Staff & Consultants

Kathy Mulville, Executive Director 

Kathy has worked in the NGO sector for the last 25 years. Her work has largely subscribed to the Human Rights Framework. Originally from the UK, Kathy is now based in the Coordination Office in Manila. Kathy joined WGNRR in May 2009, after volunteering for 2 years in the Philippines as a Knowledge Management Adviser with Voluntary Services Overseas.

Prior to this, Kathy was, for 12 years, the Chief Executive of a network of over 500 non-profit help lines located within the UK and overseas.  Kathy has been campaigning for women’s rights since she was at college in the 1980s.  Kathy is passionate about the importance for access to information and knowledge particularly relating to SRHR.  She brings her leadership skills and knowledge management experience to WGNRR and is working to ensure that WGNRR meets its vision of a world where all people can fulfil their sexual and reproductive health rights.

Amy Kesterton, Policy Officer 

Amy joined WGNRR in August 2009. She has a background in public health with a focus on reproductive health and rights. Prior to moving to Manila, Amy has worked for the Sexual and Reproductive Health NGO ‘Interact Worldwide’ who are based in London; as a consultant for the WHO Child and Adolescent Health Department; and for the Global Health Workforce Alliance. She holds a PhD and an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where her research focused on maternal and newborn health in rural India; and a BA in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford.

In her role at WGNRR; Amy focuses on the development of policy analysis and advocacy tools and trainings. She has worked on developing the MDG Action Toolkit, which uses a human rights framework to analyse MDG-related policies and assess the integration of sexual and reproductive health and rights issues into these.  Her other focus is on community mobilisation and advocacy for safe abortion.

Benily “Nel” Valerio-Dimbuyu, Finance Manager 

Nel joined WGNRR as Finance Manager in February 2010. She is responsible for the financial management of the Coordination Office, working closely with the International Coordinator and Operations Manager in the monitoring and administration of grants and personnel salaries and benefits.

She is an accountant by profession, and has been with the NGO community for the past 20 years. She has worked with various groups involved in human rights, environment, women and children, alternative education, farmers, indigenous people and fisher folks, and disaster preparedness, mitigation, relief, and rehabilitation.

Corine Otte, European Officer 

Corine joined WGNRR in June 2007 and is currently WGNRR´s European Officer. She based in WGNRR´s Amsterdam Office. She liaises and networks with WGNRR´s European constituency and is involved in national and regional networks. In addition, she is a part of the Dutch Gender and Conflict Working Group, which is attempting to demonstrate (through action research via WGNRR members in Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) how dominant masculinity shapes SRHR policy and programme conditions at the local level. Furthermore, she carries out MDG Toolkit trainings of which resulting analyses are used by members at national levels and by WGNRR in her international advocacy.

Prior to joining WGNRR, she worked for a drinking water and sanitation institute for 5 years; where she mainly focused on gender mainstreaming.  She has also worked with various Dutch donors. She speaks English, Dutch, and some Portuguese.

Irina Otmakhova, Membership and Networking Officer 

Irina joined the WGNRR team as the Membership and Networking Officer in November 2007. In 2008, she moved to Manila from Amsterdam as part of the transition of the WGNRR Coordination Office. As Membership and Networking Officer, she is responsible for developing the membership and ensuring that the Network is updated and well-functioning. The organisation of the Regional Members’ Meetings, development of Membership and Networking policies, supervision and development of the online Membership Directory, and building Global Alliances with regional and global strategic partners, all falls under the purview of her job. 
 
Irina holds a BA in European Studies and International Relations from the University of Amsterdam and an MSc in Development Public Administration from Leiden University. Her MSc thesis research was on public health care decentralisation in Senegal. Prior to joining WGNRR, Irina worked as the Programme Manager of the Summer Institute on Sexuality, Culture and Society at the University of Amsterdam.

Irina speaks English, Russian, Dutch, Spanish and French. She is currently learning Tagalog.
 
Joralyn "Jurai" Wenceslao, Support Officer 

Jurai joined WGNRR in March 2009 as the Operational Support Officer. Apart from her tasks at WGNRR, Jurai volunteers with a medical mission. She is also a leader at the Learning Centre, as well as of the grassroots women's organisation in her local community. 

