Mitra Deliri - Founder, Executive Director

Mrs. Deliri, an Australian citizen, was born into a Baha'i family in Iran but soon fled to India due to religious persecution. Her secondary education was completed in India before moving to Brazil and then the United States where she received her Bachelor's of Science (B.S.) in Biochemistry from the University of California at Davis. She received her Master's degree in Resource Management from the University of Canberra (Australia) and subsequently moved first to Malaysia and then to Africa. She has lived and worked in several countries in southern and eastern Africa over the past 15 years.

While working as an environmental specialist on World Bank projects in sub-Saharan Africa, she came to appreciate the link between poverty, environmental degradation, gender inequality, human dignity and human rights. Moved to redress the problem, she founded a non-govenmental organisation called "Chipua Institute for Social Transformation" ["Chipua" means "to sprout" in Swahili] in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Through Mrs. Deliri's vision, Chipua has developed a multidimensional program designed to educate disadvantaged youth on the essential elements for a healthy, happy family. The organisation has been supported by the Global Fund for Women, TrustAfrica and the Australian government.

In addition to Chipua, she is involved in other aspects of achieving gender equality and improving the lives of disadvantaged youth by serving as the Director of the Office of External Affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Tanzania, where she is involved in promoting human rights, gender equality and freedom of belief; participating as a member of the Women's Network for Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA); collaborating with African Monitor (a Ford Foundation project) on continental faith-based efforts to empowerthe grassroots community; and working as an active member of the Tanzania Interfaith Forum (TIFF) to promote gender equality and interfaith activities in Tanzania.

Mrs. Deliri's poverty alleviation and interfaith activities have taken her to an African Monitor/Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa conference in South Africa to deliver a presentation on establishing a partnership for grassroots participation in monitoring and advocacy; a high-level dialogue between religious leaders and organisations hosted by TrustAfrica in Senegal to assist in promoting peace and social inclusion in Africa; and an informal interactive hearing with civil society at the United Nations where she delivered a set of recommendations to the U.N. General Assembly on interreligious and intercultural understanding and cooperation for peace. She has been a participant at the U.N. Commission of the Status of Women meetings 51, 52 & 53, delivering presentations on her findings in Africa and the experience of Chipua at panels during the latter meeting.

Mama Sophia Kasimba - Girls' Project Instructor

Mama Sophia is the primary instructor for the girls' project, as well as staff member responsible for following up with the businesses established by the girls' project participants.

Mwalimu Shamim - Qualifying Test Instructor

Mwalimu Shamim is the primary instructor for the qualifying test project.