DOT | Digital Opportunity Trust

Mekedes Bogale is a young Ethiopian with a background in law and community development. She is a #DOTYouth alumni who has trained hundreds of young men and women in her community in entrepreneurship and digital skills.

Mekedes shares, “As a DOT Youth and young person myself, I have first-hand experience with the issues young people face in my country. As a member of YouthLAB I plan to exhaustively use every opportunity to advocate for youth in Ethiopia, and help facilitate opportunities to bring about empowerment and enhance their socioeconomic engagement.”

Marwa Harb provides digital skills and entrepreneurship training to youth and refugees in Lebanon. She works with DOT Lebanon’s Innovation Labs network, where she specializes in supporting community members to build mobile apps. She is a former math teacher and #DOTYouth alumni.

Marwa shares, “As a member of DOT’s YouthLAB, I will highlight the problems faced by youth in education and find solutions. Education is the pearl of society, and in making it available to everybody we can transform lives and the future.”

Ng’walu holds a BA in economic development and currently works on programs to support adolescent girls. Ng’walu brings a critical gender-sensitive lens from her valuable experience working with vulnerable women and girls in Tanzania.

“As a member of DOT’s Youth Leadership Advisory Board, I hope to bring attention to the importance of youth voices. I have a passion for youth advocacy and engagement and I feel that with the resources I have from my generation, I can help youth further their participation in youth leadership.’

Samson holds a BA in computer engineering and currently works at Uganda’s Bureau of Statistics. Samson is passionate about using digital technology for social impact, especially in the area of agribusiness, where he has worked with youth and women to improve their livelihoods.

“Through my role on DOT’s Youth Leadership Advisory Board, I am most excited about the opportunity to conduct and produce research on youth issues.”

Kamau holds a BA in sociology and is earning an MBA. At Kuza Biashara, he builds partnerships with the private sector to empower youth and women livelihoods. Kamau is a social entrepreneur and founder of Kazi Chap Chap, a service that connects youth to employers.

“I am particularly concerned about the opportunities available to youth for decent employment. DOT’s Youth Leadership Advisory Board puts me at the centre of experiences around what can be done to tackle youth unemployment."

Regine holds a BA in engineering and is currently earning an MSc in economics. She is an experienced facilitator in the areas of ICT and economic empowerment training. Regine has served as a youth leader through initiatives with Change Rwanda and Rwanda Youth Alliance for Climate Action.

“As a member of DOT’s Youth Leadership Advisory Board, I am excited to work on realities of youth in my community and uncover new truths from the research that I will be conducting.”

Rachel Okwar is a young Kenyan with a passion for youth issues. Rachel works in her local county government as a volunteer, leads digital literacy training in her community as a Mozilla Club Leader, and has worked in local prisons to teach digital skills to young women in rehabilitation programs. She is a member of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), and a #DOTYouth alumni.

Rachel shares, “The youth of Kenya have so much potential. My work as a part of DOT’s YouthLAB will enable me conduct research that will influence policy on issues that affect youth’s ability to not only grow but to thrive in their passions and interests."

Frederick Semainda is the director and co-founder of Tanzania Youth Espouse for Gender and Development (TYEGD). He is a champion of the Sustainable Development Goals, and passionate about gender equality, peace, human rights, and justice. Frederick has trained hundreds of members of his community in entrepreneurship and digital skills as a #DOTYouth.

Frederick shares, “I believe young people are capable of bringing positive change in their communities if they have a sense of purpose, information, equal opportunities, and courage. As a member of DOT’s YouthLAB, I will advocate for equal opportunities for all young people.”

Janet Longmore is the founder and CEO of Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) and a champion for technology-driven, community-owned, and youth-led solutions in rapidly developing regions of the world.

Under Janet’s leadership, DOT has developed a global network of thousands of young people who are invested in their communities as leaders of change and social innovators. In communities across Africa, the Middle East and Canada, these young people are creating solutions to local challenges, starting businesses, and creating jobs.

A passionate believer in the power and potential of youth and technology, Janet works tirelessly to promote respect for youth as an untapped source of creativity, innovation, and talent. As a member of the steering committee for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Internet for All initiative, she shares insights on how young people can be champions of digital inclusion, driving social and economic change in emerging economies.

In 2016, Janet was decorated with a Meritorious Service Cross by the Governor General of Canada in recognition of her strong example of social innovation and leadership that brings considerable honour to Canada. In 2018 she was appointed to the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation's Business Leaders Caucus, through which she works to develop guidelines on how to best use public resources to engage the private sector in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

While guiding DOT’s steady growth, Janet has built long-term partnerships across private and public sectors, including with Cisco Systems, IBM, The MasterCard Foundation, and agencies such as Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and USAID.

