FEMINIST REPUBLIK

Dzuwa is an online publication featuring innovative Afrocentric stories that explore the threads that connect self and collective care,
healing, and indigenous knowledge and practices. The publication is brought to you by the Feminist Republik (formally known as the African Women’s Human Rights Defenders Platform). It is an editorially independent initiative of Urgent Action Fund Africa. Our aspiration is to offer a bountiful repository from which African feminist activists may both draw and offer a steady supply of varied healing and wellness pathways and knowledge. All to embolden and support them in their individual, family, and community journeys of healing and wellness. The offerings in this publication are largely voices and expressions of African advocates, healers, artivists, organisers, academics, musicians and many more committed to the work of rights and justice. It is through the
political act of intentionally honouring, acknowledging, understanding and confronting our collective trauma that we may experience healing.

Jean Kemitare

Programmes Director

Jean is a Ugandan national, a passionate African feminist with over 15 years’ experience in the development sector in women’s rights programming. She has expertise and experience on gender equality & women’s empowerment with a focus on prevention and response to violence against women across the Sub-Saharan Africa context including program strategy development, capacity building for NGOs, advocacy and research.

Jean has been a practitioner at senior management level over the past 8 years leading strategy development for the regional GBV Prevention Network at Raising Voices from information
sharing to a comprehensive feminist movement building programme. Over the years this work has contributed to a rapid increase, interest and investment in addressing violence against women within the region and building a critical mass of GBV prevention network membership. She initiated a range of partnerships with regional feminist networks like FEMNET, INGOs like the IRC, Sexual Violence Research Center, UN Agencies, including UN Women in Uganda and at regional level and coordinated collaborations with feminist movement building organisations like Just Associates (South East Asia) and Intercambios Allianz (Latin America). She has served in advisory capacity on committees like the African Integrated
Response initiated by the Stephen Lewis Foundation and hosted by African Women’s Development Fund.

She believes in agency of African women to not only innovate solutions of pertinent issues affecting their lives but also generate knowledge for a global audience.
Jean is co-author of among other publications, Get Moving! curriculum a feminist organization transformation tool for addressing GBV and led a its adaptation to address sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in humanitarian settings in partnership with the IRC. Previously her work revolved around chronic poverty research, policy advocacy, and community-based HIV awareness and response.

She was instrumental in civil society advocacy for a social protection policy in Uganda. Jean completed a Masters Degree in Social Sector Planning and Management and Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University Kampala Uganda.

FEMINIST REPUBLIK