she worked on a feminist movement-building project, convened the Gender, Youth & Safety symposium, and oversaw grant-making in the safety and youth areas. She also served as the Acting Executive Director of Lower Eastside Girls Club. As the Director of Community Education, Outreach & Advocacy at Girls Inc. of NYC, she ran anti-violence programs for girls in East Harlem, trained NYC teachers and youth workers on best practices for girls programing and convened a symposium on sexual harassment in public schools at Barnard. In 2018, Barnard College awarded her with The Millicent Carey McIntosh Award for Feminism.

Corina was born in the beautiful lakeside city of Goma, in Eastern DRC, and has an international background of Greek, Congolese and Belgian origins. She grew up in Goma and started travelling the world at the young age of twelve. She still speaks Swahili fluently and has remained close to her native country ever since. Corina has been involved with Malaika since the early stage discussions and she has witnessed Malaika’s amazing growth since then. Corina saw firsthand the progress on the ground during a visit to the School in 2013. Corina has always been very sensitive to inequality and poverty and is a strong advocate for gender equality and the right to education for all, which is why she supports Malaika’s work with young girls in the poorest parts of the DRC. Corina and her husband, Hervé-Lomami, share a common passion for this project and are both involved in actively promoting Malaika across their global network.

Hervé-Lomami was born from a Congolese mother and a Belgian father and spent his formative years in Lubumbashi and Kigali. He has over fifteen years of international banking experience and is currently a director in a prestigious private bank where he recently became the lead on the Africa team. Hervé-Lomami has always had a keen interest in development topics and strongly believes in the transformative power of education. Hervé-Lomami and his spouse, Corina, have been involved with Malaika since its conception in 2007 and are active in awareness- and fund-raising for the foundation. He has visited the School in Kalebuka and is proud to be involved with an organization that is having such a positive impact in the DRC. Hervé-Lomami holds an MBA from Manchester Business School and a Master’s degree in Governance and Development from the University of Antwerp.

Eileen is a Senior Program Officer at the Claims Conference and part of Malaika’s advisory board. Prior to this, Eileen was the Program & Operations Manager for Malaika and has remained dedicated to the organization as she is passionate about development work that has a deep impact on communities, with quantifiable results. Eileen grew up in India, the Philippines and Brazil, leading to her passion for international affairs. She spent years working at a human rights NGO in Peru, focusing on health issues affecting women in lower income areas. She saw firsthand the obstacles women face to rise out of poverty and came to believe in the power of education as a means to breaking the cycle. Eileen has an acumen for strategic thinking, adaptability and problem solving. She speaks four languages and holds a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from McGill University.