Janet is a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur and a Senior Ashoka Fellow; from 2014-2016 she was an active member on the WEF Global Agenda Council on Emerging Multinationals. Janet is a recipient of the CATA Alliance Sara Kirke Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (2011) and has been recognized as a Trailblazer and Trendsetter by the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada (2012).

As ICT Officer at DOT, Mohamud Abdrirahman manages digital services and platforms for the global organization. He has a strong passion for digital development and helping youth in East Africa utilize technology to better their lives and is a volunteer with the local Ottawa Somali community, where he teaches high school students how to code.

Mohamud holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from Carleton University. Prior to joining DOT, Mohamud worked as a Web Developer and a Digital Coordinator for the Liberal Party of Canada and in the startup sector. He brings an expertise in information technology, digital strategy, digital fundraising and running online campaigns.

Drawing upon more than ten years’ experience living and working in Kenya, Liberia, and Ghana, Natasha brings hands-on experience managing and implementing programs in Africa. Most recently, she served as the Regional Program Manager of West Africa at Right To Play, where she oversaw a diverse range of programs addressing youth leadership, education, gender equality and child rights. In this role, Natasha supported the capacity development of country program teams in results-based management and reporting. She also has an extensive background in monitoring and evaluation, training, and community-based research. Having witnessed first-hand the energy and innovation of young people who are empowered to become agents of change in their communities, Natasha was excited to join the Program Operations team at DOT in December 2016. She holds a Masters Degree in Medical Anthropology from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia.

Marianne is DOT’s Director of Operations for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), leading regional business development and forming new partnerships to support expansion. She is also DOT Lebanon’s Country Director, and has led its operations since 2010.

Before joining DOT Lebanon, Marianne managed operations at World Vision International and established World Vision Lebanon’s refugee program. With her extensive experience in NGO management, she has an impressive network within Lebanese and international civil society, and she is an expert in issues concerning refugee communities in Lebanon.

Marianne has a Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a master’s in food science from McGill University in Canada, and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph University/Paris Dauphine.

Heather Gilberds is an international development expert with more than 12 years of experience helping organizations advance their research agendas and articulate the impact of their programs. She has sector experience in pandemic response, transparency and accountability, youth health and empowerment, social and behaviour change communication and ICTs for development, and has designed and led research projects in South Asia and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Heather is in the final stages of a PhD in Communication at Carleton University, where she is exploring citizen feedback and aid accountability in the context of the Ebola pandemic in Liberia. Prior to joining DOT, she worked as a research consultant and program evaluator for numerous organizations throughout sub-Saharan Africa, including as the 2017 Freedom of the Press Report's expert for Liberia and Sierra Leone. She has presented and published her research widely in international journals and forums, and has been featured as a writer and contributor in the CBC, HuffPost, NPR and AllAfrica.

Vaisnavi is an international development professional who has worked in both North America and South East Asia. She has experience in academic research and monitoring and evaluation for multilateral programmes. Vaisnavi enjoys working with qualitative and quantitative data to explore the means of improving the impact of programmes, and has monitoring and evaluation experience in programmes addressing the different elements of the Sustainable Development Goals including digital financial inclusion, health, poverty, and other social issues.

Jane is a dynamic executive with extensive experience in international development, corporate social responsibility, inclusive business and strategic partnerships in emerging markets. She has worked in over 40 emerging economies in her career and has been based in Turkey since 2005. Jane has held multiple management and executive positions in DOT since 2004, including development and oversight of DOT’s innovative corporate partnerships programs, business development, tri-sectoral collaboration initiatives and the MENA region. She is a former Canadian diplomat and holds an M.A. in International Relations.

Christine  has over 10 years of experience in instructional design working with a variety of organizations such as the Canadian Space Agency and the Canadian Wildlife Federation. In her role at DOT, she fosters the organization's global community of practice in learning experience design. As part of her role, she coaches the global organization on how to apply instructional design methods to design experiential learning. Christine champions human-centred design methodologies and co-designs learning experiences including DOT's Youth Leadership Program as well as DOT's Youth Unconference. She also develops experiential learning course content and works with learning consultants to grow DOT's learning catalog. Prior to joining DOT in 2015, Christine developed deep experience training a variety of audiences including astronauts, academics, pilots and the Canadian public. She is passionate about evidence-based design, research and creative communications.

Christine holds a Masters Degree in Educational Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Concordia University.

Heather has been working with DOT since 2008, originally as DOT‘s Executive Assistant and currently as the Senior Manager of Corporate Operations. Heather has helped manage the growth of the organization, and now takes on HR responsibilities for the DOT Ottawa team. Heather is passionate about international development and gender equality, and is inspired by the commitment to social innovation she sees in the DOT network.

