COUNTRY ADVISORS
ZIMBABWE
Regis Matimati is the Executive Director of AA-Z. He started his working life as a Nurse in Makoni District, where the first CHCs were started in 1995. After working on a UZ-UCSF research on HIV/AIDS intervention, he joined Zim AHEAD in 2007 as Project Officer in Chipinge–Chiredzi before being moved to Project Manager for the Cholera Emergency OXFAM project in Mutare in 2008. His capacity for team management served Zim AHEAD well and he was promoted to Programme Manager in 2009, and Acting Director for three years before being appointed Country Director in 2014. Over the years Regis studied with the University of Zimbabwe with a Post Graduate Diploma in Water Supply and Sanitation. Regis graduated with a Masters of Public Health (MPH) University of Roehampton in the UK.
Languages: English & Shona
KENYA
Dr. Monique Oliff has over 20 years of international global health experience as a skilled primary care clinician, health communication specialist, researcher, trainer and consultant, with diverse stakeholders in varied sectors. She is a skilled trainer, facilitator, motivator and strong communicator – who builds confidence and capacity at all levels through training approaches that are innovative and grounded in practice. Committed to bringing research and practice closer together through quality multi-disciplinary implementation research, Monique is an experienced researcher, with a PhD from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (2002). She worked with the Founders starting a CHC programme for miners in hostels of Joohannesburg and is currently engaged in setting up a CHC programme in Kenya.
Languages: English, French,Kiswahili
TANZANIA
Joseph Katabarwa worked in the WASH Sector for 25 years, retiring as Head of the Environmental Health Department (2006 – 2014) of Ministry of Health in Rwanda, and was instrumental in developing the National Water and Sanitation Policy. In 2010 he was a key architect of the Community Based Environmental Health Promotion Programme, working with the Founders of Africa AHEAD to seet up this national programme in Rwanda. He joined Africa AHEAD on retirement from government as Country Director in Rwanda (2014-2016) in the final stages of the RCT in Rusizi District. He holds a BSc / MSc in Community Health from Great Lake University, Kenya. (2010). He was a founder member of Tropical Institute of Community Health in Africa.
Languages: Kiswahili, Kirwanda, English, French.
BURUNDI AND DRC
Amans Ntakarutima is an Environmental Health Researcher in Community Health Education with over 17 years of field experience working in community based interventions in rural and urban communities in Rwanda, Burundi and DRC. Since 2009, he has been Principal Investigator to improve Environmental Health/WASH Services in Rwanda in collaboration with Ministry of Education and University of Rwanda, Unicef Rwanda, UNESCO, UNITAR, International Institute of Burkina Faso, Stockholm Environment Institute and Walden University (USA). He joined Africa AHEAD in 2013 as Programme Manager in Rusizi and latterly in DRC. His PhD in progress, is researching the health impact of CHC in Rusizi District, Rwanda.
Languages: French, English, Kirwanda.
RWANDA
Fausca Uwingabire has 10 years in training of trainers in participatory approaches where she assisted in the preparation of training tools and mobilization behavior change in WASH sector. She has worked on CBEHPP /CHC, PHAST, PLA with Africa AHEAD, CARE International, Agro Action Allemande, UNICEF Rwanda, Clinton Foundation Ministry of Health, Red Cross Rwanda, Icyuzuzo Association, Plan international in Madagascar, World Bank in Benin and CREPA in Burkinafaso. As monitoring and evaluation lecturer she has conducted the project base line research and evaluation assessment.
Languages: English, French, Kirwanda
UGANDA
Justin Otai is a retired Head of Environmental Health, Ministry of Uganda, and one of the foremost proponents of PHAST training in Uganda. He first worked with Africa AHEAD CEO in 2003, when CHC were introduced into Rwanda and used in IDP Camps in Gulu with Care International. He then successfully replicated the approach in Pader District and has more recently been Programme Manager for Africa AHEAD in a CHC programme in Apac District, Uganda, where we were partnering with International Lifeline Fund. Justin is a compelling advocate of the CHC and continues to represent Africa AHEAD in any CHC training to be done in East Africa.
Languages: English, Swahili, Luo.