Our Writers

“I wanted to be free of dictatorship. I wanted to be able to speak my mind without being punished. I wanted to decide for myself what I wanted to be in life. Nobody should decide for me.”

HINTSA SOLOMON - ERITREA / GERMANY 

Our youngest writer, Hintsa Solomon, fled Eritrea at 15 years old. Before leaving Eritrea he attended school in Asmara. Now living in Germany, he aims to become a doctor in the future and to return to Eritrea to help establish a better healthcare system. He is 19 years old.

“I saw the issues and difficulties that families are facing, which they don’t find easy to overcome. I started to ask myself “What can I do in order to contribute to make people happier?” Because of that, I developed the idea to come up with an organization that would be able to address some of the needs of the families.”

SIMON MBENG - CAMEROON

Simon Mbeng is the Director of Better Family Foundation in Fundong, Cameron. He holds a master’s Degree in Biblical Studies and a PhD in Special Education. Simon has a great interest in humanitarian services, and writes about his experiences in this field. He is married with three children.

“One of the most honourable experiences for every soldier is the opportunity to participate in a United Nations peacekeeping mission as a blue beret peacekeeper.”

UN PEACEKEEPER - WEST AFRICA*

Our West African writer is an officer in his country of origin´s armed forces and has wide- ranging experiences with peace and security issues at a national and international level.  He participated in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in 2010 and 2014. Previously, he had worked as a Teaching and Research Assistant at a University Psychology Department. He also holds a Commonwealth Executive Master Degree in Public Administration and Master in International Security, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Political Science. He writes about his experience as a "blue helmet" serving as a peacekeeper in Liberia. He has since worked in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA.

“The classes were densely populated with a single class holding more than 50 students, with four or more pupils sharing a single desk. You would have thought it would be difficult to find any form of motivation in such a situation but the performance of the students was beyond encouraging. It is embarrassing to admit, but their performance surpassed our own.”

ALVIN WALUBENGO WAFULA -  KENYA

Alvin Wafula is a graduate of the Bachelor of Arts in International Relations programme of the United States International University Africa. He is currently the Vice Chairperson of Tuwakuze Africa, a youth led society in Kenya that focuses on improving the lives of underprivileged primary school children through education, mentorship and practical skills that can ensure self-reliance and sustainability.

“I made a decision that my life would not be defined by my circumstances but instead, I would choose a path of excellence.”

SHEILA CHEPKOECH - KENYA

Sheila has done volunteer work in various fields in her home country in Kenya and is writing about the diverse experiences she made in her various capacities. Sheila is also a member of the VOICE team, and is the regional contact for our writers from African countries. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the United States International University of Africa and a master’s degree in International Development from the Paris School of International Affairs (Sciences Po). She currently lives in Nairobi.

“It is important for people to know that every country and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and we have to mutually figure out a way in which we can work together and achieve our goals without butting heads.”

GOLDA PONI - SOUTH SUDAN

Golda Poni is passionate about working with vulnerable people and in sustainable development. She has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from Uganda Christian University and currently works with Christian Relief and Education in South Sudan, overseeing their women’s empowerment programme. She is 24 and lives and works in South Sudan.

JOVITA S. MLAY - TANZANIA

Jovita is happily married and a mother of three children. She has a Bachelors degree of Commerce in Accounting and a Masters degree in International Trade, both from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.She worked as a public servant for eight years from 1988 to 1996. Jovita then moved to private sector as a business woman in 1997 and joined the Non-governmental Charity sector in 1999. Since then, she has been engaging in developing conceptual understanding of gender, policy advocacy and capacity building for women and girls to take charge of their lives and their children. As part of this, she founded SASA Foundation, an NGO aiming at achieving gender equality, women´s empowerment and social transformation. Jovita is sharing her story in VOICEs Shifting Lines. We also cooperate closely with Jovita as part of our Outreach.

“The current Indian government is really excited about technology but I think that rather than such things as smart cities or the like, access to education for all should be the priority. What do people prefer in underdeveloped countries? Access to water or access to Internet?”

GEORGE JOSEPH - INDIA

George Joseph comes from India and has a master’s degree in International Development from the Paris School of International Affairs (Sciences Po). Prior to this, he worked in many non-profit organisations in India, with a specialism in education, agriculture and gender equality.

