Bertha Kabengele

ActionAid International Zambia

Programs and Policy Manager

Description

Bertha Kabengele is the Head of Programs and Policy at ActionAid Zambia. She is a social development practitioner who has been working in the non-profit sector for over 10 years where she has accumulated various expertise and knowledge on human rights and development through the different organizational roles she has held. She is a seasoned program/project manager, and her work has spanned across various thematic areas including Social Protection, Health, Education, Community Development, and Emergency Response Programming. Bertha is also a public policy analyst and has been responsible for leading and coordinating various advocacy and campaign initiatives on Inclusive Social Development, Poverty Reduction, Ending Child Marriage, Sustainable Livelihoods and Climate Justice among others. Driven by a passion for creating positive social change, she works directly with marginalized communities (with a strong focus on young people and women) to address inequalities, ensuring people-centered and inclusive development as well as promoting human and social rights. An example is the Co-mining: United in Responsible Copper and Cobalt Mining project which she is currently overseeing. Noting the unique challenges women and the mining communities continue to face owing to the growing global demand for critical minerals and metals, this project seeks to improve the safety and accessibility for women who are into artisanal and small-scale mining of copper and cobalt in order to boost their household income, enhance livelihoods, and advance gender equality through gender responsive strategies. Bertha holds a Master of Policy Studies Degree and a Bachelor of Arts with Education degree obtained from the Southern Africa Regional Institute for Policy Studies and the University of Zambia respectively.