Ms. Margaret Gwada

Overall Profile: -A Kenyan – born and brought up in the rural villages of western Kenya (along the Lake Victoria) .  A mother of three young adults - 2 daughters and a son).

Over 20 years’ experience in child rights based programme planning & management in the children sector. With expertise in gender responsive, emergency risk informed programming and response.  Strong Leadership, Human resources management and team building skills. A clinical psychologist who is specialized in the management of stress disorders in children.

Professional Profile

• Strong leadership and management skills, self-motivated, efficient and results driven manager who believes in the power of effective teamwork and collaboration and invests in staff development and wellbeing.
• An ardent advocate for children’s rights committed to facilitating the fulfillment of these rights and enhancing their participation including in humanitarian situation.
• Dynamic leader who recognizes the power of harnessing partnerships and synergy across different actors and sectors to ensure a holistic and equitable approach to achieving results for children.
• Expertise in Emergency preparedness, planning and response coordination and management
• Clinical psychologist with specialization in PTSD in Children

Education:

• MSc in Clinical Psychology – University of Nairobi (Kenya)
• Bachelor Psychology (Counselling) – University of Nairobi (Kenya)
• Diploma in Education (Home Economics) – Siriba College

Work Experience: - over 20 years’ experience at senior management level in programme with a broad range of management experience in both risk informed development and humanitarian response programming.

UNICEF Experience 2009 to Date: - As Chief of Field Office for 12 years both in development and humanitarian contexts; - (Kenya, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Madhya Pradesh). – key role of championing and advocating for the wellbeing of children working with government to strengthen systems and broaden the fiscal space for children.

• Having worked with UNICEF at the sub national /regional levels I bring a rich experience as a strong champion and advocate of children’s’ rights, where I have successfully leveraged and harnessed strategic partnerships, with government/private sector and CSO and communities. These have resulted in sustained results that have contributed significantly to national, regional and global priorities for the steady improvement in the child related indicators both in development and humanitarian contexts.
• In the humanitarian context, I have coordinated UNICEF emergency responses in: - EBOLA, flood and drought emergencies, polio, cholera and measles eradication initiatives to ensure UNICEF Core Commitments for Children
• She had joined UNICEF, Madhya Pradesh as Chief of Field Office in January 2021.

CSO Experience 1996 - 2009: - 13 years cumulatively as a Programme Director and Assistant Country Director with Save the Children, Care International and GOAL (Ireland); I provided leadership and management of programmes implemented across multiple field locations in Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia.  where I built strategic alliances with government, CSO and communities for the sustained development and achievement of women and children’s rights. Key assignments included: - programme management, Donor engagement and visibility, Policy advocacy, system strengthening, resource mobilization and partnership management and development and community mobilization.

Civil Service:- 1989 – 1996:- Started my career in the  civil service  under the  Teachers Service Commission of Kenya - as a  high school teacher – teaching Home Economics

Hobbies: Passion in Knitting and crocheting for charity