Dean Peacock is an Ashoka Fellow
Sonke is excited to announce the selection of Executive Director Dean Peacock to the prestigious Ashoka Fellowship. The Ashoka award is a prestigious award made to just 8 people in South Africa in 2013 and recognises leading social entrepreneurs who have innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society. “They demonstrate unrivaled commitment to bold new ideas and prove that compassion, creativity, and collaboration are tremendous forces for change.”
Dean joins a small but powerful group of NGO leaders, political figures and private sector pioneers in receiving the fellowship, in large part because of his work as a co-founder and Executive Director of Sonke, and also for his role in co-founding and co-chairing the global MenEngage Alliance, now active in over forty countries across the world. We are as proud as ever of Dean’s work, and see this as an honour not only for him, but for us all.
Sisonke Msimang Joins the Senior Management Team
We are proud to welcome Sisonke Msimang on board as Senior Programme Specialist: Policy Development, Advocacy and Communications. Sisonke brings a wealth of skills, expertise and networks which will greatly enrich the work of the organization. Over the last decade Sisonke has served in a number of high profile positions: the UNAIDS gender and AIDS advisor for Southern Africa, the Director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, and Yale Global Fellow. She served as board vice-chair and then board chair from 2008-Nov 2012. Reflecting this impressive set of accomplishments, she was selected as a “young global leader” by the World Economic Forum in 2012. Sisonke is a regular contributor to print, radio and television media and her writing is published frequently in the Mail and Guardian, City Press and the Daily Maverick where she has a weekly Opinionista column. Sisonke has a master’s degree from UCT’s African Gender Institute.
Remmy Shawa wins Rising Star Award
Sonke Gender Justice congratulates its International Sida Project Coordinator, Remmy Shawa on receiving the prestigious Rising Star Award at the just concluded Women Deliver Conference in Kuala Lumpur. The award, which was presented to Remmy by the co-Chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ms Melinda Gates and Women Deliver Founder and President Jill Sheffield, is given to young people who have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of girls and women in their communities.
Remmy was recognized for his work on Men n’ Gender, a project he co-founded in his home country, Zambia. The project aimed at mobilizing male students at the University of Zambia to end violence against women. Remmy was part of a delegation of 100 youth leaders at Women Deliver. At the official press conference on the first day, he spoke on the need to invest in girls and women. He also spoke on a panel on barriers to care, engaging men and boys. On the last day he moderated one of the presidential sessions on the Post 2015 development agenda through young people’s lens. Remmy further co-facilitated the South African civil society country caucuses with Georgina Caswell of GNP+.