Prior to joined WGNRR, she worked with a Manila-Based international women's NGO.  Apart from English and Tagalog, she is currently also studying basic Spanish.

Maria Criselda “Dada” Ritual-Penaverde, Operations Manager 

Dada, as she is fondly known, joined WGNRR in July 2008 as the Operations Manager. Her formal education is in the field of Agricultural Economics.  She gained her experience in administration and financial management through working with various non-governmental organisations.  Her responsibilities are mainly administrative and finance related, which includes supervision and overall responsibility of the operations team. She is responsible for financial transactions and maintaining the financial assets of the organisation (bank, petty cash and other accounts) and bookkeeping.  She is also responsible for the personnel administration.

Prior to working at WGNRR, She was the director of administration and finances of Education for Life Foundation (ELF), a grassroots non-formal institution working for different sectors including women.

She is a wife to Arnold and a mother to two grown-ups. She speaks English and Filipino and can also understand the Spanish language.  She is fond of travelling, photography and craftwork.

Marevic “Bing” Parcon, Programme Officer-Asia 

Marevic- or Bing, as she is known- joined WGNRR in August 2009. As Programme Support Officer, she assists the Membership and Networking Officer in developing the membership and running and updating the network. On a daily basis, Bing ensures the direct link between WGNRR members and campaign supporters. She also provides policy input to the WGNRR priority areas (access to contraception, access to safe abortion, sexual rights, and youth), as well as logistical support for WGNRR activities with its members and other stakeholders.

Prior to joining WGNRR, Bing has worked in various Philippine-based women’s NGOs and international networks. She speaks English, Tagalog and Visayan.

Nondo Ebuela Ejano, Programme Officer- Africa 

Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nondo currently lives in Tanzania. He holds a BA in Environment & Development. He began working in the rural development movement just after his secondary education, where he was Co-Founder and Executive Manager of Kikonde Rural Farmers and Breeders’ Cooperative. His experience working with peasants increased his desire to learn more about the rural development field. He worked with a local NGO named "Societe de Cooperation pour le Developpement de Fizi (SOCOODEFI)" which was a leading Network of over 250 members in the Fizi territory. During this period, he acquired different skills such adult literacy methods (Paulo Freire Method), animation and training skills, and leadership and management skills, amongst others.

Rishita officially joined WGNRR staff in February 2009. As the Communications and Youth Affairs Officer, Rishita works on all communication aspects of the organisation and network, edits the Newsletters and E-Updates, collaborates with WGNRR’s youth members on the WGNRR Youth Policy, and liaises with partners and members on WGNRR youth concerns.

Originally from India, Rishita has spent most of her childhood in the United Arab Emirates. She holds a BA in Communications, English Literature and Psychology. She also holds an MA in Peace and Conflict Studies. She has published papers on secularism in India, community building, Gender and Feminism in Literature, and the importance of involving young people in peace processes. Her MA thesis deals with the concept of media neutrality in a conflict zone. Prior to working with WGNRR, Rishita has volunteered and interned with community radio initiatives, magazines and publishing houses. She speaks English, Hindi and Telugu fluently.

Tanya Roberts-Davis, Campaigns Officer

Joining the WGNRR team as Campaigns Officer in April 2010, Tanya Roberts-Davis has a background in social, economic and environmental justice activism, grounded in a politics of anti-imperialist, anti-colonial feminism. She grew up in occupied Anishinaabeg territory on Turtle Island (Ontario, Canada) and has been an active participant in workers’, im/migrant, anti-racist, women’s, Palestinian, Latin American, Indigenous Peoples’, and Philippine Solidarity movements and collectives.

Tanya has worked on campaigns with social movements based in Costa Rica, Finland, India, Nepal, South Africa, Thailand, the Philippines, and Turtle Island (Canada and U.S.A); where she has been engaged in the facilitation of popular education workshops, participatory theatre, community radio documentation, writing for independent news collectives, and organising events in the streets of urban neighbourhoods.

Tanya completed a BA in Women’s Studies and Globalisation Studies, and a Masters degree in International Law and Human Rights. She compiled and edited a children’s book, “We Need to Go to School: Voices of the Rugmark Children” (2000), and a forthcoming publication featuring testimonials of women campaigning for justice in the face of multinational mining and oil companies, “Women from Mining Affected Communities Speak Out: Defending Life, Land and Dignity”. 

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