The Obama Foundation:Get to know our Obama Foundation Leaders

 

Hi there, From Papua New Guinea to Zambia to Mexico, Obama Foundation Leaders are using their unique experiences to tackle some of the biggest issues of our time.  Last month for Women's History Month, we highlighted a few of their stories. Emma, Ireen, and Elpida work in different industries on different continents, but they have dedicated their life’s work to improving the lives of women and girls.  Read on to see how they’re changing our world:     Emma Minimbi      Emma Minimbi is a lawyer and pro bono consultant with Ashurst PNG who is using her expertise to help educate and protect the rights of women and girls.  Emma grew up seeing the impacts of domestic violence in Papua New Guinea and decided she had to be the change she wished to see. She uses the law and the power of community to help eradicate gender-based violence, sorcery accusation-related violence, and other forms of violence against women and girls in Papua New Guinea Learn more about Emma’s work and her experience with the Leaders program here.     Ireen Chikatula   Ireen Chikatula is the founder and chief executive officer of the Empowerment Initiative for Rural Women and Girls, a non-profit organization focused on improving livelihoods in Zambia’s rural communities through the social and economic empowerment of women and girls. Ireen’s organization addresses the issues of poverty, climate change, and sexual reproductive health rights, provides advocacy and leadership training for adolescent girls, and business training and coaching for women in rural areas. Read about how Ireen’s own experiences have informed her work.     Elpida Kokkota   Anastasia (Elpida) Kokkota is the founder and chief executive officer of Mexoxo, a nonprofit that promotes women’s economic empowerment. Originally launched in Tijuana, Mexico in 2013, Mexoxo has since grown to serve over 31,000 women worldwide.  Elpida specializes in building social impact plans for corporations, as well as small and medium businesses, and achieving measurable growth through strategies that support the socio-economic growth of communities as a whole. Learn more about Elpida’s organization and her time with the Leaders program here.   We hope our Leaders’ stories inspire you to get involved in your own community and work on issues, large or small, that matter to you.  These profiles, and so many more impactful stories, can be found on our website, Obama.org.  – The Obama Foundation     Donate to empower rising leaders bringing hope to their communities. DONATE