Leadership

Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, a Congolese/Cypriot philanthropist and international model, is the Founder & CEO of Malaika, a grassroots nonprofit that empowers girls and communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through a school, a community center, and a clean water program. A unique and fearless spokesperson, and the face of leading fashion campaigns across the globe, Noëlla is a voice for the power of girls’ education worldwide. Founded in 2007, Malaika’s programs impact thousands of lives and are all offered free of charge. Crucially, Malaika acts as a local model that can be replicated on a global level, as demonstrated by the launch of the Malaika Model Toolkit during UNGA week in 2022. 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. In 2017, Noëlla was named one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential & Inspirational Women of the Year, in 2018, she received an award at the 100 Years of Mandela celebration and in 2022 she was honored as a Daughter of Greatness from the Muhammad Ali Center. She is an Advisor at Concordia and an Ambassador for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. She 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 two-time judge for EY’s World Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Charlotte is Vice President of Global Strategic Relations at Salesforce. Charlotte is responsible for building formal strategic partnerships, international collaborations and strong strategic relations to holistically support Salesforce.org. Saleforce.org’s mission is to put technology in the hands of nonprofits and education institutions so they can connect with others and accelerate their impact. Charlotte is passionate about driving learning-based programming, employee volunteerism, and grant management in areas of STEM education, youth workforce development, and technology innovation. Prior to this role, Ms Kirby worked in senior management roles in the telecommunications industry, holding senior management positions within Verizon and WorldCom and focusing on business transformation and customer success. Ms Kirby holds a BA (Hons) in Business fromAnglia Ruskin and a MSc in Corporate Governance from London South Bank.

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

Eileen is a Program Officer at the Claims Conference. Prior to this Eileen was the Program 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.

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 Headmasterat 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.

Elvis Nshimba Wa Mwanza, born in Kamina, DRC, is Programs and Evaluation Manager at Malaika. Originally a teacher at Malaika, his current role sees him extend education and social change practices to the entire community. He earned a State Diploma in General Pedagogy and has studied English & amp; African Culture (in applied Pedagogy) at the university level. His teaching experience includes teaching English and cultural courses at the elementary level and serving as an English tutor at numerous schools. Elvis was also an English interpreter at the Methodist Missionary Committee and has held many leadership roles, such as Secretary to the Association of Teachers, the Association of Katanga Solidarity Youth, Batwa Bemba (O.N.G.), and his local church. In addition to these leadership roles, he has built his own house and supervised the building of his church. Elvis is passionate about contributing to the development of his community. His love for children motivates him in his work, and he looks forward to using his knowledge and talent to help the girls, and the entire community, reach their full potential.

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.

Charlie Collins is the founder of Creative Wardrobe – a mindful consultancy that helps women to build and maintain more sustainable wardrobes. Alongside private wardrobe appointments, vintage treasure hunt sales and inspiring events, Charlie has collaborated with global brands such as Eco Age, UGG, Mulberry and RIXO to help inspire their communities with her sustainable philosophy. Charlie has spent over 10 years working within the sustainable fashion industry, alongside leading brands such as Vestiaire Collective, William Vintage and Smart Works Charity. She feels incredibly passionate about Malaika and the vital work they are doing and has been actively supporting the charity since first meeting Noella and hearing her incredible story.

Eve is a co-host on the daytime chat show The Talk on CBS and a Grammy Award-winning musician who’s already racked up an impressive hit list (“Let Me Blow Ya Mind”, “Who’s That Girl”, “Gangsta Lovin’”, etc.) along with four multi-million selling albums. Originally from Philadelphia, she won the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2002 for the song “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” with Gwen Stefani. Eve is also an established actress, known for her role in the Barbershop film series, among other features. She has achieved success as a fashion designer and was the recipient of a Breakthrough Style Award from Vogue. Eve resides in London with her husband, Maximillion Cooper. She became a Goodwill Ambassador for Malaika in 2016, after visiting the village of Kalebuka and seeing Malaika’s projects firsthand. Education is the key to self-esteem and opens up a world of choices. In many parts of the world, not every little girl has access to education. My trip to the DRC to visit Malaika’s projects exceeded my expectations. Malaika goes above and beyond and provides a great environment for the girls. You can feel the excitement when they take their seats in class. I support Malaika because of the positive impact they are having on girls’ lives.