As Chief Financial Officer at DOT, Lisa is responsible for overseeing the organization’s financial management, internal controls, and financial reporting. With over 20 years of experience, Lisa is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), and obtained her Chartered Accountant (CA) designation in 2002. She has expertise in managing global growth and expansion, budgeting and forecasting, internal controls and risk management, securing financing, and strategic planning. Lisa has held senior level and executive positions in both not-for-profit and technology companies, and currently sits on the Board of Directors of several organizations.

As a senior project manager, Elizabeth works with country teams to ensure the successful implementation of youth-focused innovation and entrepreneurship projects in East Africa. She also contributes to DOT’s broader work in the areas of gender equality, research, and project planning and design.

Elizabeth brings 10 years of experience that includes programming, research and analysis, strategic planning, and partnership building. She began her career in social change with an NGO in Guatemala City, helping families living alongside the Guatemala City Garbage Dump gain education and skills. Prior to joining DOT, Elizabeth served as the Executive Director of Ethiopiaid Canada, where she led the organization’s efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable women and girls in Ethiopia through projects and partnerships focused on maternal health, education, and skills development. She has also worked on various international development initiatives, including a water, sanitation and hygiene project with USAID in Ethiopia, assignments with the North-South Institute, and research projects exploring women's land rights in East Africa, a systems approach to reducing child, early and forced marriage, and the role of social capital in informal financial services. Elizabeth holds a Master’s Degree in Law and Diplomacy, with a specialization in International Development and Human Security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (Massachusetts, USA) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College (Maine, USA).

Julia is DOT's Director, International Partnerships and Country Director for DOT UK; she leads partnership-building and fundraising work in support of DOT's global vision and country programs. Julia has spent her career addressing the needs of young people through youth enterprise projects with major UK-based international youth organizations, and as International Director of The Prince’s Youth Business Trust and International Award Association. Julia has experience establishing and building the capacity of charities, and has more recently raised funds for charities addressing the needs of marginalized young people in the UK. Julia has spent time working in eight countries of Africa, India, Hungary and Russia.

Anne leads communications and digital engagement at Digital Opportunity Trust, overseeing brand, communications, marketing, and digital strategy across DOT’s countries of operation.

Working at the intersection of design, impact, technology, and solving complex social challenges, Anne has a background in communications, multimedia storytelling, and digital as a strategist, experience designer, and community builder. She has worked with DOT since 2010 to grow the organizational brand, share remarkable stories of youth innovators, build online communities, develop inclusive digital experiences, and to advocate for women and girls in tech.  

Anne previously worked in the social sector in program management, impact evaluation, and public relations. Her work and writing have been featured in The Guardian, CBC Radio, Globe and Mail, Huffington Post, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Ottawa Citizen, Hamilton Spectator, and the Rwanda New Times. Anne is a mentor with both the Centre for Social Enterprise Development and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and is a past trustee of the Awesome Foundation. She is an alumna of the University of Waterloo.

Born and raised in Morocco, Adil is an international development professional who has worked in both North America and North Africa. Most recently, Adil served as Program Manager at the United Nations Association in Canada, where he oversaw a wide variety of work-integrated learning and international development programs addressing youth leadership and training, youth (un)employment and social innovation. He is an experienced workshop facilitator with a background in experiential learning and capacity building around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As a Senior Project Officer at DOT, Adil works with country teams to ensure the successful implementation of projects and programs. Adil is an elected member of the Youth Advisory Council of the World Federation of UN Associations, board member of the National Council for Canada Arab Relations and #TeachSDGs Ambassador.

He is an alumna of Carleton University.

Yan holds an MBA with a concentration in Financial Management from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from Beijing Normal University, and has a strong background in corporate finance, accounting and business administration.

Prior to joining DOT, Yan worked as a General Accountant with the accounting firm Positive Venture Group Inc. where she was responsible for the full cycle of accounting for five companies in industries which including manufacturing, retail, technology, and mining. Yan is currently working toward her Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.

Formerly DOT’s Vice President, Strategic Development, Grant continues to work closely with DOT as an Executive Officer and advisor. He is an experienced management professional with extensive international experience. He is a specialist in partnership and joint venture development and has been responsible for significant private and public sector investment in developing and transitional economies. Grant is a former executive in several IT companies, a partner in PriceWaterhouse, and he co-managed the Acacia Initiative in Africa for Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). He has served on the board of directors of Precarn Incorporated, the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Willis College and TeKnoWave Inc.

Violette has led DOT Rwanda since its inception in 2010. Prior to DOT Rwanda, she spent seven years at the Embassy of Rwanda in Washington DC, beginning as a policy analyst and rising to become a diplomat in the position of First Secretary. Upon completion of her mission, she was posted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kigali, in charge of Asia and Oceania.

