Nadja signifies “the spirit of light” in Latin; Nadja’s commitment to justice has been an essential part of her for as long as she can remember. She was just six years old when she began speaking out against discrimination targeting disabled students in her class. From that moment, she knew that she would become a human rights activist and teacher. Nadja earned her law degree in 2003 from the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, where she is now a professor and coordinator of the legal aid clinic, which aims to promote access to justice across the country. Nadja has also worked for the Mozambican League of Human Rights since 1999, where she has been engaged in projects around prison monitoring, penal reform, disability rights, gender equality, land rights, and environmental justice. She has been Legal Advisor for Namati’s Right to Health Program in Mozambique since January of 2013.
Over the course of her career, Nadja has collaborated on a number of research studies and publications, including a study on land grabbing in Mozambique, a human rights report on the justice sector, a study on the socioeconomic impact of pretrial detention, and Namati’s right to health manual. She is a regular participant on radio and television programs around legal empowerment. In 2010, she was one of three young leaders chosen to travel to the White House to represent Mozambique at the Presidential Forum with Young African Leaders.