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Donatha Gihana is a Rwandan woman gender activist. She is the former Country Director of Girl Effect Rwanda – an organization that is enabling Rwanda’s adolescent girls to fulfill their potential. Prior to joining Girl Effect, Donatha was the National Coordinator of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Rwanda where she worked on girls’ education issues within Rwanda’s Ministry of Education.

Career and Professional Life
Donatha Gihana holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education with a major in Economics and Master of Science in Gender and Development. She is a forthcoming PhD candidate at George Washington University. For the past 15 years, she has worked on gender issues with a particular focus on girls and women’s rights in education and leadership with experience and knowledge in gender policy influence, advocacy, mainstreaming and training. She has also been engaged in the implementation of gender programmes with specialty in women and adolescent girls’ leadership, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Education. She has also worked with the Government of Rwanda on gender and poverty reduction issues and economic planning (Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy I and II).

Donatha is the founder of a grassroots based organization known as Young Women Empowered – Ngeruka Initiative, which is aimed at empowering rural girls to be agents of change.

Personal life
Donatha is married with two sons and one daughter. She was born and raised in Uganda, and currently lives in Kigali, Rwanda.

Awards
In August 2016, Donatha was announced as the Country and Regional Winner for Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government Awards in the category of Welfare and Civil Society.