At Namati, our people are our greatest resource.

Dagem Legesse is originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He first began his career as an Assistant Accountant for World Vision Ethiopia, and has since spent the last 11 years working in a number of accounting and finance positions. Before moving to the United States, he held the post of Senior Administration and Finance Officer for five years at the IntraHealth International CPMTCT Project, a USAID funded program. Most recently, Dagem was an Accountant with Over Phone Interpreters in Maryland, United States. Dagem holds a diploma and bachelor’s degree in accounting from Addis Ababa University.

Daniel completed his secondary education at the Prince of Wales School in Freetown, Sierra Leone and attended the Milton Margai College of Education Science and Technology (MMCET), where he earned a diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies. Upon graduation, he worked as a volunteer teacher at a primary school in Freetown, then joined BRAC Sierra Leone as a paralegal in Port Loko District. Prior to joining Namati full-time, Daniel served as a volunteer intern in the Makeni office. The conflict resolution and peacebuilding knowledge he gained at the MMCET has helped him become a strong mediator in his work as a Legal Empowerment Advocate with Namati.

Daniel served as a lead paralegal for Timap for Justice in Sierra Leone. He consults community-based paralegal programs in program and case management and strategic oversight. Daniel has spoken at a number of conferences on the topic of customary law and community-based paralegalism.

Daniela supports the Grassroots Justice Network member initiatives in Latin America. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and a minor in Political Economy from Lewis & Clark College, in Oregon, USA, and a Certification in Gender and Public Policy of Equality from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). She has a strong interest in human rights advocacy and security issues, which has been reflected in both her academic and professional experience working with non-profit organizations and international development agencies. Her experience includes the coordination of national and regional initiatives aimed at fostering gender-oriented programs, particularly those focused on the development of IT skills. Her efforts have also focused on the implementation of programs dedicated to preventing gender-based violence against women and girls in Mexico. Furthermore, Daniela developed a grassroots project called "Xochicalli: Flore(siendo) Unidas" (Xochicalli: Flourishing together), that sought to promote peace and raise awareness about gender-based violence through the creation of individual and collective self-care spaces for young women in Iztapalapa, Mexico City. She loves dancing, baking and traveling.

Dauda was born in Gbangbaia Village, Impere Chiefdom, Bonthe District, Southern Sierra Leone. He attended the Impere Secondary School and Eastern Polytechnic Kenema. Dauda worked as a paralegal for Methodist Church Sierra Leone prior to joining Namati, where he currently serves as a community paralegal in the Bo office in Southern Sierra Leone.

David Arach is a Ugandan national who has experience working as a Monitoring and Evaluation specialist. Currently based in Nairobi, Kenya, David joined Namati as the Community Land Protection Program's East Africa Program Officer in March 2016. He is armed with a strong passion for justice, advocating for security of tenure, and strengthening communities’ ability to protect, document and defend their land rights. Before joining Namati, David worked with Land and Equity Movement in Uganda (LEMU) to implement their Community Land Protection Program. David graduated from Makerere University, Kampala in 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Chemistry, where he also attended post-graduate courses in M&E and Statistical Data Management. In addition, he has received formal training in facilitation skills.

David was born in Inhambane, Mozambique. He studied basic technical education in electricity at the Industrial and Commercial School Eduardo Mondlane of Inhambane and studied English at the Language Institute in Inhambane City. Before coming to Namati as a Health Advocate, he worked  at Kangela as a stock clerk and as a receptionist at the Hotel Casa de Capitão in Inhambane.

Denis was born and raised in Bo Town, in the Southern Sierra Leone where he attended the Ahymadiyya Muslim Secondary. After completing secondary school he joined a mechanic workshop and trained as a light vehicle mechanic and then worked as a hand pump technician in Moyamba and Kenema districts. Denis joined Namati in 2016 as the Bo office assistant.

Dércio Carlos Joaquim nasceu em Maxixe, depois de concluir o ensino médio teve o seu primeiro emprego no Standard Bank com a responsabilidade de atualizar os processos de abertura de conta, mais tarde trabalhou como caixa, Consultor de clientes, supervisor das ATMs e mais tarde como Team Leader da Agencia. Em 2015 a 2017 trabalhou na Lombo, uma empresa de prestação de serviços de aluguer de viaturas como motorista a prestar serviços na Care Internacional no programa de Redução de riscos de desastres e desenvolvimento a longo prazo de agricultura, água, saneamento, higiene e nutrição na Província de Inhambane. Foi no âmbito deste trabalho que me apaixonei pelo trabalho comunitário e decidi a me juntar a Namati que opera nas comunidades e com resultados visíveis na comunidade onde resido.

Derrick Makhandia is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with 10 years’ experience working in legal aid, governance & policy, human rights, research and electoral governance. Prior to joining Namati, he worked with Transparency International Kenya in different capacity where he handled legislative and policy reforms on land, elections & democracy, anti-corruption and public interest litigation. He has also worked with Mzalendo Trust as a Program Officer-Parliamentary Affairs, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights as a Human Rights Monitor, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics as a researcher, Mutuerandu Muriithi & Co Advocates as a pupil, alongside other assignments. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law and a Bachelors of Law Degree from Moi University.

In his free time, Derrick binges on history books and documentaries, travels and watches soccer.