Muadi Mukenge – Leader, Global Fund for Women

African-born Muadi Mukenge has dedicated her career to promoting the development of her native continent – and women around the world.

By Taylor Mallory

Who among us hasn’t felt her heart break over the images of Haiti over the last few weeks? But the women of Haiti, who usually bear the brunt of the instability natural disasters cause, will need support long after the world turns its eyes, hearts and wallets to other, more immediate matters. Enter the Global Fund for Women, which has awarded more than $79 million to 4,100 women’s organizations in 170 countries since 1987.

In Mukenge’s six years with the organization, she has led GFW to increase support in the areas of conflict-prevention, ending sexual violence, empowerment of rural women and expansion of grants to French-speaking Africa. And she’s continuing her lifelong mission to improve the lives of women in Africa. “There are so many parallels between Haiti and Africa – social and economic inequalities. Both have an extremely destitute population (even before the earthquake), high unemployment and political oppression and instability.”

She talks to PINK about maintaining her African identity while growing up in the U.S., motivating her team and her large extended family, spread out over two continents.

PINK: Why did you choose this career?
Muadi Mukenge: My family moved here from the Democratic Republic of the Congo when I was in elementary school, but we were brought up as Africans in the U.S. It was important to my parents that we remember where we came from. They took the time to teach us the history of our country and heritage, so those connections weren’t broken and we could maintain that identity. We always observed our values and spent time with other Congolese families and maintained close ties with our family in Congo. But we were also taught in a structured way. For quite some time, we’d have a formal class every Sunday where my father would teach us about our culture and family and the political history of our country. And I learned about the inequalities and their causes. The unemployment rate in Congo is 80 percent, and public institutions do not meet the population’s basic needs. Health care either costs too much or is unavailable for many. This made me want to be part of efforts to improve the living conditions and promote respect of human rights. I also wanted to address the root causes of inequalities and not simplify issues as media often does toward Africa. My aim is to educate the public about Africa, to challenge those negative public images and contribute to the development of the people, economy and political structure.

PINK: What are your professional success secrets?
M.M.: I was passionate about this cause, so I read a lot and took my academics seriously; taking advantage of study abroad programs and learning as much as I could so I could be effective in my career. When I graduated [with a master’s degree in African Studies from UCLA], I started out in media at U.S. News and World Report. Success requires putting in time to do quality work, and it required extremely long hours to do good reporting, get accurate information on a short deadline and write and speak in a concise way that will compel people to do something or think differently. I approached people doing the work I wanted to do and asked questions about how they got there and advice. That meant a lot of networking and attending conferences. So much learning happens at conferences and seminars. I still network constantly – not only as part of my official job but through online networks and volunteer activities – like my work with Leja Bulela, Priority Africa Network and Friends of the Congo. I later worked at UCLA, producing research and public education on Africa. Then I joined an international NGO which provided training and evaluation programs to women’s organizations in Africa. I’ve been able to travel to 18 countries in Africa, witness the realities and meet people who are making a difference. My current position at GFW involves developing a strategy for funding women’s organizing in Africa. I review proposals from many organizations in Africa and link with advisors on the ground – human rights activists, professionals with a good sense of what’s going on and can advise us about which groups have a solid foundation. But at the end of the day, I have to draw on all the experiences I’ve had along my career path. At every stage, I’ve also learned to be a very good listener.

PINK: What are the most urgent issues impacting women globally
M.M.: Violence against women, increasing women’s voice in politics and opportunities to be leaders, and reproductive rights. Even in a country like the U.S., rates of violence against women are extremely high – higher than in some of the countries where we work. The advantage in the U.S., though, is that there are shelters and more discussion about domestic abuse and perpetrators of violence are punished. In most of the countries where GFW works, it’s harder to report it. Women depend on men to provide economic security, so it’s very difficult for women with limited education and job training to leave the situation and be able to live on their own. Often, women have children to think about as well. And in many parts of the world, a woman doesn’t get to decide when she has sex or use contraception and how many children she wants. She doesn’t get to regulate that. Half a million women die every year because of maternal mortality, which can be prevented. The subordinate position of women in society transfers to the home. Women around the world need access to the right information and the ability to influence men and educate other women. And there are so many organizations around the world trying to make a difference. We get almost 3,000 applications every year for 600 grants available.

PINK: What is your leadership style?
M.M.: I’ve had opportunities to be challenged, to learn and get a professional foundation. I try to give those same qualities and opportunities to people I manage. We get a lot of demand from women’s groups around the world for funding. The process of reviewing those proposals takes a lot of time, and we need to do it in a way that is efficient. So some aspects of the job are more compelling and others are more administrative. I try to mix it up so that everyone gets to do some of the more substantive work – to write and speak publicly and to develop their skills. If I’m asked to speak to a group or a class, I often defer to my associates so they can build their careers. And I promote their attendance at various events, where they can see what people are doing and be motivated by that and get more information.

PINK: How do you manage your Life/Work balance? 
M.M.: My life is extremely full. I have friends and a very large extended family that includes two nephews, one niece and many “adopted” nieces and nephews here and in Africa. For Africans, your friends’ children are your children. You care about them and watch after them. Between work and volunteer activities, I have tended in the past to be a workaholic. But I’m working on that. It’s important to rest and rejuvenate and not take too much out of yourself – and to say “no” sometimes and let other people be leaders so you can enjoy yourself. I go on walks and to the movies and cultural events, read suspense novels, listen to music, have friends over for dinner and I travel. I try not to bring work home on the weekends, even if that means working late during the week sometimes. But political transitions can happen suddenly or natural disasters and I care about those issues, so I make exceptions. And I try to limit e-mail and not check my work account at home. As wonderful as e-mail is, it can be too much. I’m not perfect at that. (She laughs.) But I’m doing what I’m passionate about so it’s hard sometimes to separate work from my personal life.