Africa

Lesley Agams, Nigeria
Born in Moscow to a Nigerian father and a Russian mother, Lesley comes from a family with a history of commitment to social activism and public service. She moved to the US with her parents in the early 70’s, and grew up on university campuses where she was greatly influenced by the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights and feminist movements, and the liberal student politics of the 70’s. Upon her return to Nigeria, she became a member of the Civil Liberties Organization, and still remains actively engaged with Nigerian Bar Association and the International Federation of Women Lawyers. She set up and coordinated the FIDA Family Law Centre in Abuja that provides pro bono legal services to indigent women and a Women’s Crisis Centre in Owerri that provides support services to victims of domestic violence. She also founded the LIFT Foundation that provided skills training to street children in Lagos and coordinated Democracy Watch, an election monitoring group in Abuja. An entrepreneur in her own right, Lesley has also set up a company to provide socially responsible public/private sector collaborations and has contributed to the work of the Nigerian Presidency, Nigeria National Park Service, and Nigerian Association of Women Entrepreneurs. Most notably, her company changed how the Nigerian National Parks Service works by introducing a viable commercial model to sustain growth and operations at a time when government funding was being scaled back.

Leila Akahloun, South Africa
Leila joined Ashoka in 2003 as a Development Associate, assisting in Ashoka's global fundraising efforts. In line with her academic and personal interests, she transferred from Development to the Venture team to work closely with Ashoka's search and selection of Fellows in Africa and to help launch Ashoka’s program in the Middle East.   Leila is currently based in Cape Town, South Africa as part of the Global Venture team and is responsible for the integration of Ashoka's programming in Africa.  Prior to joining Ashoka, Leila studied International Security Studies at the undergraduate level at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and received an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago. An avid lover of the performing arts, Leila was a founding member of Georgetown University's Step Team, a community service organization dedicated to preserving and showcasing the African-inspired art of stepping.

Vernie Chetty-Henson, South Africa
For 20 years Vernie has worked in the citizen sector for social upliftment and the advancement of human rights. Her desire to effect social change stems from her experiences as a student activist in a racially-divided South Africa. A dedicated advocate for women’s empowerment, she set up spousal abuse centers in black, disadvantaged communities in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa and was an avid anti-apartheid activist throughout her youth and adult life. Professional experiences within organizations such as the Foundation for Human Rights, Charities Aid Foundation, and Salvation Army have reinforced her belief that sustainable social change becomes a reality only when communities develop a sense of ownership and begin to invest in these changes. She brings to Ashoka a strong fundraising and social justice background, as well as numerous regional networks to help advance our programming in Southern Africa and the African continent.

Ndeye Binta Houma, Senegal
Ndeye Binta Houma joined the Ashoka Sahel team in 2004 as a trainee for six months. In September 2005 she was called back by the Ashoka Washington office to stand in for the posts vacated by the Regional Representative and Program Assistant. For one year she ensured the office stayed open and coordinated the Fellowship activities. In September 2006 she was officially hired as Program Assistant. Her work focuses mainly on administration, finance and event management, but she also supports the Regional Representative in the Venture program (search and selection of innovative social entrepreneurs) and the Fellowship program (revitalizing the network of social innovators). She holds a higher technical diploma in office technology.

Abu Musuuza, East Africa
As a student, Abu launched the Kenya Uganda Tanzania Exchange (KUTE) and Battling HIV/AIDS Through Youth Exchange (BHATYX), two AIESEC Exchange programs in Uganda that opened opportunities for young Ugandans to learn and share experiences with students from around the world. He initiated a partnership between AIESEC and Ashoka to raise awareness on social entrepreneurship among students through lectures and conferences, and to link students with Ashoka Fellows. He joined Ashoka East Africa in December 2003 as Communication Development Officer to further spread public knowledge on social entrepreneurship and energize the citizen sector. Prior to joining Ashoka, Abu was awarded the Social Worker of the Year Award by the Makerere University Social Workers Students Association (MUSWSA) for organizing a range of events that challenged students of Social Work and Social Administration to see themselves as worthy professionals. Since joining Ashoka, Abu has developed a keen interest in the role of business in development. Tapping from his extensive knowledge in Social Work and Social Administration, he is working on initiatives that will help top businesses in East Africa to see corporate responsibility as a longer-term partnership to provide services to needy communities, rather than a one-off donation.

Coumba Toure, Senegal
A Dakar native, Coumba Toure is an educator, change-maker, and artist. She writes and publishes children's books, using them to build a community that supports young people in creating their own learning tools and social change projects. Sparking imagination and strengthening citizenship in children is linked to a broader effort to enable young adults to contribute to decision-making and problem-solving in society. Coumba focuses on popular education as a means to spread social justice, and has been instrumental in facilitating hundreds of educational workshops worldwide on gender, race, economic justice, AIDS and advocacy. In her work, she has partnered with diverse organizations: Institute for Popular Education in Kati, Mali; African Consultants International in Dakar, Senegal; The 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement Selma, Alabama; and Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES!) in Soquel, California. Coumba speaks regularly at universities and conferences and contributes as a Board member to several citizen organizations. She holds a B.A. from the New College of California in the U.S.