The Kesho Trust maintains a roster of specialist experts that participate in our programs and work together with staff and the Board members on developing and implementing projects. These individuals are crucial to the ongoing work of the Kesho Trust and we actively look for qualified individuals to assist in this way. Below is the current roster of Specialist Experts.
Dr. Miriam Z. Matinda
Miriam Z. Matinda is an indigenous woman from the Maasai ethnic group in Tanzania. She is a human rights lawyer/attorney, lecturer, researcher, and advocate of the High Court of Tanzania, and a consultant. Her research focuses on Indigenous people’s land and territorial rights, gender and children, Sustainable Development Goals, international law and the environment, and the nexus between human rights and business. She holds an LL. B from the University of Dar es Salaam, Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Law School of Tanzania, LLM and Doctor of Law Degrees (SJD) from the University of Arizona – USA. Miriam is an adjunct lecturer at the Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA), where she teaches and supervises scholars pursuing the Master of Arts in Peace and Security Studies. She has experience working in cross-cultural environments, having conducted studies, evaluations and worked with Civil Society Organisations, multi-national companies and organisations. She is a member of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), the East Africa Law Society (EALS), the Law and Society Association (LSA), the Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA) and the International Sociological Association (ISA).
Monica Kurumbe
Monica is a community liaison officer for the Ereto Maasai Youth (EMAYO), supporting the organization to advance it’s work mainly with the Maasai pastoralist and indigenous community in Tanzania. She is a social worker with working and volunteer experience with different local and international organizations including EMAYO, the Kesho Trust, and Amref Health Africa. As a social worker, Monica have been involved in mentoring and training youth and women’s groups on social economic development, gender, and reproductive health rights. Monica designed and implemented climate resilience, entrepreneurship and reproductive health projects while working with various organizations including the Kesho Trust. Specifically, Monica is an activist and a champion fighting against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in her community. Monica envisions a community that gives both men and women equal access to social and health services and where everyone enjoys his or her rights regardless of gender, ethnicity, or social status. In the project team, Monica will bring extensive knowledge and understanding of pastoralist community engagement mechanisms especially women and youth, gender relations, and interpretation of research materials from other languages to the Maasai (Maa), language.