Hilawit Gebrehanna is a feminist Gender expert working for gender transformation and youth empowerment in the international development and humanitarian aid sector. Hilawit has a bachelor’s in social work and a master’s in Gender Studies. She started her career working with UNWOMEN and Bread for the world for the coordination of development and humanitarian programs in Ethiopia and Sub Sharan Africa. She was also one of the Young Leaders Initiative (YALI) alumni of 2018. As a YALI, she was engaged in the development and implementation of youth civic engagement projects in Ethiopia. She also led multiple youth development sessions at the American Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Following her completion of the Female the Only Traineeship at CARE Ethiopia (2017) as Gender Officer in the Humanitarian Unit, Hilawit has been working closely with the organization management and programs on gender transformative approaches and social norm programming. In 2018, as the Gender Equity and Diversity Advisor, Hilawit coordinated initiatives that have been integral for an equitable work environment with strengthened staff capacity and transformed partnerships. Hilawit led and continued her engagement in the Protection Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment at CARE Ethiopia. 2019 and forward, Ms. Hilawit worked with development programs for the integration of Gender, Youth, and Social Transformative approaches in Food security, Nutrition, and social protection.

Hilawit loves volunteering. Since 2009, she has worked with staff and communities of YWCA, AHOPE Ethiopia, and Connected in Hope Foundation, tutoring children, organizing fundraisers, coordinating game days, and providing staff capacity buildings. She is passionate about social justice, gender equality, and youth empowerment. In July 2021, she received the Foege Fellowship at Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health. Hilawit wants to become a global leader for global health, advocating for and developing transformative programs to inclusive and equitable care and services for women.

Dr. Jahir has over 19 years’ experience in development sectors in Bangladesh, out of which 8 years in building relationship and brokering partnership with different ministries of Bangladesh Government such as Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives; different development partners such as DFID/FCDO, JICA, AusAid, GFATM, UNFPA & USAID and private sectors such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Coca-Cola, Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Target Australia & Primark. As a part of his recent past role, he was working across several components of health specially SRMH, health system strengthening both urban and rural health system, dignified work in RMG (ready-made garments) sector and HIV/AIDS program for People Who Injects Drugs through overseeing multiple projects and portfolio of over USD$ 7 million. Dr. Jahir’s recent work of Urban Health System Strengthening in Gazipur City Corporation created a vehicle for CARE to combine governance, leadership and information component of WHO defined health system building block. During the COVID-19 pandemic situation, he provided leadership support to multiple projects which were demonstrated signification benefits regarding health and GBV component for the urban low-income people especially women and girls.   Previously, he spent 11 years in Save the Children International and USAID funded health projects working in adolescent development through livelihood readiness, transformation of community norms through behavior change communication and strengthening of community support system and health service delivery care for poor and extreme poor communities in Bangladesh and Nepal.

Dr. Jahir obtained his post-graduation degree in Population Sciences and Business Administration from the University of Dhaka and the Asian University of Bangladesh respectively. He pass MBBS from Khulna Medical College in 2001. In addition, he received multiple training related with leadership, community mobilization, social behavior change communication, development assets profile (DAP) tools, and randomized control trail (RCT) in international and national level.

This year, he has been awarded by the William H Foege Fellowship for study at the Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, for the academic year August 2021 – August 2022. It will enhance his educational background, and knowledge which will allow him to understand and learn about health system success (and shortcomings) in the United States and other countries, applying them to Bangladesh’s realities. In addition, through this master’s program at Emory, he aspires to contribute to Bangladesh’s achievement of health targets of Sustainable Development Goals of health sector of Bangladesh by 2030.