stella maris kizza (she / Her)

Country: Uganda | youth coordinator & monitoring and evaluation officer

  • Impact strategy development and measurement; Social justice, Gender and inclusive development agendas; SRHR and Human rights advocacy; Entrepreneurship and innovation for young people and women; Disability Justice for Young People Living with Disabilities.

  • Stella is a development expert with 6 years experience in youth-led Community Development interventions.

    She has supported entrepreneurship and innovation development programs for 500 plus entrepreneurs including young people at higher institutions of learning, micro-entrepreneurs , Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES), women with StartHub Africa and Balloon Ventures Organisation.

    She has supported female entrepreneurs to develop business ideas/ solutions to solve Menstrual hygiene and management related challenges for adolescents.

    She has participated in advocacy and research projects strengthening accessibility to inclusive and decent health care for adolescents and women focusing on Family Planning for rural women in marginalized communities in Uganda with PATH Uganda. Has trained both women and health workers in administration of injectable contraception. She is keen on ensuring that all categories of women including adolescents receive complete information to aid an informed choice and that choices are respected.

    She has participated in various feminist leadership trans-formative initiatives with Forum For Women in Democracy and the African Women Leadership Institute in collaboration with UN Women and Akina mama wa Afrika

    She has supported marginalized communities through building capacities of stakeholders at the district and grassroots to ensure inclusive quality education and child protection in schools while working with the Building Tomorrow Organisation. . She facilitated SRHR driven conversations to equip girls and boys with information to become more aware of their bodies, child abuse, violations and rights as well as rallying leaders into a safe environments for children.

    Stella has a big passion to transform the lives of young people, women and Persons With Disabilities through guiding strategy development and designing data driven programs. She has been able to build M&E structures that facilitate data driven program design.

    Stella has a Bachelor's Degree in Development economics from Makerere University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Uganda Management Institute

  • Stella is the founder of One Growth Afrika, an initiative championing Disability Justice through Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership Development for Young Persons Living with disability at higher institutions of learning. Through this initiative, YPLWD are supported to come up with business ideas around issues concerning their livelihood. Programs also disseminate and facilitate understanding of policies, legal framework and rights.

    Besides this, Stella is a positive person that loves self care and well beings. In her free time, she loves to mentor young people, women and PWDs. She is an enthusiast of positive change and loves to support vulnerable groups to be part of the change and societal transformation.