“Unfortunately, natural disasters happened one by one. These were the Sichuan Earthquake of 2008, the Haiti Earthquake of 2010, the Philippine Typhoon of 2013 and the Nepal Earthquake in 2015. The many mission stories I experienced were a gift and reward which inspired self-reflections and inspiration for my own life.”

TSE KAR YEE (CAROL) - HONG KONG, CHINA

Carol comes from Hong-Kong where she is an Operating Theatre Nurse at the Prince of Wales Hospital. As well as this, she is part of the Hong-Kong Red Cross and has been deployed several times to respond to natural disasters. She writes about these experiences for VOICE.

“The orphanage gave me the love, care, hope and support I needed after the death of my parents. I strongly believe that everyone around me, going through what I went through in the past, deserves to experience the same love, care, support, hope and opportunity that my family at the orphanage gave me.”

CHAMUELA* - BOLIVIA

Chamuela is a doctor in a small town in rural Bolivia. She is head of the Accident and Emergency programme in her hospital, as well as the medic responsible for her regional social insurance programme, which helps those who cannot afford insurance to pay for their hospitalization and medical treatment. She writes about her experiences of practising medicine in a rural setting. For fear of negative consequences, she chose to write under a pseudonym.

“The number of avoidable deaths is very high.”

BOLIVIAN GHOSTWRITER* - BOLIVIA

This writer is an anaesthesiologist, who has worked in both rural areas and city hospitals in Bolivia. He shares his experiences working in operating theatres and hospitals. For fear of negative consequences, he cannot disclose his name and has chosen to write under the name Bolivian Ghostwriter instead.

“So, I’m not complaining but I want to let you know that my colleagues and I are standing up for a cause, a health cause… that literally is killing Mexicans.”

BÁRBARA DEL BOSQUE SALMERÓN - MEXICO

Barbara del Bosque is a nutritionist in both a private and a public hospital in Mexico, and also works as a volunteer Emergency Medical in Orizaba, Vera Cruz. She shares her experiences of working and volunteering in both of these roles, and her experiences of working in a public health setting. Barbara is also the regional contact for Central and Latin America for VOICE. She is from Mexico City, where she lives and works.

“Girls no longer marry at 14, they do not school stop at 14 – this is probably one of the best things we have done for the community. It is not easy to change people’s mentality and their convictions...”

NOHA RBEIZ - LEBANON

Noha Rbeiz is director of Mouvement Social's school in Jnah, a southern suburb of Beirut. During over 20 years of directorship, and nearly a lifetime spent serving in civil society and childcare, Noha has had a special interest in serving vulnerable children and communities. Born in Lebanon into a Palestinian family, she previously worked with the orphan-focused organisation Beit Atfal Assomoud. Now, she oversees a diverse school which is home to a number of children from migrant communities: Palestinians, Kurds, Syrians and displaced Lebanese from the Civil War.

“Every child and every woman I would listen to would be a challenge but also the greatest satisfaction – to hear them say how much they appreciated being heard and respected.”

CHARLOTTE TANIOS - LEBANON

Charlotte Tanios works in the Lebanese organization Mouvement Social as a programme coordinator within the field of juvenile and women’s detention programmes. Charlotte’s work spans across advocacy tasks, policy and programme development and intergovernmental collaboration. Part of Charlotte and Mouvement Social’s mission as a whole is that of offering alternatives to youth and women in prison, and working on limiting recidivism.

“Knowledge was my most powerful weapon as it enabled me to stand up and argue my cause while the best society could do was calling me rude for talking back to the patriarchy. I knew my rights and I knew my audience.”

MAISAM ABUMORR - PALESTINE

Maisam Abumorr is a political and women’s rights activist from Palestine with a background in media and gender research. She is specialised in Middle Eastern culture and politics. She was recently elected as a committee member of Amnesty’s Women’s Rights Action Network.

Track II: To produce a first draft of the story, we record and transcribe a conversation with the writer. This is then send to the writer as a basis for further work. The conversation takes place over the phone, skype, facetime, whatsapp call or whatever other medium our writer choses. It is led by the writer, who will tell us what they want to say - however, we will help with prompts and ask questions to bridge cultural gaps for our audience. We deliberately do not set this up as an interview, as this is our writers´ story and we do not want to lead them in any direction. Their story is theirs to tell. But we will be there all the way - we will start them of and we will help them if they are unsure about how to go on. This is where our regional contacts and their specific cultural knowledge comes in to make sure we avoid stereotypes and can support writers as best as possible in this conversation.