Violette is involved in numerous youth and women’s economic empowerment and technology-fueled development initiatives. She is a mentor through the Imbuto Foundation, a member of the Africa Leadership Network and a recipient of the Change Agent ABIE Award from the Anita Borg Institute. In 2016, Violette was named one of Amazon’s Watch Magazine’s Top 25 Distinguished Women in Business Excellence in Africa for her work to economically empower young girls and women.

Violette holds a Master of Public Administration with a focus on International Development from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Comparative Development from Trent University.

Tony brings extensive professional operations and project management experience and a commitment to innovation within DOT's vision. Prior to joining DOT, Tony was a project manager with the Global Connectivity program at the International Institute for Sustainable Development. In 2007, Tony completed a master's degree in international development at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (Ottawa, Canada). Tony has also enjoyed over 10 years in the telecommunications sector, having worked in senior product management, technical marketing, and executive advisory roles.

Marianne is DOT’s Director of Operations for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), leading regional business development and forming new partnerships to support expansion. She is also DOT Lebanon’s Country Director, and has led its operations since 2010.

Before joining DOT Lebanon, Marianne managed operations at World Vision International and established World Vision Lebanon’s refugee program. With her extensive experience in NGO management, she has an impressive network within Lebanese and international civil society, and she is an expert in issues concerning refugee communities in Lebanon.

Marianne has a Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a master’s in food science from McGill University in Canada, and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph University/Paris Dauphine.

Esther Wanjiru Gathigi is passionate about empowering young and aspiring entrepreneurs to develop the skills and insights they need to transition their startups into high-potential business ventures.

Prior to joining DOT, Esther was the Executive Director for WECREATE Kenya, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State that establishes entrepreneurial community centers in safe and centralized locations for women to gain access to the essential resources required for starting or growing businesses. Esther has also worked in business development at NIC Bank. She has extensive experience in relationship management, project and operations management, and strategy mapping and implementation.

As a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, Esther collaborates with young business leaders in Kenya and abroad to impact the lives of others through projects in education, environment, and entrepreneurship. She also offers her expertise as a mentor with the African Entrepreneurship Awards, focusing on entrepreneurial capacity development. Esther believes in enhancing skills and knowledge of young entrepreneurs to transform the entrepreneurship landscape in Kenya, and to highlight success stories across the continent.

Noor has previously held several positions in key organizations in Jordan, working in economic and social development. She worked on community outreach programs at the Office of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, and focussed on youth and community development projects as the Director of Programs and Initiatives for the King Abdullah II Fund for Development.

Julia is DOT's Director, International Partnerships and Country Director for DOT UK; she leads partnership-building and fundraising work in support of DOT's global vision and country programs. Julia has spent her career addressing the needs of young people through youth enterprise projects with major UK-based international youth organizations, and as International Director of The Prince’s Youth Business Trust and International Award Association. Julia has experience establishing and building the capacity of charities, and has more recently raised funds for charities addressing the needs of marginalized young people in the UK. Julia has spent time working in eight countries of Africa, India, Hungary and Russia.

Diana previously served as a manager in the Chandaria Group of Industries at their sister company Tanpack, in the positions of Sales Coordinator and Sales & Marketing Manager. Diana has been with DOT Tanzania since 2013, previously serving as the Communications and Partnerships Manager.

Before taking on the Acting Director role, Diana also acted as DOT Tanzania's Senior Program Manager, incorporating her vast expertise of gender into her work overseeing the implementation, operations, and review of all DOT Tanzania programs.

Diana holds a Bachelor of Development Studies from Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

Solomon has several years of program development and project management experience in various organizations. He served as a project manager for Christian Children’s Fund of Canada and worked for Amhara Development Association as a deputy CEO and executive director.

Solomon has a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Addis Ababa University and has extensive training related to his profession and expertise.

Violette has led DOT Rwanda since its inception in 2010. Prior to DOT Rwanda, she spent seven years at the Embassy of Rwanda in Washington DC, beginning as a policy analyst and rising to become a diplomat in the position of First Secretary. Upon completion of her mission, she was posted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kigali, in charge of Asia and Oceania countries.

Violette is a member of the Africa Leadership Network (ALN) and recipient of the Anita Borg Institute Change Agent Award from the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. In 2016, Violette was named one of Amazon’s Watch Magazine’s Top 25 Distinguished Women in Business Excellence in Africa for her work to economically empower young girls and women. She is a mentor through the First Lady of Rwanda’s Imbuto Foundation and The MasterCard Foundation Young Africa Works, and is involved in numerous youth and women economic empowerment and technology-fueled development initiatives.

Violette holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a focus on International Development from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Comparative Development from Trent University.