THE TEAM
Mercy Akongo
Founder/Director
Mercy Akongo, the founder of This Life Foundation is a phenomenal young woman whose life and journey leaves you challenged and inspired. Ms Akongo is a motivational public speaker, whose journey of life is richly filled with unbelievable experiences yet she lives her life with simplicity, grace and humility. Right from the tender age of 8, Ms Akongo started on a journey of sacrifice, whose service to the poor, fighting for the oppressed women and a voice for vulnerable children made a difference to the lives of hundreds of women and children in Uganda, Africa and globally. In recognition of her work, Ms Akongo received The Nelson Mandela Innovation Award at The Civicus World Assembly in Scotland (2006). As a Ugandan representative to both African Youth Parliament (AYP) and Oxfam International Youth Parliament/Partnership, she had the opportunity to lobby and advocate for the rights of young people facing discrimination, neglect, abuse and stereotype. Ms Akongo also worked with the Minority Rights Group International (MRG) in the United Kingdom (UK) and Africa where she advocated against unfair policies that affect minority communities. Ms Akongo founded Tedwii Indigenous Women Development Organization (TIDO) in 2002 to empower women and young people as development partners in North Eastern Uganda. Ms Akongo has been able to advocate on behalf of the world’s poor at different forums including at the United Nation General Assemblies. She is also a co-founder of the Uganda Pastoral Taskforce: “The Untapped Potentials”, a body set up to lobby and advocate for the rights of pastoralist’s communities in Uganda. Ms Akongo`s fondest yet traumatic moments was her experience working with war victims in the war-torn Northern Uganda. She worked on a Sexual Gender Based Violence project in the war affected Northern Uganda; an experience that changed her life and motivated her to continue supporting vulnerable children and women in poor communities. By working directly with victims and survivors of war within the internally Displaced Person’s Camp and the rural communities of Northern Uganda, she came face to face with terror and witnessed traumatic events that left a mark in her heart to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children and women in communities. Ms Akongo has founded This Life Foundation to continue to serve and be able to do what is her heart’s desire, to make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged groups in Africa and globally.
Patricia Nangiro
Africa Project Officer (Volunteer)
Ms. Patricia Nangiro is governance and human rights professional with 6+ years of progressive experience in designing, implementing and monitoring community based gender, women protection and empowerment programmes among conflict affected agro-pastoralist Karimojong communities and refugees in Uganda. From August 2014, Patricia was on four months attachment to the Peace and Security Department of the African Union Commission where she participated in organising high-level continental peace, security and mediation meetings and research on electoral processes, mediation missions and role of women in mediation in Africa. In July 2014, she was also an African Junior Professional Fellow at the International Peace Institute in New York where she participated in policy meetings with the United Nations and its related departments. Patriciais an alumnus of the African Leadership Centre, Nairobi and African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI), a programme of Akina Mama Wa Africa.
Ms. Patricia holds a Masters of Local Governance and Human Rights from Uganda Martyrs University and a Bachelor of Urban Planning from Makerere University. She is a 2013/2014 award recipient of one year Peace and Security fellowship for African Women at the African Leadership Centre/King’s College London.
Olivia Kalule
Admin Support Officer/Volunteer
Olivia takes on one of the most important roles in our work. She is responsible for the development and management of all our administrative, playing a vital role in producing and overseeing some of our marketing materials.
Olivia is a qualified teacher and she has over 10 years experience in public services. She has joined the team with a wealth of skills and professionalism which is central to our activities.
