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Naimat ChopraAdvocacy OfficerBio
Naimat brings extensive experience working with leading international organizations, including the Asian Development Bank, OECD, GIZ, UN-Energy, UNDP, and UNICEF. Her expertise encompasses providing strategic knowledge leadership, designing effective policy strategies, and executing on-the-ground assignments across Asia and Africa. Having spent recent years in the United States, Naimat has specialized in analyzing the economic impact of development projects. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Policy and Data Analytics from the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in Economics from Delhi University.
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Awni FarhatProject OfficerBio
Awni started working with Hivos in 2019 and joined the ENERGIA team as Project Officer in 2021. Awni holds a Masters degree in Development Studies with a major Human Rights, Gender and Conflict Studies and an Advanced Master in International Development. He has ample experience in project coordination and facilitation in project coordination. Prior to joining ENERGIA, Awni has worked as Program and Project Officer for the Hivos Middle East and North Africa office and for the Decent Work for Women program. Before joining Hivos, he has worked with children and youth with a wide range of civil society organizations, including the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (PCDCR).
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Caroline BrantsSenior Project OfficerBio
Caroline is a human geographer by education and has many years of international experience in the field of gender and development. She joined ENERGIA in February 2017. Prior to that, she was Hivos’ project officer for India and has worked as a gender specialist in various projects in Africa and Asia. She has also supported research work in Ghana on access to and control over land and has actively contributed to the development of a toolkit which supports the production and use of sex-disaggregated agricultural data.
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Tjarda MullerCommunications CoordinatorBio
In her capacity of Communications Coordinator, Tjarda shapes, leads and oversees all ENERGIA’s external communication activities. She has ample experience in development cooperation and communication for development. Before joining ENERGIA, she served as Oxfam America’s Regional Communications Officer, based in El Salvador. She also worked as program coordinator at Free Voice (currently Free Press Unlimited) and provided extensive support to the research department at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tjarda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Culture and a Master’s degree in International Organizations.
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Sheila OparaochaDirector of the ENERGIA NetworkBioSheila Oparaocha holds a master’s degree in Gender and Development Planning and has over twenty one years of experience working at the intersectionality of gender equality, women empowerment and energy access. The 2021 recipient of the Carnot Prize, Sheila is a renowned leader in the gender and sustainable energy sector, as the Director of the ENERGIA International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy since 1999. She initiated, developed, and led numerous programs on the institutionalizing of gender transformative approaches in the energy sector in developing countries, specifically in the areas of women entrepreneurship development, gender mainstreaming in energy access projects and (sub) national energy policies, international policy advocacy, research and evidence development, network building and knowledge management. Sheila is a strong project manager who is primarily responsible for the quality control and delivery of ENERGIA’s multi-partner/donor project portfolio, who provides technical support and leadership to her team together with ample experience in annual planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation and donor relationship management. Sheila is the co-chair of the Technical Advisory Group for the Sustainable Development Goal 7 convened by UNDESA; and member of the Steering Committee of the Health and Energy Platform for Action and the High Level Coalition on Energy and Health that operates under the auspices of WHO.E-mail
International Secretariat
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Naimat ChopraAdvocacy Officer
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Awni FarhatProject Officer
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Caroline BrantsSenior Project Officer
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Tjarda MullerCommunications Coordinator
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Sheila OparaochaDirector of the ENERGIA Network